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Export Your Ghana Floor Plan to IFC, DXF & GLTF: The Professional Handover Guide [2026]

GhanaHousePlanner has always made it easy for Ghanaians — at home and in the diaspora — to design their own floor plans with AI. Now, those designs don't stop at a screen. You can export your floor plan in four professional formats and hand it directly to your architect, structural engineer, or contractor.

This guide explains what each format is, who uses it, and how the new client–architect handover workflow works in practice.

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Why Export Formats Matter

A floor plan you design on GhanaHousePlanner is a complete spatial model — rooms, walls, doors, area calculations, and Ghana Building Code compliance data are all embedded. When you export it, that data goes with it.

Without proper exports, the design stays locked on one platform and someone has to redraw it from scratch — wasting time and introducing errors. With professional exports, your design becomes the starting point for the architect's work, not an attachment for them to manually trace.

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The Four Export Formats

IFC — Industry Foundation Classes (Revit, ArchiCAD, FreeCAD)

File extension: .ifc Standard: IFC2x3 CoordinationView, ISO 10303-21 STEP format Used by: Architects, structural engineers, BIM coordinators

IFC is the universal open standard for Building Information Modelling (BIM). Every professional architecture tool — Autodesk Revit, Graphisoft ArchiCAD, Trimble Tekla, FreeCAD — can open an IFC file.

What is embedded in the GhanaHousePlanner IFC export:

This level of data is what architects expect when receiving a BIM-ready handover file. A structural engineer can immediately read wall loadbearing status, thermal values, and room areas without asking you for any additional information.

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DXF — Drawing Exchange Format (AutoCAD, QCAD, LibreCAD)

File extension: .dxf

Standard: DXF R2000 (AC1015) Used by: Architects, draughtsmen, structural engineers, planning departments

DXF is the industry-standard 2D CAD exchange format created by Autodesk. It is supported by AutoCAD, QCAD, LibreCAD, BricsCAD, and virtually every other CAD application.

What is embedded in the GhanaHousePlanner DXF export:

The DXF is the right format for architects and draughtsmen who work primarily in 2D, and for submission to planning departments who may require a CAD file alongside the building permit application.

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GLTF — GL Transmission Format (Blender, 3ds Max, Sketchfab)

File extension: .gltf Standard: glTF 2.0 Used by: Architects for 3D visualisation, interior designers, clients reviewing designs

GLTF is the modern open-standard 3D format for real-time 3D. Blender, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, and web-based viewers (Sketchfab, Three.js) can open it immediately.

GhanaHousePlanner generates the GLTF directly from the live 3D model in the browser — the same model you see in the 3D viewer — including wall geometry, room colour shading, doors, and all floor levels. An architect or interior designer can import this into Blender, add textures, materials, and lighting, and produce photorealistic renders for client presentations.

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PNG — Screenshot Export

File extension: .png Used by: Sharing on WhatsApp, email, social media, or attaching to a document

A high-resolution screenshot of your current 3D view. Useful for quick sharing, project documentation, or including in a brief sent to a contractor or architect before the full file handover.

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The Client–Architect Collaboration Workflow

This is where the exports unlock a genuinely new working model for Ghana's construction sector.

The Traditional Problem

Today, most Ghanaian homebuilders either:

Each of these approaches is slow, expensive, and often ends in a design that doesn't quite match what the client had in mind.

The GhanaHousePlanner Handover Model

Step 1 — Client designs with Kwame AI

The client uses GhanaHousePlanner's AI assistant to describe their dream home in plain language: "3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, open living and kitchen, traditional style, ground floor master bedroom, verandah at the front." Kwame generates a Ghana Building Code-compliant floor plan instantly.

The client iterates — adding rooms, adjusting the style, checking the cost estimate — until the layout feels right. No architectural training required.

Step 2 — Client exports and invites the architect

Once happy with the layout, the client exports the IFC file (for BIM work) or DXF file (for 2D CAD work) directly from the 3D viewer. They share this file with their architect — or they use GhanaHousePlanner's collaboration features to invite the architect directly into the project.

Step 3 — Architect refines in their professional tools

The architect opens the IFC in Revit or ArchiCAD and sees a fully structured BIM model:

Instead of starting from a blank template, the architect starts from a client-validated layout with all the spatial decisions already made. Their job is refinement, structural detailing, and permit-ready sheet production — not decoding a client's hand-drawn sketch.

Step 4 — Architect delivers permit-ready drawings

The architect produces the full architectural and structural drawing set from the GhanaHousePlanner IFC base. The client already knows the layout is correct because they designed and reviewed it themselves. Revisions are minimal.

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Who Benefits

Homeowners and Diaspora Clients

You arrive at your first architect meeting with a complete, professionally structured BIM file instead of a rough sketch. Your design intentions are unambiguous. You've already verified room sizes, costs, and Ghana Building Code compliance. The architect's time — and your money — is spent on structural engineering and permit drawings, not on re-explaining what you mean by "open plan."

Architects and Draughtsmen

You receive a qualified lead who has already made the fundamental design decisions. The IFC handover file means you don't redraw the floor plan from scratch. You open it in Revit or ArchiCAD, validate the structure, add your engineering details, and produce permit sheets.

For architects who want to offer GhanaHousePlanner as a client onboarding tool — directing new clients to design their initial layout before the first consultation — it reduces your intake meeting time significantly and increases the quality of the brief you receive.

Contractors and Quantity Surveyors

The DXF export gives you a dimensioned 2D drawing with room areas for immediate bill-of-quantities preparation. The room area data in the IFC export can be used directly for material take-offs without manual measurement.

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How to Export Your Floor Plan

- IFC — for Revit, ArchiCAD, FreeCAD, or any BIM tool

- DXF — for AutoCAD, QCAD, LibreCAD, or any CAD tool

- GLTF — for Blender, 3ds Max, or 3D visualisation

- PNG — for quick sharing

The file downloads immediately. No account upgrade required for IFC and DXF on Starter and Pro plans.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can my architect open the IFC file in Revit?

Yes. Autodesk Revit's IFC import (File → Open → IFC) supports IFC2x3, which is the standard GhanaHousePlanner uses. All room property sets, wall quantities, and materials will be visible in the imported model.

Does the DXF file work with QCAD and LibreCAD?

Yes. The DXF is written to the R2000 (AC1015) standard, which is supported by QCAD, LibreCAD, BricsCAD, and all versions of AutoCAD from 2000 onwards.

Is the floor plan in the IFC file in metres?

Yes. All coordinates and dimensions in the IFC and DXF exports are in metres. The IFC file sets IFCSIUNIT to metres and the DXF header sets INSUNITS to 6 (metres).

Can the architect edit the plan after importing the IFC?

Yes. The IFC import in Revit and ArchiCAD creates native elements (walls, rooms, doors) that can be edited, extended, and linked to structural and MEP systems. It is a starting point, not a locked file.

What Ghana Building Code data is embedded?

The IFC includes room areas validated against GS 1207:2018 (living room ≥ 13.47 m², main bedroom ≥ 11.15 m², other bedrooms ≥ 8.36 m², kitchen ≥ 7.43 m², bathroom ≥ 3.0 m²). Wall thermal transmittance values reflect standard sandcrete block construction common in Ghana.

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Design your floor plan and export to IFC or DXF — free to start