iModel Upload

Roop Saini
iTwin.js
Published in
3 min readAug 23, 2019

Updated on: 28th February 2020

If you have worked with iModel.js since its initial release last October, you have probably already seen the magnificent “Retail Building Sample” and its many many windows.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, the Retail Building is sample data that we provide to get you kickstarted with iModel.js. I remember when I first started out, it ended up being an excellent learning tool to get familiar with the API. This one time, I wrote some code to tint every window of the building with random colors:

You might think, well that’s all nice and cute Roop but I have an app to develop…and this building (in all its glory) just won’t cut it.

How do I get my own data on this thing?

I would tell you: that is a legitimate question and it needs to be answered. So without further ado:

Using your data with iModel.js (in 5 easy steps)

  1. Go to the registration dashboard.
  2. Click New Project.
  3. Select iModel Source as Local iModel File.
  4. Choose your file (dgn/i.dgn/dwg/rvt/imodel/bim) and hit Submit.
  5. You are all set :)

Two common questions:

What if my model is in some other format (eg. 3ds/ifc)?

What if I have a multi-file project?

In that case, you would convert your data to iModel 2.0 and then upload the resulting .imodel file.

Converting your data to iModel 2.0 (in 5 easy steps)

  1. Get Bentley View CONNECT edition (it’s free)*.
  2. Open your model (eg. 3ds/ifc).
  3. Click File -> Publish i-model.
  4. Check options Create a single package and iModel version 2.0.
  5. Hit Publish.

* iModel publishing is also available from MicroStation, PowerDraft, and nearly every other Bentley desktop application (details here).

Once your iModel is successfully uploaded, you should receive the following confirmation email:

Hooray!

You are all set to develop your first iModel.js application. Happy coding :)

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