nobim-image-generator
The noBIM Image Generator extracts geometry and metadata from Revit/IFC files and produces visualizations using Python libraries without requiring BIM software licenses. Use it to batch-process large numbers of building models, generate 3D scatter plots colored by element category, and automate visualization workflows that would otherwise demand expensive software and manual screenshot capture.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/datadrivenconstruction/DDC_Skills_for_AI_Agents_in_Construction /tmp/nobim-image-generator && cp -r /tmp/nobim-image-generator/1_DDC_Toolkit/BIM-Visualization/nobim-image-generator ~/.claude/skills/nobim-image-generatorSKILL.md
# noBIM Image Generator
## Business Case
### Problem Statement
Creating visualizations from BIM models typically requires:
- Expensive BIM software licenses
- Manual screenshot capture
- Time-consuming rendering
- Impossible to batch process
### Solution
noBIM tool extracts data and generates visualizations using Python libraries, processing hundreds of projects without BIM software.
### Business Value
- **No license required** - Pure Python solution
- **Batch processing** - Generate images for 1000s of projects
- **Customizable** - Create exactly the visualizations you need
- **Automatable** - Integrate into data pipelines
## Technical Implementation
### Installation
```bash
pip install pandas matplotlib seaborn plotly ifcopenshell
```
### Core Functionality
```python
import pandas as pd
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from mpl_toolkits.mplot3d import Axes3D
import numpy as np
from pathlib import Path
from typing import List, Optional, Tuple
class NoBIMVisualizer:
def __init__(self):
self.elements = None
self.project_name = ""
def load_from_excel(self, xlsx_path: str) -> int:
"""Load BIM data from converted Excel file."""
self.elements = pd.read_excel(xlsx_path, sheet_name="Elements")
self.project_name = Path(xlsx_path).stem
return len(self.elements)
def generate_3d_scatter(self, output_path: str,
color_by: str = "Category",
size: Tuple[int, int] = (12, 10)) -> str:
"""Generate 3D scatter plot of elements."""
if not all(col in self.elements.columns
for col in ['BBox_CenterX', 'BBox_CenterY', 'BBox_CenterZ']):
raise ValueError("Bounding box data required. Export with 'bbox' option.")
fig = plt.figure(figsize=size)
ax = fig.add_subplot(111, projection='3d')
# Get unique categories for coloring
categories = self.elements[color_by].unique()
colors = plt.cm.tab20(np.linspace(0, 1, len(categories)))
color_map = dict(zip(categories, colors))
for cat in categories:
subset = self.elements[self.elements[color_by] == cat]
ax.scatter(
subset['BBox_CenterX'],
subset['BBox_CenterY'],
subset['BBox_CenterZ'],
c=[color_map[cat]],
label=cat[:20],
alpha=0.6,
s=10
)
ax.set_xlabel('X')
ax.set_ylabel('Y')
ax.set_zlabel('Z')
ax.set_title(f'{self.project_name} - 3D Element Distribution')
ax.legend(loc='upper left', fontsize=8, ncol=2)
plt.savefig(output_path, dpi=150, bbox_inches='tight')
plt.close()
return output_path
def generate_floor_plan(self, output_path: str, level: str,
size: Tuple[int, int] = (14, 10)) -> str:
"""Generate floor plan visualization for specific level."""
level_elements = self.elements[self.elements['Level'] == level]
if level_elements.empty:
raise ValueError(f"No elements found for level: {level}")
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=size)
# Draw walls
walls = level_elements[level_elements['Category'] == 'Walls']
for _, wall in walls.iterrows():
rect = plt.Rectangle(
(wall['BBox_MinX'], wall['BBox_MinY']),
wall['BBox_MaxX'] - wall['BBox_MinX'],
wall['BBox_MaxY'] - wall['BBox_MinY'],
fill=True, facecolor='gray', edgecolor='black', alpha=0.7
)
ax.add_patch(rect)
# Draw rooms
rooms = level_elements[level_elements['Category'] == 'Rooms']
for _, room in rooms.iterrows():
center_x = (room['BBox_MinX'] + room['BBox_MaxX']) / 2
center_y = (room['BBox_MinY'] + room['BBox_MaxY']) / 2
ax.annotate(room.get('RoomName', 'Room'),
(center_x, center_y), ha='center', fontsize=8)
ax.set_aspect('equal')
ax.set_title(f'{self.project_name} - {level}')
ax.set_xlabel('X (m)')
ax.set_ylabel('Y (m)')
plt.savefig(output_path, dpi=150, bbox_inches='tight')
plt.close()
return output_path
def generate_category_chart(self, output_path: str,
size: Tuple[int, int] = (12, 8)) -> str:
"""Generate bar chart of element categories."""
cat_counts = self.elements['Category'].value_counts().head(20)
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=size)
bars = ax.barh(cat_counts.index, cat_counts.values,
color=plt.cm.viridis(np.linspace(0, 1, len(cat_counts))))
ax.set_xlabel('Element Count')
ax.set_title(f'{self.project_name} - Element Categories')
# Add count labels
for bar, count in zip(bars, cat_counts.values):
ax.text(bar.get_width() + 1, bar.get_y() + bar.get_height()/2,
f'{count}', va='center', fontsize=9)
plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(output_path, dpi=150, bbox_inches='tight')
plt.close()
return output_path
def generate_volume_treemap(self, output_path: str) -> str:
"""Generate treemap of volumes by category."""
import plotly.express as px
vol_by_cat = self.elements.groupby('Category')['Volume'].sum().reset_index()
vol_by_cat = vol_by_cat[vol_by_cat['Volume'] > 0].sort_values('Volume', ascending=False)
fig = px.treemap(
vol_by_cat.head(30),
path=['Category'],
values='Volume',
title=f'{self.project_name} - Volume Distribution'
)
fig.write_image(output_path)
return output_path
def batch_generate(self, xlsx_files: List[str], output_dir: str) -> List[str]:
"""Generate standard visualizations for multiple projects."""
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