The most notable design change in the IFC Viewer involves the display of COBie data.

In 2017-3, COBie data is now displayed in a tree view within the Model Information panel. The tree view contains nodes for each maintainable asset of the model, organized by parent-child relationship. For example, within the tree view, you can expand the node for a floor to see the spaces it contains. You can then expand the node for a space to see the related zones or types. This representation makes COBie data in Viewpoint For Projects™ much more useful, as it clearly depicts the relationships between assets that were not apparent in the COBie grid from previous versions.

To access the COBie tree view, click on the new COBIE tab within the Model Information panel.

When you hover your mouse over a node in the COBie tree view, the corresponding asset is highlighted in the model. For example, if you hover over a floor in the COBie tree view, the floor is highlighted in the model. This behavior is identical to the behavior in the Container and Component tabs. However, this behavior has been enhanced in the COBie tab so that the children assets are also highlighted in the model (if technically possible). For example, if you hover over a floor in the tree view, the spaces in the floor are highlighted in the model. If you select a node in the COBie tree view, the data for the corresponding asset is displayed in a new COBie panel that appears to the right, overlaying the model. This side-by side display enables you to view and edit the properties of an asset while simultaneously viewing its relationship to other assets in the tree view.