Get Started Quick Guide

Note: BIMserver is a platform for others to build applications on. We provide a stable and flexible platform to create online (open)BIM tools.

Stand-alone BIMserver

1. Read System Requirements for Ver 1.2 or Sytem Requirements for Ver 1.3

2. Make sure you can execute a JAR file by double-clicking a JAR file. If not, check that Java is installed properly and the JAVA environment variables are setup correctly.

3. Read about which files to download. Download the latest file.

4. Read JAR Starter. Note: After clicking the START button, it may take up to a few minutes for the BIMserver to load and configure various components. Wait until you see something like "INFO org.bimserver.JarBimServer - Server started successfully" before clicking on "Launch Webbrowser".

5. Read Setup Guide

6. Watch this Open Source BIMserver video.

If the above steps are followed correctly, you should have BIMserver launched successfully on a browser with the URL and specified port number: http://localhost:8080. If failed, try again from Step 4 by specifying another port, e.g. instead of 8080, try 8082.

Once the BIMserver is launched successfully on the web browser, there may be a few more things to do depending on which mode the BIMserver is in.

1. If the web page displays the status as "NOT SETUP", go to the admin page at http://localhost:[port]/admin, e.g. http://localhost:8080/admin, and complete the setup procedure.
2. During setup you are asked to create an administrator user and set some other settings.
3. The current version of BIMserver has no user interface (GUI), so you need to use your own GUI to access BIMserver functionalities.
4. A complete list of API's can be accessed at http://localhost:[port]/admin/console.html
5. To test uploading an IFC model, click "Common Scenarios" on the top left corner of the Console and complete each step of the procedure, i.e. Login, Create Project, Find Deserializer, Checkin.
6. There are also a number of resources available under specific sub-folders, e.g. http://locahost:[port]/js, http://localhost:8082/json?doc
7. BIMserver must remain running in the background for these functionalities to work via your own interface.

Here's a short video on how to get started (note: this is for previous versions with a GUI)

Third party GUI:

There are a few third party GUI available. Some are commercial products that you have to purchase a licence for, but there are a few that are free to try or shared freely by others. An open source example is http://test.bimvie.ws being developed by Bimview.ws.

Note: To use test.bimvie.ws, a BIMserver must be running. Also, you need to specify the BIMserver's URL, i.e. http://yourbimserveradress:[port]

Checkin an IFC model

1. Use http://localhost:[port]/admin/console.html and run the Checkin API to checkin a model, or
2. Use a GUI such as http://test.bimvie.ws to checkin a model

View the model

Once a model is in the BIMserver, you can use http://test.bimsurfer.org/ to view the model.

Use BIMserver in your application

See Developers' Guide.