Autodesk Inventor 2026 API Now Supports IFC4x3: Here’s How to Automate BIM Exports with VBA

<?xml encoding=”UTF-8″>by Chandra shekar Gopal,

In the world of Building Information Modeling (BIM), interoperability is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s essential. With growing contractual requirements and cross-platform collaboration across tools like Revit, Navisworks, and Tekla, users of Autodesk Inventor have long requested better support for IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) exports.

💡 The Problem with Legacy IFC Exports

Until recently, Inventor users faced a major limitation when exporting assemblies to IFC:

• Entire assemblies were flattened into a single solid lump, losing structure and metadata.
• No option to select IFC4 or newer versions during export.
• External workarounds like BIM-Dex were used, often with limited results.

📣 The Big News: Autodesk Listened

After years of feedback and feature requests from the community, Autodesk officially implemented full IFC4/IFC4x3 export support in Inventor 2026.

✅ Key Enhancements in Inventor 2026:

• Support for IFC2x3 and IFC4x3 formats.
• Ability to preserve the full assembly structure in the IFC file.
• Seamless interoperability with Revit, Tekla, and other BIM platforms.
• Works with the Revit Core Engine (RCE) for accurate geometry translation.

🧠 Automate IFC Exports Using VBA

You can now automate IFC exports using the Inventor API and a simple VBA macro. Below is a sample script that demonstrates how to export your active assembly to IFC4x3 format:

' Ensure BIM Content add-in is loaded
Sub ExportToIFCFormatSample()
Dim oBIMContent As ApplicationAddIn
Set oBIMContent = ThisApplication.ApplicationAddIns.ItemById("{842004D5-C360-43A8-A00D-D7EB72DAAB69}")
If Not oBIMContent.Activated Then
oBIMContent.Activate
End If
' Get active assembly
Dim oDoc As AssemblyDocument
Set oDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
' Access BIM component
Dim oCompDef As AssemblyComponentDefinition
Set oCompDef = oDoc.ComponentDefinition
Dim oBIMComp As BIMComponent
Set oBIMComp = oCompDef.BIMComponent
' Set IFC options
Dim oOptions As NameValueMap
Set oOptions = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap
oOptions.Value("IFCFileVersion") = "IFC4x3" ' Options: "IFC2x3" or "IFC4x3"
' Export to IFC
oBIMComp.ExportBuildingComponentWithOptions "C:TempMyIFC.ifc", oOptions
End Sub

💡 Note: The Revit Core Engine must be installed to enable this export functionality.

📁 Use Case: Export Inventor Steel Structure to BIM

This update is particularly beneficial for design workflows involving:

• Structural steel and piping assemblies for Revit or Tekla.
• Facility management models requiring rich metadata and object hierarchy.
• BIM coordination meetings where file fidelity matters.

📌 Summary

With Inventor 2026, Autodesk has finally delivered on years of community feedback by adding native support for IFC4 and IFC4x3 exports, complete with assembly structure. This is a major win for manufacturers, designers, and BIM professionals working in a connected design ecosystem.

• ✅ Native support
• ✅ Full structure retention
• ✅ VBA-compatible automation

🔗 Resources:

• Inventor 2026 – What’s New
• IFC4x3 Schema Overview