tools-only Batch CAD/BIM Converter
Business Case
Problem Statement
Large projects and archives contain hundreds or thousands of CAD/BIM files:
- Manual conversion is tedious and error-prone
- Different formats require different converters
- Progress tracking is needed for long operations
- Error handling is critical for large batches
Solution
Unified batch converter handling all supported formats with progress tracking, error recovery, and consolidated reporting.
Business Value
- Multi-format - Revit, IFC, DWG, DGN in one workflow
- Error recovery - Continue on failures
- Progress tracking - Monitor large batches
- Reporting - Consolidated conversion results
Python Implementation
import subprocess
from pathlib import Path
from typing import List, Optional, Dict, Any, Callable
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from datetime import datetime
import time
import json
from enum import Enum
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor, as_completed
class CADFormat(Enum):
"""Supported CAD/BIM formats."""
REVIT = (".rvt", ".rfa")
IFC = (".ifc",)
DWG = (".dwg",)
DGN = (".dgn",)
class ConversionStatus(Enum):
"""Status of conversion operation."""
PENDING = "pending"
CONVERTING = "converting"
SUCCESS = "success"
FAILED = "failed"
SKIPPED = "skipped"
@dataclass
class ConversionResult:
"""Result of single file conversion."""
input_file: str
output_file: Optional[str]
format: str
status: ConversionStatus
start_time: datetime
end_time: Optional[datetime]
duration_seconds: float
error_message: Optional[str] = None
file_size_kb: float = 0
@dataclass
class BatchResult:
"""Result of batch conversion."""
total_files: int
successful: int
failed: int
skipped: int
total_duration: float
results: List[ConversionResult]
start_time: datetime
end_time: datetime
class BatchCADConverter:
"""Batch convert multiple CAD/BIM files."""
# Default converter paths
DEFAULT_CONVERTERS = {
'revit': 'RvtExporter.exe',
'ifc': 'IfcExporter.exe',
'dwg': 'DwgExporter.exe',
'dgn': 'DgnExporter.exe'
}
def __init__(self, converter_dir: str = ".",
converters: Dict[str, str] = None):
self.converter_dir = Path(converter_dir)
self.converters = converters or self.DEFAULT_CONVERTERS
self.results: List[ConversionResult] = []
self.progress_callback: Optional[Callable] = None
def set_progress_callback(self, callback: Callable[[int, int, str], None]):
"""Set callback for progress updates."""
self.progress_callback = callback
def _get_format(self, file_path: Path) -> Optional[str]:
"""Detect CAD format from extension."""
ext = file_path.suffix.lower()
for format_name, extensions in [
('revit', ('.rvt', '.rfa')),
('ifc', ('.ifc',)),
('dwg', ('.dwg',)),
('dgn', ('.dgn',))
]:
if ext in extensions:
return format_name
return None
def _get_converter(self, format_name: str) -> Optional[Path]:
"""Get converter path for format."""
if format_name not in self.converters:
return None
converter = self.converter_dir / self.converters[format_name]
if converter.exists():
return converter
# Try in system PATH
return Path(self.converters[format_name])
def convert_file(self, input_file: str,
output_dir: Optional[str] = None,
options: List[str] = None) -> ConversionResult:
"""Convert single file."""
input_path = Path(input_file)
start_time = datetime.now()
# Detect format
format_name = self._get_format(input_path)
if not format_name:
return ConversionResult(
input_file=input_file,
output_file=None,
format='unknown',
status=ConversionStatus.SKIPPED,
start_time=start_time,
end_time=datetime.now(),
duration_seconds=0,
error_message="Unsupported format"
)
# Get converter
converter = self._get_converter(format_name)
if not converter:
return ConversionResult(
input_file=input_file,
output_file=None,
format=format_name,
status=ConversionStatus.FAILED,
start_time=start_time,
end_time=datetime.now(),
duration_seconds=0,
error_message=f"Converter not found for {format_name}"
)
# Build command
cmd = [str(converter), str(input_path)]
if options:
cmd.extend(options)
# Execute
try:
result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=3600)
end_time = datetime.now()
duration = (end_time - start_time).total_seconds()
# Determine output file
output_file = input_path.with_suffix('.xlsx')
if output_dir:
output_file = Path(output_dir) / output_file.name
if result.returncode == 0 and output_file.exists():
return ConversionResult(
input_file=input_file,
output_file=str(output_file),
format=format_name,
status=ConversionStatus.SUCCESS,
start_time=start_time,
end_time=end_time,
duration_seconds=duration,
file_size_kb=output_file.stat().st_size / 1024
)
else:
return ConversionResult(
input_file=input_file,
output_file=None,
format=format_name,
status=ConversionStatus.FAILED,
start_time=start_time,
end_time=end_time,
duration_seconds=duration,
error_message=result.stderr or "Conversion failed"
)
except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
return ConversionResult(
input_file=input_file,
output_file=None,
format=format_name,
status=ConversionStatus.FAILED,
start_time=start_time,
end_time=datetime.now(),
duration_seconds=3600,
error_message="Timeout exceeded (1 hour)"
)
except Exception as e:
return ConversionResult(
input_file=input_file,
output_file=None,
format=format_name,
status=ConversionStatus.FAILED,
start_time=start_time,
end_time=datetime.now(),
duration_seconds=0,
error_message=str(e)
)
def batch_convert(self, input_folder: str,
output_folder: Optional[str] = None,
include_subfolders: bool = True,
formats: List[str] = None,
options: Dict[str, List[str]] = None,
parallel: bool = False,
max_workers: int = 4) -> BatchResult:
"""Convert all files in folder."""
start_time = datetime.now()
input_path = Path(input_folder)
# Find all supported files
files = []
pattern = "**/*" if include_subfolders else "*"
for ext in ['.rvt', '.rfa', '.ifc', '.dwg', '.dgn']:
files.extend(input_path.glob(f"{pattern}{ext}"))
# Filter by format if specified
if formats:
files = [f for f in files if self._get_format(f) in formats]
total_files = len(files)
self.results = []
# Create output directory
if output_folder:
Path(output_folder).mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
# Process files
if parallel and total_files > 1:
self._convert_parallel(files, output_folder, options, max_workers)
else:
self._convert_sequential(files, output_folder, options)
end_time = datetime.now()
# Calculate statistics
successful = sum(1 for r in self.results if r.status == ConversionStatus.SUCCESS)
failed = sum(1 for r in self.results if r.status == ConversionStatus.FAILED)
skipped = sum(1 for r in self.results if r.status == ConversionStatus.SKIPPED)
return BatchResult(
total_files=total_files,
successful=successful,
failed=failed,
skipped=skipped,
total_duration=(end_time - start_time).total_seconds(),
results=self.results,
start_time=start_time,
end_time=end_time
)
def _convert_sequential(self, files: List[Path],
output_folder: Optional[str],
options: Dict[str, List[str]]):
"""Convert files sequentially."""
total = len(files)
for i, file_path in enumerate(files, 1):
if self.progress_callback:
self.progress_callback(i, total, str(file_path))
format_name = self._get_format(file_path)
format_options = options.get(format_name, []) if options else []
result = self.convert_file(str(file_path), output_folder, format_options)
self.results.append(result)
status_symbol = "✓" if result.status == ConversionStatus.SUCCESS else "✗"
print(f"[{i}/{total}] {status_symbol} {file_path.name}")
def _convert_parallel(self, files: List[Path],
output_folder: Optional[str],
options: Dict[str, List[str]],
max_workers: int):
"""Convert files in parallel."""
total = len(files)
with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=max_workers) as executor:
futures = {}
for file_path in files:
format_name = self._get_format(file_path)
format_options = options.get(format_name, []) if options else []
future = executor.submit(self.convert_file, str(file_path), output_folder, format_options)
futures[future] = file_path
completed = 0
for future in as_completed(futures):
completed += 1
result = future.result()
self.results.append(result)
if self.progress_callback:
self.progress_callback(completed, total, str(futures[future]))
def generate_report(self, batch_result: BatchResult,
output_path: str = None) -> str:
"""Generate conversion report."""
report = {
'summary': {
'total_files': batch_result.total_files,
'successful': batch_result.successful,
'failed': batch_result.failed,
'skipped': batch_result.skipped,
'success_rate': round(batch_result.successful / batch_result.total_files * 100, 1) if batch_result.total_files > 0 else 0,
'total_duration_seconds': round(batch_result.total_duration, 2),
'start_time': batch_result.start_time.isoformat(),
'end_time': batch_result.end_time.isoformat()
},
'results': [
{
'input': r.input_file,
'output': r.output_file,
'format': r.format,
'status': r.status.value,
'duration': round(r.duration_seconds, 2),
'error': r.error_message
}
for r in batch_result.results
]
}
report_json = json.dumps(report, indent=2)
if output_path:
with open(output_path, 'w') as f:
f.write(report_json)
return report_json
# Progress callback example
def print_progress(current: int, total: int, file_name: str):
"""Print progress to console."""
percent = current / total * 100
print(f"Progress: {current}/{total} ({percent:.1f}%) - {file_name}")
Quick Start
# Initialize batch converter
converter = BatchCADConverter(converter_dir="C:/DDC/")
# Set progress callback
converter.set_progress_callback(print_progress)
# Convert all files
result = converter.batch_convert(
input_folder="C:/Projects",
output_folder="C:/Converted",
include_subfolders=True
)
print(f"Success: {result.successful}/{result.total_files}")
Common Use Cases
1. Convert Specific Formats Only
result = converter.batch_convert(
input_folder="C:/Archive",
formats=['revit', 'ifc'], # Only Revit and IFC
parallel=True,
max_workers=4
)
2. With Format-Specific Options
options = {
'revit': ['complete', 'bbox', 'rooms'],
'ifc': ['bbox'],
'dwg': []
}
result = converter.batch_convert(
input_folder="C:/Projects",
options=options
)
3. Generate Report
result = converter.batch_convert("C:/Projects")
report = converter.generate_report(result, "conversion_report.json")
Resources
- GitHub: cad2data Pipeline