# MCP4IFC: IFC-Based Building Design Using Large Language Models

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.05533 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.05533/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 33 of its 59 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 29 Oct 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 33)

- [Language Models are Few-Shot Learners](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.14165/) (2020)
- [Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Knowledge-Intensive NLP Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.11401/) (2020)
- [ReAct: Synergizing Reasoning and Acting in Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.03629/) (2022)
- [Toolformer: Language Models Can Teach Themselves to Use Tools](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.04761/) (2023)
- [Voyager: An Open-Ended Embodied Agent with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.16291/) (2023)
- [AutoGen: Enabling Next-Gen LLM Applications via Multi-Agent Conversation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.08155/) (2023)
- [ToolLLM: Facilitating Large Language Models to Master 16000+ Real-world APIs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.16789/) (2023)
- [SWE-agent: Agent-Computer Interfaces Enable Automated Software Engineering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.15793/) (2024)
- [Gorilla: Large Language Model Connected with Massive APIs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.15334/) (2023)
- [DINO-WM: World Models on Pre-trained Visual Features enable Zero-shot Planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.04983/) (2024)
- [Perception Encoder: The best visual embeddings are not at the output of the network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.13181/) (2025)
- [Model Context Protocol (MCP): Landscape, Security Threats, and Future Research Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.23278/) (2025)
- [DocPrompting: Generating Code by Retrieving the Docs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.05987/) (2022)
- [From Flatland to Space: Teaching Vision-Language Models to Perceive and Reason in 3D](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.22976/) (2025)
- [SceneCraft: An LLM Agent for Synthesizing 3D Scene as Blender Code](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.01248/) (2024)
- [MindCube: Spatial Mental Modeling from Limited Views](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.21458/) (2025)
- [CodeRAG-Bench: Can Retrieval Augment Code Generation?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.14497/) (2024)
- [LLaMA-Mesh: Unifying 3D Mesh Generation with Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.09595/) (2024)
- [Meshtron: High-Fidelity, Artist-Like 3D Mesh Generation at Scale](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.09548/) (2024)
- [Open-Vocabulary Functional 3D Scene Graphs for Real-World Indoor Spaces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.19199/) (2025)
- [SpatialLLM: A Compound 3D-Informed Design towards Spatially-Intelligent Large Multimodal Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.00788/) (2025)
- [3D-GRAND: A Million-Scale Dataset for 3D-LLMs with Better Grounding and Less Hallucination](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.05132/) (2024)
- [3D-PreMise: Can Large Language Models Generate 3D Shapes with Sharp Features and Parametric Control?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.06437/) (2024)
- [LL3M: Large Language 3D Modelers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.08228/) (2025)
- [Tell2Design: A Dataset for Language-Guided Floor Plan Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.15941/) (2023)
- [BIMgent: Towards Autonomous Building Modeling via Computer-use Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.07217/) (2025)
- [Text2BIM: Generating Building Models Using a Large Language Model-based Multi-Agent Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.08054/) (2024)
- [Towards a copilot in BIM authoring tool using a large language model-based agent for intelligent human-machine interaction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.16903/) (2024)
- [Point or Line? Using Line-based Representation for Panoptic Symbol Spotting in CAD Drawings](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.23395/) (2025)
- [Zero-Shot 3D Visual Grounding from Vision-Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.22429/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [StructureClaw: Traceable LLM Agents and an Executable Benchmark for Structural Engineering Workflows](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.14896/) (2026)
- [AgenticCADedit: A Stateful, Tool-Mediated Agentic Approach to Multimodal 3D CAD Editing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.29621/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Bringing generative AI into the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) field requires systems that can translate natural language instructions into actions on standardized data models. We present MCP4IFC, a comprehensive open-source framework that enables Large Language Models (LLMs) to directly manipulate Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) data through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). The framework provides a set of BIM tools, including scene querying tools for information retrieval, predefined functions for creating and modifying common building elements, and a dynamic code-generation system that combines in-context learning with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to handle tasks beyond the predefined toolset. Experiments demonstrate that an LLM using our framework can successfully perform complex tasks, from building a simple house to querying and editing existing IFC data. Our framework is released as open-source to encourage research in LLM-driven BIM design and provide a foundation for AI-assisted modeling workflows. Our code is available at https://show2instruct.github.io/mcp4ifc/.