Draft:Xeokit

xeokit SDK was created as a successor to earlier WebGL-based 3D visualization libraries developed by Lindsay Kay, also known as Xeolabs. The lineage of the SDK begins with SceneJS, a general-purpose 3D engine initially launched as a research project. SceneJS offered features such as support for OBJ and Collada models and level of detail (LOD) rendering. It included an interactive "playroom" on its website, allowing users to modify examples in real time. The library was noted for its optimized core and steady development. SceneJS existed already around the time of the official WebGL release in 2011.{{cite journal|last1=Anttonen|first1=Matti|last2=Salminen|first2=Arto|date=2011|url=https://researchportal.tuni.fi/files/2145126/anttonen_salminen_building_3d_webgl_applications.pdf|title=Building 3d webgl applications|journal=Tampere University of Technology, Department of Software Systems|isbn=978-952-15-2623-7|access-date=2025-05-19}}

Following SceneJS, Kay developed xeogl, a WebGL library focused on real-time 3D rendering of large number of elements in the browser. The focus of the project shifted more clearly towards CAD, BIM and the AEC industry in general.{{cite conference|last1=Malcolm|first1=Andrew|last2=Werbrouck|first2=Jeroen|last3=Pauwels|first3=Pieter|date=2021|url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-57509-0_26|title=LBD Server: Visualising Building Graphs in Web-Based Environments Using Semantic Graphs and GlTF-Models|book-title=Formal Methods in Architecture|publisher=Springer International Publishing|location=Cham|pages=287–293|isbn=978-3-030-57509-0|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-57509-0_26|access-date=2025-05-20}}{{cite thesis|last=Kastman|first=Pål|title=Development of a 3D viewer for showing of house models in a web browser – A usability evaluation of navigation techniques|url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1573649/FULLTEXT01.pdf|date=2021|degree=Master|location=Linköping, Sweden|publisher=Linköping University, Department of Computer and Information Science|access-date=2025-05-20}}

Building on the experience from these earlier projects, xeokit SDK was introduced in 2019 with a dedicated focus on high-performance, rendering large 3D (BIM) models in the browser with double precision.{{cite book|last1=Hernández Moral|first1=Gema|last2=Serna González|first2=Víctor Iván|last3=Sanz Jimeno|first3=Roberto|last4=Mulero Palencia|first4=Sofía|chapter=Modular Big Data Applications for Energy Services in Buildings and Districts: Digital Twins, Technical Building Management Systems and Energy Savings Calculations|title=Machine Learning Applications for Intelligent Energy Management: Invited Chapters from Experts on the Energy Field|date=2024|chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-47909-0_3|location=Cham, Switzerland|publisher=Springer Nature Switzerland|pages=53–103|isbn=978-3-031-47909-0|doi=10.1007/978-3-031-47909-0_3|access-date=2025-05-20}} Additional background on the development of SceneJS, xeogl, and the xeokit SDK is discussed by Lindsay Kay in a Tech Talk presented at the AEC Hackathon Wrocław Edition 2024.{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhVSu5pOsaQ&t=180s |date=2024-10-15 |title=Evolution of 3D Visualization in AEC: Tracing the Path of Xeokit SDK |location=Wrocław, Poland |publisher=Creoox AG |access-date=2025-05-20}}

xeokit SDK was presented by its creator, Lindsay Kay, at the Virtual WebGL Meetup in 2020, an industry event hosted by the Khronos Group that also featured speakers from organizations such as Google, Sketchfab, and Microsoft.{{cite web | url = https://www.khronos.org/blog/webgl-happenings |title=WebGL Meetup by The Khronos Group|website=www.khronos.org|date=7 January 2021 |access-date = 2025-05-16}}{{cite web | url = https://www.khronos.org/assets/uploads/developers/presentations/04%20xeokit-sdk-WebGL-Meetup-2020.pdf |title=Presentation at WebGL Meetup by The Khronos Group|website=www.khronos.org|access-date = 2025-05-16}}{{cite AV media | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R1k9H0iTrI&t=1890s | title=Virtual WebGL Meetup - 2020|publisher=The Khronos Group|access-date=2025-05-16}} Another early public presentation was given during the OSArch Monthly Meetup in July 2021, where xeokit was introduced as a toolkit for AEC graphics applications in the browser.{{cite web | url = https://wiki.osarch.org/index.php?title=Monthly_Meetup#Xeokit:a_3D_Web_Programming_Toolkit_for_AEC_Graphics.2C_Monthly_Meetup_.2316 |title=Xeokit:a 3D Web Programming Toolkit for AEC Graphics, Monthly Meetup #16|website=osarch.org|access-date = 2025-05-16}}

In addition to industry meetups, xeokit SDK has been featured in AEC-focused hackathons. At the 2024 and 2025 AEC Hackathons in Zurich, xeokit was presented during a series of TechTalks and is listed on the independent platform opensource.construction as a "graduated" open-source project.{{cite web |url=https://opensource.construction/events/aec-hackathon-zurich/ |title=xeokit @ AEC Hackathon in Zurich 2024 |website=opensource.construction |access-date=2025-05-21}}{{cite web |url=https://opensource.construction/events/aec-hackathon-zurich-2025/ |title=xeokit @ AEC Hackathon in Zurich 2025 |website=opensource.construction |access-date=2025-05-21}}{{cite web |url=https://opensource.construction/projects/xeokit |title=xeokit @ opensource.construction |website=opensource.construction |access-date=2025-05-21}} In 2024, during the AEC Hackathon in Wrocław, xeokit SDK was presented by its creator, Lindsay Kay, and was used by several participating teams. One of the projects, developed by the team IFC Data Miners, was awarded the top prize for "Best Overall Project." The prototype application utilized artificial intelligence and a natural-language user interface to enhance BIM model navigation using xeokit SDK.{{cite web |title=AEC Hackathon Wrocław Edition 2024 – summary |date=2024-10-30 |url=https://k82.pwr.edu.pl/aktualnosci/aec-hackathon-wroclaw-edition-2024-roku---podsumowanie-93.html |language=Polish |publisher=Wrocław University of Science and Technology |access-date=2025-05-20}}{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz6WnegBsRU&t=4900s |date=2024-10-17 |title=Final presentation at AEC Hackathon Wrocław |location=Wroclaw, Poland| publisher=Creoox AG|access-date=2025-05-20}}

File:Kill-BIM-xeokit-NXTDEV-2025.jpg

More recent appearance was at NXT DEV 2025 during a presentation called "Kill BIM" by Martyn Day, AEC Magazine's co-founder and consulting editor. He is showing a potential future scenario where an AEC company could build their own software with an open data lake and AI agents. Current open-source tech stack suggested by ChatGPT includes xeokit as the technology for BIM tools and the model viewer.{{cite web |url=https://nxtdev.build/conference/|title=Appearance at NXT DEV|website=nxtdev.build/conference/|access-date = 2025-06-16}}

xeokit SDK has been publicly adopted in several commercial and open-source web-based platforms for BIM visualization.

For instance, OpenProject, an open-source project management software, integrated xeokit in its IFC model viewer to support digital construction workflows.{{cite web|title=OpenProject BIM 10.4: digital construction project management with 3D building model viewer (IFC)|date=2020|author=Birthe Lindenthal|url=https://www.openproject.org/blog/openproject-bim-10-4/|access-date=2025-05-20}} Other examples include Campo{{cite web|title=Capmo Construction Software on GitHub|url=https://github.com/capmo|access-date=2025-06-16}}, Fonn{{cite web|title=Fonn Construction Management Software|url=https://support.fonn.io/hc/en-us/articles/10812269489425-1-114|access-date=2025-06-16}}, bimspot{{cite web|title=bimspot BIM Collaboration Platform|url=https://github.com/bimspot|access-date=2025-06-16}}, CMDBuild{{cite web|title=CMDBuild for Asser Management|date=2022|url=https://www.cmdbuild.org/file/manuali/technical-manual-in-english|access-date=2025-06-16}}

xeokit SDK enables the visualization of 3D BIM models in standard web browsers without requiring proprietary software, facilitating vendor-neutral workflows helping avoid vendor lock-in. Typical application domains include Common Data Environments (CDEs), digital twin platforms, IoT-integrated systems for smart buildings, facility management, Building Management Systems, and Asset management platform in the built environment.{{cite journal |last1=Spettu|first1=Franco|last2=Achille|first2=Cristiana|last3=Fassi|first3=Francesco|date=2024|title=State-of-the-Art Web Platforms for the Management and Sharing of Data: Applications, Uses, and Potentialities|journal=Heritage|volume=7|issue=11|pages=6008–6035|doi=10.3390/heritage7110282|doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Chamari|first1=Lasitha|last2=Petrova|first2=Ekaterina|last3=Pauwels|first3=Pieter|date=2023|title=An End-to-End Implementation of a Service-Oriented Architecture for Data-Driven Smart Buildings|url=https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3325767|journal=IEEE Access|volume=11|publisher=IEEE|pages=117261–117281|doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3325767|bibcode=2023IEEEA..11k7261C |access-date=2025-05-19}}

The SDK has been applied in digital twin systems to visualize 3D BIM models alongside Unity and CesiumJS with integration of live data sources and GIS data, in particular also for large infrastructure objects like bridges.{{cite journal |last1=Gao|first1=Yan|last2=Li|first2=Haijiang|last3=Song|first3=Honghong|date=2023|title=AIoT-informed digital twin communication for bridge maintenance|url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2023.104835|journal=Automation in Construction|volume=150|publisher=Elsevier B.V.|doi=10.1016/j.autcon.2023.104835|access-date=2025-05-19}}

The xeokit SDK offers features for developing interactive BIM visualization applications in web environments:

• Support for multiple 3D formats and model federation, including IFC (via conversion to XKT), BCF, glTF, GLB, OBJ, STL, 3DXML, dotBIM (.bim){{cite web|author=Wojciech Radaczyński|title=Viewers and graphics SDKs that support .bim files|website=GitHub |url=https://github.com/paireks/dotbim?tab=readme-ov-file#apps-supporting-bim|access-date=2025-05-20}}, CityJSON, and LAS/LAZ (point clouds).{{cite thesis| last1=Kuzminykh|first1=Artur|title=Integrated Planning and Recording Circularity of Construction Materials through Digital Modelling|url=https://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/bitstream/1822/81121/1/Artur%20Kuzminykh.pdf|date=2022|degree=Master|location=Braga, Portugal|publisher=Universidade do Minho, Escola de Engenharia}}
• XKT binary format, optimized for fast loading and low memory usage while preserving geometry and IFC metadata.{{cite journal|last1=Eneyew|first1=Dagimawi D.|last2=Capretz|first2=Miriam A. M.|last3=Bitsuamlak|first3=Girma T.|date=2022|title=Toward Smart-Building Digital Twins: BIM and IoT Data Integration|url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9987476|journal=IEEE Access|volume=10|publisher=IEEE|pages=130487–130506|doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3229370|bibcode=2022IEEEA..10m0487E |access-date=2025-05-15}} In one documented case, an IFCv4 model was reduced from 186 MB to a 12 MB XKT file, representing a compression ratio of approximately 95%.{{cite conference|last1=Fatokun|first1=Isaac|last2=Sheela|first2=Arun Raveendran Nair|last3=Mecharnia|first3=Thamer|date=2023|title=Modular Knowledge integration for Smart Building Digital Twins|url=https://hal-emse.ccsd.cnrs.fr/emse-04086955v1/file/LDAC_2023_EspaceFauriel.pdf|book-title=LDAC'23: 11th Linked Data in Architecture and Construction Workshop|location=Matera, Italy|access-date=2025-05-19}}
• Double-precision rendering of large 3D models
• Typical BIM-related features such as support for BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) issues, IFC metadata properties, annotations, measurement tools, element selection and filtering by type or custom property.{{cite conference|last1=Schlütter|first1=Dominik|last2=Pauen|first2=Nicolas|last3=Frisch|first3=Jérôme|last4=Van Treeck|first4=Christoph|date=2022|book-title=Proceedings of BauSim Conference 2022: 9th Conference of IBPSA-Germany and Austria|series=BauSim Conference|volume=9|url=https://publications.ibpsa.org/conference/paper/?id=bausim2022_Schluetter_Dominik|title=INTEGRATED DESCRIPTION OF TECHNICAL BUILDING SERVICES IN BIM|location=Weimar, Germany|publisher=IBPSA-Germany and Austria|doi=10.26868/29761662.2022.72|access-date = 2025-05-19}}{{cite conference|last1=Chamari|first1=Lasitha|last2=Petrova|first2=Ekaterina|last3=Pauwels|first3=Pieter|date=2022|conference=Proceedings of the REHVA 14th HVAC World Congress (CLIMA 2022)|url=https://proceedings.open.tudelft.nl/clima2022/article/view/228|title=A web-based approach to BMS, BIM and IoT integration: a case study|doi=10.34641/clima.2022.228|access-date = 2025-05-15}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://xeokit.io Official website]
• [https://github.com/xeokit/xeokit-sdk xeokit SDK on GitHub]
• [https://xeokit.github.io/xeokit-sdk/docs/ API Reference]
• [https://xeo.vision/ Live demo]