Turning Revit and DWG into spreadsheets via command line

What it does

This repository bundles n8n workflow templates, AI agent instructions, and Python scripts that orchestrate proprietary command-line converters to turn Revit, IFC, DWG, and DGN files into Excel, CSV, HTML, and other open formats. It targets construction teams who want to run quantity takeoffs, model validation, cost estimation, and carbon-footprint analysis locally without keeping Autodesk applications open. The automation logic is MIT-licensed, though the actual file-format heavy lifting is done by separate proprietary binaries.

The interesting bit

The project draws a hard line between open and closed: the orchestration layer—n8n workflows, docs, and scripts—is MIT-licensed, while the converters (built on Open Design Alliance technology) are proprietary, community-use-only binaries. That makes it a pragmatic, if slightly paradoxical, local-first ETL wrapper that lets no-code pipelines and LLM agents treat proprietary CAD formats like ordinary databases.

Key highlights

• Converts .rvt, .ifc, .dwg, and .dgn to .xlsx, .csv, .dae, .html, and .pdf via CLI
• Ships with n8n templates for batch conversion, validation, cost estimation, and carbon reporting
• Runs fully offline on a local Windows machine; Linux binaries are also included
• Provides “AI agent instructions” so LLMs and automation bots can invoke the pipeline
• Dual-licensed: MIT for workflows and documentation, proprietary for compiled converters

Caveats

• The core converters are proprietary closed-source binaries, and commercial use requires a separate license from DataDrivenConstruction
• Open Design Alliance pass-through obligations apply to every downstream user, complicating redistribution
• Despite the repository being classified as Jupyter Notebook, the README emphasizes CLI binaries and n8n workflows without clearly explaining the notebooks’ role

Verdict

BIM managers and construction data engineers who need to pipeline CAD data into Excel or AI tools will find a ready-made automation scaffold here. Open-source purists and teams unwilling to depend on proprietary binaries should look elsewhere.