Long-form technical writing from the PIComposer engineering team. These articles document the architecture, design decisions, and innovations behind the product, and serve as the canonical reference for advanced users, integrators, and researchers working with ISO 10303 (STEP) data and PIComposer's hybrid object model.
📝
Article
Dr. Chi W. Ng · 18 March 2026 · ~25 min read
Our experimental JSON encoding for STEP/IFC data that maintains full semantic equivalence with the traditional Part 21 format while offering modern web-friendly accessibility. Covers basic structure, header and data sections, entity references, SELECT type handling, mapping between formats, and complete IFC-MINI and AP214 examples. Useful for anyone integrating PIComposer with web-based IFC pipelines, REST APIs, or any system that prefers JSON over the fixed-width Part 21 syntax.
Read article →
🏗️
Article
Dr. Chi W. Ng · 18 March 2026 · ~20 min read
How PIComposer combines reference and composition patterns with an innovative buffer-management system to deliver high-performance in-memory BIM processing. Covers buffer ownership hierarchies, SELECT type management, the three complementary APIs (imperative, JSON, path-based), and best practices for detachment and in-place mutation. Required reading for anyone building applications that interact with PIComposer's data model at scale.
Read article →
More articles coming soon. Have a topic you'd like to see covered? Let us know.
