Building information modelling conversion for radiowave propagation studies

Abstract

This paper presents a Building Information Modelling (BIM) data conversion algorithm for radio wave propagation studies in indoor and outdoor environments. The tool presented here allows to extract the geometrical and physical information of BIM models present in IFC2×3 files. The first conversion step is done using the IFCOpenSHell library through a Python interface and the second one is done using MatLab. Following MatLab results extraction, studies of propagation will proceed. The extracted information allows ray tracing simulations and/or radiowave propagation studies through a real-scale simulation scenarios, spending less computational time. The results presented refer to a small wooden house for a frequency of 3.6 GHz, for 5G, using a directional transmitter antenna and an omnidirectional receiving antenna. It is possible to check the result for the direct component and first, second and third order reflections.