Why do timeouts happen?

The checker needs to examine every relevant element in your IFC model for each specification in your IDS checklist. The time this takes depends on two things: the number of elements in your model, and the number of specifications in your checklist.

A full building model with hundreds of doors, windows, walls, spaces, and MEP elements means more work per specification. Models with tens of thousands of elements take significantly longer to check.

Each specification is a separate check that gets run against the model. A checklist with 20 specifications takes roughly twice as long as one with 10.

The total work is roughly the product of these two numbers. A small model with a long checklist, or a large model with even a short checklist, can both hit the time limit.

Timeouts can also occur if your model contains unusual data structures or very complex geometry definitions that take longer to parse than expected.

What to try

Split your checklist. If your IDS checklist has many specifications, try breaking it into smaller checklists and running them separately. For example, split architectural checks from MEP checks, or group specifications by entity type. Each smaller check will complete faster.

Reduce your model. If possible, export a version of your IFC model that only contains the elements relevant to the checks you need to run. Most BIM software lets you filter the IFC export by discipline, level, or category. A model containing only walls and doors will check much faster than a full model with MEP, furniture, and structural elements included.

Try again. Timeouts can occasionally happen due to temporary system load. If your check was close to the limit, running it again might succeed. The time limit is generous enough that most checks complete well within it.

Check the file size. As a rough guide, IFC files under 50 MB with checklists under 20 specifications should normally complete without issues. Larger files or longer checklists may need the splitting approach described above.

What happens to your results?

When a check times out, no results are saved. The checker can't produce partial results because it doesn't know which specifications completed and which didn't. You'll need to run the check again (with a smaller model or fewer specifications) to get results.

Your original files are not affected. They're still available for you to run another check whenever you're ready.