About Saikei Civil
What is Saikei Civil?
Saikei Civil is an open-source native IFC authoring tool for horizontal infrastructure. While tools like Bonsai address vertical construction (buildings), Saikei handles roads, alignments, corridors, and earthwork.
Built as a Blender extension, Saikei Civil creates IFC 4.3 files as its native format—not as an export target. This native IFC approach means infrastructure designs are interoperable from initial creation.
The Developer
Saikei Civil is developed by Michael Yoder, PE through Desert Springs Civil Engineering PLLC in Meridian, Idaho.
Michael is a licensed Professional Engineer (Idaho, Indiana) with over 14 years of civil engineering experience. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University (2010). A husband and father of four, he’s also an avid rockhound who believes the best tools are built by people who use them.
Saikei Civil represents a core focus of Desert Springs Civil Engineering.
| Experience | Focus |
|---|---|
| Bureau of Reclamation | Federal water infrastructure |
| HDR | Transportation consulting |
| Regional Firms | Roadway design, water projects, construction inspection |
This breadth of experience—from construction inspection to federal infrastructure—informs Saikei Civil’s design as a practical tool for working engineers.
The Name
Saikei (栽景) is the Japanese art of creating miniature planted landscapes—tray landscapes depicting natural scenery. The name complements Bonsai’s focus on individual trees.
Together, Bonsai and Saikei represent a complete approach to open-source BIM:
- Bonsai — Buildings (vertical construction)
- Saikei — Infrastructure (horizontal construction)
The word combines:
- 栽 (sai) — to plant, to cultivate
- 景 (kei) — scenery, landscape
Why Open Standards?
Infrastructure projects involve dozens of stakeholders using different software across decades-long asset lifecycles. Open standards solve this coordination problem.
IFC 4.3 is the buildingSMART standard for infrastructure data exchange. By building natively on IFC, Saikei Civil creates designs that:
- Travel between applications without data loss
- Remain accessible regardless of vendor changes
- Support the full project lifecycle from design through operations
Who Benefits
- Large firms and agencies coordinating complex project teams across multiple software platforms
- Small and mid-size firms delivering to clients with varying BIM requirements
- Students and educators learning infrastructure design with industry-standard formats
- Researchers requiring transparent, modifiable tools for analysis
The Native IFC Approach
Traditional BIM workflows treat IFC as an export format—a deliverable created at the end of the design process. This works, but information can be lost in translation.
Saikei Civil takes a different approach:
By authoring directly in IFC 4.3, designs maintain full fidelity from first sketch to final deliverable. The IFC file isn’t a conversion—it’s the source.
This complements existing tools rather than replacing them. Teams can use Saikei Civil alongside their current software stack, with IFC serving as the common language for collaboration.
Technology Stack
| Component | Technology |
|---|---|
| Platform | Blender 4.5+ |
| IFC Engine | IfcOpenShell |
| Coordinate Systems | PyProj |
| Language | Python 3.13+ |
| License | GPL v3 |
Part of the OSArch Ecosystem
Saikei Civil is part of the OSArch (Open Source Architecture) community, alongside:
- Bonsai — Native IFC for buildings
- IfcOpenShell — The open-source IFC toolkit
These projects share a vision of an open, interoperable built environment.
Interoperability First
Saikei Civil is designed to work within the broader AEC ecosystem, not against it. IFC 4.3 files created in Saikei Civil open in any compliant viewer or authoring tool—commercial or open-source.
The goal isn’t to replace existing workflows, but to provide an open-source option that speaks the same language as the rest of the industry.
Support Development
Saikei Civil is developed as a professional engineering effort. Sponsorship and grants enable continued progress on the roadmap and engagement with standards bodies.