The file formats: what LCAbyg can import and export
A whole project can be saved and exchanged in three different file formats: LCAbyg’s own format plus two older formats from LCAbyg 5 (2023) that ensure backward compatibility with the earlier LCAbyg Desktop program. In addition, parts of the project can be pulled out as Excel sheets or as a single construction.
The project formats
Section titled “The project formats”| Format | Status | What it is | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
.lcabyg.json | LCAbyg’s format | LCAbyg’s own, versioned project format | Export, archiving and sharing of projects from LCAbyg |
.lb5 | Old format (LCAbyg 2023) | The binary project format from LCAbyg 5 (LCAbyg Desktop) | Importing existing desktop projects into LCAbyg |
| Konto JSON | Old format (LCAbyg 2023) | The flat, unversioned node/edge format from LCAbyg 2023 (v5) | Compatibility with LCAbyg 2023 and external tools built against the old format |
.lcabyg.json: the current format
Section titled “.lcabyg.json: the current format”.lcabyg.json is the format LCAbyg itself is built around, and the only one of the three that is
developed further on an ongoing basis. See The LCAbyg project file
for what the file contains.
Older formats
Section titled “Older formats”.lb5 and Konto JSON both exist purely to allow importing from and exchanging with older systems.
An .lb5 project from LCAbyg 5 (2023) can contain several scenarios (building models) in the same
file. On import you choose which scenarios to bring in, and each selected scenario becomes its own
version. If the file contains only one scenario, it is brought in without anything to choose. See
Scenarios for what a scenario was, and what
happens to it on import.
Konto JSON
Section titled “Konto JSON”Konto JSON is the same flat node/edge format LCAbyg 2023 itself uses for export. It is not the
same as .lcabyg.json, and it is unversioned and frozen for the sake of backward compatibility.
The user’s own data is exported as full nodes, while library data is by default exported only as
references, which are recreated from the library on import.
Other files you can export
Section titled “Other files you can export”Besides the project formats, individual parts of the project can be exported on their own. They are snapshots, not a whole project, so most of them cannot be opened as a project again.
| File | What it contains | Used for | Can be read back in |
|---|---|---|---|
Excel results sheet .xlsx | The building’s quantities and calculation results spread across tabs | Further processing and documentation | No |
BR report .xlsx | §297 report with three tabs, formatted for the Danish Building Regulations’ documentation requirements | Documentation for the authorities | No |
Quantity sheet .xlsx | The version’s quantities line by line, with hidden keys tying the rows to the building model | Letting a collaborator update quantities without having access to LCAbyg themselves | Yes, as a new version |
Construction file .json | A single construction with its sub-constructions, products and stages, without a building around it | Reuse in another project, in a library or in LCAbyg 2023 | Yes, in a library or as a source for the building model |
The construction file is a component file in LCAbyg 2023’s format, not .lcabyg.json. See
Import and export for how each individual export is made.