Getting Started with Autodesk

Navisworks
WHY AUTODESK NAVISWORKS

Deepak Maini
AUTHOR OF THE UP AND RUNNING WITH AUTODESK NAVISWORKS
SERIES OF BOOKS
www.deepakmaini.com
 Building Industry Challenges

• Project Complexity Increasing

• Shrinking Delivery Times
• Multiple Contributors
• Unforeseen Clashes on Site
• Unbudgeted Design Changes
• Time- and Cost-intensive RFIs and
Change Orders
• Getting Harder to Communicate
Design Intent
Funny Example of Miscommunication
 Product Solution: Autodesk Navisworks
Design coordination program that
• Provides a single source of truth
• Better project coordination by adding comments,
tags and links in the model
• Find, manage and resolve clashes before
construction
• Improve project outcomes, through fewer RFIs and
field coordination problems
• Create 5D Construction Simulation to ensure
construction schedule is maintained
• Provide Estimators with a reliable Quantification
tool
Autodesk Navisworks Products Flavors
 Autodesk Navisworks Product Flavors

Autodesk Navisworks Autodesk Navisworks Autodesk Navisworks

Simulate Manage Freedom
Base level solution (Comes Top level solution (Comes Free viewer to view NWD
in Autodesk Premium in Autodesk Ultimate files
Suites) Suites)
 Autodesk Navisworks Simulate
Includes the following modules
• Autodesk Rendering
• Animator and Scripter
• TimeLiner
• Quantification
 Autodesk Navisworks Manage
Includes the following modules
• Autodesk Navisworks Simulate Modules
• Clash Detective
 Autodesk Navisworks Freedom
• Free Viewer
• Generally used to open NWD files
• Can also open DWF files and Autodesk ReCap
files (RCS and RCP)
Summary  Autodesk Navisworks comes in three
different flavors
- Autodesk Navisworks Simulate

- Autodesk Navisworks Manage

- Autodesk Navisworks Freedom

Autodesk Navisworks File Formats
 Autodesk Navisworks File Types

NWC NWF NWD

Autodesk Navisworks Autodesk Navisworks Autodesk Navisworks

Cache File File Set Document
Automatically created File with live links to the “Frozen in time” document
when you open a native file native consultant files with no links to native files
from the consultant
 NWC Files (Cache Files)
• Automatically created upon opening a native file
• Has the same name as the native file
• Resides in the same folder as the native file
• Compressed in size, still maintaining all the metadata
(smart properties)
• Allows you to quickly open the Autodesk Navisworks
project next time
• Can also be manually exported from programs like
Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, and so on
 NWF Files (File Set)
• Live link with the native files
• Update when the native file updates
• Only contains information such as viewpoints, redline
markups, animations, search and selection sets,
Timeliner linking, and so on
• Will show Resolve dialog box if the native file is missing
or renamed
 NWD Files (Document)
• Entire project information in a single file
• No link with the native files
• “Frozen in time” representation of project
• Generally created after the coordination
meeting
• Can be password protected and defined an
expiry
• Can be opened in Autodesk Navisworks
Freedom (free viewer)
 Native File Support
Autodesk Navisworks allows you to open more than 50 native
format files from various software
 NWC File Export Utility
• Free add-in by Autodesk
• Generally used by Graphisoft ArchiCAD users
• Creates a tab inside ArchiCAD
• Tool to export NWC file
  Three Autodesk Navisworks file formats
- NWC (Cache files)
Summary - NWF (File set)

- NWD (Document)

 Allows you to open more than 50 native

format files
 Graphisoft ArchiCAD users can
download NWC Export Utility
Exploring the User Interface
Opening the First File
 Consultant Files
• Architecture File
• Structure File
• Electrical File
• HVAC File
• Plumbing File
• Sprinkler File
• File Alarm
• ……
Saving the Project
 Saving Project
• NWF Format
• Live links to the consultants’ files

• NWD Format
• “Frozen in time” model with no live links to the consultants’ files