Navisworks Ifc Viewer

[Latanya Hariri]

Inan environment that will, for the near-term, only include Revit, what would be the free best viewer to make available to non-Revit users who will have a need to view models. I 'd prefer something that alllows exploring the model in depth. Download size is also a consideration though not as important. The only two candidates I'm aware of are Revit as a Demo Viewer (no license) and Navisworks Freedom. Which is "best"?

I would appreciate it if you would let me know if this answers your question. If it doesn't, please reply with more information about what you are trying to do so that I can provide a better answer.

Thank you,

I think the Revit demo is the best choice because it is seamless. You don't have to do anything extra and the options for viewing the model are endless. Both Design Review and Navisworks Freedom work well, but each requires you to export the RVT file to a 3D DWF first. Freedom views NWD and DWF files, but not NWC files as does Manage and Simulate, so you cannot use the Navisworks Export Utility (which only creates NWCs).

The difference is in how you wish to view the model information. If you want to mark up your sheets, you would first export your sheets to a DWF and use DR to do markup. You can then link the marked up DWF back into Revit and see the markups on the sheets which is really cool.

For a 3D view, you need to first create a dedicated 3D Export view in Revit and export that to a 3D DWF, which can be viewed in either DR or NF. Both allow you to interactively explore your model. However, NF is really limited in how much you can do to the model. It was really designed to view the output from Manage or Simulate. For example, in DR you can create sections to see into your model. You cannot do so in Freedom. However, in Freedom you can select and move individual items, hide them, and save viewpoints; you also have some realism effects like gravity and collision for performing live demos.

It's a real shame that Freedom is so crippled. Being able to section the model, create new viewpoints easily, create viewpoint animation walkthroughs, change the color and transparency of elements, create search sets, etc. is a fantastic way to leverage the building model. If they just took Manage and stripped out the higher-order (and spendy) functions - Clash Detective, Timeliner, Animator, etc. - and leave in the other basic functions, you'd have a world-class model reviewing tool.

I created a model in Infraworks using Model Builder (c.150 sq.km) and exported the model to fbx. I loaded the fbx files into Navisworks Simulate and all looked good - aerial imagery was as expected and I saved this as an nwc file.

I wanted then to pass this model to the client who doesn't have Navisworks so I thought the Freedom viewer would be the answer. I saved the nwc as an nwd file but when I tested it in Freedom the aerial imagery was missing (but everything else was ok) so I'm a bit stuck now.

neilyj (No connection with Autodesk other than using the products in the real world)

Did you find this post helpful? Feel free to Like this post.

Did your question get successfully answered? Then click on the ACCEPT SOLUTION button.

Hello all. I'm unfamiliar with Navisworks but have worked several jobs ina row now where we get navisworks models from the EOR. My company does not use the software, so I onl have access to the Freedom version. I'd like to be able to produce plan and iso piping drawings, turn on line numbers to display along the piping, turn on tie-in numbers, etc. I know that most of this information must be in the original model, but what kind of access to it do I have in Freedom? I'm on the newset version, whatever that is - I just updated it the other day.

So, the extent you have as far as model and view manipulation is to enable the Selection Tree and Saved Viewpoints. You can right-click a Viewpoint and click "Add Copy" to duplicate it, and rename it to your liking. In the Selection Tree you can Hide the items you don't want to have visible, and make other additional changes in the Viewpoint Ribbon Tab. Once you have the view the way you like it, right-click the Viewpoint and click "Update" and it'll save the visibility properties and location. Only thing is, that is temporary. No file saving from the Viewer.

Navisworks give you a view of the entire project. Data created using software-based products such as AutoCAD and Revit can be combined with models created with other tools. Navisworks Freedom viewer is used to view these files. When Navisworks Freedom is used to view NWD files, stakeholders have access to explore and experience whole projects. Navisworks Freedom executes a free download for a more secure NWD file format. That is a practical way of streaming large CAD models. There is no need to prepare models, use third-party hosting services, or pay for ongoing costs.

You can either drag and drop files in the Selection Tree window or use the standard Open dialog box to open files in Autodesk Navisworks. It is important to note that Autodesk Navisworks automatically opens CAD or laser scan files if they are supported by the file readers.

A viewpoint is a snapshot of a model as it is displayed in the Scene View. A viewpoint is useful for more than just storing information about the model's view. You can use viewpoints as a design audit trail, for example, by annotating them with redlines and comments. Similarly, Autodesk Navisworks can display redlines that associated with a viewpoint when you click on it and zoom into it from the Scene View.

Autodesk Navisworks saves viewpoints, redlines, and comments to an NWF file independently of the model geometry. Since the views are saved over the model geometry, the views appear as an overlay once the native CAD files are changed.

The Saved Viewpoints window allows you to jump from one preset viewpoint to the next without navigating. An animation of a viewpoint can store with the viewpoint since it is simply treated as key frames. By dragging preset viewpoints onto a blank animation, you can make a viewpoint animation. The viewpoint animations and viewpoint can be organized using folders.

The Viewpoint Animation menu enables one to create and manage viewpoint animations as well as create folders for organizing viewpoint animations and viewpoints. Furthermore, viewpoint animations can also be dragged and dropped onto viewpoint animations and folders. The CTRL key can hold down during this operation to copy the element. Hierarchical viewpoint animations and folders can thus arrange quite easily.

Previously saved viewpoints can be accessed again. Whenever Viewpoint recalls, the navigation mode that was active at the time of creation chooses again. The Viewpoint shall also reinstate, as well as any redlines and comments associated with it.

Within Autodesk Navisworks, you can create cross-sections of your model from a 3D workspace by turning sectioning on for the current viewpoint. It is not possible to section 2D sheets. In the cross-section, you can see some of what is inside of a 3D object. To enable or disable sectioning for the current viewpoint, click the Sectioning panel on the Viewpoint tab, & then click Enable Sectioning. If sectioning is enabled, the contextual tab Sectioning Tools automatically displays on the ribbon.

I had my Sketchup home 3D model converted to a Navis Works Freedom file and I realize what I was missing. The Sketchup walk and look around is so much difficult and frustrating. It would be good if Sketchup improves the look around and walk tools. As a quick workaround, I suggest that Sketchup include a file export for use with the Navis Works Freedom.

Because I know it would be the first question that a SU product manager will ask, what is it about waking through Navisworks is better than SketchUp? Specific examples really help with this kind of request.

So, just to challenge you a little more, are you saying that it is the REALISM that you prefer? Right now both Epic and Nscape offer free solutions to let you navigate through a rendered SketchUp model in real time. If it is a certain set of navigation controls that you prefer, please let us know what those are!

In Sketchup when a walk and look around is done. It throws up clipping planes and the view is cut off. I have to zoom out to orient and then again redo the task. This is frustrating. This is better managed in the Navis look around.

Thanks for the info on Epic and Enscape viewers.

Since Sketchup does not have the functionlity of a better look around as in Navis Works. I wanted to for the Navis Manager, which is a subscription service and associated with a lot of related Autodesk products and therefore costs a lot per year. Does Vray provide a means of walk through and look around, better than it does in Sketchup. I sincerely hope that they do some improvement to the look around feature of Sketchup without being bugged by the clipping planes.

Get the whole-project view using Navisworks solutions. Combine design data created in AutoCAD and Revit software-based products and other applications with models created by other design tools. Then, view these files with Navisworks Freedom viewer software. NWD files viewed with Navisworks Freedom give stakeholders equal access to explore and experience whole projects.

The Navisworks Freedom free download creates compressed, more secure, NWD format files. A practical solution to streaming large CAD models, NWD files require no model preparation, third-party server hosting, setup time, or ongoing costs.

In the fast-paced world of construction and design, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. With the advent of online Navisworks viewers, professionals in the industry now have a powerful tool at their disposal that is revolutionizing the way projects are managed and executed.

3a8082e126