Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009

User Manual

Autodesk, Inc.
Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009: User Manual
Autodesk, Inc.
Copyright © 2007 Autodesk, Inc.

Revision 6.0.43719
Autodesk, Inc. reserves the right to make changes in specification at any time and without notice. The information furnished by
Autodesk, Inc. in this publication is believed to be accurate; however, no responsibility is assumed for its use, nor for any
infringement of patents or other rights of third parties resulting from its use.

NavisWorks and the NavisWorks logo are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks and copyrights are property
of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Contains Autodesk(R) RealDWG by Autodesk, Inc., Copyright (C) 1998-2007 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

Contains a modified version of Open CASCADE libraries. See the license file "OpenCascadeLicense.txt" in the NavisWorks
installation directory. Source code is available from download.autodesk.com/us/navisworks/OpenCascade.zip.

LightWorks and the LightWorks logo are registered trademarks of LightWork Design Ltd. LWA, LWA-Enabled and the LWA-Enabled
logo, Interactive Image Regeneration, IIR, A-cubed, Feature-Following Anti-Aliasing and FFAA are all trademarks of LightWork
Design Ltd. All other trademarks, images and logos remain the property of their respective owners. Copyright of LightWork Design
Ltd. 1990-2005, 2006.
Table of Contents
I. Welcome to Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 ....................................................................... 1
1. READ ME ........................................................................................................................3
2. What's New .....................................................................................................................4
II. Installation ...............................................................................................................................5
3. Quick Start to Stand-Alone Installation ............................................................................... 7
3.1. Installing NavisWorks ............................................................................................7
4. Move to NavisWorks from a Previous or Same Release ..................................................... 8
5. Install NavisWorks for an Individual User ........................................................................... 9
6. Install NavisWorks for multiple users. ................................................................................ 10
7. Installation Troubleshooting ..............................................................................................11
7.1. System Requirements ...........................................................................................11
7.2. How can I check my graphics card driver to see if it needs to be updated? ................ 11
7.3. What is the difference between a stand-alone license and a network license? ........... 11
7.4. What is the benefit to using a network licensed version of the software? ................... 11
III. Basic NavisWorks Functionality ............................................................................................... 12
8. Overview .........................................................................................................................18
9. File Management .............................................................................................................19
9.1. File Menu .............................................................................................................19
9.2. New Files .............................................................................................................19
9.3. Refreshing Files ....................................................................................................20
9.4. Opening Files ........................................................................................................20
9.5. Opening Files via URL ........................................................................................... 21
9.6. Appending Files ....................................................................................................21
9.7. Merging Files ........................................................................................................22
9.8. Saving Files ..........................................................................................................22
9.9. Saving and Renaming Files ................................................................................... 23
9.10. Publishing Files ...................................................................................................23
9.11. Printing ...............................................................................................................23
9.11.1. Printing the Current Viewpoint ................................................................... 23
9.11.2. Previewing Printouts .................................................................................24
9.11.3. Setting up printouts ................................................................................... 24
9.12. Deleting Files ......................................................................................................25
9.13. Emailing Files .....................................................................................................25
9.14. Importing Files ....................................................................................................26
9.14.1. Importing PDS Tags ................................................................................. 26
9.14.2. Importing PDS Display Sets ...................................................................... 27
9.14.3. Importing Viewpoints XML ......................................................................... 28
9.14.4. Importing Search XML .............................................................................. 29
9.14.5. Importing Search Sets XML ....................................................................... 30
9.15. Exporting Files ....................................................................................................31
9.15.1. Exporting to a Piranesi EPix format ............................................................ 32
9.15.2. Exporting an image ................................................................................... 33
9.15.3. Exporting an animation ............................................................................. 34
9.15.4. Controlling the size of an image ................................................................. 36
9.15.5. Exporting PDS Tags ................................................................................. 37
9.15.6. Exporting Viewpoints ................................................................................37
9.15.7. Exporting Current Search .......................................................................... 38
9.15.8. Exporting Search Sets .............................................................................. 38
9.15.9. Exporting Viewpoints Report ..................................................................... 38
9.15.10. Exporting to Autodesk DWF .................................................................... 39
9.15.11. Exporting to Google Earth KML ............................................................... 39

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9.16. Quitting NavisWorks ............................................................................................42

10. Converting Files .............................................................................................................43
10.1. File Readers .......................................................................................................43
10.1.1. NWF Files ................................................................................................44
10.1.2. NWD Files ................................................................................................44
10.1.3. NWC Files ................................................................................................45
10.1.4. DWG and DXF Files ................................................................................. 47
10.1.5. DWF Files ................................................................................................51
10.1.6. Bentley AutoPLANT Files .......................................................................... 53
10.1.7. 3DS Files .................................................................................................55
10.1.8. DGN and PRP Files .................................................................................. 56
10.1.9. MAN Files ................................................................................................59
10.1.10. IGES Files ..............................................................................................61
10.1.11. STEP Files .............................................................................................63
10.1.12. Inventor Files ..........................................................................................65
10.1.13. VRML world files ..................................................................................... 66
10.1.14. Riegl Scan Files ...................................................................................... 68
10.1.15. Faro Scan Files ...................................................................................... 70
10.1.16. Leica Scan Files ..................................................................................... 71
10.1.17. Z+F Scan Files ....................................................................................... 72
10.1.18. ASCII Laser Scan Files ........................................................................... 74
10.1.19. STL Stereolithography files ...................................................................... 75
10.1.20. AVEVA Review RVM and RVS files ......................................................... 76
10.1.21. IFC files .................................................................................................79
10.1.22. Sketchup SKP files ................................................................................. 81
10.2. File Exporters ......................................................................................................83
10.2.1. AutoCAD .nwc Exporter ............................................................................ 84
10.2.2. Revit .nwc Exporter ................................................................................... 86
10.2.3. MicroStation .nwc Exporter ........................................................................ 89
10.2.4. Viz and Max .nwc Exporter ........................................................................ 91
10.2.5. ArchiCAD .nwc Exporter ............................................................................ 95
10.3. CAD Previewing ..................................................................................................97
10.3.1. NavisWorks Navigator for AutoCAD ........................................................... 97
10.3.2. NavisWorks Preview for Viz and Max ......................................................... 98
11. Publishing ......................................................................................................................101
11.1. Publishing from NavisWorks ................................................................................. 101
11.2. Publishing from AutoCAD .................................................................................... 103
11.3. Publishing from MicroStation ................................................................................ 104
11.4. Freedom .............................................................................................................106
12. Navigating .....................................................................................................................111
12.1. Navigation Modes ................................................................................................111
12.1.1. Walking ....................................................................................................112
12.1.2. Looking Around ........................................................................................112
12.1.3. Zooming ..................................................................................................113
12.1.4. Zooming to a Box ..................................................................................... 113
12.1.5. Panning ...................................................................................................114
12.1.6. Orbiting ....................................................................................................114
12.1.7. Examining ................................................................................................114
12.1.8. Flying .......................................................................................................115
12.1.9. Spinning on a Turntable ............................................................................ 115
12.2. Navigation Tools .................................................................................................116
12.2.1. Viewing Everything ...................................................................................117
12.2.2. Viewing Selected Items ............................................................................. 117
12.2.3. Focusing ..................................................................................................118
12.2.4. Perspective Camera .................................................................................118
12.2.5. Orthographic Camera ...............................................................................118
12.2.6. Collision Detection ....................................................................................119

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12.2.7. Gravity .....................................................................................................120

12.2.8. Crouching ................................................................................................121
12.2.9. Third Person View .................................................................................... 121
12.2.10. Preset Viewpoints ...................................................................................122
12.2.11. Straighten ..............................................................................................123
12.2.12. Set World Up .......................................................................................... 123
12.3. Camera Tilt .........................................................................................................124
12.4. Thumbnail Views .................................................................................................125
12.5. Using a SpaceBall ............................................................................................... 127
13. Selecting Items ..............................................................................................................129
13.1. Selection Trees ...................................................................................................129
13.2. Interactive Selection ............................................................................................131
13.2.1. Select Mode .............................................................................................132
13.2.2. Select Box Mode ...................................................................................... 132
13.2.3. Selection Commands ................................................................................133
13.3. Selection and Search Sets ................................................................................... 134
13.3.1. Saving Selection and Search Sets ............................................................. 134
13.3.2. Recalling Selection and Search Sets .......................................................... 135
13.3.3. Managing Selection Sets ........................................................................... 135
13.4. Selection Resolution ............................................................................................137
13.5. Selection Options ................................................................................................138
14. Finding ..........................................................................................................................140
14.1. Properties ...........................................................................................................140
14.2. Finding Items ......................................................................................................141
14.3. Quick Find ..........................................................................................................143
14.4. Finding Comments ..............................................................................................144
15. Editing ...........................................................................................................................147
15.1. Holding and releasing objects ............................................................................... 147
15.2. Undo/Redo .........................................................................................................148
15.3. Hiding Items ........................................................................................................150
15.4. Making items required ......................................................................................... 150
15.5. Hiding Unselected Items ...................................................................................... 150
15.6. Overriding Item Properties ................................................................................... 151
15.6.1. Overriding Color .......................................................................................151
15.6.2. Overriding Transparency ...........................................................................151
15.6.3. Overriding Transforms ..............................................................................152
15.6.4. Overriding Hyperlinks ................................................................................153
15.7. Resetting Overriden Properties ............................................................................ 153
15.7.1. Resetting Materials ...................................................................................153
15.7.2. Resetting Hyperlinks .................................................................................153
15.7.3. Resetting Items' Positions ......................................................................... 153
15.8. Resetting All Overriden Properties ........................................................................ 154
15.8.1. Resetting All Colors and Transparencies .................................................... 154
15.8.2. Resetting All Items' Hyperlinks ................................................................... 154
15.8.3. Revealing All Items ................................................................................... 154
15.8.4. Making All Items Unrequired ...................................................................... 154
15.8.5. Resetting All Items' Positions ..................................................................... 155
15.9. Custom Properties ...............................................................................................155
15.9.1. Add User Data Tab ................................................................................... 155
15.9.2. Rename User Data Tab ............................................................................ 155
15.9.3. Add New Property .................................................................................... 156
15.9.4. Edit Property Value ................................................................................... 156
15.9.5. Rename Property .....................................................................................157
15.9.6. Delete Property ........................................................................................157
15.9.7. Delete User Data Tab ............................................................................... 157
15.10. Setting a File's Units and Transform .................................................................... 158
16. Display Modes ...............................................................................................................160

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16.1. Rendering Styles .................................................................................................160

16.1.1. Lighting ....................................................................................................160
16.1.2. Render Modes ..........................................................................................165
16.1.3. Display Primitives .....................................................................................166
16.1.4. Background Color .....................................................................................168
16.2. Culling Options ....................................................................................................168
16.3. Orientation Options ..............................................................................................170
16.4. Speed Options ....................................................................................................171
16.5. Display Options ...................................................................................................173
16.6. Performance Options ...........................................................................................174
16.7. Presenter Options ...............................................................................................176
17. Viewpoints .....................................................................................................................179
17.1. Saving Viewpoints ...............................................................................................179
17.2. Recalling Viewpoints ...........................................................................................179
17.3. The Viewpoints Control Bar .................................................................................. 180
17.4. The Viewpoint Shortcut Menus ............................................................................. 181
17.4.1. The Viewpoints Control Bar Shorcut Menu ................................................. 181
17.4.2. Viewpoints ...............................................................................................182
17.4.3. Viewpoint Animations ................................................................................182
17.4.4. Folders ....................................................................................................183
17.5. Editing Viewpoints ...............................................................................................183
17.6. Viewpoints Options ..............................................................................................187
18. Sectioning .....................................................................................................................191
18.1. Sectioning a model .............................................................................................. 191
18.2. Linking Sections ..................................................................................................193
19. Animation ......................................................................................................................195
19.1. The Animation Toolbar ......................................................................................... 195
19.2. The Viewpoints Control Bar .................................................................................. 196
19.3. Creating Viewpoint Animations ............................................................................. 197
19.4. Editing Viewpoint Animations ............................................................................... 198
19.5. Animation Cuts ....................................................................................................199
19.6. Playing Back Animations ...................................................................................... 199
20. Reviewing ......................................................................................................................201
20.1. Commenting .......................................................................................................201
20.1.1. Adding Comments ....................................................................................202
20.1.2. Editing Comments ....................................................................................204
20.1.3. Deleting Comments ..................................................................................205
20.2. Redlining ............................................................................................................206
20.2.1. Adding Redlines .......................................................................................206
20.2.2. Adding Redline Tags ................................................................................. 208
20.2.3. Finding Redline Tags ................................................................................ 209
20.2.4. Editing Redline Tags ................................................................................. 210
20.3. Measuring ...........................................................................................................210
20.3.1. Measuring Tools .......................................................................................211
20.3.2. Snapping .................................................................................................213
20.3.3. Transforming Objects ................................................................................214
20.3.4. Measure Options ......................................................................................216
20.4. Hyperlinks ...........................................................................................................217
20.4.1. Adding Hyperlinks .....................................................................................218
20.4.2. Displaying Hyperlinks ................................................................................219
20.4.3. Following Hyperlinks .................................................................................220
20.4.4. Editing Hyperlinks .....................................................................................220
20.4.5. Deleting Hyperlinks ...................................................................................222
20.4.6. Hyperlinks Options ...................................................................................223
20.5. Smart Tags .........................................................................................................227
20.5.1. Smart Tags Options .................................................................................. 227
20.6. Collaboration .......................................................................................................229

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20.7. SwitchBack .........................................................................................................233

21. Object Manipulation ........................................................................................................235
21.1. Using Snapping ...................................................................................................235
21.2. Highlighting Objects .............................................................................................236
21.3. Moving Objects ...................................................................................................238
21.4. Rotating Objects ..................................................................................................239
21.5. Scaling Objects ...................................................................................................240
21.6. Changing Color ...................................................................................................241
21.7. Changing Transparency .......................................................................................241
21.8. Using the Manual Entry Boxes ............................................................................. 241
22. Interface ........................................................................................................................243
22.1. The Main Interface Components ........................................................................... 243
22.1.1. The Menu Bar .......................................................................................... 243
22.1.2. The Toolbars ............................................................................................244
22.1.3. The Main Navigation Window .................................................................... 245
22.1.4. The Control Bars ...................................................................................... 245
22.1.5. The Status Bar ......................................................................................... 245
22.2. View Menu ..........................................................................................................246
22.2.1. Control Bars .............................................................................................247
22.2.2. Workspaces .............................................................................................247
22.2.3. Customizing toolbars ................................................................................249
22.2.4. Workspace Toolbar ...................................................................................256
22.2.5. Splitting the main view .............................................................................. 257
22.2.6. Full Screen Mode ..................................................................................... 257
22.2.7. Sizing of Navigation Window ..................................................................... 257
22.2.8. Stereo Rendering .....................................................................................258
22.2.9. Scene Statistics ........................................................................................260
22.3. Units ...................................................................................................................260
22.4. Profiles ...............................................................................................................262
22.5. Search Directories ...............................................................................................263
23. Tools .............................................................................................................................264
23.1. Comparing Models ..............................................................................................264
24. Options ..........................................................................................................................267
24.1. File Options ........................................................................................................267
24.2. Location Options .................................................................................................267
24.3. Developer Options ...............................................................................................267
24.4. Standard hyperlinks Options ................................................................................ 267
24.5. User-defined hyperlinks Options ........................................................................... 267
24.6. SmartTags definition ............................................................................................267
24.7. Global Options ....................................................................................................268
25. DataTools ......................................................................................................................270
25.1. DataTools Links ..................................................................................................270
25.2. Creating a DataTools Link .................................................................................... 272
26. Getting Help ..................................................................................................................276
26.1. Help Topics .........................................................................................................276
26.2. What's This? .......................................................................................................277
26.3. NavisWorks on the Web ...................................................................................... 278
26.4. Clash Detective Help ........................................................................................... 278
26.5. Presenter Help ....................................................................................................278
26.6. TimeLiner Help ....................................................................................................279
26.7. Publisher Help .....................................................................................................280
26.8. License ...............................................................................................................281
26.9. System Info .........................................................................................................281
26.10. About NavisWorks .............................................................................................282
IV. Using Presenter ......................................................................................................................284
27. Overview of Presenter .................................................................................................... 286
27.1. The User Archive ................................................................................................ 286

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27.2. Additional Archives ..............................................................................................287

28. Rendering Scenes ..........................................................................................................289
28.1. Setting Up And Rendering A Scene ...................................................................... 289
28.2. Exporting Rendered Output .................................................................................. 289
29. Presenter Materials ........................................................................................................293
29.1. Materials Tab ......................................................................................................293
29.2. Applying Presenter Materials ................................................................................ 293
29.3. Removing Presenter Materials ............................................................................. 294
29.4. Managing Materials .............................................................................................295
29.5. Editing Presenter Materials .................................................................................. 296
29.6. Advanced Materials .............................................................................................300
30. Presenter Lighting ..........................................................................................................303
30.1. Lighting Tab ........................................................................................................303
30.2. Adding And Positioning Lights .............................................................................. 303
30.3. Managing Lights ..................................................................................................305
30.4. Editing Lights ......................................................................................................306
30.5. Shadow Casting ..................................................................................................307
30.6. Advanced Lighting ...............................................................................................308
30.6.1. Soft Shadows ...........................................................................................309
30.6.2. Physically Accurate Lights ......................................................................... 309
30.6.3. Volumetric Lights ......................................................................................309
30.6.4. Image-based Lighting ...............................................................................310
31. Presenter RPCs .............................................................................................................313
31.1. RPC Tab .............................................................................................................313
32. Rendering Effects ...........................................................................................................317
32.1. Effects Tab .........................................................................................................317
32.2. Background Effects .............................................................................................317
32.3. Foreground Effects ..............................................................................................319
33. Rendering Styles ............................................................................................................321
33.1. Rendering Tab ....................................................................................................321
33.2. Rendering Styles .................................................................................................321
33.3. Predefined Rendering Styles ................................................................................ 322
33.4. Auto Exposure ....................................................................................................323
34. Texture Space ...............................................................................................................325
35. Presenter Rules .............................................................................................................329
V. Object Animation .....................................................................................................................334
36. Overview .......................................................................................................................337
36.1. Basic terminology ................................................................................................337
36.2. Scope .................................................................................................................337
37. Working with Object Animation Windows ......................................................................... 339
37.1. The Animator Window ......................................................................................... 339
37.1.1. The Animator Toolbar ............................................................................... 339
37.1.2. The Scene View ....................................................................................... 341
37.1.3. The Timeline View .................................................................................... 343
37.1.4. The Manual Entry Bar ............................................................................... 345
37.2. The Scripter Window ........................................................................................... 346
37.2.1. The Script View ........................................................................................ 347
37.2.2. The Event View ........................................................................................ 349
37.2.3. The Action View ....................................................................................... 350
37.2.4. The Properties View ................................................................................. 352
38. Creating Animations .......................................................................................................354
38.1. Animation Scenes ...............................................................................................354
38.1.1. Adding Scenes .........................................................................................354
38.1.2. Deleting Scenes .......................................................................................354
38.1.3. Organizing Scenes ...................................................................................355
38.2. Animation Sets ....................................................................................................356
38.2.1. Adding Animation Sets .............................................................................. 356

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38.2.2. Updating Animation Sets ........................................................................... 357

38.2.3. Manipulating Geometry Objects ................................................................. 358
38.3. Cameras .............................................................................................................367
38.3.1. Adding Cameras .......................................................................................367
38.3.2. Manipulating Camera Viewpoints ............................................................... 368
38.4. Section Plane Set ................................................................................................ 368
38.4.1. Adding Section Plane Sets ........................................................................ 368
38.4.2. Manipulating Sectional Cuts ...................................................................... 368
38.5. Keyframes ..........................................................................................................369
38.5.1. Capturing Keyframes ................................................................................369
38.5.2. Editing Keyframes ....................................................................................370
38.6. Playing Animation Scenes .................................................................................... 374
39. Adding Interactivity .........................................................................................................375
39.1. Animation Scripts ................................................................................................375
39.1.1. Adding Scripts ..........................................................................................375
39.1.2. Deleting Scripts ........................................................................................375
39.1.3. Organizing Scripts ....................................................................................376
39.2. Events ................................................................................................................376
39.2.1. Adding Events ..........................................................................................377
39.2.2. Testing Events .........................................................................................377
39.2.3. Configuring Events ...................................................................................377
39.3. Actions ...............................................................................................................381
39.3.1. Adding Actions .........................................................................................381
39.3.2. Testing Actions .........................................................................................381
39.3.3. Configuring Actions ...................................................................................381
39.4. Enabling Scripting ...............................................................................................386
40. Animation Exercise ........................................................................................................387
40.1. Opening a Gatehouse Door ................................................................................. 387
40.1.1. Animating a Door ...................................................................................... 387
40.1.2. Creating Scripts ........................................................................................390
40.1.3. Testing the Results ................................................................................... 392
VI. Using TimeLiner .....................................................................................................................393
41. Overview of TimeLiner .................................................................................................... 395
42. Tasks ............................................................................................................................401
42.1. The Tasks Tab .................................................................................................... 401
42.2. Select Link Dialog ................................................................................................ 406
43. Links .............................................................................................................................408
43.1. The Links Tab ..................................................................................................... 408
43.2. Field Selector Dialog ........................................................................................... 410
43.3. Standard Links ....................................................................................................411
43.3.1. Microsoft Project 2000 .............................................................................. 411
43.3.2. Microsoft Project .......................................................................................411
43.3.3. Microsoft Project MPX .............................................................................. 412
43.3.4. Primavera Project Planner ......................................................................... 412
43.3.5. Primavera Project Management 4 and 5 ..................................................... 412
43.3.6. Asta Power Project ................................................................................... 413
44. Configure .......................................................................................................................414
44.1. The Configure Tab .............................................................................................. 414
45. Rules ............................................................................................................................417
45.1. The Rules Tab .................................................................................................... 417
46. Simulate ........................................................................................................................421
46.1. The Simulate Tab ................................................................................................ 421
46.2. Simulation Settings ..............................................................................................423
46.3. Overlay Text Dialog ............................................................................................. 428
47. Export ...........................................................................................................................432
47.1. Exporting a TimeLiner simulation as an AVI .......................................................... 432
48. Options ..........................................................................................................................433

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48.1. TimeLiner Options ...............................................................................................433

VII. Using Clash Detective ............................................................................................................ 436
49. Overview of Clash Detective ........................................................................................... 438
50. Clash Batches ................................................................................................................439
51. Clash Rules ...................................................................................................................444
52. Selecting Items for Clash Testing .................................................................................... 449
53. Clash Results ................................................................................................................453
54. Clash Reports ................................................................................................................456
Glossary .....................................................................................................................................458
Index ..........................................................................................................................................465

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 Part I. Welcome to Autodesk
NavisWorks Manage 2009
Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 software provides 3D construction project professionals with the
control and peace of mind of advanced interference management, analysis and coordination. 3D design
data created in building information modeling (BIM) applications such as the Revit family of products can
be combined with other design models and comprehensively reviewed, regardless of file size or format.

In this documentation you can find information on:

• Installation

• Basic NavisWorks Functionality

• Presenter

• Object Animation

• TimeLiner

• Clash Detective
Table of Contents
1. READ ME ................................................................................................................................3
2. What's New .............................................................................................................................4

ii
Chapter 1. READ ME
Introduce the read me

3
Chapter 2. What's New
Introduce what's new

4
 Part II. Installation
This section provides step-by-step installation instructions for Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009. In
particular, you will learn how to:

• Install stand-alone versions of the program

• Install network-licensed or multi-seat stand-alone versions of the program

• Upgrade the program

• Troubleshoot your installation

Table of Contents
3. Quick Start to Stand-Alone Installation ....................................................................................... 7
3.1. Installing NavisWorks ............................................................................................7
4. Move to NavisWorks from a Previous or Same Release ............................................................. 8
5. Install NavisWorks for an Individual User ................................................................................... 9
6. Install NavisWorks for multiple users. ........................................................................................ 10
7. Installation Troubleshooting ......................................................................................................11
7.1. System Requirements ...........................................................................................11
7.2. How can I check my graphics card driver to see if it needs to be updated? ................ 11
7.3. What is the difference between a stand-alone license and a network license? ........... 11
7.4. What is the benefit to using a network licensed version of the software? ................... 11

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Chapter 3. Quick Start to Stand-Alone
Installation
This section provides step-by-step instructions about how to install NavisWorks on your system. You
should read the entire Standalone Installation Guide if you have any questions that are not addressed in
this Quick Start section.

For information about installing network-licensed or multi-seat stand-alone versions of the program, see
the Network Installation Guide.

3.1. Installing NavisWorks

Insert the NavisWorks CD into your computer's CD-ROM drive. The NavisWorks Installation Menu should
start automatically. If the Menu does not launch automatically, double click on Setup.exe at the root of
the NavisWorks CD. Follow the instructions on the menu to install and license NavisWorks.

The installer will load all supported languages and then automatically run in the language that best
matches the settings on your computer. To run NavisWorks in another of the supported languages, you
simply need to add one of the following arguments to the desktop shortcut. To do this, right click on the
NavisWorks desktop shortcut and choose Properties from the context menu. In the Target field, after
..\roamer.exe" enter a space, then one of the following:

Language selector

-lang enu Enter this for English localization

-lang deu Enter this for German localization

-lang jpn Enter this for Japanese localization

-lang rus Enter this for Russian localization

-lang chs Enter this for Chinese (PRC) localization

7
Chapter 4. Move to NavisWorks from a
Previous or Same Release
All about upgrading. NW5 to NW6, minor upgrades.

8
Chapter 5. Install NavisWorks for an
Individual User
All about installing for stand alone use.

9
Chapter 6. Install NavisWorks for multiple
users.
All about installing for network licensing or using deployments for multi-seat stand alone.

10
Chapter 7. Installation Troubleshooting
This chapter provides solutions to installation issues and answers to commonly asked questions that may
arise while installing your product.

7.1. System Requirements

Before you install your product on a stand-alone computer, make sure that your computer meets the
minimum system requirements.

7.2. How can I check my graphics card driver to see

if it needs to be updated?
Whatever we want to say about graphics cards. e.g. Recommendation of type of card, using latest
drivers, etc.

7.3. What is the difference between a stand-alone

license and a network license?
Stand-alone licensed products are registered and activated to an individual workstation. While the
software can be installed on multiple systems in your facility, the license only allows one system to be
operational. The Portable License Utility can be used if a license needs to be transferred to another
system. If you need to run more systems, you need to purchase more stand-alone licensed products, or
consider converting to network licenses.

Network licensed products rely on the Network License Manager to keep track of software licenses. The
software can be installed and run on multiple systems, up to the maximum number of licenses you’ve
purchased. The Network License Manager "checks out" licenses until they are all in use. No further
systems can run the program until a license is "checked in." If you need to run more systems, you can
purchase additional licenses for the Network License Manager to maintain.

7.4. What is the benefit to using a network licensed

version of the software?
Network licensed products are recommended for large drafting/design facilities, classrooms, and lab
environments. The main advantage is that you can install products on more systems than the number of
licenses you have purchased (for example, purchasing 25 licenses but installing on 40 workstations). At
any one time, products will run on the maximum number of systems for which you have licenses. This
means you get a true floating license. If software needs to be run on more systems, additional licenses
can be purchased.

Registration and activation occurs only once and the licenses are maintained on your Network License
Server.

11
 Part III. Basic NavisWorks
Functionality
The core functionality of Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 enables 3D CAD file aggregation and
real-time navigation of digital projects of any size, and provides a comprehensive project review toolkit. In
this section, you will learn how to:

• Work with files

• Navigate and explore your designs

• Take and publish model snapshots

• Create visualizations and real-time walkthroughs

• Review your design

• Customize NavisWorks
Table of Contents
8. Overview .................................................................................................................................18
9. File Management .....................................................................................................................19
9.1. File Menu .............................................................................................................19
9.2. New Files .............................................................................................................19
9.3. Refreshing Files ....................................................................................................20
9.4. Opening Files ........................................................................................................20
9.5. Opening Files via URL ........................................................................................... 21
9.6. Appending Files ....................................................................................................21
9.7. Merging Files ........................................................................................................22
9.8. Saving Files ..........................................................................................................22
9.9. Saving and Renaming Files ................................................................................... 23
9.10. Publishing Files ...................................................................................................23
9.11. Printing ...............................................................................................................23
9.11.1. Printing the Current Viewpoint ........................................................................... 23
9.11.2. Previewing Printouts .........................................................................................24
9.11.3. Setting up printouts ........................................................................................... 24
9.12. Deleting Files ......................................................................................................25
9.13. Emailing Files .....................................................................................................25
9.14. Importing Files ....................................................................................................26
9.14.1. Importing PDS Tags ......................................................................................... 26
9.14.2. Importing PDS Display Sets .............................................................................. 27
9.14.3. Importing Viewpoints XML ................................................................................. 28
9.14.4. Importing Search XML ...................................................................................... 29
9.14.5. Importing Search Sets XML ............................................................................... 30
9.15. Exporting Files ....................................................................................................31
9.15.1. Exporting to a Piranesi EPix format .................................................................... 32
9.15.2. Exporting an image ........................................................................................... 33
9.15.3. Exporting an animation ..................................................................................... 34
9.15.4. Controlling the size of an image ......................................................................... 36
9.15.5. Exporting PDS Tags ......................................................................................... 37
9.15.6. Exporting Viewpoints ........................................................................................37
9.15.7. Exporting Current Search .................................................................................. 38
9.15.8. Exporting Search Sets ...................................................................................... 38
9.15.9. Exporting Viewpoints Report ............................................................................. 38
9.15.10. Exporting to Autodesk DWF ............................................................................ 39
9.15.11. Exporting to Google Earth KML ....................................................................... 39
9.16. Quitting NavisWorks ............................................................................................42
10. Converting Files .....................................................................................................................43
10.1. File Readers .......................................................................................................43
10.1.1. NWF Files ........................................................................................................44
10.1.2. NWD Files ........................................................................................................44
10.1.3. NWC Files ........................................................................................................45
10.1.4. DWG and DXF Files ......................................................................................... 47
10.1.5. DWF Files ........................................................................................................51
10.1.6. Bentley AutoPLANT Files .................................................................................. 53
10.1.7. 3DS Files .........................................................................................................55
10.1.8. DGN and PRP Files .......................................................................................... 56
10.1.9. MAN Files ........................................................................................................59
10.1.10. IGES Files ......................................................................................................61
10.1.11. STEP Files .....................................................................................................63
10.1.12. Inventor Files ..................................................................................................65

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 Basic NavisWorks Functionality

10.1.13. VRML world files ............................................................................................. 66

10.1.14. Riegl Scan Files .............................................................................................. 68
10.1.15. Faro Scan Files .............................................................................................. 70
10.1.16. Leica Scan Files ............................................................................................. 71
10.1.17. Z+F Scan Files ............................................................................................... 72
10.1.18. ASCII Laser Scan Files ................................................................................... 74
10.1.19. STL Stereolithography files .............................................................................. 75
10.1.20. AVEVA Review RVM and RVS files ................................................................. 76
10.1.21. IFC files .........................................................................................................79
10.1.22. Sketchup SKP files ......................................................................................... 81
10.2. File Exporters ......................................................................................................83
10.2.1. AutoCAD .nwc Exporter .................................................................................... 84
10.2.2. Revit .nwc Exporter ........................................................................................... 86
10.2.3. MicroStation .nwc Exporter ................................................................................ 89
10.2.4. Viz and Max .nwc Exporter ................................................................................ 91
10.2.5. ArchiCAD .nwc Exporter .................................................................................... 95
10.3. CAD Previewing ..................................................................................................97
10.3.1. NavisWorks Navigator for AutoCAD ................................................................... 97
10.3.2. NavisWorks Preview for Viz and Max ................................................................. 98
11. Publishing ..............................................................................................................................101
11.1. Publishing from NavisWorks ................................................................................. 101
11.2. Publishing from AutoCAD .................................................................................... 103
11.3. Publishing from MicroStation ................................................................................ 104
11.4. Freedom .............................................................................................................106
12. Navigating .............................................................................................................................111
12.1. Navigation Modes ................................................................................................111
12.1.1. Walking ............................................................................................................112
12.1.2. Looking Around ................................................................................................112
12.1.3. Zooming ..........................................................................................................113
12.1.4. Zooming to a Box ............................................................................................. 113
12.1.5. Panning ...........................................................................................................114
12.1.6. Orbiting ............................................................................................................114
12.1.7. Examining ........................................................................................................114
12.1.8. Flying ...............................................................................................................115
12.1.9. Spinning on a Turntable .................................................................................... 115
12.2. Navigation Tools .................................................................................................116
12.2.1. Viewing Everything ...........................................................................................117
12.2.2. Viewing Selected Items ..................................................................................... 117
12.2.3. Focusing ..........................................................................................................118
12.2.4. Perspective Camera .........................................................................................118
12.2.5. Orthographic Camera .......................................................................................118
12.2.6. Collision Detection ............................................................................................119
12.2.7. Gravity .............................................................................................................120
12.2.8. Crouching ........................................................................................................121
12.2.9. Third Person View ............................................................................................ 121
12.2.10. Preset Viewpoints ...........................................................................................122
12.2.11. Straighten ......................................................................................................123
12.2.12. Set World Up .................................................................................................. 123
12.3. Camera Tilt .........................................................................................................124
12.4. Thumbnail Views .................................................................................................125
12.5. Using a SpaceBall ............................................................................................... 127
13. Selecting Items ......................................................................................................................129
13.1. Selection Trees ...................................................................................................129
13.2. Interactive Selection ............................................................................................131
13.2.1. Select Mode .....................................................................................................132
13.2.2. Select Box Mode .............................................................................................. 132
13.2.3. Selection Commands ........................................................................................133

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 Basic NavisWorks Functionality

13.3. Selection and Search Sets ................................................................................... 134

13.3.1. Saving Selection and Search Sets ..................................................................... 134
13.3.2. Recalling Selection and Search Sets .................................................................. 135
13.3.3. Managing Selection Sets ................................................................................... 135
13.4. Selection Resolution ............................................................................................137
13.5. Selection Options ................................................................................................138
14. Finding ..................................................................................................................................140
14.1. Properties ...........................................................................................................140
14.2. Finding Items ......................................................................................................141
14.3. Quick Find ..........................................................................................................143
14.4. Finding Comments ..............................................................................................144
15. Editing ...................................................................................................................................147
15.1. Holding and releasing objects ............................................................................... 147
15.2. Undo/Redo .........................................................................................................148
15.3. Hiding Items ........................................................................................................150
15.4. Making items required ......................................................................................... 150
15.5. Hiding Unselected Items ...................................................................................... 150
15.6. Overriding Item Properties ................................................................................... 151
15.6.1. Overriding Color ...............................................................................................151
15.6.2. Overriding Transparency ...................................................................................151
15.6.3. Overriding Transforms ......................................................................................152
15.6.4. Overriding Hyperlinks ........................................................................................153
15.7. Resetting Overriden Properties ............................................................................ 153
15.7.1. Resetting Materials ...........................................................................................153
15.7.2. Resetting Hyperlinks .........................................................................................153
15.7.3. Resetting Items' Positions ................................................................................. 153
15.8. Resetting All Overriden Properties ........................................................................ 154
15.8.1. Resetting All Colors and Transparencies ............................................................ 154
15.8.2. Resetting All Items' Hyperlinks ........................................................................... 154
15.8.3. Revealing All Items ........................................................................................... 154
15.8.4. Making All Items Unrequired .............................................................................. 154
15.8.5. Resetting All Items' Positions ............................................................................. 155
15.9. Custom Properties ...............................................................................................155
15.9.1. Add User Data Tab ........................................................................................... 155
15.9.2. Rename User Data Tab .................................................................................... 155
15.9.3. Add New Property ............................................................................................ 156
15.9.4. Edit Property Value ........................................................................................... 156
15.9.5. Rename Property .............................................................................................157
15.9.6. Delete Property ................................................................................................157
15.9.7. Delete User Data Tab ....................................................................................... 157
15.10. Setting a File's Units and Transform .................................................................... 158
16. Display Modes .......................................................................................................................160
16.1. Rendering Styles .................................................................................................160
16.1.1. Lighting ............................................................................................................160
16.1.2. Render Modes ..................................................................................................165
16.1.3. Display Primitives .............................................................................................166
16.1.4. Background Color .............................................................................................168
16.2. Culling Options ....................................................................................................168
16.3. Orientation Options ..............................................................................................170
16.4. Speed Options ....................................................................................................171
16.5. Display Options ...................................................................................................173
16.6. Performance Options ...........................................................................................174
16.7. Presenter Options ...............................................................................................176
17. Viewpoints .............................................................................................................................179
17.1. Saving Viewpoints ...............................................................................................179
17.2. Recalling Viewpoints ...........................................................................................179
17.3. The Viewpoints Control Bar .................................................................................. 180

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 Basic NavisWorks Functionality

17.4. The Viewpoint Shortcut Menus ............................................................................. 181

17.4.1. The Viewpoints Control Bar Shorcut Menu ......................................................... 181
17.4.2. Viewpoints .......................................................................................................182
17.4.3. Viewpoint Animations ........................................................................................182
17.4.4. Folders ............................................................................................................183
17.5. Editing Viewpoints ...............................................................................................183
17.6. Viewpoints Options ..............................................................................................187
18. Sectioning .............................................................................................................................191
18.1. Sectioning a model .............................................................................................. 191
18.2. Linking Sections ..................................................................................................193
19. Animation ..............................................................................................................................195
19.1. The Animation Toolbar ......................................................................................... 195
19.2. The Viewpoints Control Bar .................................................................................. 196
19.3. Creating Viewpoint Animations ............................................................................. 197
19.4. Editing Viewpoint Animations ............................................................................... 198
19.5. Animation Cuts ....................................................................................................199
19.6. Playing Back Animations ...................................................................................... 199
20. Reviewing ..............................................................................................................................201
20.1. Commenting .......................................................................................................201
20.1.1. Adding Comments ............................................................................................202
20.1.2. Editing Comments ............................................................................................204
20.1.3. Deleting Comments ..........................................................................................205
20.2. Redlining ............................................................................................................206
20.2.1. Adding Redlines ...............................................................................................206
20.2.2. Adding Redline Tags ......................................................................................... 208
20.2.3. Finding Redline Tags ........................................................................................ 209
20.2.4. Editing Redline Tags ......................................................................................... 210
20.3. Measuring ...........................................................................................................210
20.3.1. Measuring Tools ...............................................................................................211
20.3.2. Snapping .........................................................................................................213
20.3.3. Transforming Objects ........................................................................................214
20.3.4. Measure Options ..............................................................................................216
20.4. Hyperlinks ...........................................................................................................217
20.4.1. Adding Hyperlinks .............................................................................................218
20.4.2. Displaying Hyperlinks ........................................................................................219
20.4.3. Following Hyperlinks .........................................................................................220
20.4.4. Editing Hyperlinks .............................................................................................220
20.4.5. Deleting Hyperlinks ...........................................................................................222
20.4.6. Hyperlinks Options ...........................................................................................223
20.5. Smart Tags .........................................................................................................227
20.5.1. Smart Tags Options .......................................................................................... 227
20.6. Collaboration .......................................................................................................230
20.7. SwitchBack .........................................................................................................233
21. Object Manipulation ................................................................................................................235
21.1. Using Snapping ...................................................................................................235
21.2. Highlighting Objects .............................................................................................236
21.3. Moving Objects ...................................................................................................238
21.4. Rotating Objects ..................................................................................................239
21.5. Scaling Objects ...................................................................................................240
21.6. Changing Color ...................................................................................................241
21.7. Changing Transparency .......................................................................................241
21.8. Using the Manual Entry Boxes ............................................................................. 241
22. Interface ................................................................................................................................243
22.1. The Main Interface Components ........................................................................... 243
22.1.1. The Menu Bar .................................................................................................. 243
22.1.2. The Toolbars ....................................................................................................244
22.1.3. The Main Navigation Window ............................................................................ 245

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 Basic NavisWorks Functionality

22.1.4. The Control Bars .............................................................................................. 245

22.1.5. The Status Bar ................................................................................................. 245
22.2. View Menu ..........................................................................................................246
22.2.1. Control Bars .....................................................................................................247
22.2.2. Workspaces .....................................................................................................247
22.2.3. Customizing toolbars ........................................................................................249
22.2.4. Workspace Toolbar ...........................................................................................256
22.2.5. Splitting the main view ...................................................................................... 257
22.2.6. Full Screen Mode ............................................................................................. 257
22.2.7. Sizing of Navigation Window ............................................................................. 257
22.2.8. Stereo Rendering .............................................................................................258
22.2.9. Scene Statistics ................................................................................................260
22.3. Units ...................................................................................................................260
22.4. Profiles ...............................................................................................................262
22.5. Search Directories ...............................................................................................263
23. Tools .....................................................................................................................................264
23.1. Comparing Models ..............................................................................................264
24. Options ..................................................................................................................................267
24.1. File Options ........................................................................................................267
24.2. Location Options .................................................................................................267
24.3. Developer Options ...............................................................................................267
24.4. Standard hyperlinks Options ................................................................................ 267
24.5. User-defined hyperlinks Options ........................................................................... 267
24.6. SmartTags definition ............................................................................................267
24.7. Global Options ....................................................................................................268
25. DataTools ..............................................................................................................................270
25.1. DataTools Links ..................................................................................................270
25.2. Creating a DataTools Link .................................................................................... 272
26. Getting Help ..........................................................................................................................276
26.1. Help Topics .........................................................................................................276
26.2. What's This? .......................................................................................................277
26.3. NavisWorks on the Web ...................................................................................... 278
26.4. Clash Detective Help ........................................................................................... 278
26.5. Presenter Help ....................................................................................................278
26.6. TimeLiner Help ....................................................................................................279
26.7. Publisher Help .....................................................................................................280
26.8. License ...............................................................................................................281
26.9. System Info .........................................................................................................281
26.10. About NavisWorks .............................................................................................282

xvii
Chapter 8. Overview
The basis of Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 is its ability to walk through any size model in real time.
NavisWorks guarantees a user-defined frame rate using a unique algorithm which automatically
calculates which items to render first during navigation, based on the size of items and distance from the
viewpoint. Items which NavisWorks does not have time to render are, therefore, sacrificed or "dropped
out" in the name of interactivity. These items are, of course, rendered when navigation ceases. The
amount of drop-out depends on several factors including: hardware (in particular graphics card and driver
performance), as well as the size of the NavisWorks navigation window and the size of the model. If you
wish to reduce drop-out during navigation, you have the option to reduce frame rate and, therefore, trade
it off against drop-out.

When working with truely large "supermodels" in NavisWorks, you will require a sufficient amount of RAM
to load and review the data. NavisWorks employs JetStream technology which optimizes the usage of the
available RAM. Before running out of memory, NavisWorks will page unnecesary data to the hard disk,
freeing up space for loading to continue. JetStream technology also enables the user to commence
navigating the supermodel, before it has completely loaded into memory.

NavisWorks is large address aware, utilizing any additional memory assignment following the 3GB switch
available on Windows XP systems.

To start NavisWorks, double-click the NavisWorks icon on the desktop, or go to Start > Programs >
Autodesk > Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 > Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009. The
following sections will describe the interface in more detail.

NavisWorks contains full context-sensitive Help. Click , and click the toolbar button or menu option

to display the appropriate Help topic. Or, alternatively, go to the Help menu.

18
Chapter 9. File Management
With Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 you can open a wide variety of native 3D CAD file types without
having to have the CAD application on your machine. See Chapter 10, Converting Files for more detailed
information on these file formats and their options. File management all happens with the File menu and
the Standard toolbar.

9.1. File Menu

The File menu includes the following items:

• New

• Refresh

• Open

• Open URL

• Append

• Merge

• Save

• Save As

• Publish

• Print

• Print Preview

• Print Setup

• Delete

• Send

• Import

• Export

• Recent Files

• Exit

9.2. New Files

This option resets NavisWorks and closes existing files.

19
 File Management

To create a new file:

• On the File menu, click New

or

• Click New on the Standard toolbar.

9.3. Refreshing Files

When working in NavisWorks, it is possible that others may be working on the CAD files you are currently
reviewing. For example, if you are coordinating various disciplines on a project, then you may have an
overall .nwf file referencing numerous design files. During the iterative stages of the project, any member
of the design team could potentially be modifying their CAD files. To ensure the data you are reviewing is
current, NavisWorks provides a refresh function to reload any files that have been modified since
commencing the review session. This feature does not reload all of the files you have loaded, merely
those modified since last opening them.

To refresh your scene with the latest versions of the currently loaded model files:

• On the File menu, click Refresh

or

• Click Refresh on the Standard toolbar.

9.4. Opening Files

With Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 you can open a wide variety of native CAD file types without
having to have the CAD application on your machine. See Chapter 10, Converting Files for more detailed
information on these file formats and their options. To open a model file:

• On the File menu, click Open

or

• Click Open on the Standard toolbar.

Note
The standard Open dialog use of Shift and Control keys allows multiple files to be selected and

20
 File Management

appended to the current set of models.

9.5. Opening Files via URL

With Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 you can open NavisWorks published .nwd files via the Internet.
Having uploaded your .nwd file to a web server, this file can then be opened directly from within
NavisWorks. Utilizing JetStream technology, it will not be necessary for the entire file to be downloaded
before navigation can commence - between 10% and 50% will be sufficient for this, depending on the file
structure. (The greater the hierarchical structure of the model, the closer to 50% will be required for
navigation to commence. Similarly, the lesser the hierarchical structure of the model, the closer to 10%
will be required).

To open a file via a URL:

• On the File menu, click Open URL.

9.6. Appending Files

NavisWorks enables you to build up a complex scene from smaller models by appending, or uniting,
multiple model files together, which can be of any type that Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 supports.
(See Chapter 10, Converting Files for more detailed information on these file formats and their options).

Each file has its own units and when appending more files to the scene, each file is automatically scaled
to match the units of the first file loaded into the scene. Each file type has a default unit associated with it
that it uses when loading files of that type. You can change this associated unit on the Units tab of the
Global Options dialog (see Section 22.3, “ Units Options ” for more detailed information). However, once
a file is loaded, you can change its unit scaling by clicking File Units and Transform on the Edit menu.
See Section 15.10, “ Setting a File's Units and Transform ” for more information.

The combined set of models may be published as a single NavisWorks .nwd file using the NavisWorks
Publisher. These models can then be viewed with NavisWorks Freedom™ free viewer. See Section 11.1,
“ Publishing from NavisWorks ” for more information.

You can also save the combined set of models as an .nwf file. No geometry is saved in this format, but a
list of appended files, along with their path relative to the .nwf file is saved, along with any overrides,
comments, redlines, viewpoints or other NavisWorks specific information. See Section 9.8, “ Saving Files
” for more information on saving files.

To append a file:

• On the File menu, click Append

or

• Click Append on the Standard toolbar.

Note
The standard Open dialog use of Shift and Control keys allows multiple files to be selected and
appended to the current set of models.

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 File Management

9.7. Merging Files

When merging multiple .nwf files, that each comprise the same reference files, NavisWorks will only load
a single set of the combined models, along with all review markup (such as tags, viewpoints or
comments) from each .nwf file. Any duplicate geometry or markup will be removed when merged. See
Section 10.1.1, “ NWF Files ” for more information on .nwf files.

Merging a file:

1. Open the first file to be merged, (see Section 9.4, “ Opening Files ” for information on how to do this).

2. On the File menu, click Merge

or

Click Merge on the Standard toolbar.

3. Browse to and select the file, or files, to be merged.

Note
The standard Open dialog use of Shift and Control keys allows multiple files to be selected and
merged with the currently loaded model.

Merging TimeLiner Data

If a TimeLiner license is available, and two or more merged files contain TimeLiner data, limited merging
can be done with this data. Three scenarios are handled:

• If the two TimeLiner data sets are identical, then merging of files can occur without issue.

• If the two TimeLiner data sets are completely unrelated, merging of data in this context will not be
successful.

• If the two TimeLiner data sets contain the same Primary link, then the data set with the most recent
link (i.e. the newest file date) is chosen over the other. If the Primary links are different, then the data
set with the highest number of tasks will be used, and links will be re-attached wherever possible.

For more information on TimeLiner, see the Using TimeLiner section.

9.8. Saving Files

When you have finished reviewing a model or a set of models and are exiting NavisWorks, you are
prompted to save. When saving to a NavisWorks .nwf file, only a list with pointers to the files currently
loaded is saved, along with the scene's environment, the current view, clash results (if available) and
viewpoints. If you want to take a snapshot of the scene, including all geometry, then you need to publish
an .nwd file. See Section 9.10, “ Publishing Files ” for information on how to do this.

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 File Management

Saving a file:

1. On the File menu, click Save

or

Click Save on the Standard toolbar.

2. Enter a name and location for the file, if you wish to change the existing name.

3. Click Save to save the file or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without saving.

9.9. Saving and Renaming Files

This is exactly the same as the Save option (see Section 9.8, “ Saving Files ”, but it gives you the
opportunity to rename the file that you are saving.

Saving a file with a new name:

1. On the File menu, click Save As.

2. Enter a new name and location to store the file.

3. Click Save to save the file or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without saving.

9.10. Publishing Files

Publishing a NavisWorks .nwd file takes a snapshot of the current scene that cannot then be changed
(i.e. files cannot be deleted from a published .nwd file). The file can also be used with the NavisWorks
Freedom™ free viewer. This command is only available if you have the NavisWorks Publisher option.

See Section 11.1, “ Publishing from NavisWorks ” for more information.

9.11. Printing
You can print a hard copy of the current viewpoint to any printer or plotter.

9.11.1. Printing the Current Viewpoint

When the print option is selected, it prints the current viewpoint scaled to fit and centered on the page.

Note
If you would prefer to export an image for printing, see Section 9.15.2, “ Exporting an image ” for

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 File Management

more information.

Printing the current viewpoint:

1. On the File menu, click Print

or

Click Print on the Standard toolbar.

2. Check the printer settings are as required, and click OK to print the viewpoint or Cancel to return to
NavisWorks without printing anything.

Note
The maximum image size is 2048x2048 pixels.

The Properties button controls printer-specific ink and paper settings.

9.11.2. Previewing Printouts

Before you print out a copy of the model you are working on, you may wish to see how it will appear.

Previewing a model before printing:

1. On the File menu, click Print Preview.

2. Use Zoom In and Zoom Out to do just that with the preview image.

3. Click Print, OK to confirm and print the image, or click Close to return to NavisWorks.

9.11.3. Setting up printouts

This option enables the setting up of paper size and orientation options.

Changing the print setup:

1. On the File menu, click Print Setup.

The Print Setup dialog box is displayed.

2. Make changes as required to the paper, orientation, and click the Properties button to change
printer-specific settings.

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 File Management

3. Click OK to print the image, or click Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

9.12. Deleting Files

This option deletes the selected files from the scene. It is only available when more than one file is
appended in the scene.

Note
You cannot delete files from within a "published" NavisWorks .nwd file (see Section 9.10, “
Publishing Files ”. You can only delete appended files, whether they were appended manually, or
within an .nwf file.

To delete a file:

• On the File menu, click Delete.

Note
It is not possible to undo this command.

9.13. Emailing Files

NavisWorks is a communication tool, and the Send option makes it easy for you to send your current
model along with its viewpoints. The Send option uses your current email exchange service and will
prompt you to set one up if it cannot find one.

Sending an email will first save the current working file, so you are guaranteed to always send the latest
review.

To send a file by email from within NavisWorks:

• On the File menu, click Send

or

• Click Send on the Standard toolbar.

This accesses your email package, and sends the current file as an email attachment.

Receiving 3D Mail
If an .nwf file is received, NavisWorks will search for the appended files first using the absolute path that
the sender originally saved the file with. This is useful if a team is on a local network and the files can be
found using the Universal Naming Convention (UNC). Otherwise, a team not sharing a server can
organize a project using the same file hierarchy and drive letter and NavisWorks can find the files this

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way.

If NavisWorks is unable to find the files, then the recipient can save the attached .nwf in a directory where
all the appended files are located. The .nwf can then look for these files relative to its own location.

This way, you are able to move a whole sub-directory from your projects directory to a completely new
location. Save the .nwf file in this new place and it will be able to search for the files from here.

9.14. Importing Files

The import option inputs Intergraph PDS review data, including:

• PDS Tags (.tag)

• PDS Display Sets (.dst)

It is also possible to import data that has been exported from previous NavisWorks sessions, including:

• Viewpoints XML (.xml)

• Search XML (.xml)

• Search Set XML (.xml)

• Clash Test XML (.xml)

See Section 9.15, “ Exporting Files ” for more information on exporting data from NavisWorks.

Note
Clash test .xml files can only be imported if you have a valid license for the Clash Detective tool.
See the Clash Detective user guide for more information on importing clash test criteria.

9.14.1. Importing PDS Tags

Tag information from Intergraph PDS contains a unique ID, saved viewpoint and corresponding
comments. Tag information created in NavisWorks may also be exported to be used in Intergraph PDS.
See Section 9.15, “ Exporting Files ” for more information.

Importing PDS tag files:

1. On the File menu, click Import > PDS Tags.

The Import dialog box is displayed.

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2. Locate and Open the .tag file to import the PDS tag data, or click Cancel to return to NavisWorks
without importing a file.

9.14.2. Importing PDS Display Sets

Display sets from Intergraph PDS contain detailed criteria, defining item selections. When imported into
NavisWorks, .dst files create search sets in the Selection Sets control bar. See Section 13.3, “ Selection
and Search Sets ” for more information on search sets.

Importing PDS display sets to create search sets:

1. On the File menu, click Import > PDS Display Sets.

The Import dialog box is displayed.

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2. Locate and Open the .dst file to import the PDS display sets, or click Cancel to return to NavisWorks
without importing a file.

9.14.3. Importing Viewpoints XML

Viewpoints can be imported into NavisWorks via an .xml file, enabling you to bring viewpoints into the
current scene from another model file. For example, if you are working on different versions of the same
model, you can save viewpoints in one version of the file, export them and then import them into the other
version. See Section 17.1, “ Saving Viewpoints ” for more information on saving viewpoints and
Section 9.15.6, “ Exporting Viewpoints ” for more information on exporting viewpoints to an .xml file.

Importing viewpoints and associated data:

1. On the File menu, click Import > Viewpoints XML.

The Import dialog box is displayed.

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2. Locate and Open the viewpoints .xml file to import the viewpoints, or click Cancel to return to
NavisWorks without importing a file.

9.14.4. Importing Search XML

Search criteria can be imported into NavisWorks which populates the Find Items control bar. The search
can then be run on the current model, finding any items that match the specific criteria. See Section 14.2,
“ Finding Items ” for more information on searching the model for items based on their properties.

Importing search criteria into the Find Items control bar:

1. On the File menu, click Import > Search XML.

The Import dialog box is displayed.

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2. Locate and Open the search .xml file to import the search criteria into the Find Items control bar, or
click Cancel to return to NavisWorks without importing a file.

9.14.5. Importing Search Sets XML

Search sets can be imported into NavisWorks which populates the Selection Sets control bar with
pre-defined search sets. Selecting an imported search set will define the current Find Items criteria and
search the current model accordingly. See Section 14.2, “ Finding Items ” for more information on
searching the model for items based on their properties.

Importing search sets into the Selection Sets control bar:

1. On the File menu, click Import > Search Sets XML.

The Import dialog box is displayed:

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2. Locate and Open the search sets .xml file to import the search sets into the Selection Sets control
bar, or click Cancel to return to NavisWorks without importing a file.

9.15. Exporting Files

The export option outputs the current viewpoint in one of four ways:

• Piranesi EPix format (.epx)

• Windows Bitmap format (.bmp)

• Portable Network Graphics format (.png)

• JPEG format (.jpg)

• Rendered image formats (various)

Note
Rendered image files can only be exported if you have a valid license for the Presenter tool. See
the Presenter user guide for more information on exporting rendered images.

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It is also possible to export an animation, or a TimeLiner sequence to:

• Windows AVI (.avi)

Or, as a sequence of individual frames, to:

• JPEG format (.jpg)

• Portable Network Graphics format (.png)

• Windows Bitmap (.bmp)

Note
TimeLiner sequences can only be exported if you have a valid license for the TimeLiner tool. See
the TimeLiner user guide for more information on exporting TimeLiner sequences.

The export option additionally outputs a variety of review data, including:

• PDS Tags (.tag)

• Viewpoints XML (.xml)

• Current Search XML (.xml)

• Search Sets XML (.xml)

• Clash Test XML (.xml)

• Viewpoint Report HTML (.html)

Note
Clash test .xml files can only be exported if you have a valid license for the Clash Detective tool.
See the Clash Detective user guide for more information on exporting clash test criteria.

The export option outputs a number of additional review file types:

• Autodesk DWF (.dwf)

• Google Earth KML (.kml)

9.15.1. Exporting to a Piranesi EPix format

Exporting an .epx file for rendering in Informatix’s Piranesi:

1. On the File menu, click Export > Piranesi EPix.

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2. Click the Browse button to locate a destination and enter a new filename to export, if you wish to
change from the existing filename and location.

3. Select the sizing options for the file to be exported. (See Section 9.15.4, “ Controlling the size of an
image ” for more details).

4. Click Save to export the file, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

9.15.2. Exporting an image

Exporting to a Bitmap, PNG or JPEG

1. Display the view you want to export in the main navigation window, and click Export > Image on the
File menu.

The Image Export dialog box is displayed.

2. Select the format of the image you wish to export:

• Windows Bitmap

• Portable Network Graphics (PNG)

Select Interlacing and Compression options from the PNG Options dialog box:

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• JPEG

Select Compression and Smoothing options from the JPEG Options dialog box:

3. Select the sizing options for the file to be exported. (See Section 9.15.4, “ Controlling the size of an
image ” for more details).

4. Click OK to continue, or click Cancel to return to NavisWorks without exporting an image.

5. Enter a new name and location to store the file.

6. Click Save to export the file, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

9.15.3. Exporting an animation

Exporting an animation to an .avi file, or a sequence of image files:

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1. With an animation selected, on the File menu, click Export > Animation

The Animation Export dialog box will be displayed.

2. Select the Source from which you wish to export the animation.

Note
This can either be the NavisWorks default, Current Animation (the currently selected animation),
or, provided that you have a valid license for the TimeLiner tool, a TimeLiner Simulation.

3. Select the Renderer with which you wish to render the exported animation.

Note
This can either be the NavisWorks default, OpenGL, or, provided that you have a valid license for
the Presenter tool, Presenter.

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4. Select the Format in which you wish the output to be exported in:

• Windows AVI

Click Options... to select the Video Compression you require.

Note
Clicking Compression will open a standard Windows™ dialog box that allows you to choose
which codec to use, as well as its configuration. Only those codecs currently installed will be
shown and the PC that the .avi file will be run on will also need the same codec installed.

• JPEG (sequence of static images, taken from individual frames)

Click Options... to set the Compression and Smoothing levels you require.

• PNG (sequence of static images, taken from individual frames)

Click Options... to set the Interlacing and Compression levels you require.

• Windows Bitmap (sequence of static images, taken from individual frames)

5. Select the sizing options for the file to be exported. See Section 9.15.4, “ Controlling the size of an
image ” for more details.

For animations, you should also enter the number of frames per second (FPS) you require.

6. Click OK to continue, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

7. Enter a new name and location to store the file(s).

Note
For image sequences, the name will contain the first integer of a 'counter', e.g. 001. Subsequent
frames will be automatically incremented by one, e.g. 002, 003, 004 and so on.

8. Click Save to export the file(s), or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

9.15.4. Controlling the size of an image

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The size of the exported image/animation can be set in various ways:

Explicit allows you full control of the width and height (the dimensions are in pixels).

Aspect Ratio allows you to set the height, and the width is automatically calculated from the aspect ratio
of your current view.

Current View takes the width and height of your current view.

Anti-Aliasing smoothes the edges of the exported images. The higher the number, the smoother the
image, but the longer they take to export. 4x should be adequate for most situations.

Note
There is a maximum size of 2048 x 2048 pixels, for NavisWorks OpenGL output.

9.15.5. Exporting PDS Tags

Exporting PDS tags

1. On the File menu, click Export > PDS Tags.

2. Enter a new filename and location, if you wish to change from those suggested.

3. Click Save to export the .tag file, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

9.15.6. Exporting Viewpoints

Viewpoints can be exported from NavisWorks to an .xml file. These viewpoints contain all associated
data, including camera positions, sections, hidden items and material overrides, redlines, comments, tags
and collision detection settings.

Once the viewpoint data is exported to this text-based file format, it can either be imported into other
NavisWorks sessions, or it can be accessed and used in other applications. For example, you may want
to set up the same viewpoints in your CAD application.

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Exporting viewpoints:

1. On the File menu, click Export > Viewpoints XML.

2. Enter a new filename and location, if you wish to change from those suggested.

3. Click Save to export the .xml file, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

9.15.7. Exporting Current Search

The search criteria specified in the Find Items dialog box can be exported to an .xml file. This can then be
imported into other NavisWorks sessions. For example, if you have specified a complicated search
criteria, containing various logic statements, that relates to all projects you work on, then this feature
allows you to specify it once and use it on all projects.

Exporting current search:

1. From the File menu, choose Export > Current Search XML.

2. Enter a new filename and location, if you wish to change from those suggested.

3. Click Save to export the .xml file, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

9.15.8. Exporting Search Sets

Saved search sets can be exported from NavisWorks as an .xml file. These can then be imported into
other NavisWorks sessions and re-used. For example, if you have a number of generic searches that you
perform on all of your projects, this feature allows you to specify the searches once and use them on all
projects.

Exporting search sets:

1. On the File menu, click Export > Search Sets XML.

2. Enter a new filename and location, if you wish to change from those suggested.

3. Click Save to export the .xml file, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

9.15.9. Exporting Viewpoints Report

An .html file can be exported containing a JPEG of all of the saved viewpoints and associated data,
including camera position and comments.

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Note
To customize the appearance or layout of the html file, you will need to edit the
viewpoints_report_lang.xsl file, where lang is a code representing your language. The installed
file is located in the stylesheets subdirectory of the NavisWorks install directory. You can copy
the edited file to the stylesheets subdirectory of any of the NavisWorks search directories.
See Section 22.5, “ Search Directories ” for more information.

Exporting viewpoints report:

1. On the File menu, click Export > Viewpoints Report HTML.

2. Enter a new filename and location, if you wish to change from those suggested.

3. Click Save to export the report, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

9.15.10. Exporting to Autodesk DWF

Autodesk DWF files can be exported from NavisWorks if a valid Publisher license is available. The
exporter creates a .dwf file containing:

• All geometry

• All materials

• Per-vertex colors

• Properties (where available)

Exporting a DWF file:

1. On the File menu, click Export > Autodesk DWF.

2. Enter a new filename and location, if you wish to change from those suggested.

3. Click Save to export the file, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

9.15.11. Exporting to Google Earth KML

Google Earth KML files can be exported from NavisWorks. The exporter creates a compressed KML file
with the extension .KMZ and supports the export of:

• Triangles

• Lines

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• Materials (colour and flat transparency only)

• Viewpoints (adjustments may occur due to Google Earth limitations)

• Model Hierarchy

• Hyperlinks (currently only URLs work correctly in Google Earth)

Exporting to Google Earth KML files:

1. On the File menu, click Export > Google Earth KML.... This brings up the following dialog box.

2. Select Export model relative to terrain height to put Google Earth in a mode where all heights are
measured from the surface of the ground. When this is off all heights are measured from sea-level.

Note

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When positioning a model relative to sea level, the height of the Google Earth reference points
must also be measured relative to sea level. When positioning a model relative to the ground, the
Google Earth reference points must be measured relative to the ground.

Google Earth always places new placemarks at an altitude of zero, irrespective of whether that is
relative or absolute.

3. Collapse on export allows different levels of collapsing parts of the model hierarchy in the exported
file.

• None ensures the whole heirarchy is exported

• All objects collapses everything into one node

• Files collapses each file into one node

• Layers collapses each layer into one node

4. Limit number of Polygons should be enabled to restrict the amount of geometry exported into the
output file. Geometry is selected on the basis of taking the most obvious objects in preference to the
fine detail. If the exported file is too large for Google Earth to display, try enabling this and reducing
the number of polygons. View, Scene Statistics in NavisWorks shows the number of triangles
and/or lines in the current project. By setting a polygon limit you are choosing to export only some of
these items.

Note
Google Earth's ability to handle large numbers of polygons is far more limited than NavisWorks.
Hence it is worth noting that currently Google Earth will consider 1,000,000 polygons as being a
big model.

5. The Origin position values are the first pair of reference points on the Google Earth surface, and
must always be defined. The NavisWorks reference point will always be positioned to exactly overlay
the Google Earth reference point.

Second and Third reference points can be used, and if enabled then the position and orientation of
the model can be more accurately defined.

6. Use the Import buttons to read-in saved placemark locations from KML files exported from Google
Earth.

The Origin Import button differs slightly from the other two; if the KML file contains multiple
placemarks, this button will offer the user the choice of importing second and third reference points if
available. The other two buttons will only import a single reference point.

7. The Pick buttons allow the reference point locations to be selected in the main 3D view.

These points must be visible in the main 3D view prior to exporting, as once the KML Options dialog
box is open you will not be able to navigate before picking.

Note
You may wish to use View, Split to split the main 3D view enabling you to have separate views of
each reference point.

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9.16. Quitting NavisWorks

Quitting NavisWorks:

1. On the File menu, click Exit

2. If the model has been changed since opening it, NavisWorks will ask you whether you want to save
any changes. Respond appropriately and NavisWorks will then close.

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Chapter 10. Converting Files
With Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 you can open a wide variety of native CAD file types without
having to have the CAD application on your machine. Files read by NavisWorks include .dwg, .dgn, .dxf
and Inventor. For a full list of CAD files that NavisWorks can open, please refer to the web site
www.autodesk.com/navisworksmanage [http://www.autodesk.com/navisworksmanage]. This site will also
explain which entities are read by NavisWorks and which are ignored, as well as any object property
information that is converted. It is possible to load multiple files of different formats into the same scene in
NavisWorks and set their units and origins appropriately. There are also a number of options to help
optimize native CAD file reading.

In addition to these native CAD files, Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 also reads its own native .nwc
(NavisWorks Cache), .nwf (NavisWorks File review) and .nwd (published NavisWorks Data) file formats.

Some file formats, such as those from Autodesk's Viz and Graphisoft's ArchiCAD cannot be read directly
by NavisWorks but there are exporters available to export to the NavisWorks .nwc file format from these
applications. See Section 10.2, “ File Exporters ” for more details.

10.1. File Readers

As well as the NavisWorks file formats, .nwf, .nwd and .nwc, NavisWorks can open a variety of native
CAD and scanning applications' formats:

• .dwg

• Bentley AutoPLANT .dwg, .mdb

• .dxf

• .dwf

• .3ds

• .dgn

• .man

• .iges

• .step

• Inventor parts & assemblies

• VRML world files (.wrl;.wrz)

• Riegl Scan data (.3dd)

• Faro Scan data (.fls, .flw, .iQscan;.iQmod;.iQwsp)

• Leica Scan data (.pts;.ptx)

• Z+F Scan data (.zfc;.zfs)

• ASCII Laser Scan data (.asc;.txt)

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 Converting Files

• STL Stereolithography data (.stl)

• AVEVA Review (.rvm)

• IFC files (.ifc)

• Sketchup (.skp)

10.1.1. NWF Files

.nwf files can be saved by NavisWorks in order to save a current review of the scene. No geometry is
saved in this format, but a list of appended files, along with their path relative to the .nwf file is saved,
along with any overrides, comments, redlines, viewpoints or other NavisWorks specific information. .nwf
files are useful when the CAD files are still changing throughout the design period, as the latest files are
loaded each time the .nwf file is opened.

10.1.2. NWD Files

.nwd files are files published by NavisWorks Publisher and are snapshots of the model at a certain time.
See Section 11.1, “ Publishing from NavisWorks ” for more information on this.

NWD Options
NavisWorks allows you to enable and disable geometry compression and select whether the precision of
certain options should be reduced when saving (or publishing) .nwd files. Geometry compression results
in less memory being required and therefore smaller .nwd files.

Setting NWD options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Model node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the NWD option.

The NWD page is displayed.

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 Converting Files

3. Clear the Enable check box if you do not require any geometry compression.

4. Select the Coordinates check box if you want to reduce the precision of coordinates.

Enter the value to which you wish coordinates to be precise to in the Precision box. The larger the
value, the less precise coordinates will be and the smaller the .nwd will be.

5. Select the Normals check box to reduce the precision of normals.

6. Select the Colors check box to reduce the precision of colors.

7. Select the Texture Coordinates check box to reduce the precision of texture coordinates.

8. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.3. NWC Files

Cache files (.nwc) are used when reading native CAD files, such as files from AutoCAD or MicroStation.
By default, when Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 opens a native CAD file, it first checks in the same
directory whether there is a NavisWorks cache file present with the same name as the CAD file but with a
.nwc extension. If there is, and this cache file is newer than the native CAD file, then NavisWorks will
open this file instead as it has already been converted to NavisWorks format and therefore will open much
quicker. If, however, there is no cache file present, or the cache file is older than the native CAD file, then
NavisWorks will have to open the CAD file and convert it. At this point, it will by default write a cache file
in the same directory and with the same name as the CAD file, but with the .nwc extension, for speeding
up the opening of this file in future.

See Section 10.2, “ File Exporters ” for more information on why you might want to use the .nwc file
exporters, which CAD applications you can export from and how.

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NWC Options
NavisWorks allows you to enable and disable the reading and writing of cache files.

This describes the default process. The options here enable you to enable and disable the reading and
writing of cache files. For example, you may want to disable reading cache files to ensure that
NavisWorks converts every native CAD file each time it is read, even though this is a slower process.
Also, you may want to disable the writing of cache files in order to save on disk space and clutter, even
though the cache files are generally many times smaller than the original native CAD files.

Setting NWC options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Model node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the NWC option.

The NWC page is displayed.

3. Clear the Read Cache check box if you want to ignore any existing caches when opening a native
CAD file.

4. Clear the Write Cache check box if you do not wish to write a cache file the next time a native CAD
file is loaded.

5. Clear the Enable check box if you do not require any geometry compression when .nwc files are
written.

6. Select the Coordinates check box if you want to reduce the coordinate precision.

Enter the value to which you want coordinates to be precise to in the Precision box. The larger the

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 Converting Files

value, the less precise coordinates will be and the smaller the .nwc will be.

7. Select the Normals check box to reduce the precision of normals.

8. Select the Colors check box to reduce the precision of colors.

9. Select the Texture Coordinates check box to reduce the precision of texture coordinates.

10. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.4. DWG and DXF Files

NavisWorks's .dwg and .dxf file reader uses Autodesk's ObjectDBX™ technology and so is guaranteed to
read all object geometry and information for those third party applications that utilize the ObjectDBX
Framework.

The reader currently supports all surface (shaded) entities (3D faces, rectangular meshes, polyface
meshes, circles, extruded lines and so on), including Proxy Graphics and custom objects such as ACIS
based entities (3D Solid, Region), lines, points and snap points. Complex entities (shapes, dimensions,
text) are not supported. The structure of the drawing is preserved including xrefs, blocks, inserts,
AutoCAD color index, layers, views and active viewpoint. Entities are colored using the AutoCAD Color
Index (ACI), so will match those in an AutoCAD "shaded" view.

There is also an .nwc file exporter for AutoCAD - see Section 10.2.1, “ AutoCAD .nwc Exporter ” for more
details.

Note
The reader supports files from all products based on AutoCAD 2007 and earlier.

Supported Entities

• All 2D and 3D geometry, including arcs, lines, polylines with non-zero thickness, ACIS objects (regions
and solids), polygon and polyface meshes, 3D faces and surfaces.

• Points and snap points.

• Lines, polylines, circles, arcs with zero thickness.

• Named views.

• Layers.

• Colors.

• Blocks, inserts and multiple inserts.

• Groups.

• External references (xrefs).

• Hyperlinks.

• Entity handles.

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• Attributes.

• Textures (requires a valid NavisWorks Presenter license).

• File properties.

Unsupported Entities

• Lights

• Splines

• Multi-lines

• Linetypes

• Dimensions and leaders

• Raster bitmaps

• Text or multi-line text

• Construction lines (xlines and rays)

• Hatching

DWG and DXF File Reader Options

Setting the .dwg and .dxf file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the DWG/DXF/SAT
option.

The DWG/DXF/SAT page is displayed.

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3. Enter the Faceting Factor (the value must be greater than 0). The higher the value, the more
NavisWorks will facet rounded entities and, therefore, the smoother they will appear. See Faceting
Factor for more information.

4. Enter the Max Facet Deviation. This will facet entities to within the specified tolerance. See Max
Facet Deviation for more information.

5. Select the Split by Color check box if you want to be able to select parts of compound entities in
NavisWorks. For example, a window object from Architectural Desktop may be split into a frame and
a pane. If this check box is not selected, then you will only be able to select the window object as a
whole, whereas if you select this check box, you will be able to select the individual pane and frame.
However, the names of the pane and frame will be based on their color.

6. From the Default Decimal Units drop-down list, choose the type of units that NavisWorks will use
when opening .dwg and .dxf files that were created with decimal drawing units. Note that .dwg and
.dxf files do not specify the units they were created in. If the units turn out to be wrong, they can be
easily changed using the File Units and Transform option (see Section 15.10, “ Setting a File's
Units and Transform ” for more details).

7. Select the Merge 3D Faces check box if you want to reduce the complexity of the model as seen in
the selection tree by interpreting adjoining faces with the same color, layer and parent as a single
item. To keep the entities as separate items in NavisWorks, clear the check box.

8. Select the Merge Lines check box if you want to reduce the complexity of the model as seen in the
selection tree by interpreting joining lines with the same color, layer and parent as a single item. To
keep the entities as separate items in NavisWorks, clear the check box.

9. Select the Convert Off check box if you want to read layers that are switched off in .dwg and .dxf
files. They will be converted but hidden in NavisWorks.

10. Select the Convert Frozen check box if you want to read layers that are frozen in .dwg and .dxf files.

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 Converting Files

They will be converted but hidden in NavisWorks.

11. Select the Convert Entity Handles check box if you want to read entity handles as a property
attached to the item in NavisWorks.

12. Select the Convert Groups check box if you want to retain the groups from .dwg and .dxf files,
adding another selection level to the selection tree. See Chapter 13, Selecting Items for more
information on selecting objects and the selection tree.

13. Select the Convert XRefs check box if you want to convert any external reference files contained
within the .dwg file. Clear this check box to get more control over which files you append into
NavisWorks.

14. Select the Merge XRef Layers check box if you wish to merge the layers of external reference files
into those of the main .dwg file. Leaving this unchecked will keep the external reference file separate
within the selection hierarchy of NavisWorks.

15. Select the Convert Views check box if you want to convert the named views from the file into
NavisWorks viewpoints.

16. Select the Convert Points check box if you want to read any points from .dwg and .dxf files. See
Section 16.5, “ Display Options ” for more information on how to display these in NavisWorks.

17. Select the Convert Lines check box if you want to read any lines and arcs from .dwg and .dxf files.
See Section 16.5, “ Display Options ” for more information on how to display these in NavisWorks.

18. Select the Convert Snap Points check box if you want to read any snap points from .dwg and .dxf
files. See Section 16.5, “ Display Options ” for more information on how to display these in
NavisWorks.

19. The Loader for 2004 dwg drop-down list allows selection of which version of ObjectDBX is used
when loading AutoCAD 2004 .dwg files. This allows you to select support for the correct version of
object enablers that may be used within the file. Please note that once any particular version of
ObjectDBX is loaded, which occurs during reading of a .dwg or .dxf file, that the version in use will
not change until NavisWorks is restarted.

20. The Loader for 2007 dwg drop-down list allows selection of which version of ObjectDBX is used
when loading AutoCAD 2007 .dwg files. This allows you to select support for the correct version of
object enablers that may be used within the file. Please note that once any particular version of
ObjectDBX is loaded, which occurs during reading of a .dwg or .dxf file, that the version in use will
not change until NavisWorks is restarted.

21. Select the Load Material Definitions check box if you want to load material definitions into
NavisWorks from Autodesk Architectural Desktop .dwg files.

22. Select the Use ADT Standard Configuration check box to force reading of Autodesk Architectural
Desktop .dwg files using the Standard display configuration. If unchecked, geometry and materials
will be read in according to whether they are displayed in the currently saved display configuration.

23. Select the Convert Hidden ADT Spaces check box to perform conversion of space objects that lack
any visible 3D geometry in ADT (for example if they lack floor or ceiling thicknesses). This will result
in corresponding hidden objects appearing in NavisWorks. The normal behavior for space objects
that have visible 3D geometry in ADT is unaffected.

24. The Material Search Paths edit box may contain file paths in a semi-colon separated list that will be
searched for texture files used in Autodesk Architectural Desktop materials. Default Autodesk paths
are automatically searched and need not be entered.

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Note
For Autodesk Architectural Desktop materials to be read into NavisWorks, a valid Presenter
license is required.

25. The Render Type drop-down list enables you to specify the render style used for objects when
loading .dwg files.

Selecting the Automatic option means NavisWorks will use the render style saved in the .dwg file. If
geometry does not appear correctly, adjust the render style by selecting the Rendered, Shaded, or
Wireframe option from the drop-down list, as appropriate

26. Clicking the Advanced button will open a dialog which giving you the option to read object
information from various third party applications that are built on AutoCAD.

Check those applications you wish to read information from.

27. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.5. DWF Files

Autodesk's DWF (Design Web Format) was specifically developed by Autodesk as a file format for
architects, engineers, and GIS professionals to share design data. The NavisWorks file reader reads all
3D geometry, as well as textures and properties. A full list is given below.

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Supported Entities

• All 3D geometry

• Texture maps (Requires a valid NavisWorks Presenter license)

• Texture coordinates

• Colors (per-vertex, per-face)

• Property fields

• Categories

Unsupported Entities

• 2D lines/plot sections

• Thumbnails

• Marked-up sketches

• More than one 3D section per file (any others are ignored)

• NURBS Surfaces

• Cameras

DWF File Reader Options

Setting the .dwf file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the DWF option.

The DWF page is displayed.

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3. Enter the Faceting Factor (the value must be greater than 0). The higher the value, the more
NavisWorks will facet rounded entities and therefore the smoother they will appear. See Faceting
Factor for more information.

4. Enter the Max Facet Deviation. This will facet entities to within the specified tolerance. See Max
Facet Deviation for more information.

5. Select the Extract textures check box to load in textures and environment maps associated with the
file. Environment maps will not automatically be set in the scene, and will need to be manually set up
in Presenter.

Note
For DWF texture maps to be read into NavisWorks, a valid Presenter license is required.

6. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.6. Bentley AutoPLANT Files

Bentley AutoPLANT is based on AutoCAD and as such uses the .dwg file format to store model
geometry. Any settings related to the .dwg file format also affect files from AutoPLANT.

AutoPLANT Object Properties can be stored in external database .mdb files, and NavisWorks supports
these files through the DataTools functionality. By default NavisWorks and DataTools are both set up to
support AutoPLANT .dwg and .mdb files, and will be looking for Equipment, Nozzle and Piping Data.

Setting DataTools:

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1. On the Tools menu, click File Options.

2. In the File Options dialog box, click the DataTools tab.

The settings for these three sets of data can be edited by selecting the appropriate item in the list
and clicking on the Edit button. See Chapter 25, DataTools for more information.

For AutoPLANT properties to be loaded correctly an .mdb file must be located in the same directory
as the .dwg file, with the same filename followed by the .mdb extension. If this file exists, NavisWorks
will automatically pick it up and use it to show appropriate properties in the Properties window.

Note

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NavisWorks does not currently support per-project properties.

10.1.7. 3DS Files

3DS is a common file format that is supported by many CAD applications. The NavisWorks file reader
reads all 2D and 3D geometry as well as texture maps. The hierarchy defined by the keyframe data from
keyframe 0 is preserved, including instancing. Entities are positioned based on keyframe 0.

Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 does not read .max files, but instead has exporters for Viz and Max.
Entity support is the same as for the 3ds reader. See Section 10.2.4, “ Viz and Max .nwc Exporter ” for
more information.

Textures from .3DS files come through into NavisWorks Presenter, though you should bear in mind that
.3DS files contain file names in the 8.3 DOS format only and that various formats are not yet supported in
Presenter (see below).

Supported Entities

• All 2D and 3D geometry

• Cameras

• Groups

• Texture maps in the formats: 8-bit color-mapped, 16-bit and 24-bit true color, uncompressed or Run
Length Encoded .tga, .bmp, .jpg, .lwi (LightWork Image). (Requires a valid NavisWorks Presenter
license).

• Colors (from material color, not wireframe color - ambient, diffuse, shininess, transparency and self
illumination)

Unsupported Entities

• Keyframes (objects are currently taken from keyframe 0)

• Texture maps in the formats: gray-scale .tga, .tif, .gif, .png.

• Other maps (e.g. opacity maps, reflections etc.)

• Wireframe meshes

• Lines, splines

• Points

• Background images

3DS File Reader Options

Setting the .3ds file reader options:

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1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the 3DS option.

The 3DS page is displayed.

3. Select the Convert Hidden check box if you want to read hidden entities from the .3ds file. They will
be converted but hidden in NavisWorks.

4. The paths of texture map files are not stored with the texture maps in the model so enter a
semi-colon separated list of paths in Bitmap File Search Paths that the reader will search in when it
finds texture maps in the model.

Note
For 3DS texture maps to be read into NavisWorks, a valid Presenter license is required.

5. From the Default Units drop-down list, choose the type of units that NavisWorks will use when
opening .3ds files. If the units turn out to be wrong, the model can be easily rescaled using the File
Transform option (see Section 15.10, “ Setting a File's Units and Transform ” for more details).

6. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.8. DGN and PRP Files

NavisWorks can read 3D .dgn and .prp files from Bentley's MicroStation, but does not support .cel files or
2D .dgn files. Reference files and instances of cells are respected and the selection tree reflects this file
structure.

There is also an .nwc file exporter for MicroStation - see Section 10.2.3, “ MicroStation .nwc Exporter ” for

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more details.

Note
The reader supports files from MicroStation 95, SE and /J. It does not support MicroStation
Modeller and any versions of MicroStation before 95.

The DGN reader additionally does not support auxiliary coordinate systems.

Supported Entities

• All 2D and 3D geometry including shapes, complex shapes, meshes, cones, surfaces, B-spline
boundaries, solids, SmartSolids and Feature Solids, lines, arcs and ellipses.

• Splines and B-spline curves.

• Lights.

• Levels.

• Cells and shared cells and their instancing.

• Colors and ambient, diffuse and shininess properties of materials from .pal and .mat palette and
material files.

• Texture maps (requires a valid NavisWorks Presenter license).

• Reference files including aliases.

• Text will be converted into hyperlink tags (see Section 20.4, “ Hyperlinks ” for details on hyperlinks).

• Family, Part and Texture information from TriForma, and PDS object information from .drv files.

• DMRS and database linkage and association ID's.

Unsupported Entities

• Raster bitmaps.

• Dimensions and leaders.

DGN File Reader Options

Setting the .dgn file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the DGN option.

The DGN page is displayed.

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3. Enter the Faceting Factor (the value must be greater than 0). The higher the value, the more
NavisWorks will facet rounded entities and therefore the smoother they will appear. See Faceting
Factor for more information.

4. Enter the Max Facet Deviation. This will facet entities to within the specified tolerance. See Max
Facet Deviation for more information.

5. Select the Convert Hidden Items check box if you want to read hidden entities from the .dgn file.
They will be converted but hidden in NavisWorks.

6. Select the Show Hidden Items check box if you want to show all entities in the .dgn file whether they
are set as hidden or not. This option will only work if Convert Hidden Items is also selected.

7. Select the Convert Lines and Arcs check box if you want to read lines, splines, curves, arcs, circles
or ellipses from the .dgn file.

8. Select the Merge Lines and Arcs check box if you want to reduce the complexity of the model as
seen in the selection tree by interpreting adjoining lines etc. with the same color, level and parent as
a single item. Clear this check box if you want to leave these elements as separate items in
NavisWorks.

9. Select the Convert Text check box if you want to read text from the .dgn file. Text will be converted
into smart tags in NavisWorks.

10. Enter the Shape Merge Threshold into the box. See Shape Merge Threshold for more information
on Shape Merge Threshold.

11. Select the Convert References check box if you want to read reference files from the .dgn file.

12. Select the Ignore Unres. References check box if you want to ignore unresolved reference files
from the .dgn file. If this check box is cleared, then you will be presented with a dialog to find any
unresolved reference files at a run time.

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13. Select the Use Level Symbology check box if you want to use the level symbology from
MicroStation so that items in NavisWorks take their color from level rather than the default element
color in MicroStation.

14. MicroStation has the concept of a “global origin”, which is where (0, 0, 0) is located (assuming there
are no active ACSs). Changing this global origin in MicroStation doesn't actually move anything; it
simply changes the reporting of coordinates. However, when attaching references in MicroStation,
you can tell it to align global origins.

Select the Align Global Origins check box if you want to use this functionality when loading DGN
files into NavisWorks. When two DGN files are appended together with this check box selected, their
global origins will be in the same place.

15. Select the Use Materials check box if you want to use MicroStation's materials in place of its colors
in NavisWorks. If you choose not to export materials, NavisWorks will assign the same colors as in
the MicroStation scene. Assigning materials will assign the same textures, diffuse, ambient and
specular colors to the elements as in the MicroStation scene.

Note
For MicroStation materials to be read into NavisWorks, a valid Presenter license is required.

16. Enter a semi-colon separated list of paths in Material Search Paths that the reader will search in for
MicroStation palette (.pal) and material (.mat) files in order to convert its materials.

17. Select the Convert PDS Data check box if you want to read object information from Intergraph's
Plant Design System™ while reading the .dgn files. PDS information is read from Intergraph's .drv
files. NavisWorks looks for a .drv file with the same base name as the .dgn file in the same directory.

18. Select the Convert TriCAD Data check box if you want to read object information from Triplan's
TriCAD™ while reading the .dgn files.

19. Select the Convert TriForma Data check box if you want to read object information from Bentley's
TriForma™ while reading the .dgn files.

20. Enter a semi-colon separated list of paths in TriForma Dataset Search Paths that the reader will
search for Triforma data set files. User defined datasets will need their directories adding to this list.

21. Enter a View Number if you want to use a specific view for loading. The loader will use the level
visibility of this view when converting items. If you want to use the first active view, set this value to 0.

22. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.9. MAN Files

NavisWorks can read .man files from Informatix's MicroGDS™ version 6.0 or later. MicroGDS™ projects
are not supported. The workaround is to first export the desired project window as a .man file.

MicroGDS Renderer materials are shown in their flat-shaded colors in NavisWorks Shaded display. In Full
Render or Presenter rendering, the full shaders are used. Only the standard LightWorks shaders are
available - those which are unique to MicroGDS are not available inside NavisWorks - a compromise is
made for shaders which are not available inside NavisWorks.

• height band color shader is treated as plain grey

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• wrapped random color shader is treated as a plain color using the flat-shaded color from MicroGDS

• wrapped stencil transparency is ignored

• undulate, wrapped brick, wrapped grid and wrapped ripple displacement shaders are ignored

• object axis texture space is equivalent to the NavisWorks Box texture space

• auto axis and object xy axis texture spaces are treated as a Box texture space

• grid background is treated as a plain background using the background color - no grid lines will
show

• Foreground and Environment shaders are ignored

• All other shaders, as of MicroGDS 7.2, are correctly imported into NavisWorks.

Note
MicroGDS materials are specified in millimetres, and are converted into metres to make
NavisWorks materials, dividing distance parameters by 1000. Windows with Perspective Views
are read into NavisWorks as View objects.

Windows with Perspective Views are read into NavisWorks as Saved Viewpoints.

Supported Entities

• Clump primitives.

• Line primitives. The color of line primitives is determined by the first phase in which they appear in the
Principal Window. If they are not included in the Principal Window, they will have a color determined
by their style.

• Light styles. Projector lights are treated as a Spot light without the transparent image.

• Material styles, both plain and most LightWorks Renderer materials. Materials using wrapped images
locate their image files using the "Texture Path" specified below.

• Views. Perspective Views are read in as if 3-point Perspective; parallel Views are not read. A Section
Plane in a MicroGDS View is set in the corresponding NavisWorks View.

• Layers. All layers are read, and made visible according to their status in the Principal Window of the
MAN file.

• Instances.

• Object data structure.

Unsupported Entities

• Text primitives.

• Photo primitives.

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MAN File Reader Options

Setting the MAN file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the MAN option.

The MAN page is displayed.

3. Select the box Include line-geometry to include MicroGDS line-primitives into NavisWorks

4. Set Facet circle. Adjust the number of facets used for arcs - enter the number of straight line
segments to facet a whole circle. (This corresponds to the MicroGDS Set Facet preference.)

5. Texture Path. Enter the path to the folder containing images used in MicroGDS Materials. Materials
using image files will use this string as the base for relative paths. (This corresponds to the
MicroGDS Renderer Textures preference.)

6. Select the Define Presenter Materials check box if you wish MicroGDS material-styles to be defined
as NavisWorks Presenter materials.

7. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.10. IGES Files

NavisWorks uses the Open CASCADE libraries to read and tessellate .igs and .iges files up to and
including IGES 5.3.

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Supported Entities

• Groups

• Colors

• Planes

• Parametric spline, ruled, B-spline, offset, bounded, trimmed and plane surfaces and surfaces of
revolution.

• Tabulated cylinders

• Solids and manifold solids

• Shells

• Faces

Unsupported Entities

• Points

• Lines

• Circular or conic arcs

• Compsite, parametric spline, B-spline, or offset curves

• Boundaries

• Attributes

IGES File Reader Options

Setting the IGES file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the IGES option.

The IGES page is displayed.

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3. Enter the Faceting Factor (the value must be greater than 0). The higher the value, the more
NavisWorks will facet rounded entities and therefore the smoother they will appear. See Faceting
Factor for more information.

4. Enter the Max Facet Deviation. This will facet entities to within the specified tolerance. See Max
Facet Deviation for more information.

5. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.11. STEP Files

NavisWorks uses the Open CASCADE libraries to read and tessellate .stp and .step files up to and
including AP214 CC2 and AP203.

Supported Entities

• Assemblies

• Colors

• Planes

• B-spline and rational B-spline, Bezier, conical, cylindrical, offset, rectangular trimmed, linear extrusion,
bounded, manifold, spherical, toroidal, uniform and quasi-uniform, surfaces.

• Shells

• Advanced and facetted boundary representations (BReps)

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Unsupported Entities

• Points

• PCurves, B-spline, rational B-spline, Bezier, trimmed, uniform or quasi-uniform curves.

• Circles or ellipses

• Hyperbola

STEP File Reader Options

Setting the STEP file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the STEP option.

The STEP page is displayed.

3. Enter the Faceting Factor (the value must be greater than 0). The higher the value, the more
NavisWorks will facet rounded entities and therefore the smoother they will appear. See Faceting
Factor for more information.

4. Enter the Max Facet Deviation. This will facet entities to within the specified tolerance. See Max
Facet Deviation for more information.

5. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

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10.1.12. Inventor Files

Autodesk Inventor™ part (.ipt), assembly (.iam) and project (.ipj) files can be read by NavisWorks.
Drawing (.idw) files cannot be read.

Note
The reader supports files from Autodesk Inventor 9™ and earlier. Later versions should also
work, but haven't been tested. Autodesk Inventor 5™ (or higher) or Autodesk Inventor Design
Tracking 5™ (or higher) must be installed. Autodesk Inventor Design Tracking™ can be
downloaded from support.autodesk.com [http://support.autodesk.com].

Supported Entities

• All geometry

• Assembly structure

• Materials (requires a valid NavisWorks Presenter license)

Unsupported Entities

• Material names

Inventor File Reader Options

Setting the Inventor file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Inventor option.

The Inventor page is displayed.

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3. The Active Project text box displays the path of the current Inventor project. To change project,
open the corresponding project file or enter the path to it here.

4. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.13. VRML world files

VRML world files can be read by NavisWorks.

Note
The reader supports files in both VRML1 and VRML2 file formats.

Supported Entities

• All 3D geometry including cuboids, cylinders, cones, spheres, elevation grids, extrusions, face and line
sets, and points.

• All grouping nodes - however some limitations exist on certain types of group node (see below).

Partially Supported Entities

• VRML2 Billboard nodes - children will be loaded but no billboarding will take place.

• VRML2 Collision nodes - children will be loaded but no specification of collision detection occurs.

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• VRML1 WWWAnchor and VRML2 Anchor nodes - children will be loaded but any referenced VRML
world will not be loaded upon clicking objects.

• VRML1 and VRML2 LOD nodes - the most detailed (i.e. first) child will always be loaded.

Unsupported Entities

• All ROUTE definitions.

• All sensor nodes.

• All interpolator nodes.

• Textures specified within the VRML file (VRML2 PixelTexture nodes and the image component of
VRML1 Texture2 nodes).

• VRML2 Script nodes.

• VRML2 MovieTexture nodes.

• VRML2 Fog nodes.

• VRML2 AudioClip and Sound nodes.

• All text-related nodes (VRML1 AsciiText and VRML2 Text nodes, and FontStyle nodes).

VRML File Reader Options

Setting the VRML file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the VRML option.

The VRML page is displayed.

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3. Use the Default Units drop-down list to alter the default units for any loaded VRML world.

4. Select the Override Normals check box if you want to override any provided normals and force
auto-generation within NavisWorks.

5. Select the Override Orientation check box if you want to override any specified orientation of
vertices and force all to be assumed to be counter-clockwise.

6. Select the Override Switch Statements check box if you want to override the standard behavior of
switch statements. Often VRML authors will use switch statements to contain geometry selectable by
scripts. Since Navisworks has no support for scripting, this option will allow some aspect of that
geometry to be exposed, although results are unlikely to be precisely as the author intended.

7. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.14. Riegl Scan Files

Riegl™ scan files can be read by NavisWorks.

Note
The reader supports files from all Riegl™ LMS scanners.

Supported Entities

• Points

• Triangles

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Unsupported Entities

• No other entities are supported.

Riegl Scan File Reader Options

Setting the Riegl Scan file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Riegl option.

The Riegl page is displayed.

3. Select the Use point color values check box if you want to extract color values from the input file.

4. Select the Use point intensity values check box if you want to extract intensity values from the input
file.

5. Select the Triangulate point data check box if you want to extract triangles from the input file. The
file will take much longer to load.

6. Select the Apply scanner transformation check box if you want to display the image in global
coordinates (necessary when the file contains more than one frame) or in local coordinates, relative
to the scanner.

7. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

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10.1.15. Faro Scan Files

Faro™ scan files can be read by NavisWorks. iQmod and iQwsp files are workspace files that contain a
list of one or more associated iQscan files. The iQscan files must be located in a folder called 'Scans',
located in the same directory as the workspace file.

Note
The reader supports files from all Faro™ scanners.

Supported Entities

• Points

Unsupported Entities

• No other entities are supported.

Faro Scan File Reader Options

Setting the Faro Scan file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Faro option.

The Faro page is displayed.

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3. Point colors for Faro files can be set to None where the points come through as white, and
Intensity and Color where the points use the intensity or color values stored in the file.

It should be noted that if Point colors is set to a higher level in the Global Options than are available
in the file, then it will default to the highest available within the file. So for example if the Point colors
are set to color, but only intensities are available in the file, intensities will be shown in the main view.

4. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.16. Leica Scan Files

Leica™ scan files can be read by NavisWorks.

Note
The reader supports files from all Leica™ HDS scanners.

Supported Entities

• Points

Unsupported Entities

• No other entities are supported.

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Leica Scan File Reader Options

Setting the Leica Scan file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Leica option.

The Leica page is displayed.

3. Set the value in the Sample rate box if you want to adjust the frequency of points extracted from the
input file. By increasing the rate, the number of points extracted will be reduced. This will have the
effect of reducing the image resolution, but increasing the speed with which the file is loaded.

4. From the Point colors drop-down list, choose how the points are brought through when opening
Leica files. None brings through the points set to white. Raw Intensities uses the intensities set in
the file. Color uses the color settings in the file. Color-Mapped Intensity transforms point intensity
values to a spectrum of RGB colors. The Gamma Correction Level is used to alter the gamma
correction values whilst using the point intensities set in the file. Gamma values can range between
0.0 and 1.0 are useful to correct weighting of intensity values at the lower end of the intensity range.

5. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.17. Z+F Scan Files

Z+F™ scan files can be read by NavisWorks.

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Note
The reader supports files from all Z+F™ IMAGER scanners.

Supported Entities

• Points

Unsupported Entities

• No other entities are supported.

Z+F Scan File Reader Options

Setting the Z+F Scan file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Z+F option.

The Z+F page is displayed.

3. Set the value in the Sample rate box if you want to adjust the frequency of points extracted from the
input file. By increasing the rate, the number of points extracted will be reduced. This will have the
effect of reducing the image resolution, but increasing the speed with which the file is loaded.

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4. Select the Remove spurious points check box if you want to ignore spurious points in the input file.

5. From the Point intensity drop-down list, choose how the points are brought through when opening
Z+F files. None brings through the points set to white. Raw Intensities uses the intensities set in the
file. Color-Mapped Intensity transforms point intensity values to a spectrum of RGB colors. The
Gamma Correction Level is used to alter the gamma correction values whilst using the point
intensities set in the file. Gamma values can range between 0.0 and 1.0 are useful to correct
weighting of intensity values at the lower end of the intensity range.

6. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.18. ASCII Laser Scan Files

ASCII Laser Scan files can be read by NavisWorks.

Note
Most scanner software allows the user to export the point data in an ASCII text file. Providing that
the data is saved in the correct format, this data can be read by NavisWorks.

Supported formats for ASCII laser scan data are listed below. The data must be separated using
one of the following characters: comma, tab or space. The character used to signify a decimal
must be a point (period).

• X, Y, Z

• X, Y, Z, Intensity

• X, Y, Z, Red, Green, Blue

• X, Y, Z, Intensity, Red, Green, Blue

Intensity values are integers in the range 0-255 (Note: These will not be gamma corrected). Red,
Green and Blue values are also integers in the range 0-255.

Supported Entities

• Points

Unsupported Entities

• No other entities are supported.

ASCII Laser Scan File Reader Options

Setting the ASCII Laser Scan file reader options:

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1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the ASCII Laser option.

The ASCII Laser page is displayed.

3. Set the value in the Sample rate box if you want to adjust the frequency of points extracted from the
input file. By increasing the rate, the number of points extracted will be reduced. This will have the
effect of reducing the image resolution, but increasing the speed with which the file is loaded.

4. Select the Use point intensity values check box if you want to extract intensity values from the input
file.

5. Select the Use point color values check box if you want to extract color values from the input file.

6. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.19. STL Stereolithography files

STL™ stereolithography files can be read by NavisWorks.

Note
The reader only supports binary files. ASCII versions are unsupported.

Supported Entities

• Triangles

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Unsupported Entities

• No other entities are supported.

STL File Reader Options

Setting the STL file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the STL option.

The STL page is displayed.

3. Use the Default Units drop-down list to alter the default units for any loaded STL solid.

4. Select the Override Normals check box if you want to override any provided normals and force
auto-generation within NavisWorks.

5. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.20. AVEVA Review™ RVM and RVS files

The NavisWorks RVM Reader can read both binary and ASCII .rvm files exported from AVEVA's PDMS™
product. Attribute files are supported, output using either the "Dump Attributes" or "Datal" (also called
"OUTPUT") formats, with the file extensions .att, .attrib and .txt. RVS files are also supported.

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Note
The NavisWorks RVM Reader requires a separate RVM Reader license. If this is not present,
the RVM Reader will not be available for use.

Supported Entities

• All geometry

• Attributes stored on groups

• Textures (via RVS file)

• Cameras and camera tracks (via RVS file)

• Clip planes (via RVS file)

• Signs (via RVS file)

• Tags (via RVS file)

• Labels (via RVS file)

• Translucency (via RVS file)

Unsupported Entities

• Attributes stored on primitives

• Lights

• Object Animation

• Smooth Animation

• Groups

• Autotags

RVM File Reader Options

Setting the RVM file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the RVM option.

The RVM page is displayed.

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3. Enter the Faceting Factor (the value must be greater than 0). The higher the value, the more
NavisWorks will facet rounded entities and therefore the smoother they will appear. See Faceting
Factor for more information.

4. Enter the Max Facet Deviation. This will facet entities to within the specified tolerance. See Max
Facet Deviation for more information.

5. Select the Convert attributes check box to attempt to load attribute files.

6. Select the Search all attribute files check box to affect how attribute files are looked for and loaded.

If unchecked, the reader firstly looks for an attribute file with the same name as the RVM file in the
same directory, followed by all attribute files contained within any subdirectory with the same name
as the RVM file. The attribute file extensions searched are listed in the Attribute file extensions
box.

If the Search all attribute files check box is selected, the reader looks for a file using the method
above, but also tries all attribute files in the same directory as the RVM irrespective of filename.

7. Attribute file extensions lists all extensions that will be considered for attribute conversion. This can
be edited and added to where necessary.

Note
Using Dump Attributes may not bring through all attribute data. If more than one database is
used in the project, it is recommended that attributes be exported using the Datal method.

8. Select the Generate texture coordinates check box to create texture coordinates for each point in
the model. This will affect how textures are applied to the geometry.

9. Select the Keep empty groups check box to keep any groups in RVM file that do not contain

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geometry. If unchecked, such groups will be discarded.

Note
RVM files do not contain color information beyond a color number on each scene element. As
these colors are customisable; NavisWorks provides a color definition file to allow easy color
personalisation.

Two examples of this file are located in the RVM subdirectory inside the main NavisWorks install
directory:

colors.txt - these are a set of default Review™ colors (this file is used by NavisWorks).

PDMS_colors.txt - these are a set of the default PDMS™ colors (example file - this is not used
by NavisWorks)

To use a different set of colors, copy the colors.txt file into one of the NavisWorks search
directories, and edit the contents accordingly. The RVM Reader will search these directories on
startup and use the first colors.txt file it finds. See Section 22.5, “ Search Directories ” for more
information

10. Load RVS file should be selected if a corresponding RVS file should be searched for and loaded on
loading the RVM file. To work correctly, the RVS file must have the same name as the associated
RVM file, but with the .rvs extension.

11. RVS transparencies as materials should be selected if it is required to respect transparencies

coming through from the RVS files, treating them as materials within NavisWorks. If this is left
unchecked, RVS transparencies are ignored.

12. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.21. IFC files

The NavisWorks IFC Reader reads in stand-alone .ifc files.

Supported Entities

• Faceted BReps

• Extruded area solids

• Geometric sets

• Face-based and surface-based models

• Simple, trimmed, and composite curves

• Simple surfaces

• Simple parametric, arbitrary and derived profiles

• Boolean clipping results and element-level voiding and projection CSG operations

• Basic styled and mapped items

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• Property sets, including simple and complex properties

Unsupported Entities

• Voided BReps

• Bounded half-space solids

• Complex parametric profiles

• BSpline curves

• Curve styles

• Swept surfaces

• Textures and complex lighting

• Loading of server-based IFC models

IFC File Reader Options

Setting the IFC file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the IFC option.

The IFC page is displayed.

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3. Enter the Faceting Factor (the value must be greater than 0). The higher the value, the more
NavisWorks will facet rounded entities and therefore the smoother they will appear. See Faceting
Factor for more information.

4. Enter the Max Facet Deviation. This will facet entities to within the specified tolerance. See Max
Facet Deviation for more information.

5. Select the Show Spatial Hierarchy check box to have the Selection Tree window show the IFC
model representation as a tree structure rather than a simple list of elements.

6. Select the Convert Bounding Boxes check box to bring through and visualise bounding boxes.

7. Select the Convert Spaces check box to bring through and visualise spaces.

8. Select the Use Property-Based Colors check box to convert and use property-based colors. If it is
found that an ifc file is predominantly black when loaded, clear this box to revert back to using
ifc-standard colors.

9. IFC elements can have multiple visual representations; bounding boxes (simplest), lines, styled lines,
polygons, and styled polygons (most complex). Loading and showing all of these representations can
lead to cluttered visuals and memory overheads. To manage this, Representation Detail can be set
to Highest Only to only load and show the most complex level of detail available whilst ignoring
simpler ones, Show Highest to load all representations, but only show the highest level of detail
available, or Show All to show everything available.

10. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.1.22. Sketchup SKP files

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NavisWorks supports Sketchup through its native SKP file format.

Supported Entities

• Geometry

• Materials (face front material only)

• Transparency

• Groups

• Components

• Layers

• Imported images

• Transparency

Unsupported Entities

• Text

• Dimensions

• Section planes

Sketchup SKP File Reader Options

Setting the SKP file reader options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the File Readers node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the SKP option.

The SKP page is displayed.

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3. Select the Convert Hidden Items check box if you want to read hidden entities from the .skp file.
They will be converted but hidden in NavisWorks.

4. Select the Merge Faces check box if you want to reduce the complexity of the model as seen in the
selection tree by interpreting a body as a single item consisting of a group of faces. Leaving
unchecked leaves the faces as separate items in NavisWorks.

5. Select the Merge Lines check box if you want to reduce the complexity of the model as seen in the
selection tree by interpreting ajoining lines with the same color, layer and parent as a single item.
Leaving unchecked leaves these entities as separate items in NavisWorks.

6. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

10.2. File Exporters

Cache files can in some cases be exported from the CAD application itself. Currently, they can be written
directly from AutoCAD, Revit, MicroStation, ArchiCAD and Viz. There are two reasons you may want to
use cache files in this way:

1. Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 cannot read the native CAD file directly, in the case of
ArchiCAD, Viz and Revit, but you wish to view the files created in these applications.

2. You wish to get a better quality file into NavisWorks. Although the direct file readers are adequate the
majority of the time, the exporters can get a better quality. So if you are missing some items, or some
items are being read wrongly by reading the native CAD files directly, then try exporting to an .nwc
file and reading this into NavisWorks instead.

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There are .nwc file exporters for the following CAD applications:

• Autodesk's AutoCAD

• Autodesk's Revit

• Bentley's MicroStation

• Discreet's Viz and Max

• Graphisoft's ArchiCAD

10.2.1. AutoCAD .nwc Exporter

NavisWorks comes with ARX plugins for any AutoCAD™ based product, such as Architectural
Desktop™, that enable you to export an .nwc file directly from the CAD application in which it was
created. As long as AutoCAD is already installed on the computer when NavisWorks is installed, the ARX
plugin is installed with NavisWorks on a Custom Install or Full Install and ready for use.

Note
If you install AutoCAD after NavisWorks, then install NavisWorks again, choosing the Custom
Install option and choose the relevant version of AutoCAD. The NavisWorks installer will find the
right place for the plugin and set up all relevant registry entries for you.

The .nwc exporter is available for any AutoCAD based product between AutoCAD 14 and 2007
releases.

You can also publish .nwd files directly from AutoCAD™ if you have the Publisher tool. For more details,
refer to Section 11.2, “ Publishing from AutoCAD ”.

Exporting .nwc files from AutoCAD:

1. Type nwcout at the command line.

2. The standard Windows™ Save As dialog box is displayed, so choose the location and name of the
.nwc file to be exported.

3. Click OK to export the file or Cancel to return to AutoCAD without exporting it.

See Section 10.1.4, “ DWG and DXF Files ” for what entities are and are not supported by the AutoCAD
exporter.

If, on typing nwcout at the command line, you get an error, you probably have to load the ARX plugin
manually. You should only have to do this once.

Loading the NavisWorks ARX Plugin

Loading the ARX plugin manually:

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1. Type ARX (followed by return) at the command line.

2. Then type the letter l (followed by return) at the command line, for "Load".

3. The Select ARX file dialog box will be displayed, so browse to the ARX plugin. By default, for
AutoCAD R14, this will be C:\Program Files\Autodesk NavisWorks Manage
2009\NWExport\nwexport.arx, for AutoCAD 2000 based applications, this will be C:\Program
Files\Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009\NWExport2000\nwexport2000.arx, for
AutoCAD 2004 based applications, this will be C:\Program Files\Autodesk NavisWorks
Manage 2009\NWExport2004\nwexport2004.arx, and so on.

4. Click OK to load the ARX plugin.

5. You should now be able to use the nwcout command from AutoCAD to export an .nwc file.

The NavisWorks Partial Menu for AutoCAD

If you prefer to work from menus, there is a partial menu available to run this export command from, along
with the other NavisWorks ARX plugins.

Loading the NWExport partial menu:

1. At the command line, type menuload (followed by return).

2. The Menu Customization dialog box will be displayed, so change the Files of type to Menu
Template (*.mnu) and browse to the partial menu. By default, for AutoCAD R14, this will be
C:\Program Files\Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009\NWExport\LwNw_Export.mnu,
for AutoCAD 2000 based applications, this will be C:\Program Files\Autodesk NavisWorks
Manage 2009\NWExport2000\LwNw_Export.mnu, and for AutoCAD 2004 based applications,
this will be C:\Program Files\Autodesk NavisWorks Manage
2009\NWExport2004\LwNw_Export.mnu, and so on.

3. Click Load and then Yes to the dialog box that appears.

You should now have a NavisWorks menu just before the Help menu and this will be reloaded into future
AutoCAD sessions. This menu contains 4 items:

• Publish .nwd

See Section 11.2, “ Publishing from AutoCAD ” for more details.

• Export .nwc

See Section 10.2.1, “ AutoCAD .nwc Exporter ” for more details.

• NavisWorks Export Options

See Section 10.2.1, “ AutoCAD .nwc Exporter Options ” for more details.

• Navigator

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See Section 10.3.1, “ NavisWorks Navigator for AutoCAD ” for more details.

AutoCAD .nwc Exporter Options

Available from the NavisWorks menu, or by typing nwopt at the command prompt, this enables you to
configure various elements of the exported file to your choosing.

See Section 10.1.4, “ DWG and DXF File Reader Options ” for details on what each of the options does.

Once you have set the options, future exports of .nwc and publishes of .nwd files will use these settings.

10.2.2. Revit .nwc Exporter

Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 cannot read native Revit files directly, however, support for both
Revit Building and Revit Structures can be achieved through exporting a NavisWorks .nwc cache file,
which can then be read into NavisWorks.

Note
Earlier versions of Revit (Building 8 / Structures 2) require the .NET Framework version 1.1 to be
separately installed. If the .Net Framework version 1.1 is not installed an error message will be
displayed when Revit is started. You can download a copy of the .Net Framework version 1.1 by
searching for ".Net Framework version 1.1 redistributable package" in the downloads section of
Microsoft's website [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads].

Exporting .nwc files from Revit:

1. Start Revit and load the project.

2. Set the editing view to normal, and make sure the Modify tool is selected.

3. Select the Tools > External Tools > Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 menu option. If this
option is not available, check firstly that the Modify tool is selected, and secondly that the Revit
license is correct such that the product is not being used in Demo/Viewer mode.

A file selection dialog box is displayed.

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4. Select the location and filename you want to export to.

5. Click on the NavisWorks settings button to change the export configuration.

The Revit Options dialog is displayed

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6. Convert element parameters can be set to None where none of the parameters are read,
Elements where all parameter fields are read from all found elements, or All where all parameters
from all found elements are read, as well as property tabs added for any elements referenced.

7. Select the Convert element Ids check box to export the id numbers on each Revit element.

8. Select the Try and find missing materials check box to search for an appropriate material where
one is expected but not found. This can help to improve the appearance of exported models.

9. Export can be set to Entire scene where all geometry in the project is exported, Current view
where everything that is currently visible is exported, or Selection where only those items that are
currently selected are exported.

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10. Click OK to export the file or Cancel to return to Revit without exporting it.

10.2.3. MicroStation .nwc Exporter

NavisWorks comes with MDL plugins for MicroStation™ 95, SE, /J and v8 that enable you to export .nwc
files directly from the CAD application in which it was created. As long as MicroStation is already installed
on the computer when NavisWorks is installed, the MDL plugin is installed with NavisWorks on a Custom
Install or Full Install and ready for use.

Note
If you install MicroStation after NavisWorks, then install NavisWorks again, choosing the Custom
Install option and choose the relevant version of MicroStation. The NavisWorks installer will find
the right place for the plugin and set up all relevant registry entries for you.

You can also publish .nwd files directly from MicroStation™ if you have the Publisher tool. For more
details, refer to Section 11.3, “ Publishing from MicroStation ”.

There are two steps to exporting .nwc files from MicroStation - first you have to load the MDL plugin into
MicroStation and then you have to export the file.

Loading the NavisWorks MDL Plugin

Loading the NWExport MDL plugin manually:

1. Go to the Utilities > Key-in dialog box to load the application manually.

2. Type "mdl load nwexport6" (without the quotes) and press return.

If you regularly export .nwc files from MicroStation, then you will not want to load the NWExport plugin
manually each time, so do the following:

Loading the NWExport MDL plugin automatically:

1. Go to Workspace > Configuration.

2. Choose Design Applications under Category.

3. Choose NWEXPORT6 under Available Applications.

4. Click Add and confirm that you want NWExport added to your default configuration.

5. MicroStation will then automatically load NWExport in future sessions.

6. Click OK.

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Once NWExport plugin is loaded, you can export to .nwc using the nwcout command from the key-in
command line.

Exporting .nwc files from MicroStation:

1. Type nwcout at the key-in prompt.

The MicroStation export dialog box is displayed.

2. Select the location and filename you want to export to. The exporter will make a guess at a suitable
filename for you.

3. Select the view number you wish to the model to be exported from.

4. Click the Options button if you want to change the export configuration. See Section 10.2.3, “
MicroStation .nwc Exporter Options ” for more information on these options.

5. Click OK to export the file or Cancel to return to MicroStation without exporting it.

Note
MicroStation can also be customized to add NWExport commands to the menu bar using the
Workspace > Customize dialog box.

See Section 10.1.8, “ DGN and PRP Files ” for what entities are and are not supported by the
MicroStation exporter.

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NavisWorks colors are derived from either MicroStation cell colors or MicroStation materials, depending
on the export options set during nwcout. The appearance of objects in Publisher will match the
appearance of a MicroStation shaded render.

The view number chosen for export determines the initial view in NavisWorks, whether level symbology is
used and which levels are hidden.

Note
The exporter only exports from 3D dgn files - 2D files are not supported.

Quickly exporting files

If you want to export the current design file quickly, you can use the batchnwcout key-in. This will not
display the export dialog box, and it will not prompt you to overwrite any existing files. It simply replaces
the design file extension (usually .dgn) with .nwc when exporting.

Exporting from the command line

The MicroStation exporter can also be run from the command line. This is useful when you want to export
lots of files using an automated script.

It uses the msbatch.bat batch file that comes with MicroStation. To export a file from the command line,
you must first ensure that the MicroStation program directory is in your PATH environment variable.

The format of the command line exporter is:

msbatch nwexport6 [-f] FILE [OUTPUT]

FILE is the name of the DGN file you want to export. This is the only required option. If you want, you can
specify the name of the output file with the OUTPUT argument.

The command line exporter will only convert a file if it has changed since the last time you exported it.
This is useful for speeding up exporting of a large number of files. If you want to force the exporter to
re-export a file, use the -f option.

If the exporter encounters any problems, it will produce an error log in a file called nwdout.err.

MicroStation .nwc Exporter Options

Available from the NWExport dialog box, this enables you to configure various elements of the exported
file to your choosing.

See Section 10.1.8, “ DGN File Reader Options ” for details on what each of the options does.

Once you have set the options, future exports of .nwc and publishes of .nwd files will use these settings.

10.2.4. Viz and Max .nwc Exporter

While NavisWorks cannot directly read .max files, there is a plugin for Viz versions 3, 4 and 2005 and
Max versions 5 and 6 that will export the model to an .nwc cache file that can then be read into
NavisWorks. Viz will be outlined here, although the process is exactly the same for Max.

As long as Viz is already installed on the computer when NavisWorks is installed, the plugin is installed
with NavisWorks on a Custom Install or Full Installand ready for use.

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Note
If you install Viz after NavisWorks, then install NavisWorks again, choosing the Custom Install
option and choose the relevant version of Viz. The NavisWorks installer will find the right place for
the plugin and set up all relevant registry entries for you.

See Section 10.1.7, “ 3DS Files ” for information on the supported and unsupported entities for
the Viz exporter.

Exporting .nwc files from Viz and Max:

1. Go to File > Export.

The Export dialog box is displayed.

2. Set the File Type to "NavisWorks File (*.nwc)" and choose the location and name of the .nwc file to
be exported.

3. Click OK to export the file or Cancel to return to Viz without exporting it.

Note
Any textures applied to the Viz model will be saved in a directory with the same name as the
exported file, but with a "_presenter_maps" suffix. All textures will be converted into .bmp files
and saved into this directory for use with NavisWorks.

Textures can only be exported provided that you have a valid NavisWorks Presenter license.

Viz and Max .nwc Exporter Options

You have some control over the items that are exported from Viz to NavisWorks.

Setting the Viz and Max exporter options:

1. Go to the Utilities tab and click the More button.

2. Select NavisWorks from the list and click OK.

3. The NavisWorks command panel containing four buttons will open.

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4. Click the Options Editor button.

The NavisWorks Options dialog box is displayed.

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5. Select the Convert Hidden Items check box if you want to export hidden entities from the Viz scene.
They will be exported but hidden in NavisWorks.

6. Select the Convert User Properties check box if you want to attach any user properties you have
defined in Viz to the converted NavisWorks items.

7. Select the Pre-Render Scene check box if you want to ensure that all texture maps are exported
with the model. In some rare cases, they can be missed, so if you experience this, try checking this
box. It will force Viz to do an internal render and so cache all texture maps.

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10.2.5. ArchiCAD .nwc Exporter

While NavisWorks cannot directly read ArchiCAD files, there is an addon for ArchiCAD v6.5, v7.0, v8.0
and v9.0 that will export the model to an .nwc cache file that can then be read into NavisWorks. The
export add-on for ArchiCAD is available from both the 2D and 3D windows. All standard ArchiCAD
elements and library parts can be exported as long as they have a 3D representation, and any others will
be ignored. The exporter will save both standard materials and custom GDL script materials.

When saving from the 2D window the current story will be exported by default. An option may be set so
that the whole model will be exported. A default view will be determined from the bounding box of the
model.

When saving from the 3D window the view will become the default NavisWorks view (including window
settings such as cutaway planes).

Note
Only visible layers will be exported.

Cutaway plane settings does not set the NavisWorks section plane, but exports items that are
physically reduced by the plane. It is advised to turn off the Enable library part instancing option
since all instances will show the same sectioning as the original item (usually the first library part
in the file), and this may lead to unexpected effects.

Exporting an .nwc file from ArchiCAD:

1. With a model loaded choose File > Save As. An options dialog box will allow you to change settings
before the export process begins.

2. Select "NavisWorks (*.nwc)" as the file type and type in a file name.

3. Click OK to advance to the options dialog box.

4. Click OK in the options dialog box to export the file or click Cancel to return to ArchiCAD without
saving anything.

Supported Entities

• Global Unique Identifiers (GUIDs)

• Custom parameters for library parts defined by GDL scripts

• Storeys.

• Library part instances

• Cameras

• Hotlinks

• Sun attributes

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• Materials (requires a valid NavisWorks Presenter license)

Unsupported entities

• Section planes

• Points

• Lines

• Textures

ArchiCAD .nwc Exporter Options

The export options appear after choosing OK from the File > Save As menu.

Setting the ArchiCAD exporter options:

1. Select the Export GUIDs check box if you want to attach a Globally Unique IDentifier as a property
to each item in the model. This is mainly useful for clash detection to track clashes.

2. Select the Enable library part instancing check box if you want to make instances of library parts
rather than creating new items. This is only possible when multiple library part elements within the
ArchiCAD model have exactly the same properties. Instancing these parts means a smaller .nwc file,
and shorter export times.

3. Library parts defined in GDL scripts may have a number of user-defined custom parameters. Select
the Export library part parameters check box if you want to save library part parameter values as
item properties in NavisWorks.

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4. Select the Export current story only check box if you want to only export the current story.
Otherwise all stories will be exported. This is only applicable to exports from 2D views, as 3D views
will export everything contained within the view.

10.3. CAD Previewing

NavisWorks comes with plugins for AutoCAD 2000 and above and Viz and Max for quick and simple
previewing of the models that are being built in those applications. These previews help in setting up
viewpoints within the CAD application, and also for previewing what the model will look like inside
NavisWorks Freedom™ once published.

10.3.1. NavisWorks Navigator for AutoCAD

NavisWorks comes with an ARX plugin for products based on AutoCAD 2000™ and above that enables
you to walk through your model in real time inside a dockable dialog in the AutoCAD interface. Not only
that, but it enables you to easily import and export viewpoints between Navigator and AutoCAD so that
you can quickly and easily get to where you want in the model.

Note
NavisWorks Navigator is not available for AutoCAD R14 or previous versions.

If you install AutoCAD after NavisWorks, then install NavisWorks again, choosing the Custom
Install option and choose the relevant version of AutoCAD. The NavisWorks installer will find the
right place for the plugin and set up all relevant registry entries for you.

Navigating AutoCAD models in real time:

1. Type nwnavigator at the command line, or go to NavisWorks > Navigator.

The Navigator dockable dialog box is displayed.

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2. Navigator is very similar to NavisWorks Freedom™ (see Section 11.4, “ Freedom ”, except that it has
three extra buttons on the interface.

3. Click on the NavisWorks™ button to update the Navigator window with what's in the AutoCAD

window.

Note
The Navigator window is not updated automatically when the AutoCAD model changes, so you
have to click on this button manually every time you want to navigate around the latest model.

4. Click on the Export Viewpoint button to update the current AutoCAD viewpoint with that in the

Navigator window.

5. Click on the Import Viewpoint button to update the Navigator viewpoint with that in the current

AutoCAD window.

If, on typing nwnavigator at the command line, you get an error, you probably have to load the ARX
plugin manually. See Section 10.2.1, “ Loading the NavisWorks ARX Plugin ” for details on how to do this.
You should only have to do this once.

If you prefer to work from menus, there is a partial menu available to run this command from, along with
the other NavisWorks ARX plugins. See Section 10.2.1, “ The NavisWorks Partial Menu for AutoCAD ” for
more information on how to use this menu.

10.3.2. NavisWorks Preview for Viz and Max

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NavisWorks Preview for Viz and Max gives you a quick preview of the model and allows you to walk
through it in real time inside a NavisWorks Freedom window launched from Viz.

Note
If you install Viz after NavisWorks, then install NavisWorks again, choosing the Custom Install
option and choose the relevant version of Viz. The NavisWorks installer will find the right place for
the plugin and set up all relevant registry entries for you.

Previewing a model from Viz or Max:

1. Go to the Utilities tab and click the More button.

2. Select NavisWorks from the list and click OK.

3. The NavisWorks command panel containing four buttons will open.

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4. The Options Editor button allows you to control some aspects of the exported geometry from the
scene. See Section 10.2.4, “ Viz and Max .nwc Exporter Options ” for more details on these.

5. Click the Preview button to launch NavisWorks Freedom™ and walk through the whole model in real
time. There will be a short delay while the geometry is exported into Freedom.

6. Click the Preview (Selection Only) button to launch NavisWorks Freedom™ and walk through the
selected geometry in real time. There will be a short delay while the geometry is exported into
Freedom.

7. Click the Grab Viewpoint button to set the Viz camera to simulate the viewpoint within the
NavisWorks Freedom™ window.

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Chapter 11. Publishing
NavisWorks supports the creation of highly compressed NWD files, with options to embed object property
information, and secure the files with password protection. The NWD file format can be viewed in the free
NavisWorks viewer, NavisWorks Freedom, or opened in NavisWorks for full design review. You can
publish files directly from NavisWorks or by exporting from AutoCAD™ or MicroStation™.

11.1. Publishing from NavisWorks

NavisWorks Publisher .nwd files are files published by NavisWorks Publisher and are snapshots of the
model at a certain time.

Publishing a NavisWorks .nwd File:

1. On the File menu, click Publish.

The Publish dialog box is displayed

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2. You can enter as much, or as little information as you wish. Title, Subject, Author, Publisher,

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Published For, Copyright, Keywords and Comments are all optional boxes to be completed by
you.

3. Password gives you the opportunity to password protect nwd files. On clicking OK, you will be asked
to re-enter the password to ensure you have not mis-typed it.

4. If the Display at password check box is selected, this will force NavisWorks or NavisWorks
Freedom to display the publication entries in a dialog on asking for the password so that the recipient
is able to know whose password to enter.

5. If the Expires check box is selected, this will "time-bomb" the file so that it will not be openable in
NavisWorks or NavisWorks Freedom™ after the date set.

Note
Evaluation copies of NavisWorks can publish .nwd files, however these files will have a
"time-bomb" set to the same expiry date as the evaluation software. To remove the expiry date
from an .nwd file created by an evaluation copy, you must re-publish the file with a full
NavisWorks Publisher license.

6. If the May be re-saved check box is selected, this will allow NavisWorks to re-publish the file with
new publication information. If this check box is not selected, the publication information in the nwd
file will never be changeable.

7. The check box Display on open, if selected, will force NavisWorks to display the publication entries
in a dialog on opening the file.

8. If the Embed Textures check box is selected, all textures will be embeded in the published file;
separate texture files will no longer be created.

9. The Embed Database Properties check box, if selected, force any properties accessed via an
external database to be embedded in the NWD. No database links will be stored in the file from this
point on.

10. The check box Prevent Object Property Export, if selected, will stop any native CAD package
object properties from being exported into the published file.

11. Click OK to go to the File Save dialog box where you can type in the name and location of the
published file, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

Note
When publishing a scene, any RPCs included in that scene are not published to the
Presenter_maps directory or embedded in the NWD file. The size of the files and the fact that
most are licensed currently prohibits this.

11.2. Publishing from AutoCAD ™

NavisWorks Publisher comes with ARX plugins for any AutoCAD™ based product, such as Architectural
Desktop™, that enable you to publish an .nwd file directly from the CAD application in which it was
created.

Note

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If you install AutoCAD after NavisWorks, then install NavisWorks again, choosing the Custom
Install option and choose the relevant AutoCAD. The NavisWorks installer will find the right place
for the plugin and set up all relevant registry entries for you.

The .nwd publisher is available for any AutoCAD based product between AutoCAD 14 and 2004
releases.

Publishing .nwd files from AutoCAD:

1. Type nwdout at the command line, or go to NavisWorks > Publish .nwd.

2. The standard Windows™ Save As dialog box is displayed, so choose the location and name of the
.nwd file to be published.

3. Click OK to export the file or Cancel to return to AutoCAD without exporting it.

See Section 10.2.1, “ AutoCAD .nwc Exporter ” for more information on publishing options, what to do if
the menu is not already loaded or you get an error on typing nwdout at the command line.

11.3. Publishing from MicroStation ™

NavisWorks Publisher comes with MDL plugins for MicroStation™ SE, 95, /J and v8 that enable you to
publish .nwd files directly from the CAD application in which it was created. As long as MicroStation is
already installed on the computer when NavisWorks is installed, this MDL plugin is installed with
NavisWorks and ready for use.

Note
If you install MicroStation after NavisWorks, then install NavisWorks again, choosing the Custom
Install option and choose the relevant MicroStation. The NavisWorks installer will find the right
place for the plugin and set up all relevant registry entries for you.

There are two steps to publishing .nwd files from MicroStation - first you have to load the MDL application
into MicroStation and then you have to publish the file.

Loading the NWExport MDL plugin manually:

1. Go to the Utilities > Key-in dialog box to load the application manually.

2. Type "mdl load nwexport" (without the quotes) and press return.

3. An options dialog box can be opened from this export dialog box to configure the file output.

If you regularly publish .nwd files from MicroStation, then you will not want to load the NWExport plugin
manually each time, so do the following.

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Loading the NWExport MDL plugin automatically:

1. Go to Workspace > Configuration.

2. Choose Design Applications under Category.

3. Choose NWExport under Available Applications.

4. Click Add and confirm that you want NWExport added to your default configuration.

5. MicroStation will then automatically load NWExport in future sessions.

6. Click OK.

Once NWExport plugin is loaded, you can publish to .nwd using the nwdout command from the key-in
command line.

Publishing .nwd files from MicroStation:

1. Type nwdout at the key-in prompt.

The MicroStation export dialog is displayed.

2. Enter the file name if it is to be different to the existing MicroStation file.

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3. Enter the location you wish the file to be published to.

4. Select the view number you wish to the model to be published from.

5. Click the Options button if you want to change the export configuration. See Section 10.2.3, “
MicroStation .nwc Exporter Options ” for more information on these options.

6. Click OK to publish the file or Cancel to return to MicroStation without publishing it.

Note
MicroStation can also be customized to add NWExport commands to the menu bar using the
Workspace > Customize dialog.

See Section 10.1.8, “ DGN and PRP Files ” for what entities are and are not supported by the
MicroStation exporter.

NavisWorks colors are derived from either MicroStation cell colors or MicroStation materials, depending
on the export options set during nwdout. The appearance of objects in Publisher will match the
appearance of a MicroStation shaded render.

The view number chosen for export determines the initial view in NavisWorks, whether level symbology is
used and which levels are hidden.

Note
The exporter only exports from 3D dgn files - 2D files are not supported.

11.4. Freedom
Freedom™ is a cut-down free version of NavisWorks. It is designed to work with NavisWorks Publisher by
allowing you to distribute published .nwd files to your clients and other non-CAD users for free and easy
viewing of your models. Simply publish the .nwd file, give them Freedom, and let them walk around your
model.

Note
Freedom supports all .nwd files from NavisWorks v3 onwards.

It is available as a stand-alone viewer, or as an ActiveX control for insertion into web pages. Once
installed, Freedom looks like this:

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The available functionality includes all of the navigation modes; the view all, perspective and orthographic
modes; collision detection, gravity, auto crouch and third person modes; display of hyperlinks; and
restoring viewpoints and animation playback.

The buttons on the Freedom interface work in the same way as the NavisWorks buttons:

• Open

Simply opens the standard Windows™ Open dialog box for you to choose an .nwd file to open into
Freedom.

• Walk

Puts Freedom into Walk navigation mode.

• Look Around

Puts Freedom into Look Around navigation mode.

• Zoom

Puts Freedom into Zoom navigation mode.

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• Zoom to Box

Puts Freedom into Zoom to Box navigation mode.

• Pan

Puts Freedom into Pan navigation mode.

• Orbit

Puts Freedom into Orbit navigation mode.

• Examine

Puts Freedom into Examine navigation mode.

• Fly

Puts Freedom into Fly navigation mode.

• Turntable

Puts Freedom into Turntable navigation mode.

• View All

Zooms to extents so that the whole model is visible in the Freedom window.

• Perspective

Puts the Freedom view into perspective viewing mode. This is mutually exclusive with orthographic
mode.

• Orthographic

Puts the Freedom view into orthographic viewing mode. This is mutually exclusive with perspective
mode.

• Collision Detection

Toggles collision detection on/off.

• Gravity

Toggles gravity on/off.

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• Auto Crouch

Toggles automatic crouching on/off.

• Third Person

Toggles the third person view on/off.

• Hyperlinks

Toggles the display of hyperlinks on/off.

• Stop

Stops the current animation playback.

• Pause

Pauses the current animation playback.

• Play

Plays the currently selected animation.

• Viewpoints

This drop-down list shows all the viewpoints and animations that have been set up and published with
the .nwd file. Click on one of the viewpoints from the drop-down list to recall that viewpoint into the
Freedom window. Select an animation from the drop-down list and use the play, pause and stop
buttons to control its playback.

• About

Shows the About box, providing version details and offers a link to the NavisWorks web site.

Note
Once installed, Freedom can be copied and run, without additional installation, on other machines
running Windows 2000 or later. For this to work, the contents of the Freedom folder simply need
to be copied to a new location, perhaps a CD or a network location, which other people can then
have access to. An NWD file could be included to make it very simple to view the model. People
would simply need to double-click on the Freedom executable and open the accompanying model
file from that location.

Freedom is installed to:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\NavisWorks 6\DX\

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The entire contents of this folder will need to be copied to the new location.

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Chapter 12. Navigating
NavisWorks enables intuitive and interactive navigation around your 3D models at a guaranteed frame
rate. The nine navigation modes give you complete flexibility to navigate around the model in real time. In
addition to these navigation modes, there are selection and measuring tools that further facilitate the
interrogation of model data.

The navigation tools allow you to do things such as focus on objects and change the view parameters.
There are also options to look from predefined views, set the world up vector to a direction different than
the one brought through from the CAD model.

The tilt bar enables you to tilt the model, or the camera (depending on if the navigation mode is
camera-centric or model-centric) and has the same effect as spinning the wheel on a mouse. Two
thumbnail views also give you a good overall view of the scene, allowing you to see whereabouts you are
in the whole model and quickly jump from one end to the other.

12.1. Navigation Modes

There are nine navigation modes to control how you move around the main navigation view - six
camera-centric modes and three model-centric modes. In a camera-centric mode, the camera moves
within the scene, whereas in a model-centric mode, model moves inside the scene. For example, the
Orbit and Examine modes essentially do the same thing, except that Orbit moves the camera around
the focal point and Examine moves the model around the focal point. Movement in each mode is based
on the cursor keys, the Shift and Control keys and mouse drags. The mouse wheel is also supported,
allowing quick and easy zooming or tilting, depending on the current navigation mode.

Note
Dragging with the left mouse button while holding down the Control key performs the same
actions as dragging with the middle mouse button, which is useful if you only have a two-button
mouse.

The Shift and Control keys modify the movement, for example holding down Shift in Walk mode speeds
up movement, and holding down Control in this mode, glides the camera left/right and up/down.

Note
Gliding the camera is opposite to panning the model. Gliding is a camera-centric motion and
panning is a model-centric motion.

Right-clicking on any item in the main navigation view or selection tree displays a context menu that
shows a list of commands relevant to a particular item.

Below is shown the Navigation Mode toolbar and the navigation modes available:

Walk

Look Around

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Zoom

Zoom Box

Pan

Orbit

Examine

Fly

Turntable

In addition to the Navigation Mode toolbar, you can use selection options on the Selection Tools
toolbar. These options are mutually exclusive to navigation just as redlining and measuring are. See
Section 13.2.1, “ Select Mode ” for more information on the selection tools.

12.1.1. Walking
Walk mode enables you to walk through the model on a horizontal plane ensuring that "up" is always
"up".

To walk through a model:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Mode > Walk

or

• Click Walk on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

Dragging the left mouse button, or using the cursor keys, spins the camera left and right and moves it
forwards and backwards.

Holding down the Shift key speeds up this movement.

Holding down the Control key glides the camera left and right and up and down. As walk mode is
camera-centric, this mode differs from the normal pan mode in that the camera is moved rather than the
model.

Spinning the mouse wheel tilts the camera up and down.

12.1.2. Looking Around

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Look around mode enables you to look around the model from the current camera position and gives the
effect that you are moving your head around.

To look around a model:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Mode > Look Around

or

• Click Look Around on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

Dragging the left mouse button, or using the cursor keys, looks left, right, up or down.

Holding down the Shift key speeds up this movement.

Holding down the Control key rotates the camera around its viewing axis.

12.1.3. Zooming
Zoom mode enables you to zoom into and out of the model. Cursor up zooms in and cursor down zooms
out.

To zoom:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Mode > Zoom

or

• Click Zoom on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

Dragging the left mouse button up and down, or using the up and down cursor keys, zooms in and out
respectively.

12.1.4. Zooming to a Box

The zoom-to-a-box mode enables you to drag a box so that the contents of the box fill the view.

To use the zoom box:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Mode > Zoom Box

or

• Click the Zoom Box on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

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Dragging a box with the left mouse button over the main navigation view fills the view with the contents of
the box.

Holding down the Shift or Control keys, or spinning the mouse wheel, temporarily puts this mode into
normal Zoom mode.

12.1.5. Panning
The pan mode enables you to pan the model rather than the camera.

To pan a model:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Mode > Pan

or

• Click Pan on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

Dragging the left mouse button pans the model up, down, left and right.

Holding down the Shift or Control keys, or spinning the mouse wheel, temporarily puts this mode into
normal Zoom mode.

12.1.6. Orbiting
The orbit mode enables you to orbit the camera around the model, ensuring that "up" is always "up". The
camera always orbits around the focal point of the model.

To orbit a model:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Mode > Orbit

or

• Click Orbit on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

Dragging the left mouse button, or using the cursor keys, rotates the camera around the model.

Holding down the Shift key or spinning the mouse wheel, temporarily puts this mode into normal Zoom
mode.

Holding down the Control key glides the camera left and right and up and down. As orbit mode is
camera-centric, this mode differs from the normal pan mode in that the camera is moved rather than the
model.

12.1.7. Examining

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The examine mode enables you to rotate the model about.

To examine a model:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Mode > Examine

or

• Click Examine on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

Dragging the left mouse button, or using the cursor keys, rotates the model about.

Holding down the Shift key or spinning the mouse wheel, temporarily puts this mode into normal Zoom
mode.

Holding down the Control key, temporarily puts this mode into normal Pan mode.

If the mouse is moving when you let go of the button, the model keeps spinning! Click on it to stop.
Holding the Shift key allows you to zoom in and out.

12.1.8. Flying
The fly mode enables you to fly around the model like in a flight simulator.

To fly through a model:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Mode > Fly

or

• Click Fly on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

Holding down the left mouse button moves the camera forward. As in a flight simulator, the left mouse
button banks left/right when dragged left or right and tilts up/down when dragged up or down.

The up and down cursor keys will zoom in and out respectively and the left and right cursor keys will spin
the camera left and right respectively.

Holding down the Shift key speeds up this movement.

Holding down the Control key rotates the camera around its viewing axis, while still moving forward.

12.1.9. Spinning on a Turntable

The turntable mode enables you to spin the model around the up vector. This navigation mode behaves
as though the model is sitting on a turntable, ensuring that "up" is always "up".

To use the turntable:

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• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Mode > Turntable

or

• Click Turntable on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

Dragging the left mouse button left and right, or using the left and right cursor keys, spins the turntable left
and right respectively.

Holding down the Shift key or spinning the mouse wheel, temporarily puts this mode into normal Zoom
mode.

Holding down the Control key, temporarily puts this mode into normal Pan mode.

Spinning the mouse wheel, or using the up and down cursor keys, tilts the turntable up and down, like the
tilt bar.

12.2. Navigation Tools

Navigational tools are a number of handy tools for altering, resetting or changing the type of the camera,
and the viewpoint displayed. These tools can be accessed from the Viewpoint > Navigation Tools
menu, or from the Navigation Tools toolbar:

Navigation Tools comprises the following functions:

View All

View Selected

Focus

Hold

Perspective Camera

Orthographic Camera

Collision Detection

Gravity

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Crouch

Third Person

Align With X-Axis

Align With Y-Axis

Align With Z-Axis

Straighten Camera

Set World Up to Current View

Note
The Straighten and Set Up buttons are not on the toolbar by default, but can be added by
customizing it (see Section 22.2.3, “ Customizing toolbars ”).

12.2.1. Viewing Everything

This function dollies and pans the camera so that the entire model is in view, which is very useful if you
get lost inside a model or lose it completely.

Sometimes on doing a View All, you seem to just get a blank view. This is usually because there are
items that are very small in comparison to the main model located a long way away from the main model.
In these cases, it is best to click on an item in the selection tree and do a View Selected to at least find
your way back to the model before trying to figure out which items are "lost".

To view everything:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > View All.

or

• Click View All on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

12.2.2. Viewing Selected Items

This function zooms the camera so that the selected item fills the main navigation view.

To view a selected item:

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• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > View Selected

or

• Click View Selected on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

12.2.3. Focusing
This function puts the main navigation view into focus mode until the next click. Left-click on an item and
the view swivels so that the point clicked is in the center of the view. The point clicked becomes the focal
point for examine, orbit, turntable navigation modes.

To focus the camera:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Focus

or

• Click Focus on the Navigation Tools toolbar

or

• Right-click on an item in the NavisWorks scene or Selection Tree, then choose Focus on Item from
the shortcut menu.

12.2.4. Perspective Camera

Uses a perspective camera to view with.

To select a perspective camera:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Perspective Camera

or

• Click Perspective on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

12.2.5. Orthographic Camera

Uses an orthographic camera to view with.

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To select an orthographic camera:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Orthographic Camera

or

• Click Orthographic on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

Note
Orthographic cameras are not available with Walk and Fly navigation modes.

12.2.6. Collision Detection

This function defines you as a collision volume - a 3D object that can navigate around and interact with
the model, obeying certain physical rules that confine you within the model itself. In other words, you have
a mass and as such, cannot pass through other objects, points or lines in the scene.

You can walk over, or climb over objects in the scene that are up to half the height of the collision volume,
thus allowing you to walk up stairs, for example.

The collision volume, in its basic form, is a sphere (with radius = r), that can be extruded to give it height
(with height = h >= r). See diagram below:

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The dimensions of the collision volume are user-definable settings for the current view or as a global
option. See Section 17.5, “ Editing Viewpoints ” and Section 17.6, “ Viewpoints Options ” for more
information.

Collision detection is only available when in either the walk or fly navigation mode.

To activate collision detection:

• In Walk or Fly navigation mode, on the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Collision
Detection

or

• Click Collision Detection on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

or

• Press D to toggle collision detection on/off.

Note
When Collision Detection is turned on, rendering prioritization is changed so that objects around
the camera or avatar are displayed with much higher detail than normal. The size of the region of
high detail is based on collision volume radius and speed of movement (needing to see what is
about to be walked into).

12.2.7. Gravity
This function only works in connection with collision detection.

Where collision detection gives you mass, gravity gives you weight. As such, you (as the collision volume)
will be pulled downwards whilst walking through the model scene (gravity is only available when in the
walk navigation mode).

This allows you to walk down stairs, for example, or follow terrain.

To activate gravity:

• In the Walk navigation mode, on the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Gravity

or

• Click Gravity on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

or

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• Press G to toggle gravity on/off.

12.2.8. Crouching
This function only works in connection with collision detection.

When walking around the model with collision detection activated, you may encounter object that are too
low to walk under, a low pipe for example. This function enables you to crouch under any such objects.

With crouching activated, you will automatically crouch under any objects that you cannot walk under at
your specified height, thereby not impeding your navigation around the model.

If however, you are using collision detection to identify areas of the model that you cannot walk under,
(again, using a low pipe for example) then there is also a temporary crouch function to allow navigation to
proceed once the obstacle has been identified.

To activate crouching:

• In Walk or Fly navigation mode, on the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Crouch

or

• Click Crouch on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

or, if you only want to temporarily crouch

• Hold down the Space bar to turn crouching on. Releasing it will turn it off again.

12.2.9. Third Person View

This function allows you to view from a third person perspective.

When third person is activated, you will be able to see an avatar which is a representation of yourself
within the 3D model. Whilst navigating you will be controlling the avatar's interaction with the current
scene.

Using third person in connection with collision detection and gravity makes this a very powerful function,
allowing you to visualize exactly how a person would interact with the intended design.

User definable settings are available for the current view and as global options, including avatar selection
and dimensions and third person positioning. See Section 17.5, “ Editing Viewpoints ” and Section 17.6, “
Viewpoints Options ” for more information.

To view in third person:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Third Person

or

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• Click Third Person on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

or

• Press T to toggle third person view on/off.

Note
When Third Person mode is turned on, rendering prioritization is changed so that objects around
the camera or avatar are displayed with much higher detail than normal. The size of the region of
high detail is based on collision volume radius, speed of movement (needing to see what is about
to be walked into) and the distance of the camera behind the avatar (in order to see what the
avatar is interacting with).

12.2.10. Preset Viewpoints

The orthogonal viewpoints are preset inside NavisWorks and can be accessed from the Navigation
Tools toolbar and the Viewpoints menu.

12.2.10.1. Aligning With The X-Axis

This function toggles between Look From, Front and Look From, Back views.

To align the viewpoint with the x-axis:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Align X

or

• Click Align X on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

12.2.10.2. Aligning With The Y-Axis

This function toggles between Look From, Left and Look From, Right views.

To align the viewpoint with the y-axis:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Align Y

or

• Click Align Y on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

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12.2.10.3. Aligning With The Z-Axis

This function toggles between Look From, Top and Look From, Bottom views.

To align the viewpoint with the z-axis:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Align Z

or

• Click Align Z on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

12.2.10.4. Looking From a Preset Viewpoint

When this option is chosen the model is displayed from this viewpoint in the main navigation view. This is
equivalent to toggling the Align X, Align Y and Align Z buttons on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

Looking from a preset viewpoint:

1. On the Viewpoint menu, click Look From.

2. Choose any direction from Top, Bottom, Front, Left, Back and Right.

12.2.11. Straighten
This function straightens the camera to align with the world up vector when it is already close to the world
up vector.

To straighten the camera:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Straighten

or

• Click Straighten on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

Note
This button is not on the toolbar by default, but can be added by customizing it (see
Section 22.2.3, “ Customizing toolbars ”).

12.2.12. Set World Up

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These functions set the world up vector to align with the selected orientation.

To set the world up vector to the current view:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Set World Up > Current View.

or

• Click Set Up on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

Alternatively, to set the world up vector to one of the orthogonal axes:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Set World Up and choose one of the pre-defined axes (+X Axis, -X
Axis, +Y Axis, -Y Axis, +Z Axis, or -Z Axis).

Note
Navigation modes Walk, Turntable and Orbit all use the World Up vector, so navigation will occur
at whatever angle is set using this function.

This button is not on the toolbar by default, but can be added by customizing it (see
Section 22.2.3, “ Customizing toolbars ”).

12.3. Camera Tilt

The slider on this control bar provides direct control over the tilt angle of the camera, in degrees below
(negative) or above (positive) the horizontal at the base of the tilt bar.

This is particularly useful in walk mode to look up and down. If your mouse has a wheel, this can be used
to adjust the tilt angle.

To switch the Camera Tilt bar on and off:

• On the View menu, click Control Bars > Camera Tilt.

The Camera Tilt control bar is displayed

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12.4. Thumbnail Views

Thumbnails are useful to get an overall view of where you are in the whole scene and to quickly move the
camera to a location in a large model. There are two thumbnails available in NavisWorks so you can have
one showing a section and another showing a plan view if you wish. The thumbnails show a fixed view of
the model, with a triangular marker representing your current viewpoint. This marker moves as you
navigate, showing the direction of your view. The marker may also be dragged by holding the left mouse
button over it and dragging to move the camera in the main navigation view.

Note
The marker changes to a small dot when the thumbnail view is in the same plane as the camera
view.

To turn on the plan thumbnail:

• On the View menu, click Control Bars > Plan Thumbnail.

or

• Click Plan Thumbnail on the Workspace toolbar.

The Plan View thumbnail is displayed

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To turn on the section thumbnail:

• On the View menu, click Control Bars > Section Thumbnail.

or

• Click Section Thumbnail on the Workspace toolbar.

By default the Section Thumbnail shows the view from the front of the model and the Plan Thumbnail
shows a plan view. The thumbnail view can be manipulated by right-clicking on the view. You can select
from the following options: Look From, Edit Viewpoint, Update Viewpoint, Lock Aspect Ratio and
Refresh.

Manipulating a thumbnail's view:

1. Right-click anywhere in the thumbnail to open the shortcut menu.

2. Use the Look From menu item and choose from Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Left or Right to set the
thumbnail view to any of these pre-set viewpoints. You can also choose Current Viewpoint to set
the thumbnail view to the active navigation viewpoint.

3. Choose Update Current Viewpoint to set the current active navigation viewpoint to be the same as
that of the thumbnail.

4. Choose Edit Viewpoint if you want to set up the thumbnail's viewpoint by hand using the Edit

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Viewpoint dialog box(see Section 17.5, “ Editing Viewpoints ” for more information on this).

5. Choose Lock Aspect Ratio if you want the aspect ratio of the thumbnail to match that of the main
navigation view and remain matching even when the thumbnail dialog box is resized. This will usually
give gray strips either to the top and bottom, or to either side of the thumbnail view. See Aspect Ratio
for more information on aspect ratio.

6. Choose Refresh to redraw the thumbnail based on the current setting. Thumbnail drawing uses
software OpenGL and so can take a couple of seconds for large models.

12.5. Using a SpaceBall

Note
The term SpaceBall is used as a generic term for all 3D motion controllers from 3Dconnexion™,
including the SpaceBall, SpaceMouse and SpaceTraveler.

A SpaceBall can be used as an alternative to the mouse to move around the main navigation view. The
behavior of the SpaceBall corresponds to the currently selected Navigation Mode. If no mode is selected
on the Navigation Mode toolbar or if the selected mode is not a valid mode for the SpaceBall, then a
default navigation mode will be used. This enables the user to navigate with the SpaceBall whilst
performing other operations with the mouse. The default navigation mode can be set in the Options Editor
dialog box.

The speed of navigation is sensitive to the amount of force applied to the SpaceBall. However, the user
can also adjust the speed of translation and rotation by applying a factor to each of these in the Options
Editor dialog box. These options are offered in addition to the adjustments that can be made using the
Control Panel for the device which is supplied by the SpaceBall manufacturer with the installation.

Setting the SpaceBall behavior:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the SpaceBall option.

The SpaceBall page is displayed.

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3. Modify the Scale translation value if you want to increase or decrease the speed of translation.

4. Modify the Scale rotation value if you want to increase or decrease the speed of rotation.

5. Select the Default navigation mode from the drop-down list. This will be used when no valid
navigation mode is currently selected.

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Chapter 13. Selecting Items
With large models it is potentially a very time-consuming process to select items of interest. NavisWorks
makes this a much simpler task by providing a range of functions for quickly selecting items both
interactively and by searching the model manually and automatically. The main groups of functionality
concerned with selecting items are:

• The selection tree

• Interactive selection

• Selection sets

Also connected with selecting items is finding items, which is covered in Chapter 14, Finding .

In NavisWorks there is the concept of an active selection set (the currently selected items, or the current
selection) and saved selections sets. Selecting and finding items makes them part of the current
selection, so you can hide them or override their colors. At any time, the current selection can be saved
and named for retrieval in later sessions.

Below is shown the Selection Tools toolbar and the selection modes available:

Select

Select Box

In addition to the selection modes, you can also use three editing options on the Selection Tools toolbar.
See Chapter 15, Editing for more information on the editing tools.

13.1. Selection Trees

The selection tree is a tabbed control bar which displays a variety of hierarchical views of the structure of
the model, as defined by the CAD application in which the model was created.

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By default there are four tabs, called Standard, Compact, Properties and Sets:

• "Standard" displays the default tree hierarchy, including all instancing. The contents of this tab can be
sorted alphabetically by right-clicking on any item in the tree and selecting Scene > Sort. It is not
possible to undo this action.

• "Compact" displays a simplified version of the "Standard" hierarchy, omitting various items. You can
control the level of complexity of this tree using the Select options (see Section 13.5, “ Selection
Options ” for more information).

• "Properties" displays the hierarchy based on the items' properties. This enables simple manual
searching of the model by item property. See Chapter 14, Finding for a much more powerful way of
searching the model for items with certain properties.

• "Sets" simply shows the same view as the selection sets control bar.

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Naming of items reflects the names from the original CAD application, wherever possible.

There are several different tree icons representing the types of item that make up the structure of a
model:

A model, such as a drawing file or design file.

A layer or level.

A group, such as a block definition from AutoCAD or cell definition from MicroStation.

An instanced group, such as an inserted block from AutoCAD or cell from MicroStation. If in the
imported file the instance was unnamed, NavisWorks names the instance to match its child's name.

An item of geometry, such as a polygon.

An instanced item of geometry, such as an instance from 3D Studio.

A composite object. A single CAD object that is represented in NavisWorks by a group of geometry
items.

A search. Behind the scenes, NavisWorks is searching the model for all items with a property of this
type and sets up the find specification to repeat this search if the selection set is saved. See Section 13.3,
“ Selection and Search Sets ” for more information on this.

Each of these item types can be Hidden (gray), Unhidden (dark blue) or Required (red).

Note
If a group is selected as Hidden or Required then all instances of that item will be hidden or
required. If you wish to operate on a single occurrence of an item then you should make the
instanced group (the level above, or the "parent", in the hierarchy) Hidden or Required.

You can use the selection tree in combination with the main navigation window to select items into the
current selection, which is highlighted in both the selection tree and the main navigation window.

Note
Using the Shift and Control keys while selecting items in a selection tree will do the standard
Windows™ multiple selection: Control allows multiple selection item by item and Shift allows
multiple selection between the first and last items selected.

If you have the Clash Detective tool, the selection trees will be used for selecting items for the clash tests.

The selection trees are also used inside the Find Items control bar for the ability to refine your searches
better. See Section 14.2, “ Finding Items ” for more information.

Note
Additional customised selection tree tabs can be added by using the NavisWorks API.

13.2. Interactive Selection

NavisWorks provides several methods to interactively select items into the current selection. You can use

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the tabs in the selection tree, select items in the main navigation window with select and select box
modes and you can select other items with similar properties to an existing selection using the selection
commands.

Note
Right-clicking on any item in the tree view or main view temporarily selects the item and displays
a context menu. You can click on the topmost menu item to permanently select the item. Presing
Esc deselects everything.

13.2.1. Select Mode

As standard, this mode is mutually exclusive to the navigation modes so that when you are selecting, you
cannot navigate and vice versa.

Note
When using a SpaceBall in conjunction with the standard mouse control, the SpaceBall can be
configured for navigation and the mouse for selecting. See Section 12.5, “ Using a SpaceBall ” for
more information.

Select mode allows you to click on an item in the main navigation window to select it. Once a single item
is selected, its properties will be shown in the Properties control bar.

You can select multiple items in the main navigation window using the familiar Windows™ methods of
holding down the Control key while selecting items. This will add them to the current selection.
Alternatively, if the items are already in the current selection, holding down Control while selecting them
again will remove them from the current selection.

Holding the Shift key whilst selecting items in the main navigation window will cycle through the selection
resolution, allowing you to get more specific with your selections. See Selection Resolution for more
information on this.

To select an item:

• On the Edit menu, click Select > Select

or

• Click Select on the Selection Tools toolbar.

13.2.2. Select Box Mode

This mode, which can be used in conjunction with the normal select mode allows you to drag a box in the
main navigation window to select multiple items at once. This mode is also mutually exclusive to the
navigation modes so that when you are selecting, you cannot navigate and vice versa.

Dragging the box will select all items within the box. Holding down the Shift key while dragging the box
will select all items within and that intersect the box.

You can select multiple items in the main navigation window using the familiar Windows™ methods of
holding down the Control key while selecting items. This will add them to the current selection.

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Alternatively, if the items are already in the current selection, holding down Control while selecting them
again will remove them from the current selection.

To select multiple items using a draggable box:

• On the Edit menu, click Select > Select Box

or

• Click Select Box on the Selection Tools toolbar.

13.2.3. Selection Commands

Selection commands enable you to quickly alter the current selection using logic. You can select multiple
items based on the currently selected items' properties, or quickly invert the set, select everything or
nothing.

Selecting items with selection commands:

1. On the Edit menu, click Select.

2. Choose the required selection command.

Standard selections are:

• Select All

All items contained within the model are selected.

• Select None

Deselects everything in the model.

• Invert Selection

Every selected item becomes deselected and vice versa.

• Selection Sets

Provides you with options to save and recall sets. See Section 13.3, “ Selection and Search Sets ”.

• Select Multiple Instances

Selecting an item then selecting Multiple Instances will select all instances (sometimes called
insertions) of that geometry group that occur in the model.

• Select Same Name

Every item with the same name as the selected item will also be selected.

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• Select Same Type

Every item of the same type as the selected item will also be selected.

• Select Same (property)

Every item with the same property as the selected item will also be selected. The property can be
anything from Material, Hyperlink or any other searchable property attached to the item.

Note
Selecting Same (property) works by comparing items' properties. If you have multiple items
selected when you perform a selection command of same name or type etc., all the types, names
and properties of the items in the current selection are compared with all items properties in the
scene. Those matching any of the current items selected will be selected.

13.3. Selection and Search Sets

Selection sets are useful for saving a group of items that you might want to regularly perform some action
on, such as hiding or changing transparency. They simply store a group of items for later retrieval. There
is no intelligence behind this set - if the model changes at all, the same items will be selected (assuming
they are still available in the model) when recalling the selection set.

Search sets work in a similar way, except that they save search criteria instead of the results of a
selection, so that you can re-run the search at a later date as and when the model changes. See
Chapter 14, Finding for information on searching the model for items.

Selection and search sets can be named and contain comments. They can also be highlighted with icons
in the main navigation window, so that when you click on one, the selection set is restored to the active
set and all the items within it are re-selected.

13.3.1. Saving Selection and Search Sets

Saving a selection set:

1. Select all the items you want saving.

2. On the Edit menu, click Select > Selection Sets > Add Current Selection.

or

Right-click on the Selection Sets control bar and click Save Current Selection on the shortcut
menu.

Saving a search:

1. Set up a search as explained in Section 14.2, “ Finding Items ”.

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2. On the Edit menu, click Select > Selection Sets > Add Current Search.

or

Right-click on the Selection Sets control bar and click Save Current Search on the shortcut menu.

New selection sets and search sets are named "Selection SetX" where 'X' is the next available number
added to the list. A selection set is identified by this icon: and a search set by this icon:

Note
Saved selection and search sets can be renamed by slow clicking (clicking and pausing without
moving the mouse) on the set, or clicking on it and pressing F2.

13.3.2. Recalling Selection and Search Sets

To re-select items from a selection set:

• On the Edit menu, click Select > Selection Sets and click the saved selection or search set from the
list.

or

• In the Selection Sets control bar, simply click on the selection or search set from the list.

Note
On recalling a selection set, all the items that were selected when the set was saved are
re-selected into the current selection.

On recalling a search set, the search that was saved into the set is re-run and any items matching
the specification are selected into the current selection.

13.3.3. Managing Selection Sets

As well as a tab on the selection tree, there is also a control bar dedicated to selection sets. To activate it,
click on in the Workspace toolbar or on the View menu, click Control Bars > Selection Sets:

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This is the main management center for selection sets. All actions concerning selection sets are available
by right-clicking this control bar.

Right-clicking a blank space in the Selection Sets control bar opens a shortcut menu with the options to
Save Current Selection or Save Current Search, as outlined in Section 13.3.1, “ Saving Selection and
Search Sets ”. This also gives access to the Add Folder and Sort options as detailed below.

Managing Selection Sets:

1. Right-click a selection set.

2. Click Add Folder to create a new folder above the selected item.

3. Click Save Current Selection to save the current selection as a selection set in the list. This set will
contain the currently selected items.

4. Click Save Current Search to save the current search as a selection set in the list. This set will
contain the current search criteria.

5. Click Make Visible to make visible the items contained within the selected selection set.

6. Click Add Comment to add a comment to the selection set. This command will display the Add
Comment dialog box. See Section 20.1, “ Commenting ” for more information on comments.

7. Click Edit Comment to edit a comment attached to the selected selection set. This command will
display the Edit Comment dialog box. See Section 20.1, “ Commenting ” for more information on
comments.

8. Click Add Copy to create a copy of the selection set to the list. The copy will be named the same as

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the selection set clicked on, but with a " - copy" suffix.

9. Click Update to set the selected selection set to the currently selected items, or if it's a search set, it
will update it with the current search.

10. Click Delete to delete the selected selection set.

11. Click Rename to rename the selected selection set.

12. Click Sort to sort the contents of the Selection Sets window alphabetically.

Using Folders to Manage Selection Sets:

Folders in the Selection Sets control bar work in a similar way to how they do in Microsoft Windows. They
can be created by right-clicking either on a blank space in the Selection Sets control, or on any visible
item in the list and selecting Add Folder from the shortcut menu. If the item selected is a folder, then the
new folder will be created inside, otherwise it will be created in the root of the control above the selected
item.

Items in the list can also be dragged and dropped into and out of folders, including folders themselves as
well as their contents, simply by selecting the item, holding the left mouse button down, moving over to
where the item should be placed, and letting go of the left mouse button. In this way it is possible to
create a variety of nested folders containing any number of folders, selection and search sets.

13.4. Selection Resolution

Selection resolution affects what geometry you select when selecting items in the main navigation window
using Select mode.

When you click on an item in Select mode, NavisWorks doesn't know what level of item to start selecting
at - do you mean the whole model, or the layer, or the instance, or group, or just the geometry? The
selection resolution tells NavisWorks what level in the selection tree to start selecting items at by default.

The options are:

• Model

Selects the whole model.

• Layer

Selects all items on a layer.

• First Object

Selects the first item in the selection tree path that isn't a layer.

• Last Unique

Selects the most specific item (furthest along the selection tree path) that is unique (not multiply
instanced).

• Last Object

Selects the most specific item (furthest along the selection tree path) that is marked as a composite

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object. If no composite object is found, the geometry is selected. This is the Default selection
resolution setting.

• Geometry

Selects the last item in the selection tree path (most specific, but may be multiply instanced).

If you find you have selected the wrong level of item, you can interactively "cycle" through the selection
resolution, without having to go to the options dialog or the selection tree. You do this by holding down
the Shift key when selecting an item. This selects an item one level more specific each time you select
the item until the resolution gets to "geometry", at which point it will revert back to "model". The selection
resolution remains as set in options for the next selection.

As well as being able to set the default selection resolution on the Selection page in the Options Editor,
a quicker way is to right-click on any item in the selection tree and choose the menu item Set Selection
Resolution to X, where X is one of the above selection resolutions.

13.5. Selection Options

Use the Selection options to configure how you select items in the NavisWorks scene. You can set the
level at which you select items (selection resolution), the distance from an item you have to be for it to be
selected (useful for lines and points) and also the color in which selected items are displayed.

Setting selection options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Selection option.

The Selection page is displayed.

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3. To set the color that selected items are displayed in, click the Color button. The default highlight
color is blue. Alternatively, clear the Enabled check box to disable selected item highlighting (items
won't change color when selected).

4. In the Pick Radius box, enter the radius, in pixels, that an item has to be within in order for it to be
selected.

5. In the Resolution box, choose the level of selection that you wish to use as the default, see selection
resolution.

6. In the Compact Tree box, choose what level of detail you wish to see in the selection tree. Models
will restrict the tree to just displaying model files, Layers will restrict it down to the layer level and
Objects will show a similar tree to the Standard tree, but without the levels of instancing inserted
above an inserted block.

7. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

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Chapter 14. Finding
Finding is a quick and powerful way of selecting items into the current selection based on items'
properties. These "searches" can then be saved (see Section 13.3.1, “ Saving Selection and Search Sets
”) and re-run in later sessions.

You can also find text inside comments using the Find Comments functionality.

14.1. Properties
The Properties control bar shows all the properties of a selected item. Properties are categorized into
categories such as Item and Material and this control bar has a tab for each property category of the
selected item. Whenever a single item is selected, this dialog box will be updated to show the properties
of that item.

Note
If more than one item is selected the Properties bar will only show the number of items selected
and won't show any property information.

The Properties control bar looks like this:

To activate it, click the Properties button on the Workspace toolbar, or on the View menu, click

Control Bars > Properties.

Hyperlinks are also classed as a property category and so can be added and edited from this control bar
using the shortcut menu. See Section 20.4, “ Hyperlinks ” for more details on hyperlinks.

NavisWorks will also convert many different CAD application object properties, such as those from

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Architectural Desktop™ or MicroStation TriForma™.

Every property has a type associated with it, for example, an item's Name is a string, and so on. Internal
file properties, such as transform and geometry properties, are not shown by default. If you want to view
this information, use a developer profile by selecting the Show Internal Properties check box on the
Developer page of the Options Editor dialog box.

Properties can be brought in from an external database and shown inside database-specific tabs in the
Properties control bar. See Chapter 25, DataTools for more details on how to bring through object
properties using DataTools.

14.2. Finding Items

In NavisWorks, searching the model for items based on their properties is quick and simple using the
Find Items control bar. To access it, on the View menu, click Control Bars > Find Items, or click the
Find Items button on the Workspace toolbar. Alternatively, click Edit > Find Items.

The Find Items control bar looks like this:

Notice that the selection trees occupy the left half of this bar, allowing you to refine your searches further
within a specific hierarchy. See Section 13.1, “ Selection Trees ” for more information on the selection
trees. Simply click the selection tree tab that best suits your current search.

Finding items based on properties:

1. If it's not already open, open the Find Items control bar as outlined above.

2. Choose the selection tree tab that best suits your search. For example, if you know you are limiting
your find to within a specific selection set, then click the Sets tab.

3. Choose the items where you want to start the find from. For example, if you know you want to search
the whole model, then choose the file or files from the Standard tab that comprise the model. You
could also select several selection sets to limit your find to these items in the sets.

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Note
You can right-click the selection tree and choose from Import Current Selection to quickly select
the items currently selected for the search, or conversely, Set As Current Selection to set the
current selection to that you have already selected in the find selection tree.

4. The right-hand side of the bar contains a list box with four columns, Category, Property, Condition,
and Value. This is where the find specification is set up. In this list box, you define a series of
conditions which are, by default, logically ANDed together as follows:

• Each condition is started by clicking the next available line under the Category column and from
the ensuing drop-down list, choosing which category the property you wish to search for is in.
Only the categories that are contained in the scene are available in the drop-down list.

• After choosing the category, then choose the property you wish to test for in the Property
drop-down list which will then be available. Again, only the properties in the scene within the
category chosen will be available.

• Then, from the following Condition drop-down list, choose the condition you wish to test for. This
will depend on the type of property you are searching for. For example, you can choose Contains
to search for a series of letters within a string. Wildcard means you can use wildcards in the
Value field to allow matching against any character or an arbitrary sequence of characters. The
symbol = means "exactly equals" and can be used for any type of property. The mathematical
symbols, <, >, <= and >= apply to number types and mean "less than", "greater than", "less than
or equal to", and "greater than or equal to" respectively. Also available are Defined and
Undefined to mean "anything" (in other words, it's there) and "nothing" (in other words, it's not
there) respectively.

• Finally, if you didn't choose either Defined or Undefined in the Condition column, you have to
define the Value you want to match in the find. You can either type in a value freely in the text
box, or choose a pre-defined value from the drop-down list which shows all values in the model
available within the category and property you defined earlier. If you chose Wildcard in the
Condition column you can type in a value with wildcards. To match one single unspecified
character use the symbol ?, for example, a Value field of "b??ck" will match "brick" and "block".
To match any number of unspecified characters, use the symbol *, for example, a Value field of
"b*k" will match "bench kiosk", "brick" and "block". Similarly, a Value field of "*b*k*" will match
"bench kiosk", "brick" and "block" and also "Coarse bricks" and "block 2".

5. Continue to add conditions to the find specification. Each condition you add will by default be logically
ANDed with the others. See the example below for a better explanation of the logic.

6. You can logically negate any condition by selecting the condition, then right-clicking the list box and
choosing Negate Condition. See the example below for a better explanation of the logic.

7. Instead of the condition being logically ANDed, you can also logically OR a condition by selecting the
condition, then right-clicking the list box and choosing Or Condition. All conditions following this
condition are logically ANDed together and will be logically ORed with all conditions preceding this
condition (which are in turn logically ANDed together). A small "plus" will appear next to an ORed
condition. See the example below for a better explanation of the logic.

8. To delete the selected condition, right-click the list box and choose Delete Condition from the
shortcut menu. Alternatively, to delete all the conditions in the find specification, choose Delete All
Conditions from the shortcut menu.

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9. The shortcut menu that appears when right-clicking the list box also contains several Ignore
Category ... and Ignore Property ... options. See User Name and Internal Name for details on what
these mean.

10. Select the Match Case check box if you want the find to respect the upper and lower case letters in
strings. You can also define case sensitivity at the condition level by selecting the condition,
right-clicking the list box and choosing Ignore String Value Case from the shortcut menu. This will
then ignore that condition's case when making comparisons. The Match Case check box should gray
out, showing that some conditions are case sensitive and other are not.

11. Select the Prune Below Result check box if you want to stop searching a branch of the selection
tree as soon as an item that matches the find specification is found.

12. From the Search drop-down list, select the type of search you want to perform.

• Default searches all items selected in the selection tree, along with the paths below these itesm,
for matches with the search.

• Below Selected Paths only searches below the items selected in the selection tree for matches
with the search.

• Selected Paths Only only searches within the items selected in the selection tree for matches
with the search.

13. Click Find First for the first item in the selection tree to match any of the find specification, Find Next
to find the next item in the tree, and Find All to find all items matching the specification.

14. You can click Abort Search at any time during a lengthy search to cancel the search.

15. Any items found will be selected in the selection tree and main navigation window.

Note
A small "star" will appear next to any condition that does not have the default settings, such as if
you negate the condition or select one of the Ignore... items on the shortcut menu.

Find Item Example

Let's say, you have set up four conditions in the search called C1, C2, C3 and C4. If you want to search
for (C1 AND C2) OR (C3 AND NOT C4), then you would select condition 3 and choose Or Condition
from the shortcut menu, and then select condition 4 and choose Negate Condition from the shortcut
menu. So all conditions following the OR are ANDed together and this group of conditions is ORed with
the first group of conditions, which are also ANDed together. In other words, the precedence is NOT, then
AND, then OR.

14.3. Quick Find

As well as the more comprehensive and powerful Find Item feature (see Section 14.2, “ Finding Items ”),
NavisWorks also offers a simpler and quicker Quick Find. This simply searches for a string (case
insensitive) in all property names and values attached to items in the scene.

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Quickly finding items from a string:

1. On the Edit menu, click Quick Find or press Ctrl-F. The Quick Find dialog box will appear:

2. Type in the string you want to search for in all items' properties. This search is not case sensitive.

3. Click Find Next to find the next item in the selection tree containing this string or Cancel to return to
NavisWorks.

4. If any items contain properties with the string being searched for, the next one in the selection tree
will be highlighted and the search stopped.

5. To repeat the search, simply press F3 or click Quick Find Next on the Edit menu. If any more items
contain properties with the string, the next one in the selection tree will be highlighted and the search
stopped.

14.4. Finding Comments

As well as finding items by property, you can also search the comments attached to items, clash results
and selection sets using the Find Comments control bar. For more information on what comments are
and how to attach them to items, see Section 20.1, “ Commenting ”.

To access it, on the View menu, click Control Bars > Find Comments, or click the Find Comments
button on the Workspace toolbar, or click Edit > Find Comments . Alternatively, on the Review

menu, click Comments > Find Comments.

The Find Comments control bar looks like this:

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Finding comments:

1. If it's not already open, open the Find Comments control bar as outlined above.

2. Type in the text that you want to search for in the Text box.

Note
You should use the "*" wildcard (without the quotes) to match an arbitrary series of letters either
before or after the text you enter here. For example, if you want to find all comments containing
the word "redline", you should enter "*redline*" in the box, otherwise you will only find comments
that contain only the "redline" word, which probably won't be many!

3. If you want to restrict your search to comments made by a single author, then type in the name of
that author in the Author box.

4. If you know the ID of the comment you want to find, enter this in the ID box.

5. If you want to restrict your search to comments of a particular status, select the required status from
the Status drop-down list.

6. Select the Match Case check box if you want the search to respect lower and upper case characters
in the search.

7. You can refine the search further by clicking the Date Modified tab to select a date range within
which the comment must have been made.

8. You can click the Source tab and select the relevant check boxes for Clash Detective, TimeLiner,

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 Finding

Selection Sets, Viewpoints or Redline Tags to restrict the search by the source that the comment
is attached to. The Clash Detective and TimeLiner options are only available if you have the relevant
licenses.

Note
If the Text, Author, ID and Status boxes are left empty, the search will return all comments
within the Date Modified and Source restrictions.

9. Click Find to search for the comments.

10. If any comments are found, they will be listed in the box at the bottom of the control bar. Selecting a
comment will also select the source of the comment. For example, selecting a comment which
originated from a saved viewpoint will select that viewpoint.

If new comments are added, the results list will be cleared.

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Chapter 15. Editing
As NavisWorks is a design review tool, editing is restricted to simple temporary "overrides" of items'
properties, so that they can always be reset to the state they were in when imported from the CAD file.
You can override an item's position by holding onto the item while navigating and then dropping it in a
new position, or move it by overriding it's transform. Also you can edit an item's color, transparency, and
hyperlinks. In addition, you can hide and reveal items and make them required and unrequired to control
their drop out during navigation. Finally, you can also edit a file's transform, or in other words, its origin
location, scale, rotation and so on, so that it fits within the scene when appending multiple models from
potentially different sources and CAD applications.

Most editing is done from the Edit menu, which includes the following items:

• Undo

• Redo

• Select

• Quick Find

• Quick Find Next

• Find Items

• Find Comments

• Hidden

• Required

• Unselected Hidden

• Override Item

• Reset Item

• Reset All

• File Units and Transform

The two main editing functionalities not available from the Edit menu are hyperlinks and holding items.

15.1. Holding and releasing objects

When navigating around a model in NavisWorks it is possible to "pick up" or hold selected items and
move around with them in the model. For example you may be viewing a plan for a factory and would like
to see different configurations of machine layouts.

Holding and releasing items:

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1. Select the item(s) to be held for moving.

2. On the Viewpoint menu, click Navigation Tools > Hold

or

Click Hold on the Navigation Tools toolbar.

3. The selected item(s) are now held and will move with you through the model when you use the
normal navigation modes i.e. Walk, Pan etc.

4. To release the held item, click Hold on the Navigation Tools toolbar again.

To reset the item to its original position, see Section 15.7.3, “ Resetting Items' Positions ”.

15.2. Undo/Redo
You can undo or redo your actions in NavisWorks. The Edit > Undo and Edit > Redo menu item states
what type of action you will undo/redo.

To undo an action:

• On the Edit menu, click Undo

or

• Press Ctrl-Z

or

• Click Undo on the Standard toolbar

Repeat as many times as required or your options allow.

To redo an action:

• On the Edit menu, click Redo

or

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• Press Ctrl-Y

or

• Click Redo on the Standard toolbar

Repeat as many times as required, or your options allow.

Undo Options
You can set the amount of space you wish to allocate to the undo buffer. The default settings should be
adequate for most normal usage.

Setting undo options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the General node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Undo option.

The Undo page is displayed:

3. Set the amount of space you wish to allocate for saving undo/redo actions.

4. If you want to return to the system default values, click the Defaults button.

5. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

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15.3. Hiding Items

This command hides the current selection and allows you to hide and reveal items by toggling on and off.

Note
In the selection tree the object will appear gray when hidden.

Hiding an item:

1. Select the item(s) that you want to hide (see Chapter 13, Selecting Items for more information on
how to do this).

2. On the Edit menu, click Hidden

or

Click Hidden on the Selection Tools toolbar.

15.4. Making items required

This option makes the current selection required for rendering which means that they will always be
rendered during navigation and not drop out. The command allows you to make an item required or
unrequired by toggling on and off.

Note
A Required item may also be Hidden. In the selection tree the object will appear red when
required.

Making an item required:

1. Select the item(s) that you want to make required (see Chapter 13, Selecting Items for more
information on how to do this).

2. On the Edit menu, click Required

or

Click Required on the Selection Tools toolbar.

15.5. Hiding Unselected Items

This command hides all items except those currently selected so that they are not drawn in the main view.

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The command allows you to hide and reveal the hidden items by toggling on and off.

Note
In the selection tree the items will appear gray when hidden.

Hiding all non-selected items:

1. Select the item(s) that you want to remain visible (see Chapter 13, Selecting Items for more
information on how to do this).

2. On the Edit menu, click Unselected Hidden.

or

Click Unselected Hidden on the Selection Tools toolbar.

15.6. Overriding Item Properties

Various item properties, such as material (color and transparency) and hyperlinks, can be temporarily
overridden in the scene for design review. These overrides are saved into .nwf files for future use and any
material overrides can be optionally saved into viewpoints (see Section 17.6, “ Viewpoints Options ”).

15.6.1. Overriding Color

This option allows a user-defined color to be added to an item in the scene. The old color is saved in case
it needs to be reset later.

Overriding an item's color:

1. On the Edit menu, select Override Item > Override Color

or

Right-click the item and select Override Color.

2. Select a color from the color-chooser and click OK.

Note
Any materials applied with the Presenter tool will supersede any color overrides.

15.6.2. Overriding Transparency

This option allows a user-defined transparency to be added to an item in the scene. The old color is
saved in case it needs to be reset later.

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Overriding an item's transparency:

1. On the Edit menu, select Override Item > Override Transparency

or

Right-click the item and select Override Transparency.

2. Use the slider to select level between opaque and transparent and click OK.

Note
Any materials applied with the Presenter plugin will supersede any transparency overrides.

15.6.3. Overriding Transforms

This option allows a user-defined transform to be applied to the position of an item in the scene. The
original position of the item is saved in case it needs to be reset later.

Overriding an item's transform:

1. Select the item(s) that you wish the transform to be applied to (see Chapter 13, Selecting Items for
more information on how to do this).

2. On the Edit menu, select Override Item > Override Transform

or

Right click on the selected item(s) and select Override Transform... from the shortcut menu.

The Override Transform dialog box is displayed:

3. Enter the XYZ values of the transform to be aplied to the item(s). For example, a transform of (0, 0,
1) will reposition an item by one unit in the Z direction.

4. Click OK to apply the transform, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without applying it.

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Also see Section 20.3.3, “ Transforming Objects ” for more information on interactively transforming
objects.

15.6.4. Overriding Hyperlinks

As well as hyperlinks being converted from the native CAD files you open in NavisWorks, you can also
"override" an item's hyperlinks by attaching multiple additional hyperlinks to it. Because hyperlinks are
treated as a property by NavisWorks, they can be searched on with the Find Items tool and displayed in
the Properties bar. They are also saved into NavisWorks files so that as the model changes, the links
remain for you and others to view.

See Section 20.4, “ Hyperlinks ” for more information on overriding hyperlinks.

15.7. Resetting Overriden Properties

Once an override has been applied to an item, you simply reset that override to return it to the value that
it had when the file was originally converted from the native CAD file.

15.7.1. Resetting Materials

This option restores the original items' color and transparency to the selected items.

Note
You cannot reset an item's color separately from its transparency - they are always reset
together.

To reset color and transparency:

• On the Edit menu, click Reset Item > Colors and Transparencies.

15.7.2. Resetting Hyperlinks

This option restores the original items' hyperlinks to the selected items and removes any hyperlinks that
have been added in the model since.

To reset hyperlinks:

• On the Edit menu, click Reset Item > Reset Hyperlinks.

15.7.3. Resetting Items' Positions

This option restores the original items' positions to the selected items, after it has been moved using the
Hold Item command, Transformed, or Repositioned.

To reset an item's position:

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• On the Edit menu, click Reset Item > Reset Transform

or

• Right-click the item and choose Reset Transform.

15.8. Resetting All Overriden Properties

Once an override has been applied to several items, you can reset them all at once to return them to the
values that they had when the file was originally converted from the native CAD file.

15.8.1. Resetting All Colors and Transparencies

This option restores all items in the scene to their original colors and transparencies.

Note
Items' colors cannot be restored separately from their transparencies.

To reset all materials:

• On the Edit menu, click Reset All > Colors and Transparencies.

15.8.2. Resetting All Items' Hyperlinks

This option restores all items hyperlinks to the original state that they were in when the model was
imported into NavisWorks.

To restore all items hyperlinks:

• On the Edit menu, click Reset All > Reset All Hyperlinks.

15.8.3. Revealing All Items

This option reveals (unhides) all items.

To reveal all items:

• On the Edit menu, click Reset All > Unhide All.

15.8.4. Making All Items Unrequired

This option makes all items unrequired so that no items are forced to be rendered during navigation.

To make all items unrequired:

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• On the Edit menu, click Reset All > Unrequire All.

15.8.5. Resetting All Items' Positions

This option restores the original positions of any items that have previously been held, transformed and
repositioned around the model.

To restore all items positions:

• On the Edit menu, click Reset All > Reset Transforms.

15.9. Custom Properties

Property information brought into NavisWorks from a CAD application cannot be edited, with the
exception of color, transparency and hyperlinks, as described in the previous section. You can, however,
add your own custom information to any item in the model scene.

15.9.1. Add User Data Tab

This option allows a user-definable tab to be added to the Properties control bar.

Adding a new user data tab:

1. If it's not already displayed, on the View menu, click Control Bars > Properties, or click Properties
on the Workspace toolbar, to open the Properties control bar.

2. Select the item in the NavisWorks scene to which you wish the new data tab to be associated with.

3. Right-click the Properties control bar and select Add New User data Tab.

15.9.2. Rename User Data Tab

This option allows a user-definable tab to be renamed in the Properties control bar.

Renaming a user data tab:

1. If it's not already displayed, on the View menu, click Control Bars > Properties, or click Properties
on the Workspace toolbar, to open the Properties control bar.

2. Select the user data tab you wish to rename.

3. Right-click the Properties control bar and select Rename Tab.

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4. Enter a new name for the tab, then click OK, or click Cancel to return to NavisWorks without
renaming the tab.

15.9.3. Add New Property

This option allows a custom property to be added to a user data tab in the Properties control bar.

Adding a new property to a user data tab:

1. If it's not already displayed, on the View menu, click Control Bars > Properties, or click Properties
on the Workspace toolbar, to open the Properties control bar.

2. Select the user data tab you wish to add the new property to.

3. Right-click the Properties control bar and select Insert New Property, then select the property type
you wish to add:

• String. Select this property type if the value you wish to add is a string.

• Boolean. Select this property type if the value you wish to add is Yes or No.

• Float. Select this property type if the value you wish to add is a decimal value, for example 1.234.

• Integer. Select this property type if the value you wish to add is a positive whole number (1, 2,
3,...), a negative whole number (-1, -2, -3,...), or zero (0).

15.9.4. Edit Property Value

This option allows the value of a custom property to be edited in the Properties control bar.

Editing the value of a custom property:

1. If it's not already displayed, on the View menu, click Control Bars > Properties, or click Properties
on the Workspace toolbar, to open the Properties control bar.

2. Select the user data tab containing the custom property whose value you wish to edit.

3. Right-click the Property whose value is to be edited and select Edit Property Value.

Note
For Boolean properties, select Set Value then Yes or No from the list.

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4. Enter the new value for the property, ensuring it is valid for the property type.

5. Click OK to accept the edit, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without editing the property value.

15.9.5. Rename Property

This option allows you to rename a custom property added to a user data tab in the Properties control
bar.

Renaming a custom property:

1. If it's not already displayed, on the View menu, click Control Bars > Properties, or click Properties
on the Workspace toolbar, to open the Properties control bar.

2. Select the user data tab containing the custom property you wish to rename.

3. Right-click the Property to be renamed and select Rename Property.

4. Enter the new name for the property then click OK, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without
renaming the property.

15.9.6. Delete Property

This option allows you to delete a custom property added to a user data tab in the Properties control bar.

Deleting a custom property:

1. If it's not already displayed, on the View menu, click Control Bars > Properties, or click Properties
on the Workspace toolbar, to open the Properties control bar.

2. Select the user data tab containing the custom property you wish to delete.

3. Right-click the Property to be deleted and select Delete Property.

15.9.7. Delete User Data Tab

This option allows you to delete a user data tab from the Properties control bar.

Deleting a user data tab:

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1. If it's not already displayed, on the View menu, click Control Bars > Properties, or click Properties
on the Workspace toolbar, to open the Properties control bar.

2. Select the user data tab you wish to delete.

3. Right-click the Properties control bar and select Delete User Data Tab.

15.10. Setting a File's Units and Transform

You may need to use this feature when working with Clash Detective and/or Presenter, where it's
important to have the model in the correct units and scale, to ensure clash results are accurate and
materials are applied correctly. You may also find this useful if you append several models from different
sources into the same scene and the scale, rotation and origin of some models need amending to match
the other models.

The first thing to try, however, before attempting to manually adjust the file's transform, is to check that
the units are ok. See Section 22.3, “ Units ” for a discussion of units and how to adjust them.

Note
If you select an item that is inside the file and do a File Transform on it, the whole file will be
transformed - not just the item selected. To transform a specific item within a file you will need to
use the Override Item Transform function.

Also, only single files can be transformed at one time - this command is not available if multiple
files/items are selected.

Setting a file's transform:

1. In the selection tree, select the file that you wish to transform the scale, origin or rotation of.

2. On the Edit menu, select File Units and Transform.

The File Units and Transform dialog box will appear:

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3. Move the model's location by entering model units for the x, y and z axis in Origin.

4. The Reflected Transform check box only needs to be selected if a negative scale has been set.

5. Change the rotation of an object by entering an angle of rotation and selecting the axis to rotate
about (by entering a value greater than 0). The object rotates about its origin point.

6. Amend the size of the object by entering values greater than 0 (to proportionally scale an object
ensure the x, y and z scale values are equal). A negative value will, in effect, flip the object inside out.

7. Click OK.

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Chapter 16. Display Modes
The Rendering Styles toolbar controls the appearance of the model in the main navigation window. From
here you can control the lighting effect, the rendering type and enable or disable the different types of
primitives drawn. Linked with the display options (see Section 16.5, “ Display Options ” later in this
chapter) and file options (see Section 24.1, “ File Options ”, this enables you to fully control the
appearance of the NavisWorks main navigation window.

16.1. Rendering Styles

The rendering process interactively draws the scene's items in the main navigation window. You have a
choice of one of four interactive lighting modes (full lights, scene lights, head light, or no lights), four
rendering modes (full render, shaded render, wireframe or hidden line) and you can individually turn each
of the five primitive types (surfaces, lines, points, snap points and text) on and off.

The Rendering Style toolbar looks like this:

To access it, right-click any toolbar (for example, Standard) in the main navigation window, and click
Rendering Style on the shortcut menu.

16.1.1. Lighting
Lights come through from various CAD file formats as scene lights. The intensity of the head light and
scene lights can be set using the File Options under the Tools menu (see Section 24.1, “ File Options ”
for details on this).

The spheres below demonstrate the effect the lighting styles have on them. In order from the left, these
are full lights, scene lights, head light and no lights.

16.1.1.1. No Lights
This option turns off lighting. The models are shaded with flat rendering.

To turn off all lights:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Lighting > No Lights

or

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• Click No Lights on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.1.2. Head Light

This option uses a single directional light located at the camera that always points in the same direction
as the camera. You can set the head lights properties using Head Light options.

To turn on the head light:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Lighting > Head Light

or

• Click Head light on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.1.3. Head Light options

Sliders are available to change the intensity of the scene's ambient light and headlight.

The Ambient slider controls the general overall brightness of the scene while the Headlight slider
controls the brightness of the light located at the viewpoint.

Note
Changes made in Head Light options will not be visible unless you have selected the Head Light
rendering style.

Changing head light intensity:

1. On the Tools menu, click File Options.

2. In the File Options dialog box, click the Head Light tab.

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3. Move the sliders to affect the ambient and head light intensities. You will see the effect your changes
have on the scene in the main navigation window, as long as head light is selected as the rendering
style.

4. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

16.1.1.4. Scene Lights

This option uses whatever lights are defined in the model, or two default opposing lights, if none are
available. You can set the scene lights properties using Scene Lights options.

To turn on scene lights:

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• On the Viewpoint menu, click Lighting > Scene Lights

or

• Click Scene lights on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.1.5. Scene Lights Options

Sliders are available to change the intensity of the scene's lights.

The Ambient slider controls the general overall brightness of the scene when scene lights is selected as
the rendering style.

Note
Changes made in Scene Lights options will not be visible unless you have selected the Scene
Lights rendering style.

Changing scene light intensity:

1. On the Tools menu, click File Options.

2. In the File Options dialog box, click the Scene Lights tab.

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3. Move the slider to affect the ambient intensity. You will see the effect your changes have on the
scene in the main navigation window, as long as scene lights is selected as the rendering style.

4. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

16.1.1.6. Full Lights

This option uses lights that have been defined with the Presenter tool.

To turn on full lights:

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• On the Viewpoint menu, click Lighting > Full Lights

or

• Click Full lights on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.2. Render Modes

The four render modes affect how the items are rendered in the main navigation window.

The spheres below demonstrate the effect that the render modes have on their appearance. In order from
the left, these are full render, shaded, wireframe and hidden line.

16.1.2.1. Full Render

This option renders the model with smooth shading including any Presenter materials that have been
applied using NavisWorks Presenter or have been brought through from the native CAD file (although
NavisWorks does not convert all native CAD file's textures - see Chapter 10, Converting Files for more
details).

To select full render:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Rendering > Full Render

or

• Click Full Render on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.2.2. Shaded Render

This option renders the model with smooth shading and without textures.

To select shaded render:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Rendering > Shaded

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or

• Click Shaded on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.2.3. Wireframe Render

This option renders the model in wireframe. As NavisWorks uses triangles to represent surfaces and
solids, all triangle edges are visible in this mode.

To select wireframe render:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Rendering > Wireframe

or

• Click Wireframe on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.2.4. Hidden Line Render

This option renders the model in hidden line. This requires a two pass rendering algorithm so is
equivalent to rendering shaded and wireframe at the same time. The output is low quality as all the facet
edges in the model are visible.

To select hidden line render:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Rendering > Hidden Line

or

• Click Hidden Line on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.3. Display Primitives

The second part of the rendering style toolbar allows you enable and disable the drawing of surfaces,
lines, points, snap points, and 3D text. Points are "real" points in the model, whereas snap points mark
locations on other primitives, for example the center of a circle, and are useful for snapping to when
measuring.

16.1.3.1. Surfaces
Surfaces are the triangles that make up the 2D and 3D items in the scene.

To toggle the rendering of surfaces on or off:

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• On the Viewpoint menu, click Display > Surfaces

or

• Click Surfaces on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.3.2. Lines
As well as turning all lines on and off, it is possible to change the width of the lines. See Section 16.5, “
Display Options ” for details on how to do this.

To toggle the rendering of lines on or off:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Display > Lines

or

• Click Lines on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.3.3. Points
Points are real points in the model, for example, the points in a point cloud from a laser scan. As well as
turning all points on and off, it is possible to change the number of pixels used to draw them. See
Section 16.5, “ Display Options ” for details on how to do this.

To toggle the rendering of points on or off:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Display > Points

or

• Click Points on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.3.4. Snap Points

Snap points are implied points in the model, for example, the center point of a sphere or end points of a
pipe. As well as turning all snap points on and off, it is possible to change the number of pixels used to
draw them. See Section 16.5, “ Display Options ” for details on how to do this.

To toggle the rendering of snap points on or off:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Display > Snap Points

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or

• Click Snap Points on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.3.5. Text
Text is the 3D text saved in the scene.

To toggle the rendering of text on or off:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Display > Text

or

• Click Text on the Rendering Style toolbar.

16.1.4. Background Color

This option allows you to select or mix a background color for the main view. Setting the background color
is equivalent to setting a Plain Background on the Effects tab of the Presenter dialog box. This option is
only available if you have the NavisWorks Presenter tool.

Setting the background color:

1. On the Tools menu, click Background Color.

2. Select the color from the Windows™ color palette.

3. Click OK to set the background color or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting it.

16.2. Culling Options

There are three methods of culling objects in NavisWorks: backface, by area, and by near or far plane. All
of these options are configurable using the Culling tab of the File Options dialog box.

Backface culling only draws the front face of every polygon in NavisWorks, which is clearly faster.
Sometimes, however, the conversion process mixes up the front and back face of polygons and so you
have to tell NavisWorks to draw both sides in order to not see right through some objects.

Area culling options allow you to set the size of objects within a model that will not be displayed. For
example, if you were to set the value to 100 pixels any object within the model that would be drawn less
than 10x10 pixels in size will not be displayed.

Culling options by near and far plane allows some degree of control over the resolution of the axis

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perpendicular to the screen. NavisWorks uses the near and far clip plane to maximize the resolution of
the model on screen. The near and far clip plane boxes dictate constraints for the near and far culling
planes.

Setting culling options:

1. On the Tools menu, click File Options.

2. In the File Options dialog box, click the Culling tab.

3. Select the Enable check box under Area to enable the definition of the screen area (in pixels) below
which objects are culled and type in the number of pixels in the box.

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4. In the Near Clip Plane area, check the Automatically generated check box to tell NavisWorks to
constrain the near plane to give the best view of the model it possibly can. Alternatively, uncheck this
box to manually constrain the near clip plane. NavisWorks will put the near clip plane no further than
the value you type into the Furthest distance box.

5. Similarly, in the Far Clip Plane area, select the Automatically generated check box to tell
NavisWorks to constrain the far plane to give the best view of the model it possibly can. Alternatively,
clear this check box to manually constrain the far clip plane. NavisWorks will put the far clip plane no
closer than the value you type into the Closest distance box.

6. From the Backface drop-down list, select On to enable backface culling of all objects. Select Solid to
cull the backface of solid objects only. This is the default option and that which you are most likely to
require. If you find that parts of items are missing in the NavisWorks scene, you might want to disable
this option, by selecting Off.

7. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

16.3. Orientation Options

NavisWorks has a concept of orientation and provides a heads up directional display. For this to work
effectively, it is essential that the current model is orientated correctly.

To orientate the model:

1. On the Tools menu, click File Options.

2. In the File Options dialog box, click the Orientation tab.

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The defaults take the positive Z-axis as Up and the positive Y-axis as North.

3. If the models orientation is different to the defaults, enter XYZ values to correctly position the Up and
North directions.

4. Click OK to accept your changes, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without accepting them.

16.4. Speed Options

The basis of NavisWorks is its ability to walk through any size model in real time. NavisWorks guarantees
a user-defined frame rate using a unique algorithm which automatically calculates which items to render

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first during navigation, based on the size of items and distance from the viewpoint. Items which
NavisWorks does not have time to render are therefore sacrificed or "dropped out" in the name of
interactivity. These items are, of course, rendered when navigation ceases. The amount of drop-out
depends on several factors including: hardware (in particular graphics card and driver performance), as
well as the size of the NavisWorks navigation window and the size of the model. If you wish to reduce
drop-out during navigation, you have the option to reduce frame rate and therefore trade it off against
drop-out. You can set the frame rate anywhere between 1 and 60 frames per second.

Setting the frame rate:

1. On the Tools menu, click File Options.

2. In the File Options dialog box, click the Speed tab.

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3. Select the number of frames per second to be applied to the rendered display of the model.

4. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

16.5. Display Options

Use these options to control several aspects of the NavisWorks main navigation window display to suite
your preferences and setup.

Setting display options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node, and click the Display option.

The Display page opens.

3. Select the Hardware Acceleration check box to allow NavisWorks to utilize any available OpenGL
hardware acceleration on your video card. If your video card drivers do not function well with
NavisWorks, then you may wish to disable this option. This option is grayed out if your video card
does not support OpenGL hardware acceleration.

4. Select the Occlusion Culling check box to have NavisWorks only draw visible objects, i.e. ignores
objects that are behind other objects. This option will improve the display performance when much of
the model is not visible. For example, when you're walking down the corridor of a building. Occlusion
culling can only be utilized on a machine with an OpenGL 1.5 compliant graphics card.

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5. Select the Interactive Transparency check box to allow the rendering of transparent items during
interactive navigation. This may have an effect on performance - especially if your video card does
not support hardware accelerated OpenGL - and so by default transparent items are only drawn
when interaction has ceased.

6. Select the Guarantee Frame Rate check box to enable the NavisWorks engine to maintain the user
defined frame rate set on the Speed tab of the File Options dialog box (see Section 16.4, “ Speed
Options ”). By default the target rate is maintained while moving. When movement stops the
complete model is rendered. If the Guarantee Frame Rate check box is cleared, the complete model
is always rendered during navigation, no matter how long it takes.

7. Select the Fill In Detail check box if you want NavisWorks to fill in any discarded detail when
navigation has ceased.

8. Select the Batch Fill check box if you want NavisWorks to fill in detail in chunks rather than
gradually. By default this is disabled as gradual rendering is generally better but some video cards
may work better with batch fill enabled.

9. In the Point Size box, enter a number between 1 and 9 to set the size (in pixels) of points drawn in
the main window. See Section 16.1.3.3, “ Points ” for more information on points.

10. In the Line Size box, enter a number between 1 and 9 to set the width (in pixels) of lines drawn in the
main window. See Section 16.1.3.2, “ Lines ” for more information on lines.

11. In the Snap Size box, enter a number between 1 and 9 to set the size (in pixels) of snap points
drawn in the main window. See Section 16.1.3.4, “ Snap Points ” for more information on snap points.

12. Select the Enable Parametric Primitives check box to allow the dynamic rendering of parametric
models during interactive navigation. When this check box is selected, the level of detail will be
changed depending on the distance from the camera. When the check box is cleared, a default
representation of the primitive is used, and the level of detail does not change. Modifying this option
requires a restart of NavisWorks to take effect.

13. From the Mode drop-down list, select XYZ to turn on the XYZ indicator, or Compass to turn on the
north-south indicator, or Off to display neither.

14. Select the Show Position check box to show the absolute X, Y, Z position of the camera (or the
avatar's eye position if the avatar is visible). These position coordinates are shown at the bottom left
of the main view, and can be shown with or without the other Heads Up elements.

Note
See Orientation Options for more information on correctly orientating your model file.

15. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

16.6. Performance Options

Use these options to customize the performance of NavisWorks.

Setting Performance options:

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1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Model node, and click the Performance option.

The Performance page is displayed:

3. Memory. Select the Auto check box for NavisWorks to automatically calculate the maximum
memory that may be used. This will take the lowest of your available physical memory or address
space, less that required for your Windows operating system.

Alternatively, clear this option and manually enter the limit.

4. Merge Duplicates. These options improve performance by multiply instancing matching items.
Rather than storing every item in memory, if any items are the same, NavisWorks can store one
instance of them and 'copy' that instance into other positions. This is of particular benefit on larger
models, where there are significant numbers of these duplicate geometries.

The options available determine when NavisWorks should perform this merging process:

• On Convert. Merge duplicates when converting a CAD file.

• On Append. Merge duplicates when a new file is appended to the current scene.

• On Load. Merge duplicates when loading a file into NavisWorks.

• On Save NWF. Merge duplicates when saving the current scene out to .nwf.

5. On Load. The Collapse on Convert box can be set to alter layers shown in the Selection Set
window on loading native CAD model files. Each type collapses the Selection Set tree up to the
specified level. So None does not collapse the tree, Composite Objects collapses the tree up to the
level of composite objects, etc. This enables performance to be prioritized over structure/properties

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and has the added benefit of improving streaming by cutting down the logical structure.

It should be noted that whilst NavisWorks will try to collape items to the fewest number possible, it
may be necessary to prevent collapsing in some cases to preserve model fidelity. For example if an
item has properties or materials unique to itself, then collapsing would endanger this information, and
therefore it will not be collapsed.

The Close NWC/NWD files on load check box, if selected, turns off any streaming on loaded NWC
and NWD files, loading them into memory in their entirety, and then closing them. This allows other
programs to write to these files whilst they are in use.

Select the Create Parametric Primitives check box to enable creation of parametric models (models
described by formulae not vertices). Using this option allows you to get better looking visuals, faster
rendering, smaller memory footprint (especially when loading DGN and RVM files that contain
significant amounts of parametric data that will no longer need to be converted into vertices in
NavisWorks. Modifying this option will take effect when you next load or refresh file.

6. Temporary File Location. Select the Auto check box for NavisWorks to automatically select your
user Temp directory. Alternatively, if you prefer to select another location, clear this option and enter
the path accordingly.

16.7. Presenter Options

Use these options to control the appearance of Presenter materials in the main navigation window during
navigation. You may want to adjust these settings to get optimum performance from your graphics card
when navigating around heavily textured scenes.

Setting Presenter options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Tools node, and click the Presenter option.

The Presenter page is displayed

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3. Use the Profile drop-down list to adjust the Presenter to your level of knowledge. Select Advanced
to use the advanced Presenter features (e.g., extra materials, lights, render styles and so on). By
default, the Basic profile is used.

4. Select the Smoothed Textures check box if you want textures to look smooth but take longer to
render. Clear it if you want textures to appear pixelated but render faster.

5. Select the Filtered Textures check box if you want to turn on mipmapping. This will improve the
appearance of textures in the distance.

6. Clear the Interactive Materials check box if you want to turn off texture display during navigation.
The materials reappear automatically when navigation ceases, as long as the Full Render rendering
style is on. Clearing this check box will ease the load on less capable graphics cards and give less
drop out in heavily textured scenes.

7. Clear the Interactive Lighting check box if you want to turn off Presenter lights during navigation.
The lights reappear automatically when navigation ceases, as long as the Full Lights lighting style is
on. Clearing this option will ease the load on less capable graphics cards and give less drop out in
heavily lit scenes.

8. Use the Max Texture Size drop-down list to set the maximum size that any texture can be (in pixels,
e.g. 128 is 128 pixels x 128 pixels). The higher the value, the more MB in memory will be taken and
thus performance could be affected on less capable graphics cards.

9. Use the Max Image Texture Size drop-down list to set the maximum size that any texture image can
be (in pixels, e.g. 256 is 256 pixels x 256 pixels). The higher the value, the more MB in memory will
be taken and thus performance could be affected on less capable graphics cards.

10. Similarly, use the Max Background Texture drop-down list to set the maximum size that the
background texture can be (in pixels, e.g. 256 is 256 pixels x 256 pixels). The higher the value, the
more MB in memory will be taken and thus performance could be affected on less capable graphics

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cards.

11. Select the Blend Transparent Textures check box if you want better quality but slower rendering of
transparent items in the main navigation window. With this option off, items with transparency of
more than 50% are treated as completely transparent and not rendered at all.

12. Select the Use Texture Anti-Aliasing check box if you want procedural materials (such as some
bricks and tiles - you can tell a procedural material in Presenter because it has a ball style preview
icon) to be rendered using anti-aliasing. With this option on, it will take longer to open files containing
procedural textures, but the quality will be better.

13. Hardware Shading can only be utilized on machines with OpenGL 1.5 compliant graphics cards.

From the Hardware Shading drop-down list, select:

• Interactive Shadows. Select this option to enable lights and shadows whilst navigating.

• Passive Shadows. Select this option to disable lights and shadows whilst navigating, then turn
them on when navigation ceases.

• Lighting. Select this option to turn lighting on with no shadows.

• Off. Select this option to have no hardware shading enabled.

14. Select Hardware Bump Maps check box to display bump map textures interactively, whilst
navigating. This can only be utilized on a machine with an OpenGL 1.5 compliant graphics card.
Hardware Shading also needs to be enabled.

15. Select Hardware Marble check box to display hardware rendered marble materials in realtime. This
can only be utilized on a machine with an OpenGL 1.5 compliant graphics card. Hardware Shading
also needs to be enabled.

16. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

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Chapter 17. Viewpoints
Viewpoints are an important feature of NavisWorks. They not only allow you to save and return to views
of the model which are of importance, but they can also be used for design review audit trails and for
setting up animations of the model.

17.1. Saving Viewpoints

Viewpoints contain more than just the camera information - each viewpoint can also contain redlines and
comments. In fact, you can use viewpoints as a design review audit trail. They can be used as hyperlinks
in the main navigation window to click on and zoom to the viewpoint, which will also bring up the redline
and comments associated with it. The viewpoints, redlines and comments are all saved into an .nwf file
from NavisWorks, so even if the native CAD files are changing, the saved viewpoints remain the same
over the top, so you can see how the design has evolved. See Chapter 20, Reviewing for more
information on hyperlinks, comments and redlines and Section 10.1.1, “ NWF Files ” for more information
on the .nwf file format.

Viewpoints also retain the section planes active at the time of viewpoint creation, which can be useful in
animating sliding sections. See Section 18.1, “ Sectioning a model ” for more information on sections.
Viewpoints can optionally retain saved attributes too, so that on returning to a viewpoint, overridden
colors, transparencies and hidden items are reinstated. This can be used to great effect to create
animations where items appear and disappear from the scene in time. See Section 17.6, “ Viewpoints
Options ” for more information on options, and Chapter 19, Animation for more information on animations.

To save a viewpoint:

• On the Viewpoint menu, click Saved Viewpoints > Save Viewpoint.

or

• Right-click the Viewpoints control bar and choose Save Viewpoint.

New viewpoints are named "ViewX" where 'X' is the next available number added to the list. This new
viewpoint will take all the attributes of the current viewpoint in the main navigation window.

17.2. Recalling Viewpoints

To return to a viewpoint

• Click Viewpoint > Saved Viewpoints, and choose the saved viewpoint from the list.

or

• In the Viewpoints control bar, simply click on the viewpoint from the list.

Note

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On recalling viewpoints the navigation mode that was active when the viewpoint was created will
be re-selected. Any redlines and comments associated with the viewpoint will also be reinstated.

17.3. The Viewpoints Control Bar

Viewpoints allow you to keep a record of all the different views of a model so that you can jump to preset
viewpoints without having to navigate each time to reach an item. Viepoint animations are also saved with
the viewpoints, as they are simply a list of viewpoints treated as keyframes. In fact, viewpoint animations
can be made by simply dragging preset viewpoints onto an empty viewpoint animation. See Section 19.3,
“ Creating Viewpoint Animations ” for more information on viewpoint animations. You can also organize
your viewpoints and viewpoint animations using folders.

The Viewpoints control bar is shown above. To open it,

• On the View menu, click Control Bars > Viewpoints

or

• Click Viewpoints on the Workspace toolbar.

Icons are used to represent different elements:

represents a folder which may contain all other elements (including other folders).

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represents a viewpoint saved in orthographic mode.

represents a viewpoint saved in perspective mode.

represents a viewpont animation clip.

represents a cut inserted into a viewpoint animation clip.

You can select more than one viewpoint by either holding down the Control key and left-clicking, or by
left-clicking on the first item, and then clicking on the last item while holding down the Shift key. You can
drag viewpoints around the Viewpoints control bar, and reorganize into folders or animations.

There are no buttons on this control bar, and commands are actioned through context menus. Through
these menus, you can save and update viewpoints, create and manage viewpoint animations and create
folders to organize these viewpoints and viewpoint animations. You can also drag and drop viewpoints or
viewpoint animations onto viewpoint animations or folders, and holding down the Control key during this
operation will copy the element being dragged. This allows fairly complex hierarchies of viewpoint
animations and folders to be easily composed.

Viewpoints, folders and viewpoint animations can all be renamed by slow clicking (clicking and pausing
without moving the mouse) on the element, or clicking on it and hitting F2. Right-clicking on an element in
the Viewpoints control bar gives you a different shortcut menu, depending on the element, or if you've
right-clicked a blank space. The following section explains the different shortcut menus.

17.4. The Viewpoint Shortcut Menus

You get a different shortcut menu, depending on what element you right-click on in the Viewpoints
control bar:

• Blank space

• A saved viewpoint

• A viewpoint animation

• A folder

All shorcut menus share the Sort option, which sorts the contents of the Viewpoints control bar
alphabetically, including folders and their contents.

17.4.1. The Viewpoints Control Bar Shorcut Menu

Saving viewpoints, adding viewpoint animations and folders

1. Right-click a blank space in the Viewpoints control bar.

2. Choose Add Folder if you want to add another folder. A new folder will be created with its default

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name ("FolderX") editable.

Choose Save Viewpoint if you want to save the current viewpoint. A new viewpoint will be created
with its default name ("ViewX") editable.

Choose Add Empty Animation if you want to create a new viewpoint animation, ready for dragging
viewpoints onto. A new viewpoint animation will be created with its default name ("AnimationX")
editable. See Section 19.3, “ Creating Viewpoint Animations ” for more information on viewpoint
animations.

17.4.2. Viewpoints

Managing Viewpoints

1. Right-click the viewpoint in the Viewpoints control bar.

2. Choose Edit to manually edit the viewpoint's attributes (see Section 17.5, “ Editing Viewpoints ”).

Choose Add Copy to create a copy of the viewpoint in the saved viewpoints list. The copy will be
named the same as the viewpoint clicked on, but with a " - copy" suffix. The main navigation window
will jump to this viewpoint.

Choose Add Comment to add a comment regarding this viewpoint. See Section 20.1, “ Commenting
” for more information on comments.

Choose Update to make the saved viewpoint the same as the current viewpoint.

Choose Delete to remove the viewpoint from the list of saved viewpoints.

17.4.3. Viewpoint Animations

Managing Viewpoint Animations

1. Right-click the viewpoint animation, or any of its keyframes, in the Viewpoints control bar.

2. Choose Save Viewpoint to add the current viewpoint as the last keyframe in the selected viewpoint
animation.

Choose Add Cut to add a cut to the end of the viewpoint animation. Cuts are pauses in the viewpoint
animation and are 1 second long by default.

Choose Add Copy to add a copy of the element. If you've right-clicked a viewpoint animation, the
whole animation will be copied and named the same but with a "- copy" suffix. If you've right-clicked a
cut or a keyframe, then the cut or keyframe will be copied.

Choose Add Comment to add a comment regarding this viewpoint. See Section 20.1, “ Commenting
” for more information on comments.

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Choose Edit to edit the element. Editing a keyframe will open the Edit Viewpoint dialog box. See
Section 19.4, “ Editing Viewpoint Animations ” for more information on editing viewpoint animations,
keyframes and cuts.

Choose Update to update all keyframes in the viewpoint animation with the current render style,
lighting and navigation mode. Choosing Update on a single keyframe will only update that frame with
the current modes.

Choose Delete to remove the viewpoint animation from the list of saved viewpoints, or in the case of
a keyframe or cut, to remove the keyframe or cut from the viewpoint animation.

If you've right clicked on a keyframe, you can also choose Update to make the keyframe the same
as the current viewpoint.

17.4.4. Folders

Managing Folders

1. Right-click the folder in the Viewpoints control bar.

2. Choose Save Viewpoint if you want to save the current viewpoint. A new viewpoint will be created in
the folder with its default name ("ViewX") editable.

Choose Add Animation if you want to create a new viewpoint animation, ready for dragging
viewpoints onto, in this folder. A new viewpoint animation will be created with its default name
("AnimationX") editable. See Section 19.3, “ Creating Viewpoint Animations ” for more information on
viewpoint animations.

Choose Add Copy to create a copy of the folder in the saved viewpoints list. The copy will be named
the same as the folder clicked on, but with a " - copy" suffix.

Choose Add Folder if you want to add another folder underneath the selected folder. A new folder
will be created with its default name ("FolderX") editable.

Choose Add Comment to add a comment regarding this folder. See Section 20.1, “ Commenting ”
for more information on comments.

Choose Update to update all viewpoints in the folder with the current render style, lighting and
navigation mode. Choosing Update on a single viewpoint will only update that viewpoint with the
current modes.

Choose Delete to remove the folder and all its contents from the list of saved viewpoints.

17.5. Editing Viewpoints

You can edit by hand any viewpoints attributes, including camera position, field of view, speed of motion
and saved attributes. All entries are measured in scene units (see Section 22.3, “ Units ”).

If accessed from Viewpoint > Edit Current Viewpoint, the Edit Viewpoint dialog box allows editing of

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the current viewpoint's attributes. Alternatively, if accessed via the saved viewpoints list by right-clicking
on a viewpoint or a keyframe and choosing edit, this dialog allows editing of the currently selected
viewpoint's or keyframe's attributes as outlined below:

Editing a viewpoint

1. To edit a saved viewpoint, right-click the viewpoint on the Viewpoints control bar and choose Edit
from the shortcut menu.

Alternatively, to edit the current main navigation viewpoint, go to Viewpoint > Edit Current
Viewpoint.

Or to edit a thumbnail's viewpoint, right-click on the thumbnail and choose Edit Viewpoint from the
shortcut menu.

The Edit Viewpoint dialog box is displayed.

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2. Set the camera position's x-, y- and z- coordinates using the Position boxes.

3. Set the focal point's x-, y- and z- coordinates of the camera using the Look At boxes.

4. Enter the Vertical Field Of View and Horizontal Field Of View. If the units are set to degrees, then
these numbers should be between 0.1 and 90 and if in radians, between 0.002 and 3.124. See Field
Of View for more details on what field of view means.

5. Enter the Roll of the camera about its viewing axis. This value is not editable where the world up
vector stays upright (i.e. in walk, orbit and turntable modes).

6. Enter the speed of motion in a straight line for the viewpoint in the Linear Speed box (the minimum
value is 0 and the maximum is based on the size of the scene's bounding box).

7. Enter the speed of turning for the viewpoint in the Angular Speed box.

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8. If the viewpoint being edited is a saved viewpoint (i.e., selected from the Viewpoint control bar),
selecting the check box of a saved attribute will store that attribute with the viewpoint. See
Section 17.6, “ Viewpoints Options ” for more details.

9. Click the Settings button to open the Collision Detection dialog box:

• Select the Collision Detection check box to activate collision detection.

• Select the Gravity check box to activate gravity.

• Select the Auto Crouch check box to activate crouching.

• In the Viewer, Radius text box, enter a value for the radius of the collision volume. See
Section 12.2.6, “ Collision Detection ”.

• In the Viewer, Height text box, enter a value for the height of the collision volume. See
Section 12.2.6, “ Collision Detection ”.

• In the Viewer, Eye Offset text box, enter a value for the distance below the top of the collision
volume, where the camera will focus upon when auto zoom is activated.

• Select the Third Person, Enable check box to view from a third person perspective.

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• Select the Auto Zoom check box to automatically zoom from third person view into first person
view, whenever the line of vision is obscured by an item in the model scene.

• From the Third Person, Avatar drop-down, select the avatar you wish to represent yourself as.
See Section 12.2.9, “ Third Person View ”.

• In the Third Person, Angle text box, enter the angle at which you wish to look at the avatar. For
example, zero degrees will be directly behind and 15 degrees will be looking down on the avatar
at a 15 degree angle.

• In the Third Person, Distance text box, enter the distance behind the avatar, from which you
wish to view from.

• Click OK to accept the settings, or Cancel to return to the Edit Viewpoint dialog without
changing the settings.

10. Click OK to set the viewpoint or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting it.

17.6. Viewpoints Options

Two view attributes can be saved with a viewpoint:

• Hide/Required - whether items are hidden or required.

• Override Materials - the color and transparency of items.

You can set a viewpoint to save either attribute by editing the viewpoint. To update changes to overridden
material or hide/required, use Update on the viewpoints shortcut menu. Be careful, though, as this also
updates the point of view as well, which may disrupt any redline information stored with the viewpoint.

By default these attributes are not stored with new saved viewpoints. If you do wish them to be saved by
default, then this can set in the Options Editor.

Setting the default viewpoints options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node, and click the Viewpoint Defaults option.

The Viewpoints page opens.

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3. Select the Save Hide/Required Attributes check box if you want to save the hidden and required
items with the viewpoints you save. This means that when returning to those viewpoints, the items
that were hidden when the viewpoint was saved will be hidden again and those that were drawn will
be drawn again. By default, this check box is clear, as it requires a relatively large amount of memory
to save this state information with each viewpoint. See Section 15.3, “ Hiding Items ” for more
information on hidden items and Section 15.4, “ Making items required ” for more information on
making items required.

4. Select the Override Material check box if you want to save the material overrides with the viewpoints
you save. This means that when returning to those viewpoints, the material overrides set when the
viewpoint was saved will be reinstated. By default, this check box is clear as it requires a relatively
large amount of memory to save this state information with each viewpoint. See Section 15.6, “
Overriding Item Properties ” for more information on overriding materials.

5. Select the Override Model Linear Speed check box to be able to set a specific speed to navigate on
loading a model. Without this selected, the linear navigation speed is directly related to the size of the
model loaded.

6. The Default Angular Speed can be set to any number of degrees per second. This affects the
speed at which the camera turns.

7. Click OK to set the profile or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting it.

Collision detection settings can also be saved with a viewpoint, including whether collision detection,
gravity, crouching and third person view are enabled.

You can set a viewpoint to save any of these settings by editing the viewpoint, in the same way as the
view attributes, above.

By default, all of the collision detection settings are disabled. If you wish to save your preferred collision

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detection setting defaults, which will be used each time you open a model or a new NavisWorks session,
then these can be set in the Options Editor.

Setting the default collision detection options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node, and click the Viewpoint Defaults option.

3. Click the Settings button on the Viewpoints page.

The Default Collision Detection dialog box opens.

4. Select the default options you wish NavisWorks to initialize with. See Editing Viewpoints for a
description of each of the available options.

Note
These default collision detection settings differ from the current viewpoint settings, in that these
do not alter the current scene. These settings will only be used when starting NavisWorks, or
opening a new model. To edit the collision detection settings in the current scene, see

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Section 17.5, “ Editing Viewpoints ”.

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Chapter 18. Sectioning
Sectioning allows you to make up to 6 sectional cuts in any plane while still being able to navigate around
the scene, enabling you to see inside models without hiding any item. Section planes are stored inside
viewpoints and so can also be used within viewpoint animations and object animations to show a
dynamically sectioned model. See Section 17.3, “ The Viewpoints Control Bar ” for more information on
viewpoints, and Chapter 19, Animation for more information on animations.

Slices can also be created using two opposing section planes and linking them. In this way you can move
a slice through the scene in real time and can again link this to viewpoint animations, object animations,
and viewpoints.

18.1. Sectioning a model

There are up to 6 section planes enabled at one time, but there is only one that is active. The section
plane that is active is numbered in the drop-down box. However, you can link section planes together to
form slices.

The Sectioning toolbar is shown above. To open it,

• Right-click anywhere in the toolbar area of the screen, and click Sectioning on the shortcut menu.

or

• Click Sectioning on the Workspace toolbar.

Manipulating the active section plane:

1. Choose the plane that you wish to manipulate using the numbered drop-down box. In this drop-down
box, there will always be one more than the number of enabled section planes in the scene, up to a
maximum of 6.

2. Set the Step Size by clicking Step Size . This opens the Sectioning Plane dialog box.

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Select the Step Size check box, and enter the step value in the box below. This value is
then used when moving the section planes. If the Step Size check box is left clear, the
section planes will move at percentage intervals.

Click OK to close the dialog box, and save the changes.

3. To switch the plane on, click Enable/Disable on the Sectioning toolbar. Clicking it again,

switches the plane off.

4. Once the plane is switched on, choose one of the 7 planes that this section plane will cut:

Align View - aligns section plane with camera view plane.

Align Bottom - aligns section plane with bottom of model.

Align Top - aligns section plane with top of model.

Align Front - aligns section plane with front of model.

Align Back - aligns section plane with back of model.

Align Left - aligns section plane with left of model.

Align Right - aligns section plane with right of model.

Note
Each plane for each section remembers its position, so the slider will move when you choose

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another plane.

5. Move the slider to interactively position the section plane to the required location. The number in the
edit box shows the position of the section plane from the origin and will be updated when moving the
section plane. You can also type in the location of the origin in this edit box for exact positioning of
the plane.

Note
You can also use the cursor keys and mouse wheel for simple sliding of the section plane through
the model.

6. Clicking the Set Range button helps you to set a finer resolution for sectioning large models.

What this button does is limit the range of the section planes to the bounding box limits of the
currently selected items. For more information on selecting items, see Chapter 13, Selecting Items .
Clicking this button with nothing selected resets the section range to the limits of the whole model,
which is the default.

7. If you have more than one section plane enabled, you can delete the currently active plane using the
delete button. The next enabled plane will then become the active plane.

18.2. Linking Sections

You can add up to 6 section planes to the scene at once using the sectioning procedure. Once more than
one plane is enabled, you can then link them together. Linking opposing planes, such as top and bottom,
enables you to quickly 'slice' your model in real time. The slices can be used in viewpoints, viewpoint
animations, and object animations. The procedure below is an example of creating a horizontal slice
using the top and bottom section planes.

To slice the model:

1. Set up the bottom section plane:

Select 1 in the drop-down list on the Sectioning toolbar.

Click to enable the plane.

Click to align the section plane with bottom of model.

Click to set up the step size.

Use the slider bar to adjust the level of sectioning.

2. Set up the top section plane:

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Select 2 in the drop-down list on the the Sectioning toolbar.

Repeat the steps for creating the bottom section plane, but this time, click to align

the section plane with top of model.

Note
The model may disappear completely at this stage. If this happens, move the slider bar until it
becomes apparent where the plane is.

3. If necessary, keep switching between planes 1 and 2 using the drop-down box, and configure the
planes' position to how far you want them separated in the slice.

4. When happy with their separation, select section plane 2 and click the Link button. This links

planes 2 and 1 together to form a slice.

5. Use the slider bar to move the horizontal slice through the model.

6. If you want, you can save this slice configuration into a viewpoint. See Section 17.1, “ Saving
Viewpoints ” for more information on how to do this.

Thinking about linked sections and slices can be confusing. Just remember that when linking sections
together, the section plane direction currently in operation effectively moves the whole "box" around the
scene, keeping the other section planes relative to it.

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Chapter 19. Animation
In NavisWorks there are two types of animation:

• Object animation

• Viewpoint animation

Viewpoint Animation
Viewpoint animation is a quick and efficient way of recording both your movement through the model and
views of the model. There are two ways to produce a viewpoint animation in NavisWorks:

• By recording interactive navigation

• By creating animated transitions between saved views.

You can also create slide show animations, which are, essentially, viewpoint transitions with a number of
cuts (pauses) added between viewpoints.

Object Animation
In addition to viewpoint animation, you can also animate and interact with 3D geometry in your model.
Although the ability to record animations and produce scripts necessary to interact with animated objects
is limited to users with access to the Animator and Scripter functionality, any user can actually play them
back once they have been recorded.

19.1. The Animation Toolbar

The Animation toolbar in NavisWorks enables you to record, play and edit viewpoint animations. It can
also be used to play back object animations and enable/disable scripting.

Note
Creating object animations and scripts is limited to users with access to the Animator and Scripter
functionality.

The Animation toolbar is shown below.

To open it, right-click anywhere in the toolbar area of the screen, and click Animation on the shortcut
menu.

Rewind - rewinds the animation back to the beginning.

Step Back - steps back a single keyframe.

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Reverse Play - plays the animation backwards.

Record - records the viewpoint animation.

Pause - pauses the animation at the frame you press it at. You can then look

around and wonder off in the model, or step forwards and backwards through the
animation. To continue playing from where you paused, just press Play again.

Stop - stops the animation playing and rewinds it back to the beginning.

Play - plays the currently selected animation.

Step Forward - steps one keyframe forwards.

Fast Forward - fast forwards the animation to the end.

Animation Position slider - controls the current playback

position.

Animation Position - indicates the current playback position in

seconds.

Available Animations - allows you to choose the animation

to play.

Toggle Scripts - enables/disables animation scripts in your file.

19.2. The Viewpoints Control Bar

The viewpoint animations can be instantly recorded by pressing on the Animation toolbar, and then

navigate through the model. Alternatively, you can build viewpoint animations frame by frame (viewpoint
by viewpoint) on the Viewpoints control bar, and then use it to save, edit, rearrange and manage your
viewpoint animations in folders, including inserting cuts and dragging and dropping viewpoint animations
onto other animations to build up a more complex viewpoint animation from simpler ones. At any time
during an animation playback, you can stop the viewpoint animation and have a real time look around
before restarting it. Once you are happy with the viewpoint animation, you can export it as an .avi file.

It is worth remembering that you can hide items in viewpoints, override colors and transparencies and set
multiple section planes and these will all be respected by a viewpoint animation. This way you can easily
create powerful viewpoint animations.

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19.3. Creating Viewpoint Animations

There are two ways to create viewpoint animations in NavisWorks. You can either simply record your
real-time walk through, or you can assemble specific viewpoints for NavisWorks to interpolate into a
viewpoint animation later.

Viewpoint animation is controlled through the Tools > Animation menu, the Viewpoints control bar, and
the Animation toolbar.

Creating a viewpoint animation in real time:

1. Click the Record button on the Animation toolbar.

2. Navigate around in the main navigation window while NavisWorks records your movement. You can
even move the section planes through the model during your navigation, and this will be recorded
into the viewpoint animation too.

3. At any point during the navigation, you can click the Pause button . This will pause the

recording while you maneuver into a new position. Click the Pause button again to continue
recording the viewpoint animation. The resulting viewpoint animation will contain a cut for the
duration of the pause.

4. When finished, click the Stop button .

5. A new viewpoint animation called "AnimationX", where 'X' is the latest available number, will be
added to the Viewpoints control bar. The name will be editable at this point if you want to name it
yourself. This viewpoint animation will also become the current active animation in the Available
Animations drop-down box on the Animation toolbar.

While the above method is useful for creating quick viewpoint animations on the fly, sometimes you need
more control over the viewpoint camera. To do this in NavisWorks, you need to set up several viewpoints
and add them to an empty viewpoint animation. When playing back the animation, NavisWorks will then
interpolate between these viewpoints.

Creating an animation frame by frame:

1. Right-click the Viewpoints control bar and select Add Empty Animation from the shortcut menu.

2. A new viewpoint animation called "AnimationX", where 'X' is the latest available number, will be
added to the Viewpoints control bar. The name will be editable at this point if you want to name it
yourself. There will be no plus sign next to the viewpoint animation, showing that the viewpoint
animation is indeed empty.

3. Create the viewpoints where you want the camera to move through during the animation and save
these into the Viewpoints control bar. These will become the frames for the animation. The more
frames you have, the smoother and more predictable the viewpoint animation will be. See
Section 17.1, “ Saving Viewpoints ” for more information on creating viewpoints.

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4. When you have all the viewpoints, simply drag them onto the empty viewpoint animation you just
created. You can drag them on one-by-one, or select multiple viewpoints using the Control and Shift
keys and drag several on at once. If you drop them onto the viewpoint animation icon itself, then the
viewpoints will become frames at the end of the animation, but you can drop the viewpoints
anywhere on the expanded animation to put them where you wish.

5. At this point, you can use the Animation Position slider on the Animation toolbar to move
backward and forward through the viewpoint animation to see how it looks.

6. You can edit any of the viewpoints inside the viewpoint animation (see Section 17.5, “ Editing
Viewpoints ” for details on this), or you can add more viewpoints, delete them, move them around,
add cuts and edit the animation itself (see Section 19.4, “ Editing Viewpoint Animations ”) until you
are happy with the viewpoint animation.

7. Once you have several viewpoint animations, you can drag and drop them onto a master viewpoint
animation to compose more complex combinations of animations, just like dragging and dropping
viewpoints onto an animation as a frame.

19.4. Editing Viewpoint Animations

Once a viewpoint animation is recorded, you can edit it to set the duration, the type of smoothing and
whether it loops or not.

Editing a viewpoint animation:

1. Right-click the viewpoint animation you want to modify on the Viewpoints control bar, and click Edit
on the shortcut menu.

The Edit Animation dialog is displayed.

2. Type in the duration in seconds in the Duration box.

3. If you want the viewpoint animation to play back continuously, select the Loop Playback check box.

4. From the Smoothing drop-down list, select the type of smoothing you want the viewpoint animation
to use. None means that the camera will move from one frame to the next without any attempt at
smoothing out the corners. The speed of movement between frames of an animation is dictated by
the angular and linear speeds of the individual frames and so choosing Synchronise angular/linear
speeds will smooth the differences between the speeds of each frame in the animation, resulting in a

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less jerky animation.

5. Click OK to set these options, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks leaving the viewpoint animation as
it was.

There is also nothing to stop you copying viewpoint animations (hold down the Control key when
dragging an animation on the Viewpoints control bar), dragging frames off the animation into a blank
space on the Viewpoints control bar to remove them from the viewpoint animation, editing individual
frames attributes, inserting cuts or dragging other viewpoints or viewpoint animations onto the existing
one, to continue developing your animations.

19.5. Animation Cuts

Cuts in a viewpoint animation are simply points where the camera pauses for a while. They are inserted
automatically when you click on Pause during the interactive recording of a viewpoint animation, or you
can insert them manually into an existing viewpoint animation.

Inserting pauses into a viewpoint animation:

1. Right-click the frame below where you want to insert the cut, and click Add Cut on the shortcut
menu.

2. Type in the name of the cut, or hit Enter to accept the default name, which will be "CutX", where 'X' is
the next available number.

3. This default duration of a cut is 1 second. To alter the duration of this pause, right-click the cut, and
click Edit on the shortcut menu.

The Edit Animation Cut dialog is displayed

4. Type in the duration of the pause in seconds.

5. Click OK to set the duration or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without setting it.

19.6. Playing Back Animations

You can play back both pre-recorded object animation and viewpoint animation in the main navigation
window. The animation plays in real time; this means that the NavisWorks engine is still attempting to
maintain the guaranteed frame rate so some drop-out may still occur, just as in real-time navigation.

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However, you can export the animations to an .avi file for playback with Windows Media Player™ and this
will render each frame without any drop-out. Of course, you don't have the option of pausing the playback
half way through to look around the mode using this method! See Section 9.15.3, “ Exporting an
animation ” for details on how to export an animation to .avi.

Playing back an animation:

1. Select the animation you wish to play back from either the Viewpoints control bar, or from the
Available Animations drop-down list on the Animation toolbar.

2. You can use the Animation Position slider to quickly move forwards and backwards through the
animation. Full left is at the beginning and full right is at the end. The text box next to the slider shows
the point in time (in seconds) through the animation that the camera is. You can type a number into
this box to set the camera at a certain point in the animation and play back from that point.

3. For viewpoint animations, you may notice that the frame in the animation in the Viewpoints control
bar is highlighted when the animation is playing. You can click on any frame to set the camera to that
point in time in the viewpoint animation and continue playing back from there.

4. Use the VCR buttons on the Animation toolbar to step and play forwards and backwards through the
animation.

Enabling Scripting:

• To enable animation scripts in your file, click the Toggle Scripts button on the Animation

toolbar.

You can now interact with your model. For example, if there is a scipt to open a door on pressing a
specific key on the keyboard, pressing this key will open the door.

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Chapter 20. Reviewing
NavisWorks offers several design review tools to help you review a model and communicate those
reviews to others. Any reviewing you save in the model can also be saved into an .nwf file so that you can
reload the reviews into a later session when the model has changed, or to pass onto colleagues to
communicate design intent or problems.

The reviewing tools available in NavisWorks are:

• Commenting

• Redlining (including tagging)

• Measuring

• Hyperlinks

• Smart Tags

• Collaboration

• SwitchBack

20.1. Commenting
Multiple comments can be attached to any item in the Viewpoints control bar (see Section 17.3, “ The
Viewpoints Control Bar ”), or to any item in the Selection Sets control bar (see Section 13.3, “ Selection
and Search Sets ”), or to Clash Detective results, or to TimeLiner tasks.

The Comments control bar allows you to view all comments attached to one of these sources.

To open it, click on the Workspace toolbar, or on the View menu, click Control Bars > Comments.

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When the source of the comments is recalled, such as a viewpoint, all comments attached to it appear in
the Comments control bar, showing the time and date, author, ID and status of each comment. The icon
on the far left represents the source type:

- selection set.

- search set.

or or or - Clash Detective result.

or - viewpoint.

or - viewpoint animation.

- tag.

- TimeLiner.

With many comments attached to many sources in a model, you may want to find a particular comment
without having to manually search each possible source. See Section 14.4, “ Finding Comments ” for
details on how to achieve this.

Note
The first line of a comment is what is displayed in the top half of the Comments control bar and
can be treated like its "subject". To get multiple lines in a comment, hold down Control and press
Enter. This will give you a carriage return in the text box, rather than simulating a press of the OK
button.

Any new comments will automatically be given a unique ID, along with the date and author of the
comment and a status can be set. All of these are searchable criteria.

Once a comment is added, it can be edited or deleted.

20.1.1. Adding Comments

You can add as many comments as you wish to a source, either from the Comments control bar, or from
the source itself.

Adding a comment from the Comments control bar:

1. Go to the source of the comment, be it a viewpoint, selection set or Clash Detective result.

2. Open the Comments control bar by clicking on the Workspace toolbar.

3. Right-click the Comments control bar, and click Add Comment on the shortcut menu.

An empty Add Comment resizable dialog is displayed.

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4. Type in the comment.

5. To assign a status, select either New, Active, Approved or Resolved from the drop-down list.

6. Click OK to save the comment or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without saving it.

Adding a comment from the source (viewpoint, selection set or Clash Detective
result):

1. Go to the source of the comment, be it a viewpoint, selection set or Clash Detective result.

2. Right-click the source, and click Add Comment on the shortcut menu.

Alternatively, on the Review menu, click Comments > Add Comment.

An empty Add Comment resizable dialog is displayed.

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3. Type in the comment.

4. To assign a status, select either New, Active, Approved or Resolved from the drop-down list.

5. Click OK to save the comment or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without saving it.

20.1.2. Editing Comments

Once a comment is saved, you can edit it either from the Comments control bar, or from the source itself.
You can also renumber both tag and comment IDs.

When adding a new tag or comment to a NavisWorks scene, it will automatically be assigned a unique ID.
If however, you are Appending or Merging multiple NavisWorks files together, then there is the possibility
for the same ID to be used more than once. In this situation, you may choose to renumber all of the IDs,
making them unique to the scene, once again.

Editing a comment:

1. Go to the source of the comment, be it a viewpoint, selection set or Clash Detective result.

2. Open the Comments control bar by clicking on the Workspace toolbar.

3. Right-click the comment, and click Edit Comment on the shortcut menu.

Alternatively, on the Review menu, click Comments > Edit Comment.

The Edit Comment resizable dialog is displayed.

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4. Edit the comment and/or status accordingly.

5. Click OK to save the comment or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without saving it.

To renumber tag and comment IDs:

1. To renumber tag IDs, on the Review menu, click Renumber Tag IDs.

Note
There may be a situation where two sessions are merged that contain identically numbered Tags
and corresponding Tag Views. In this situation, Renumber Tag IDs will also attempt, wherever
possible, to rename the associated Tag Views in line with the new tag numbers.

2. To renumber comment IDs, on the Review menu, click Renumber Comment IDs.

20.1.3. Deleting Comments

To delete a comment:

1. Go to the source of the comment, be it a viewpoint, selection set or Clash Detective result.

2. Open the Comments control bar by clicking on the Workspace toolbar.

3. Right-click the comment, and click Delete Comment on the shortcut menu.

Alternatively, on the Review menu, click Comments > Delete Comment.

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20.2. Redlining
Redlining allows you to add annotation directly over a viewpoint. It is mutually exclusive to the navigation
modes so that when you are redlining, you cannot navigate and vice versa.

You can also associate redlining with saved viewpoints in the Clash Detective results.

The redline tools, which can all be accessed from the Redline Tools control bar or from the Review >
Redline menu, are:

Text - adds text over a viewpoint.

Tag - adds a tag over a viewpoint.

Freehand - enables you to sketch over a viewpoint.

Line - draws a single line over a viewpoint.

Line String - draws a string of lines over a viewpoint.

Ellipse - draws an ellipse over a viewpoint.

Cloud - draws a cloud over a viewpoint

Erase - erases the selected redline.

20.2.1. Adding Redlines

The Redline Tools control bar is a dockable bar like all others in NavisWorks. It can be accessed by
clicking on the Workspace toolbar or by clicking Tools > Redline.

Note
Redlines can only be added to a saved viewpoint or to a clash result which has a saved
viewpoint. If a viewpoint is not selected, a warning is given if a redline tool is selected.

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Redline Tags are the exception to this rule. If a viewpoint is not already saved, then adding a tag
will automatically save a viewpoint. See Section 20.2.2, “ Adding Redline Tags ” for more
information.

Adding a redline to a saved viewpoint:

1. Go to a saved viewpoint, or a Clash Detective result with the Save Viewpoint check box selected on
the Results tab of the Clash Detective window.

2. Ensure the Redline Tools control bar is displayed as outlined above.

3. Type the thickness of the redlines into the Thickness edit box. The thickness applies to the redlines
you are about to draw and will not change any existing redline thicknesses.

Note
Thickness does not affect redline text. This is a default size and weight.

4. To change the color of the redline (they don't have to be red!), click on the Color button to open the
standard Windows™ color chooser. This color applies to the redlines you are about to draw and will
not change any existing redline colors.

5. Click the icon with the desired type of redline to create it:

• Choose the Text redline tool to add text over the viewpoint. Click in the main navigation

window where you wish to start entering text.

The redline text dialog will be displayed.

Enter the text you wish to add, then click OK to add the text, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks
without adding it.

Note
Text can only be added in a single line with this redline tool. To display text on multiple lines, you
will need to write each line individually.

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redline tool to add a tag on the current view. See Section 20.2.2, “ Adding Redline Tags ” for

more information.

• Choose the Freehand redline tool to sketch over the viewpoint. Simply click and drag the

left mouse button in the main navigation window to interactively sketch a redline.

• Choose the Line redline tool to draw single lines over the viewpoint. Alternately click the

start and end points of lines with the left mouse button in the main navigation window.

• Choose the Line String redline tool to draw a string of lines over the viewpoint. Clicking the

left mouse button in the main navigation window to add a new point in the line string. When the
string is complete, click the right mouse button to end the line and you can then start a new line
string.

• Choose the Ellipse redline tool to draw ellipses over the viewpoint. Click and drag a box in

the main navigation window with the left mouse button to outline the ellipse.

• Choose the Cloud redline tool to draw clouds over the viewpoint. With the left mouse

button, click points in the main navigation window in a clockwise direction to draw the arcs of the
cloud (if you go counter-clockwise, the arcs will be inverted!). Right click with the mouse button to
automatically close the cloud.

6. Choose the Erase redline tool to erase all redlines from the viewpoint.

Note
You can also access all the redline tools from the Review > Redline menu.

20.2.2. Adding Redline Tags

Redline Tags combine the features of redlining, viewpoints and comments into a single, easy to use
review tool. This allows you to tag anything you want to identify in the model scene. A viewpoint will be
created and you can add a comment and status to the tag. For example, during a review session, you
may observe an item in the scene that is incorrectly sized or positioned. You can then tag this item,
identifying the problem. This tag information can be saved into a NavisWorks review file (*.nwf) and
distributed to the design team. The design team may then search the file, say for any tags of status 'new'.
Once any necessary modifications are made to the drawing files, these can be reloaded into the *.nwf file
and the tag status changed accordingly. You can review this latest version of the review file, ensure all
tags have been resolved and finally 'approve' them.

Adding a redline tag to the current viewpoint:

1. Ensure the Redline Tools control bar is displayed as outlined in the previous section.

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2. Choose the Tag redline tool.

3. Click in the navigation window where you wish the tag to be attached to.

4. Click again in the navigation window where you wish the tag ID to be positioned. Both points will be
joined by a leader line.

If the current viewpoint is not already saved, then it will be saved automatically and named 'Tag View
X', where X is the tag ID.

The Add Comment dialog will be displayed.

5. Enter the text to be associated with the tag and set the tag status from the drop-down list.

6. Click OK to save the tag, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without saving it.

20.2.3. Finding Redline Tags

During a review session you may create tens, or hundreds of tags which are communicated and referred
to amongst the review team. It may therefore be necessary to locate tags by ID, status or author.

As redline tags utilize the Comments dialog, this allows you to use the Find Comments dialog to search
for tags with specific text or ID, of a particular status, or by author or date created. See Section 14.4, “
Finding Comments ” for more information on this search method.

NavisWorks also has additional review features specifically for finding tags.

Quick finding of redline tags:

1. On the Review menu, click Tags > Find Tag By ID if you know the ID of the tag you wish to find.

The Find Tag dialog will be displayed.

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Enter the tag ID, then click OK to find the tag, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

2. Go to Review, Tags, Current Tag to select the current tag.

3. Go to Review, Tags, First Tag to find the first tag.

4. Go to Review, Tags, Last Tag to find the last tag.

5. Go to Review, Tags, Previous Tag to find the tag preceding the current tag.

6. Go to Review, Tags, Next Tag to find the tag following the current tag.

20.2.4. Editing Redline Tags

The comments and status assigned to a tag can be edited. As redline tags utilize the Comments dialog,
editing tags is the same as editing a comment. See Editing a Comment for more information.

If different users have been reviewing and redline tagging the same model file, each saving their own
.nwf, it is likely that some of their tag ID's will be the same. Using the Merge command to merge the
different .nwf files together, only one copy of the geometry would be loaded and any tag viewpoints of the
same name would be suffixed with the .nwf filename in brackets. All tag ID's however would be retained.
In this situation, it is possible to renumber all of the ID's to make them unique. Again, as redline tags
utilize the Comments dialog, renumbering tag ID's is the same as renumbering comment ID's. See
Renumbering Tag and Comment IDs for more information.

20.3. Measuring
Measuring allows you to measure between points on items in the model. All measurements are made in
the scene's units. For information on how to set the units, see Section 22.3, “ Units Options ”.

Like redlining and selecting, it is mutually exclusive to the navigation modes so that when you are
measuring, you cannot navigate and vice versa.

The measure tools, which can all be accessed from the Measure Tools control bar or from the Review >
Measure menu, are:

Point to point - measures the distance between two points.

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Point to multiple points - measures the distance between a base point and various other points.

Point line - measures a total distance between multiple points along a route.

Accumulate - calculates the sum total of several point-to-point measurements.

Angle - calculates an angle between two lines.

Area - calculates an area on a plane.

Clear - clears the view of all measurement lines and restarts the measurement.

Transform objects - enables you to reposition or rotate an object.

20.3.1. Measuring Tools

The Measure Tools control bar is a dockable bar like all others in NavisWorks. It can be accessed by
clicking on the Workspace toolbar or by clicking Tools > Measure.

Use the buttons at the top to select the type of measurement you want to do.

For all measurements, the x-, y-, and z- coordinates of the Start point and End point are displayed in the

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text boxes underneath the buttons, as are the Difference and the absolute Distance. If an accumulative
measure is being used, such as Point Line or Accumulate, Distance will show the accumulated
distance for all points registered in the measurement. All these measurements are shown in scene units.
All points will be represented in the main navigation window with a small cross, and all lines being
measured, by a simple line between points. You can use the Measure Options to choose how these are
displayed.

Note
It goes without saying that you must click on a point on an item to register a point - clicking on the
background will not register anything, but it is worth noting that you can snap to certain points on
items - see Section 20.3.2, “Snapping” for more details.

You can reset a measure command at any time by right clicking instead of left clicking in the main
navigation window. This will start the measure command again with no points registered, just as if
you had chosen a new measurement type.

Measuring between points on items:

1. Ensure the Measure Tools control bar is displayed as outlined above.

2. Click the icon with the desired option to start measuring geometry objects:

• To simply measure the distance between two points, choose the Point to Point measurement
type on the Measure Tools control bar and click on the start point and then the end point

with the left mouse button.

• To lock the start point and then click on multiple different end points, choose the Point to
Multiple Points measurement type on the Measure Tools control bar and click on the start

point. Every other click after the start point will then register a new end point, but you can right
click to reselect a start point.

• To measure the distance along a path or route, choose the Point Line measurement type

on the Measure Tools control bar and simply click on a series of points along the path. The
Distance will display the total distance along the path from the start point. Right clicking will
enable you to select a new start point.

• To calculate the sum total of several point-to-point measurements, choose the Accumulate
measurement type on the Measure Tools control bar and click on start and end points

alternately. The Distance will show the sum of all point-to-point measurements since the first start
point. Right clicking will enable you to reset the distance to zero and restart the calculation.

• To calculate an angle between two lines, choose the Measure Angle measurement type on

the Measure Tools control bar and click on a point on the first line, followed by the intersection of
the two lines, followed by a point on the second line. The Angle will show the angle between the
three points. Right clicking will enable you to select a new first point.

• To calculate an area on a plane, choose the Measure Area measurement type on the

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Measure Tools control bar and simply click on a series of points to describe the perimeter of the
area you wish to calculate. The Area will show the area of the perimeter described since the first
point, as projected onto the plane of the viewpoint. This means that all your points should lie on
the same plane for your area calculation to be perfectly accurate. Right clicking will enable you to
select a new first point.

• To clear the view of all measurement lines and restart the measurement, choose the Clear button
on the Measure Tools control bar. This is the same as right clicking during a measurement.

20.3.2. Snapping
The Options Editor allows you to set the cursor to snap to the nearest vertex, edge or line end. Points
and snap points are automatically snapped to. Different cursors feed back what is being snapped to:

No snap, but a point on a surface is found.

A vertex, point, snap point or line end is found to snap to.

An edge is found to snap to.

Note
The geometry in NavisWorks is tessellated with triangles, and therefore the cursor will snap to
edges that may appear to be in the middle of a face. Viewing the model in hidden line mode will
make it clear which vertex or edge the cursor is snapping to.

To adjust snapping:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Snapping option.

The Snapping page is displayed.

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3. Set the picking style by selecting the Snap to Vertex, Snap to Edge and Snap to Line Vertix check
boxes. The cursor will snap to the nearest vertex, triangle edge or line end respectively, depending
on the options chosen.

4. Set the snapping Tolerance. The smaller the tolerance, the closer the cursor needs to be to a vertex
or edge before it snaps to it.

5. Select the Enabled check box, if you want to turn on snapping for angular rotation.

Enter the multiplier for the snapping angle, for example 45, in the Angles box. In this example, the
cursor is set to snap to 45, 90, 135 degrees, and so on.

Enter the snapping tolerance, for example 5, in the Angle Sensitivity box. This determines how
close to the snapping angle the cursor needs to be for snap to take effect. In this example, the cursor
snaps within 5 degrees of a given angle.

6. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

20.3.3. Transforming Objects

The transform objects tool allows you to reposition or rotate an object, defined by points selected with the
measure tools. You can also manipulate geometry objects by using the Object Manipulation toolbar. For
more information, see Chapter 21, Object Manipulation

Repositioning objects:

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1. Select the object to be repositioned (see Chapter 13, Selecting Items for more information on how to
do this).

2. Choose one of the measure tools, from Point to Point, Point Line or Accumulate.

3. Select a base point on the selected object. This is the reference point on the object from which the
repositioning will be calculated.

4. Select another point in the scene (or multiple points, depending on which measure tool you selected).
This is the point (or points) which the base point will be repositioned to.

Note
You can only select a point on another object in the scene. Selecting a point in 'space' is not a
valid option. To reposition an object into 'space', you can override the items Transform. See
Section 15.6.3, “ Overriding Transforms ” for details on how to do this.

5. Click Transform Objects to reposition the object at the second point. If you used one of the

multiple point measure tools and selected multiple points in the scene, clicking Transform Objects
again will reposition the object to the next point, and so on.

NavisWorks also provides the ability to rotate an object.

Rotating objects:

1. Select the object to be rotated (see Chapter 13, Selecting Items for more information on how to do
this).

2. Choose the Measure Angle measure tool.

3. See diagram below:

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Select three points (1, 2, 3). The second point (2) will be the position about which the selected object
(A) will be rotated. Lines from the first to the second point (1 to 2) and from the second to third point
(2 to 3) will define the angle by which the object will be rotated (in the above case, 90 degrees).

4. Click Transform Objects to rotate the object about the second point (rotate selected object by

90 degrees about point 2, which results in object rotating from point A to B).

5. Click Transform Objects again to continue rotating the object about point 2, by the specified angle
(rotate selected object by 90 degrees about point 2 again, which results in object rotating from point
B to C).

See Section 15.7.3, “ Resetting Items' Positions ” for information on returning an object back to its original
position.

20.3.4. Measure Options

NavisWorks allows you to configure the appearance and selection style of the measure tools and the
measurement drawing in the main navigation window.

Setting measure options:

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1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Measure option.

The Measure page is displayed:

3. Set the Color and Line Thickness of the measure lines.

4. Check the In 3D check box if you want to draw the measurements in 3D in the main view. They then
act as 3D lines in the scene which can be obscured by other geometry. If this box is unchecked, then
all measurement lines are drawn in 2D over the top of the all geometry.

5. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

20.4. Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks are an extremely useful review tool to allow you to access non-graphical information through
the graphical interface of NavisWorks. As well as hyperlinks being converted from the native CAD files
you open in NavisWorks, you can also "override" an item's hyperlinks by attaching multiple additional
hyperlinks to it. Because hyperlinks are treated as a property by NavisWorks, they can be searched on
with the Find Items tool and displayed in the Properties bar. They are also saved into NavisWorks files
so that as the model changes, the links remain for you and others to view.

Hyperlinks are categorized so that you can switch them on and off by category, and they can be anything
internal (such as a viewpoints or selection set) or external (such as a web page, script, or spreadsheet) to
NavisWorks. By turning on hyperlinks in the main navigation window, you can simply click on the link to
activate it. Hyperlinks can be displayed as a text description, or as an icon and can also optionally have
leader lines pointing to points on the item to help you identify which item has the link attached.

To turn on hyperlinks:

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• Click Hyperlinks on the Workspace toolbar

or

• On the Tools menu, click Hyperlinks.

20.4.1. Adding Hyperlinks

An item can have multiple hyperlinks attached to it, although only the default hyperlink (the one at the top
of the list) can be displayed in the navigation window at one time. The default is the link that will be
followed when clicked.

Adding hyperlinks to an item

1. Select a single item (see Chapter 13, Selecting Items for more details on how to do this) to which you
want to attach a hyperlink and click Review > Hyperlinks > Add Hyperlink on the menu.

Alternatively, right-click the item to which you want to attach a hyperlink and click Hyperlinks > Add
Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.

The Add Hyperlink resizable dialog is displayed

2. Type in the name of the hyperlink into the Name text box.

3. Type in, or browse to, the actual hyperlink value in the Link to file or URL. This is what will be linked

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to when the hyperlink is clicked on.

4. Choose the category that the hyperlink will belong to from the Category drop down. You can add
more categories than the default Hyperlink and Tag categories by simply typing in the name of your
category into this box. See Section 20.4.1, “ Hyperlinks Categories ” for more information on
categories.

5. If you want the hyperlink to be attached to a specific point on the item, instead of the default center of
the item's bounding box, then click the Add button. A cross-hair cursor will appear in the main
navigation window, allowing you to select a point on the item where the hyperlink will be attached to.
See Section 20.4.2, “ Attachment Points ” for more information on attachment points.

6. Click the Clear All button if you want to delete all attachment points associated with this hyperlink
and revert to the hyperlink being attached to the center of the item's bounding box.

7. Click OK to add this hyperlink to the item or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without attaching
anything.

Hyperlinks Categories
Hyperlinks can be categorized so that you can group them to distinctly display or not display in the main
navigation window at one time. The seven default categories are:

• Hyperlink

• Tag

• Viewpoints

• Clash Detective

• TimeLiner

• Selection sets

• Redline tags

Note
The Clash Detective and TimeLiner categories are only available if you have an access to the
Clash Detective and TimeLiner tools.

Tags are just hyperlinks that are displayed by name rather than by icon in the navigation window. The last
three of these categories are defined by NavisWorks and so you cannot assign a hyperlink to one of
these categories, other than by setting up a viewpoint, a selection set, or a Clash Detective result.

To add a new category, simply type in the name of the category into the Category box in the Add
Hyperlink dialog when you are adding or editing a hyperlink.

You can customize the display of both standard and user-defined categories in the Options Editor.

20.4.2. Displaying Hyperlinks

To turn on hyperlinks:

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• Click Hyperlinks on the Workspace toolbar

or

• Click Tools > Hyperlinks on the menu bar.

Hyperlinks are drawn as icons in the main navigation window and tags as text. Clicking a hyperlink in the
main navigation window will follow the link and right-clicking it will open a shortcut menu offering you the
options of Follow Hyperlink, Edit Hyperlink (see Section 20.4.4, “ Editing Hyperlinks ”) or Select item
containing hyperlink, which will select the item onto which the hyperlink is attached.

Attachment Points
Hyperlinks and tags are by default attached to the center of their owner's bounding box, but you can
override this with more convenient attachment points. When adding or editing a hyperlink, you have the
option of adding attachment points, as described in Section 20.4.1, “ Adding Hyperlinks ”. If you add more
than one attachment point, the hyperlink will be displayed attached to the closest attachment point to the
camera during navigation. This allows you to set up hyperlinks so that they are always available for
following when drawn in 3D mode during navigation, rather than disappearing behind objects. Leader
lines will be drawn from the attachment point to the hyperlink. The size of these lines can be defined in
Hyperlinks Options.

20.4.3. Following Hyperlinks

To follow a hyperlink, simply click on it in the main navigation window. If multiple hyperlinks are attached
to an item, the default hyperlink will be followed.

You can also follow one of the non-default hyperlinks attached to an item by selecting the item and
clicking Review > Hyperlinks and selecting the hyperlink from the list.

The default hyperlink can also be followed from the Properties control bar by selecting the item,
right-clicking any tab in the bar and clicking Follow Default Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.

20.4.4. Editing Hyperlinks

To edit a hyperlink:

1. Select a single item (see Chapter 13, Selecting Items for more details on how to do this) from which
you want to edit a hyperlink, and click Review > Hyperlinks > Edit Hyperlinks on the menu bar.

Alternatively, right-click the item from which you want to edit a hyperlink, and click Hyperlinks > Edit
Hyperlinks on the shortcut menu.

The Edit Hyperlinks dialog is displayed.

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2. Select the hyperlink under the Name column.

3. Click the Edit button.

The Edit Hyperlink dialog is displayed.

4. Complete this dialog as outlined in Section 20.4.1, “ Adding Hyperlinks ”.

5. Move hyperlinks up and down the list using the Move Up and Move Down buttons, or by dragging

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them to their new position in the list. This way you can prioritize a hyperlink to become the default
hyperlink that is followed when click on in the main navigation window.

6. Click OK to confirm the edit or Cancel to return to NavisWorks leaving the hyperlink as it was.

Note
You can also edit any original hyperlinks that have been converted from the native CAD files. If
you do this, save the changes in an .nwf file, then change the hyperlink in the original CAD file,
and reopen the .nwf file in NavisWorks, then your edit "overrides" will remain. If you haven't
edited the hyperlinks in NavisWorks, however, the updated links from the CAD file will appear.

20.4.5. Deleting Hyperlinks

You can delete all hyperlinks from the selected item by right-clicking any tab in the Properties control bar
and choosing Delete Hyperlinks on the shortcut menu.

You can reset all the hyperlinks on an item to those that were originally converted from the CAD file, by
clicking Edit > Reset Item > Reset Hyperlinks with an item selected. Likewise, you can reset all the
hyperlinks on all items in the scene to their original state by clicking Edit > Reset All > Reset All
Hyperlinks.

Deleting a single hyperlink from an item:

1. Select a single item (see Chapter 13, Selecting Items for more details on how to do this) from which
you want to delete a hyperlink and click Review > Hyperlinks > Edit Hyperlinks on the menu bar.

Alternatively, right-click the item from which you want to delete a hyperlink and click Hyperlinks >
Edit Hyperlinks on the shortcut menu.

The Edit Hyperlinks dialog is displayed.

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2. Select the hyperlink under the Name column.

3. Click the Delete button.

4. Click OK to confirm deletion or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without the hyperlink deleted.

20.4.6. Hyperlinks Options

Setting hyperlinks options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node, and click the Hyperlinks option.

The Hyperlinks page is displayed:

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3. Icons that appear overlapped in the main view can be hidden if the Hide Colliding Icons check box
is selected.

4. Enter the distance in the Cull Radius box for how close hyperlinks have to be in order to be drawn in
the main view. Any hyperlinks further away than this distance will not be drawn. The default value of
0 means that all hyperlinks will be drawn.

5. Select the In 3D check box if you want to draw the hyperlinks icons in 3D in the main view. They then
float in 3D space just in front of their attachment points to the items. If this box is unchecked, then all
hyperlink icons are drawn in 2D over the top of the all geometry.

Note
In 3D mode hyperlinks can become hidden by other objects in the scene when you are
navigating.

6. Enter the maximum number of icons to draw in the main view in the Max Icons box.

7. Hyperlinks can be drawn with leader lines (arrows) pointing to the attachment point on the item that
the hyperlink is attached to. Enter the X- and Y- distance in Leader Offset for the number of pixels to
the right and up that these leader lines will use.

8. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

Configuring standard hyperlinks categories:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

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2. Expand the Interface node, expand the Hyperlinks option, and click Standard Categories.

The Categories page is displayed:

3. Each hyperlink is a member of a category. This enables you to easily manage sets of hyperlinks. Use
the Visible check box to switch a category on or off in the main view. Some categories also have
comments associated with them. Use the Hide Icons Without Comments check box, if available, to
do exactly that - only draw hyperlinks that have a comment attached to it, so that you can see any
areas of issue in the model. See Section 20.1, “ Commenting ” for more information on comments.

4. Use the Icon Type field to specify how to display the hyperlink.

Select Icon to use a default hyperlink icon in the main view.

Select Text to use the hyperlinks description as a tooltip style text box in the main view
instead of an icon.

5. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

Configuring user-defined hyperlinks categories:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node, expand the Hyperlinks option, and click User-Defined Categories.

The Categories page is displayed:

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Only the custom hyperlink categories are shown here. The padlock icon indicates that you
cannot add or remove categories directly from here.

3. Choose the way categories are shown in the Options Editor:

Click Grid View to display categories in a tabular format.

Click List View to display categories in a list format (the same way as the standard

categories are shown).

Click Records View to display categories as records.

4. Use and to navigate between the categories. If you selected Records View, this is the

only way to move between the records.

5. Use the Visible check box to switch a category on or off in the main view.

6. Use the Icon Type field to specify how to display the hyperlink.

Select Icon to use a default hyperlink icon in the main view.

Select Text to use the hyperlinks description as a tooltip style text box in the main view
instead of an icon.

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7. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

20.5. Smart Tags

Smart tags pop up information on the item hovered over by the cursor in a tooltip style window, without
having to select the item itself. The smart tag will disappear after a few seconds. This is a useful way to
quickly get information about an item in the main navigation window when navigation has ceased. The
default information shown is the name and type of the item, but you can define which properties to show
using the smart tags options.

Note
If the item hovered over doesn't have the property requested, smart tags will search up the
selection tree for a parent that does, so maximising the useful information you get.

To turn on smart tags:

• Click Smart Tags on the Workspace toolbar

or

• On the Tools menu, click Smart Tags.

20.5.1. Smart Tags Options

Setting smart tags options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node, and click the Smart Tags option.

The Smart Tags page is displayed.

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3. Select the Hide Category check box if you do not want to see category names included in the smart
tags tooltip.

4. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

The default information displayed is the name and type of the item, but the actual information displayed
can be customized.

Customizing smart tags:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node, expand the Smart Tags option, and click Definitions.

The Definitions page is displayed.

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3. Choose the way smart tag definitions are shown in the Options Editor:

Click Grid View to display definitions in a tabular format.

Click List View to display definitions in a list format.

Click Records View to display definitions as records.

4. Use and to navigate between the definitions. If you selected Records View, this is the

only way to move between the records.

5. For every smart tag definition, you can change the Category and Property by clicking on the item
and choosing the relevant entry from the drop-down list.

6. To add a smart tag definition, click .

7. To delete a smart tag definition, select it, and click .

8. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

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20.6. Collaboration
The NavisWorks Collaborate Bar enables multiple users to participate in a single design review session
across a Local Area Network (LAN). This utilizes the shared program features of Windows NetMeeting,
available to all Windows users.

To get access to the collaboration tools, right-click anywhere in the toolbar area of the screen, and click
Collaborate Bar on the shortcut menu.

All meeting participants require access to a NavisWorks .nwf or .nwd file, in a shared location. One of the
participants will 'host' the meeting and place a call to invite the others to join the meeting. Any of the
participants who have joined the meeting can take control and drive the session. All navigation performed
by the driver will be displayed in the main NavisWorks window on each participants machine. Any
viewpoints or markup (for example) added during the session can be updated on all participants
machines at the click of a button.

Note
If a collaborative review session, as outlined here, is not conducted in single room, then additional
tele-conferencing provisions could be necessary. This may be using the NetMeeting Whiteboard,
or your own telephone system.

To start a collaboration session:

• Open the NavisWorks file that you wish to collaborate on from a shared directory (see Section 9.4, “
Opening Files ”).

• Click Collaborate on the Collaborate toolbar.

This will initialize Windows NetMeeting:

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Note
The first time Windows NetMeeting initializes, a setup wizard will take you through the setup
process. You will need to enter your name and email address. When using NetMeeting on a LAN
you do not need to log onto a directory server, as these will not be available to you.

To place a call, inviting attendees to join:

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on the NetMeeting dialog.

The Place a call dialog is displayed:

• In the To: box, enter the machine name or IP address of the machine you wish to join the meeting,
then click Call to send the invite, or Cancel to return to NetMeeting.

Once the person receiving the invite accepts this, both their name and yours will be listed in the
NetMeeting dialog.

Note
The above can be repeated to invite additional people to the meeting.

To accept an invitation:

• When you are invited to join a meeting, the incoming call dialog is displayed:

• Click Accept to join the meeting, or Ignore to decline the invitation.

Note
Once you have accepted a call, you will need to start your own collaboration session. See
Section 20.6, “ Collaboration ” [230] for more information.

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During a collaboration meeting, anyone in the call can take control of the session and become the 'driver'.
The driver will control navigation of the shared model on all machines in the call.

To become the driver:

• Click Drive on the Collaborate toolbar.

Note
Upon clicking the drive button, all other users in the call will receive a message advising that you
are requesting control. They will have to answer Yes to this message if you are to drive
NavisWorks on their machine.

Although real-time navigation in NavisWorks can be performed on all machines in a call by one user, it is
not possible for review data such as saved viewpoints, comments and redlines, to be automatically
updated on all users' machines. This information can however be updated on their machines by
refreshing the model. This refresh process can be performed on one users machine and refresh all
machines in the call.

To refresh all attendees machines:

• Click Refresh on the Collaborate toolbar.

20.7. SwitchBack
SwitchBack allows the current view of the currently loaded file to be sent back to AutoCAD (version 2004
or later) or MicroStation-based CAD products.

Note
The native CAD package must be installed on the same machine as NavisWorks for SwitchBack
to work.

AutoCAD (version 2004 or later)

• For AutoCAD (version 2004 or later) or products based on it, first open the product in the usual
manner and load the nwexport application. This can be done easily by running the nwload command
in the command line. If SwitchBack needs to be available whenever AutoCAD is run, nwexport can
be added to the set of startup applications in AutoCAD.

• Once the CAD package is running, and nwexport has been started, selecting an object in the scene
will allow the SwitchBack command to be selected either from the Review menu, from the right-click
shortcut menu of the object, or, if a Clash Detective tool is available, via the SwitchBack button on the
Results tab. Selecting SwitchBack then takes the current NavisWorks camera view back to the CAD
package.

Note

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See the Clash Results section in the Clash Detective documentation for more information on
taking clash results back to the originating CAD package.

• Switching back to AutoCAD whilst an object is selected will not only set the view in AutoCAD, but
also select the object. Selection of objects is done by entity handle, therefore, you must have Convert
Entity Handles option enabled when files are loaded into NavisWorks.

• Some objects cannot be selected in AutoCAD (for example, blocks) which may mean that running
SwitchBack may be unsuccessful with a given selected object. If this is the case try selecting further
up the object tree and trying again.

MicroStation (/J and v8)

• For MicroStation (/J and v8) or products based on it, first prepare MicroStation by loading the
NavisWorks exporter "mdl load nwexport6".

• To get nwexport to load automatically when MicroStation is run, add "nwexport6" to the list of mdl
applications run automatically on startup.

• Once the NavisWorks exporter has been run, selecting an object in the scene will allow the
SwitchBack command to be selected either from the Review menu, from the right-click shortcut
menu of the object, or, if a Clash Detective tool is available, via the SwitchBack button on the
Results tab. Selecting SwitchBack then takes the current NavisWorks camera view back to the first
visible view in MicroStation.

Note
See the Clash Results section in the Clash Detective documentation for more information on
taking clash results back to MicroStation.

• If you wish to override the view used by SwitchBack, use the "nwview <view number>" key-in
where view number is the visible window in MicroStation. This view setting is not saved between
sessions.

• Switching back to MicroStation whilst an object is selected will not only set the view in MicroStation,
but also select the object. Selection of objects is done by element id (MicroStation v8) or DMRS value
(MicroStation /J).

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Chapter 21. Object Manipulation
In this section you will learn how to modify position, rotation, size, color and transparency of geometry
objects in your model by using the Object Manipulation toolbar.

To open it, right-click anywhere in the toolbar area of the screen, and click Object Manipulation on the
shortcut menu.

All object manipulation is carried out the in the main NavisWorks window.

Note
If objects are moved through the Object Manipulation toolbar, they are considered to be globally
moved, as if they’d been changed in the original CAD model.

Translate Item

Rotate Item

Scale Item

Modify Item Color

Modify Item Transparency

Snap Item

Manual Entry boxes

21.1. Using Snapping

When you manipulate geometry objects by changing their position, rotation or size you can use snapping
to control the precision of your operations in the main NavisWorks window. To turn on snapping mode,
click the Toggle Snapping button on the Object Manipulation toolbar.

The snap works like a 'gravity' around the snap points. This enables you to snap the start position of the
selected visual tool to a relevant point on the screen, such as center, corner of bounding box, vertex of
geometry. Similarly, the end point of the translation, rotation or scale operation can also be snapped to a
desired point on the screen (for example, center of another geometry object).

You can adjust the way snapping works by using the Options Editor. For more information, see
Section 20.3.2, “Snapping”.

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21.2. Highlighting Objects

To get a clearer view of geometry objects in the main NavisWorks window, you can use the Options
Editor to adjust the way in which the current selection is highlighted.

You can use three different highlighting methods:

• Shaded

• Wireframe

• Tinted

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To adjust highlighting:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Selection option.

The Selection page is displayed.

3. Locate the Highlight area, and select the Enabled check box to turn on highlighting of the selected

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items.

4. Use the Method drop-down list to select the type of highlighting you want (Shaded, Wireframe or
Tinted).

5. Click the Color button to select the highlight color.

6. If you selected Tinted in the Method box, use the slider to adjust the Tint Level.

7. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

21.3. Moving Objects

To move an object:

1. Select the object you want to move in the main NavisWorks window.

2. Click the Translate Item button on the Object Manipulation toolbar.

The translation tool is displayed with three colored axes at the correct angles relevant to the current
camera position.

3. Use the translation tool to change the position of the selected object:

• To move the currently selected object, place the mouse over the square at the end of the desired
axis. When the cursor changes to , drag the square on the screen to increase/decrease the
translation along that axis.

• To move the object along several axes at the same time, drag the square frame between the
desired axes.

• Dragging the yellow square in the middle of the translation tool enables you to snap this center
point to other geometry in the model.

Note

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You can adjust snapping to increase your precision.

• To move the translation tool itself rather than the selected object, hold down the CTRL key while
dragging the square at the end of the desired axis.

• To snap the tool to other objects, hold down the CTRL key while dragging the yellow square in the
middle of the tool.

• For the point-to-point translation, hold down the CTRL key, and use the center square to drag the
tool to the start point. Then, with CTRL released, drag the square again to move the object to the
end point.

21.4. Rotating Objects

To rotate an object:

1. Select the object you want to rotate in the main NavisWorks window.

2. Click the Rotate Item button on the Object Manipulation toolbar.

The rotation tool is displayed with three colored axes at the correct angles relevant to the current
camera position.

3. Use the rotation tool to rotate the selected object:

• Before you can rotate the selected objects, you need to position the origin (center point) of the
rotation. To do this, place the mouse over the square at the end of the desired axis. When the
cursor changes to , drag the square on the screen to increase/decrease the translation along
that axis. This will move the rotation tool itself.

• Dragging the yellow square in the middle of the rotation tool enables you to move it around, and
snap it to points on other geometry objects.

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Note
You can adjust snapping to increase your precision.

• Once the rotation tool is positioned correctly, place the mouse over one of the circles in the
middle, and drag it on the screen to rotate the object. The circles are color-coded, and match the
color of the axis used to rotate the object around. So, for example, dragging the blue circle
between the X and Y axes, rotates the object around the blue Z axis.

• To rotate the orientation of the rotation tool to an arbitrary position, hold down the CTRL key while
dragging one of the three circles in the middle.

• To snap the tool to other objects, hold the CTRL key while dragging the yellow square in the
middle of the tool.

21.5. Scaling Objects

To change an object's size:

1. Select the object you want to scale in the main NavisWorks window.

2. Click the Scale Item button on the Object Manipulation toolbar.

The scale tool displays three colored axes at the correct angles relevant to the current camera
position.

3. Use the scale tool to resize the selected object:

• To resize the selected object, place the mouse over one of seven squares. When the cursor
changes to , drag the square on the screen to modify the size of the object. Typically,
dragging a square up or right increases the size, dragging it down or left decreases the size.

• To resize the object across a single axis only, use colored squares at the end of the axes. To

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resize the object across two axes at the same time, use yellow squares in the middle of the axes.
Finally, to resize the object across all three axes at the same time, use the square in the center of
the tool.

• You can modify the center of scaling. To do this, place the mouse over the square in the middle of
the tool, and hold down the CTRL key while dragging the square on the screen.

21.6. Changing Color

To change an object's color:

1. Select the object you want to modify in the main NavisWorks window.

2. Click the Modify Item Color button on the Object Manipulation toolbar, and choose the

desired color.

21.7. Changing Transparency

To change an object's transparency:

1. Select the object you want to modify in the main NavisWorks window.

2. Click the Modify Item Transparency button on the Object Manipulation toolbar.

3. Use the slider to adjust how transparent or opaque the selected object is.

21.8. Using the Manual Entry Boxes

The manual entry boxes enable you to translate, rotate, and scale geometry objects by typing in
numerical values, instead of using the visual tools in the main NavisWorks window. The boxes are
context-sensitive, and change depending on the currently selected manipulation tool.

• Translation:

X, Y, Z represent translation distance in the current model unit, and cX, cY, cZ represent the
translation center point.

• Rotation:

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X, Y, Z represent degrees of rotation around that axis, and cX, cY, cZ represent the rotation center
point.

• Scaling:

X, Y, Z represent a scaling factor (1 being the current size, 0.5 half, 2 being double, and so on), and
cX, cY, cZ represent the scaling center point.

So, for example, selecting , and typing some numbers into the Manual Entry boxes will move the

object along the axis by the amount entered.

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Chapter 22. Interface
The NavisWorks interface is intuitive and easy to learn and use. It contains a number of traditional
Windows elements, such as toolbars, control bars, dialog boxes, shortcut menus and so on.

1 - Menu bar

2 - Toolbars

3 - Navigation window

4 - Control bars

5 - Status bar

22.1. The Main Interface Components

This section briefly describes the main interface components.

22.1.1. The Menu Bar

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The Menu bar contains all commands available in NavisWorks, grouped together by similar or 'like'
functionality. For example, all commands related to review functionality are located under the Review
menu, all commands related to user assistance are located under the Help menu and so on.

When a menu has a right-pointing arrow, such as , there is a

submenu associated with that choice.

When a menu item is followed by a series of dots, such as ,

there is a dialog box associated with that choice.

22.1.2. The Toolbars

NavisWorks toolbars provide quick access to frequently used commands. Every button on a toolbar
includes a tooltip, which describes the function the button activates. Placing the mouse over a button
displays a brief instruction on how to use this feature in the Status bar.

You can rearrange, open and close toolbars:

• To move a toolbar, click the dotted line at the edge of the toolbar, and drag it to a different location.

• To open or close toolbars, right-click an empty area next to the last toolbar on the screen, and choose
from the list of available toolbars on the shortcut menu.

In addition to rearranging the existing NavisWorks toolbars, you can customize their appearance and
content, and create your own toolbars.

Note
To quickly personalize a toolbar, click the Toolbar Options button on the right, and click Add

or Remove Buttons on the shortcut menu.

When a NavisWorks toolbar button has a down-pointing arrow, such as , a submenu toolbar is

associated with that choice. Click the triangle to open the menu, and select a specific option. As you
move through the menu, additional help is displayed in the Status bar. When the option is selected, it
becomes the current command and is displayed as a button in the toolbar. To repeat the command, click
the button in the toolbar. To choose a different command, click the triangle again.

Some toolbar buttons enable you to choose a program mode. For example, to look around your model,
you need to be in look around mode. To rotate the model, you need to be in examine mode and so on.
NavisWorks remains in the selected mode until instructed otherwise. To identify the mode you are in, look
at the buttons. If a button is highlighted and has a dark blue boarder around it, the corresponding mode is
currently active.

To leave the mode, either click the same button again or choose a different mode.

Some buttons are used to toggle the display of control bars, dialog boxes, and window panes (for

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example, the Presenter window, the Animator window etc.). Again, if a button is highlighted and has a
dark blue boarder around it, it means that the corresponding display element is currently open.

As you open more toolbars on the screen, or resize the NavisWorks window, the toolbars may get
overlapped with each other to reduce the screen clutter. When this happens, some buttons will be hidden
under the overlaps. To quickly access the entire set of commands on a toolbar, click the chevron
button at the right end of the toolbar. The remaining commands available for that toolbar will appear.

22.1.3. The Main Navigation Window

The main navigation window (also referred to as 'main NavisWorks window' and 'main 3D navigation
view') is used to interact with 3D models.

You can control how much space the main navigation window uses compared to the control bars by
moving the sliders from side to side. Alternatively, you could auto hide the control bars, or switch on
full screen mode.

The main navigation window can be split vertically, horizontally, or into four segments. For more
information, see Section 22.2.5, “ Splitting the main view ”.

Right-clicking in the main navigation window displays a shortcut menu of available commands. If you
right-click a single item, or select one or more items and right-click, this menu contains commands related
to the items. If you right-click an area that contains no items or data, the menu contains commands
related to the main navigation window.

22.1.4. The Control Bars

Most features are accessible from the control bars (also referred to as 'palettes'). To display a control bar,
click View > Control Bars on the menu bar, and then choose from the list of available control bars.
Alternatively, click the desired control bar button on the Workspace toolbar.

All control bars are dockable and resizable, and will automatically lock to specific locations near to where
they are moved.

Note
Hold down the CTRL key when moving a control bar to prevent it from auto docking.

Right-clicking in control bar displays a shortcut menu of available commands. If you right-click a single
item, or select one or more items and right-click, this menu contains commands related to the items. If
you right-click an area that contains no items or data, the menu contains commands related to the control
bar.

You can auto hide control bars; this keeps the control bars active while maximizing the amount of
available screen space. If auto-hide is active, the body of the control bar disappears when you move the
cursor out of it, leaving only the title bar visible. Move the cursor over the title bar to display the entire
control bar again.

To switch auto-hide on, click on the title bar. To switch auto-hide off, click on the title bar.

22.1.5. The Status Bar

The Status bar appears at the bottom of the NavisWorks screen. As this is not a toolbar, it cannot be
customized or moved around.

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The left-hand corner of the Status bar is used to display short instructions on how to use the NavisWorks
features.

In the right-hand corner of the Status bar there are four performance indicators, that give you constant
feedback as to how NavisWorks is performing on your machine.

• The progress bar under the left hand icon (pencil) indicates how much of the current view is drawn, i.e.
how much drop-out there is in the current viewpoint. When the progress bar is at 100%, the scene is
completely drawn, with no drop-out. The icon will change color when it is working. Whilst the scene is
being drawn, the pencil will change to yellow. If there is too much data to handle and your machine
cannot process this quickly enough for NavisWorks, then the pencil will change to red, indicating a
bottleneck.

• The progress bar under the central icon (disk) indicates how much of the current model is loaded from
disk, i.e. how much is loaded into memory. When the progress bar is at 100%, the entire model,
including geometry and property information, is loaded into memory. The icon will change color when
it is working. Whilst data is being read, the disk will change to yellow. If there is too much data to
handle and your machine cannot process this quickly enough for NavisWorks, then the disk will
change to red, indicating a bottleneck.

• The progress bar under the right hand icon (web server) indicates how much of the current model is
downloaded, i.e. how much has been downloaded from a web server. When the progress bar is at 100
%, the entire model has been downloaded. The icon will change color when it is working. Whilst data
is being downloaded, the web server will change to yellow. If there is too much data to handle and
your machine cannot process this quickly enough for NavisWorks, then the web server will change to
red, indicating a bottleneck.

• The field to the right of the icons reports the amount of memory currently being used by NavisWorks.
This is reported in Megabytes (MB).

22.2. View Menu

The View menu gives you control over the NavisWorks interface. It allows you to hide or reveal control
bars, use workspaces, and split the current view into several smaller views. It also allows you to display
statistics about the currently loaded scene.

The View menu includes the following items:

• Control Bars

• Workspaces

• Split Vertical

• Split Horizontal

• Toggle Title Bars

• Full Screen

• Window Size

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• Stereo

• Stereo Options

• Scene Statistics

22.2.1. Control Bars

To display a control bar:

• On the View menu, click Control Bars, and click one of the following:

Camera Tilt, Plan Thumbnail, Section Thumbnail, Viewpoints, Selection Tree, Selection Sets, Find
Items, Comments, Find Comments, or Properties.

Alternatively, use the buttons on the Workspace toolbar.

22.2.2. Workspaces
NavisWorks comes with several default workspaces. You can use these workspaces as-is or modify them
in accordance to your requirements.

Workspaces enable you to work in a custom, task-oriented design review environment. Each workspace
contains sets of toolbars and control bars with the tools required to perform a certain job, making it easy
to switch between layouts as necessary. For example, 'file aggregation', 'project review', 'object animation'
and 'Clash Detective' workspaces could be set up, saved and used as appropriate. The workspaces can
also be shared with other users. You could, for example, create separate workspaces for occasional and
'heavy-weight' NavisWorks users, or setup your own corporate standard.

When you first start NavisWorks a default workspace is used. You can choose a different workspace at
any time by clicking View > Workspaces, and then selecting the required workspace from the list.
Alternatively, click on the Workspace toolbar, and click the desired workspace to open it.

To save the current interface layout to a new workspace:

1. Configure your workspace. For example, you can close all toolbars except the Standard, Selection
Tools, Navigation Mode, and Workspace.

2. On the View menu, click Workspaces > Save Workspace.

3. In the Save Current Workspace dialog box, enter a name for the new workspace. You can also
select the name of an existing workspace to overwrite it with your modified configuration.

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4. Click Save.

To load a saved workspace into NavisWorks:

1. On the View menu, click Workspaces > Load Workspace.

2. In the Load Workspace dialog box, browse to the folder containing the workspace, select the
workspace, and click Open.

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22.2.3. Customizing toolbars

You can customize appearance and contents of the NavisWorks toolbars by using the Customize dialog
box.

To open the Customize dialog box:

• Right-click any toolbar on the screen, and click Customize on the shortcut menu.

or

• On the Tools menu, click Customize.

The Customize dialog box is displayed.

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This dialog has the following purposes:

• Displaying/hiding toolbars. On the Toolbars tab, select the check box in front of a toolbar's name to
display it. Clear the check box to hide the toolbar.

• Changing appearance of toolbars and menus.

• Changing contents of toolbars and menus.

• Customizing keyboard shortcuts.

22.2.3.1. Personalizing Appearance of Toolbars and Menus

To personalize appearance of toolbars and menus:

1. In the Customize dialog box, click the Options tab.

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2. By default, the NavisWorks menus display all commands. If you want to show only basic and
frequently used commands on short versions of the menus, clear the Always Show Full Menus
check box.

If you want to show all commands on the menu after a brief delay when you rest the mouse pointer
on an open menu, select the Show Full Menus After a Short Delay check box.

3. Click Large Icons to toggle the size of the toolbar buttons.

4. Click List Font Names in Their Font to toggle the way the font names are shown in font lists.

5. Click Show ScreenTips on Toolbars to toggle the display of tooltips when the mouse is over a
toolbar button.

If the tooltips are on, you can click Show Shortcut Keys in Screen Tips to toggle the display of
shortcut keys in tooltips.

6. To modify the way menus are animated, click the drop-down button in the Menu Animations field,
and select one of the options.

7. Optionally, click the Reset Menu and Toolbar Usage Data button to restore default settings.

8. Close the dialog box.

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22.2.3.2. Changing Toolbar and Menu Contents

Note
You cannot use the procedures below to add/remove commands from shortcut menus.

To add commands:

1. In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab.

2. In the Categories field, click the group of commands you want to rearrange, for example 'Tools'.

3. Drag the command from the Commands field to the desired location. You can either place it on one
of the NavisWorks toolbars or inside one of the menus on the menu bar.

Once you've dropped the command onto a toolbar or a menu, clicking the Description button gives
you more information about it.

4. If you want to edit the command's appearance, click the Modify Selection button, and then click the
required option on the shortcut menu:

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• Reset - resets the selected command to its default appearance.

• Delete - deletes the selected command.

• Name - specifies the name of the command. Place & (ampersand) in front of a letter you want to
use as a keyboard shortcut. Pressing ALT together with this letter will activate the command.

• Default Style - uses the default style for the command.

• Text Only - the command is shown as text (as it's entered in the Name field).

• Image and Text - the command will use both text and image.

• Begin a Group - adds a separator to the left of the command if it's added to a toolbar, or above
the command, if it's added to a menu.

5. Close the dialog box.

To delete commands:

1. Open the Customize dialog box.

2. Drag the command you want to remove from a menu or a toolbar until a cursor displays a small
cross.

3. Release the left mouse button to delete the command.

4. Close the dialog box.

To edit commands:

1. Open the Customize dialog box.

2. Select the command on a menu or on a toolbar.

3. To change the command's position, simply drag it to a new place.

4. To change the command's appearance:

In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab.

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Click the Modify Selection button, and click the desired option on the shortcut menu.

5. Close the dialog box.

To add a custom toolbar:

1. In the Customize dialog box, click the Toolbars tab.

2. Click the New button.

The New Toolbar dialog box is displayed.

3. Enter a name for the toolbar in the Toolbar Name field and click OK. By default, new toolbars are
named "Custom X" where 'X' is the next available number added to the list.

If you need a more descriptive name, you can rename your toolbar later by clicking the Rename
button.

4. In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab, and drag the desired commands to your new
toolbar. Alternatively, you can simply drag commands from other menus and toolbars.

5. Close the dialog box.

To delete a custom toolbar:

1. In the Customize dialog box, click the Toolbars tab.

2. Select the toolbar you don't need, and press the Delete button.

3. Close the dialog box.

22.2.3.3. Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts

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To customize keyboard shortcuts:

1. In the Customize dialog box, click the Toolbars tab.

2. Click the Keyboard button.

The Customize Keyboard dialog box is displayed.

3. In the Categories field, click the group that contains the command to which you want to assign a
shortcut.

4. In the Commands field, click the actual command.

If the command has a shortcut assigned to it, it is displayed in the Current Shortcut field.

5. In the Select a New Shortcut drop-down list, click the shortcut key combination you want to use.

6. Click the Assign button.

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Note
Clicking Remove removes the shortcut assignment for the selected command, and clicking
Reset All restores the default shortcut assignments.

7. Close the dialog box.

22.2.4. Workspace Toolbar

The Workspace toolbar gives you control over the NavisWorks interface. Each button will toggle on and
off a different control bar. Alternatively the control bars can also be toggled on and off by right clicking on
the NavisWorks frame and using the context menu, or selecting from View, Control Bars.

Redline

Hyperlinks

Smart Tags

Measure

Viewpoints

Sectioning

Plan Thumbnail

Section Thumbnail

Selection Tree

Selection Sets

Comments

Find Comments

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Find Items

Properties

22.2.5. Splitting the main view

The current view may be split horizontally, vertically or both. The model can then be navigated
independently in each view, with a white border indicating the active view.

To split the main navigation window

• Go to View, Split Horizontal or Split Vertical (to divide the main view in half horizontally or vertically
respectively).

or

• Go to View, Split and use the mouse to click where the split on the main view is required.

To remove the splitter bars

• Double click on the bar you wish to remove.

or

• Drag a vertical bar to one side of the view, or a horizontal bar to the top or bottom.

or

• Go to View, Split Horizontal or Split Vertical to unselect that option.

Note
The recording and playback of animations will occur in the most recently used view. Each
separate view remembers the navigation mode being used.

22.2.6. Full Screen Mode

Selecting Full Screen or pressing the F11 key puts NavisWorks into Full Screen mode; the main 3D
navigation view takes up the full screen with no interface showing. Pressing the F11 key for a second time
turns full-screen mode off. Full screen mode will always go to full screen on the primary display. If two
monitors are available, the interface can be placed on one whilst the main 3D view renders in full screen
on the other.

22.2.7. Sizing of Navigation Window

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NavisWorks allows you to specify the size of the main navigation window. This can be of particular use if
you are composing a scene for image or animation export. By setting the window size to the same
proportions as your intended output, you can visualize exactly how it will result.

Explicit sizing of the main navigation window

1. Go to View, Window Size. The window size dialog will be displayed.

2. From the Type drop-down list, select the sizing type you wish to specify:

• Select Use View to maximise the window size.

Or

• Select Explicit and enter the exact width and height you wish the window to be.

Or

• Select Use Aspect Ratio and enter the height you require and the width will be automatically
calculated from the aspect ratio of the current view.

3. Click OK to set the window size, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without changing it.

22.2.8. Stereo Rendering

Stereoscopic viewing in NavisWorks allows the viewing of the 3D model through stereo-enabled
hardware, including active and passive stereo viewing glasses in conjunction with both CRT screens and

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dedicated projectors.

This feature requires the host computer have an OpenGL graphics card with stereo support. If this
hardware is available, and has the correct driver and display settings, stereo can be turned on by
selecting the View, Stereo menu option, otherwise this option will be greyed-out.

Note
Some drivers require stereo to be explicitly enabled in the driver and may require lower color or
resolution settings before stereo becomes available.

Selecting this menu option puts the video output into stereo mode; the view will look blurred without the
correct glasses being worn. If the camera is in orthographic mode, it will need to be set to perspective for
the effect to work correctly.

Note
As the view for each eye has to be rendered separately it is not possible to support incremental
filling in of detail in stereo mode. The detail appears when rendering is complete. Progress can be
seen using the bar in the status area, and it is still possible to interrupt and start interacting again
at any time.

Stereo Options

1. Go to View, Stereo Options.... The options dialog will be displayed.

2. Slide the Magnitude bar to vary the strength of the stereo effect.

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3. Sliding the Out of screen bar, when enabled, and when using a focal point based navigation mode
(examine, orbit, turntable, etc.), will position the model so that parts closer than the focal point appear
in front of the screen, with the rest behind. The slider controls the balance, moving objects more or
less out of the screen. When using any other navigation mode (walk, fly, etc.), the focal point is set so
that any avatar will be level with the screen. Objects between you and the avatar will appear in front
of the screen.

4. Check the Swap Eyes check box to swap the left and right eyes over. This can be useful when
moving from CRT to a large screen projector and back.

5. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

22.2.9. Scene Statistics

This displays a list of the files contributing to the scene, and the different graphic elements that make up
the scene, along with which of these have been processed or ignored when loaded.

Other useful statistics are the bounding box of the entire scene and the total number of primitives
(triangles, lines, points) in the scene.

To view scene statistics

• Go to View, Scene Statistics to display all the statistics about the current scene.

The number of each type of element is listed together with which have been ignored or processed in
creating the scene.

22.3. Units
NavisWorks has the concept of what unit the scene is presented in. This is most useful when measuring
items, setting tolerances for clash detection, or sizes of textures. There is a single scene unit that is set
from the Global Options dialog and this unit is used throughout the interface whenever appropriate.

There is a default unit setting for each file type so that when files are opened, they are scaled
appropriately to the scene's units. They can, of course, be rescaled after if the units turn out to be wrong
for the scene.

Units Options

Setting units options

1. Go to Tools, Global Options, Display Units

The Display Units dialog is displayed

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2. Choose the Linear Units from the list. You should be able to choose the exact format you wish.

3. Choose the Angular Units from the list.

4. Enter the number of decimal places you want to see throughout the interface for your units in the
Decimal Places box. If the unit chosen is a fractional unit, rather than decimal unit, then you have

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the choice of what level of fraction to display the units from the Fractional Display Precision drop
down.

5. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

22.4. Profiles
NavisWorks can be adjusted to your level of CAD technical knowledge. By default, a standard profile is
used. If necessary, you can use a developer profile to display additional object properties.

Using a developer profile:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node, and click the Developer option.

The Developer page is displayed

3. Select the Show Internal Properties check box to display additional object properties.

Note
Now the Geometry tab and Tranform tab will be shown in the Properties control bar for the
associated models and items.

4. Click OK to set the profile or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting it.

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22.5. Search Directories

NavisWorks searches for a variety of configuration files in subdirectories of three standard directories.
These files can be overridden on a per user, all users or per installation basis. The search directories are :

• Application Data\Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 within the current user profile.
Usually C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Autodesk NavisWorks
Manage 2009 where user is the name of the current user.

• Application Data\Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 within the all users default profile.
Usually C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk
NavisWorks Manage 2009.

• Within the NavisWorks install directory. Usually C:\Program Files\Autodesk NavisWorks

Manage 2009.

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Chapter 23. Tools
The Tools menu in NavisWorks gives access to a series of useful tools, plugins and options. If you have
purchased the Presenter, Clash Detective or TimeLiner plugins, they will be available under this menu.

The Tools menu consists of:

• Clash Detective (see the Clash Detective user guide for more details)

• Presenter (see the Presenter user guide for more details)

• TimeLiner or TimeLiner Playback (see the TimeLiner user guide for more details)

• Compare

• Redline

• Hyperlinks

• Smart Tags

• Measure

• Animation

• Background Color

• File Options

• Global Options

All items on this menu are explained in other chapters, except for the Compare tool, which is described
below.

23.1. Comparing Models

The Compare tool becomes available when exactly two items are selected. These can be any types of
item, but the compare tool is most useful when comparing two versions of the same model. During the
comparison, NavisWorks will start at each item and recursively travel down each path, as seen in the
standard selection tree, comparing each item it comes across in terms of the criteria requested.

When the comparison has finished, you have the option of saving the differences as Selection Sets with
comments describing the differences in more detail.

Comparing two items

1. Select exactly two items in the scene (see Chapter 13, Selecting Items for more information on how
to do this).

2. Go to Tools, Compare

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The Compare dialog is displayed

3. In the Find Differences In section of the dialog, check all the boxes of the criteria that you want
NavisWorks to compare for differences between the two items. Overridden Material and
Overridden Transform relate to changing the color and/or transparency in NavisWorks and
changing a file's origin, scale or rotation since loading into NavisWorks, so these are unchecked by
default. All the other criteria relate to properties of items from the original CAD model.

4. Check Save as selection set if you want to save the selected items that you are comparing between
as a selection set. You can then use this for later comparisons between the same items.

5. Check Save each difference as set if you want to save the resulting differences found in the
comparison between the two items as a selection set for later analysis. The selection set will also
have a comment attached detailing the differences in more depth.

6. Check Remove old results if you want to remove any selection sets resulting from a previous
comparison, in order to reduce confusion when looking at the results.

7. Check Hide matches if you want to hide all items that turn out to be the same in the comparison,
when the comparison finishes. To show them again, reset all hidden items.

8. Check Highlight results if you want to highlight each resulting difference with a color override, when
the comparison finishes. Reset the color using the reset material command.

9. Click OK to start the comparison, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without making any comparison.
At any time during the comparison, you can click on Cancel on the Exporting dialog to abort the

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comparison.

The colors of the resulting highlights are as follows:

• White for items that match;

• Red for differences between items;

• Yellow for things found in the first item that aren't in the second;

• Cyan for things found in the second item that aren't in the first;

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Chapter 24. Options
There are two types of options: File Options and Global Options. These are both accessed from the
Tools menu. File options are saved in NavisWorks files (.nwf or .nwd) and reinstated when opening it.
Global options, on the other hand, are set for all NavisWorks sessions.

This chapter simply links to other chapters where the functionality is described in more detail.

24.1. File Options

These options are saved into NavisWorks files and re-loaded when opening these files into NavisWorks.
They are predominantly concerned with the appearance of the model and the speed of navigation around
it.

To get to the File Options dialog, go to Tools, File Options. You will get a tabbed dialog box offering one
of the following five file options:

• Culling. See Section 16.2, “ Culling Options ”.

• Orientation. See Section 16.3, “ Orientation Options ”.

• Speed. See Section 16.4, “ Speed Options ”.

• Head light. See Section 16.1.1.3, “ Head Light options ”.

• Scene lights. See Section 16.1.1.5, “ Scene Lights Options ”.

• DataTools. See Chapter 25, DataTools .

24.2. Location Options

Locations help page

24.3. Developer Options

Developer help page

24.4. Standard hyperlinks Options

Hyperlinks help page

24.5. User-defined hyperlinks Options

Hyperlinks help page

24.6. SmartTags definition

SmartTags definition help page

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24.7. Global Options

These options are persistent across NavisWorks sessions and are not saved into NavisWorks files.

To get to the global options dialog, go to Tools, Global Options. In addition to a tab for each file format
that is read by NavisWorks, there are distinct sets of functionality that are controlled by the following
options:

• Undo. See Section 15.2, “ Undo Options ”.

• Display. See Section 16.5, “ Display Options ”.

• Profile. See Section 22.4, “ Profiles ”.

• Smart Tags. See Section 20.5.1, “ Smart Tags Options ”.

• Performance Options. See Section 16.6, “ Performance Options ”.

• Selection of items. See Section 13.5, “ Selection Options ”.

• Hyperlinks. See Section 20.4.6, “ Hyperlinks Options ”.

• Measure tools. See Section 20.3.4, “ Measure Options ”.

• Saved Viewpoints. See Section 17.6, “ Viewpoints Options ”.

• Display Units. See Section 22.3, “ Units Options ”.

• NWC files. See Section 10.1.3, “ NWC Options ”.

• NWD files. See Section 10.1.2, “ NWD Options ”.

• Textures. See Section 16.7, “ Presenter Options ”

• SpaceBall. See Section 12.5, “ Using a SpaceBall ”

• DataTools. See Chapter 25, DataTools .

• TimeLiner (See the TimeLiner user guide for more details).

Note
The TimeLiner options tab is only available if you have a valid license for this plugin. See the
TimeLiner user guide for more information on TimeLiner options.

The reading of native CAD file formats is also configured from this dialog using the following tabs:

• DWG/DXF. See Section 10.1.4, “ DWG and DXF File Reader Options ”.

• 3DS. See Section 10.1.7, “ 3DS File Reader Options ”.

• DGN. See Section 10.1.8, “ DGN File Reader Options ”.

• IGES. See Section 10.1.10, “ IGES File Reader Options ”.

• STEP. See Section 10.1.11, “ STEP File Reader Options ”.

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• Inventor. See Section 10.1.12, “ Inventor File Reader Options ”.

• MAN. See Section 10.1.9, “ MAN File Reader Options ”.

• VRML. See Section 10.1.13, “ VRML File Reader Options ”.

• Riegl Scan. See Section 10.1.14, “ Riegl Scan File Reader Options ”.

• Faro Scan. See Section 10.1.15, “ Faro Scan File Reader Options ”.

• Leica Scan. See Section 10.1.16, “ Leica Scan File Reader Options ”.

• Z+F Scan. See Section 10.1.17, “ Z+F Scan File Reader Options ”.

• ASCII Laser Scan. See Section 10.1.18, “ ASCII Laser Scan File Reader Options ”.

• STL. See Section 10.1.19, “ STL File Reader Options ”.

• AVEVA Review RVM files. See Section 10.1.20, “ RVM File Reader Options ”.

• IFC. See Section 10.1.21, “ IFC File Reader Options ”.

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Chapter 25. DataTools
This feature is used to link Object Property elements in NavisWorks to fields that exist in a table within a
database. Any database with a suitable ODBC driver is supported, and properties contained within
database tables can be brought through and shown on the Properties control. If an object in a scene has
associated database properties, clicking on that object will show the properties in a separate tab.

Data linked from a database can also be included in any searches using the Find tool, and can also be
used within Clash Detective as part of the clash criteria. See Section 14.2, “ Finding Items ” for more
details on how to use the Find tool, and the Using Clash Detective section for more information on
clashes and clash criteria.

25.1. DataTools Links

To allow object data to be read from a database, a link between the model and the database needs to be
set up. This link can be set up in two places; Global Options and File Options. Both places allow the
same settings to be set up and database links in both places exist in tandem. Having the two locations
gives the option of setting up a single set of database links in Global Options for multiple files to access,
whilst allowing files to have their own individual database links within File Options.

• Click on Tools, File Options for setting up file related database information, or Tools, Global
Options for setting up global database links.

• Clicking on the DataTools tab brings up the following tab

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Note
The images and information here also apply to setting up DataTools in File Options.

On the left hand side of this tab is shown all links that have been added. The link names listed are user
defined, and all links can be set to Active or Inactive by selecting or deselecting the check box beside

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each.

• New is used to set up a new Link. An unlimited number of links can be set up using this button.

• Edit is used to edit an already existing Link. Select the link to edit and press the Edit button.

• Delete is used to delete an existing Link. Select the link to be deleted and press the Delete button.

• Import can be used to import a previously exported Link list. Clicking on this button will bring up an
import dialog box to enable browsing to the required file.

• Export is used to export the currently selected list of Links and all their associated information. Select
multiple Links for export using the Shift and Ctrl keys whilst selecting links in the list. Clicking on this
button then brings up an export dialog box to enable a destination path and filename to be set. This
also gives the option of stripping the Username and Password from the exported data.

• Default restores to the configuration as shipped with NavisWorks

25.2. Creating a DataTools Link

Clicking on the New or Edit button brings up the following dialog box, allowing the creation of a new Link,
or the editing of and existing selected link.

• Enter the name of your new link in the Name box. This should be a unique name.

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• Select your ODBC Driver from the drop-down list box and click on the Setup... button to setup that
driver. The driver will walk you through the setup options. If you have difficulties setting up your
connection details, contact your database administrator.

The box underneath will show the connection string.

Note
This is editable, though should only be changed with care. Under most circumstances this can be
left alone.

Some examples are:

• Connection string: Selecting a database with a certain name (test.mdb) that is always next to the
model file (as in the resultant NWD/NWF not the original):

DBQ=%pushpath(%poppath(%currentpath),"test.mdb");DRIVER={Microsoft Access Driver (*.md

• Connection string: Selecting a database with the same name as the original model file (e.g.
AutoPlant):

DBQ=%join(%removeext(%removepath(%sourcepath)),".mdb");DRIVER={Microsoft Access Driver

• The Hold open for application lifetime check box, when checked, keeps the connection to the
dbase open whilst NavisWorks is open, and only closes it on exit.

• The SQL String must always start with SELECT, and is used to connect to a table within the
database. Set up the query for the table by writing the SQL String.

Some SQL String examples include:

• SQL String: Selecting all columns from table Test whilst requiring that the column called Entity
Handles matches a category/property pair called Entity Handle/Value and the column called File
Name matches the original filename of the drawing:

SELECT * FROM Test WHERE "Entity Handle" = %prop("Entity Handle","Value") AND “File Na

Here the path and the extension of the file name are being stripped so a file like
c:\model\3rdFloorDucts.dwg would come out as 3rdFloorDucts.

• SQL String: Selecting two columns from table Test whilst requiring that the column called Entity
Handle matches a category/property pair called Entity Handle/Value:

SELECT Name,Part FROM Test WHERE "Entity Handle" = %prop("Entity Handle","Value");

• SQL String: Selecting all columns from table Test whilst requiring that the column called Value is
within a certain range given by two category/property pairs:

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SELECT * FROM Test WHERE Value BETWEEN %prop("Pressure","Minimum") AND %prop("Pressure

The full Tag list includes:

Property tags
• %prop("category","property") - Property of the currently selected object. Category is the name of
the tab in the property windows (e.g. Item or Entity Handle) and property is the name of the
property in that tab. (e.g. Value or Layer)

• %intprop("category","property") - Property of the currently selected object. This is the same as the
previous tag except instead of using the publicly visible category and property name use the
internal JetStream names. The benefit of using internal names is that they are not language
dependent. [This is advanced tag that will make more sense to people familiar with the JetStream
API]

File/Path tags
• %sourcepath – This tag represents the full path and filename that the currently selected object
comes from. Even when a collection of model files have been combined into a single NWD file this
tag will still remember the path and filename of the original model file.

• %currentpath - This tag represents the full path and filename of the currently loaded model. If you
currently have an NWF or NWD loaded that contains many other models it will just return the path
and filename of the top level NWF/NWD.

File/Path Manipulation Tags

• %removeext("text") – If the provided text includes a filename with an extension this tag will remove
the extension.

• %removepath("text") – If the provided text includes a path and filename this tag will remove the
path and just return the filename.

• %poppath("text") – If the provided text includes a path this tag will remove the top level. If it the text
also includes a filename that will count as the top level and be removed. [e.g. %poppath(“c:\temp”)
becomes c:\ and %popath(c:\temp\readme.txt”) becomes c:\temp]

• %pushpath("text1","text2") – If text1 is a path and text2 is a file or folder name then text2 will be
added onto the path in text1. [e.g. %pushpath(“c:\test”,”model.nwd”) becomes c:\test\model.nwd]

String Manipulation Tags

• %join("text","text") – This tag simply joins the two pieces of text together. [For example

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%join(“c:\”,”model.nwd”) would return c:\model.nwd]

Note
Tags must not contain white space between the brackets (unless enclosed by quote marks), so

%prop("EntityHandle","Value")

works, but

%prop("EntityHandle", "Value")

does not.

• Once the string is complete, clicking anywhere in the Fields box brings up a new edit control. Type in
the name of a field from the table accessed by the SQL String. Pressing enter automatically copies
this name into the display name. This display name is the text that appears in the database tab in the
Properties control; click on this display name to alter it. Continue to fill this in until the table contains all
the information required to be seen.

Note
All file-based connection information is saved inside the project NWF or NWD. The global
connection information is saved on the local machine. If the associated database is available on
loading the NWF/NWD file, the link will automatically establish itself when an object is selected.
On selecting an object, if the database is available, and there is data associated with the object,
NavisWorks will create an appropriate database tab in the Properties control and show the
appropriate data as set up in the connection details.

If a Publisher license is present, Object Properties can be extracted from a database connection
and embedded as static data within the published NWD file. See Section 11.1, “ Publishing from
NavisWorks ” for more information.

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Chapter 26. Getting Help
The Help menu gives you access to useful resources about your system, your product and the
documentation. NavisWorks comes with full context sensitive help as well as user guides in Adobe
Acrobat™ .pdf format. The Help menu consists of:

• Help Topics.

• What's This?

• NavisWorks on the Web.

• Clash Detective... help for the Clash Detective plugin, (only available with a valid Clash Detective
license).

• Presenter... help for the Presenter plugin, (only available with a valid Presenter license).

• TimeLiner... help for the TimeLiner plugin, (only available with a valid TimeLiner license).

• Publisher... help for the Publisher plugin, (only available with a valid Publisher license).

• License... open the NavisWorks License Manager.

• System Info

• About NavisWorks

If the online documentation and help does not answer your query, try www.autodesk.com/support
[http://www.autodesk.com/support]. If the website does not help answer your problem, you should contact
the reseller from whom you purchased the software.

26.1. Help Topics

NavisWorks contains full help documentation. This is structured in chapters, sections and procedures
which can be easily navigated on the Contents tab.

To open the NavisWorks help documentation, go to Help, Help Topics.

The NavisWorks help window is displayed:

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In the Contents tab, select an item to view its contents. Expand and contract the chapters and sections
(identified with a book icon) using the plus and minus icons to the left of them. The contents of the
selected item will be displayed in the right hand pane.

The Index tab has a full index of all NavisWorks help topics. Select the topic you are interested in
learning more about from the list, then click Display. The selected topic will be displayed in the right hand
pane.

Should you not be sure of the topic name that you are interested in learning more about, use the Search
tab to search on any keyword. Enter the keyword to be found, then click List Topics. Any topics within
the NavisWorks help containing the keyword you entered, will be listed. Select the topic you are intersted
in and then click Display. The selected topic will be displayed in the right hand pane.

26.2. What's This?

NavisWorks contains full context sensitive help. If you want to find out more about any item in the
interface. Click and click over the toolbar button, window or menu command that you want to know

more about. The appropriate Help topic will then be displayed.

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 Getting Help

26.3. NavisWorks on the Web

To visit the NavisWorks pages on the Internet, go to Help, NavisWorks on the Web.

26.4. Clash Detective Help

The Clash Detective plugin contains full help documentation (this is available provided you have a valid
Clash Detective license).

To open the Clash Detective help documentation, go to Help, Clash Detective....

The Clash Detective help window is displayed:

The Clash Detective help is used in exactly the same way as the NavisWorks help, see NavisWorks Help
Topics for further information.

26.5. Presenter Help

The Presenter plugin contains full help documentation (this is available provided you have a valid
Presenter license).

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 Getting Help

To open the Presenter help documentation, go to Help, Presenter....

The Presenter help window is displayed:

The Presenter help is used in exactly the same way as the NavisWorks help, see NavisWorks Help
Topics for further information.

26.6. TimeLiner Help

The TimeLiner plugin contains full help documentation (this is available provided you have a valid
TimeLiner license).

To open the TimeLiner help documentation, go to Help, TimeLiner....

The TimeLiner help window is displayed:

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 Getting Help

The TimeLiner help is used in exactly the same way as the NavisWorks help, see NavisWorks Help
Topics for further information.

26.7. Publisher Help

The Publisher plugin contains full help documentation (the Publisher documentation is contained within
the NavisWorks help documentation, though it's functionality is only available provided you have a valid
Publisher license).

To open the Publisher help documentation, go to Help, Publisher....

The NavisWorks help window is displayed at the Publishing chapter:

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 Getting Help

The Publisher help is used in exactly the same way as the NavisWorks help, see NavisWorks Help Topics
for further information.

26.8. License
Opens the NavisWorks License Manager, where all licensing operations are done. For more information
on this, see the book called LicMan.pdf in the manuals directory.

26.9. System Info

Opens a dialog giving you detailed information about your system, which can be helpful in support
situations.

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26.10. About NavisWorks

Opens a dialog giving you information about your product, including version and build number, which can
be helpful in support situations.

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Getting Help

283
 Part IV. Using Presenter
Presenter enables texture materials, lighting, Rich Photorealistic Content (RPC) and background effects
to be applied to your project model to enhance the real-time experience and export compelling
renderings. In this section, you will learn how to:

• Render and output scenes

• Apply and manage Presenter materials

• Use lighting

• Apply and manage RPC's

• Use rendering effects

• Use rendering styles

• Manage textures

• Set up rendering rules to apply materials to models

Table of Contents
27. Overview of Presenter ............................................................................................................ 286
27.1. The User Archive ................................................................................................ 286
27.2. Additional Archives ..............................................................................................287
28. Rendering Scenes ..................................................................................................................289
28.1. Setting Up And Rendering A Scene ...................................................................... 289
28.2. Exporting Rendered Output .................................................................................. 289
29. Presenter Materials ................................................................................................................293
29.1. Materials Tab ......................................................................................................293
29.2. Applying Presenter Materials ................................................................................ 293
29.3. Removing Presenter Materials ............................................................................. 294
29.4. Managing Materials .............................................................................................295
29.5. Editing Presenter Materials .................................................................................. 296
29.6. Advanced Materials .............................................................................................300
30. Presenter Lighting ..................................................................................................................303
30.1. Lighting Tab ........................................................................................................303
30.2. Adding And Positioning Lights .............................................................................. 303
30.3. Managing Lights ..................................................................................................305
30.4. Editing Lights ......................................................................................................306
30.5. Shadow Casting ..................................................................................................307
30.6. Advanced Lighting ...............................................................................................308
30.6.1. Soft Shadows ...................................................................................................309
30.6.2. Physically Accurate Lights ................................................................................. 309
30.6.3. Volumetric Lights ..............................................................................................309
30.6.4. Image-based Lighting .......................................................................................310
31. Presenter RPCs .....................................................................................................................313
31.1. RPC Tab .............................................................................................................313
32. Rendering Effects ...................................................................................................................317
32.1. Effects Tab .........................................................................................................317
32.2. Background Effects .............................................................................................317
32.3. Foreground Effects ..............................................................................................319
33. Rendering Styles ....................................................................................................................321
33.1. Rendering Tab ....................................................................................................321
33.2. Rendering Styles .................................................................................................321
33.3. Predefined Rendering Styles ................................................................................ 322
33.4. Auto Exposure ....................................................................................................323
34. Texture Space .......................................................................................................................325
35. Presenter Rules .....................................................................................................................329

cclxxxv
Chapter 27. Overview of Presenter
The Presenter plugin enables you to set up materials and lights in your scene and render it with more
realism and effects. Like all plugins, Presenter is a dockable tabbed control bar accessed through the
Tools menu (Hint: hold down the Control key to prevent the control bar from docking if necessary). From
the Presenter control bar you can edit pre-defined materials and apply them to items in the scene, add
lights to the scene and set up rules for applying the materials to other files in the same project set up with
the same parameters. You can define and apply your materials and lights to a model and save the
settings into a NavisWorks .nwf file so that as the model is updated, the materials and lights remain the
same. Materials can also be brought through from CAD applications via the .3DS, .dwg and .dgn file
formats, or by exporting from 3D Studio Viz or Max (see "Converting Files" in the Basic NavisWorks
Functionality section for more details on this).

While Presenter can be used for photorealistic renderings, it can also be used for OpenGL interactive
rendering and once you've set up the scene with Presenter, you can view the materials and lights in
NavisWorks. There are special rendering styles to interactively preview the Presenter materials and lights
called Full Lights and Full Render on the Rendering Style toolbar:

The Materials, Lighting, Effects and Rendering tabs are divided into two panes. The left hand pane
contains the archives and the right hand pane contains the scene's palette, which defines what materials,
lighting, effects and render styles are used in the scene. Archives are shown in a tree structure and are
defined in the LightWorks Archive (.lwa) format.

There are three pre-defined archives that are installed with Presenter:

• The Recommended archives contain materials, lighting, effects and rendering styles that are
recommended for most users. These include materials, lights and effects that can be seen during
interactive navigation in NavisWorks and can be fully rendered with OpenGL. Of course, they will look
better when rendered photorealistically.

• Additional materials, light studios, effects and render styles are available in the Standard archive.
These include materials that cannot be fully reproduced using OpenGL and therefore will not be seen
properly in interactive mode, or until a full photorealistic render is done.

• Any materials, lights, effects and render styles from any archive can be used as a template starter for
your own definitions, but the Templates archive contains instances of each type of material, light,
effect and render style, giving you quicker access.

Additional .lwa archives can be downloaded from http:\\www.lightworks-user.com. Although materials,

lights, effects and render styles cannot be edited in archives, once dragged into the scene's palette, they
can be edited and saved with the scene in a NavisWorks .nwf file, or published as a NavisWorks .nwd file
(if you have a valid NavisWorks Publisher license).

You can save your own edits to materials into an .nwp file - see Section 29.4, “ Managing Materials ” for
more information on how to do this. Also, there is a User archive, which allow you to save your own
edited materials, lights, effects and render styles, for use in other scenes.

27.1. The User Archive

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The User archive is accessible from each of the Materials, Lighting, Effects and Rendering tabs. On
each of the tabs the archives are named My Materials, My Lighting, My Effects and My Render Styles,
respectively. The principles are the same for each and will all be referred to as User archive, for the
purposes of this guide.

Managing the user archive

1. To save a material, light, effect or render style to the user archive for use in other scenes, simply
drag that item from the scene's palette (right hand pane) onto the respective User archive.

2. To create a new sub-folder in the User archive, right click on the archive and choose New
Directory... from the context menu. You can rename this new folder by right clicking on it and
choosing Rename from that context menu. You can make as many nested sub-folders as you wish in
the User archive.

3. To save the User archive to disk, right click on it and choose Save Archives from the context menu.
This will save any modified archives. You will also be prompted to save any modified archives when
you close NavisWorks.

4. To remove a material, light, effect or render style from the respective User archive, right click on the
item to be removed, then choose Delete from the context menu.

5. To remove a sub-folder you've created from the respective User archive, right click on the folder to
be removed, then choose Delete from the context menu.

Note
You cannot delete the default User archive.

27.2. Additional Archives

Archives can be added within each of the Materials, Lighting, Effects and Rendering tabs. The
principles are the same for each.

Adding archives

1. To download an archive from the LightWorks-User web site, right click on any archive (in the left
hand pane) and choose Download Archive... from the context menu. Then follow the instructions
given on their site.

2. To import a downloaded archive into Presenter, right click on any archive (in the left hand pane) and
choose Import Archive... from the context menu. The normal Windows™ Open File dialog will
appear for you to browse to and choose the .lwa file to import.

Deleting archives

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• To remove an archive that you have previously added, right click on the archive, then choose Delete
Archive from the context menu. Click Yes in the message box to confirm you wish to delete the
archive.

Note
The archive will remain amongst your list of archives until you restart NavisWorks.

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Chapter 28. Rendering Scenes
While the OpenGL rendering in the main navigation window is adequate for interactive walkthrough and
previewing renders, you will no doubt want to render your scenes and animations with full photorealistic
rendering at some point. You can render directly into the main window by simply clicking on the Render
button at the bottom of the Presenter control bar at any time. The following procedures is an overview of
how to do this:

28.1. Setting Up And Rendering A Scene

1. Drag and drop materials onto items in the model. You can use the pre-defined materials, or create
your own from the templates in the Materials tab (see Chapter 29, Presenter Materials for more
details on how to do this).

Or

2. Use the Rules tab to set up rules which define project-wide material application (see Chapter 35,
Presenter Rules for more details on this).

3. Use the Texture Space tab to more accurately map materials onto items in the scene (see
Chapter 34, Texture Space for more details on this).

4. Set up additional lighting using the Lighting tab (see Chapter 30, Presenter Lighting for more details
on how to do this).

5. Background and foreground effects can be added to the scene with the Effects tab (see Chapter 32,
Rendering Effects for more details on these).

6. Use the Rendering tab to select a rendering style for the render (see Chapter 33, Rendering Styles
for more details on these).

7. At any point, you can click on the Render button to start NavisWorks Presenter rendering the scene
in the main navigation window. The rendering process can be stopped at any point by clicking on the
Stop button.

8. Click on the Clear button to clear the render in the main navigation window and return to an OpenGL
interactive view.

28.2. Exporting Rendered Output

If you want to save the rendered scene to a file or printer, you have to render directly to it. The following
procedure describes how to do this:

Exporting a rendered image

1. With the scene set up as you wish (see Section 28.1, “ Setting Up And Rendering A Scene ”), go to
File, Export, Rendered Image.

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The Export Rendered Image dialog will appear:

2. To print directly to a printer, choose Printer from the Type drop down list.

The Browse button and box will be grayed out and you will get the standard Windows™ print dialog
to set up the printer and options on clicking OK.

3. To save to one of the file types supported by NavisWorks Presenter, choose the file type from the
Type drop down list.

NavisWorks Presenter supports the following file types:

• Targa.

• Tiff.

• JPEG.

• Windows Bitmap.

• EPix.

• PostScript.

• LWI.

• HDR (High Dynamic Range Image).

• OpenEXR (High Dynamic Range Image).

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 Rendering Scenes

• QuickTime VR Panoramic Movie.

Note
The QTVR Panoramic Movie will effectively export 32 images, rotating about the current camera
position to form a 360 degree panorama. Best results are achieved when the camera has zero tilt
and is located in a position that has a 360 degree panoramic view, for example, in the center of a
room.

• QuickTime VR Object Movie.

Note
The QTVR Object Movie will effectively export an extensive number of images, (based on number
of pan frames x number of tilt frames, see QTVR Object Movie Settings dialog below) pivoting
the model about it's center point. Best results are achieved when the model is relatively small or
compact.

When choosing this file type, you will be required to enter a number of settings. See the QTVR
Object Movie Settings dialog below:

The Pan Min and Pan Max settings define how far the model can be revolved (as though on a
turntable). The Pan Initial setting defines where you view the model from at the start (again, as
though on a turntable, 0 or 360 would be the same point at the opposite side and 180 would be
where the camera is now). The Pan Frame No. is the number of frames to be used to revolve the

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model from Pan Min to Pan Max.

The Tilt Min and Tilt Max settings define how far the model can be tilted (backwards and
forwards from its current position). The Tilt Initial setting defines where you view the model from
at the start (assuming you are looking at the model straight, -90 would be from the bottom and 90
from the top). The Tilt Frame No. is the number of frames to be used to tilt the model from Tilt
Min to Tilt Max.

4. Browse to a location and enter the name of the file you want to render to.

5. See "Controlling the size of an image" under "File Management" in the Basic NavisWorks
Functionality section for details on how to set the size of the rendered file. The only difference
between those options and the size options on this dialog is that you have a Use Printer Page option
here, which will size the image to the page setup size of the default printer.

If you choose Use View as the Size of the image file, then NavisWorks will save any existing render
from the main window, without having to render again from scratch.

6. Click OK to export the rendered output, or click Cancel to return to NavisWorks without exporting it.

Exporting rendered animations

1. Once you have set up and rendered a scene as you wish, you can additionally create an animation
within that scene, (see "Creating Animations" under "Animating" in the Basic NavisWorks
Functionality section). The rendering that you have set up will be applied to each frame of the
animation.

2. You can save a rendered animation by choosing Export, Animation from the File menu. This will
open the Animation Export dialog, as explained in "Exporting an animation" under "File
Management" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section.

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Chapter 29. Presenter Materials
29.1. Materials Tab
Like the Lights, Effects and Rendering tabs, the materials tab is divided into two panes. The left-hand
pane describes the pre-defined archives of materials that are installed and the right-hand pane shows the
current palette of materials that have been defined and are being used in the scene. The palette also
shows a small thumbnail of the material as it will appear when rendered.

The following sections will describe how to manage and edit materials for application onto items in the
scene.

29.2. Applying Presenter Materials

Materials can be applied to items in the scene by dragging-and-dropping the material onto:

• an item in the scene;

• an item in the selection tree;

• a selection set.

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If you drag the material from an archive then it will appear in the palette where it can be edited and saved
with the scene if necessary.

Presenter uses NavisWorks's selection resolution to decide which items to apply the material to when
dragging from an archive or palette onto the main view. When hovering over any item in the main view,
the proposed selection will turn the selection color (blue by default). When you drop the material onto the
current selection, it will be applied to all the items selected. If you drop the material onto an item that is
not currently selected, it will be applied to just that item.

You can also apply materials to items by selecting the items in the NavisWorks selection tree or scene
and then right-clicking on the material in the palette and selecting Apply to selected items from the
context menu.

Rules can also be used to apply materials to items based on their layer or color or selection set names,
for example. See Chapter 35, Presenter Rules for more information on this.

Applying a material to items

1. Select the items in the main navigation window, or by using the selection tree.

2. Choose your material from an archive or palette, right click on this material and choose Apply to
selected items from the context menu to assign the material to those items selected. Note that the
material will only be applied to those items and not to every instance of the item, if it is a multiply
instanced block or cell. To assign the material to all instances of a multiply instanced block or cell in
the scene, instead choose Apply to all instances of selection from the context menu.

3. Alternatively, you can simply drag-and-drop a material from an archive or palette onto items in the
selection tree or main navigation window to assign those materials to the items. Note that the
selection resolution determines which items will receive the materials. See "Selection Resolution"
under "Selecting" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more information on selection
resolution.

29.3. Removing Presenter Materials

You can remove materials assigned to items either from the material or from the item:

Removing a material from items

1. Right click on the item in the main navigation window, or the selection tree and choose Presenter,
Remove Material from the context menu. This item on the menu will only be available if the item
right clicked on has a material assigned to it at that selection resolution in the tree - see the section
on Inheritance below.

2. Alternatively, right click on the material in the palette that you want to remove from items in the
scene.

3. From the context menu, choose Remove from all items to remove all assignments of the material
from all items in the scene.

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 Presenter Materials

4. If you have items selected in the main navigation window or selection tree, then you can choose
choose Remove from selected items from the context menu to remove that material from only
those items you have selected in the scene.

Note
Deleting the material from the palette will automatically remove that material from any items in the
scene which it was applied to.

Inheritance
Layers can have colors, just as geometry can. If a layer has a material, all its children in the selection tree
inherit this material, until one of the children is assigned its own material, at which point, all its children in
the selection tree inherit this material, and so on.

If you drag-and-drop materials onto layers, this works fine because only the layer picks up the material
and although its children inherit the material, they do not have it explicitly assigned to them.

Therefore right clicking on such a child will not allow you to remove the material because one was not
explicitly assigned in the first place.

However if you use a rule to assign a material to a certain color, then all objects in the scene will get this
material explicitly assigned to them, including parent layers and child objects. If, with a selection
resolution of something like Geometry (which is more specific than a resolution of Layer), you right-click
on a child object and choose Remove Materials from the context menu, then the material will be
removed from the child object, but not from the parent layer and there won't be any apparent difference.

To remove the material, you will therefore have to remove it from the parent object, in the above situation
this would be the layer.

29.4. Managing Materials

The palette is where you edit and manage your materials for your scene. Materials are taken from the
archives into the palette where they are edited. You can then save the palette into a NavisWorks Palette
file (.nwp) for use in other scenes too.

Managing Palette Materials

1. Right click on a material in the right hand pane of the Materials tab (the palette).

2. Click Delete to delete the material from the palette. This will also remove the material from all items
in the scene.

3. Click Copy to copy the material to the clipboard. Right click on an empty space in the palette and
choose Paste to paste a copy of the material with a the same name suffixed with the next number in
the list. This process is useful if you want to test small tweaks to a material.

4. Click Rename to rename the material. You can also select the material and press F2 to rename it.

5. Click Regenerate Image to regenerate the thumbnail of the material in the palette with the current
attributes.

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 Presenter Materials

6. Click Select all instances to select the items in the scene which have this particular material
assigned to them.

7. Depending on whether items are selected in the scene and whether the material has been assigned
to any items, there will also be a couple of Apply and Remove items on the context menu. See
Section 29.2, “ Applying Presenter Materials ” and Section 29.3, “ Removing Presenter Materials ” for
more details on these.

8. Click Clear Palette to delete all the materials from the palette and also from all items in the scene.

9. Click Load Palette... to load a previously saved palette of materials into the current scene. This will
delete any materials currently in the palette. The standard File Open dialog will appear, allowing you
to browse to an .nwp file.

10. Click Append Palette... to load a palette from an .nwp file, while keeping all the existing materials in
the current palette. Any materials that are duplicated will be renamed with the .nwp file as an
extension.

11. Click Merge Palette... to merge a palette from an .nwp file into the current scene. This is like
appending, but instead of adding and renaming any duplicate materials, merging will overwrite
existing materials of the same name.

12. Click Save Palette As... to save your current palette of materials into a NavisWorks Palette (.nwp)
file. If you save the current scene using the usual File, Save method into an .nwf or .nwd file, the
palette will be saved too, but the independent .nwp file is useful if you want to transfer materials
you've made in one scene into other scenes.

Note
If you publish an .nwd file, using the File, Publish command (only available if you have a valid
NavisWorks Publisher license) a _Presenter_Maps folder will be created along with the .nwd file.
This folder will contain any materials that are not contained in Presenter runtime, which is used
by both NavisWorks and NavisWorks Freedom, to view materials.

13. Click Edit... or simply double click on a material to open the material editor dialog, allowing you to
edit its parameters. See Section 29.5, “ Editing Presenter Materials ” for more information on this.

29.5. Editing Presenter Materials

Installed archive materials cannot be edited whilst they are in the archives, but you can edit materials in
the scene's palette. Edited materials will be saved with the NavisWorks model in an .nwd or .nwf file, or in
an .nwp palette file, or they can be added to your user archive, My Materials..

To edit a material, double click on it in the palette, or right click on it and choose Edit... from the context
menu. The material editor dialog will appear, which will vary for different types of material. You can't add
or remove parameters on a material - merely edit those existing, so it is important to use the right type of
material template for the material you want to edit. The dialog for the Breeze block procedural texture is
shown below and this will be used as an example of how to edit a material.

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Note
If the user profile (see "Profiles" under "Interface" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section
for more information on this) is set to Developer, there are more tabs and parameters to edit in
this dialog. In particular, there are Reflectance, Transparency and Displacement tabs and at
the top of each tab is a Shader type which allows you to completely change the type of material
and all other parameters.

Editing the breeze block texture

1. The three buttons at the top determine what sort of material preview you get:

• Click on the Standard Preview button to get a software generated photorealistic preview of

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the material on the standard ball against checkered background, which is not interactive but will
show how the material will look when rendered photorealistically.

• Click on the Active Preview button to get an OpenGL interactive preview of the material on

the standard ball against checkered background. This is updated interactively while you change
the parameters and will resemble the quality of material shown in NavisWorks during navigation,
but will not be as high a quality as the photorealistic render.

• Click on the Main Window Preview button to close the preview window in the material

editor and instead preview the material on the item in the scene in NavisWorks's main navigation
window. This is updated interactively while you change the parameters and will be exactly the
material shown in NavisWorks during navigation, but will not be as high a quality as the
photorealistic render.

2. For a simple material, there is only a single Material tab on the material editor, whereas for a texture
material, whether procedural (generated from an algorithm) or bitmap (generated from an image),
there is an extra tab called Texture.

The Material tab contains simple parameters that affect the material's color, scale, shininess and so
on. In the case of the breeze block, there are parameters for the overall scale of the material as well
as a block's width and height, the blocks' color and mortar color, its roughness and reflectivity. On a
bitmap texture, you would also define where the image is that becomes the texture map in the Image
File Name text box (see Creating a texture using your own image). On a glassy material, other
factors would affect the transparency and refraction properties of the glass. Some of these factors will
not be apparent in the interactive OpenGL window and will have to be rendered with the Render
button to be seen.

The Texture tab contains parameters that specifically affect a texture material's texture mapping
properties, such as its rotation, offset (origin) and S- and T- (sometimes called U- and V-) scales.
These parameter values are applied in relation to an origin point, (see Section 29.6, “ Advanced
Materials ” for more information). There are S- and T- Reflect check boxes, which will show the
reflection of the image in either (or both) of these axis. Finally there is an Offset Center check box,
that repositions the origin to the center of the image (again, see Section 29.6, “ Advanced Materials ”
for more information). When using the Main Window Preview, texture changes can be made
instantly allowing interactive positioning of materials on an object.

3. At any time, click on the Apply button to apply the parameter edits to the material in the scene.

4. Click OK to keep the changes made or Cancel to discard any changes made (since the last time you
clicked Apply at least).

Creating a texture using your own image

1. From the Templates material archive, double click on the Plain Texture material. This will add the
material to the scene's palette and open the Material Editor.

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2. On the Material tab (or Color tab, if in Developer profile) click the Browse (...) button next to the
Image File Name text box. The Open Image File dialog is displayed:

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3. Browse to the location of and select your image file, then click Open.

4. You may then need to adjust some of the texture parameters of the new material, for example its
scale, rotation, offset or reflection (if it's back to front). These may all be edited in the Texture tab.
See Section 29.5, “ Editing Presenter Materials ” for more information on editing materials.

29.6. Advanced Materials

Internally a material is defined by four shaders from different classes - Color, Transparency, Reflectance
and Displacement. Each class of shader controls a different aspect of a material's behavior. There are
many types of shader in each class, each type being defined by its own set of parameters.

• A color shader is used to define the color of a surface at any point in space. It may be as simple as a
plain color which specifies all parts of the surface to have a uniform color, or it may define complex
surface patterns such as marble or wood. Every material must have a color shader.

• A transparency shader is used to define how transparent or opaque a surface is, and thus how much
light is able to pass through it. Transparency shaders range from a simple uniform transparency to
more complex regular or irregular eroded patterns that would be more difficult to represent using
modelling techniques. A material without a transparency shader is completely opaque.

• The behavior of a surface in the presence light is represented by a reflectance shader which defines
how much light is reflected by the surface towards the viewer. Shaders of this class may be thought of
as defining a surface's "finish", and are used to model properties such as matte, metal and plastic.

• Small surface perturbations can be supported by means of displacement shaders. Typically, a

displacement shader will give an otherwise smooth surface an irregular or indented appearance.
Displacement shaders are used to represent features that would be difficult, impossible, or inefficient if

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conventional modelling techniques were used. For example, rough metal castings and the regular
indentations produced by pressed sheet metal can be simulated.

Normally the material editor displays a selection of the most important parameters from all shaders within
the material tab. If the user profile (see "Profiles" under "Interface" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality
section for more information on this) is set to Developer, then all four shaders can be edited and changed
individually.

Some shaders are described as "wrapped". These define a flat, two dimensional material, like wall paper.
Wrapped materials need a texture space shader to define how they should be applied to (wrapped
around) a three dimensional object. Materials that include a wrapped shader can also include a texture
space shader. A special type of texture space shader, called a layout shader, can be used to transform
(rotate, stretch, offset) the two dimensional material before it is applied to the three dimensional object.
Transforms are based around an origin point, which by default, is the top left hand corner of the image
(refer to the diagram below, where the image is enscribed in the red square, which is then repeated. The
default origin is Point 1). Checking the Offset Center check box will reposition the origin to the center of
the image (Point 2). Finally, in Developer profile, you can edit the Decal Mode, choosing from either
Default or Normalized. Selecting Normalized will move the origin to the lower left corner of the image
(Point 3, with the Offset Center option un-checked). With both Normalized and Offset Center selected,
the origin will be repositioned in the center of the repeated image, directly below (Point 4).

In Presenter, materials that include a wrapped shader also have a layout texture space shader associated
with them. Normal texture space shaders are associated with objects.

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Note
A complete reference manual for all types of rendering styles is included with the NavisWorks
API, (see \API\COM\documentation\shaders.chm). The NavisWorks API is included with
NavisWorks and can accessed via the NavisWorks installer menu.

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30.1. Lighting Tab
Like the Materials, Effects and Rendering tabs, the Lighting tab is divided into two panes - the archive on
the left and the palette on the right. The archive contains individual lights, as well as light studios. A light
studio is a combination of lights that work well together. The palette contains all the lights that are active
in the scene.

To apply a light to the scene, you drag it from an archive into the palette, at which point you can edit its
parameters if required. The light is added to those already in the scene.

To apply a light studio to the scene, you drag it from an archive into the palette. All the lights in the light
studio replace those already in the scene. Light Studios are applied to the scene intelligently. The light
studio is oriented and scaled to match the scene to which it is being applied. You can also expand a light
studio in the archive and drag the lights into the palette individually. If you do this the lights are not
oriented or scaled to match the scene.

Each light in the palette has a check box, which can be used to turn the light on or off in the scene.

The following sections will describe how to manage and edit lights for insertion into the scene.

30.2. Adding And Positioning Lights

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Lights and light studios can be taken directly from the archives and applied to the scene by simply
dropping them into the palette. These can then be repositioned as you wish.

The Recommended archive contains five lights (Ambient, Distant, Eye, Point and Spot), a Standard
Light Studio, an Environment Light Studio, an Environment folder containing two Environment lights
utilising HDRI-based light sources (see Section 30.6.4, “ Image-based Lighting ” for more information),
and an Exterior folder, that contains three light studios for different city locations around the World (Clear
Sky, Overcast Sky and Sun Study).

If you are creating an external render of a building, for example, then you may find that one of the
Environment light studios can give a very realistic effect, using Image-based lighting to light the scene.
Alternatively, Exterior light studios may give you the effect you require. These do use physically accurate
lights however, which generally take longer to render the scene.

Alternatively, you may prefer to use the Standard Light Studio as a starting point and build up your
lighting from there, adding combinations of the basic recommended lights to create the desired effect..

The Standard archive contains a Default Eye Light studio (which is effectively rendering with a head
light); a folder of Exterior light studios which predominantly consist of studios that use a number of lights
to replicate the effect of a Sky light. Not using physically accurate lights means you don't have to turn on
Auto Exposure (see Section 33.4, “ Auto Exposure ”) which can negatively impact on the basic
recommended light settings; a folder of Interior light studios for use in internal scenes; a folder of Object
light studios which are best suited to lighting smaller models, such as a vehicle or piece of machinery, for
example; and a folder of Projector light studios, which can be used to project an image onto an object in
the scene.

The Templates archive contains all of the basic light shaders that are available. These can then be
edited (as can all lights) to create the exact lighting you require (see Section 30.4, “ Editing Lights ” for
more information on editing lights).

Adding lights to the scene

1. From one of the archives in the left hand pane of the Lighting tab, choose the light you wish to add
to the scene.

2. Drag the light and drop it into the palette (right hand pane of the Lighting tab). This will automatically
be added to the scene. To reposition the light within the scene, see Positioning lights in the scene.

Note
If you drag a light studio into the palette, this will replace any existing lights with those that make
up the light studio.

As a general guide, the more lights there are in a scene, the longer it will take to render it
photorealistically. For external rendered scenes, you may consider using the Standard Light
Studio, (from the Recommended archive) as a starting point, then strategically add a couple of
Point and Spot lights around the scene, (Point lights are good to light up a dark area of the
scene, whilst Spot lights can add an element of drama and enhance realism).

Positioning lights in the scene

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1. Having added a light to the scene (see Adding lights to the scene, double click on it, or right click and
choose Edit... from the context menu, to open the Light Editor, (see Section 30.4, “ Editing Lights ”).

2. Point, distant, spot and projector lights have a Location parameter. Distant and spot lights
additionally have a To parameter. You can type in x-, y-, and z- coordinates for these, or alternatively
use the Pick button to interactively pick a point in the scene where the light and/or target is located.
The light is represented by a 3D wireframe sun icon in the scene and the target by a wireframe
sphere. The currently selected light is drawn in the selection color (see the section called "Selection
Options" under "Selecting Items" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality for more information on this).

Note
NavisWorks does not allow you to pick a point in empty space so you must pick a point on the
model.

3. Lights can be positioned interactively. The 3D wireframe sun icon, representing the light, has six bars
extending out along the x- axis, y- axis and z- axis. Hover the mouse cursor over one of the bars. The
cursor will change to a hand and the bars will extend further along that axis. Hold the left mouse
button down to hold on to the light and move it in either direction, along the extended bar. Release
the left mouse button to release the light in its new position. This can be performed for all three axis.

4. Lights can also be positioned in the current location of the camera, which can be anywhere in the
scene. Navigate to the location where you wish the light to be positioned. Right click on the light in
the palette (right hand pane of the Lighting tab) and choose Position as Camera from the context
menu.

Note
Not only will this position the light in the same location as the camera, if the light has a To
parameter, this will also be set to the focal (or Look At) point of the camera.

30.3. Managing Lights

The palette is where you edit and manage your lights for your scene. Lights are taken from the archives
into the palette where they are edited.

Managing palette lights

1. Right click on a light in the right hand pane of the Lighting tab (the palette).

2. Click Delete to delete the light from the palette. This will also remove the light from the scene.

3. Click Copy to copy the light to the clipboard. Right click on an empty space in the palette and choose
Paste to paste a copy of the light with the same name suffixed with the next number in the list.

4. Click Rename to rename the light. You can also select the light and press F2 to rename it.

5. Click Clear Palette to delete all the lights from the palette and hence from the scene.

6. Click Edit... or simply double click on a light to open the Light Editor dialog, allowing you to edit its
parameters. See Section 30.4, “ Editing Lights ” for more information on this.

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30.4. Editing Lights

You can edit a light in the palette by double clicking on it, or right clicking and choosing Edit... from the
context menu.

There are six types of light visible in both OpenGL interactive renders and photorealistic renders:

1. Ambient lights give a general background light to the scene and therefore only have intensity and
color parameters.

2. Eye lights are located at the viewpoint and also only have intensity and color parameters.

3. Point lights have a location but shine in all directions. They also have an intensity and color and
additionally can cast shadows (only available in a full photorealistic render).

4. Distant lights are directional and so have a location and target. However, the location and target
merely set up an axis down which the light shines, as these light types are infinitely far away and
their beams are parallel. As well as intensity and color parameters, they can also cast shadows in a
photorealistic render.

5. Spot lights are also directional and therefore have a location and target, as well as intensity, color
and shadow parameters. In addition, they also have parameters for affecting the light's fall off and
cone angle, as these light types are not infinitely far away, so do spread their light over a cone and
the intensity does diminish away from the light.

6. Sun simulates the sun's light. The orientation of your model is defined by north and up directions.
The position of the sun is specified as azimuth and altitude. If the sun's mode includes "Position", you
can input your location on earth, the time (using local time zone) and date and Presenter will
calculate the sun's azimuth and altitude for you. If the sun's mode includes "Intensity", Presenter will
also calculate an accurate intensity for the sun based on position, time of year and atmospheric
conditions.

There are an additional three types of light visible only in photorealistic renders:

1. Projector lights are used to project an image onto surfaces. You can define the file of the image to
be projected.

2. Sky simulates the illumination from the sky (but not the direct contribution due to the sun itself). The
orientation of your model is defined by north and up directions. The position of the sun is specified as
"sun altitude" and "sun azimuth". Whilst the direct contribution of the sun is not included, its location
will determine the appearance of the sky hemisphere. If the intensity is left at 0, Presenter will
calculate an accurate intensity for you based on the sun's position.

3. A Goniometric light is one which can emit widely varying amounts of light energy in different
directions. One goniometric source could behave exactly like a point light, another could behave
exactly like a spot light, and a third could look nothing like either of those. A goniometric light gets its
intensity distribution function (how much light goes in any one direction) from an industry-standard
file. Presenter supports CIE (*.cie), IESNA (*.ies), CIBSE (*.cib) and ILUMDAT (*.ldt) files.

Note
A complete reference manual for all light types is included with the NavisWorks API (see
\API\COM\documentation\shaders.chm). The NavisWorks API is included with NavisWorks and
can accessed via the NavisWorks installer menu.

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Each light type has its own parameters, and the editor for a Point Light is shown here:

Point, distant, spot and projector lights have a Location parameter. Distant and spot lights additionally
have a To parameter. See Positioning lights in the scene for more information.

Note
When the user profile (see "Profiles" under "Interface" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality
section for more information on this) is set to Developer, the dialog will include a full list of
available parameters and allow you to change the type of a light.

Point, distant, spot, sky, sun, projector and goniometric lights have a Shadows parameter. See Shadow
Casting for more information.

Editing parameters in the dialog will interactively alter the scene with those changes.

At any time, click on the Apply button to apply the parameter edits to the light in the scene.

You can save an edited light for use in other scenes by simply dragging it onto the My Lighting user
archive.

Click OK to keep the changes made or Cancel to discard any changes made (since the last time you
clicked Apply at least).

30.5. Shadow Casting

Checking the Shadows check box in the Light Editor of a light that supports shadows (Point, distant,
spot, sky, sun, projector and goniometric) result in the selected light casting shadows in the scene.
Shadows will only be visible in photorealistic renders; unless you are using a Hardware accelerated
OpenGL 1.5 compliant graphics card, in which case you can preview Interactive Shadows. See
"Presenter Options" under "Display Model" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for details on

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how to display interactive shadows and lighting.

Note
Enabling shadows on lights should be given due consideration. If you turn on shadows on all
lights, then you may find the effect very confusing and somewhat un-natural, especially if there
are many lights in a small scene. This will also have an affect on performance, during navigation
and general refreshing of the navigation window. You may wish to consider only enabling
shadows on a few strategically positioned lights, to create the effect you require.

In addition to choosing which lights in your scene will cast shadows, you may also select which items in
the scene should cast a shadow. Each item in the scene has its own shadow casting option.

The available shadow casting options available for an item, are:

• Off. Choose this to disable shadows. The selected item will not cast a shadow from any light source.

• On. Choose this to enable shadows. The selected item will cast a shadow from any light source that
has shadows enabled.

• Inherit. Choose this to inherit the shadow casting option from the parent item. i.e. the selected item
will use the same option as the item directly above it in the Selection Tree path (see "Selection Tree"
under "Selecting Items" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more information on the
selection tree and its structure). For example, if you turn shadow casting On for a Group and the
Geometry contained within that Layer is set to Inherit, then the Geometry will cast shadows also, as it
inherits the On option from its parent (the Group).

Note
If all items in the scene are set to Inherit then the default setting is On.

To set an items shadow casting option:

• Right click on an item in the scene, select Presenter from the context menu and then choose the
shadow casting option you require.

Note
The item selected will depend on your Selection Resolution setting. See "Selection Resolution"
under "Selecting Items" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more information.

or

• Right click on an item in the Selection Tree (see "Selection Tree" under "Selecting Items" in the Basic
NavisWorks Functionality section for more information), select Presenter from the context menu and
then choose the shadow casting option you require.

30.6. Advanced Lighting

NavisWorks Presenter is capable of many advanced lighting effects, including soft shadows, physically
accurate lighting simulation, volumetric lighting effects and Image-based lighting.

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30.6.1. Soft Shadows

NavisWorks Presenter includes shadows generated from pre-calculated shadow-maps for each shadow
casting light source. The use of shadow maps enables rapid rendering of shadows with soft or graduated
edges. The shadow resolution can be controlled to balance performance and image quality.

Soft shadows are only suitable for use with small models and are disabled by default. For large models
the generation of the shadow maps can use excessive amounts of time and memory. Soft shadows
generated for large models are often too vague and dispersed without using an excessively high
resolution, which uses even more memory and time.

30.6.2. Physically Accurate Lights

By default Presenter uses lights with unitless, or empirical intensities. These are physically meaningless
and are just chosen to give a visually pleasing result. Presenter can also use physically accurate
intensities. These are defined in real world units such as Candela, Lumen or Lux. However, once we start
using lights with real world intensities, we start to produce images with a real world variation in luminance
values.

By default Presenter uses lights whose intensity remains constant as you move further from the light. In
the real world intensity is reduced proportional to the inverse square of the distance from the light.
Changing a light's "Fall Off" parameter to "Inverse Square Law" will more accurately model a light's fall off
in intensity. However, once we start using lights with real world fall off, we start to produce images with a
real world variation in luminance values.

In the real world, the human eye is capable of resolving images in extremely varied lighting conditions,
ranging from bright sunshine reflecting off snow to a room lit only by a single candle. In computer graphics
on the other hand, we need to produce an image on a display device which has a very limited range of
luminance values. Therefore it is necessary to compress the range of luminance values found in a real
world scene into the displayable range in such a way as to produce a realistic looking image.

Photography, of course, has exactly the same problem. If a photographer (or camera) does not take into
account the light levels in a scene before calculating the exposure of the shot, the likely result will be an
image which is either over-exposed (everything is too bright) or under-exposed (everything is too dark). A
professional photographer will also use different speeds of film for different lighting conditions. The aim is
to produce an image on film that is representative of how that scene would have looked to a human
observer.

Presenter includes an "Auto Exposure" option (see Section 33.4, “ Auto Exposure ”). When enabled,
Presenter will render the image twice. Once to sample the range of luminance values in the output image,
then a second time to render the actual image with the luminance values adjusted to match the behavior
of the human eye.

In general, when using physically accurate lights, "Auto Exposure" should be on.

30.6.3. Volumetric Lights

Volumetric lighting allows effects such as the scattering of light, by fog or smoke, in a scene. Enable the
"Scattering" check box on each light. A "Scattering Medium" foreground effect must also be in use (see
Section 32.3, “ Foreground Effects ” for more information on how to setup foreground effects).

You may need to adjust the "Medium Density" and "Medium Ambient" parameters of the "Scattering
Medium" foreground effect to suit your model. If no volumetric effects are visible, the "Medium Density" is
too low. If the rendered image is entirely white, the "Medium Density" is too high.

The default medium is plain white. Optionally, a "density shader" may be set to any solid (not wrapped)

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color shader, to create the effect of a non-uniform (inhomogeneous) medium. Examples of shaders that
can be used are "Blue Marble" and "Solid Clouds". A shader that has been designed explicitly for this
purpose is the "Turbulent" shader.

The key points when using volumetric lighting are:

• Remember to turn the "Scattering" parameter of light sources on if you want to see their volumetric
effects.

• Use "Medium Density" and "Medium Colour" to define brightness and colour of the lit medium.

• Use a solid color shader set as "Density Shader" for simulation of density variations in the medium.

• Decrease "Error Bound" if image appears spotty outside shadow areas.

• Increase "Min LOD" parameter if areas with volumetric shadows appear spotty.

• Set high "Error Bound" and small "Min LOD" for fast previews.

• Use "Inverse Square Law" for your light's "Fall Off", together with auto exposure, for best results.

30.6.4. Image-based Lighting

Image-based lighting, simply put, is where an image is used to light a scene. In the real world, every
object is lit not only by light sources like the sun, lamps etc, but also by everything around. Standing in the
middle of a street, a person will be lit by the sun, the blue sky, the brown buildings and the grey floor.
Emulating this form of lighting clearly has the potential to create incredibly realistic images.

Images used in this lighting method are a special kind of image called a High Dynamic Range Image or
HDRI. This type of image has the capability of lighting a scene with incredible accuracy. In Presenter an
HDRI is wrapped around the scene as a sphere, and colour and brightness from the HDRI are cast onto
the 3D model to light it.

To give an example of the difference this can make, this is a before shot using normal lights

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and this is the same model lit with Image-based Lighting

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It is clear the difference this form of lighting can make to rendered images. And the enormous advantage
here is that it is much easier to set up than traditional lighting.

Image-based Lighting Setup

1. On the Lighting Tab, click on the Recommended folder in the left hand side of the palette.

2. Drag the Environment Light Studio into the palette on the right. This replaces all lights that were in
the palette with an Ambient and an Environment light containing our High Dynamic Range Image.

3. Click on Render to render the scene using the default image contained in this Environment light. This
type of render can take slightly longer than traditional lighting methods, but the results are worth the
extra time invested.

4. To use an alternative sample image, click on the Environment folder on the left to show another two
example environment lights; a Sky (used in the example above) and a City. Drag the City light over to
the right to replace the Environment light in the palette (which should be deleted before rendering).

5. To manually insert a new HDRI, double click on the Environment icon in the palette, select the Edit...
button next to Environment, click on the "..." button next to Filename, and browse to the .hdr file
required. For this to work correctly, this HDRI must be a Light Probe HDRI. (Additional Light Probe
HDRIs are available from a variety of places on the internet, including Dosch Design
[http://www.doschdesign.com].) Click on OK in both dialogs to set the new image to be the light
source, and click Render to produce a newly lit rendered scene.

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Chapter 31. Presenter RPCs
31.1. RPC Tab
Presenter RPC (Rich Photorealistic Content) support enables the addition of photographic scenery into
any 3D project. RPC files can be bought directly from ArchVision [http://www.archvision.com], and
typically come in libraries of content ranging from trees and plants to people. They also come in a variety
of types.

• 2D RPCs are single-direction 2D photographs that always face the camera, and are a single frame,
looking the same from every angle, and not animating.

• 3D RPCs are objects that have a high number of frames allowing the camera to move around the
object and see it from all angles.

• 2.5D RPCs are single-direction 2D photographs, but are animated. Animated RPCs will only animate
visually when exported as a rendered animation.

• 3.5D RPCs include animation and views from all around the object.

• 3D+ RPCs, often called "Smart Content" are not currently supported by Presenter.

The key benefit to using RPC content is that it only takes a short amount of time to fill a scene with
realistic content and it adds very little to the rendering time.

Like the Materials, Lights and Rendering tabs, the RPC tab is divided into two panes for archives and
palette. This tab is where you set up RPCs (Rich Photorealistic Content).

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RPC Setup

1. Drag the RPC symbol from the Templates archive to the palette on the right.

2. Double click on the symbol in the palette, which should bring up the options dialog.

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3. To select an RPC for use, click on the "..." button. This brings up a load dialog to browse to the
location of the RPC file. NavisWorks has a number of free example RPC files in the resources area
of the product CD. Once the file has been selected, click on OK.

4. Make sure the settings on the options dialog are what is required. Often these will not need to be
altered, though they are self explanatory and can be experimented with at any time. If they require
adjusting, simply double click on the RPC symbol in the palette again and alter them until correct.

5. Click OK to continue.

This scene shows an example of some RPC people on and around a building.

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RPC Manipulation
• To position the RPC in the scene, either right-click on the RPC in the palette and select Add Instance
which gives a target cursor with which to then click on a location in the 3D scene, or left-click and drag
the RPC icon from the palette on to the required position in the 3D scene.

• To move an RPC within the scene, right click on it in the main view and select Pick Position. This
changes the cursor to a target for selection of an alternative location.

• To delete an RPC from the scene, right click on it in the main view and select Remove.

• Whilst navigating through the scene, RPCs will always turn to face the camera. If the RPC is 3D or
3.5D right clicking and selecting Refresh will set it to the correct frame based on the current camera
position. Rendering the scene using the Render button will always refresh all RPCs.

Note
When publishing a scene using Publisher, any RPCs included in that scene are not published to
the Presenter_maps directory or embedded in the NWD file. The size of the files and the fact that
most are licensed currently prohibits this.

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Chapter 32. Rendering Effects
32.1. Effects Tab
Like the Materials, Lights and Rendering tabs, the effects tab is divided into two panes for archives and
palette. This tab is where you set up different background and foreground effects.

To set up an effect for the render, you simply drag a style from the archive to the palette. You can only
have one of each type of effect at once in the palette: that is, one background and one foreground style.

Note
A complete reference manual for all types of foregrounds, backgrounds and rendering styles is
included with the NavisWorks API (see \COM\documentation\shaders.chm). The NavisWorks API
is included with NavisWorks and can accessed via the NavisWorks installer menu.

32.2. Background Effects

Background effects affect the background of the image when rendered and include plain colors,
graduated colors, procedural clouds and image files (tiled or scaled).

To set up a background for your render, simply drag your chosen background onto the palette on the right
hand side of the tab. Most backgrounds can be rendered interactively in OpenGL so you have a good

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preview of how the background will be fully rendered.

To edit your chosen background effect, simply double click on the effect in the palette. The Background
Editor dialog will appear. Each editor will be different for each type of background. The Scaled Image
editor is shown here:

Note
When the user profile (see "Profiles" under "Interface" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality
section for more information on this) is set to Developer, the dialog will include the full list of
parameters and allow you to change the type of background.

In the Background Editor, click on the Browse button (...) next to the File Name box to display the Open
Image File dialog. From here, browse to an image file and click Open to use that image as the
background.

Editing parameters in the dialog will interactively alter the scene with those changes.

At any time, click on the Apply button to apply the parameter edits to the scene.

You can save an edited background for use in other scenes by simply dragging it onto the User,
Backgrounds archive.

Click OK to keep the changes made or Cancel to discard any changes made (since the last time you
clicked Apply at least).

Envrironment Backgrounds

Environment backgrounds are a special kind of background that move with the model and allow
reflections from reflective model parts. There are a number of different types of environment image types;
we recommend using Vertical Cross maps. These images are automatically placed on the inside of a

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cube that then surrounds the scene. Due to the nature of the feature, edges and corners become
indistinguishable. A wide variety of environment maps are available for purchase on the internet.

The additional realism accessible through Environment backgrounds is possible through two drag and
drops.

1. Load a model into NavisWorks and set the view to be outside so that the external scene is visible.

2. Open the Presenter window and select the Effects tab.

3. In the left-hand window, open the Recommended folder, open the Environments sub-folder and
then open the Panorama sub-folder. In here will be two environments, City and Sky. Drag Sky from
the left over to the palette on the right.

4. Back in the Recommended folder, open the Backgrounds sub-folder, and drag the Environment
over to the palette on the right. Because this type of background is made up of two parts, the Sky
image and the background Environment shader that points at the image, these two elements will link
together automatically.

Once this is complete, moving around the model will see the background moving appropriately in
real-time. With a modern graphics card, if there are reflective surfaces in the scene, opening Tools,
Global Options, Presenter and setting Hardware to Lighting will show the newly set up background
reflected in all such surfaces.

Pressing the Render button will also show this background in the photorealistic output.

32.3. Foreground Effects

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Foreground effects affect the foreground of the image when rendered and include fog and snow effect.
None of these effects are available as an interactive preview and can only be seen when a full render is
done.

To set up a foreground for your render, simply drag your chosen foreground onto the palette on the right
hand side of the tab.

To edit your chosen foreground effect, simply double click on the effect in the palette. The Foreground
Editor dialog will appear. Each editor will be different for each foreground type. The Heavy Fog editor is
shown here:

Note
When the user profile (see "Profiles" under "Interface" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality
section for more information on this) is set to Developer, the dialog will include the full list of
parameters and allow you to change the type of foreground.

At any time, click on the Apply button to apply the parameter edits to the scene.

You can save an edited foreground for use in other scenes by simply dragging it onto the User,
Foreground archive.

Click OK to keep the changes made or Cancel to discard any changes made (since the last time you
clicked Apply at least).

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Chapter 33. Rendering Styles
33.1. Rendering Tab
Like the Materials, Lights and Effects tabs, the Rendering tab is divided into two panes for archives and
palette. This tab is where you select in which style and how you wish the scene to be rendered. Each
archive has a number of different render styles to choose from.

Note
A complete reference manual for all types of rendering styles is included with the NavisWorks
API, (see \API\COM\documentation\shaders.chm). The NavisWorks API is included with
NavisWorks and can accessed via the NavisWorks installer menu.

33.2. Rendering Styles

Rendering styles affect the way that the scene is rendered when a full photorealistic render is done (by
clicking on the Render button). None of these effects are available as an interactive preview.

To set up a rendering style, simply drag your chosen style onto the palette on the right hand side of the
tab.

To edit your chosen rendering style, simply double click on the style in the palette. The Render Editor

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 Rendering Styles

dialog will appear. Each editor will be different for each type of rendering style. The High Quality editor is
shown here:

Note
When the user profile (see "Profiles" under "Interface" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality
section for more information on this) is set to Developer, the dialog will include the full list of
available parameters and allow you to change the type of render style.

At any time, click on the Apply button to apply the parameter edits to the scene.

Click OK to keep the changes made or Cancel to discard any changes made (since the last time you
clicked Apply at least).

You can save an edited rendering style for use in other scenes by simply dragging it onto the My Render
Styles archive.

33.3. Predefined Rendering Styles

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 Rendering Styles

The Recommended archive contains three predefined rendering styles:

• High Quality. Choose this rendering style for the highest quality rendered output. This includes all
reflections and transparencies and anti aliasing on edges, reflections and shadows. Of the three
recommended rendering styles, this will take the longest to render. This is also the rendering style
used if no other is chosen. Use this style for the final export of your rendered output.

• Low Quality. Choose this rendering style for a quick, low quality render. This includes no reflections
or anti aliasing. Use this style if you wish to quickly see the affects of materials and lighting you have
applied to the scene.

• Medium Quality. Choose this rendering style for a medium quality render. This includes all reflections
and transparencies and anti aliasing only on shadows. You may use this style for a final preview of the
scene, prior to exporting your final rendered output.

The Standard archive contains twenty three rendering styles that simulate hand drawing and other
non-photorealistic styles. These styles use a mixture of shaded, vector and image based rendering
techniques. They are generally best suited to small models and small output images.

Note
The Standard rendering styles require multiple stages to render a scene. These can therefore
often take a considerable time to render.

The Templates archive contains five main types of rendering style, which can be used to define your own
rendering styles:

• Photorealistic (Raytrace). This archive contains photorealistic rendering styles, including High
Quality, Low Quality and Medium Quality as per the Recommended archive. These rendering
styles are fastest and use least memory where large parts of the model are obscured from any
particular viewpoint. For example, when inside a room within a building, the walls of the room will
obscure the rest of the building from view.

• Photorealistic (Scanline). This archive contains photorealistic rendering styles, including High
Quality, Low Quality and Medium Quality as per the Recommended archive. These rendering
styles are fastest and use least memory where most of the model is visible from any particular
viewpoint. For example, when rendering an overview of a plant and process model, the majority of the
model can be seen as there are fewer walls, or similar, to obscure your view.

• Simple Shaded. This template is a simple shaded rendering style, where advanced features such as
textures and transparency are not required.

• Sketch. This archive contains twelve basic sketch rendering styles.

Note
Sketch rendering styles require multiple stages to render a scene. These can therefore often take
a considerable time to render.

• Vector. This template is a vector rendering style, which will render the scene in wireframe.

33.4. Auto Exposure

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 Rendering Styles

Check the Auto Exposure check box to render the scene with balanced brightness and contrast. This is
essential when using physically accurate lighting, such as a Sky or Sun light. If adding either of these
lights to your scene, you will be prompted to turn auto exposure on, if it is not already.

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Chapter 34. Texture Space
Texture space describes the way in which a texture is applied to an item. For example, applying a
cylindrical texture space to a pipe will cause textures on the pipe to be rendered more naturally. An item's
texture space may have been assigned from the original CAD application and brought through from the
native CAD file, or set up within Presenter with the options of Box, Plane, Cylinder, or Sphere. The
Explicit option allows a user-defined texture space to be applied and will be available if the item had a
texture space applied to it in the original CAD application. Each texture space option applies some
imaginary bounding geometry around the item and "shrink-wraps" the texture as best it can to the
geometry underneath this bounding geometry.

If you've applied a texture to an item, Presenter will attempt to work out the best fit from the four texture
spaces available. If this isn't what you intended, then you can then edit this texture space:

Editing Texture Space

1.

• Select the item (see "Interactive Selection" under "Selecting Items" in the Basic NavisWorks
Functionality section for more information on selecting items) and go to the Texture Space tab in
the Presenter dialog to choose another texture space.

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 Texture Space

or

• Right click on an item which has a texture applied to it and select a new texture space from the
Presenter, Texture Space context menu.

2. You can fine-tune an item's texture space further by clicking on Edit... in the Texture Space
Presenter dialog tab. The relevant texture space edit dialog will appear:

Either the plane texture space editor:

Or the cylindrical texture space editor:

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 Texture Space

Or the spherical texture space editor:

Edit each of the individual parameters and click Apply to see the results of the edit. Clicking on Pick
allows you to interactively pick a point in the model rather than individually typing in x-, y-, and z-

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coordinates.

3. Click on OK to apply the edits and return to NavisWorks or click on Cancel to return to NavisWorks
without applying the edits (any clicks on Apply will have already applied the edits however).

4. Once edited, you can always reset a texture space to the NavisWorks-defined version by clicking on
the Reset button.

5. Click on Ortho if you want NavisWorks to align the texture space with the nearest axis.

6. Click on Fit if you want NavisWorks to fit a single repeat of the texture to the item. This is of particular
use when you are mapping an image to the exact size of the item it's being applied to.

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Chapter 35. Presenter Rules
The Rules tab of the Presenter control bar allows you to apply materials to models according to certain
user-defined criteria, rather than by dragging and dropping onto individual layers, groups or components.
For example, all layers that are floors can be assigned a material called "floorboards", without having to
manually drag-and-drop the material on to each floorboard. Each time the model is updated, the rules
then just need re-applying, rather than manually re-applying them to all items.

All materials can be saved in a NavisWorks "palette" (.nwp) file, which allows you to set up a palette of
materials once for a project and re-apply them to a model as it evolves, or to another model in the same
project that has been set up with the same layer names, colors, selection sets and/or properties.

You can apply as many rules at once, as all rules depend on material names. Rules can be defined using
the NavisWorks API, but three pre-defined rules are:

1. Layers by name enables you to apply a material to named layers.

As an example, if a layer is called "Doors" and you rename a material to "Doors" (the spelling and
case must be exactly the same as the layer's name) then all layers named "Doors" will appear with
the properties of that material when you check the rule Layers by name, and click Apply Rules.

You can give multiple materials the name of different layers and apply this rule to all of the layers.

2. NavisWorks materials by name enables you to apply a material to named NavisWorks materials.
NavisWorks materials are not the same as NavisWorks Presenter materials - NavisWorks materials
merely refers to the color and transparency of the item as it comes through from the original CAD file,
whereas Presenter materials are those materials applied using the Presenter plugin, or are more
complex materials such as bitmaps converted from the original CAD file.

If a Presenter material has the same name as a NavisWorks material in the model (for example,

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 Presenter Rules

"AutoCAD Color Index 7"), then all items with this original NavisWorks material name in the scene
receive this Presenter material from the palette when you check the rule NavisWorks materials by
name, and click Apply Rules.

3. Selection Sets by name enables you to apply a material to selection sets. See "Selection and
Search Sets" under "Selecting Items" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more
information on setting up selection sets.

If a material has the same name as a selection set in the model, then all items in this selection set
receive this material from the palette when you check the rule Selection Sets by name, and click
Apply Rules.

New custom rules may also be added and defined, using the Rules Editor:

Adding custom Presenter rules

1. From the Rules tab of the Presenter control bar, click the New button.

The Rules Editor dialog is displayed:

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 Presenter Rules

2. Enter a new name for your rule in the Rule name box.

Note
If you choose not to enter a name, upon selecting a rule template the name of that template will
be used.

3. From the Rule templates list, choose a template from which your rule will be based upon.

Note
The Layers by name, Materials by name and Selection Sets by name templates are those
used for the pre-defined Presenter rules.

The Materials by property template enables you to specify a property within the model scene. If a
material has the same name as the specified property value in the model, then all items having that
property will receive this material from the palette when you check the rule Materials by property,

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 Presenter Rules

and click Apply Rules.

4. In the Rule description box, click on each of the underlined values to define your custom rule. The
customizable values available with the built in templates are:

• Name. Use the name of the category or property as it is displayed in the interface
(recommended). You can also choose Internal Name which is that accessed via the API (for
advanced use only).

• '<category>'. Choose from the available list, which category the property you wish to define is in.
Only the categories that are contained in the scene are available in the drop down.

• '<property>'. Choose from the available list, which property you wish to define. Again, only the
properties in the scene within the chosen category will be available.

5. Click OK to add the new ignore rule, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

The three options on the right hand side of the dialog affect how these rules are applied to the scene:

Setting Presenter Rules Options

1. Check Override current mappings if you want to override any existing mappings from Presenter
materials to items in the selection tree.

2. Check Apply to current selection if you want to apply this rule only to the currently selected items in
the scene. Be aware that this is the default setting, so if your rule seems not to have worked, check
that you don't have this option checked with nothing selected in the scene.

3. Check Apply to all instances if you want to apply this rule to all instances of any multiply-instanced
item affected by the rule.

Presenter rules example

Let's assume, you wish to apply an aluminium material to all (Intergraph PDS) items that have 50mm
insulation thickness. The following procedure describes the necessary steps to achieve this, using
Presenter rules:

1. From the Rules tab of the Presenter control bar, click the New button.

2. Enter a name for the rule, Insulation thickness.

3. Choose the Materials by property template.

4. Click on '<category>' and choose PDS Component Data from the drop down list.

5. Click on '<property>' and choose Insulation from the drop down list.

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 Presenter Rules

6. Click OK to save the custom rule.

7. From the Recommended, Metals archive on the Materials tab, drag the Aluminium material into
the palette (right hand pane).

8. Select the Aluminium material and press F2 and rename it, 50MM. Press Enter to save the new
name.

9. Go to the Rules tab and check the Insulation thickness rule.

10. Ensure only the Override any current exact mappings option is checked and then click the Apply
button, to apply the rule.

All items within the model scene that have a 50mm insulation thickness property should now have
the aluminium material applied to them.

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 Part V. Object Animation
With Object Animation you can make your 3D geometry move and interact with you. In this section, you
will learn how to:

• Work with Object Animation windows

• Create animations

• Create interaction scripts

Table of Contents
36. Overview ...............................................................................................................................337
36.1. Basic terminology ................................................................................................337
36.2. Scope .................................................................................................................337
37. Working with Object Animation Windows ................................................................................. 339
37.1. The Animator Window ......................................................................................... 339
37.1.1. The Animator Toolbar ....................................................................................... 339
37.1.2. The Scene View ............................................................................................... 341
37.1.3. The Timeline View ............................................................................................ 343
37.1.4. The Manual Entry Bar ....................................................................................... 345
37.2. The Scripter Window ........................................................................................... 346
37.2.1. The Script View ................................................................................................ 347
37.2.2. The Event View ................................................................................................ 349
37.2.3. The Action View ............................................................................................... 350
37.2.4. The Properties View ......................................................................................... 352
38. Creating Animations ...............................................................................................................354
38.1. Animation Scenes ...............................................................................................354
38.1.1. Adding Scenes .................................................................................................354
38.1.2. Deleting Scenes ...............................................................................................354
38.1.3. Organizing Scenes ...........................................................................................355
38.2. Animation Sets ....................................................................................................356
38.2.1. Adding Animation Sets ...................................................................................... 356
38.2.2. Updating Animation Sets ................................................................................... 357
38.2.3. Manipulating Geometry Objects ......................................................................... 358
38.3. Cameras .............................................................................................................367
38.3.1. Adding Cameras ...............................................................................................367
38.3.2. Manipulating Camera Viewpoints ....................................................................... 368
38.4. Section Plane Set ................................................................................................ 368
38.4.1. Adding Section Plane Sets ................................................................................ 368
38.4.2. Manipulating Sectional Cuts .............................................................................. 368
38.5. Keyframes ..........................................................................................................369
38.5.1. Capturing Keyframes ........................................................................................369
38.5.2. Editing Keyframes ............................................................................................370
38.6. Playing Animation Scenes .................................................................................... 374
39. Adding Interactivity .................................................................................................................375
39.1. Animation Scripts ................................................................................................375
39.1.1. Adding Scripts ..................................................................................................375
39.1.2. Deleting Scripts ................................................................................................375
39.1.3. Organizing Scripts ............................................................................................376
39.2. Events ................................................................................................................376
39.2.1. Adding Events ..................................................................................................377
39.2.2. Testing Events .................................................................................................377
39.2.3. Configuring Events ...........................................................................................377
39.3. Actions ...............................................................................................................381
39.3.1. Adding Actions .................................................................................................381
39.3.2. Testing Actions .................................................................................................381
39.3.3. Configuring Actions ...........................................................................................381
39.4. Enabling Scripting ...............................................................................................386
40. Animation Exercise ................................................................................................................387
40.1. Opening a Gatehouse Door ................................................................................. 387
40.1.1. Animating a Door .............................................................................................. 387
40.1.2. Creating Scripts ................................................................................................390

cccxxxv
 Object Animation

40.1.3. Testing the Results ........................................................................................... 392

cccxxxvi
Chapter 36. Overview
In Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 you can animate your model and interact with it. For example, you
could animate how a crane moves around a site, or how a car is assembled or dismantled, and so on.
With a few mouse clicks, you can also create interaction scripts, which link your animations to specific
events, such as ‘On Key Press’ or ‘On Collision’. So, for example, the doors will open as you approach
them in your model, a conveyor belt will move when you pull a lever.

Animations created in Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 can be played in all NavisWorks 2009
products, including Freedom.

Combining the Presenter functionality with Object Animation enables you to greatly enhance the realism
of your exported AVI movies, whether for marketing purposes or for instructional training.

Linking TimeLiner and Object Animation together enables the triggering and scheduling of object
movement based on start time and duration of project tasks, and can help you with workspace and
process planning. For example, a TimeLiner sequence may indicate that when a particular site crane
moves from its start point to its end point over the course of a particular afternoon, a workgroup working
nearby causes an obstruction along its route. This potential obstruction problem can be resolved before
going to site (e.g., the crane can be moved along a different route, the workgroup moved out of the way,
or the project schedule altered).

Linking Clash Detective and Object Animation together enables the checking of animated versus
animated or animated versus static object clashes. For example, linking a Clash Detective test to an
existing animation scene would automatically highlight clashes for both static and moving objects during
the animation, e.g. a crane rotating through the top of a building, a delivery lorry colliding with a
workgroup, etc.

It is also possible to link Clash Detective, TimeLiner, and Object Animation together to enable clash
testing of fully animated TimeLiner schedules. So, instead of visually inspecting a TimeLiner sequence to
make sure, for example, that the moving crane didn't collide with a workgroup, you can run a Clash
Detective test.

36.1. Basic terminology

An animation is a prepared sequence of changes to the model. The changes you can make in Autodesk
NavisWorks Manage 2009 are:

• Manipulating geometry objects by modifying their position, rotation, size, color, and transparency. This
type of change is referred to as an animation set.

• Manipulating viewpoints by using different navigation modes (such as orbiting or flying), or by using
existing viewpoint animations. This type of change is referred to as a camera.

• Manipulating section planes either by moving them, or by turning them on and off. This type of change
is referred to as a section plane set.

A script is a collection of actions that you want to happen when certain event conditions are met.

36.2. Scope
Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009 supports both object animation and object interaction as follows:

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 Overview

• Animation specified by keyframes with linear interpolation between keyframes (similar to viewpoints
animation).

• Camera, section plane, object animation.

• Multiple independently moving objects independently started.

• Multiple animations of the same object in the same scene (for example, moving a crane, and then
lifting its arm).

• Simple scripts (for example, to open and close a specified door).

• Linking to TimeLiner to trigger off independent animations as tasks start.

• Linking to TimeLiner with different TimeLiner tasks play to specific points in an animation (e.g. have
one animation that moves crane between all points on a site, any task can trigger animation to move
from current point to desired point).

• Linking to Clash Detective to run clash tests at specific steps through an animation to check for
animated versus animated or animated versus static object clashes.

The following is not currently supported in NavisWorks:

• Animation specified by spline or path.

• Animation of lights.

• Moving a whole object and then creating an independent trigger to move part of object (e.g. move
whole crane and have button that triggers arm moving at any point).

• Opening/closing of multiple doors without having to create a separate script and animation for each
door. Currently there are no cut-and-paste capabilities in scripting.

• Linking to TimeLiner to have different TimeLiner tasks trigger animations that depend on each other
(e.g. one task moves crane to a specific point, another task moves arm of crane).

• Have Clash Detective work out exact point at which moving object clashes and never miss a clash
between moving objects.

• Real-time collision checking where you turn it on, play an animation and have animation stop when
moving object first hits something.

• Interactively moving and rotating different parts of the same object. You can't, for example, create
sliders that will move and rotate different parts of the crane as the crane itself moves on the screen.

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Chapter 37. Working with Object
Animation Windows
The Animator and Scripter windows are the two main floating windows that are used to create and edit
object animation in NavisWorks. The Animator window enables you to add animations to your model,
while the Scripter window enables you to make these animations interactive.

The floating windows can be moved and resized, and either floated in the main NavisWorks window or
docked. A docked window shares one or more edges with adjacent windows and toolbars. If a shared
edge is moved, the windows change shape to compensate. To undock and relocate a window, click and
drag the control bars at the top or side of the window. To prevent a window from docking while you drag
it, hold down Ctrl.

Note
You can quickly dock and undock a window by double-clicking the window's control bar.

37.1. The Animator Window

To open the Animator window, select Animator from the Tools menu.

The Animator window contains the following components: the toolbar, the scene view, the timeline view,
and the manual entry bar.

37.1.1. The Animator Toolbar

The Animator toolbar is located at the top of the Animator window.

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 Working with Object Animation Windows

Use the toolbar buttons to create, edit and play animations.

Translate Animation Set - puts Animator into translation mode. A visual tool for

controlling translation operations is displayed in the main NavisWorks window, and

enables you to modify the position of the geometry objects. This mode remains active
until you select a different manipulation mode from the toolbar.

Rotate Animation Set - puts Animator into rotation mode. A visual tool for

controlling rotation operations is displayed in the main NavisWorks window, and enables
you to modify the rotation of the geometry objects. This mode remains active until you
select a different manipulation mode from the toolbar.

Scale Animation Set - puts Animator into scale mode. A visual tool for controlling

scale operations is displayed in the main NavisWorks window, and enables you to modify
the size of the geometry objects. This mode remains active until you select a different
manipulation mode from the toolbar.

Change Color - puts Animator into color mode. A color palette is shown in the

Manual Entry bar, and enables you to modify the color of the geometry objects.

Change Transparency - puts Animator into transparency mode. A transparency

slider is shown in the Manual Entry bar, and enables you to modify the transparency of
the geometry objects.

Capture Keyframe - allows you to take a snapshot of the current change to the

model as a new keyframe in the timeline view.

Toggle Snapping - allows you to snap the start and end positions of the

translation, rotation, or scale operation to a relevant point in the animation set. The snap
only comes into effect when moving objects by dragging the visual tools in the main
NavisWorks window, and has no effect on numerical entry or keyboard control.

Scene Picker - allows you to choose the active scene.

Time Position - controls the current position of the time slider in

the timeline view.

Rewind - rewinds the animation back to the beginning.

Step Back - steps back a single keyframe.

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 Working with Object Animation Windows

Reverse Play - plays the animation backwards.

Pause - pauses the animation at the keyframe you press it at. To continue playing

from where you paused, just press Play again.

Stop - stops the animation playing and rewinds it back to the beginning.

Play - plays the animation in the currently active scene.

Step Forward - steps one keyframe forwards.

Fast Forward - fast forwards the animation to the end.

37.1.2. The Scene View

The scene view lists all scenes and scene components in a hierarchical list view. Use it to create and
organize animation scenes.

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 Working with Object Animation Windows

The Hierarchical List

You can use the list view to create and manage your animation scenes. The scene trees display the
scene components such as animation sets, cameras, and section planes in a hierarchical structure.

To work with an item in the list view, you must first select it. You can display a shortcut menu for any item
in the tree by right-clicking the item.

Selecting a scene component in the list view selects all the elements contained within that component in
the main NavisWorks window. For example, selecting an animation set in the list view automatically
selects all geometry objects contained within that animation set.

You can quickly copy and move items in the list view by dragging them. To do this, click the item you want
to copy or move, hold down the right mouse button, and drag the item to the desired location. When the
cursor changes to a black arrow, release the mouse button to display a shortcut menu. Click copy or
move, as appropriate.

Icons
Use the icons at the bottom of the scene view to add new items to the list view, to delete items from the
list view, and to reorder items.

Add - opens a shortcut menu that enables you to add new items to the list view

with commands such as Add Scene, Add Camera and so on.

Delete - deletes the currently selected item in the list view.

Note
If you made a mistake, use the button on the Standard toolbar to restore the deleted item.

Move Up - moves the currently selected item up in the list view.

Move Down - moves the currently selected item down in the list view.

Check Boxes
Use the check boxes in the scene view to control whether the corresponding item is active, whether it
loops, ping-pongs, and if it should run infinitely.

The Active check box enables you to specify the animations you want to be active in
your scene. Only active animations will play.

Note
To make a scene active, select it in the Scene Picker on the Animator toolbar.

The Loop check box is available for scenes and scene animations. It enables you to
control the playback mode. Select this check box to use loop mode. When the animation

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reaches the end, it will reset back to the start and run again.

The P.P. check box is available for scenes and scene animations. It enables you to
control the playback mode. Select this check box to use ping-pong mode. When the
animation reaches the end, it will run backwards until it reaches the start. Unless looping
mode is also selected, this will only happen once.

The Infinite check box is only available for scenes. Select this check box to make the
scene play indefinitely (i.e., until the Stop button is pressed). If this check box is

clear, the scene will play until its end point is reached.

Note
If a scene is set to infinite, it can not also loop or ping-pong; so if you select this check box, the
Loop and P.P. check boxes are not available for your scene.

37.1.3. The Timeline View

The timeline view shows the timelines with keyframes for animation sets, cameras, and section planes in
your scenes. Use it to visualize and edit the animations.

The Timescale Bar

At the top of the timeline view is the timescale bar in seconds. All timelines start at 0.

Use the and icons at the bottom of the scene view to zoom in and out on the timescale bar.

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The default timescale shows around 10 seconds of animation on a standard screen resolution, zooming in
and out has an effect of doubling or halving the visible area. So, for example, zooming in will show around
5 seconds of animation, and zooming out will show around 20 seconds.

Note
You can also zoom in and out with mouse wheel while hovering over the timeline.

Another way of changing the timescale is to use the Zoom box. For example, type in '1/4', and press
Enter to quarter the visible area. The value you enter is halved when you zoom in, and doubled when you
zoom out. You can return to the default timescale by clearing the box, and pressing Enter.

Keyframes
The keyframes are shown as black diamonds in the timelines. Right-clicking a keyframe displays a
shortcut menu that allows you to create and edit keyframes using commands such as Cut, Copy, Paste,
and Edit.

You can also change the time when a keyframe occurs by dragging the black diamond left or right in the
timeline view. As you drag a keyframe, it changes the color from black to a lighter grey.

Left-clicking a keyframe moves the time slider to that position.

Right-clicking a keyframe opens the shortcut menu with the following options:

• Edit - enables you to edit the selected keyframe.

• Go to Keyframe - moves the black time slider to this keyframe.

• Cut, Copy, Paste - standard cut, copy, and paste commands. They only work inside the selected
timeline.

• Delete - deletes the selected keyframe.

• Interpolate - determines whether NavisWorks will automatically interpolate between the current and
the last keyframes. This is the default option. When disabled, there will be no gradual movement
between the two keyframes; instead the animation will instantly jump to the position/view of the
second keyframe when it's reached. Also, there will be no colored animation bar between the
keyframes.

Note

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If you right-click an area without a keyframe in it, the shortcut menu will contain only the Edit and
Paste options; and to use the paste option, you must have the keyframe data on the clipboard.

Animation Bars
The colored animation bars are used to visualise the keyframes in a timeline, and cannot be edited. Each
animation type is shown in a different color, and the animation bars for the scenes are grey. Typically, the
animation bar ends with the last keyframe. If an animation bar carries on in a faded color after the last
keyframe, this indicates that the animation will play indefinitely (e.g., loop animation).

Sliders
You can use two sliders in the timeline view:

• Time Slider

The black vertical line is the time slider, representing the current position in the playback. This can be
adjusted by either using the VCR controls on the toolbar or by dragging the slider left or right in the
timeline view, or by selecting a timeline in the timeline view and using the left and right cursor keys. As
the time slider is moved, the model in the main NavisWorks window updates to reflect movements
caused by keyframes in the current scene as if the animation were playing back.

• End Slider

The red vertical line is the end slider, representing the end point of the current active scene. It is
hidden if you selected the Infinite check box for the current scene in the scene view. By default, the
end slider set to the last keyframe in the scene and can’t be moved. You can switch on manual control
of the end slider in a scene by right-clicking it, and selecting the Manually Position Endbar option
from the shortcut menu. To manually adjust the slider, drag it left or right. This end marker will be used
as the animation end point when scenes are set to loop or ping-pong.

37.1.4. The Manual Entry Bar

The optional Manual Entry bar is located at the bottom of the Animator window, and enables you to
manipulate geometry objects by typing in numerical values, instead of using the visual tools in the main
NavisWorks window. The contents of the bar change depending on the button last selected from the
Animator toolbar. For example, if you clicked , the Manual Entry bar will look something like this:

You can toggle the Manual Entry bar on and off by using the Options Editor.

To toggle the display of the Manual Entry bar:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Tools node, and click the Animator option.

The Animator page is displayed:

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3. Use the Display Manual Entry check box to control whether the Manual Entry bar is shown in the
Animator window.

4. Click OK to accept your changes, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without accepting them.

37.2. The Scripter Window

To open the Scripter window, select Scripter from the Tools menu.

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The Animator window contains the following components: the script view, the event view, the action view,
and the properties view.

Note
If you can't use any of the controls in the Scripter window, it means that you are in interaction
mode. To exit the mode, click the Toggle Scripts button on the Animation toolbar.

37.2.1. The Script View

The script view contains animation scripts in your NavisWorks file. Use the script view to create and
organize animation scripts.

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The Script Tree

The script tree displays all available scripts. The scripts can be organized into folders. This has no effect
on the way scripts are run in NavisWorks.

To work with an item in the script tree, you must first select it. You can display a shortcut menu for any
item in the tree by right-clicking the item.

Selecting a script in the tree displays the associated events, actions and properties information.

You can quickly copy and move items in the script tree. To do this, click the item you want to copy or
move, hold down the right mouse button, and drag the item to the desired location. When the cursor
changes to a black arrow, release the mouse button to display a shortcut menu. Click copy or move, as
appropriate.

Icons
Use the icons at the bottom of the script view to add new items to the tree and to delete items from the
tree.

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Add New Script - adds new scripts to the script tree.

Add New Folder - adds new folders to the script tree.

Delete Item - deletes the currently selected item in the script tree.

Note
If you made a mistake, use the button on the Standard toolbar to restore the deleted item.

Check Boxes
Use the Active check box in the script view to specify the scripts you want to use. If you
organized your scripts into folders, you can quickly turn the scripts on and off by using the
Active check box next to the top-level folder.

37.2.2. The Event View

The event view shows all events associated with the currently selected script. Use the event view to
define, manage, and test events.

Event Conditions
Events can be combined with a simple Boolean logic. To create an event condition you can use a
combination of brackets and AND/OR operators. The brackets and logic operators can be added by
right-clicking an event, and selecting the option from the shortcut menu. Alternatively, you can click in the
corresponding field in the event view, and use the drop-down button to select the desired option.

If you have more than one event in your script, by default the AND operator will be used. This means the

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script only runs if all events have occurred.

Icons
Use the icons at the bottom of the event view to add, order, and delete events in the selected script.

On Start - adds start events.

On Timer - adds timer events.

On Key Press - adds key press events.

On Collision - adds collision events.

On Hotspot - adds hotspot events.

On Variable - adds variable events.

On Animation - adds animation events.

Move Up - moves the currently selected event up in the event view.

Move Down - moves the currently selected event down in the event view.

Delete Event - deletes the currently selected event.

Note
If you made a mistake, use the button on the Standard toolbar to restore the deleted item.

The Event View Shortcut Menu

Right-click in the event view to display a shortcut menu. The menu contains commands
that apply to the selected item, plus the commands that enable you to add new events.

37.2.3. The Action View

The action view shows the actions associated with the currently selected script. Use it to define, manage,
and test actions.

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Actions are executed one after another in a script, so it is important to get the action sequence right.
However, Scripter does not wait for the current action to be completed before moving on to the next
action. So, for example, if there are two actions, one to start an animation, and the second one to show a
viewpoint, Scripter will execute both actions almost at the same time.

Note
Using a pause action will stop the script for a specified amount of time before executing the next
action. Alternatively, you can create several scripts to execute actions separately.

Icons
Use the icons at the bottom of the action view to add, order, and delete actions in the selected script.

Play Animation - adds play animation actions.

Stop Animation - adds stop animation actions.

Show Viewpoint - adds show viewpoint actions.

Pause - adds pause actions.

Send Message - adds send message actions.

Set Variable - adds set variable actions.

Store Property - adds store property actions.

Load Model - adds load model actions.

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Move Up - moves the currently selected action up in the action view.

Move Down - moves the currently selected action down in the action view.

Delete Event - deletes the currently selected action.

Note
If you made a mistake, use the button on the Standard toolbar to restore the deleted item.

The Action View Shortcut Menu

Right-click in the action view to display a shortcut menu. The menu contains commands
that apply to the selected item, plus the commands that enable you to add new actions.

37.2.4. The Properties View

The properties view shows the properties for the currently selected event or action. Use it to configure the
behavior of events and actions in your scripts.

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Chapter 38. Creating Animations
To animate your model, you need to create at least one scene, which will act as a container for your
animations.

Each scene can contain the following components:

• One or more animation sets

• A single camera animation

• A single section plane set animation

38.1. Animation Scenes

In this section you will learn how to create, delete and organize animation scenes.

38.1.1. Adding Scenes

To add a scene:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Right-click in the scene view, and click Add Scene on the shortcut menu.

Alternatively, click , and click Add Scene on the shortcut menu.

3. Click the default scene name, and type in a new name, for example 'Gatehouse Entrance'.

This will help you to identify the scene in future.

38.1.2. Deleting Scenes

To delete a scene:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

Deleting a scene also deletes all of its components.

2. Select the scene you want to delete, and click .

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Note
If you made a mistake, use the button on the Standard toolbar to restore the deleted

scene.

38.1.3. Organizing Scenes

You can group the scenes and the scene elements into folders. This has no effect on playback, except
that the contents of a folder can be easily switched on/off to save time.

To add a scene folder:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Right-click in the scene view, and click Add Scene Folder on the shortcut menu.

3. Click the default folder name, and type in a new name, for example 'Gatehouse'.

4. Select the scene you want to add to your new folder. Hold down the left mouse button, and drag the
mouse to the folder name. When the cursor changes to a black arrow, release the mouse button to
drop the scene into the folder.

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To organize scene components into folders:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. To add a subfolder to a scene, right-click it, and click Add Folder on the shortcut menu.

To add a subfolder to a scene element, right-click it, and click Add Folder on the shortcut menu.

3. To rename a folder, click on it, and type in a new name, for example 'Doors'.

38.2. Animation Sets

An animation set contains a list of geometry objects to be animated, and a list of keyframes that describe
how it is to be animated. Your scene can have as many animation sets as you want, and you can also
have the same geometry objects in different animation sets within the same scene. The order of
animation sets within a scene is important, and can be used to control the final object position when the
same object is used in multiple animation sets.

38.2.1. Adding Animation Sets

An animation set can be based on the current selection in the main NavisWorks window, or on the current
selection set or current search set.

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To add an animation set based on current selection:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired geometry objects in the main NavisWorks window, or from the Selection Tree
control bar.

3. Right-click the scene name, and click Add Animation Set > From Current Selection on the
shortcut menu.

To add an animation set based on current search set or selection set:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired search set or selection set from the Selection Sets control bar.

3. Right-click the scene name, and click Add Animation Set > From Current Search/Selection Set on
the shortcut menu.

If you are adding an animation set based on a selection set, the contents of the animation set is
automatically updated if the contents of the source selection set change.

If you are adding an animation set based on a search set, the contents of the animation set will be
updated each time the model changes to include everything in the search set.

Note
Any changes to search/selection sets during the animation playback are ignored.

If the model changes so that objects in a particular animation are missing, they will be automatically
removed from the animation set when the .nwd or .nwf is resaved.

Finally, if the selection or search sets are deleted rather than being lost, the corresponding animation set
will become a static selection of objects based on what it last contained.

38.2.2. Updating Animation Sets

An animation set can be manually updated; that is you can modify your current selection in the main
NavisWorks window, or the current selection set or current search set, and change the contents of your
animation set to reflect this. The keyframes are not affected by this operation.

To update an animation set based on current selection:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

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2. Select the desired geometry objects in the main NavisWorks window, or from the Selection Tree
control bar.

3. Right-click the scene name, and click Update Animation Set > From Current Selection on the
shortcut menu.

To update an animation set based on current search set or selection set:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired search set or selection set from the Selection Sets control bar.

3. Right-click the scene name, and click Update Animation Set > From Current Search/Selection
Set on the shortcut menu.

38.2.3. Manipulating Geometry Objects

In this section you will learn how to modify position, rotation, size, color and transparency of geometry
objects in animation sets, and how to capture these changes in keyframes.

All object manipulation is carried out the in the main NavisWorks window. To change an object's position,
rotation and size, three visual manipulation tools are provided. These tools act like 3D objects in that the
axis rotate with the viewpoint. However, they are overlaid over the top of the 3D scene, and can’t be
obscured by other objects. When you hover over a grabable part of the tool, the cursor changes to a hand
icon.

38.2.3.1. Using Snapping

When you manipulate geometry objects by changing their position, rotation or size you can use snapping
to control the precision of your operations in the main NavisWorks window. To turn on snapping mode,
click the Toggle Snapping button on the Animator toolbar.

The snap works like a 'gravity' around the snap points. This enables you to snap the start position of the
selected visual tool to a relevant point in the animation set, such as center, corner of bounding box, vertex
of geometry. Similarly, the end point of the translation, rotation or scale operation can also be snapped to
a desired point on the screen (for example, center of another geometry object).

You can adjust the way snapping works by using the Options Editor.

To adjust snapping:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Snapping option.

The Snapping page is displayed.

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3. Set the picking style by selecting the Snap to Vertex, Snap to Edge and Snap to Line Vertix check
boxes. The cursor will snap to the nearest vertex, triangle edge or line end respectively, depending
on the options chosen.

4. Set the snapping Tolerance. The smaller the tolerance, the closer the cursor needs to be to a vertex
or edge before it snaps to it.

5. Select the Enabled check box, if you want to turn on snapping for angular rotation.

Enter the multiplier for the snapping angle, for example 45, in the Angles box. In this example, the
cursor is set to snap to 45, 90, 135 degrees, and so on.

Enter the snapping tolerance, for example 5, in the Angle Sensitivity box. This determines how
close to the snapping angle the cursor needs to be for snap to take effect. In this example, the cursor
snaps within 5 degrees of a given angle.

6. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

38.2.3.2. Highlighting Objects

When animation sets are selected in the scene view, they are also highlighted in the main NavisWorks
window.

To get a clearer view of an object as you animating it, you can use the Options Editor to adjust the way
in which the current selection is highlighted.

You can use three different highlighting methods:

• Shaded

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• Wireframe

• Tinted

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To adjust highlighting:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Interface node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Selection option.

The Selection page is displayed.

3. Locate the Highlight area, and select the Enabled check box to turn on highlighting of the selected

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items.

4. Use the Method drop-down list to select the type of highlighting you want (Shaded, Wireframe or
Tinted).

5. Click the Color button to select the highlight color.

6. If you selected Tinted in the Method box, use the slider to adjust the Tint Level.

7. Click OK to set these options or Cancel to exit the dialog box without setting them.

38.2.3.3. Object Movement

To capture object movement:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired animation set in the scene view.

The corresponding geometry objects are highlighted in the main NavisWorks window.

Note
You can change the way the objects are highlighted.

3. Click the Capture Keyframe button on the Animator toolbar to create a keyframe with the

initial object state.

4. In the timeline view, move the black time slider to the right to set the desired time.

5. Click the Translate Animation Set button on the Animator toolbar.

6. Use the translation tool to change the position of the selected objects.

The translation tool displays three colored axes at the correct angles relevant to the current camera
position.

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To move all objects in the currently selected animation set, place the mouse over the square at the
end of the desired axis. When the cursor changes to , drag the square on the screen to
increase/decrease the translation along that axis.

To move the objects along several axes at the same time, drag the square frame between the
desired axes.

Dragging the yellow square in the middle of the translation tool enables you to snap this center point
to other geometry in the model.

Note
You can adjust snapping to increase your precision.

To move the translation tool itself rather than the actual animation set, hold down the CTRL key while
dragging the square at the end of the desired axis.

To snap the tool to other objects, hold down the CTRL key while dragging the yellow square in the
middle of the tool.

For the point-to-point translation, hold down the CTRL key, and use the center square to drag the
tool to the start point. Then, with CTRL released, drag the square again to move the object to the end
point.

7. To capture the current object changes in a keyframe, click the Capture Keyframe button on

the Animator toolbar.

38.2.3.4. Object Rotation

To capture object rotation:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired animation set in the scene view.

The corresponding geometry objects are highlighted in the main NavisWorks window.

Note
You can change the way the objects are highlighted.

3. Click the Capture Keyframe button on the Animator toolbar to create a keyframe with the

initial object state.

4. In the timeline view, move the black time slider to the right to set the desired time.

5. Click the Rotate Animation Set button on the Animator toolbar.

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6. Use the rotation tool to rotate the selected objects.

The rotation tool displays three colored axes at the correct angles relevant to the current camera
position.

Before you can rotate the objects in the currently selected animation set, you need to position the
origin (center point) of the rotation. To do this, place the mouse over the square at the end of the
desired axis. When the cursor changes to , drag the square on the screen to increase/decrease
the translation along that axis. This will move the rotation tool itself.

Dragging the yellow square in the middle of the rotation tool enables you to move it around, and snap
it to points on other geometry objects.

Note
You can adjust snapping to increase your precision.

Once the rotation tool is positioned correctly, place the mouse over one of the circles in the middle,
and drag it on the screen to rotate the objects in the selected animation set. The circles are
color-coded, and match the color of the axis used to rotate the object around. So, for example,
dragging the blue circle between the X and Y axes, rotates the object around the blue Z axis.

To rotate the orientation of the rotation tool to an arbitrary position, hold down the CTRL key while
dragging one of the three circles in the middle.

To snap the tool to other objects, hold the CTRL key while dragging the yellow square in the middle
of the tool.

7. To capture the current object changes in a keyframe, click the Capture Keyframe button on

the Animator toolbar.

38.2.3.5. Scaling Objects

To capture scaling changes:

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1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired animation set in the scene view.

The corresponding geometry objects are highlighted in the main NavisWorks window.

Note
You can change the way the objects are highlighted.

3. Click the Capture Keyframe button on the Animator toolbar to create a keyframe with the

initial object state.

4. In the timeline view, move the black time slider to the right to set the desired time.

5. Click the Scale Animation Set button on the Animator toolbar.

6. Use the scale tool to resize the selected objects.

The scale tool displays three colored axes at the correct angles relevant to the current camera
position.

To resize all objects in the currently selected animation set, place the mouse over one of seven
squares. When the cursor changes to , drag the square on the screen to modify the size of the
objects. Typically, dragging a square up or right increases the size, dragging it down or left
decreases the size.

To resize the objects across a single axis only, use colored squares at the end of the axes. To resize
the objects across two axes at the same time, use yellow squares in the middle of the axes. Finally,
to resize the objects across all three axes at the same time, use the square in the center of the tool.

You can modify the center of scaling. To do this, place the mouse over the square in the middle of
the tool, and hold down the CTRL key while dragging the square on the screen.

7. To capture the current object changes in a keyframe, click the Capture Keyframe button on

the Animator toolbar.

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38.2.3.6. Changing Color

To capture color changes:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired animation set in the scene view.

The corresponding geometry objects are highlighted in the main NavisWorks window.

Note
You can change the way the objects are highlighted.

3. Click the Capture Keyframe button on the Animator toolbar to create a keyframe with the

initial object state.

4. In the timeline view, move the black time slider to the right to set the desired time.

5. Click the Change Color button on the Animator toolbar.

6. Press the Color button on the Manual Entry bar, and choose the desired color.

7. To capture the current object changes in a keyframe, click the Capture Keyframe button on

the Animator toolbar.

38.2.3.7. Changing Transparency

To capture transparency changes:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired animation set in the scene view.

The corresponding geometry objects are highlighted in the main NavisWorks window.

Note
You can change the way objects are highlighted.

3. Click the Capture Keyframe button on the Animator toolbar to create a keyframe with the

initial object state.

4. In the timeline view, move the black time slider to the right to set the desired time.

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5. Click the Change Transparency button on the Animator toolbar.

6. Use the Transparency slider on the Manual Entry bar to adjust how transparent or opaque the
selected objects are.

7. To capture the current object changes in a keyframe, click the Capture Keyframe button on

the Animator toolbar.

38.3. Cameras
A camera contains a list of viewpoints, and an optional list of keyframes to describe how the viewpoints
move. If no camera keyframes are defined, then the scene will use the current views in the main
NavisWorks window. If a single keyframe is defined, the camera will move to that viewpoint, and then
remain static throughout the scene. Finally, if multiple keyframes are defined, the camera is animated
accordingly.

Each scene can only have one camera in it.

38.3.1. Adding Cameras

You can add a blank camera, and then manipulate the viewpoints, or you can copy an existing viewpoint
animation straight into your camera.

To add a blank camera:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Right-click the desired scene name, and click Add Camera > Blank Camera on the shortcut menu.

You are now ready to manipulate camera viewpoints.

To add a camera with existing viewpoint animation:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired viewpoint animation from the Viewpoints control bar.

3. Right-click the desired scene name, and click Add Camera > From Current Viewpoint Animation
on the shortcut menu.

NavisWorks automatically adds all necessary keyframes to the timeline view.

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38.3.2. Manipulating Camera Viewpoints

To capture camera viewpoints:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired camera in the scene view.

3. Click the Capture Keyframe button on the Animator toolbar to create a keyframe with the

current viewpoint.

4. In the timeline view, move the black time slider to the right to set the desired time.

5. Use the buttons on the Navigation Mode toolbar to change your current viewpoint.

Alternatively, select one of the saved viewpoints from the Viewpoints control bar.

6. To capture the current viewpoint changes in a keyframe, click the Capture Keyframe button

on the Animator toolbar.

38.4. Section Plane Set

A section plane set contains a list of sectional cuts, and a list of keyframes to describe how they move.

Each scene can only have one section plane set in it.

38.4.1. Adding Section Plane Sets

To add a section plane set:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Right-click the desired scene name, and click Add Section Plane on the shortcut menu.

You are now ready to manipulate sectional cuts.

38.4.2. Manipulating Sectional Cuts

To capture sectional cuts:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

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2. Select the desired section plane set in the scene view.

3. Select the plane that you wish to manipulate from the drop-down list on the Sectioning toolbar.

Make sure it's not yet enabled.

4. Set the step size by clicking on the Step Size button on the Sectioning toolbar.

5. Click the Capture Keyframe button on the Animator toolbar to create a keyframe with the

current section cut.

6. In the timeline view, move the black time slider to the right to set the desired time.

7. Switch the section plane on by clicking the Enable/Disable button on the Sectioning toolbar.

8. Use the Sectioning toolbar to chose one of the seven planes that this section plane will cut.

For example, click the Align Right button.

9. Move the slider on the Sectioning toolbar to adjust the depth of your section cut.

Note
You can find more information on how to create plane cuts in "Sectioning a Model" under
"Sectioning" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section.

10. To capture the current plane changes in a keyframe, click the Capture Keyframe button on the

Animator toolbar.

38.5. Keyframes
In this section, you will learn how to capture and edit keyframes.

38.5.1. Capturing Keyframes

Keyframes are used to define position and properties of the changes to the model. New keyframes are
created by clicking the Capture Keyframe button on the Animator toolbar. Every time you click

this button, NavisWorks will add a keyframe of the currently selected animation set, camera, or section
plane set at the current position of the black time slider.

Conceptually, keyframes represent relative translations, rotations and scaling operations from the
previous keyframe or, in the case of the first keyframe, the model’s starting position. Keyframes are
relative to each other and to the model’s starting position. This means that if an object is moved in the
scene (when, for example, a new version of the model is opened, or if movement tools are used in
NavisWorks) the animation will be done relative to the new starting location rather the animation’s original
start position.

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The translation, scaling and rotation operations are cumulative. This means if a particular object is in two
animation sets at the same time, both sets of operations are carried out. So if both are translating across
the X axis, for example, the object will move twice as far.

If there is no keyframe at the start of the timeline for an animation set, camera, or section plane set, then
the very start of the timeline acts like a hidden keyframe. So, for example, if you have a keyframe a few
seconds in, and the frame has the Interpolate option enabled, then over those first few seconds objects
would interpolate between their default starting position and those defined in the first keyframe.

38.5.2. Editing Keyframes

To edit a keyframe, you need to right-click it in the timeline view, and select the Edit option on the
shortcut menu. The procedures for editing keyframes for animation sets, cameras, and section planes
follow.

38.5.2.1. Editing Animation Sets

To edit a keyframe for an animation set:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Right-click the desired keyframe in the timeline view, and select Edit on the shortcut menu.

3. Use the Edit Key Frame dialog box to adjust the animation.

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The Time box enables you to reposition the time of this keyframe. The value is the number of
seconds since the start of the scene; it is not relative to the last keyframe.

The Interpolate check box determines whether NavisWorks will automatically interpolate between
the current and the last keyframes. This is the default option. When disabled, there will be no gradual
movement between the two keyframes; instead the animation will instantly jump to the position/view
of the second keyframe when it's reached. Also, there will be no colored animation bar between the
keyframes.

The rest of the boxes are similar to the controls on the Manual Entry bar, and enable you to the edit
the animation operations the keyframe represents. All values are relative to the previous keyframe,
or, if it's the first keyframe, relative to the model's starting position.

4. Click OK to save your changes or Cancel to exit the dialog box.

38.5.2.2. Editing Cameras

To edit a keyframe for a camera:

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1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Right-click the desired keyframe in the timeline view, and select Edit on the shortcut menu.

3. Use the Edit Key Frame dialog box to adjust the animation.

The Time box enables you to reposition the time of this keyframe. The value is the number of
seconds since the start of the scene; it is not relative to the last keyframe.

The Interpolate check box determines whether NavisWorks will automatically interpolate between
the current and the last keyframes. This is the default option. When disabled, there will be no gradual
movement between the two keyframes; instead the animation will instantly jump to the position/view
of the second keyframe when it's reached. Also, there will be no colored animation bar between the
keyframes.

The rest of the boxes control position, orientation, etc. of the camera viewpoint. When you are
adjusting the vertical field of view, the horizontal field of view will be automatically adjusted, and vice
versa to match the aspect ratio in NavisWorks.

4. Click OK to save your changes or Cancel to exit the dialog box.

38.5.2.3. Editing Section Planes

To edit a keyframe for a section plane set:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Right-click the desired keyframe in the timeline view, and select Edit on the shortcut menu.

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3. Use the Edit Key Frame dialog box to adjust the animation.

The Time box enables you to reposition the time of this keyframe. The value is the number of
seconds since the start of the scene; it is not relative to the last keyframe.

The Interpolate check box determines whether NavisWorks will automatically interpolate between
the current and the last keyframes. This is the default option. When disabled, there will be no gradual
movement between the two keyframes; instead the animation will instantly jump to the position/view
of the second keyframe when it's reached. Also, there will be no colored animation bar between the
keyframes.

The rest of the boxes enable you to manipulate the section plane manually. Active section planes are
listed in the center. The and icons enable you to add and delete section planes.

Distance is the distance of that section plane across the model. The Plane drop-down list enables
you to select the predefined vector that represents the angle of the section plane. If you select the
Define Custom option, you will be able to manually define the 'up' vector for the plane. The Enable
check box toggles the section plane on/off.

4. Click OK to save your changes or Cancel to exit the dialog box.

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38.6. Playing Animation Scenes

To play a scene:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the scene you want to play in the scene view, and click the Play button on the Animator

toolbar.

Note
You can also click the Play button on the Animation toolbar to play back your animation

scenes.

To adjust the animation playback:

1. If the Animator window is not already open, select Tools > Animator from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired scene in the scene view.

3. Use the Loop, P.P., and Infinite check boxes to adjust the way your scene will play.

If you want the scene to play back continuously, select the Loop check box. When the animation
reaches the end, it will reset back to the start and run again.

If you want the scene to play in ping-pong mode, select the P.P. check box. When the animation
reaches the end, it will run backwards until it reaches the start. This will only happen once, unless
you also select the Loop check box.

If you want the scene to play indefinitely (i.e., until the Stop button is pressed), select the

Infinite check box. If this check box is clear, the scene will play until its end point is reached.

Note
Selecting this check box disables the Loop and P.P. check boxes.

4. If necessary, use the Active, Loop, and P.P. check boxes to adjust the playback of the individual
scene components.

Note
Only active animations will play.

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Chapter 39. Adding Interactivity
To add interactivity to your model, you need to create at least one animation script, in which you configure
certain events and the actions that are carried out when those events happen.

Each script can contain the following components:

• One or more events

• One or more actions

39.1. Animation Scripts

In this section you will learn how to create, delete and organize animation scripts.

39.1.1. Adding Scripts

To add a script:

1. If the Scripter window is not already open, select Tools > Scripter from the menu bar.

2. Right-click in the script view, and click Add New Script on the shortcut menu.

Alternatively, click at the bottom of the script view.

3. Click the default script name, and type in a new name, for example 'Abbey Entrance'.

This will help you to identify the script in future.

39.1.2. Deleting Scripts

To delete a script:

1. If the Scripter window is not already open, select Tools > Scripter from the menu bar.

2. Select the script you want to delete, and click .

Note

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button on the Standard toolbar to restore the deleted script.

39.1.3. Organizing Scripts

You can group the scripts into folders. This has no effect on their execution, except that the contents of a
folder can be easily switched on/off to save time.

To add a script folder:

1. If the Scripter window is not already open, select Tools > Scripter from the menu bar.

2. Right-click in the script view, and click Add New Folder on the shortcut menu.

3. Click the default folder name, and type in a new name, for example 'Doors'.

4. Select the script you want to move into your new folder. Hold down the left mouse button, and drag
the mouse to the folder name. When the cursor changes to a black arrow, release the mouse button,
and click Move Here on the shortcut menu.

39.2. Events

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An event is the occurrence of an incident or a situation, such as a mouse click, key press or collision,
which determines whether your script is run or not. Your script can have more than one event in it. When
you use several events in the same script, the event syntax becomes very important. That is, you need to
ensure the Boolean logic makes sense, the brackets are properly closed, and so on. Additionally, until the
combination of all event conditions in the script is satisfied, your script will not be executed.

39.2.1. Adding Events

To add an event:

1. If the Scripter window is not already open, select Tools > Scripter from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired script in the script view.

3. Click the desired event type icon at the bottom of the event view. For example, click to create a

start event.

39.2.2. Testing Events

To test an event:

1. If the Scripter window is not already open, select Tools > Scripter from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired script in the script view.

3. Right-click the event you want to test in the event view, and click Test Event on the shortcut menu.

39.2.3. Configuring Events

To configure an event, select it in the event view, and then specify its properties in the properties view.

39.2.3.1. Start
A start event triggers a script as soon as scripting is enabled. If scripting is enabled when a file is loaded,
then any start events in the file will be triggered immediately. This is useful for setting up the initial
conditions of your script, such as giving initial values to variables, or moving the camera to a defined start
point.

You don't need to configure any properties for this event type.

39.2.3.2. Timer
A timer event triggers a script at predefined time intervals.

You can specify the following properties for this event type:

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Interval - enter the length of time in seconds between timer triggering.

Regularity - select the event frequency from the drop-down list:

• Once After - an event will happen once only. Use this option when you want to have
an event that starts after a certain length of time.

• Continuous - an event will be continuously repeated at specified time intervals. You

can use this, for example, to simulate cyclic work of a factory machine.

39.2.3.3. Key Press

A key press event triggers a script with a specific button on the keyboard.

You can specify the following properties for this event type:

Key - this is a read-only box showing the currently selected keyboard key.

Press Key - click this button, and then press a key on the keyboard to link the key to your
event. The Key box indicates the key you selected.

Trigger On - select how the event will be triggered from the drop-down list:

• Key Up - an event is triggered after you press the key, and let go (that is, when your
finger releases the key).

• Key Down - an event is triggered the moment you press the key (that is, when your
finger hits the key).

• Key Pressed - an event is triggered while the key is pressed. This option allows you
to use a key press event together with Boolean operators. For example, you can AND
this event to a timer event.

39.2.3.4. Collision
A collision event triggers a script when the mouse collides with a specific object.

You can specify the following properties for this event type:

Set - click this button, and use the shortcut menu to define the collision objects:

• Clear - clears your currently selected collision objects.

• Set From Current Selection - sets the collision objects to your current object
selection in the main NavisWorks window.

• Set From Current Selection - sets the collision objects to your current search set or
selection set.

Show - this is a read-only box, showing the number of geometry objects selected as

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collision objects.

Include the Effects of Gravity - select this check box if you want to include gravity in
collision detection. If this option is used, hitting floor when walking across it, for example,
will trigger your event.

39.2.3.5. Hotspot
A hotspot event triggers a script when the mouse is within a specific range of a hotspot.

You can specify the following properties for this event type:

Hotspot - select the hotspot type from the drop-down list:

• Sphere - simple sphere from a given point in space.

• Sphere on Selection - a sphere around a given selection. This option doesn't require
you to define the given point in space. This hotspot will move as the selected objects
move in the model.

Trigger When - select how the event will be triggered from the drop-down list:

• Entering - an event is triggered when you cross into the hotspot. This is useful for
opening doors, for example.

• Leaving - an event is triggered when you leave the hotspot. This is useful for closing
doors, for example.

• In Range - an event is triggered when you are inside the hotspot. This option allows
you to use a hotspot event together with Boolean operators. For example, you can
AND this event to a timer event.

Position - the position of the hotspot point in millimeters. If the hotspot type you select is
Sphere on Selection, this field is not available.

Pick - enables you to pick the position of the hotspot point. If the hotspot type you select
is Sphere on Selection, this button is not available. Click the button, and then pick a point
for the hotspot in the main NavisWorks window.

Selection - the hotspot objects. If the hotspot type you select is Sphere, this button is not
available. Click the Set button, and choose an option on the shortcut menu:

• Clear - clears the current selection.

• Set From Current Selection - the hotspot is set to your current object selection in the
main NavisWorks window.

• Set From Current Selection Set - the hotspot is set to your current search set or
selection set.

Show - this is a read-only field, which displays the number of geometry objects linked to
the hotspot. If the hotspot type you select is Sphere, this field is not available.

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Radius - radius of hotspot, in millimeters.

39.2.3.6. Variable
A variable event triggers a script when a variable meets a predefined criterion.

You can specify the following properties for this event type:

Variable - the alphanumeric name of the variable to be evaluated.

Value - an operand to use. Enter a value to be tested against your variable. Alternatively,
enter a name of another variable. Its value will be tested against the value in your
variable.

• If you enter a number (for example 0, 400, 5.3), the value is treated as a numeric
value. If it’s got a decimal place, the floating-point formatting is preserved up to the
user-defined decimal places.

• If you enter an alphanumeric string between single or double quote marks, such as
“hello” or ‘testing’, the value is treated as a sting.

• If you enter an alphanumeric string without single or double quote marks, such as
counter1 or testing, the value is treated as another variable. If this variable has never
been used before, it's assigned a numerical value of 0.

• If you enter the word true or false without any quotes, the value is treated as a
boolean (true = 1, false = 0).

Evaluation - operators used for variable comparison. You can use any of the following
operators with numbers and boolean values. However, comparing strings is limited to the
'Equals' and 'Not Equal To' operators only.

• Equals

• Greater Than

• Greater Than or Equals

• Less Than

• Less Than or Equals

• Not Equal To

39.2.3.7. Animation
An animation event triggers a script when a specific animation starts or stops.

You can specify the following properties for this event type:

Animation - animation that will trigger the event.

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Trigger On - select how the event will be triggered from the drop-down list:

• Starting - an event is triggered when the animation starts.

• Ending - an event is triggered when the animation ends. This is useful for chaining
animations together.

39.3. Actions
You script can have more than one action in it. Actions are executed one after another, so it is important
to get the action sequence right. However, the Scripter does not wait for the current action to be
completed before moving on to the next action.

39.3.1. Adding Actions

To add an action:

1. If the Scripter window is not already open, select Tools > Scripter from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired script in the script view.

3. Click the desired action type icon at the bottom of the action view. For example, click to add a

play animation action.

39.3.2. Testing Actions

To test an action:

1. If the Scripter window is not already open, select Tools > Scripter from the menu bar.

2. Select the desired script in the script view.

3. Right-click the action you want to test in the action view, and click Test Action on the shortcut menu.

Note
When you test actions, all events are ignored.

39.3.3. Configuring Actions

To configure an action, select it in the action view, and then specify its properties in the properties view.

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39.3.3.1. Play Animation

A play animation action specifies which animation to play back when a script is triggered.

You can specify the following properties for this action type:

Animation - select the animation to play from the drop-down list. If you don't have any
object animation in your NavisWorks file, this field is not available.

Pause at End - select this check box if you want the animation to stop at the end. If this
check box is clear, the animation will snap back to the starting point when it ends.

Starting At - select the playback start from the drop-down list:

• Start - the animation plays forwards from the beginning.

• End - the animation plays backwards from the end.

• Current Position - the animation plays from its current position, if the playback has
already started. Otherwise, the animation plays forwards from the beginning.

• Specified Time - the animation plays from the segment defined in the Specific Start
Time field.

Ending At - select the playback end from the drop-down list:

• Start - the playback ends at the beginning of the animation.

• End - the playback ends at the end of the animation.

• Specified Time - the playback ends at the segment defined in the Specific End Time
field.

Specific Start Time - the start position of a playback segment.

Specific End Time - the end position of a playback segment.

39.3.3.2. Stop Animation

A stop animation action specifies which currently playing animation to stop when a script is triggered.

You can specify the following properties for this action type:

Animation - select the animation to stop from the drop-down list. If you don't have any
object animation in your NavisWorks file, this field is not available.

Reset To - select the position of the stopped animation from the drop-down list:

• Default Position - the animation returns to its starting point.

• Current Position - the animation remains at its end position.

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39.3.3.3. Show Viewpoint

A show viewpoint action specifies which viewpoint to use when a script is triggered.

You can specify the following property for this action type:

• Viewpoint - select the viewpoint to show from the drop-down list. If you don't have any viewpoints in
your NavisWorks file, this field is not available.

39.3.3.4. Pause Script

Actions are executed one after another in a script; however, Scripter does not wait for the current action
to be completed before moving on to the next. A pause action enables you to stop the script for a
specified amount of time before the next action is run. Alternatively, you can create several scripts to
execute actions separately.

You can specify the following property for this action type:

• Delay - enter the time period in seconds.

39.3.3.5. Send Message

A send message action writes a message in a text file when a script is triggered.

You can specify the following property for this action type:

• Message - enter the message that will be sent to a text file defined in the Options Editor.

You can output the Scripter variables in your message. To do this, use %variable_name% style.

To configure the message file:

1. On the Tools menu, click Global Options.

2. Expand the Tools node in the Options Editor dialog box, and click the Scripter option.

The Scripter page is displayed.

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3. Use the Message Level drop-down box to select the contents of the message file.

• User - the message file only contains user messages (i.e., messages generated by message
actions).

• Debug - the message file contains both user messages and debug messages (i.e., messages
generated internally by Scripter). Debugging enables you to see what is going on in more
complex scripts.

4. Enter the Path to Message File. If a message file doesn't exist yet, NavisWorks will attempt to
create one for you.

Note
You can't use variables in the path.

5. Click OK to accept your changes, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks without accepting them.

39.3.3.6. Set Variable

A set variable action assigns, increases or decreases a variable value when a script is triggered.

You can specify the following properties for this action type:

Variable Name - the alphanumeric name for the variable.

Value - an operand to assign.

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• If you enter a number (for example 0, 400, 5.3), the value is treated as a numeric
value. If it’s got a decimal place, the floating-point formatting is preserved up to the
user-defined decimal places.

• If you enter an alphanumeric string between single or double quote marks, such as
“hello” or ‘testing’, the value is treated as a sting.

• If you enter the word true or false without any quotes, the value is treated as a
boolean (true = 1, false = 0).

Modifier - assignment operators for your variable. You can use any of the following
operators with numbers and boolean values. However, using strings is limited to the 'Set
Equal To' operator only.

• Set Equal To

• Increment By

• Decrement By

39.3.3.7. Store Property

A store property action stores an object property in a variable when a script is triggered. This can be
useful if you need to trigger events based on embedded object properties or live data in a linked
database.

You can specify the following properties for this action type:

Set - click this button, and use the shortcut menu to define the objects, which are used to
get the property from:

• Clear - clears the current selection.

• Set From Current Selection - the objects are set to your current object selection in
the main NavisWorks window.

• Set From Current Selection Set - the objects are set to your current search set or
selection set.

Note
If your selection contains a hierarchy of objects, the top-level object will be automatically used to
get the property from. So, for example, if you selected a group called "Wheel", which includes two
subgroups called "Rim", and "Tyre", only the properties that relate to "Wheel" can be stored.

Variable to Set - the name of the variable to recieve the property.

Category - the property category. The values in this drop-down box depend on the
selected objects.

Property - the property type. The values in this drop-down box depend on the chosen
property category.

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Note
For more information about object properties, see "Properties" under "Finding" in the Basic
NavisWorks Functionality section.

39.3.3.8. Load Model

A load model action opens a specified file when a script is triggered.

You can specify the following property for this action type:

• File to Load - enter the path to the file that will be loaded to replace the current one. You may find it
useful, if, for performance reasons, you cannot append your models together.

39.4. Enabling Scripting

To enable animation scripts in your file, you need to click the Toggle Scripts button on the

Animation toolbar.

You can now interact with your model.

Note
When the scripts are enabled, you can't create or edit scripts in the Scripter window. To disable
scripting, click again.

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Chapter 40. Animation Exercise
To follow the procedures in this section, you need to open the file called gatehouse_pub.nwd located
under the Examples\Gatehouse folder in the NavisWorks installation directory.

Note
If you can't see the Examples folder, it means that it's not been installed with NavisWorks. You
can use the Add/Remove Programs option in the Control Panel to change the installation
parameters.

40.1. Opening a Gatehouse Door

In this exercise you will animate a door in the Gatehouse model, and make it open and close when you
press a button on the keyboard.

40.1.1. Animating a Door

To create an animation of a door:

1. Select Tools > Animator from the menu bar, and dock the Animator window at the bottom of the
screen.

2. In the Animator window, click , and click Add Scene on the shortcut menu.

3. Click the added scene, and rename it to 'Gatehouse Door'.

4. In the main NavisWorks window, select the front red door. You may need to adjust the view of the
gatehouse slightly. In the example below, a portion of the Gatehouse was selected first, and then the
rest of the model was hidden by pressing on the Selection Tools toolbar.

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5. In the Animator window, click , and click Add Animation Set > From Current Selection on the

shortcut menu.

6. Rename the animation set to 'Door 1'.

7. With the animation set selected in the scene view, click on the Animator toolbar.

This captures the initial position of the door as a keyframe.

8. In the timeline view, move the black time slider 3 seconds to the right.

9. Click on the Animator toolbar.

10. Place the mouse over the yellow square in the center of the rotation tool, and drag it to the left-hand
side of the door to act as a hinge.

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11. Place the mouse over the blue circle in the middle of the rotation tool, and drag it to rotate the door
along the X axis until it looks open. In the example below, the door opens outside. You can make it
open inside, instead.

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12. Click on the Animator toolbar.

This captures the current position of the door as a keyframe.

13. Click , and then click . You should see the door in the Gatehouse model open.

40.1.2. Creating Scripts

To create a script to open a door:

1. Select Tools > Scripter from the menu bar, and dock the Scripter window at the bottom of the
screen.

2. In the Scripter window, click , and rename the added script to 'Open Door'.

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3. Add a key press event:

In the events view, click .

In the properties view, select the Key Up option in the Trigger On field.

Click the Press Key button, and press 1 on your keyboard.

4. Add a set variable action:

In the actions view, click .

In the properties view, enter door_open in the Variable Name field.

Type 1 in the Value field.

5. Add a pause action:

In the actions view, click .

6. Add a play animation action:

In the actions view, click .

In the properties view, select Door 1 in the Animation field.

Select the Pause at End check box.

Select Start in the Starting At field.

Select End in the Ending At field.

To create a script to close a door:

1. In the Scripter window, click , and rename the added script to 'Close Door'.

2. Add a variable event:

In the event view, click .

In the properties view, enter door_open in the Variable field.

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Type 1 in the Value field.

3. Add a key press event:

In the events view, click .

In the properties view, select the Key Pressed option in the Trigger On field.

Click the Press Key button, and press 1 on your keyboard.

4. Add a play animation action:

In the actions view, click .

In the properties view, select Door 1 in the Animation field.

Select the Pause at End check box.

End in the Starting At field.

Start in the Ending At field.

5. In the events view, right-click the first event (On Variable), and click Logic > End on the shortcut
menu.

When this script runs, if the door was previously opened, it will close when you press '1' on the
keyboard.

40.1.3. Testing the Results

To open and close your door:

1. Click the Toggle Scripts button on the Animation toolbar.

2. Press '1' to open the Gatehouse door.

3. Press '1' again to close the Gatehouse door.

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 Part VI. Using TimeLiner
TimeLiner enables you to link your 3D model to an external construction schedule for visual 4D planning.
In this section, you will learn how to:

• Create tasks

• Link to project files

• Configure and define a simulation

• Automatically map tasks to items in the model

• Simulate your TimeLiner sequence throughout the duration of the project schedule

• Export static images during a simulation

• Control general TimeLiner options

Table of Contents
41. Overview of TimeLiner ............................................................................................................ 395
42. Tasks ....................................................................................................................................401
42.1. The Tasks Tab .................................................................................................... 401
42.2. Select Link Dialog ................................................................................................ 406
43. Links .....................................................................................................................................408
43.1. The Links Tab ..................................................................................................... 408
43.2. Field Selector Dialog ........................................................................................... 410
43.3. Standard Links ....................................................................................................411
43.3.1. Microsoft Project 2000 ...................................................................................... 411
43.3.2. Microsoft Project ...............................................................................................411
43.3.3. Microsoft Project MPX ...................................................................................... 412
43.3.4. Primavera Project Planner ................................................................................. 412
43.3.5. Primavera Project Management 4 and 5 ............................................................. 412
43.3.6. Asta Power Project ........................................................................................... 413
44. Configure ...............................................................................................................................414
44.1. The Configure Tab .............................................................................................. 414
45. Rules ....................................................................................................................................417
45.1. The Rules Tab .................................................................................................... 417
46. Simulate ................................................................................................................................421
46.1. The Simulate Tab ................................................................................................ 421
46.2. Simulation Settings ..............................................................................................423
46.3. Overlay Text Dialog ............................................................................................. 428
47. Export ...................................................................................................................................432
47.1. Exporting a TimeLiner simulation as an AVI .......................................................... 432
48. Options ..................................................................................................................................433
48.1. TimeLiner Options ...............................................................................................433

cccxciv
Chapter 41. Overview of TimeLiner
The TimeLiner plugin adds 4D schedule simulation to NavisWorks. TimeLiner imports schedules from a
variety of sources; allows you to connect objects in the model with tasks in the schedule; simulate the
schedule showing the effects on the model, including planned against actual schedules; and export
images and animations based on the results of the simulation. TimeLiner will automatically update the
simulation if the model or schedule changes.

TimeLiner has a Playback-only option when a full TimeLiner license is not available, allowing any
externally created project data to be simulated, but no changes to be made to that data.

If both a TimeLiner and a Clash Detective license are available together, it is possible to combine the
functionalities of both plugins to provide time-based clash checkes on the project. See Selecting Items
for Clash Testing in the Clash Detective documentation for further details on Time-based Clashing.

The TimeLiner interface is arranged as a tabbed dialog. You will perform different activities using each
tab. The typical activities are outlined below:

Getting Started

1. Load a model into NavisWorks in the usual way (see "Opening Files" under "File Management" in the
Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more information on opening files) and then choose
TimeLiner from the Tools menu.

Note
If a full TimeLiner license is not available, simulation playback will be available using TimeLiner
Playback from the Tools menu. TimeLiner Playback will only give access to the Simulation tab
and related controls.

The TimeLiner dialog is displayed:

Note
The TimeLiner dialog can be docked within the NavisWorks interface. To stop the dialog from

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docking, hold down the Ctrl key.

2. Create some tasks, each having a name, start and end date and a task type. You can enter tasks by
hand on the Tasks Tab. Alternatively, the Tools context menu on the Tasks Tab will create an initial
set of tasks based on layer, item, or selection set names. TimeLiner defines some default task types
for you (Construct, Demolish and Temporary), or you can define your own using the Configure Tab.

You can use the Links Tab to import tasks from an external source, such as Microsoft Project™. You
can choose a field from the external schedule to define the types of the imported tasks, or you can
set task types by hand. Linked fields cannot be edited directly in TimeLiner. You can, of course,
update the schedule externally and synchronize the tasks in TimeLiner with those from the external
source.

3. Connect objects in the model to tasks. You do this by hand on the Tasks Tab, using the context
menu to attach selections, searches or selection sets.

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If you used the Tools menu on the Tasks Tab to create an initial set of tasks based on layer, item or
selection set names, then the corresponding layers, items or selection sets will already be attached
for you. Alternatively, you can use the Rules Tab to automatically attach objects.

4. Simulate your schedule. Use the Simulate Tab to visualise your model at any date in your schedule
with the currently active tasks highlighted. Run through the entire schedule using familiar animation
controls. You can set the simulation to interact with an existing saved animation (created in
NavisWorks) to provide a highly dynamic simulation.

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 Overview of TimeLiner

5. Configure the behaviour of the simulation. Use the Configure Tab to create new task types and edit
old ones. The task type defines what happens at the start and end of each task of that type. You can
hide attached objects, change their appearance or reset them to the appearance specified in the
model.

6. Create image and AVI files. Export the current simulation view as an image, or the entire simulation
as an AVI.

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7. Keep upto date with changes in your project. Save your project as a NavisWorks .nwf file. Open the
.nwf and use Synchronize Tasks from Link from the Links Tab. NavisWorks will update the project
based on any changes to the model and external schedule. Use Rebuild Task Hierarchy from all
Links to add any newly created tasks from your external schedules.

Sort All Tasks from the context menu on the Tasks Tab will keep all your tasks in
numerical/alphabetical order.

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Chapter 42. Tasks
The Tasks tab allows you to add, view and edit all of the scheduled tasks, either manually created, or
linked to your scheduling software (e.g. Microsoft Project™). Selections in the model can then be
attached to Tasks. Relinking a task to an external schedule will prompt you to select a link via the Select
Link Dialog.

42.1. The Tasks Tab

The Tasks tab shows all of the tasks in your schedule, listed in a multi-column format.

The columns show, task name; start date; end date; planned start date; planned end date; task type;
whether any objects from the model are attached to the task; whether the task is linked to an external
schedule; index of task in external schedule; and unique ID of task in external schedule.

An icon is displayed to the left of each task. These identify the current status of the task, with relation to
attached items and links to external schedules:

Task with no attached items

Task with attached items

Task with link synchronized to external schedule

Task with link synchronized to external schedule,

including Task Type
Task with link to external schedule that is either
broken or old (unsynchronized)

A context menu, accessed by right clicking in the Tasks tab, allows you to perform a number of functions
to create, edit and check the tasks in your schedule:

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• Add Task. Choose this to add a new task to the schedule. "New Task" will be created and by default
assigned the present date which you can change by clicking on the drop down icon to the right of the
Start and End dates, then choosing the date you require from the calendar that is displayed:

Note
The dates under the Start and End columns are Actual start and end dates. For Planned start
and end dates, see assigning planned start and end dates.

Use the left and right arrow buttons at the top of the calendar to move backwards and forwards a
month, respectively, then click on the day you require.

Should you wish to change the start or end time, select the task, then click once on the time to
highlight the hour, minute or second field. Once highlighted, you can then edit its value. Use the left
and right arrow keys to move to the next time unit field. The date can also be edited in this way.

Should you also wish to add Planned start and end dates, simply click on the drop down icon to the
right of the Planned Start and Planned End dates, then choose the date you require from the
calendar.

Note
If you have both Actual and Planned dates entered, but would like to disable one or the other,
then this can be done by unchecking the check box to the left of the date.

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From the Task Type drop down, select the type of task you wish this task to be. There are three
pre-defined task types, Construct, Demolish and Temporary. The task type defines how the items
attached to the task will be displayed during simulation; for example, a default construction sequence
would start with all items hidden, as the task starts the attached items will be displayed in transparent
green, then as the task ends the attached items will be displayed as they are in the normal model
display (this may be with materials applied if previously set up in NavisWorks Presenter). Task Types
themselves can be defined and new types created in the Configure tab.

Each task has it's own Status identified by an icon, representing planned against actual relationships:

Actual start and end dates equal Planned start

and end dates
Actual end date before Planned start date

Actual start date after Planned end date

Actual start date before Planned start date and

Actual end date after Planned end date
Actual start date before Planned start date and
Actual end date equals Planned end date
Actual start date equals Planned start date and
Actual end date after Planned end date
Actual start date equals Planned start date and
Actual end date before Planned end date
Actual start date after Planned start date and
Actual end date equals Planned end date
Actual start date before Planned start date and
Actual end date before Planned end date
Actual start date after Planned start date and
Actual end date after Planned end date
Actual start and end dates only

Planned start and end dates only

Note
The relevant Status icon will be automatically displayed based on the tasks actual and planned
start and end dates.

The check box in the Active column enables you to turn a task on/off. If a task is turned off, then it will
not appear in the simulation. For hierarchical tasks, turning off the parent task will automatically turn
off all child tasks.

NavisWorks TimeLiner supports a hierarchical task structure, as brought through from a link to your
scheduling software, e.g. Microsoft Project™ (see The Links Tab for more information). The hierarchy
can be expanded or contracted by clicking on the plus or minus sign, respectively, to the left of the
task.

Note

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 Tasks

It is possible to move between entries in a manually editable task using the keyboard. Simply
select a task that has been set to be manually editable, and use Tab and Shift-Tab to move
forwards and backwards between fields. The keyboard can then be used to edit and set each
entry where necessary.

• Delete Task. Choose this to delete the selected task(s).

• Detach Selection. Choose this to detach the currently selected items in the scene, from the selected
task(s). See "Selecting Items" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more information on
making a selection in the scene.

• Attach Selection. Choose this to attach the currently selected items in the scene, to the selected
task(s). See "Selecting Items" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more information on
making a selection in the scene.

• Append Selection. Choose this to append the currently selected items in the scene, to the items
already attached to the selected task(s). See "Selecting Items" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality
section for more information on making a selection in the scene.

• Attach Search. Choose this to attach all items selected by the current Search, to the selected task(s).
See "Finding Items" under "Finding" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more
information on searching.

• Attach Named Search. Choose this to attach all items selected by the named search currently
selected in the selection tree. For example, anything on the Sets or Properties tabs.

• Attach Selection Set. This option is used to attach all items contained within a Selection Set, to the
selected task(s). When you choose this option a list of all Selection and Search Sets saved in the
current scene is displayed. Choose the Selection or Search Set you wish to attach to the task(s). See
"Selection and Search Sets" under "Selecting Items" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for
more information on Selection and Search Sets.

• Display Attached Items. Choose this to select in the scene and the selection tree, all items attached
to the selected task(s). The items will be highlighted based on the selection options you have defined.
See "Selection Options" under "Selecting Items" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for
more information on selection options.

• Relink. Choose this to relink the selected task with your scheduling software. You will only be able to
relink the parent task, i.e. the task with the same name as the link. You will be prompted to choose the
link to attach the task to, as you may have more than one link set up. See Select Link Dialog for
more information on linking tasks.

Note
Whilst a task is linked to an external schedule, Actual or Planned start and end dates cannot be
edited. Unlinking a task from it's schedule will enable you to edit the dates, however it will
obviously no longer be synchronized with the schedule. For editing of dates, it is recommended to
do this in the scheduling software and then Synchronize Tasks from Link.

• Unlink. Choose this to unlink the selected task from an external schedule, enabling you to maually
edit start and end dates. You will only be able to unlink the parent task, i.e. the task with the same
name as the link.

• Check. This option enables you to check the validity of the schedule, by identifying items that have
not been included in any task, are duplicated in multiple tasks or, are in overlapping tasks. Choosing
Check will list the available checks, including:

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 Tasks

• Find uncontained items. Choose this to select any items in the scene that are not attached to a
task, or are not contained within any other item attached to a task.

Note
A Contained item is the child of another item. For example, if you select a Group, Block or Cell
which is comprised of various pieces of geometry, then that geometry is contained within the
Group, Block or Cell. A Group, Block or Cell may therefore be attached to a task and although
the child geometry is not directly attached ltself, it is contained within an item that is attached.

• Find contained items. Choose this to select any items in the scene that are either attached to a
task or contained within any other items attached to a task.

• Find attached items. Choose this to select any items in the scene that are directly attached to a
task.

• Find items attached to multiple tasks. Choose this to select any items in the scene that are
directly attached to more than one task.

• Find items contained in multiple tasks. Choose this to select any items in the scene that are
either attached to, or contained within any other item that is attached to more than one task.

• Find items attached to overlapping tasks. Choose this to select any items in the scene that are
attached to more than one task, where the task durations overlap.

• Find items contained in overlapping tasks. Choose this to select any items in the scene that are
either attached to, or contained within any other item that is attached to more than one task, where
the task durations overlap.

• Tools. This option enables you to quickly create your own schedule, based on model layers, topmost
items, or selection sets:

• Add named task for each topmost Layer. Choose this to create a new task for each topmost
layer in the current scene. Each task will be named the same as the topmost layers and each layer
will be attached to the corresponding task. Start and End dates will be automatically created,
starting from the current date and incrementing by one day for each subsequent end and start
date. Planned Start and End dates will also be automatically created and these will be the same as
the 'Actual' dates. Finally, the task type will be set to Construct.

• Add named task for each topmost item. Choose this to create a new task for each topmost item
in the current scene, which may be a layer, a group, block or cell, or geometry, depending on how
the model is constructed. Each task will be named the same as the topmost item and each item will
be attached to the corresponding task. Start and End dates will be automatically created, starting
from the current date and incrementing by one day for each subsequent end and start date.
Planned Start and End dates will also be automatically created and these will be the same as the
'Actual' dates. Finally, the task type will be set to Construct.

• Add named task for each selection set. Choose this to create a new task for each selection set
in the current scene. Each task will be named the same as the selection set and each selection set
will be attached to the corresponding task. Start and End dates will be automatically created,
starting from the current date and incrementing by one day for each subsequent end and start
date. Planned Start and End dates will also be automatically created and these will be the same as
the 'Actual' dates. Finally, the task type will be set to Construct.

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 Tasks

• Add Comment. Choose this to add a comment to the task. See "Commenting" under "Reviewing" in
the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more information on adding comments.

• Rename. Choose this to rename the task. When the text field becomes active, enter the new name
then press Enter to save it.

TimeLiner tasks can be sorted on a per-column basis. This can be done in two ways.

Firstly columns can be sorted by left-clicking on the column headers. Clicking multiple times will alternate
the sort between ascending and descending, treating a-z, 0-9, Monday-Friday etc. as ascending.

Tasks can also be sorted by right-clicking on the column heading and clicking Sort.

Columns can then be sorted by selecting Ascending or Descending.

Maintain Hierarchy, that is, keeping contained tasks inside their containers, is on by default, and shows
in this menu with a tick next to it. When sorting with Maintain Hierarchy selected, tasks are sorted first by
container, then by container contents.

If it is not required to maintain the hierarchy in the sort, then Maintain Hierarchy can be un-ticked.
Sorting without the hierarchy maintained will treat the tasks and containers as un-connected items and
sort everything together.

All columns can be sorted in this manner. If Sorting is selected on the Status column, activities will be
sorted from early through to late start for ascending, and vice-versa for descending.

Note
You can use multi-selection (i.e. holding down Shift or Ctrl) to perform most commands on
several tasks at once. For example, should you need to delete all tasks, select the first task, then
hold down Shift and select the last task, then press Delete.

42.2. Select Link Dialog

You can Relink a task to an external schedule, by right-clicking on the Task and selecting Relink. When
doing this, you will be prompted to select which Link to use, as your project may be linked to multiple
schedules.

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Chapter 43. Links
The Links tab allows you to add, view and edit all of the Standard Links to external schedules in your
project. Task hierarchies can then be added to the Tasks tab and synchronized from the link. The Field
Selector Dialog determines various options used when importing data from a link.

43.1. The Links Tab

The Links tab shows all of the links to external schedules in your project, listed in a multi-column format.

The columns show link name, source (e.g. Microsoft Project™), project (e.g. my_schedule.mpp, and
link status. Any further columns (there maybe none) identify the fields from the external schedule which
specify the task type, unique id, start date and end date for each linked task.

The possible values for Status are:

Synchronized All linked tasks have the same values as the external schedule.

Old Linked tasks have values that are out of date compared to the external
schedule. Synchronize Tasks from Link to update the tasks.

Status Not Available Its not possible to determine whether tasks are Synchronized or Old. This
value only occurs for schedule sources that don't provide any way of
determining when a schedule was last updated.

Broken The external schedule can not be accessed. The file may have been moved or
deleted, or required software may be missing or not functioning correctly.
TimeLiner will still function using the task values determined when the link was
last synchronized.

All Link operations are performed via the context menu (accessed by right clicking in the Links tab). This
allows you to add, delete and edit links; rebuild the task hierarchy from the project file into TimeLiner;
synchronize existing tasks in TimeLiner with updated data in the project file.

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 Links

• Add Link. Choose this to create a new link to an external project file. Selecting this option will display
a further menu, listing all project sources that may be connected to on the current machine (See
Supported Scheduling Software for more information on which sources are available). Choose the
source to which you wish to link to. A standard Open file dialog will be displayed. Browse to and Open
the project file you wish to link to. The Field Selector dialog will then be displayed, from which you
can identify additional data to be brought through from the project file.

• Delete Link. Choose this to delete the currently selected link.

Note
Deleting the link to an external project file will not delete any tasks that have previously been
rebuilt in the TimeLiner Tasks tab.

• Rebuild Taks Hierarchy from Link. Choose this to read all of the tasks and associated data (as
defined in the Field Selector dialog) from the selected project file and add these to the Tasks tab.

Choose this option also to synchronize with the selected project file when new tasks have been added
to the project file. This will rebuild the task hierarchy in TimeLiner, containing all of the latest tasks and
data.

• Synchronize Tasks from Link. Choose this to update all existing tasks in the Tasks tab, with the
latest associated data from the selected project file (e.g. Start and End dates).

• Rebuild Task Hierarchy from All Links. Choose this to read all of the tasks and associated data (as
defined in the Field Selector dialog) from all project files listed in the Links tab and add these to the
Tasks tab.

Choose this option also to synchronize with all project files when new tasks have been added to the
project files. This will rebuild the task hierarchy in TimeLiner, containing all of the latest tasks and data.

• Edit Link. Choose this option to edit the selected link. This will display the Field Selector dialog, from
which you can define new fields or re-define existing ones.

• Rename. Choose this to rename the link to something more appropriate. When the text field becomes
highlighted, enter the new name, then press Enter to save it.

Note
Tasks in the external schedule will be ignored if they do not include both start and end dates, with
the start date being less than or equal to the end date.

NavisWorks TimeLiner supports multiple sources of external schedules using a COM interface. Anyone

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can develop support for a new schedule source - the type library that defines the interface is included with
TimeLiner.

43.2. Field Selector Dialog

The Field Selector dialog determines various options used when importing data from a Link. The options
available may be different for each type of link source.

Options

Task Type import field The field used to automatically assign Task Types to each imported Task.

Unique ID import field The field used to uniquely identify each imported Task. This allows
synchronization to work even if major changes are made to the external
schedule in the scheduling software. The default behaviour is to use the most
appropriate field for each source. Some sources do not have a well defined
unique id, in which case you may need to choose a field manually.

Start Date import field Some project sources support multiple start dates for different purposes. The
default behaviour is to use the most appropriate available date for each
source. This field may be used to define an Actual Start date, should it be
different to that selected by default.

End Date import field Some project sources support multiple end dates for different purposes. The

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default behaviour is to use the most appropriate available date for each
source. This field may be used to specifically define an Actual End date,
should it be different to that selected by default.

Planned Start The field used to identify a planned start date. This allows planned against
actual comparisons to be made and simulated.

Planned End The field used to identify a planned end date. This allows planned against
actual comparisons to be made and simulated.

User 1 to 10 Ten user fields available to link any custom data fields from the project source.

43.3. Standard Links

NavisWorks TimeLiner supports a variety of scheduling software. Note that some of these may only
function if the relevant scheduling software is installed.

Supported Scheduling Software

Microsoft Project 2000

Microsoft Project 2002

Microsoft Project MPX

Primavera Project Planner

Primavera Project Management 4 and 5

Asta Power Project

43.3.1. Microsoft Project 2000

This Link requires Microsoft Project 2000™ to be installed.

43.3.2. Microsoft Project

This Link requires Microsoft Project 2002™ to be installed.

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43.3.3. Microsoft Project MPX

TimeLiner can read Microsoft Project™ .mpx files directly, without needing a copy of Microsoft Project™
(or any other scheduling software) installed. Primavera SureTrak™, Primavera Project Planner™ and
Asta Power Project™ can all export .mpx files.

Note
Primavera SureTrak™ exports its unique id in the text10 field of the .mpx file, rather than the
unique id field. When linking to an .mpx file exported from SureTrak be sure to specify the text10
field as the unique id field in the Field Selector Dialog.

43.3.4. Primavera Project Planner

This Link requires Primavera Project Planner™ to be installed. The Link status will be displayed as
"Status not available".

Note
TimeLiner will ask for a username and password to link to Primavera Project Planner. If these are
unknown, there is a possibility that these can be retrieved from the P3 shortcut.

To locate this information, right-click on the shortcut used to run P3, and select Properties. The
properties dialog will show the target command line which will look something like

"C:\Program Files\P3\P3.exe /U:Bob"

Here, the username is set as "Bob", and for the purposes of the TimeLiner dialog the password
will be the same.

43.3.5. Primavera Project Management 4 and 5

This Link requires a number of elements to be installed alongside NavisWorks:

• Primavera Project Manager 4 and 5 product

• ActiveX Data Objects 2.1

• Primavera Software Development Kit (available on the Primavera CDs)

PPM 4 and 5 are database driven, and as such require the Software Development Kit to be installed in
order to set up the ODBC data source link. This can be installed and setup from the Project Management
CD by taking the following steps:

1. Insert Project Management CD, enter the Product Key and accept the License Agreement.

2. Make sure "Primavera Applications or Components" is selected and click "Next".

3. Select "Other Components" and click "Next".

4. Select "Software Development Kit" and click "Next".

5. Continue through clicking "Next" until the install starts.

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 Links

6. Once installation is complete, click "OK" to start the Database Configuration Wizard.

7. Adjust settings in the Software Development Kit Setup dialog where appropriate, and click "OK".

8. Click "Yes" for a log file, followed by "Finish" to complete.

On connecting to PPM 4 and 5 within TimeLiner, a logon dialog allows the source link to be selected (a
warning occurs if none are present). The username and password are not stored in the NavisWorks file,
and will be prompted for each time.

Once connected, a dialog box allows the user to select which project to open. A checkbox determines if
all sub-projects are opened.

By default, TimeLiner brings through Start, End, Planned Start, and Planned End as "Start", "Finish", "BL
Start" and "BL Finish" respectively.

Other Primavera dates can be selected through the generic TimeLiner 'Field Selector' Dialog, including
'Project Activity Codes', 'Global Activity Codes', and 'User Defined Fields'.

The TimeLiner hierarchy supports the WBS structure for Project / Activity hierarchy.

Note
Due to the nature of the Primavera Project Manager 4 and 5 products using the SDK for data
access, linking with TimeLiner can take a longer period of time than other formats.

43.3.6. Asta Power Project

This Link requires Asta Power Project™ to be installed.

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Chapter 44. Configure
The Configure Tab allows you to define task types, appearances and an overall start appearance for the
simulation.

44.1. The Configure Tab

The configure tab allows you to define Task Types, Appearance Definitions and an Overall Start
Appearance for the simulation.

Each Task has a Task Type associated with it, which specifies how the items attached to the task are
treated (and displayed) at the start and end of the task during simulation. The available options are:

• None. Choose this if you wish for nothing to happen to the items attached to the task.

• Hide. Choose this if you wish the items attached to the task to be hidden.

• Model Appearance. Choose this if you wish the items attached to the task to be displayed as they are
defined in the model. This may be the original CAD colors or, if you have applied color and
transparency overrides in NavisWorks or materials in Presenter, then these will be displayed.

• Appearance Definitions. Choose from the list of Appearance Definitions, including ten predefined
appearances and any custom appearances you have added. See Appearance Definitions for more
information.

TimeLiner comes with three predefined Task Types to help get you started. These are: Demolish
(highlight the object in red at the start of the task and hide at the end); Temporary (highlight the object in
yellow at the start of the task and hide at the end); Construct (highlight object in green at the start of the
task and reset to Model Appearance at the end). You are free to add you own task types or even delete
the predefined ones, as you wish.

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• Construct. For tasks where the attached items are to be constructed. The default appearance is for
items to be highlighted in green (90% transparent) at the start of the task and displayed in the Model
Appearance at the end of the task.

• Demolish. For tasks where the attached items are to be demolished. The default appearance is for
items to be highlighted in red (90% transparent) at the start of the task and hidden at the end of the
task.

• Temporary. For tasks where the attached items are only temporary. The default appearance is for
items to be highlighted in yellow(90% transparent) at the start of the task and hidden at the end of the
task.

Managing task types

New Task Types can be added and any may be deleted or renamed. These functions are available on
the context menu (accessed by right clicking in the Task Types list).

1. Choose Add to create a new Task Type. This will be added to the bottom of the list and will be
highlighted, enabling you to enter a new name for it.

Click on the drop down icons to the right of each Appearance field and choose a definition from the
list.

Note
Early and Late appearances can be defined here for the purpose of displaying Planned against
Actual simulations.

Simulation Start Appearance allows a unique start appearance to be set on a particular task
type. Some tasks need to be visible at the start of a construction project to allow the simulation of
the demolition of existing structures, prior to construction of new elements. Any tasks that don't
have this set will default to the start appearance set in Default Simulation Start Appearance.

2. Choose Delete to delete the selected Task Type.

3. Choose Rename to rename the selected Task Type. Once the Task Type is highlighted, enter the
new name, then press Enter to save it.

Defining appearance definitions

TimeLiner comes with a set of ten predefined Appearance Definitions that you can use when defining
task types. Appearances define a level of transparency and a color. You can add your own Apperance
Definitions, delete and rename them. These functions are available on the context menu (accessed by
right clicking in the Appearance Definitions list):

1. Choose Add to add a new Appearance Definition. This will be added to the bottom of the list and will
be highlighted, enabling you to enter a new name for it.

In the Transparency % field, use the Up and Down controls to set the transparency level, between

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0% and 100% (where 0% is opaque and 100% is fully transparent).

In the Color field, click on the color to open the color selector. From here, either select one of the
basic colors available, or click Define Custom Colors to define your own color choice.

2. Choose Delete to delete the selected Appearance Definition.

3. Choose Rename to rename the selected Appearance Definition. Once the Appearance Definition is
highlighted, enter the new name, then press Enter to save it.

Default Simulation Start Appearance

The Configure tab also specifies a default appearance to apply to all objects in the model at the start of
the simulation. The default is Hide, which is ideal for simulating most construction sequences.

• From the Default Simulation Start Appearance drop down, choose from the list of Appearance
Definitions that which you wish to start your simulations with.

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Chapter 45. Rules
The Rules Tab enables you to automatically map Tasks to items in the model.

45.1. The Rules Tab

The Rules tab lists all currently available rules. These can be used to map Tasks to items in the model.
Each of the default rules can be edited and new rules may be added as necessary:

Predefined rules

• Items By Task Name. Choose this rule to attach each Item in the model to each Task with the same
name in the specified column. The default is to use the Task Name column. See Editing TimeLiner
rules for information on editing this rule.

• Selection Sets By Task Name. Choose this rule to attach each Selection Set in the model to each
Task with the same name in the specified column. The default is to use the Task Name column. See
Editing TimeLiner rules for information on editing this rule.

• Layers By Task Name. Choose this rule to attach each Layer in the model to each Task with the
same name in the specified column. The default is to use the Task Name column. See Editing
TimeLiner rules for information on editing this rule.

• Attach Items to Task by Category/Property. Choose this rule to attach each Item in the model with
the defined property, to each Task with the same name in the specified column. The default is to use
the Task Name column, however you will also need to define the '<category> and '<property>'
values. See Editing TimeLiner rules for information on editing this rule.

Editing TimeLiner rules

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• To edit an existing rule, click the Edit button and the Rules Editor will be displayed for the selected
rule. See Adding custom TimeLiner rules for information on the available options.

Adding custom TimeLiner rules

1. From the Rules tab of the TimeLiner control bar, click the New button.

The Rules Editor dialog is displayed:

2. Enter a new name for your rule in the Rule name box.

Note
If you choose not to enter a name, upon selecting a rule template the name of that template will

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be used.

3. From the Rule templates list, choose a template from which your rule will be based upon.

Note
The Attach Items to Tasks template is that used for the first three pre-defined TimeLiner rules,
(Items, Selection Sets and Layers By Task Name).

The Attach Items to Tasks by Category/Property template enables you to specify a property within
the model scene. If a task has the same name as the specified property value in the model, then all
items having that property will be attached to that task when you check the rule Attach Items to
Tasks by Category/Property, and click Apply Rules.

4. In the Rule description box, click on each of the underlined values to define your custom rule. The
customizable values available with the built in templates are:

• Column Name. Choose which column in the Tasks tab you wish to compare Item names to. The
default is the Task Name, though you may also choose one of the ten User columns, identified in
the Field Selector.

• Items. Choose what you would like the value in the Column Name to be compared to in the
model scene. The default is Item name, though you may also choose either Selection Sets or
Layers.

• Matching. Use case sensitivity and therefore only match names that are exactly the same. You
may also choose Ignoring to ignore case sensitivity.

• Category/Property Name. Use the name of the category or property as it is displayed in the
interface (recommended). You can also choose Internal Name which is that accessed via the API
(for advanced use only).

• '<category>'. Choose from the available list, which category the property you wish to define is in.
Only the categories that are contained in the scene are available in the drop down.

• '<property>'. Choose from the available list, which property you wish to define. Again, only the
properties in the scene within the chosen category will be available.

5. Click OK to add the new TimeLiner rule, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

Applying TimeLiner rules

1. Check the rules you want to use and press Apply Rules to apply them. The rules will be applied in
order and will attach items to any Tasks without attached items.

2. If Override current selections is checked, then when the rules are applied they will replace any
existing attached items.

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Deleting TimeLiner rules

• To delete an existing rule, click Delete and the selected rule will be removed.

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Chapter 46. Simulate
The Simulate tab enables you to simulate your TimeLiner sequence throughout the duration of the project
schedule. If a full TimeLiner license is available, playback and Overlay Text options can be edited to
customize your simulation, using the Simulation Settings button and the Overlay Text Dialog.

If no TimeLiner license is available, the Simulate tab will be the only accessible tab, and only Playback
will be available.

46.1. The Simulate Tab

The simulate tab allows you to simulate your schedule. The tab includes standard animation style controls
that enable you to set the simulation to any date within your schedule. Objects attached to each Task are
hidden or highlighted as specified by the Task Type appearance definitions on the Configure tab.

Playing back a simulation

1. You can use the slide bar to quickly move forwards and backwards through the simulation. Full left is
at the beginning and full right is at the end. The date box below the playback controls shows the point
in time through the simulation. You can click on the drop down icon (to the right of the date) to display
a calendar, from which you can select a date to 'jump' to.

2. Use the playback controls to step and play forwards and backwards through the animation:

• Rewind will rewind the simulation back to the beginning.

• Step Back will step back a single step size (see Setting the step size for more information).

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• Reverse Play will play the simulation backwards.

• Pause will pause the simulation at the time you press it at. You can then look around and

interrogate the model, or step forwards and backwards through the simulation. To continue
playing from where you paused, just press Play again.

• Stop will stop the simulation playing and rewind back to the beginning.

• Play will play the simulation from the currently selected time.

• Step Forwards will step forwards a single step size (see Setting the step size for more

information).

• Forward will fast forward the simulation to the end.

The simulate tab also shows all Active Tasks at the current simulation time and how close to completion
they are (Progress, displayed as a percentage). The Status of each active tasks is also displayed as an
icon. For simulations where Planned and Actual dates are available, the status provides a visual
representation as to whether there is any variance between the planned and actual dates. See TimeLiner
task status for a definition of each status icon.

The Comments control bar can be used to view any comments attached to an active task (see
"Commenting" under "Reviewing" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more information on
commenting).

While the simulate tab is in use, by default the current simulation date is overlayed on the main window.
The information displayed can be customized using the Overlay Text Dialog accessed using the Settings
button.

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Note
If a full TimeLiner license is not available, the Simulation Settings will be inaccessible and the
Settings button will be greyed out.

You can use a pre-recorded animation (created in NavisWorks) to dynamically change the viewpoint
during simulation. See the Simulation Settings section for more information.

46.2. Simulation Settings

The Settings button provides access to the Simulation Settings dialog.

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It is possible to override the Start and End dates that the simulation runs between. Checking the Override
Start / End dates check box un-greys the date boxes and enables the setting of start and end dates to
suit, allowing a small sub-section of the overall project to be simulated. The dates will be shown on the

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TimeLiner Simulate tab. These dates will also be used when exporting animations.

You can define the Interval Size to use when stepping through the simulation using the playback
controls. The interval size can be set either as a percentage of the overall simulation duration or to an
absolute number of days or weeks, etc.

Use the drop down to select the interval unit, then use the Up and Down arrow buttons to increase or
decrease the interval size.

It is also possible to highlight all the tasks that are being worked on during the interval. By checking the
Show all tasks in interval check box, and for example setting the Interval Size to 5 Days, all tasks being
worked on during those 5 days will be set to their Start Appearance in the main view, including those that
begin and end within the bounds of the interval. The Simulation slider will show this by drawing a blue line
under the slider. If un-checked, tasks that begin and end within the bounds of the interval will not be
highlighted in this manner, and will need to overlap with the current date in order to be highlighted in the
main view.

You can define the overall Playback Duration for the complete simulation (the time needed to play it
through from start to finish). Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to increase or decrease the duration (in
seconds). You may also enter a duration directly into this field.

You can define whether the current simulation date should be overlayed on the main window, and if so
whether it should appear at the top or bottom of the screen. From the drop down, choose from None (to
display no overlay text), Top (to display the text at the top of the window), or Bottom (to display the text
at the bottom of the window).

You can Edit the information displayed in the overlay text using the Overlay Text dialog. This dialog also
makes it possible to alter the Font Type, Style and Size by clicking on the contained Font button.

You can define whether the current simulation should interact with the current animation. If so, during the
TimeLiner sequence playback, NavisWorks will also play the current animation, i.e. providing camera
interaction throughout the simulation. You can pre-record a suitable animation for use with the simulation,
using the normal NavisWorks Animation tools (see "Creating Animations" under "Animating" in the Basic

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NavisWorks Functionality section). This option also affects the Animation Export.

TimeLiner supports Planned and Actual dates and provides five simulation Views. Each view will
playback the schedule depicting Planned and Actual relationships:

• Actual. Choose this view to simulate the Actual schedule only (i.e. only use the Actual start and
Actual end dates).

• Actual (Planned Differences). Choose this view to simulate the Actual schedule against the
Planned schedule. This view will only highlight the items attached to the task over the Actual date
range (i.e. between Actual Start and Actual End. See diagram below for graphical representation). For
time periods where the Actual dates are within the Planned dates (on schedule), the items attached to
the task will be displayed in the Task Type Start Appearance. For time periods where the Actual dates
are early, or late in comparison to the Planned dates (there is a variance), then the items attached to
the task will be displayed in the Task Type Early or Late Appearance, respectively.

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• Planned. Choose this view to simulate the Planned schedule only (i.e. only use the Planned start and
Planned end dates).

• Planned (Actual Differences). Choose this view to simulate the Actual schedule against the
Planned schedule. This view will only highlight the items attached to the task over the Planned date
range (i.e. between Planned Start and Planned End. See diagram below for graphical representation).
For time periods where the Actual dates are within the Planned dates (on schedule), the items
attached to the task will be displayed in the Task Type Start Appearance. For time periods where the
Actual dates are early, or late in comparison to the Planned dates (there is a variance), then the items
attached to the task will be displayed in the Task Type Early or Late Appearance, respectively.

• Actual against Planned. Choose this view to simulate the Actual schedule against the Planned
schedule. This will highlight the items attached to the task over the entire Planned and Actual date
range (i.e. between the earliest of Actual and Planned start dates and the latest of Actual and Planned
End dates. See diagrams below for graphical representation). For time periods where the Actual dates

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are within the Planned dates (on schedule), the items attached to the task will be displayed in the Task
Type Start Appearance. For time periods where the Actual dates are early, or late in comparison to the
Planned dates (there is a variance), then the items attached to the task will be displayed in the Task
Type Early or Late Appearance, respectively.

46.3. Overlay Text Dialog

You have the option to define the text overlayed on the main window during simulation, by clicking Edit in
the Simulation Settings dialog.

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By default the date and time are displayed using the format specified in Control Panel, Regional
Settings. You can specify the exact format to use by entering text into the text box. Most text will appear
as entered, except that words prefixed with a % or $ character act as keywords and are replaced with
various values. The Date/Time and Extras buttons can be used to select and insert all possible
keywords. The Colors button can be used to define the color of the Overlay Text.

The Font button brings up the standard Microsoft Windows font picker dialog box. Once the correct font,
font style and point size have been selected, press Okay to return to the Overlay Text dialog box. The
current font selection is shown next to the Font button, and during the TimeLiner simulation, all text on the
overlay will be shown using this font.

Date/Time Keywords

%a Abbreviated weekday name

%A Full weekday name

%b Abbreviated month name

%B Full month name

%c Date and time representation appropriate for locale

%d Day of month as decimal number (01 - 31)

%H Hour in 24-hour format (00 - 23)

%I Hour in 12-hour format (01 - 12)

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 Simulate

%j Day of year as decimal number (001 - 366)

%m Month as decimal number (01 - 12)

%M Minute as decimal number (00 - 59)

%p Current locale's A.M./P.M. indicator for 12-hour clock

%S Second as decimal number (00 - 59)

%U Week of year as decimal number, with Sunday as first day of week (00 - 53)

%w Weekday as decimal number (0 - 6; Sunday is 0)

%W Week of year as decimal number, with Monday as first day of week (00 - 53)

%x Date representation for current locale

%X Time representation for current locale

%y Year without century, as decimal number (00 - 99)

%Y Year with century, as decimal number

%z Time-zone abbreviation; no characters if time zone is unknown

%Z Time-zone name; no characters if time zone is unknown

Color Keywords

$COLOR_RED Sets the overlay display text color to be red.

$COLOR_BLUE Sets the overlay display text color to be blue.

$COLOR_GREEN Sets the overlay display text color to be green.

$COLOR_WHITE Sets the overlay display text color to be white.

$COLOR_BLACK Sets the overlay display text color to be black.

$RGBr,g,b$RGB Sets the overlay display text to any color specified using explicit rgb values
between 0 and 255. For example, $RGB127,127,127$RGB sets the color to
grey.

Extra Keywords

$TASKS Adds the name of each currently active task to the overlay display text. Each
task is displayed on a new line.

$DAY Days since start of first task in project (starting from 1)

$WEEK Weeks since start of first task in project (starting from 1)

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Ctrl+Enter Type Ctrl+Enter to insert a newline into the overlay display text.

%% Percent sign

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Chapter 47. Export
You can export a static image at any time during a simulation by using one of the standard NavisWorks
image exports, whilst the simulation tab is active. See "Exporting an image" under "File Management" in
the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more information.

You also have the option to Export an AVI of an entire TimeLiner simulation.

47.1. Exporting a TimeLiner simulation as an AVI

You can export a TimeLiner simulation as an AVI or as a sequence of still images, using the File, Export,
Animation dialog. See "Exporting an animation" under "File Management" in the Basic NavisWorks
Functionality section for more information.

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Chapter 48. Options
TimeLiner has some general options.

48.1. TimeLiner Options

This dialog is used to control the general TimeLiner options.

Setting TimeLiner options

1. Go to Tools, Global Options, TimeLiner

The TimeLiner dialog is displayed

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2. Check the Auto select attached items check box if you want TimeLiner to select any attached items
as each Task is selected.

3. Check the Display synchronization errors check box if you want TimeLiner to inform you of errors
when synchronizing Tasks from external Links.

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4. Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.

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 Part VII. Using Clash Detective
Clash Detective enables you to search through your total project model, identifying cross-discipline
interferences (clashes) earlier in the design process. In this section, you will learn how to:

• Set up and manage your clash tests

• Define and customize 'ignore' rules to be applied to the clash test

• Select items for clash testing

• View and manage your clash results

• Create clash reports

Table of Contents
49. Overview of Clash Detective ................................................................................................... 438
50. Clash Batches ........................................................................................................................439
51. Clash Rules ...........................................................................................................................444
52. Selecting Items for Clash Testing ............................................................................................ 449
53. Clash Results ........................................................................................................................453
54. Clash Reports ........................................................................................................................456

cdxxxvii
Chapter 49. Overview of Clash Detective
The Clash Detective plugin checks your model and shows you any areas where items interfere or "clash"
with each other. Like all plugins, the Clash Detective is a dockable tabbed control bar accessed through
the Tools menu (Hint: hold down the Control key to prevent the control bar from docking if necessary).
From the Clash Detective control bar you can set up the rules and options for your clash tests, view the
results, sort them and produce a report as a text file or in HTML or XML formats. A clash test is a
configuration of options, rules and selections used in checking for clashes in a model. These are useful if
you have set tests for your model and need to run them as a batch. You can create a number of different
clash tests for a model and save them in a NavisWorks .nwf file for checking with updated models at a
later date.

General clash tests that you are required to run on all projects can be set up once, exported and then
re-used on subsequent projects. Such tests may be specific to your industry or company; for example,
you may always use a particular diameter piping which requires insulating. You could therefore set up a
test, which selects all of this piping in the scene and clash test it against the rest of the model to ensure a
specific clearance around it is maintained.

Managing a series of clash tests can get complicated, especially if you have a whole set of different layers
you want to clash separately. Clash Detective is designed to help you control these clash tests and leave
an audit trail of clashes throughout the life of the project.

One simple but time-saving way it does this is by remembering the names of clashes throughout the
project's life so you don't have to go through each clash every time you do a test to figure out whether it's
a new clash, or one you have already seen. Clash Detective also allows you to assign a status to a clash
and can update this status automatically, informing you of the current state of the clashes in the model.

You can set up a batch of clash tests that you could run overnight, every night and for each test, choose
the items to clash against, along with the options for the test.

Setting up and running a clash test

1. Select a previously run test from a batch, or start a new test

2. Set the rules for the test.

3. Select the required items to be included in the test and set the test type options.

4. View the results.

5. Produce a clash report.

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Chapter 50. Clash Batches
The Batch tab of the Clash Detective control bar is used to manage your clash tests and results. You can
set up as many tests as you like in a batch and save them into the NavisWorks .nwf file so that on
opening it up again the tests can be re-run with the new model revision.

To run a clash test, either:

• Click on Update to run all of the tests in the batch.

or

• Select an existing test to run on its own, switch to the Select tab and click Start.

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Managing batches of clash tests

1. Click Add to append a new test to the current batch.

2. Click Delete to delete the currently selected test from the batch.

3. Click Compact to delete all clash results with a status of resolved from the test in order to create a
smaller file.

4. Click Clean to reset all tests so that they are as if you had not yet run them. In other words, this will
make their test status new.

5. Click Clear All to remove all tests from the batch in order to start from scratch.

Note
You can rename a test by selecting it and either pressing F2, or by clicking again on the
highlighted text. You can also sort the Batch columns alphanumerically by simply clicking on the
column heads. Clicking again toggles between ascending and descending.

Merging clash tests from multiple files

• Merge the files using File, Merge. See the File Management, Merging Files section of the
NavisWorks user guide for more information.

All of the clash test data will be combined, whilst any duplicate geometry from the files will not be
loaded.

Importing clash tests

Clash tests can be imported into NavisWorks Clash Detective to set up pre-defined, generic clash tests.
(see Exporting clash tests for information on exporting clash tests).

Note
If the clash test to be imported contains a search set as one of the clash selections, then the
search set will also be imported along with all other test rules, options and selection information.

To import a clash test:

1. From the File menu, choose Import, Clash Test XML...

The Import dialog is displayed:

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 Clash Batches

2. Locate and Open the .xml file to import the clash test information, or click Cancel to return to
NavisWorks.

Exporting clash tests

Tests can be set up to clash items based on generic properties, including direct property selection in the
left and right clash selection trees, or using pre-defined search sets.

For example, you may have saved a search set that finds all pipes of a specific size, named "100mm
Pipes". Your test then clashes all 100mm Pipes against the entire model (see Chapter 52, Selecting Items
for Clash Testing ). Exporting this clash test will enable you to import it into another model, which will
automatically set up a clash test between 100mm Pipes and the entire model.

Note
Any clash tests that are based on explicit selections will not be exported. For example, clashing
one layer against another is not a valid test for exporting. To achieve this you will need to use the
Find Items dialog to search for each layer based on a specific property (e.g. Item, Name). These
searches can then be saved as Search Sets and finally selected in the Left and Right selection
trees in Clash Detective.

You may also select all loaded files in the Left or Right selection tree and Clash Detective will
treat this as selecting the entire model.

Multiple gereric tests can be set up as a batch and exported for use by other Clash Detective users or by

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yourself on other projects.

To export a clash test:

1. Having set up your implicit clash tests, from the File menu, choose Export, Clash Test XML...

The Export dialog is displayed:

2. Enter a new file name and location, if you wish to change from those suggested.

3. Click Save to export the .xml file, or click Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

Creating custom clash tests

Exported clash tests can be used as a basis to define custom clash tests. If you have a common set of
clash tests that you reuse on multiple projects, you can turn them into a custom clash test. Once installed
as a custom clash test, the entire batch of tests can be selected and run directly from the Select tab. The
results from all tests in the batch are combined and presented as the results of the custom clash test. The
name of each test in the batch is displayed in the Description field of the results.

Custom clash tests are an excellent way to roll out a standardized set of tests across an organization.
They allow the expertise of "power" users to be reused by everyone. Finally, they can be seen as a way
of implementing object intelligence. For example, a custom clash test could be written that checked for
compliance with a local building code based on object information and properties defined in a particular
CAD system.

To define a custom clash test:

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1. Export your clash tests to an XML file. The name of the file is used as the default name of the
custom test.

2. If desired, change the name of the custom test by editing the XML file directly. The top level element
in the XML file is called "batchtest". The name of the custom test as displayed to the user is defined
by the "name" attribute. The name of the custom test as saved in a file is defined by the "internal
name" attribute.

3. To install the custom test, copy the exported XML file to the custom_clash_tests subdirectory of
one of the NavisWorks search directories. Clash Detective searches these directories on startup
looking for custom tests. See "Search Directories" under "Interface" in the Basic NavisWorks
Functionality section for more information.

4. To use the custom test select it from the Test Type drop down on the Select tab. And press Start.
All other options and rules are specified by the custom test.

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Chapter 51. Clash Rules
The Rules tab of the Clash Detective control bar allows you to define and customize ignore rules to be
applied to the clash test.

Setting clash rules

• The Ignore Clashes Between box enables you to select "rules" that reduce the number of clash
results by ignoring certain combinations of clashing items. The following rules are built-in:

• If Items in same layer is checked, any items found clashing that are in the same layer are not
reported in the results.

• If Items in same group/block/cell is checked, any items found clashing that are in the same
group (or inserted block) are not reported in the results.

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• If Items in same file is checked, any items found clashing that are in the same file (either
externally referenced or appended) are not reported in the results.

• If Items in same composite object is checked, any items found clashing that are part of the
same composite object (an item composed of multiple parts of geometry) are not reported in the
results.

• If Items in previously found pair of composite objects is checked, any items found clashing
that are part of composite objects (items composed of multiple parts of geometry) that have
previously been reported in the test are not reported in the results.

• If Items with coincident snap points is checked, any items found clashing that have snap points
that coincide are not reported in the results. This can be particularly useful for pipe runs made
from cylinders.

• If Items in the same AutoPlant Component is checked, any items found clashing that are
contained within the same AutoPlant component are not reported in the results.

• If Connected AutoPlant Components is checked, any items found clashing that are in
connected AutoPlant components are not reported in the results.

Adding custom clash rules

NavisWorks Clash Detective provides a number of templates which you can customize to create your own
ignore rules.

To add a new ignore rule:

1. Click the New button.

The Rules Editor dialog is displayed:

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2. Enter a new name for your rule.

3. From the Rule Templates list, choose a template to customize. The following templates are built in:

• Insulation Thickness. This rule is to be used with a Clearance test and will ignore any items
found clashing where the clearance is greater than the insulation thickness.

If you have a pipe requiring a specific thickness of insulation, then you may want to carry out a
clearance test on that pipe, setting the clearance tolerance to the required insulation thickness.
This would identify any areas where there is not enough clearance around the pipe to install the
insulation.

If you have various pipes, all requiring different thicknesses of insulation then rather than setting
up a seperate clearance test for each thickness, you can set up one test with the greatest
necessary tolerance, i.e. assume all pipes require the maximum thickness of insulation. This rule
can then be applied to ignore any clashes that are falsely identified, as their actual insulation

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thickness is less than the maximum clearance used.

See the diagram below for an example of where this ignore rule would be applied:

Pipe 1 has insulation thickness t and C is the maximum clearance (thickest insulation) required
anywhere in the current model. Any items (2) that come within the range of t to C will not be
reported in the results.

• Same Property Value. This rule will ignore clashing items that share a specific property.

• Same Selection Set. This rule will ignore clashing items that are in the same specified Selection
Set.

• Specified Selection Sets. This rule will ignore clashing items where each item is in a specified
Selection Set

4. In the Rule Description box, click on each of the underlined values to define your custom rule. The
customizable values available with the built in templates are:

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 Clash Rules

• Name. Use the name of the category or property as it is displayed in the interface
(recommended). You can also choose Internal Name which is that accessed via the API (for
advanced use only).

• '<category>'. Choose from the available list, which category the property you wish to define is in.
Only the categories that are contained in the scene are available in the drop down.

• '<property>'. Choose from the available list, which property you wish to define. Again, only the
properties in the scene within the chosen category will be available.

• the Last Object. Search for the defined property on the specified selection. The Last Object is
the default, though you can also choose from Any Parent, a Model, a Layer, or the Geometry.

• '<set>'. Choose from the available list, which Selection Set you require to define the rule. Only
the pre-defined Selection and Search Sets are available in the drop down.

5. Click OK to add the new ignore rule, or Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

Editing clash rules

1. Choose the ignore rule you wish to edit.

2. Click the Edit button.

3. Rename the rule if you wish to change it from its current name.

4. Choose another Rule Template if you wish to change it from the current template.

5. In the Rule Description box, click on each of the underlined values to redefine your custom rule.

6. Click OK to save the changes you've made to the rule, or click Cancel to return to NavisWorks.

Deleting clash rules

1. Choose the ignore rule you wish to delete.

2. Click the Delete button to delete the clash rule.

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Chapter 52. Selecting Items for Clash
Testing
The Select tab of the Clash Detective control bar allows you to refine your clash test by only testing sets
of items at a time, rather than the whole model against itself. This will produce faster and more sensible
results. You choose two sets of items to test against each other using selection trees, which are exactly
the same tabs as those in NavisWorks's selection tree control bar.

The Select tab is also where you set the test type and tolerance and where you run a single test from.

Selecting items for a clash test

1. There are two identical boxes in this tab called Left and Right. These boxes represent two sets of
items that will be tested against each other during the clash test and you need to select items in
each. You can select the items by choosing a tab from the selection tree and manually selecting
items from the tree hierarchies. Any selection sets in the scene are also included on a tab, which is a

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 Selecting Items for Clash Testing

quick and useful method of setting up items across sessions (see "Selecting Items" in the Basic
NavisWorks Functionality section for more details).

2. You can also transfer the current selection to one of the boxes by selecting items in the usual way in
the main navigation window and/or selection tree and clicking the appropriate Select Current button.

3. Check the appropriate Self Intersect check box if you want that set to test for self-intersection, as
well as intersection against the other set.

4. Clash tests can also include the clashing of points, lines and surfaces depending on which of the
three buttons underneath each window are selected. These three buttons correspond to surfaces,
lines and points, and each can be toggled on and off by clicking on them.

If it was required to do a clash test, for example, between some surface geometry and a point cloud,
then it might be done by setting up the geometry in the left hand window, and the point cloud in the
right. At that point the Surface button would be set under the left window, with the other two unset.
The Points button would be set under the right-hand window with the other two unset, and the Type
perhaps set to Clearance with a Tolerance of 1 meter.

Note
If the Type is set to Hard, lines and surfaces will actually need to intersect with any points to
register a clash.

Setting the clash test type and tolerance options

There are four default clash test types for you to choose from:

• Hard. Choose this option if you wish the clash test to detect actual intersections between geometry.

• Hard (Conservative). This option performs the same clash test as Hard, however it additionally
applies a conservative intersection method. See Intersection Method for more information on this.

Note
This clash test type is only available when in Developer profile. See "Profiles" under "Interface" in
the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more information on user profiles.

• Clearance. Choose this option if you wish the clash test to detect for geometry within a set distance
from other geometry (see Clash Tolerance for information on how to set this distance). You might use
this type of clash when pipes need to have space for insulation around them, for example.

Note
Clearance clashes are not the same as "soft" clashes. Clearance clashes detect for static
geometry coming within a distance of other geometry, whereas soft clashes detect potential
clashes between moving components. NavisWorks Clash Detective does not currently support
soft clash checking.

• Duplicates. Choose this option if you wish the clash test to detect for duplicate geometry. You might
use this type of clash test to check a model against itself to ensure the same part has not been drawn,

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 Selecting Items for Clash Testing

or referenced twice, for example.

To select the clash test options:

1. From the Run, Type drop down, choose the clash test type you wish to run. Any custom clash tests
that have been defined (see Creating custom clash tests) appear at the end of the list.

2. Enter the Tolerance required, which will be in scene units. See Clash Tolerance for more information
on this.

Time-based Clashing

If a NavisWorks TimeLiner license is available, the Link To TimeLiner check box will be available for
selection.

Linking to TimeLiner integrates the features of Clash Detective and TimeLiner, allowing the automation of
interference checking throughout the lifecycle of a TimeLiner project.

1. On clicking the Start button, if the Link To TimeLiner check box is checked, Clash Detective will
combine with TimeLiner to produce a clash report based on the Clash Detective settings, TimeLiner
simulation settings, and the project data contained in TimeLiner.

2. As the TimeLiner project simulation progresses forward in time, Clash Detective will check at each
interval in the project to see if there are any clashes present. Once the simulation is complete, any
clashes found in this manner will be shown in the Results tab alongside TimeLiner project
information. See the following chapter on Results for more information.

Note
If the TimeLiner project is large in size, running this type of clash test will invariably take more
time to complete than a normal clash run.

Running the clash test

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 Selecting Items for Clash Testing

• Once the left and right sets are selected and the clash type and tolerance defined, click on Start to
start the test running. The Found box shows how many clashes have been found so far during this
test.

Note
The progress bar shows how far through the test Clash Detective has got. If you wish to stop the
test at any time, press the Cancel button and all clashes found up until the interrupt will be
reported and the test will be saved with a Partial status.

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Chapter 53. Clash Results
The Results tab of the Clash Detective control bar enables you to interactively view the clashes found.
On the left is a list of clashes, numbered and sorted by severity. The list also shows the status, the
distance, the clash point, date found and, if the clash has been approved, who approved it and when it
was approved.

Reviewing clash results

1. Click on a clash to highlight both clashing items in the main navigation window. The "Item 1" and
"Item 2" boxes show the Smart Tag properties relating to each item in the clash and also the path
through the standard selection tree from the root to the geometry of the item.

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 Clash Results

Note
Selecting an item in one of these tree lists and then clicking on the SwitchBack button beneath
allows the current view and currently selected object to be sent back to the originating CAD
package. This makes it very simple to show clashes in NavisWorks, take them back to the CAD
package, alter the design, and reload them in NavisWorks for a very fast design review
turnaround.

For more information on the use of SwitchBack and how to set it up, see the section on
SwitchBack in the NavisWorks documentation.

If the Link to TimeLiner check box was checked, the TimeLiner start time/date of any clashes are
recorded next to the appropriate Clash under the Start, End and Task columns in the Clash
Detective Results tab. If multiple clashes are found on a particular date, each individual clash is listed
with identical TimeLiner information.

Clicking on a clash in the Clash Detective Results tab highlights the clash in the main 3D view (with
object visibility based on TimeLiner activities), and highlights the appropriate point in the TimeLiner
project if available and visible on screen. TimeLiner visibility and colour settings in the 3D view will be
overlaid by the appropriate Clash Detective highlight colours.

2. To rename a clash, click on the clashes name, press F2 or right click on the clash and choose
Rename. This name will be saved and remembered for future tests.

3. To manually change the Status of clashes, select the new clashes requiring the change, and select a
new status from the drop down list. Multiple clashes can be changed by either holding down the Ctrl
key whilst selecting individual clashes (the last selected being shown in the main view), or by holding
down the Shift key and selecting another clash, thereby selecting all clashes between the two
including the first and last (again, the last selected being shown in the main view). Once the required
clashes have been selected, changing the Status of the currently selected clash updates all those
highlighted to the same status.

4. To enter notes about the clash for others to review, right click on the clash and choose Add
Comment from the context menu. The Add Comment dialog will appear to allow you to enter your
comment.

5. Select the display options you wish to apply:

• Check Select Filter if you want to select an item in the main navigation window and show only
those clashes that involve that selected item.

• Check Auto Reveal if you want NavisWorks to attempt to temporarily hide anything obstructing
the clashing items so that you can see the clash when zooming in on it, without having to move
location.

• Check Auto Zoom if you want to automatically zoom in on the selected clash. Unchecking this
box allows you to keep the main viewpoint static while flicking through the clashes one by one.

• Check Save Viewpoint if you want to store the current viewpoint with the result. This allows you
to tailor the viewpoint for a clash result. It also enables redlining to be stored with a clash result.

Note
Once redlining has been added, subsequent changes to the viewpoint due to navigation will not
be saved. In order to save a different viewpoint, the redlining must first be removed using the

454
 Clash Results

redline Erase tool.

• Check Highlight All if you want to highlight all the clashes found in the main navigation window,
in the color of their status.

• Check Dim Other if you want to turn all items not involved in a clash to gray.

• Check Hide Other if you want to hide all items not involved in a clash in order to focus better on
the clashing items.

• Check TimeLiner if you want to see the state of the TimeLiner sequence at the time of the clash
(for use with Time-based Clashing - see the TimeLiner documentation for more information).

6. Check the Highlight check box to override the color of the item in the main navigation window with
the color of the status of the selected clash.

7. Click Select to select a clashing item in the main navigation window. If a selection color is set (by
default blue), this overrides the Highlight option, which allows you to highlight the item, in the color
of its status.

8. Click on any of the column headings to sort the table using that column's data. This sorting can be
alphabetical, numerical, date-related, or, in the case of the Results->Status column, in workflow
order New>Active>Approved>Resolved. Clicking the column heading repeatedly toggles the
sorting between ascending and descending.

455
Chapter 54. Clash Reports
The Report tab of the Clash Detective control bar is used to write reports containing details of all the
clash results found in the current test. You can write a text file, an html or xml file containing jpegs of the
viewpoints of the clashes or simply save the clash results as a list of viewpoints for review by a
NavisWorks user without the Clash Detective plugin.

Reporting clash results

1. In the Contents box select all the information you want to appear in the report for each clash result.
This can include Smart Tag properties relating to the items involved in the clash, how to find them in
the standard selection tree from root to geometry, whether images or TimeLiner task information
should be included, clash status and so on.

2. Check those clashes in the Include Clashes box to select which clashes you want to include in the
report based on status.

456
 Clash Reports

3. Select the type of report from the Report Type drop down list:

• Current Test creates a single file for the current test.

• All Tests (combined) will create a single file containing all results from all tests

• All Tests (separate) will create a separate file for each test containing all results.

4. Select the format of the report from the Report Format drop down list:

• XML will create an .xml file containing all the clashes and a jpeg of their viewpoints alongside
their details. On choosing this option, you will need to select or create a folder for the files and
enter a name for the xml file.

• HTML will create an .html file containing all the clashes and a jpeg of their viewpoints alongside
their details. On choosing this option, you will need to select or create a folder for the files and
enter a name for the html file.

Note
To customize the appearance or layout of the html file, you will need to edit the
clash_report_html_lang.xsl file, where lang is a code representing your language. The installed
file is located in the stylesheets subdirectory of the NavisWorks install directory. You can copy
the edited file to the stylesheets subdirectory of any of the NavisWorks search directories.
See "Search Directories" under "Interface" in the Basic NavisWorks Functionality section for more
information.

• Text will create a .txt file containing all the clash details and the location of a jpeg of each
clash.On choosing this option, you will need to select or create a folder for the files and enter a
name for the txt file.

• As viewpoints will create a folder in the saved Viewpoints control bar, called the name of the
test. Each clash is saved as a viewpoint in this folder, with a comment attached containing the
clash result details.

5. Click the Write Report button to write the report.

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Glossary
Glossary of technical terms relating to Autodesk NavisWorks Manage 2009.

Display Terminology
Average Frame Rate
This shows the current measured frame rate, averaged over the last
second.

Average Frame Time

This shows the time taken to render the last frame.

Average Triangle Rate

This shows the rate at which triangles are being rendered and is a
measure of how well your graphics card is working.

Culling
Culling is a process for determining items not to draw during the render
of a scene. NavisWorks does a level of prioritized culling with the
drop-out method of rendering interactive scenes, but you have a certain
level of control over other aspects of culling such as backface, near and
far planes.

Drop-Out
In order to maintain interactivity and guarantee a user-defined frame
rate, NavisWorks only renders what it can in the fraction of a second it
has. The remainder is "dropped out", or not rendered. However,
NavisWorks prioritizes what is rendered and what is dropped out based
on size of the item's bounding box, distance from viewer and size on
screen, so only the less significant items in the scene are dropped out.
Once navigation has ceased, the scene continues rendering until all
items are visible.

Frame Rate
The frame rate is the number of frames per second (FPS) that are
rendered in the main navigation window. NavisWorks guarantees a
user-defined frame rate in order to maintain interactivity.

Export Terminology
These are terms specific to NavisWorks that are used in relation to exporting.

Codec
Codec stands for "COmpression-DECompression" and is a program that
compresses and decompresses animations when creating and playing
back .avi files. Codecs are installed independently of NavisWorks and
are available when installed on your Windows™ system and the same
codec that was used to create an .avi file is required to play it back.

File Terminology
458
 Glossary

.nwc Cache Files

When any native CAD file file is opened or appended, NavisWorks
creates a cache file (.nwc) if the write cache option is set. When the file
is next opened or appended, NavisWorks will read data from the
corresponding cache file rather than re-converting the original data if the
cache is newer than the original file. If the original file is altered,
NavisWorks will re-create the cache file when it is next loaded. Cache
files speed up access to commonly used files. They are particularly
useful for models made up of many files of which only a few are changed
between viewing sessions. Cache files can also be exported from some
CAD applications where a native file reader is not available with
NavisWorks. Cache options can be edited from the Global Options
dialog box under the Tools menu.

.nwd Published Data Files

Published .nwd files are useful when wanting to take a snapshot of the
model at a certain time. All the geometry and review information is saved
into the .nwd file and cannot then be changed. Published .nwd files can
also contain information about the file, as well as being able to be
password protected and time-bombed for security. These files are also
very small, compressing the CAD data by up to 80% of the original size.

Published .nwd files are useful when issuing models for viewing by
others with the NavisWorks Freedom free viewer, as well as being
appendable themselves into NavisWorks to build up a larger scene.

.nwf Review Files

Review files are useful when using the native CAD files appended into
NavisWorks. They store the location of the appended files, along with
any design reviews made in NavisWorks, such as comments, redlines,
viewpoints, animations and so on.

If a group of files is appended into a NavisWorks scene, and saved as an

.nwf file, then on re-opening this .nwf file later, once the original CAD
files have been changed, the updated CAD files will be loaded into the
scene for review.

External References
External references (sometimes called reference files or "XRefs") are
shown in NavisWorks selection tree as an inserted group. NavisWorks
looks for the externally referenced files in the same place as AutoCAD or
MicroStation would.

If the Unresolved XRef dialog box is shown, then this link has somehow
been broken and the referenced files need to be relocated to where
AutoCAD or MicroStation would expect them to be.

If these XRefs are not important for the current session, then you can
Ignore the reference and the file will load without that XRef inserted.
Similarly, Ignore All will load the file without any unresolved XRefs.

You can also use the DWG/DXF and DGN options in the Tools, Global
Options dialog to set whether external references are loaded or not,
giving you more control over file appending into NavisWorks.

Faceting Factor
During an export from a CAD package to .nwc, or while NavisWorks is
reading a native CAD file, decisions must be made as how a curved

459
 Glossary

surface is reduced to flat facets. For most applications and file formats,
you have control over the level of faceting that takes place.

All items, no matter what their size, will use the same faceting factor and
so have the same number of sides to curved entities. Therefore, you
need to experiment a little with different values to account for the size
that these items will appear on screen.

The faceting factor must be greater or equal to 0, where 0 results in the

faceting factor being turned off. The default value is 1, if you double the
value you get twice the number of facets, if you halve the value you get
half as many facets. Larger faceting factors will result in more polygons
to a model and larger NavisWorks files. There is little point having a large
faceting factor if these curved entities are golf balls viewed from 200
yards!

For AutoCAD exports, the faceting factor is set from the NWCOPT
command, MicroStation's faceting factor is set from Options, which is
available from the NWCOUT export dialog, and the option to set the
faceting factor on reading CAD files is found by choosing Tools, Global
Options, and the relevant options tab.

Max Facet Deviation

Maximum facet deviation is used in conjunction with faceting factor to
ensure that larger objects, with too large a deviation from the original,
have additional facets added. If a difference greater than the entered
value is found in a model it adds more facets. The values are measured
in the model units.

Where d is greater than the maximum faceting deviation value, more

facets are added to the object.

If the max faceting deviation is set to 0, then this function is ignored and
just the faceting factor is used.

Shape Merge Threshold

MicroStation shapes are polygons that can have 3 or more vertices.
They're often used to model more complex objects which can waste
memory. So, NavisWorks merges all shapes on the same level or in the
same cell and with the same color into a "Shape Set" if these shapes
have less than or equal to the number of vertices given by the Shape
Merge Threshold.

Selection Terminology
460
 Glossary

These are terms specific to NavisWorks that are used in relation to selecting items.

Composite Objects
A composite object is a group of geometry that is considered a single
object in the selection tree. For example, a window object might be made
up of a frame and a pane. If a composite object, the window object would
be both the frame and the pane and be selected all at once.

Instances
An instance is a single object, which is referred to several times within a
model, for example a tree. This has the advantage of cutting down on file
size by not unnecessarily repeating an object.

Item Name
The original CAD or NavisWorks assigned identifier. Any item can have a
name and this name will usually come from the original CAD package
that the model was created in.

Item Type
Every item in NavisWorks has a type. Examples of types are reference
files, layers, instances (sometimes called inserts) and groups. Every
CAD package also has a number of geometry types, for example,
polygons, 3D Solids and so on.

Selection Resolution
The selection resolution is the level in the selection tree you start
selecting at. You can cycle through items in the tree by holding down the
shift key during a selection.

User Name and Internal Name

Each category and property name has two parts - a user visible string
which is localized and an internal string which isn't and is mainly used by
the API. By default when matching names in the Smart Tags and Find
Items dialogs, both parts must be the same, but you can use the flags to
match only on one part. You might use ignore user name if you wanted
to match something irrespective of which localized version was being
used.

Viewpoint Terminology
Angular Speed
The speed that the camera moves when turning right and left in any
navigation mode.

Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio is the proportion of x-axis to y-axis size. For example, in
exporting a bitmap of a viewpoint, maintaining the aspect ratio would
keep the proportion of the view even if the number of pixels was
different.

Anti-aliasing
Anti-aliasing improves image quality by softening the jagged edge
appearance of sharp lines. 2x to 64x refers to the extra number of frames
that are required for the anti-aliasing process. The greater the number of
frames, the finer the effect, (with the consequent increase in rendering

461
 Glossary

time).

Camera-Centric
Navigation modes in which the camera is moved around the model (c.f.
model-centric).

Field of View
The field of view of a camera is the angle that the camera can see. A
large field of view will fit more into the view, but will look distorted and a
small field of view will tend to make the view more flat, tending towards
an orthographic view. There are two fields of view in NavisWorks -
vertical and horizontal. Editing one will change the other and the two are
related by the viewpoint's aspect ratio.

Focal Point
The focal point is the position in 3D space that the camera will rotate
around or zoom into in examine, orbit, turntable and zoom modes.

Model-Centric
Navigation modes in which the model is moved in front of the camera
(c.f. camera-centric).

Roll
The roll of the camera is its angle around the viewing axis. This cannot
be edited in a navigation mode where the world up vector stays upright
(walk, orbit and turntable).

Saved Attributes
Each viewpoint can optionally save the state of its hidden and "required"
items, as well as any material (color and transparency) overrides. Then,
on recalling the viewpoint, those same items are re-hidden, re-made
required, and the materials reinstated. This can be useful in the creation
of animations when dragging on viewpoints onto an empty animation.

Tilt Angle
This is indicated in the scene's units below (negative) or above (positive)
horizontal (0) at the base of the tilt bar.

World Up Vector
The direction that NavisWorks considers "up" is called the "world-up
vector". This is maintained in the walk, orbit and turntable modes.

Clash Detective Terminology

Clash Status
Each clash has a current status associated with it and each status has a
colored icon to identify them. This status is updated automatically by
Clash Detective or can be manually overridden if desired. The statuses
are as follows:

• New: a clash found for the first time in the current run of the test.

• Active: a clash found in a previous run of the test and not

resolved.

462
 Glossary

• Approved: a clash previously found and approved by someone.

• Resolved: a clash found in a previous run of the test and not in

the current run of the test. It is therefore assumed to be resolved.

• Old: any clash in an "old" test. The icons still have the code of the
status from the previous run, but this is a reminder to say that the
current test is old. See Clash Test Status for a description of old
tests.

If the status is changed to Approved, Clash Detective takes the user

currently logged on as the person who approved it.

Enabling hyperlinks will show clash results using the relevant status icon
.

Clash Test Status

A clash test can have one of 4 statuses:

• New indicates a clash test that has not yet been run with the current
model.

• Done indicates a clash test that has been successfully run with the
latest version of the model.

• Old indicates a clash test that has been altered in some way since
being set up. This might include changing an option, or having loaded
the latest revision of the model.

• Partial indicates a clash test that has been interrupted during

execution. Results are available up to the point of interruption.

Clearance Clash
A clash in which the geometry of item 1 may or may not intersect that of
item 2, but comes within a distance of less than the set tolerance.

Hard Clash
A clash in which the geometry of item 1 intersects that of item 2 by a
distance of more than the set tolerance.

Duplicate Clash
A clash in which the geometry of item 1 is the same as that of item 2,
located within a distance of between zero and the set tolerance. A
tolerance of zero would therefore only detect duplicate geometry in
exactly the same location.

Intersection Method
A standard Hard clash test type applies a Normal Intersection Method,
which sets the clash test to check for intersections between any of the
triangles defining the two items being tested (remember all NavisWorks
geometry is composed of triangles). This may miss clashes between
items where none of the triangles intersect. For example, two pipes that
are exactly parallel and overlap each other slightly at their ends. The

463
 Glossary

pipes intersect, yet none of the triangles that define their geometry do
and so this clash would be missed using the standard Hard clash test
type. However, choosing Hard (Conservative) reports all pairs of items,
which might clash. This may give false positives in the results, but it is a
more thorough and safer clash detection method.

Severity
For hard clashes, the severity of a clash depends on the intersection of
the two items intersecting. Hard clashes are recorded as a negative
distance. The more negative the distance, the more severe the clash.
Hard clash severity depends on whether the Conservative or Normal
Intersection Method has been applied (see Intersection Method for
more details on this). If Normal, the greatest penetration between a pair
of triangles is measured. If Conservative, the greatest penetration of
space around one item into the space around another is measured.

For clearance clashes, the severity depends on how close one item
invades the distance required around the second. For example, an item
coming within 3mm is more severe than an item coming within 5mm of
the other.

For duplicate clashes, the severity depends on how close one item is to
the other. When the distance between them is zero, it is more likely that
this is duplicate geometry, where as items that are further apart are more
likely to be different objects and therefore have a lesser severity.

Tolerance
The Tolerance controls the severity of the clashes reported and the
ability to filter out negligible clashes, which can be assumed to be
worked around on site. Tolerance is used for Hard, Clearance and
Duplicate types of clash test. Any clash found that is within this tolerance
will be reported, whereas clashes outside of this tolerance will be
ignored. So for Hard clashes, a clash with a severity of between zero
and the tolerance value will be ignored, whereas for Clearance clashes,
a clash with a severity of more than the tolerance value will be ignored
as it is further away than the distance required. Similarly, a Duplicate
clash with a severity of more than the tolerance value will be ignored as it
is likely to be a seperate, yet identical piece of geometry.

464
 clash batches , 439
Clash Detective
Index overview , 438
reports , 456
results , 453
Symbols rules , 444
3D motion controller , 127 selecting items , 449
3dd files , 68 Clash Detective Terminology, 462
3DS files , 55 collaborate , 230
file reader options , 55 accept call , 232
drive , 233
A place call , 231
animation , 195 refresh , 233
animation scenes collision detection, 119
adding , 354 commenting , 201
deleting , 354 comparing models , 264
animation scripts configure , 414
adding , 375 appearance definitions , 415
deleting , 375 start appearance , 416
animations tab , 414
creating , 197 task type , 414
cuts , 199 control bars , 247
editing , 198 crouching, 121
playing , 199 culling
Animator options , 168
animation scenes , 354
manual entry bar , 345 D
scene view , 341 database
timeline view , 343 links , 270, 272
toolbar , 339 datatools , 270
window , 339 (see also options )
ArchiCAD exporter , 95 DGN files , 56
options , 96 file reader options , 57
asc files , 74 directory
ASCII Laser Scan files , 74 search , 263
file reader options , 74 display
auto exposure , 323 batch fill, 174
AutoCAD detail, 174
NavisWorks Navigator , 97 hardware acceleration, 173
AutoCAD exporter , 84 heads up mode, 174
options , 86 line size, 174
AutoPLANT files , 53 occlusion culling, 173
AVEVA Review files , 76 options , 173
AVI parametric primitives, 174
TimeLiner simulation , 432 point size, 174
show camera position, 174
B show position, 174
background color , 168 snap point size, 174
background effects , 317 transparency, 174
DWF files , 51
C file reader options , 52
caching , 46 DWG files , 47
CAD previewing , 97 file reader options , 48
camera DXF files , 47
orthographic , 118
perspective , 118 E

465
 Index

editing , 147 guaranteed, 174

emailing files, 25 Freedom , 106
examining , 114 full lights , 164
exporters , 83 full render , 165
exporting, 31 full screen, 257
animation, 34 fws files , 70
Autodesk DWF, 39
AVI, 34 G
Bitmap, 33 gravity, 120
Bitmap sequence, 34
current search, 38
Google Earth KML, 39
H
image, 33 hardware acceleration, 173
JPEG, 33 head light , 161
JPEG sequence, 34 options , 161
PDS Tags, 37 help , 276
Piranesi EPix, 32 About , 282
PNG, 33 Clash Detective , 278
PNG sequence, 34 license , 281
rendered animation , 292 NavisWorks , 276
rendered image , 289 online , 278
search sets, 38 Presenter , 278
size control, 36 Publisher , 280
TimeLiner AVI , 432 System Info , 281
viewpoints, 37 TimeLiner , 279
viewpoints report, 38 topics , 276
what's this? , 277
hidden line render , 166
F hiding items , 150
Faro Scan files , 70 unselected , 150
file reader options , 70 holding objects , 147
file hyperlinks , 217
exporters , 83 adding , 218
publishing , 101 deleting , 222
file management, 19 displaying , 219
files editing , 220
appending, 21 following , 220
deleting, 25 options , 223
emailing, 25
merging, 22
new, 19
I
opening, 20 IAM files , 65
opening URL, 21 ifc files , 79, 79
publishing, 23 IFC files
reading , 43 file reader options , 80
refreshing, 20 IGES files , 61
saving, 22, 23 file reader options , 62
sending, 25 importing, 26
finding , 140 PDS display sets, 27
comments , 144 PDS tags, 26
items , 141 search, 29
properties , 140 search sets, 30
Quick Find , 143 viewpoints, 28
fls files , 70 interactive selection , 131
flying , 115 interface
focusing , 118 smarrttags_definition, 267
foreground effects , 319 standard hyperlinks, 267
frame rate , 171 user hyperlinks, 267

466
 Index

Inventor files , 65
file reader options , 65 M
IPJ files , 65 MAN files , 59
IPT files , 65 file reader options , 61
iQmod files , 70 materials , 293
iQscan files , 70 advanced , 300
iQwsp files , 70 applying , 293
item properties editing , 296
custom, 155 managing , 295
add property, 156 removing , 294
add tab, 155 Max exporter , 91
delete property, 157 measuring , 210
delete tab, 157 options , 216
edit value, 156 tools , 211
rename property, 157 menu
rename tab, 155 File, 19
overriding , 151 MicroStation exporter , 89
color , 151 options , 91
hyperlinks , 153 multiple sections , 193
transform, 152
transparency , 151
resetting , 153, 154
N
hyperlinks , 153, 154 navigating , 111
materials , 153 examining , 114
position , 153 flying , 115
transform , 153 looking around , 112
modes , 111
orbiting , 114
L panning , 114
Leica Scan files , 71 spinning , 115
file reader options , 72 walking , 112
lighting , 160 zooming , 113
full lights , 164 zooming to a box , 113
head light navigation tools , 116
(see also head light ) Navigator, NavisWorks , 97
scene lights NavisWorks cache files , 45
(see also scene lights ) NavisWorks files , 44
lights, 303 NavisWorks published files , 44
advanced, 308 NWC files , 45
editing, 306 NWD files , 44
image based, 310 options, 44
managing, 305 NWF files , 44
physically accurate, 309
positioning , 304
volumetric, 309
O
lines , 167 object animation
links , 408 model changes , 337
Asta , 413 overview , 337
edit , 410 scope , 337
Microsoft Project , 411 windows , 339
Microsoft Project 2000 , 411 options
MPX files , 412 developer, 267
Primavera , 412, 412 file, 267
select , 406 global, 268
tab , 408 location, 267
looking around , 112 Options , 433
orbiting , 114
orientation, 170

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 Index

orthographic camera , 118 shaded , 165

overriding item properties , 151 wireframe , 166
rendering
P animation , 292
panning , 114 image , 289
performance options, 174 scenes , 289
perspective camera , 118 styles , 160
Piranesi EPix, 32 rendering effects , 317
points , 167 rendering styles , 321
Presenter predefined , 322
additional archives , 287 repositioning objects, 214
effects , 317 required items , 150
lighting, 303 Review files , 76
materials , 293 reviewing
options , 176 commenting , 201
overview , 286 Revit exporter , 86
rendering , 321 Riegl Scan files , 68
rpc , 313 file reader options , 69
rules , 329 rotating objects, 215
texture space , 325 rpc , 313
user archives , 286 Rules , 417
Preview, NavisWorks , 98 rules
previewing , 97 tab , 417
primitives , 166 rules, Presenter , 329
lines , 167 rules, TimeLiner , 417
points , 167 RVM files
snap points , 167 file reader options , 77
surfaces , 166
text , 168 S
printing, 23 scene lights , 162
current viewpoint, 23 options , 163
previewing, 24 scene statistics , 260
setup, 24 Scripter
profiles , 262 animation scripts , 375
PRP files , 56 window , 346
pts files , 71 search directories , 263
ptx files , 71 search sets , 134
publishing , 101 saving , 134
searching
Q (see also finding )
quick find , 143 sectioning , 191
quitting, 42 sections
linking , 193
selection commands , 133
R all, 133
reading files , 43 invert, 133
receving 3D mail, 25 multiple instances, 133
redline tags, 208 none, 133
editing, 210 same name, 133
finding, 209 same property, 134
redlining , 206 same type, 134
adding , 206 selection sets, 133
tags, 208 selection options , 138
redo , 148 selection resolution , 137
render modes , 165 first object, 137
full , 165 geometry, 138
hidden line , 166 last object, 137

468
 Index

last unique, 137 txt files , 74

layer, 137
model, 137 U
selection sets , 134 undo , 148
managing , 135 options , 149
recalling , 135 units , 158, 260
saving , 134 options , 260
selection trees , 129 using
shaded render , 165 Animator , 354
shadows Scripter , 375
casting shadows , 307
soft, 309
showing items , 154
V
simulate view menu , 246
settings , 423 view window
tab , 421 splitting , 257
Simulate viewing
Overlay , 428 everything , 117
skp files , 81, 81 selected items , 117
SKP files viewpoint animations
file reader options , 82 managing , 182
slices , 193 viewpoints
smart tags , 227 align X , 122
Smart Tags align Y , 122
options , 227 align Z , 123
snap points , 167 control bar , 180
spaceball , 127 editing , 183
spacemouse , 127 folders , 183
spacetraveler , 127 managing , 182
spinning , 115 options , 187
STEP files , 63 preset , 122
file reader options , 64 recalling , 179
stereo stereoscopic, 258 saving , 179
STL files , 75 shortcut menu , 181
STL Stereolithography files , 75 Viz
file reader options , 76 NavisWorks Preview , 98
straighten , 123 Viz exporter , 91
surfaces , 166 options , 92
switchback , 233 VRML world files , 66
file reader options , 67
T
tasks , 401
W
tab , 401 walking , 112
text , 168 window size, 257
texture space , 325 wireframe render , 166
third person workspace toolbar , 256
avatar, 121 world up vector , 123
thumbnails , 125 WRL files , 66
tilt , 124 WRZ files , 66
TimeLiner
options , 433 Z
overview , 395 Z+F Scan files , 72
tools , 264 file reader options , 73
comparing models , 264 zfc files , 72
transform zfs files , 72
file, 158 zooming , 113
transparency, 174 to a box , 113

469