Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 User Guide March 2010
© 2010 Autodesk, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holder. Trademarks The following are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and other countries: 3DEC (design/logo), 3December, 3December.
Contents Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 1 What Is New in This Release? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Chapter 2 How to Get Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Finding Information Using the InfoCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Overview of InfoCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Distribute the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Distribute an Autodesk Navisworks Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Set Up a Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preliminary Tasks for a Network Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configure Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Your Deployment Choices . . .
Display Units . . . Profiles . . . . . . . Search Directories . Gizmos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 . 104 . 105 .
SteeringWheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Navigation Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create and Modify Viewpoints . . . . Overview of Viewpoints . . . . Saved Viewpoints Window . . . Save Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . Recall Viewpoints . . . . . . . . Organize Viewpoints . . . . . . Edit Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . Default Viewpoint Options . . . Share Viewpoints . . . . . . . . Sectioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enable and Use Section Planes . Enable and Use Section Box . . Chapter 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Add Animation Sets . . . . . . . Update Animation Sets . . . . . Manipulate Geometry Objects . Work with Cameras . . . . . . . . . . Work with Section Plane Sets . . . . . Work with Keyframes . . . . . . . . . Capture Keyframes . . . . . . . Edit Keyframes . . . . . . . . . Play Animation Scenes . . . . . . . . Add Interactivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Work with Animation Scripts . . . . . Work with Events . . . . . . . . . . . Work with Actions . . . . . . . . . . Enable Scripting . . . . . . . . . . .
Simulate Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . Select Link Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . Field Selector Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . Simulation Settings Dialog Box . . . . . . Overlay Text Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . Get Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TimeLiner Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Attach Tasks to Geometry . . . . . . . . . Attach Tasks Manually . . . . . . . Use Rules to Attach Tasks . . . . . .
Visually Identify Clashes in a Model . . Add Review Comments and Redlines . Time-Based and Soft Clash Test Results . . . . Report Clash Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449 . 452 . 452 . 454 Autodesk Navisworks Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ASCII Laser Page . . . . . . . . CIS/2 Page . . . . . . . . . . . DGN Page . . . . . . . . . . . DWF Page . . . . . . . . . . . DWG/DXF Page . . . . . . . . Faro Page . . . . . . . . . . . FBX Page . . . . . . . . . . . IFC Page . . . . . . . . . . . . IGES Page . . . . . . . . . . . Inventor Page . . . . . . . . . Leica Page . . . . . . . . . . . JTOpen Page . . . . . . . . . . MAN Page . . . . . . . . . . . Parasolid Page . . . . . . . . . PDS Page . . . . . . . . . . . Riegl Page . . . . . . . . . . .
xii | Contents
Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 software is a complete review solution for design and construction management professionals seeking powerful insight and predictability to improve productivity and project quality. 3D design data, both geometry and information, can be combined, regardless of authoring design tools or file size.
2 | Part 1 Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011
What Is New in This Release? 1 Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 contains many new features and enhancements. Installation The installation screen provides links to the installation options, deployment options, installation tools and utilities, documentation and language settings. When installing the product you can select to install either the 32-bit or 64-bit version. You also have the option of selecting the DWG file readers that require installation, plus the exporter plugins that you require.
TimeLiner Changes to the TimeLiner tool support improved integration with third-party planning tools, and the introduction of Gantt chart reporting for fuller-featured view on the TimeLiner schedule. ■ Access to the Primavera P6 (Web Services) for quicker Primavera schedule linking. See Supported Scheduling Software on page 414. ■ Ability to view data as Gantt charts on a separate TimeLiner tab. See “Gantt View Tab” on page 390. Sectioning Faster and easier sectioning.
InfoCenter You can use InfoCenter to search a variety of information sources with one query. You can also easily access product updates and announcements. See “Finding Information Using the InfoCenter” on page 7. Batch Utility You can now use the Batch Utility to automate common file importing/conversion processes. The Batch Utility is integrated with Windows Task Scheduler to allow you to set up tasks to be run automatically at set times and intervals. See Batch Utility on page 146.
New Features Workshop The New Features Workshop introduces you to what’s new in Autodesk Navisworks. You can access the New Features Workshop from InfoCenter. On the InfoCenter toolbar, to the right of the Help button, click the drop-down arrow. You can also access the New Features workshop from the Start menu. Click Start ➤ All Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Navisworks Manage 2011 ➤ New Features Workshop.
How to Get Assistance There are various ways to find information about how to use this program, and multiple resources are available. 2 Finding Information Using the InfoCenter You can use InfoCenter to search a variety of information sources with one query. You can also easily access product updates and announcements.
To browse search results ➤ On the panel for Search Results, Subscription Center, Communication Center, or Favorites, on the right side of the category header, do one of the following: ■ Click the Next button. ■ Click the Previous button. To rearrange the topics displayed on a panel 1 Display a panel by doing one of the following: ■ In the InfoCenter box, enter a keyword or phrase. Then press ENTER or click the Search button. ■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Communication Center button.
When performing the exact phrase search, use double quotation marks (" ") to enclose words that must appear next to each other in the specified text string. For example, enter "specify units of measurement" to find only topics with all those words in that order. You can also use the previously mentioned symbols in a text string that is enclosed in double quotation marks. To search multiple sources for information 1 In the InfoCenter box, enter a keyword or phrase. 2 Click the Search button.
■ e-Learning Lessons. (For subscription members only.) Each lesson is 15-30 minutes and features hands-on exercises, with an option to use a simulation instead of the software application. You can use an online evaluation tool that identifies gaps in skills, determines what lessons will be most helpful, and gauges learning progress. Subscription Resources and Privacy Subscription resources provide interactive product features over the Internet.
■ RSS Feeds. Receive information from RSS feeds to which you subscribe. RSS feeds generally notify you when new content is posted. You are automatically subscribed to several default RSS feeds when you install the program. ■ Product Support Information. Get breaking news from the Product Support team at Autodesk, including when Live Update maintenance patches are released. ■ Subscription Announcements.
A link marked as a favorite displays a star icon on the Search Results panel, Subscription Center panel or the Communication Center panel. To display the InfoCenter Favorites panel ■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Favorites button. NOTE The links displayed on the Favorites panel are organized into the same groups or categories from which they were added. To save a link in InfoCenter as a favorite 1 Display a panel by doing one of the following: ■ In the InfoCenter box, enter a keyword or phrase.
Search in Help Use the Help Search tab to find relevant topics based on keywords that you enter. The basic search rules are as follows: ■ Type your keywords in uppercase or lowercase characters; searches are not case-sensitive. ■ Search for any combination of letters (a-z) and numbers (0-9). ■ Do not use punctuation marks such as a period, colon, semicolon, comma, hyphen, and single quotation marks; they are ignored during a search.
Search for Example Results The first term without the second term nwd NOT nwc Topics containing the word “NWD”, but not the word “NWC” Both terms in the same topic, close together user NEAR menu Topics containing the word “user” within eight words of the word “menu” NOTE The |, &, and ! characters do not work as Boolean operators. You must use AND (also +), OR, and NOT (also -).
NOTE When you select the second option, you may get numerous printed pages, depending on how many subtopics the currently selected topic contains. To print a Help topic 1 Display the topic you want to print. 2 Right-click in the topic pane. Click Print. 3 In the Print dialog box, click Print. To print a selected heading and all subtopics 1 Display the topic you want to print and make sure that the Contents tab is displayed. 2 On the Help toolbar, click Print.
■ RSS Feeds. RSS feed subscriptions. You can add or remove RSS feeds. RSS feeds generally notify you when new content is posted. To specify locations to search for information 1 In the InfoCenter box, click the down arrow next to the Search button. 2 Click Search Settings. 3 In the InfoCenter Settings dialog box, Search Locations panel, in the right pane, select or clear the search locations you want to include or exclude when you search for information. 4 Click OK.
To specify InfoCenter balloon notification settings 1 In the InfoCenter box, click the down arrow next to the Search button. 2 Click Search Settings. 3 In the InfoCenter Settings dialog box, in the left pane, click Balloon Notification. 4 In the right pane, select or clear the options to turn balloon notification on or off. 5 Enter the number of seconds to set the length of time for balloon notifications to display. 6 Enter the transparency value of the balloon or set the value using the slider. 7 Click OK.
Other resources help you get information about Autodesk products and assistance with your questions about this program. ■ Autodesk website. Access http://www.autodesk.com. ■ Local support. Check with your dealer or Autodesk country/region office. Learn the Product Training programs and products from Autodesk help you learn the key technical features and improve your productivity. For the latest information about Autodesk training, visit http://www.autodesk.
View the Product Readme You can find late-breaking information about this software in the Readme. It is suggested that you read through the Autodesk Navisworks Readme for information about recommended hardware, updated installation instructions, and known software problems. The Readme file is available from the product’s program group on the Windows Start menu. Join the Customer Involvement Program You are invited to help guide the direction of Autodesk design software.
20 | Chapter 2 How to Get Assistance
Installation This chapter provides information about installing and activating Autodesk Navisworks on a workstation, as well as deploying Autodesk Navisworks from a network location. 3 Quick Start to Stand-Alone Installation This section provides step-by-step instructions about how to prepare, and then install Autodesk Navisworks. If you have never installed the product before, you should familiarize yourself with the entire installation process and options before beginning.
Hardware and software requirements ■ Windows 7 Ultimate ■ Windows 7 Professional ■ Windows 7 Home Premium ■ Windows 7 Home Basic Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later of the following: ■ Windows Vista Enterprise ■ Windows Vista Ultimate ■ Windows Vista Business ■ Windows Vista Home Premium ■ Windows Vista Home Basic Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later of the following: ■ Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 3 (SP3) or later of the following: Web browser ■ Windows XP Professional (32-bit
Hardware and software requirements Graphics card 128 MB, 1024 x 768 VGA, True Color (minimum); 256 MB or greater - 1280 x 1024 32-bit color video display adapter, True Color (recommended) Hard disk Installation 1 GB Pointing device Microsoft-mouse compliant DVD-ROM Any speed (for installation only) Optional hardware Open GL©-compatible 3D video card; Printer or plotter; Modem or access to an Internet connection; Network interface card Understand Administrative Permission Requirements To install Au
Choose a Language You can select a different language for installation instructions, and a language for individual product installations in the same install process. When you start the installation process, the installer automatically determines your operating system language. If a supported language is detected, your install pages are displayed in that language. If you want to change that language, you select a different one from the Installer Language list on the first page of the Installation wizard.
If you do not wish to make configuration changes on the Begin Installation page, click Install. Install Multiple or Bundled Products Some Autodesk packages are comprised of multiple products or are part of multi-product bundles. The Installation wizard for packages that are comprised of multiple products gives you the option to choose which products you want to install. In the Installation wizard, for packages containing multiple products, you can choose which products and languages you want to install.
NOTE To view or print PDF (.pdf) files, Adobe® Reader must be installed on your computer. If you do not have Adobe Reader, you can download the latest version at http://www.adobe.com. ■ Install Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011. From the Installation wizard, click Install Products. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Install Autodesk Navisworks Using Default Values This is the fastest means of installing Autodesk Navisworks on your system.
IMPORTANT The information you enter here is permanent and is displayed in the Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 window (accessed in the InfoCenter box by clicking the down arrow next to the Help button ➤ About Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011). Because you can’t change this information later without uninstalling the product, make sure you enter the correct information now. 6 On the Begin Installation page, click Install. Click Yes to continue installing using the default configuration.
NOTE If you do not agree to the terms of the license and want to terminate the installation, click Cancel. 5 On the User and Product Information page, enter your personal details, serial number, and product key. Review the Privacy Policy from the link at the bottom of the dialog box. After reviewing, click Next.
8 To configure Navisworks exporter plugins, click the product tab. The Select the Installation Type page shows a list of all exporter plugins: Indicates the third-party software already installed on your computer. Indicates plugins for the third-party software, that are either not installed or have not been detected by the Installation wizard. Select the check boxes next to all required plugins. If the third-party software has not been detected by the wizard, you can manually enable the plugins for it.
-lang de-DE for German localization -lang es-ES for Spanish localization -lang fr-FR for French localization -lang it-IT for Italian localization -lang ja-JP for Japanese localization -lang ko-KR for Korean localization -lang pt-BR for Brazilian Portuguese localization -lang ru-RU for Russian localization -lang zh-CN for Chinese (PRC) localization 3 Click OK to save the changes. Add or Remove Features You can add or remove Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 features at any time.
Repair Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 If you accidentally delete or alter files that are required by Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011, Autodesk Navisworks might not perform correctly, and you might receive error messages when you try to execute a command or find a file. You can attempt to fix this problem by repairing Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011. Repairing uses the features that were part of the installation type you chose when you initially installed the program.
Move to Autodesk Navisworks from a Previous Release If you have a previous version of Autodesk Navisworks installed on your system, you can install Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 and keep other versions of the program on the same system. This is called a side-by-side installation. If you’ve purchased an upgrade version of Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011, you are required to uninstall the previous version within 120 days of installing Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011.
Hardware and software requirements for client machine Windows Vista 64-bit SP2 or later ■ Windows Vista Enterprise ■ Windows Vista Ultimate ■ Windows Vista Business ■ Windows Vista Home Premium ■ Windows Vista Home Basic Windows XP 32-bit SP3 or later ■ Windows XP Professional ■ Windows XP Home Windows XP 64-bit SP2 or later ■ Web browser Windows XP Professional x64 Edition 32-bit Internet Explorer 6.0, SP 1 or later 64-bit Internet Explorer 7.0 or later Processor 32-bit AMD Athlon™ 3.
Hardware and software requirements for client machine Printer or plotter Modem or access to an Internet connection Network interface card Hardware and software requirements for the network license server (Windows) Hardware/Software Requirement Operating System Windows® 7® 32-bit Windows 7 64-bit ■ Windows 7 Enterprise ■ Windows 7 Ultimate ■ Windows 7 Professional ■ Windows 7 Home Premium ■ Windows 7 Home Basic (32-bit) ■ Windows 7 Starter (32-bit) Windows Vista 32-bit SP2 or later Windows Vi
Hardware and software requirements for the network license server (Windows) Hardware/Software Requirement Browsers Internet Explorer® 6 Internet Explorer 7 Internet Explorer 8 FLEXnet 11.7.0.
Hardware and software requirements for client machine 64-bit AMD or Intel EM64T RAM 32-bit 512 MB (minimum) 2 GB or greater (recommended) 64-bit 2 GB Graphics card 128 MB, 1024 x 768 VGA, True Color (minimum); 256 MB or greater - 1280 x 1024 32-bit color video display adapter, True Color (recommended) Hard disk Installation 1 GB Pointing device Microsoft-mouse compliant DVD-ROM Any speed (for installation only) Optional hardware Open GL©-compatible 3D video card; Printer or plotter; Modem or acce
If you choose one of the stand-alone installation types, you can proceed to the section “Distribute the Program” on page 39. Choose a License Server Model If you chose the Network License option, you need to decide which license server model to use to distribute the product licenses. TIP If you are deploying a stand-alone or multi-seat stand-alone installation type, you do not use a license server model. Proceed to the section “Distribute the Program” on page 39.
WARNING Do not install the Network License Manager on a remote drive. When you install the Network License Manager files, you must provide a path to a local drive. You must specify the drive letter; the universal naming convention (UNC) is not supported. 6 On the Configuration Complete page, click Configuration Complete to return to the confirmation page. 7 On the Begin Installation page, click Install. 8 When the Installation Complete page displays, click Finish.
■ If a service for Autodesk is already defined and running, click ReRead License File to refresh the Network License Manager with any changes made to the license file or Options file. The license server starts running and is ready to respond to client requests. 12 Close lmtools.exe. Distribute the Program Once you have fully prepared for creating a deployment, you are ready to set up and distribute Autodesk Navisworks by using the Deployment wizard and choosing a deployment method.
Distribute an Autodesk Navisworks Product You can choose from several methods of distributing an Autodesk program. Network sharing is the default method. ■ Network Share. Users launch the program with the shortcut icon that you created with the Deployment wizard. The program is installed on users' local computers, and a product icon appears on their desktop. NOTE Users must have Read permissions to access the network share and administrative permissions on the workstation where this program is installed.
Deployment Checklist You have identified the location (such as a shared folder) where deployments will reside for each program you plan to deploy. You have closed all other programs and disabled antivirus software. You have decided what languages you will include in your administrative image, and what languages you will use for your deployment package. You have determined if your deployment plan involves using imaging software to distribute your programs to client workstations.
If you do not wish to make configuration changes on the Create Deployment page, click Create Deployment. Your Deployment Choices When you create a deployment, you will make several choices during the process to create various client deployment images and deployment types. The following sections outline your choices in more detail. Enter User and Product Information The User and Product Information page is used to personalize the program for your environment.
status information and details about problems that users encountered during installation (for example, low disc space or inadequate permissions). The network log is named with the same name you chose for your deployment. You can specify where the log file is created by entering either a valid UNC (universal naming convention) path or hard-coded path on your network, for example \\MyComputer\Autodesk\. Users should use their actual computer name in place of MyComputer.
Select a License Type (optional) When you set up your deployment, you choose the type of installation to deploy based on the type of software license you purchased: stand-alone or network. You also select the network license server model you want to use to distribute product licenses. IMPORTANT Depending on the type of option you choose on the configuration page, network or stand-alone license, note that you must use the same type of installation for all those products in your deployment session.
If you have already used the Network License Manager to create a license server model, you must select the same license server model in this step. If you have not yet used the Network License Manager to create a license server model, make sure that you select the same settings in the Network License Manager that you choose here. 3 Enter the name of one of the servers that will run the Network License Manager, or click the Browse button to locate the server. Click Add to add the server to the Server Pool.
Your choices are as follows: ActiveX Lite Control Contains Navisworks ActiveX Lite control. API Contains the Component Object Model interface for customizing and extending the Navisworks functionality. Example NWD files Contains various feature sample files. Batch Utility Run and schedule commands. PDF Manual Contains the Autodesk Navisworks User Guide in PDF format. Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 Contains full set of Navisworks files.
that language, you can choose a different one from the installer language list on the opening page of the Installation wizard. NOTE Some products may not have multi-language support at the time of product release. Additional language support may be available later. Check http://support.autodesk.com for the availability of additional language packs. Using Language Packs Language packs support use of different languages in each Autodesk Navisworks product, including exporters.
3 On the Select the Products to Include in the Deployment page, select the products you want to include, the languages to include in your administrative image, and the language of your deployment: ■ On a 64-bit version of Windows, you can install the 64-bit version of Autodesk Navisworks, 64-bit version of Autodesk Navisworks Freedom, and both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of exporter plugins.
NOTE If you do not know how to create a network share, see “Create a Network Share” on page 39. ■ In the Specify the New Deployment Name field, enter the new deployment’s name. The name you enter here is the name of the shortcut users will access to install the product. ■ Under This is to be a:, select either 32-bit or 64-bit for your target operating system. This selection does not identify the system your deployment was created on; it identifies your target system. Click Next.
8 On the Configuration Complete page, select a different product tab to configure another product, or click Configuration Complete to review your choices. 9 On the Create Deployment page, click Create Deployment. If you want a summary of your deployment settings, click Copy to Clipboard. 10 On the Deployment Complete page, click Finish. Final Review and Complete Setup To complete your deployment setup, confirm the settings you selected.
This means that even if you have previously added or removed components, or if you have reinstalled or repaired an Autodesk product, uninstalling removes all Autodesk product installation files from your system. To uninstall the program 1 Do one of the following: ■ (Windows XP) Click Start ➤ Settings ➤ Control Panel ➤ Add or Remove Programs. ■ (Windows Vista and Windows 7) Click Start ➤ Control Panel ➤ Programs and Features.
To install an updated graphics card driver 1 Check the Web for to see if an updated driver is available. ■ Use Windows Update. ■ Search the graphics card manufacturer’s website for the type of installed graphics card. 2 If a more recent graphics card driver is available, follow the instructions from the website to install download and install it.
2 In Autodesk Navisworks, click the application button ➤ Options Editor. 3 Click Export. 4 In the Select Options to Export dialog box, check all options you want to export and click OK. 5 In the Save As dialog box, name the XML file as desired and save it to the global_options folder in the appropriate Site or Project directory.
To register and activate Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 1 Click Start ➤ All Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 ➤ Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011. 2 In the Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 Product Activation wizard, select Activate the Product, and then click Next. This starts the Register Today process. 3 Click Register and Activate (Get an Activation Code). 4 Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions.
How do I choose between 32-bit and 64-bit deployments? You have a choice of selecting 32-bit or 64-bit deployment. This choice controls which operating system the deployment is targeted at, NOT what sort of products to include in the deployment. ■ Selecting 32-bit deployment gives you a choice of 32-bit products, and will only install on 32-bit operating systems. ■ Selecting 64-bit deployment gives you a choice of 32-bit and 64-bit products, and will only install on 64-bit operating systems.
What is Internet Explorer used for? After installing your product, you can operate in trial mode for a given number of days. Whenever you launch the program, you are prompted to activate the software. When you choose to activate the software, Internet Explorer makes this process much faster. Once you entered your registration data and submit it to Autodesk, an activation code is returned and you are not prompted again during startup.
When adding or removing features, how can I tell what features get installed by default? To quickly see what gets installed during a typical, default installation, click the Restore Defaults button on the Add/Remove Features page. Is it possible to change the installation folder when adding or removing features? Once your product is installed, you cannot change the installation path from the Add/Remove Features page.
58 | Chapter 3 Installation
Quick Start This chapter helps you get up-to-speed with the Autodesk Navisworks interface. 4 Start and Quit Autodesk Navisworks Once you’ve installed Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011, you can start it from the Windows desktop or from the command line. To start Autodesk Navisworks, do one of the following from the Windows desktop: ■ Double-click the Autodesk Navisworks icon, or ■ Click Start ➤ All Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Navisworks Manage 2011 ➤ Manage 2011.
Auto-saved files have an .nwf extension, and named as .AutoSave where is the name of the current Navisworks file, and is a number that increments with each auto-save. So, for example, if you work with a file called Enviro-Dome.nwd, the first auto-saved file is called Enviro-Dome.Autosave0.nwf, the second auto-saved file is called Enviro-Dome.Autosave1.nwf and so on.
4 Click Open. 5 When you are prompted to save a file with a different name, click Save As. 6 In the Save As dialog box, enter a new file name, and browse to the desired location. 7 Click Save. Menu: Classic user interface: File ➤ Open Command entry: CTRL + O Toolbar: Classic user interface: Standard, Quick Access toolbar Command Line Options Command line switches can specify different startup routines for Navisworks. You can use command line switches to specify several options when you start the program.
Command Line Switch Argument Description marks. For example, “C:\temp\log.txt" -memcheck Runs Autodesk Navisworks with additional checks for memory errors. -nwc [outputfile.nwc] [inputfile] Autodesk Navisworks converts an input file into the NWC format in the background, and places it into the specified directory. You must provide the full file paths within quotation marks. For example, “C:\temp\a.dwg" -nwd [outputfile.
For example, enter: “D:\Autodesk Navisworks\roamer.exe" -log "D:\temp\nw_log.txt" "D:\temp\a.nwd" "D:\temp\b.dwg". 3 Click OK. The User Interface The Autodesk Navisworks interface contains a number of traditional Windows elements, such as the application menu, Quick Access toolbar, ribbon, dockable windows, dialog boxes and shortcut menus in which you complete tasks. Parts of Autodesk Navisworks Interface This section briefly describes the main components of the standard Autodesk Navisworks interface.
Application Button and Menu The application menu enables you to access common tools. It provides access to many common file actions, and also allows you to manage your files using more advanced tools, such as Import, Export, and Publish. Some application menu choices have additional menus that show related commands. . Clicking it again closes the application menu. To open the application menu, click the application button Double-clicking the application button exits Autodesk Navisworks.
Option Description Publishes the current project. (Publish) (Print) Prints the scene and sets print-related settings. (Send by Email) Creates a new email with the current file as an attachment. Options Opens Options Editor. Exit Autodesk Navisworks Exits the program. Recent Documents List You can view, sort, and access supported files that you have recently opened. The most recent files are shown in the Recent Documents list. The list is ordered with the most recently used file at the top.
4 Click OK. To keep a document in the Recent Documents list ■ Click the push pin button to the right of the document. To view the Recent Documents list by access date ■ In the top-left corner of the Recent Documents list, in the By Ordered List drop-down list, select By Access Date. To view the Recent Documents list by size ■ In the top-left corner of the Recent Documents list, in the By Ordered List drop-down list, select By Size.
2 Right-click the button on the ribbon, and click Add to Quick Access Toolbar. To remove a ribbon button from the Quick Access toolbar 1 Right-click the button on the Quick Access toolbar 2 Click Remove from Quick Access toolbar. To display the Quick Access toolbar below the ribbon ■ Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar drop-down button, and click Show Below the Ribbon. Shortcut menu: Right-click any button on the Quick Access toolbar. Click Show Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon.
The ribbon is divided into tabs, with each tab is supporting a specific activity. Within each tab, tools are grouped together into a task-based series of panels. To specify which ribbon tabs and panels are displayed, right-click the ribbon and, on the shortcut menu, click or clear the names of tabs or panels. You can customize the ribbon depending on your needs in the following ways: ■ You can change the order of ribbon tabs. Click the tab you want to move, drag it to the desired position, and release.
Tool Launcher Some ribbon panels display a dialog box or a dockable window related to that panel. A tool launcher arrow in the lower-right corner of the panel indicates that you can display a related tool. Click the icon to display the associated dialog box or dockable window. Check Boxes Check boxes allow you to toggle an option on or off. Sliders When an option can be executed with varying intensity, the slider allows you to control the setting from lower to higher, or reverse.
The ribbon toggles between the selected minimize ribbon state and the full ribbon state. To reset the ribbon and the Quick Access toolbar 1 Right-click anywhere inside the ribbon. 2 Click Restore Default Ribbon. Quick Reference Home Tab Panel Contains tools to... Project control the whole scene including appending files and refreshing CAD files, resetting changes made in Autodesk Navisworks, and setting related options.
Panel Contains tools to... Collaborate connect with other Autodesk Navisworks users across a network connection. This panel is hidden by default. Animation Tab Panel Contains tools to... Create create object animations using the Animator tool or record viewpoint animations. Playback select and play back animations. Script enable scripts, or create new ones in the Scripter tool. View Tab Panel Contains tools to... Stereo enable stereoscopic vision provided suitable hardware is available.
Item Tools Tab Panel Contains tools to... SwitchBack switch back to compatible design applications at the current view. Hold hold the selected items so that they move with you as you navigate around the scene. Look At focus and zoom the current view onto the selected items. Visibility control the visibility of the selected items. Transform move, rotate, and scale the selected items. Appearance change the color and transparency of the selected items.
Keytips Autodesk Navisworks provides accelerator keys, or keytips, to enable you to use the keyboard, rather than the mouse, to interact with the application window. Keytips are provided for the application menu, Quick Access toolbar, and ribbon. You can still use ‘old style’ keyboard shortcuts, such as CTRL + N to open a new file, and CTRL + P to print the current file. To display keytips, press ALT.
When a menu item is followed by a series of dots, such as with that choice. Quick Reference File Menu This menu contains commands for managing files. Option Description New Resets the program, and closes the currently open Navisworks file. Refresh Refreshes your scene with the latest versions of currently loaded model files. Open Displays the Open dialog box. Open URL Displays the Open URL dialog box. Append Displays the Append dialog box. Merge Displays the Merge dialog box.
Edit Menu This menu contains commands for locating, selecting and editing geometry in your model. Option Description Undo Reverses the last performed operation. Redo Reverses the last operation performed by the Undo command. Select Gives you access to selection functionality. Quick Find Displays the Quick Find dialog box. Quick Find Next Repeats the previously run quick find search. Find Items Toggles the Find Items control bar. Find Comments Toggles the Find Comments dialog box.
Option Description Enable Stereo Puts the video output into stereo mode. Stereo Options Displays the Stereo Options dialog box. Scene Statistics Displays useful scene statistics. Viewpoint Menu This menu contains a set of commands that affect the current viewpoint, including model appearance, navigation and sectioning. Option Description Saved Viewpoints Enables you to use saved viewpoints. Look From Enables you to look from a preset viewpoint.
Option Description Renumber Comment IDs Renumbers all comment IDs, making them unique to the scene. Renumber Tag IDs Renumbers all tag IDs, making them unique to the scene. Tools Menu This menu contains commands for advanced model analysis and reviewing, and also commands for customizing Autodesk Navisworks. Option Description Clash Detective Toggles the Clash Detective tool window. Presenter Toggles the Presenter tool window. TimeLiner Toggles the TimeLiner tool window.
■ 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 Autodesk Navisworks toolbars, you can customize their appearance and content, and create your own toolbars. NOTE To quickly personalize a toolbar, click the Toolbar Options Buttons on the shortcut menu.
Button Description Displays the Merge dialog box. Saves the currently open Navisworks file. Displays the Publish dialog box. Saves the currently open Navisworks file, accesses your email program, and adds the saved file as an email attachment. Reverses the last performed operation. Reverses the last operation performed by the Undo command. Displays the Print dialog box. Displays copyright and license information about your copy of Autodesk Navisworks. Opens the Help system.
Button Description Turns on Zoom mode. Turns on Zoom Box mode. Turns on Pan mode. Turns on Orbit mode. Turns on Free Orbit mode. Turns on Fly mode. Turns on Constrained Orbit mode. Rendering Style Toolbar This toolbar controls the model appearance in Navisworks. Button Description Selects Lighting mode. Selects Rendering mode. Toggles the rendering of surfaces. Toggles the rendering of lines. Toggles the rendering of points. Toggles the rendering of snap points. Toggles the rendering of 3D text.
Button Description Toggles the Viewpoints control bar. Toggles the Sectioning toolbar. Toggles the Plan View control bar. Toggles the Section View control bar. Toggles the Selection Tree control bar. Toggles the Sets control bar. Toggles the Comments control bar. Toggles the Find Comments dialog box. Toggles the Find Items control bar. Toggles the Properties control bar. Toggles the Clash Detective tool window. Toggles the Presenter tool window. Toggles the TimeLiner tool window.
This toolbar enables you to create a limited volume of your model. Button Description Toggles sectioning on/off. Enables you to link two opposing section planes together. Displays the Set Sectioning Box Size dialog box. Restricts the section distance to the bounding box limits of the objects selected in the Scene View Displays the Sectioning Plane dialog box. Enables/disables the current section plane. Enables you to choose the alignment method. Displays the Section Plane Settings dialog box.
Button Description Toggles the Scripter engine on and off in the Navisworks file. Collaborate Bar Toolbar This toolbar enables you to participate in design review sessions across a Local Area Network (LAN). Button Description Starts Windows™ NetMeeting. Enables you to take control of the session, and become the ‘driver’. Refreshes Navisworks data on all attendees machines. Object Manipulation Toolbar This toolbar enables you to edit geometry in your model.
Button Description Uses a perspective camera. Uses an orthographic camera. Toggles collision. Toggles gravity. Toggles crouching. Toggles third person view. Aligns the current viewpoint with the X axis. Aligns the current viewpoint with the Y axis. Aligns the current viewpoint with the Z axis. Customize the Toolbars You can customize the appearance and contents of the Autodesk Navisworks toolbars by using the Customize dialog box. To add a custom toolbar 1 Click Tools ➤ Customize.
5 Click OK. 6 Close the Customize dialog box. To delete a custom toolbar 1 Click Tools ➤ Customize. 2 In the Customize dialog box, Toolbars tab, click the toolbar you don’t need. 3 Click Delete. NOTE You can only delete custom toolbars. 4 Close the Customize dialog box. To add commands 1 Click Tools ➤ Customize. This opens the Customize dialog box.
2 Drag the command away from the menu or toolbar, until a cursor displays a small cross. 3 Release the left mouse button to delete the command. 4 Close the Customize dialog box. Scene View This is the area where you view and interact with your 3D models. When you start Navisworks, the Scene View contains only one scene view, but you can add more scene views, if needed. Custom scene views are named “ViewX” where “X” is the next available number.
To interact with the model in the scene view, you can use the ViewCube, the Navigation Bar, the keyboard shortcuts, and the shortcut menu. TIP If you use two monitors, your default scene view is automatically placed on the primary display, and the interface can be placed on the secondary display to control the interaction. Scene View Content Navisworks enables you to change the size of content displayed in a scene view.
■ Use View - makes the content fill the currently active scene view. ■ Explicit - defines the exact width and height for the content. ■ Use Aspect Ratio - uses the aspect ratio of the current scene view to automatically calculate the width of the content when the height is entered, or the height of the content when the width is entered. 3 If you selected the Explicit option, enter the width and height for your content in pixels.
■ Plan View ■ Section View ■ Section Plane Settings Windows can be moved and resized, and either floated in the Scene View or docked (pinned or auto-hidden). TIP You can quickly dock and undock a window by double-clicking the window’s title bar. 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. You can also float windows anywhere on the screen, if necessary.
To group dockable windows 1 Click and drag the title bar of the window to be added to another window or group. 2 Drop the window on the title bar of the receiving window or group. A tab with the name of the dragged window is added to the bottom of the receiving window. To ungroup dockable windows 1 Within the group, click the tab for the window you want to remove. 2 Click and drag the window tab out of the group. 3 Drop the window to ungroup it.
The docking tool also provides visual previews of what space will be occupied by a window. These previews are shown when you are moving a window and while your mouse is over one of the stickers. TIP To quickly create a window group, use the sticker at the center of the docking tool when you drag a window to its location. This works anywhere on the canvas excluding the default scene view and the Tilt window. Custom scene views can be grouped with other windows.
Disk Progress Bar The progress bar under the central icon (disk) indicates how much of the current model is loaded from disk, that is 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 changes color when a file load is in progress. Whilst data is being read, the disk changes to yellow.
■ Navisworks Minimal - selects the layout giving the most space to the Scene View. You can use these workspaces as-is or modify them in accordance to your requirements. When you first start Navisworks, the Navisworks Minimal workspace is used. You can choose a different workspace at any time by clicking View tab ➤ Workspace panel ➤ Load Workspace the list.
3 Click Open. Default Keyboard Shortcuts Keyboard shortcuts are keyboard alternatives you can use to initiate commands normally accessed with the mouse. For example, to open the Selection Tree, window you can press CTRL + F12, to open the Comments window, you can press SHIFT + F6, and so on. Keyboard shortcuts offer a means to let you work faster and more efficiently. Some dialog boxes or dockable windows can be closed with the same command used to open it.
Default Keyboard Shortcut Description plication if the main application window is active. ALT + F6 Switches between the dockable windows when they are undocked. CTRL + 0 Turns on Turntable mode. CTRL + 1 Turns on Select mode. CTRL + 2 Turns on Walk mode. CTRL + 3 Turns on Look Around mode. CTRL + 4 Turns on Zoom mode. CTRL + 5 Turns on Zoom Window mode. CTRL + 6 Turns on Pan mode. CTRL + 7 Turns on Orbit mode. CTRL + 8 Turns on Free Orbit mode. CTRL + 9 Turns on Fly mode.
Default Keyboard Shortcut Description CTRL + F1 Opens the Help system. CTRL + F2 Opens the Clash Detective window. CTRL + F3 Toggles the TimeLiner window. CTRL + F4 Toggles the Presenter window. CTRL + F5 Toggles the Animator window. CTRL + F6 Toggles the Scripter window. CTRL + F7 Toggles the Tilt window. CTRL + F8 Applies to the Classic user interface. Toggles the Sectioning toolbar. CTRL + F9 Toggles the Plan View window. CTRL + F10 Toggles the Section View window.
Default Keyboard Shortcut Description CTRL + SHIFT + W Opens the Export dialog box and enables you to export viewpoint report. CTRL + SHIFT + HOME Sets current view as Home. CTRL + SHIFT + END Sets current view as Front. CTRL + SHIFT + Left Arrow Takes you to the previous redline tag. CTRL + SHIFT + Right Arrow Takes you to the next redline tag. CTRL + SHIFT + Up Arrow Takes you to the first redline tag. CTRL + SHIFT + Down Arrow Takes you to the last redline tag. F1 Opens the Help system.
To Do this... Zoom out scroll the mouse wheel backward. Pan hold down the middle mouse button, and then move the mouse to pan. Orbit press and hold SHIFT and hold down the middle mouse button, and then move the mouse to orbit about the currently defined pivot point. Change the pivot point press and hold the CTRL key and hold down the middle mouse button, then drag to the point on the model you want to use as the pivot point.
Wheel Middle Button SHIFT + Middle Button Zoom Zoom In/Out Pan Orbit Orbit Zoom In/Out Pan Orbit Free Orbit Zoom In/Out Pan Orbit Constrained Orbit Zoom In/Out Pan Orbit Look At Zoom In/Out Pan Orbit SteeringWheels Zoom In/Out Pan Orbit Autodesk Navisworks Options There are two types of options: File Options and Global Options. File Options For each Autodesk Navisworks file (NWF and NWD), you can adjust the model appearance and the speed of navigation around it.
Global options can be exported and imported, making it quick and easy for project managers, or systems administrators, to ensure the Autodesk Navisworks settings on all machines are identical. To configure file options 1 Click Home tab ➤ Project panel ➤ File Options . 2 Use the File Options dialog box to customize various file settings. 3 Click OK to save the changes.
TIP To quickly select/deselect all options for a given category, use the top-level check boxes. For example, selecting the General check box, instantly selects all options under this node. 4 Click OK to export the selected settings. 5 In the Save As dialog box, enter a name for the settings file. You can also select the name of an existing settings file to overwrite it with your modified configuration. 6 Click Save. 7 Click OK to close the Options Editor.
4 Click OK to close the Options Editor. Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ Global Options Location Options These options enable centralized sharing of global Autodesk Navisworks settings, workspaces, datatools, avatars, Clash Detective rules, Presenter archives, custom Clash Detective tests, object animation scripts, and so on, with other users. The settings can be shared across an entire project site, or across a specific project group depending on the required level of granularity.
3 In the Project Directory box, browse to the directory that contains the Autodesk Navisworks settings specific to your project group. 4 In the Site Directory box, browse to the directory that contains the Autodesk Navisworks settings standard across the entire project site. 5 Click OK. Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ Global Options NOTE When you run Autodesk Navisworks for the first time, the settings are picked up from the installation directory.
3 Select the Linear Units from the drop-down list. Be sure to choose the exact format required. 4 Select the Angular Units from the drop-down list. 5 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 a decimal unit, then you have the choice of what level of fraction to display the units from the Fractional Display Precision drop-down list. 6 Click OK.
4 Click OK. Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ Global Options Search Directories Autodesk 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 2011 within the current user profile. For example, C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 where user is the name o
When you use gizmos, you can adjust snapping to control the precision of your operations (click the application button ➤ Options ➤ Interface node ➤ Snapping page.
Get a Whole-Project View 107
108 | Part 2 Get a Whole-Project View
Work with Files In Autodesk Navisworks you can open files originated from a variety of CAD applications. 5 You can combine these files together, and create a single Autodesk Navisworks file with a whole-project view of your model. This file brings together geometry and data created by multi-disciplinary teams, and enables you to explore and review complex models in real-time. Native File Formats Autodesk Navisworks has three native file formats: NWD, NWF, and NWC.
■ “NWD File Options” on page 486 Compatible CAD Applications The table below is provided as a quick reference only, and does not contain an exhaustive list of compatible CAD applications. For additional information, please refer to the Features and Specifications section on our website http://www.autodesk.com/navisworks.
Application File Formats CADopia IntelliCAD DWG, DXF CEA Technology Plant-4D DWG, DGN COADE CADWorx Plant DWG, DXF, 3DS COADE CADWorx Pipe DWG, DXF, 3DS COADE CADWorx Steel DWG, DXF, 3DS COINS BSLink DWG, DXF, 3DS COINS Framing DWG, DXF, 3DS CSC 3D+ DWG Dassault Systemes CATIA DXF, IGES, STEP Google SketchUp SKP, DWG, 3DS Hannappel Software GmbH elcoCAD R4 DWG, DXF, 3DS Integraph PDS DRI, DRV, DWG, DXF, DGN, IGES, STEP Informatix MicroGDS MAN ITandFactory CADISON DWG, DXF, 3DS
Application File Formats Tekla Structures DGN, VRML, CIS/2 Tekla Xsteel DGN think3 thinkdesign DWG, DXF, IGES, STEP UGS I-deas DXF, IGES, STEP UGS Solid Edge IGES, STEP UGS NX (Unigraphics) DXF, IGES, STEP UGS Factory CAD DWG, DXF, 3DS UHP Process Piping FabPro Pipe DWG, DXF, 3DS UHP Process Piping x-plant DWG, DXF, 3DS Supported CAD File Formats See the following table for the native CAD file formats you can open in Autodesk Navisworks without having the CAD applications installed on yo
Format Extension STL .stl VRML .wrl, .wrz 3D Studio .3ds, .prjv Supported Laser Scan File Formats See the following table for the laser scan file formats you can open in Autodesk Navisworks. Format Extension ASCII Laser File .asc, .txt Faro .fls, .fws, .iQscan, .iQmod, .iQwsp Leica .pts, .ptx Riegl .3dd Z+F .zfc, .zfs NOTE Native Trimble file format is not supported. To open your file in Autodesk Navisworks, convert it into ASCII laser file format first.
Unsupported Entities ■ Keyframes (objects are currently taken from keyframe 0) ■ Texture maps in the formats: gray-scale TGA, TIF, GIF, and PNG. ■ Other maps (for example, opacity maps, reflections, and so on) ■ Wireframe meshes ■ Lines, splines ■ Points ■ Background images See also: ■ “3DS File Reader Options” on page 488 ASCII Laser Scan File Reader Most scanner software support exporting the point data in an ASCII text file.
CIS/2 File Reader The CIS/2 file reader supports CIMSteel Integration Standards (CIS/2) adopted by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) as their format for data exchange between steel related CAD software.
■ Fastener_simple_bolt ■ Fastener_simple_shear_connector Unsupported Entities ■ Part_complex ■ Part_prismatic_complex ■ Part_sheet_profiled ■ Section_profile_centreline ■ feature_cutting_plane ■ feature_edge_chamfer ■ feature_surface ■ feature_thread ■ feature_volume_complex ■ feature_volume_curved ■ feature_volume_hole ■ Element_volume ■ Element_surface ■ Element_point ■ Element_curve_complex ■ Element_with_material ■ Joint_system_amorphous ■ Joint_system_chemical ■
■ Tee ■ Angle ■ Channel ■ Circle ■ Rectangle ■ Double Angle ■ Joist Supported AISC Section Profile Types The reader supports all AISC defined section profile types and maps them to the basic section profile types: ■ I-Beam: HP, M, S, W ■ Tee: MT, ST, WT ■ Angle: L, LP ■ Channel: C, MC ■ Circle: HSRO, P, PX, PXX, RB ■ Rectangle: HSRE, HSSQ, SB, TS ■ Double Angle: DL, DLL, DLS See also: ■ “CIS2 File Reader Options” on page 488 DWG/DXF File Reader The DWG/DXF file reader uses Auto
■ Hyperlinks ■ Text or multi-line text ■ Entity handles ■ Attributes ■ Textures ■ File properties Unsupported Entities ■ Lights ■ Splines ■ Multi-lines ■ Linetypes ■ Dimensions and leaders ■ Raster bitmaps ■ Construction lines (xlines and rays) ■ Hatching See also: ■ “DWG/DXF File Reader Options” on page 491 Overview of Object Enablers Object Enablers (OEs) can be thought of as a ‘translator’ for custom objects.
2 On the OE Setup page, select the check box for the relevant Autodesk Navisworks products. NOTE Some OEs have dependencies on other OEs, and, therefore, must be installed in a specific order. For example, the AutoCAD MEP 2009 OE has a dependency on the AutoCAD Architecture 2009 OE. As a result, the AutoCAD MEP 2009 OE must be installed after the AutoCAD Architecture OE. 3 Click Install. When the OE is installed, click Finish. 4 Run Autodesk Navisworks. 5 Click the application button ➤ Options.
■ 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 See also: ■ “DWF File Reader Options” on page 490 DGN File Reader Autodesk Navisworks can read 3D DGN and PRP files from Bentley's MicroStation, but does not support CEL files or 2D DGN files.
See also: ■ “DGN File Reader Options” on page 489 Faro Scan File Reader The file reader supports files from all Faro™ scanners. Combined iQscan files must be located in a folder called ‘Scans’ in the same directory as the associated iQmod and iQwsp workspace files. See also: ■ “Faro Scan File Reader Options” on page 493 FBX File Reader The file reader supports Autodesk FBX files.
■ 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 ■ Property sets, including simple and complex properties Unsupported Entities ■ Voided BReps ■ Bounded half-space solids ■ Complex parametric profiles ■ BSpline curves ■ Curve styles
■ Circular or conic arcs ■ Composite, parametric spline, B-spline, or offset curves ■ Boundaries ■ Attributes See also: ■ “IGES File Reader Options” on page 494 Inventor File Reader The file reader supports IPT (part), IAM (assembly) and IPJ (project) file formats. IDW (drawing) file format cannot be read. The reader supports files from Autodesk® Inventor® 2011 and earlier. Later versions should also work, but haven't been tested.
■ PMI manager meta data ■ Models with facet-based or primitive-based color and normal ■ Texture ■ HSV color model ■ B-Rep CAD tag ■ Line style attribute ■ Point style attribute ■ Shader effects attribute ■ Vertex shader attribute ■ Fragment shader attribute ■ Infinite light attribute ■ Point light attribute ■ Wireframe segment ■ LOD See also: ■ “JTOpen File Reader Options” on page 495 Leica Scan File Reader The file reader supports files from all Leica™ HDS scanners.
■ Object axis texture space is equivalent to the Autodesk Navisworks box texture space ■ Auto axis and object XY axis texture spaces are treated as the Autodesk Navisworks box texture space ■ Grid background is treated as a plain background using the background color, that is grid lines are not shown ■ Foreground and environment shaders are ignored NOTE All other shaders, as of MicroGDS 7.2, are correctly imported into Autodesk Navisworks.
See also: ■ “PDS File Reader Options” on page 497 Riegl Scan File Reader The file reader supports files from all Riegl™ LMS scanners. Supported Entities ■ Points ■ Triangles Unsupported Entities ■ No other entities are supported See also: ■ “Riegl File Reader Options” on page 497 RVM File Reader The file reader supports the following file formats: ■ Binary and ASCII RVM files exported from AVEVA’s PDMS™ product ■ Dump Attributes and Data (also called “OUTPUT”) attribute files, with the .att, .
■ Autotags See also: ■ “RVM File Reader Options” on page 497 SAT File Reader The file reader supports ACIS SAT files. See also: ■ SAT File Reader Options on page 498 SketchUp SKP File Reader The file reader supports native SKP file format.
■ 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) Unsupported Entities ■ Points ■ PCurves, B-spline, rational B-spline, Bezier, trimmed, uniform or quasi-uniform curves.
■ 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 ASCII Text, VRML2 Text, and FontStyle nodes). See also: ■ “VRML File Reader Options” on page 500 Z+F Scan File Reader The file reader supports files from all Z+F™ IMAGER scanners.
See also: ■ “DWG File Exporter Options” on page 501 Add the ARX Plugin You can either add the ARX plugin to Exporter Plugins installation, or load it manually in AutoCAD-based software. To add the ARX plugin to Exporter Plugins installation 1 In the Control Panel, double-click Add or Remove Programs. 2 In the Add or Remove Programs dialog box, click Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 Exporter Plugins, and then click Change/Remove in Windows XP or Uninstall/Change in Vista.
To load the Autodesk Navisworks export menu 1 At the command line, type MENULOAD. 2 Press Return. 3 In the Load/Unload Customizations dialog box, click Browse. 4 In the Select Customization File dialog box, change the Files of Type to Legacy Menu Template (*.mnu), and browse to the Autodesk Navisworks menu file. NOTE For AutoCAD 20xx based applications, this file is located under C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\Navisworks\2011\NWExport20xx\lwnw_export.mnu.
Quick Reference Buttons The Navigator toolbar contains the following buttons. Button Description Synchronizes the model in the Navigator window with the AutoCAD model. The Navigator window is not updated automatically. Click this button every time you want to navigate around the latest model. Changes the current AutoCAD view to the view in the Navigator window. Changes the view in the Navigator window to the current AutoCAD view.
Button Description mode. Holding down the CTRL key temporarily switches this mode to pan mode. Selects fly mode. 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 zoom in and out respectively, and the LEFT ARROW and RIGHT ARROW keys spin the camera left and right respectively. Holding down the SHIFT key speeds up this movement.
■ Wireframe - renders the model in wireframe; all triangle edges are visible in this mode. ■ Hidden Line - renders the model in hidden line; this is equivalent to rendering model as shaded and wireframe at the same time. The output is low quality as all the facet edges in the model are visible. Lighting Selects lighting mode for your model. Choose from: ■ No Lights - turns off lighting. The model is shaded with flat rendering.
3 Expand the File Exporters node in the Options Editor, and click the Revit page. Use the options on this page to adjust the settings for future exports of NWC files from Revit. 4 Click OK to save the changes and return to the Export Scene As dialog box. 5 Click Cancel to close the dialog box. MicroStation File Exporter Autodesk Navisworks comes with MDL plugins for MicroStation™ 95, SE, J, v8, and v8.9, and enables you to export files into NWC file format.
Export Files from the Key-In Command Line You can export files from the key-in command line individually or in batches. You can also add the commands to the Key-In menu to speed up the process. To use the key-in command line to export files 1 Click Utilities ➤ Key-In to open the Key-In dialog box. 2 To export an NWC file, type nwcout. NOTE To export the current design file quickly, you can use the batchnwcout command. The explorer replaces the design file extension (usually .dgn) with .
3 In the Environment Variables dialog box, double-click Path under System Variables. 4 In the Edit System Variable dialog box, add the path to the MicroStation application to the Variable Value field. NOTE Paths must be separated with a semicolon (;). 5 Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog boxes. To use the command line to export files 1 On the Start menu, click Run in Windows XP or press Windows + R on the keyboard in Vista.
4 Click Save to export the file, or Cancel to return to the application without exporting it. NOTE Any textures applied to the Viz or Max model are saved in a directory with the same name as the exported file, but with a _presenter_maps suffix. All textures are converted into BMP files and saved into this directory for use with Navisworks. To add the Navisworks utility menu 1 Click the More button on the Utilities panel. 2 In the Utilities dialog box, select Navisworks 2011 option, and click OK.
To export from 2D window 1 Click File ➤ Save As. 2 In the Save As dialog box, select Navisworks 2011 (*.nwc) in the Save As Type field. 3 Enter the name for the Navisworks file, and browse to the desired storage location. 4 Click Save to begin the export process. 5 In the Export dialog box adjust the file exporter options: ■ Export GUIDs - select this check box to attach a Globally Unique IDentifier as a property to each item in the model.
Manage Files Open Files To open files in Autodesk Navisworks, you can either use a standard Open dialog box or drag and drop files directly into the Selection Tree window. NOTE If the chosen file is a CAD or laser scan file, Autodesk Navisworks automatically uses an appropriate file reader to open it, provided this file format is supported. Autodesk Navisworks keeps a list of recently opened files (by default, up to 4 files are shown).
As a rule of thumb, use an NWF file format to save the scene you created by bringing all model files together, and an NWD file format when you simply want a snapshot of your current work. Both formats store the review markups, but NWD file stores the file geometry, while NWF file stores the links to original files. This makes NWF files considerably smaller in size.
3 Click Save. To publish an NWD file 1 Open the file that you want to publish (NWD or NWF). 2 Click the application button ➤ Publish . 3 Use the Publish dialog box to enter the document information, and specify the required document protection. The text boxes in this dialog box remember history of up to five last entries. Clicking the down arrow on the far right side of the text box lets you select an entry instead of re-typing it. 4 Click OK.
Ribbon: Output tab ➤ Publish panel ➤ NWD Toolbar: Classic user interface: Standard ➤ Publish Complex Models You can use Navisworks files to build complex models. When you bring files from different sources into the same scene, Autodesk Navisworks automatically aligns rotation and origin of models, and rescales the units in each file to match display units. If the rotation, origin, or file units are incorrect for the scene, you can manually adjust them for each of the opened files.
Adjust File Units and Transform For each appended file, you can change the file units, and modify the model’s rotation, origin, and scale. It is recommended to adjust file units first, before attempting to fix the problems with model alignment. To change file units in a loaded file 1 Right-click the desired file in the Selection Tree, and click File Units and Transform on the shortcut menu. 2 In the File Units and Transform dialog box, select the required format in the Units drop-down list. 3 Click OK.
5 Click OK. Refresh Files When working in Autodesk 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 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.
Email Files You can send and receive Navisworks files by email. To send an open Autodesk Navisworks file, click the application button ➤ Send by Email . Autodesk Navisworks saves your file first, and then opens the available mail software and attaches your file to a blank email message. You can email both NWD and NWF files, although the size of an NWD file will be considerably larger.
To generate a list of all design files used in the current model 1 In Autodesk Navisworks application, open the desired Autodesk Navisworks file, and click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ Batch Utility . 2 The Autodesk Navisworks Batch Utility dialog box is displayed, and the path to the current model is automatically added to the Input area of the dialog box. 3 In the Output area, As Single File tab, click the Browse button.
Alternatively, you can click the Add File Spec button. This will make Autodesk Navisworks convert the files located in the selected folder. The option chosen in the File Type menu determines which files are converted. 3 In the Output area, As Single File tab, click the Browse button. 4 In the Save Output As dialog box, browse to the desired folder, and enter the name for the new file. 5 In the Save as Type drop-down list, select the required file format (NWD or NWF), and click Save.
3 In the Output area, As Multiple Files tab, choose the location for the converted files. By default, files are created in the same location as source files. If you want to change the output location, select the Output to Directory radio button, and click the Browse button. Use the Browse for Folder dialog box to select the desired folder. 4 Select the Increment Output File Names radio button if you want to append a four digit number to the end of file name. By default, the old output files are overwritten.
6 Select the Increment Output File Names radio button to append a four digit number to the end of file name. By default, the old output files are overwritten. 7 Click the Schedule Command button. 8 In the Save Task File As dialog box browse to the desired location, and click the Save button. 9 In the Schedule Task dialog box, change the task name, if required, and enter your user name and password. Click OK.
NOTE Task Scheduling does not work for Windows XP/2000 users running local accounts (that is, not on a domain) without passwords. 8 In the Windows Task Scheduler, the Schedule tab, click the New button, and specify when and how often the task is to run. You can add as many schedules as necessary. 9 Click OK. To create a log file 1 In Autodesk Navisworks application, click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ Batch Utility . 2 In the Log area, select the Log Events To check box. 3 Click the Browse button.
Command Line Options for Batch Utility You can use command line switches to covert files with the Batch Utility. To do this, you need to create a list of files that you want to process. This file must be a UTF-8 encoded text file containing file paths or file specs, one on each lines, and without any quotation marks. For example: C:\My Documents\Test\C3D_Site.dwg C:\My Documents\Test\Architectural Model.rvt C:\My Documents\Test\C3D.
"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Navisworks Manage 2011\FileToolsTaskRunner.exe" /i "C:\Conference Center\filetools.txt" /of "C:\Conference Center\conference.nwd" /log "C:\Conference Center\events.log" /lang fr-fr View Scene Statistics Scene statistics display information about the current scene. Scene statistics list all 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.
154 | Chapter 5 Work with Files
Explore Your Model Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 enables you to walk through a scene in real time. 6 Navigate a Scene In Autodesk Navisworks, you have a variety of options for navigating your scene. You can directly manipulate your position in 3D space with navigation tools on the navigation bar. You can also use StreeringWheels® that travel with the cursor, and can save you time by combining many of the common navigation tools into a single interface.
NOTE Changing the viewpoint up vector affects navigation in modes that rely on the “up” direction of the current viewpoint, such as Walk, Constrained Orbit, and Orbit. It also has an impact on section views. To align the viewpoint up vector to the current view ■ In Scene View, right-click and click Viewpoint ➤ Set Viewpoint Up ➤ Set Up on the shortcut menu. To align the viewpoint up vector to one of the preset axes 1 In Scene View, right-click and click Viewpoint ➤ Set Viewpoint Up.
In Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011, some classic navigation tools have been replaced with new navigation tools. See the table below for more details.
■ Zoom . Standard click/drag zoom. ■ Zoom Selected ■ Zoom All . Zooms in/out to show the selected geometry. . Zooms out to show the whole scene. Zoom Window The tool is activated by clicking Zoom Window in the Zoom drop-down on the navigation bar. It behaves the same way as the classic Zoom Box mode. Zoom The tool is activated by clicking Zoom in the Zoom drop-down on the navigation bar. It behaves the same way as the Zoom tool available on the SteeringWheels.
2 In the Options Editor, the Navigation Bar page under the Interface node, select the Use Classic Orbit check box in the Orbit Tools area. 3 Click OK. To use the classic Examine tool with the navigation bar 1 On the navigation bar, click Customize ➤ Navigation Bar Options. 2 In the Options Editor, the Navigation Bar page under the Interface node, select the Use Classic Free Orbit (Examine) check box in the Orbit Tools area. 3 Click OK.
Walk The tool is activated by clicking Walk in the Walk/Fly drop-down on the navigation bar. By default, the tool behaves like the Walk tool on the SteeringWheels. You can customize the tool options in the Options Editor. You can also switch back to the classic Walk mode. Fly The tool is activated by clicking Fly in the Walk/Fly drop-down on the navigation bar. It behaves the same way as the classic Fly mode.
4 Release the button on your pointing device when the sphere is displayed. The model is panned until the sphere is centered. To specify the target point for the Zoom and Orbit tools 1 Display one of the Full Navigation wheels or the big View Object wheel. 2 Click and hold down the Center wedge. 3 Drag the cursor over the desired location of the model. 4 Release the button on your pointing device when the sphere is displayed. The model is panned until the sphere is centered.
Look Tool With the Look tool, you can rotate the current view vertically and horizontally. When rotating the view, your line of sight rotates about the current eye position, like turning your head. The Look tool can be compared to standing in a fixed location, and looking up, down, left or right. When using the Look tool, you adjust the view of the model by dragging the cursor. As you drag, the cursor changes to the Look cursor and the model rotates around the location of the current view.
3 Drag to change the direction in which you are looking. 4 While holding down the button on your pointing device, press the arrow keys to walk in the model. 5 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel. 6 Click Close to exit the wheel. To invert the vertical axis for the Look tool 1 Display a wheel. 2 Right-click the wheel, and click SteeringWheels Options.
you drag horizontally, the camera moves parallel to the XY plane. If you drag vertically, the camera moves along the Z axis. If the up direction is not maintained, you can roll the model using the roll ring which is centered around the pivot point. Use the properties dialog box for the SteeringWheels to control whether the up direction is maintained or not for the Orbit tool. To orbit a model with the Orbit tool 1 Display one of the View Object or Full Navigation wheels.
To maintain the up direction for the Orbit tool 1 Display the mini View Object wheel or one of the Full Navigation wheels. 2 Right-click the wheel, and click SteeringWheels Options. 3 In the Options Editor, the SteeringWheels page under the Interface node, select the Keep Scene Upright check box in the Orbit Tool area. 4 Click OK. Orbiting the model is constrained along the XY plane and Z directions.
To pan the view with the Pan tool 1 Display one of the Full Navigation wheels, or the mini View Object wheel. 2 Click and hold the Pan wedge. The cursor changes to the Pan cursor. 3 Drag to reposition the model. 4 Release the button on your pointing device to return to the wheel. To start the Pan tool with the middle mouse button 1 Display one of the Full Navigation wheels, or the mini View Object wheel. 2 Press and hold down the scroll wheel or middle button. The cursor changes to the Pan cursor.
Dragging to the left restores an older previous view. Dragging to the right restores a view that is newer than the one you are currently viewing. You must have previously used the Rewind tool to see views available on the right. The current position in the navigation history is indicated by the orange box that is dragged along the Rewind History panel. Up/Down Tool Unlike the Pan tool, you use the Up/Down tool to adjust the height of the current viewpoint along the model's Z axis.
elevation; if the walk angle is not constrained, you will “fly” in the direction you are looking. Use the Options Editor to constrain the movement angle to the world up vector for the Walk tool. Use Viewpoint Linear Speed By default, the linear navigation speed in viewpoints is directly related to the size of your model.
2 Right-click the wheel, and click SteeringWheels Options. 3 In the Options Editor, the SteeringWheels page under the Interface node, select the Use Viewpoint Linear Speed check box in the Walk Tool area. 4 Click OK. To adjust the height of the current view from the Walk tool 1 Display one of the Full Navigation wheels or the mini Tour Building wheel. 2 Click and hold down the Walk wedge. The cursor changes to the Walk cursor and the Center Circle icon is displayed.
2 Display a wheel that has the Zoom tool. 3 Click the Zoom wedge. The magnification of the model is increased and you are zoomed in closer to the model. If you hold down the SHIFT key while clicking the Zoom wedge, the model is zoomed out; you can hold down the CTRL key to zoom in. To zoom a view in and out by dragging 1 Display one of the Full Navigation wheels, or one of the View Object wheels. 2 Click and hold down the Zoom wedge. The cursor changes to the Zoom cursor.
■ CTRL+click and drag. When using the Full Navigation wheels or the mini View Object wheel, you can control the target point used by the Zoom tool. By holding down the CTRL key, the Zoom tool uses the location of the previous pivot point defined by the Zoom, Orbit, or Center tool. ■ SHIFT+click and drag. When using the Full Navigation wheels or the mini View Object wheel, you can zoom in to an area of the model by dragging a rectangular window around the area you want to fit in the window.
Mode Description tion and gives the effect that you are moving your head around. Zoom. Enables you to zoom into and out of the model. Cursor up zooms in and cursor down zooms out. Zoom to a Box. Enables you to drag a box so that the contents of the box fill the view. Pan. Enables you to pan the model rather than the camera. Orbit. 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. Examine.
As walk mode is camera-centric, this mode differs from the normal pan mode in that the camera is moved rather than the model. 4 To tilt the camera up and down, spin the mouse wheel. Menu: Classic user interface: Viewpoint ➤ Navigation Mode ➤ Walk Command entry: CTRL + 2 Look Around Mode In Look Around mode, you can rotate the current view vertically and horizontally. When rotating the view, your line of sight rotates about the current eye position, like turning your head.
Zoom Box Mode In Zoom Box mode, you can zoom into an area of the model by dragging a rectangular box around the area you want to fit in the Scene View. To zoom in to an area of the model by specifying box 1 Click Zoom Box on the Navigation Mode toolbar. 2 Drag a box with the left mouse button over the Scene View to fill the view with the contents of the box. NOTE Holding down the SHIFT or CTRL keys, or spinning the mouse wheel, temporarily enables normal Zoom mode.
To orbit a model 1 Click Orbit on the Navigation Mode toolbar. 2 To rotate the camera around the model, drag the left mouse button, or using the cursor keys. NOTE Holding down the SHIFT key, or spinning the mouse wheel, temporarily enables normal Zoom mode. 3 To glide the camera, hold down the CTRL key as you drag the mouse. The camera glides left and right and up and down. As orbit mode is camera-centric, this mode differs from normal pan mode in that the camera is moved rather than the model.
To use Fly mode to move through the model 1 Click Fly on the Navigation Mode toolbar. 2 Hold down the left mouse button to move 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. NOTE Holding down the SHIFT key speeds up this movement. 3 Use the up and down cursor keys to zoom the camera in and out respectively; use the left and right cursor keys to spin the camera left and right respectively.
Using this function dollies and pans the camera so that the entire model is shown in the current view, which is very useful if you get lost inside a model or lose it completely. Occasionally, you may get a blank view. This is usually because there are items that are very small in comparison to the main model, or items that are located a long way away from the main model.
Use the Compass The compass is displayed below the ViewCube tool and indicates which direction North is defined for the model. You can click a cardinal direction letter on the compass to rotate the model, or you can click and drag one of the cardinal direction letters or the compass ring to interactively rotate the model around the pivot point. Drag or Click ViewCube When you drag or click the ViewCube tool, the view of the model reorients around a pivot point.
3 Click OK. To display the compass for the ViewCube 1 Right-click the ViewCube tool, and click ViewCube Options. 2 In the Options Editor, the ViewCube page under the Interface node, select Show Compass Below the ViewCube. 3 Click OK. The compass is displayed below the ViewCube tool and indicates the direction of north for the model.
■ Set Current View as Front. Defines the Front view of the model based on the current view. ■ Reset Front. Resets the Front view of the model to its default orientation. ■ ViewCube Options. Displays the Options Editor where you can adjust the appearance and behavior of the ViewCube tool. ■ Help. Launches the online Help system and displays the topic for the ViewCube tool. Reorient the View of a Model with ViewCube ViewCube is used to reorient the current view of a model.
Switch to an Adjacent Face When the ViewCube tool is active while viewing a model from one of the face views, four orthogonal triangles are displayed near the ViewCube tool. You use these triangles to switch to one of the adjacent face views. Front View You can define the Front view of a model to define the direction of the face views on the ViewCube tool. Along with the Front view, the up direction of a model is also used to define the direction of the face views on the ViewCube tool.
To use animated transitions when reorienting a view to a preset orientation 1 Right-click the ViewCube tool, and click ViewCube Options. 2 In the Options Editor, the ViewCube page under the Interface node, select Use Animated Transitions When Switching Views. When checked, transitions from one view to another appear animated when clicking a predefined area on the ViewCube tool. 3 Click OK. To automatically fit the model after a view orientation 1 Right-click the ViewCube tool, and click ViewCube Options.
Orthographic projection mode makes it easier to work with a model due to all the edges of the model appearing as the same size, regardless of the distance from the camera. Orthographic projection mode though, is not how you commonly see objects in the real world. Objects in the real world are seen in perspective projection. So when you want to generate a rendering or hidden line view of a model, using perspective projection will give the model a more realistic look.
If Lock to Selection is checked when a view orientation change occurs, the selected objects are used to calculate the center of the view and the view zooms to the extents of the selected objects. When cleared, the selected objects are used to calculate the center of the view and the view zooms to the extents of the model. To examine an individual object with ViewCube 1 In the model, select one or more objects to define the centerpoint of the view.
Reposition and Reorient the Navigation Bar The position and orientation of the navigation bar can be adjusted by linking it to the ViewCube tool, docking it when the ViewCube tool is not displayed, or freely positioning it along one of the edges of the current window. When linked to the ViewCube tool, the navigation bar is positioned below the ViewCube tool and in a vertical orientation. When not linked or docked, the navigation bar can be freely aligned along one of the edges of the Scene View.
NOTE The ViewCube button is displayed on the navigation bar only when the ViewCube tool is hidden in the Scene View. To customize the navigation bar 1 On the navigation bar, click Customize. 2 On the Customize menu, click the navigation tool you want to display on the navigation bar. A check mark next to a navigation tool’s name indicates it is displayed on the navigation bar. Uncheck the navigation tool to remove it from the navigation bar.
big wheel is larger than the cursor, and labels are shown on the wheel wedges. The mini wheel is about the same size as the cursor, and labels are not displayed on the wheel wedges. Big Full Navigation Wheel Mini Full Navigation Wheel The size of a wheel controls how large or small the wedges and labels appear on the wheel; the opacity level controls the visibility of the objects in the model behind the wheel.
3 In the Options Editor, the SteeringWheels page under the Interface node, select the Show Tooltips check box in the On-Screen Messages area. Tooltips are displayed for each wedge and button on a wheel when the cursor moves over the wheel. 4 Click OK. To enable tool messages for wheels 1 Display a wheel. 2 Right-click the wheel, and click SteeringWheels Options. 3 In the Options Editor, the SteeringWheels page under the Interface node, select the Show Tool Messages check box in the On-Screen Messages area.
■ Fit to Window. Resizes and centers the current view to display all objects in the Scene View. This is equivalent to clicking View All on the Navigation Tools toolbar in the Classic user interface. ■ Restore Original Center. Restores the center point of the view to the extents of the model. ■ Level Camera. Orients the camera such that it is level with the 'ground'.
NOTE When the mini wheel is displayed, you can press and hold the middle mouse button to pan, scroll the wheel button to zoom in and out, and hold the SHIFT key while pressing and holding the middle mouse button to orbit the model. To switch to the mini View Object wheel ■ Right-click the wheel, and click Advanced Wheels ➤ Mini View Object Wheel.
NOTE When the mini wheel is displayed, you can press and hold the middle mouse button to pan, scroll the wheel button to zoom in and out, and hold the SHIFT key while pressing and holding the middle mouse button to orbit the model. To switch to the mini Tour Building wheel ■ Right-click the wheel, and click Advanced Wheels ➤ Mini Tour Building Wheel.
Mini Full Navigation Wheel The mini Full Navigation wheel wedges have the following options: ■ Zoom (Top wedge). Adjusts the magnification of the current view. ■ Walk (Upper right wedge). Simulates walking through a model. ■ Rewind (Right wedge). Restores the most recent view. You can move backward or forward by clicking and dragging left or right. ■ Up/Down (Lower right wedge). Slides the current view of a model along the Z axis of the model. ■ Pan (Bottom wedge).
Control the Field of View You can define the area of the scene that can be viewed through the camera. For the current viewpoint, you can move the FOV slider on the ribbon to adjust the Horizontal Field of View. For previously saved viewpoints, you can use the Edit Viewpoint dialog box on page 466 to adjust the values for both vertical and horizontal angles of view.
The tilt angle is indicated in the scene's units below (negative) or above (positive) horizontal (0) at the base of the window. You can use the Tilt window with the Walk tool on the navigation bar to look up and down. If your mouse has a wheel, you can use it to adjust the tilt angle. To toggle the Tilt window ■ Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Camera panel ➤ Show Tilt Bar . Command entry: CTRL + F7 To roll camera up/down ■ Drag the slider up or down on the Tilt window to roll the camera.
When you align the camera position along one of the axis: ■ Aligning with X axis toggles between front and back face views. ■ Aligning with Y axis toggles between left and right face views. ■ Aligning with Z axis toggles between top and bottom face views. NOTE You can customize the location of the front face by using the ViewCube tool. This change is global, and affects all viewpoints. To align with X-axis ■ Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Camera panel ➤ Align Camera drop-down ➤ Align X .
■ Position Readout. Shows the absolute X, Y, Z position of the camera (or the avatar's eye position if the avatar is visible). The Position Readout is located at the bottom-left of the Scene View. To toggle XYZ Axes 1 Click View tab ➤ Navigation Aids panel ➤ HUD drop-down. 2 Select or clear the XYZ Axes check box. To toggle Position Readout 1 Click View tab ➤ Navigation Aids panel ➤ HUD drop-down. 2 Select or clear the Position Readout check box.
To use the Plan View 1 Click View tab ➤ Navigation Aids panel ➤ Reference Views drop-down ➤ Plan View check box. The Plan View window opens with the reference view of the model. 2 Drag the triangular marker on the reference view into a new location. The camera in the Scene View changes its position to match the position of the marker in the view. Alternatively, navigate to a different location in the Scene View.
Option Description Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Left, Right, or Current Viewpoint. Selecting the Current Viewpoint option sets the reference view to the view in the active navigation viewpoint. Update Current Viewpoint Sets the active navigation viewpoint to the view in the reference view. Edit Viewpoint Opens the Edit Viewpoint dialog box, and enables you to modify the settings for the corresponding reference view.
2 Click Item Tools tab ➤ Hold panel ➤ Hold . The selected objects are now held and will move with you through the model when you use navigation tools, such as Walk, Pan and so on. 3 To release the held objects, click Hold on the ribbon again. 4 If you want to reset the objects to their original position, click Item Tools tab ➤ Transform panel ➤ Reset Transform .
Collision 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.
Using third person in connection with collision and gravity makes this a very powerful function, allowing you to visualize exactly how a person would interact with the intended design. You can customize settings, such as avatar selection, dimension, and positioning, for the current viewpoint or as a global option. When third person view is turned on, rendering prioritization is changed so that objects around the camera or avatar are displayed with much higher detail than normal.
13 You can also change the size of the avatar by changing the Height and the Radius values in the Viewer area. 14 Click OK. 15 Restart Autodesk Navisworks.
Control Model Appearance and Render Quality 7 You can control both the appearance of the model in the Scene View and the quality of rendering in real time. Control Model Appearance You can use the tools on the Render Style panel on the Viewpoint tab to control how your model is displayed in the Scene View.
NOTE Autodesk Navisworks does not convert all native CAD file’s textures. For more details, see “Use File Readers” on page 113 and “Use File Exporters” on page 129. To select Full Render mode ■ . Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Render Style panel ➤ Mode drop-down, and click Full Render Menu: Classic user interface: Viewpoint ➤ Rendering ➤ Full Render Shaded In Shaded mode, the model is rendered with smooth shading and without textures.
Full Lights This mode uses lights that have been defined with the Presenter tool. To use lights defined with the Presenter tool Viewpoint tab ➤ Render Style panel ➤ Lighting drop-down, and click Full Lights ■ . Menu: Classic user interface: Viewpoint ➤ Lighting ➤ Full Lights Scene Lights This mode uses the lights that have been brought through from the native CAD file. If no lights are available, two default opposing lights are used instead.
To adjust Head Light intensity 1 Click Home tab ➤ Project panel ➤ File Options . 2 In the File Options dialog box, click the Headlight tab. 3 Move the Ambient slider to adjust the brightness of the scene, and the Headlight slider to adjust the brightness of the directional light. TIP Turning on Head Light mode before following this procedure lets you instantly see the effect your changes have on the scene rendering. 4 Click OK. No Lights This mode switches off all lights.
Plain background ■ Graduated - the background of the 3D scene is filled with a smooth gradient between the two selected colors. Graduated background ■ Horizon - the background of the 3D scene is split across the horizontal plane giving the effect of a sky and the ground. The resulting artificial horizon gives you an indication of your orientation in the 3D world. By default, the artificial horizon respects the world up vector as set in File Options ➤ Orientation.
3 Select the first color from the Top Color palette. 4 Select the second color from the Bottom Color palette. 5 Review the new background effect in the preview box, and click OK. To set an artificial horizon background 1 Click View tab ➤ Scene View ➤ Background . 2 In the Background Settings dialog box, select Horizon in the Mode drop-down list. 3 To set a graduated sky color, use the Sky Color and Horizon Sky Color palettes.
Points Points are real points in the model, for example, the points in a point cloud in a laser scan file. You can toggle the rendering of points in the model. You can also change the size of drawn points by using the Options Editor. To toggle the rendering of points . Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Render Style panel ➤ Points ■ Menu: Classic user interface: Viewpoint ➤ Display ➤ Points To change the size of points 1 Click the application button ➤ Options.
Control Render Quality Use Culling Culling lets you navigate and manipulate large and complex scenes at interactive rates by intelligently hiding less-important objects as you work. In Autodesk Navisworks, you can use the following methods of culling objects: ■ Area - the objects’ size in pixels determines whether the objects are rendered or not. By default, any objects smaller than 1x1 pixels in size are discarded.
4 Select Automatic for the Far clipping plane. 5 Click OK. Autodesk Navisworks automatically controls the position of near and far clipping planes to give you the best view of the model. To constrain the position of the clipping planes manually 1 Click Home tab ➤ Project panel ➤ File Options . 2 In the File Options dialog box, click the Culling tab. 3 Select Constrained for the Near clipping plane, and enter the desired value in the Distance box.
Control Rendering of Objects Adjust Scene Rendering During Navigation Your models can range in size from small models to complex supermodels. As you navigate a scene in real time, Autodesk Navisworks automatically calculates which items to render first, based on the size of items, distance from the camera, and the specified frame rate. This customizable frame rate is guaranteed by default, but can be turned off, if necessary. Items that Autodesk Navisworks does not have time to render are dropped out.
2 In the Options Editor, expand the Interface node, and click the Display option. 3 On the Display page, Transparency area, select the Interactive Transparency check box. 4 Click OK. To render parametric primitives NOTE Modifying this option requires a restart of Autodesk Navisworks to take effect. 1 Click the application button ➤ Options. 2 In the Options Editor, expand the Interface node, and click the Display option.
Adjust Presenter Materials You can adjust the appearance of Presenter materials in the Scene View to get optimum performance from your graphics card when navigating around heavily textured scenes. See also: ■ “Presenter Page” on page 507 Stereo Rendering Stereoscopic viewing in Autodesk 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 dedicated projectors.
Review Your Model 8 Select Objects With large models it is potentially a very time-consuming process to select items of interest. Autodesk Navisworks makes this a much simpler task by providing a range of functions for quickly selecting geometry both interactively and by searching the model manually and automatically. Interactive Geometry Selection In Autodesk Navisworks, there is a concept of an active selection set (the currently selected items, or the current selection) and saved selections sets.
Autodesk Navisworks uses this hierarchical structure to identify object-specific paths (from the file name down to a particular object). By default there are four tabs: ■ Standard. Displays the default tree hierarchy, including all instancing. The contents of this tab can be sorted alphabetically. ■ Compact. Displays a simplified version of the hierarchy on the Standard tab, omitting various items. You can customize the level of complexity of this tree in the Options Editor. ■ Properties.
NOTE When you select an item in the tree, individual geometry or a group of geometry is selected in the Scene View depending on chosen selection resolution. 3 To select several items at the same time, use the SHIFT and CTRL keys. CTRL allows multiple selection item by item, and SHIFT allows multiple selection between the first and last items selected. 4 To remove selection from an object in the Selection Tree press ESC.
Icon Description A composite object. A single CAD object that is represented in Autodesk Navisworks by a group of geometry items. Saved selection set. Saved search set. Selection Tools There are two selection tools (Select and Select Box to control the way you select geometry.
TIP Holding down the SHIFT key while dragging the box selects all items within and that intersect the box. 3 To select multiple geometry, press and hold down the CTRL key while dragging a box in the scene. 4 To remove items from the current selection, press the ESC key. To set the pick radius 1 Click the application button ➤ Options. 2 In the Options Editor, expand the Interface node, and click the Selection option.
Quick Reference The selection commands are as follows: ■ Select All. Selects all items contained within the model. ■ Select None. Deselects everything in the model. ■ Invert Selection. Currently selected items become deselected and vice versa. ■ Sets. Provides you with options to save and recall selection and search sets. ■ Select Multiple Instances. Selects all instances (sometimes called insertions) of the currently selected geometry group that occur in the model. ■ Select Same Name.
Quick Reference The available options for selection resolution are as follows: ■ Model. Makes the object path start at the model node; as a result, all objects in the model are selected. ■ Layer. Makes the object path start at the layer node; as a result all objects within a layer are selected. ■ First Object. Makes the object path start at the highest level of objects below the layer node, if applicable. ■ Last Object. Makes the object path start at the lowest level of objects in the Selection Tree.
To toggle highlighting of selected objects 1 Click the application button ➤ Options. 2 In the Options Editor, expand the Interface node, and click the Selection option. 3 On the Selection page, Highlight area, select the Enabled check box, if you want the selected items to be highlighted in the Scene View. Clear this check box, if you don’t want any highlighting. 4 Click OK. To customize the way objects are highlighted 1 Click the application button ➤ Options.
To make unselected items hidden 1 In the Scene View, select all items you want to review. 2 Click Home tab ➤ Visibility panel ➤ Hide Unselected . Only the selected geometry remains visible. TIP Clicking Hide Unselected again displays the invisible objects. Menu: Classic user interface: Edit ➤ Hide Unselected Shortcut menu: Hide Unselected To reveal all hidden objects ■ Click Home tab ➤ Visibility panel ➤ Unhide All drop-down ➤ Unhide All .
NOTE The list of the items on the Sets tab is exactly the same as the list on the Sets window. The right pane enables you to add the search statements (or conditions). And the buttons enable you to find the qualifying items in your scene. Defining Search Statements A search statement contains a property (a combination of category name and property name), a condition operator, and a value to be tested against the selected property. For example, you can search for Material that Contains Chrome.
e If you want to make your search statement case-insensitive, right-click it, and click Ignore String Value Case. 4 Define more search statements, if required. By default, all statements are ANDed. This means that they all need to be true for an item to be selected. You can make a statement use OR logic, by right-clicking it and clicking Or Condition. If you are using two statements, and marked the second one as ORed, this means that an item will be selected if either of these statements is true.
■ <=. Less Than or Equals; can be used to evaluate numerical property types only. ■ Contains. To qualify for the search, a property must contain the specified value (for example, series of letters within a string). ■ Wildcard. Enables you to use wildcards in the Value field to allow matching against any character (?) or an arbitrary sequence of characters (*). ■ Defined. To qualify for the search, a property must have some value defined. ■ Undefined.
Buttons Find First Finds the first qualifying item, and selects it in the Scene View and the Selection Tree. Find Next Finds the next qualifying item, and selects it in the Scene View and the Selection Tree. Find All Finds all qualifying items, and highlights them in the Scene View and the Selection Tree. TIP Click Home tab ➤ Visibility ➤ Hide Unselected to display only the search results in the Scene View. Quick Find To locate and select the objects quickly, use the Quick Find feature.
The selection sets are identified by this icon: , and the search sets are identified by this icon: . NOTE The list of the items on the Sets window is exactly the same as the list on the Sets tab of the Selection Tree. You can customize the names of selection and search sets, and add comments. You can copy and paste names from the Sets window. To do this, right-click an item in the Sets window, and click Copy Name on the context menu.
■ Add Current Search. Saves the current search as a search set in the list. This set contains the current search criteria. ■ Make Visible. If the geometry in the selected search or selection set is hidden, you can use this option to make it visible. ■ Add Copy. Creates a copy of the search or selection set highlighted in the list. The copy has the same name as the original set, but with an “X” suffix, where “X” is the next available number. ■ Add Comment.
2 Right-click the desired search or selection set, and click Rename. 3 Type a new name for your set, and press ENTER. Command entry: F2 To delete a search or selection set 1 Open the Sets window. 2 Right-click the search or selection set you want to remove, and click Delete. To organize selection and search sets into folders 1 Open the Sets window. 2 Right-click, and click New Folder on the shortcut menu. The folder is added to the list.
Compare Objects You can look for differences between any two selected items in the scene. These items can be files, layers, instances, groups, or just geometry. You can also use this feature to investigate the differences between two versions of the same model. During the comparison, Autodesk Navisworks starts at the level of each item, and recursively travels down each path on the Selection Tree, comparing each item it comes across in terms of the criteria you requested.
7 Click OK. To compare two items in the model 1 Select exactly two items in the scene. 2 Click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ Compare . 3 Use the Compare dialog box to set up the comparison search. 4 Click OK. Object Properties Autodesk Navisworks supports the conversion of object properties for many file formats. For more details on supported/unsupported entities, see “Use File Readers” on page 113.
Menu: Classic user interface: View ➤ Control Bars ➤ Properties Command entry: SHIFT + F7 To examine object properties 1 Select the object of interest in the Selection Tree, or in the Scene View. 2 Open the Properties window, and use the tabs to navigate between the available property categories. NOTE If more than one object is selected, the Properties window only shows the number of selected items, and doesn’t show any property information.
3 Right-click the Properties window, and click Add New User Data Tab. The new property category is added for the currently selected object. By default, the tab is called User Data. To rename a custom property tab 1 Open the Properties window. 2 Click the custom tab you want to rename. 3 Right-click the properties area, and click Rename Tab. 4 Enter a new name for the tab in the box provided. 5 Click OK. To delete a custom property tab 1 Open the Properties window. 2 Click the custom tab you want to delete.
3 Right-click the property, and click Delete Property. External Database Links Databases are commonly used to store large amount of data, such as equipment specifications, catalogue data, and maintenance manuals. You can connect to external databases directly from your Navisworks files, and create links between objects in the scene and fields in the database tables to bring through extra properties.
2 If you want to add a database link globally: a Click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ DataTools . b In the DataTools dialog box, click the New button. 3 In the New Link dialog box, enter a Name for the new link, for example, 'Service Information'. This is the name of the tab that will appear on the Properties window. You are now ready to configure the database link. 4 Click OK to save the link and return to the previous dialog box.
NOTE If you haven't added any links yet, click the New button, and follow the procedure for adding database links first. 2 To configure a global database link: a Click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ DataTools . b In the DataTools dialog box, click the link you want to configure in the DataTools Links area, and click the Edit button. NOTE If you haven't added any links yet, click the New button, and follow the procedure for adding database links first.
b Click the Setup button. The driver wizard opens, and guides you through the setup options. If you have difficulties setting up your connection details, contact your database administrator. When you finish, the box underneath will show the connection string. This string can be modified, if necessary. For example, if you want to select a database with a certain name (say, test.
2 To delete a global database link: ➤ Click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ DataTools . 3 In the DataTools dialog box, click the link you want to remove in the DataTools Links area, and click the Delete button. 4 Click OK. To activate a database link 1 To activate a file-based database link: a Click Home tab ➤ Project panel ➤ File Options . b In the File Options dialog box, DataTools tab, select the check boxes for all links you want to activate in the DataTools Links area.
4 Click Save. 5 Click OK to close the File Options dialog box. To import a database link 1 Click Home tab ➤ Project panel ➤ File Options . 2 In the File Options dialog box, DataTools tab, click the Import button. 3 In the Open dialog box, browse to the folder containing the required datatools file, select it, and click Open.
4 Click OK to close the File Options dialog box. Quick Reference You can use the following Navisworks tags with SQL queries: Property Tags %prop("category","property") Property of the currently selected object. Category is the name of the tab in the property windows (for example, Item or Entity Handle) and property is the name of the property in that tab (for example, Value or Layer). %intprop("category","property") Property of the currently selected object.
Query Examples The examples below illustrate how tags could be used with SQL queries.
■ 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 move gizmo enables you to snap this center point to other geometry in the model. ■ To move the gizmo itself rather than the selected objects, hold down the CTRL key while dragging the square at the end of the desired axis. ■ To snap the move gizmo to other objects, hold down the CTRL key while dragging the yellow square in the middle of the gizmo.
To rotate an object with gizmo 1 Select the object you want to rotate in the Scene View. 2 Click Item Tools tab ➤ Transform panel ➤ Rotate . 3 Use the gizmo to rotate the currently selected object: ■ Before you can rotate the currently 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 , drag the square on the screen to increase/decrease the translation along that axis.
This diagram illustrates how the selected object (position A) is rotated. Lines from the first to the second point (1 to 2) and from the second to third point (2 to 3) define the angle by which the object is rotated (for example, 90 degrees). The second point (2) is used as the rotation center point. . This rotates the selected object from 4 Slide out the Measure panel, and click Transform Selected Items position A into position B (as shown in the previous diagram).
You can also choose to use Presenter tool to apply texture materials to objects in the scene to obtain even better results. NOTE Any materials applied with the Presenter tool supersede any color and transparency changes. To change color 1 Select the object you want to modify in the Scene View. 2 Click Item Tools tab ➤ Appearance panel ➤ Color drop-down, and choose the desired color.
4 In the Rotation area, enter the multiplier for the snapping angle into the Angles box, and the snapping tolerance into the Angle Sensitivity box. The smaller the value, the closer to the snapping angle the cursor must be for snap to take effect. 5 Click OK. Reset to Original Values In Autodesk Navisworks, you can reset object attributes back to the values in the original CAD files.
For all measurements, the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the Start point and End point are displayed in the text boxes underneath the buttons, together with the Difference and the absolute Distance. If you use accumulative measure, such as Point Line or Accumulate, Distance shows the accumulated distance for all points registered in the measurement.
Measuring You can use measuring tools to make linear, angular, and area measurements, and to automatically measure the shortest distance between two selected objects. NOTE When you measure, you must click on a point on an item to register a point - clicking on the background will not register anything. You can reset a measure command at any time by right-clicking instead of left-clicking in the Scene View.
To change the thickness and color of measuring lines 1 Open the Measure Tools window, and click Options. 2 In the Options Editor, the Measure page under the Interface node, enter the desired number into the Line Thickness box. 3 Select the required color from the Color palette. By default, measuring lines are white. 4 Click OK. To toggle the dimension labels 1 Open the Measure Tools window, and click Options.
4 Repeat this to measure the entire route. The optional dimension label displays the total distance along the selected route. TIP If you want to change the start point, right-click in the Scene View, and select a new start point. Menu: Classic user interface: Review ➤ Measure ➤ Point Line To calculate an angle between two lines 1 Click Review tab ➤ Measure panel ➤ Measure drop-down ➤ Angle . 2 Click a point on the first line. 3 Click the first line at the point where it intersects the second line.
To calculate an area on a plane . 1 Click Review tab ➤ Measure panel ➤ Measure drop-down ➤ Area 2 Click to register a series of points to describe the perimeter of the area you want to calculate. The optional dimension label displays the area of the perimeter described since the first point, as projected onto the plane of the viewpoint. NOTE For your calculation to be accurate, all added points must be on the same plane.
To clear measuring lines ■ Click Review tab ➤ Measure panel ➤ Measure drop-down ➤ Clear . Menu: Classic user interface: Review ➤ Measure ➤ Clear To convert measurements into redlines 1 Click Review tab ➤ Measure panel, and take the desired measurements, for example, distance between two points. 2 Click Review tab ➤ Measure panel ➤ Convert to Redline . The end markers, lines, and dimension label (if any) of your current measurement are now converted to a redline, and stored in the current viewpoint.
■ Delete Comment. Deletes the selected comment. ■ Help. Launches the online Help system and displays the topic for comments. You can add as many comments as you wish to a source, either from the Comments window, or from the source itself. TIP To add a comment to a specific object in the Scene View, use tags. To toggle the Comments window ■ Click Review tab ➤ Comments panel ➤ View Comments .
3 Right-click the desired task, and click Add Comment. 4 In the Comments window, type in your comment. By default, it is assigned New status. 5 Click OK. To view comments 1 Open the Comments window. 2 Go the source of your comments. For example, open the Saved Viewpoints window. 3 As you click the source items, for example, viewpoints, the associated comments are displayed in the Comments window.
In the classic user interface, you can use the Redline Tools dockable window to add redlines, and tags. The Thickness and Color controls enable you to modify the redline settings. These changes do not affect already drawn redlines. Also, thickness only applies to lines; it does not affect redline text, which has a default size and weight and cannot be modified. All redlines can only be added to a saved viewpoint or to a clash result which has a saved viewpoint.
To draw freehand 1 Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Save, Load & Playback panel ➤ Saved Viewpoints drop-down, and choose the viewpoint that you want to review. 2 Click Review tab ➤ Redline panel ➤ Draw drop-down, and click Freehand . 3 Drag the mouse to draw in the viewpoint. Menu: Classic user interface: Review ➤ Redline ➤ Freehand To draw a line 1 Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Save, Load & Playback panel ➤ Saved Viewpoints drop-down, and choose the viewpoint that you want to review.
Menu: Classic user interface: Review ➤ Redline ➤ Line To draw a string of lines 1 Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Save, Load & Playback panel ➤ Saved Viewpoints drop-down, and choose the viewpoint that you want to review. 2 Click Review tab ➤ Redline panel ➤ Draw drop-down, and click Line String . 3 Click in the viewpoint to begin. Each time you click, a new point is added to 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.
2 Click Review tab ➤ Redline panel ➤ Draw drop-down, and click Ellipse . 3 Click and drag a box in the viewpoint to outline the ellipse. 4 Release the mouse to place the ellipse in the viewpoint. Menu: Classic user interface: Review ➤ Redline ➤ Ellipse To draw a cloud 1 Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Save, Load & Playback panel ➤ Saved Viewpoints drop-down, and choose the viewpoint that you want to review. 2 Click Review tab ➤ Redline panel ➤ Draw drop-down, and click Cloud .
Menu: Classic user interface: Review ➤ Redline ➤ Cloud Quick Reference Tool Description Adds text to a viewpoint. Enables you to draw freehand in a viewpoint. Draws a line in a viewpoint. Draws a string of lines in a view point. Draws an ellipse in a viewpoint. Draws a cloud in a viewpoint. Erases redlines. View Redlines and Tags To view redlines and tags you need to recall the viewpoint that contains them.
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 is automatically created for you, and you can add a comment and status to the tag. For example, during a review session, you locate an item in the scene that is incorrectly sized or positioned. You can tag this item, stating the problem, save your review results as an NWF file, and pass the file to the design team.
3 Modify the comment text as necessary. 4 Use the Status box to change the status. 5 Click OK. Menu: Classic user interface: Review ➤ Comments ➤ Edit Comment To delete a comment or tag 1 View the comment or tag you want to delete in the Comments window. 2 Right-click the comment or tag, and click Delete Comment. Menu: Classic user interface: Review ➤ Comments ➤ Delete Comment Edit Redlines Added redlines cannot be edited with the exception of text, which can be moved and changed as needed.
Menu: Classic user interface: Review ➤ Redline ➤ Erase Find Comments and Tags You can use the Find Comments window to set up and run a search for tags and comments. You can also use the controls on the Tags panel to navigate through tags. Find Comments Window The Find Comments window is a dockable window that enables you to search for comments and tags based on the comment data (text, author, comment ID, status), comment modification date, and the source of comment.
To toggle the Find Comments window ■ Click Review tab ➤ Comments panel ➤ Find Comments . Menu: Classic user interface: Edit ➤ Find Comments or Review ➤ Comments ➤ Find Comments Command entry: SHIFT + F4 To find comments 1 Open the Find Comments window. 2 Set up the search criteria: ■ Use the Comments tab if you want to search for a specific text, author, comment ID, or status. ■ Use the Date Modified tab to only search for comments created within the specified timeframe.
Source Tab Use this tab to restrict the search by the source that the comment is attached to. By default all check boxes are selected. Clash Detective Select this check box if you want to find the comments attached to Clash Detective results. Clearing this check box excludes the comments related to clashes from the search results. TimeLiner Select this check box if you want to find the comments attached to TimeLiner tasks.
Find Tags You can search for tags the same way as you search for comments. You can also find tags by their ID numbers, and navigate through tags using the controls on the Tags panel. To find tags by tag ID 1 Click Review tab ➤ Tags panel. 2 Enter the tag ID into the text box, and click Go to Tag . You are automatically taken to the appropriate viewpoint. To navigate through tags 1 Click Review tab ➤ Comments panel ➤ View Comments to open the Comments window. .
To renumber comment IDs 1 Click the Review tab, and slide out the Comments panel. 2 Click Renumber Comment IDs . To renumber tag IDs 1 Click the Review tab, and slide out the Tags panel. 2 Click Renumber Tag IDs .
When links are switched on, you can reduce the screen clutter by restricting a number of links can be shown in the Scene View, hiding colliding icons, and using culling. Finally, as some standard link categories can have comments associated with them, you can choose to only draw links with attached comments. To toggle the display of links ■ Click Home tab ➤ Display panel ➤ Links .
3 On the Standard Categories page, select the Hide Icons Without Comments check box for all required link categories. By default, links without comments are also displayed. 4 Click OK. Customize Links You can customize the default appearance of links in Autodesk Navisworks. In particular, you can draw them in 3D, and you can add leader lines (arrows) pointing to the attachment point on the items. You can also choose how to represent each link category (as an icon or as text).
To customize appearance of standard links 1 Click the application button ➤ Options. 2 In the Options Editor, expand the Interface node, expand the Links node, and click the Standard Categories option. 3 On the Standard Categories page, use the Icon Type box to specify how you want a link to be drawn for each of the available categories. You can choose between an icon and text. By default, label links are shown as text, and the rest of the link categories are shown as icons. 4 Click OK.
Icon Description Represent links with TimeLiner category (task with valid links). Represent links with TimeLiner category (tasks with broken links). Represents links with viewpoints category (perspective camera mode). Represents links with viewpoints category (orthographic camera mode). Represents links with tags category. Represents links with sets category (selection sets). Represents links with sets category (search sets).
6 Optional: By default, your link is attached to the default center of the item’s bounding box. If you want to attach your link to a specific point on the selected item, click the Add button. A cross-hair cursor appears in the Scene View, allowing you to select a point on the item where the link will be attached to. NOTE If you made a mistake, clicking the Clear All button deletes all attachment points associated with this link and reverts to the link being attached to the center of the item's bounding box.
3 Click the Category column, and select Hyperlinks from the drop-down list. 4 In the Property column, select the property name from the drop-down list, for example, “Name”. 5 In the Condition column, select the condition operator, for example, ‘=’. 6 In the Value column, type in the property value to search for, for example, “My Link”. 7 Click the Find All button. The search results are highlighted in the Scene View and the Selection Tree.
Ribbon: Item Tools tab ➤ Links tab ➤ Edit Links To change the default link 1 In the Scene View, right-click the default link, and click Edit Link. 2 In the Edit Link dialog box, select the link that you want to be shown in the Scene View, and click the Make Default button. NOTE You can also move links up and down the list using the Move Up and Move Down buttons, or by dragging them to their new position in the list. The link at the top of the list is the default link. 3 Click OK.
By default, quick properties show the name and type of the object, but you can use the Options Editor to define which properties are shown. Each definition that you configure enables you to display an additional category/property combination in quick properties. You can choose whether to hide category names in quick properties or not.
6 Click OK. To hide category names 1 Click the application button ➤ Options. 2 In the Options Editor, expand the Interface node, and click the Quick Properties option. 3 Select the Hide Category check box. 4 Click OK. SwitchBack to AutoCAD and MicroStation You can use the SwitchBack functionality to send the current view of the currently loaded file back to AutoCAD (version 2004 or later) or MicroStation-based CAD products (/J and v8).
3 In the Key-In dialog box, type mdl load nwexport8 to load the nwexport plugin. TIP If SwitchBack needs to be available every time MicroStation is run, nwexport8 can be added to the list of MDL plugins in MicroStation. 4 Once the MicroStation package is running, and nwexport has been started, return to Autodesk Navisworks. 5 Select an object in the Scene View, and click Item Tools tab ➤ SwitchBack panel ➤ SwitchBack .
278 | Chapter 8 Review Your Model
Use Viewpoints and Sectioning Modes 9 Viewpoints are an important feature of Autodesk Navisworks. They allow you to save and recall different settings related to the view of the model and settings for navigation. You also have the option to save item visibility and appearance overrides within viewpoints. Create and Modify Viewpoints Overview of Viewpoints Viewpoints are snapshots taken of the model as it is displayed in the Scene View.
Additionally, the following item overrides can be saved with the viewpoint (this is optional): ■ Visibility (hidden / required) ■ Appearance (color and transparency) Navigation ■ Linear and angular speeds of motion ■ Realism settings (collision, gravity, third person, crouch) ■ The currently selected navigation tool Annotations ■ Redlines ■ Comments Saved Viewpoints Window The Saved Viewpoints window is a dockable window that enables you to create and manage different views of your model so th
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. Holding down the CTRL key during this operation will copy the element being dragged. This allows fairly complex hierarchies of viewpoint animations and folders to be easily composed.
Sort Sorts the contents of the Saved Viewpoints window alphabetically. Help Opens the Help system. Viewpoint Animation Save Viewpoint Saves the current viewpoint, and adds it as the last keyframe in the selected viewpoint animation. New Folder Adds a folder as the last keyframe in the selected viewpoint animation. Add Animation Adds a new empty viewpoint animation as the last keyframe in the selected viewpoint animation. Add Cut Adds an animation cut to the end of viewpoint animation.
Delete Removes the selected folder and all of its contents from the Saved Viewpoints window. Rename Enables you to rename the selected folder. Copy Name Copies the name of the selected folder to the Clipboard. Sort Sorts the contents of the Saved Viewpoints window alphabetically. Help Opens the Help system. Save Viewpoints New viewpoints are named “ViewX” where “X” is the next available number added to the list. This new viewpoint takes all the attributes of the current viewpoint in the Scene View.
Organize Viewpoints Viewpoints can be organized into folders, as necessary. To organize viewpoints into folders 1 Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Save, Load & Playback panel ➤ Current Viewpoint drop-down ➤ Manage Saved Viewpoints. This opens the Saved Viewpoints window, and makes it the active window. 2 Right-click an empty space in the Saved Viewpoints window, and click New Folder. 3 Type in a new name, and press Enter. TIP Use names that can help you identify your viewpoints in future.
3 Click OK. To edit a viewpoint 1 Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Save, Load & Playback panel ➤ Current Viewpoint drop-down ➤ Manage Saved Viewpoints. 2 In the Saved Viewpoints window, right-click the viewpoint you want to modify, and click Edit. 3 Use the Edit Viewpoint dialog box to adjust the viewpoint’s attributes. 4 Click OK. To delete a viewpoint 1 Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Save, Load & Playback panel ➤ Current Viewpoint drop-down ➤ Manage Saved Viewpoints.
Default Viewpoint 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 the Update option on the viewpoints shortcut menu.
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 “Manipulate Object Attributes” on page 242 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.
Planes mode allows you to make up to six sectional cuts in any plane while still being able to navigate around the scene, enabling you to see inside models without hiding any item. By default section planes are created through the center of the visible area of the model. Section planes are stored inside viewpoints and so can also be used within viewpoint animations and object animations to show a dynamically sectioned model.
By default, a section plane is created within the view, and as close to the center of the view as possible. Visually, a section plane is represented by a light blue wireframe. You can hide the visual plane representation by toggling the corresponding gizmo button. To use a plane to cross-section a 3D model for the first time 1 Click Viewpoint tab ➤ Sectioning panel ➤ Enable Sectioning .
To enable or disable additional section planes 1 Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Mode panel ➤ Planes . 2 Click the Current Plane drop-down on the Planes Settings panel, and click the bulb icons next to all required planes. When a bulb is lit, the corresponding section plane is enabled and cuts through the model in the Scene View. NOTE If you want to move all planes together, you can link them. Otherwise, you can only move one (the current) plane at a time.
■ Align To Line - enables you to pick a line, and place the current plane ‘on’ that line, at the point where you clicked, and aligned so that its normal is on the line itself, facing towards the camera. To align a section plane to one of the pre-fixed directions 1 Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Mode panel ➤ Planes . 2 Click the Current Plane drop-down on the Planes Settings panel, and select the plane you want to customize, for example, Plane 1. This plane becomes the current plane.
To align a section plane to view 1 Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Mode panel ➤ Planes . 2 Click the Current Plane drop-down on the Planes Settings panel, and select the plane you want to customize, for example, Plane 1. This plane becomes the current plane. 3 Click the Alignment drop-down on the Planes Settings panel, and click Align to View 4 Optional: Click Sectioning Tools ➤ Save panel ➤ Save Viewpoint viewpoint. .
To move a section plane numerically 1 Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Mode panel ➤ Planes . 2 Click the Current Plane drop-down on the Planes Settings panel, and select the plane you want to use, for example, Plane 3. This plane becomes the current plane. 3 Slide out the Transform panel, and type in numerical values into the Position manual entry boxes to move the current plane by the amount entered. To rotate a section plane with gizmo 1 Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Mode panel ➤ Planes .
Link Section Planes In Autodesk Navisworks, you can enable up to 6 planes to cut through your model but only the current plane can be manipulated with the sectioning gizmos. Linking section planes together make them move as one, and enables you to quickly slice your model in real time. The slices can be used in viewpoints, viewpoint animations, and object animations. To link planes together 1 Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Mode panel ➤ Planes .
Enable and Use Section Box You can use a section box to focus your review on specific and limited areas of the model. The section box can be moved, rotated, and scaled with the sectioning gizmos, available from the Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Transform panel. You can also manipulate the section box numerically. By default, when a section box is enabled, the move gizmo is used, unless you have already selected a different gizmo before activating the section box. All gizmos share the same location/rotation.
4 Optional: Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Save panel ➤ Save Viewpoint viewpoint. to save the current sectioned To move the section box with gizmo 1 Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Mode panel ➤ Box 2 On the Transform panel, click Move . . 3 Drag the gizmo arms or faces to move the box as needed. To move the section box numerically 1 Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Mode panel ➤ Box .
4 Optional: Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Save panel ➤ Save Viewpoint viewpoint. to save the current sectioned To rotate the section box numerically 1 Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Mode panel ➤ Box . 2 Slide out the Transform panel, and type in numerical values into the Rotation manual entry boxes to rotate the box by the amount entered. To scale the section box with gizmo 1 Click Sectioning Tools tab ➤ Mode panel ➤ Box 2 On the Transform panel, click Scale . .
2 Slide out the Transform panel, and type in numerical values into the Size manual entry boxes to scale the box by the amount entered.
Record and Play Animations 10 In Autodesk Navisworks there are two types of animation: viewpoint animation and object 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 is also nothing to stop you from copying viewpoint animations (hold down the CTRL key when dragging an animation on the Saved Viewpoints window), dragging frames off the animation into a blank space on the Saved Viewpoints window 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.
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 Playback Position slider on the Playback panel of the Animation tab to move backward and forward through the viewpoint animation to see how it looks.
6 Click OK. Play Animations and Scripts You can play back both pre-recorded object animation and viewpoint animation in the Scene View. The viewpoint animations play in real time; this means that the Autodesk Navisworks engine is still attempting to maintain the guaranteed frame rate so some drop-out may still occur, just as in real-time navigation. Quick Reference Control Purpose Rewinds the current animation back to the beginning. Steps back a single animation frame or keyframe.
the animation is playing. Click any frame to set the camera to that point in time in the viewpoint animation and continue playing back from there. To enable animation scripts ■ . Click Animation tab ➤ Scripts panel ➤ Enable Scripts You can now interact with your model. For example, if there is a script to open a door on pressing a specific key on the keyboard, pressing this key will open the door. Share Animations You can export the animations to AVI files for playback with Windows Media Player.
304 | Chapter 10 Record and Play Animations
Work Within a Team Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 enables multiple users to participate in a single design review session across a Local Area Network (LAN). 11 The Collaborate tool has two noteworthy limitations. ■ Collaboration between different versions of Autodesk Navisworks is not supported. ■ This feature is only available for Windows XP users, as it utilizes the shared program features of Windows NetMeeting, which is unavailable in the Vista and Windows 7 operating systems.
To start a collaboration session 1 Open the Autodesk Navisworks file that you want to collaborate on from a shared directory. 2 Click Review tab ➤ Collaborate panel ➤ Collaborate This initializes Windows® . NetMeeting®. 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.
2 Click the Accept button to join the meeting, or Ignore to decline the invitation. NOTE Once you have accepted a call, you will need to click Review tab ➤ Collaborate panel ➤ Collaborate to start your own collaboration session. To become the driver 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. 1 Click Review tab ➤ Collaborate panel ➤ Drive .
308 | Chapter 11 Work Within a Team
Share Data 12 Print You can print a hard copy of the current viewpoint to any printer or plotter. Print Preview Before you print out a copy of the model you are working on, you may wish to see how it will appear. To preview model before printing 1 Click Output tab ➤ Print panel ➤ Print Preview . 2 Use the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons to do just that with the preview image. 3 Click Print. 4 In the Print dialog box, click OK.
Print Current Viewpoint When the print option is selected, Autodesk Navisworks prints the current viewpoint scaled to fit and centered on the page. NOTE If you would prefer to export an image for printing, see “Export an Image” on page 317 for more information. To print the current viewpoint 1 Click Output tab ➤ Print panel ➤ Print . 2 Check the printer settings are as required, and click OK. NOTE The maximum image size is 2048x2048 pixels.
3 Click Open. Search Set Files Search sets can be imported into Autodesk Navisworks. This will populate the Sets window with pre-defined search sets (see Sets Window on page 227). Selecting an imported Search Set will define the current Find Items criteria and search the current model accordingly. See “Find Items Window” on page 223 for more information on searching the model for items based on their properties. To import saved search sets 1 Click the application button ➤ Import ➤ Search Sets XML .
3 Click Open to import the PDS display sets. PDS Tag Files Tag information from Intergraph PDS contains a unique ID, saved viewpoint and corresponding comments. Tag information created in Autodesk Navisworks may also be exported to be used in Intergraph PDS. See “PDS Tag Files” on page 320. To import a PDS tag file 1 Click the application button ➤ Import ➤ PDS Tags 2 Use the Import dialog box to locate the desired TAG file. 3 Click Open to import the PDS data. 312 | Chapter 12 Share Data .
Viewpoints Files Viewpoints can be imported into Autodesk 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.
2 In the Export dialog box, enter a new filename and location, if you want to change from those suggested. 3 Click Save. Google Earth KML Format Google Earth KML files can be exported from Autodesk Navisworks. The exporter creates a compressed KML file with the extension .
3 The Collapse on Export drop-down list allows different levels of collapsing parts of the model hierarchy in the exported file. Choose from: ■ None - ensures the whole hierarchy is exported ■ All Objects - collapses everything into one node ■ Files - collapses each file into one node ■ Layers - collapses each layer into one node 4 Select the Enable check box in the Limit Number of Polygons area to restrict the amount of geometry exported into the output file.
To export an FBX file 1 In Autodesk Navisworks application, click Output tab ➤ Export Scene panel ➤ FBX . 2 In the FBX Options dialog box, select the Enable check box in the Polygon Limiting area 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, try enabling this feature and reducing the number of polygons.
Export Images and Animations Export an Image To export an image as a bitmap, PNG, or JPEG file 1 Display the view you want to export in the Scene View, and click Output tab ➤ Visuals panel ➤ Image . 2 In the Image Export dialog box, select the Format of the image you want to export. 3 Use the Size and Options area to set the image size. See “Image Export Dialog Box” on page 471. For PNG files, click the Options button, and use the PNG Options dialog box to specify the Interlacing and Compression settings.
Export an Animation To export an animation to an AVI file, or a sequence of image files . 1 Click Output tab ➤ Visuals panel ➤ Animation The Animation Export dialog box opens. 2 To export the currently selected viewpoint animation, select Current Animation in the Source box. To export the currently selected object animation, select Current Animator Scene in the Source box. To export a TimeLiner sequence, select TimeLiner Simulation in the Source box.
4 Select the desired value in the Anti-Aliasing box. This option applies to OpenGL renderer only. Anti-aliasing is used to smooth the edges of the exported images. The higher the number, the smoother the image, but the longer they take to export. 4x is adequate for most situations. 5 Click Save. Current Search Criteria The search criteria specified in the Find Items window can be exported to an XML file. This can then be imported into other Autodesk Navisworks sessions.
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. NOTE To customize the appearance or layout of the HTML file, you will need to edit the viewpoints_report.xsl file. The installed file is located in the stylesheets subdirectory of the Autodesk Navisworks install directory. You can copy the edited file to the stylesheets subdirectory of any of the Autodesk Navisworks search directories.
Animate Objects In Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 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, a conveyor belt will move when you press a button on your keyboard, the doors will open as you approach them in your model.
■ Linking to TimeLiner to have different TimeLiner tasks trigger animations that depend on each other (for example, one task moves crane to a specific point, another task moves arm of crane). ■ Real-time collision checking where you turn it on, play an animation and have animation stop when moving object first hits something. Overview of the Animator Tool The Animator and Scripter windows are the two dockable windows that are used to create and edit object animation in Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011.
Control Purpose 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. Takes a snapshot of the current change to the model as a new keyframe in the timeline view. Enables/disables snapping. Snapping only comes into effect when moving objects by dragging the gizmos in the Scene View, and has no effect on numerical entry or keyboard control. Selects the active scene.
To work with an item in the tree view, you must first select it. Selecting a scene component in the tree view selects all the elements contained within that component in the Scene View. For example, selecting an animation set in the tree view automatically selects all geometry objects contained within that animation set. You can quickly copy and move items in the tree view by dragging them.
Command Purpose Paste Pastes the item from clipboard into the new location. Delete Deletes the selected item from the tree. Icons Icon Purpose Opens a shortcut menu that enables you to add new items to the tree view, such as Add Scene, Add Camera and so on. Deletes the currently selected item in the tree view. NOTE If you accidentally delete an on the Quick Acitem, click Undo cess toolbar to restore it. Moves the currently selected scene up in the tree view.
The Animator 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. Timescale Bar At the top of the timeline view is the timescale bar in seconds. All timelines start at 0. Right-clicking the timescale bar opens a shortcut menu. Use the and icons at the bottom of the Animator tree view to zoom in and out on the timescale bar.
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 Animator toolbar, by dragging the time slider left or right in the timeline view, or by selecting the time slider in the timeline view and using the left and right arrow keys.
Rotate X, Y, Z Enter the degrees of rotation around X, Y, and Z axes to move the selected objects into this position. cX, cY, cZ Enter the X, Y, and Z coordinate values to move the origin (or center point) of the rotation into this position. oX, oY, oZ Enter the degrees of rotation around X, Y, and Z axes to modify the orientation of the rotation. NOTE 0,0,0 represents world up. Scale X, Y, Z Enter the scaling factor around X, Y, and Z axis; 1 being the current size, 0.5 half, 2 being double and so on.
Use it to create and manage animation scripts. NOTE Although you can organize the scripts into folders, this has no effect on the way scripts are executed in Navisworks. Hierarchical List You can use the Scripter tree view to create and manage your scripts. To work with an item in the tree view, you must first select it. Selecting a script in the tree view displays the associated events, actions and properties. You can quickly copy and move items in the tree view by dragging them.
The Events View The Events view shows all events associated with the currently selected script. Use the Events view to define, manage, and test events. Icons Icon Purpose Adds start events. Adds timer events. Adds key press events. Add collision events. Adds hotspot events. Adds variable events. Adds animation events. Moves the currently selected event up in the Events view. Moves the currently selected event down in the Events view. Deletes the currently selected event in the Events view.
The Actions View The Actions view shows the actions associated with the currently selected script. Use the Actions view to define, manage, and test actions. Icons Icon Purpose Adds play animation actions. Adds stop animation actions. Adds show viewpoint actions. Adds pause actions. Adds send message actions. Adds set variable actions. Adds store property actions. Adds load model actions. Moves the currently selected action up in the Actions view.
The Properties View The Properties view shows the properties for the currently selected event or action. Use the Properties view to configure the behavior of events and actions in your scripts. Events Properties Currently, there are seven event types in Navisworks. When an event is added, the Properties view displays the properties for that event type. The event properties can be configured immediately, or at a later time. On Start You don't need to configure any properties for this event type.
■ 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. Hotspot Type Position The position of the hotspot point. If the chosen hotspot is Sphere on Selection, this property is not available. Pick Enables you to pick the position of the hotspot point.
Trigger On Defines how the event is triggered. Choose from: ■ 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. See also: ■ “Event Types” on page 347 Actions Properties Currently, there are eight action types in Navisworks. When an action is added, the Properties view displays the properties for that action type. The action properties can be configured immediately, or at a later time.
You can output the Scripter variables in your message. To do this, use %variable_name% style. Set Variable Variable Name The alphanumeric name for the variable. Value An operand to assign. The following rules apply: ■ If you enter a number (for example 0, 400, 5.3), the value is treated as a numeric value. If it has a decimal place, the floating-point formatting is preserved up to the user-defined decimal places.
■ Manipulating viewpoints by using different navigation tools (such as orbiting or flying), or by using existing viewpoint animations. This type of change is referred to as a camera. ■ Manipulating cross-sectional cuts of your model either by moving the section planes or a section box. This type of change is referred to as a section plane set. Quick Reference The Animator window is a floating window that enables you to add animations to your model.
To delete an animation scene 1 If the Animator window is not already open, click Animation tab ➤ Create panel ➤ Animator 2 Select the scene you want to delete, and click . . NOTE Deleting a scene also deletes all of its components. If you accidentally delete an item, click Undo Quick Access toolbar to restore it. on the To organize scenes into scene folders 1 If the Animator window is not already open, click Animation tab ➤ Create panel ➤ Animator .
3 To move a subfolder, right-click it, and click Cut on the shortcut menu. Right-click the new location, and click Paste on the shortcut menu. 4 To rename a folder, click it, and type a new name. TIP Use names that can help you to identify your scene components in future. Work with 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.
To add an animation set based on current search set or selection set 1 If the Animator window is not already open, click Animation tab ➤ Create panel ➤ Animator . 2 Select the desired search set or selection set from the Sets window. 3 Right-click the scene name, and click Add Animation Set ➤ From Current Search/Selection Set on the shortcut menu. 4 If desired, type a name for the new animation set and press Enter. Update Animation Sets An animation set can be manually updated.
2 Select the desired animation set in the Animator tree view. The corresponding geometry objects are highlighted in the Scene View. TIP To get a better view, change the way the objects are highlighted. 3 Click Capture Keyframe 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 Translate Animation Set on the Animator toolbar.
The corresponding geometry objects are highlighted in the Scene View. TIP To get a better view, change the way the objects are highlighted. 3 Click Capture Keyframe 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 Change Color of Animation Set on the Animator toolbar. 6 Click the Color button on the Manual Entry bar, and choose the desired color.
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. Autodesk Navisworks automatically adds all necessary keyframes to the timeline view. To capture camera viewpoints 1 If the Animator window is not already open, click Animation tab ➤ Create panel ➤ Animator . 2 Select the desired camera in the Animator tree view.
Drag the gizmo to adjust the initial position of the plane in the Scene View. 6 Click Capture Keyframe section plane. on the Animator toolbar to create a keyframe with the initial position of the 7 In the timeline view, move the black time slider to the right to set the desired time. 8 Use the gizmo again to adjust the depth of your cross-section cut. 9 To capture the current plane changes in a keyframe, click Capture Keyframe on the Animator toolbar.
Navisworks), the animation is done relative to the new starting location rather the animation’s original start position. 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 you want the scene to play indefinitely (that is, until Stop is clicked), select the Infinite check box. If this check box is unchecked, the scene will play until its end point is reached. NOTE Selecting Infinite disables Loop and P.P. 4 If necessary, use the Active, Loop, and P.P. check boxes to adjust the playback of the individual scene components. NOTE Only animations with the Active check box selected will play.
2 Right-click in the script view, and click Add New Script on the shortcut menu. 3 Click the default script name, and type in a new name. TIP Use names that can help you to identify your scripts in future. Pointing device: Click at the bottom of the tree view. To delete a script 1 If the Scripter window is not already open, click Animation tab ➤ Script panel ➤ Scripter . 2 Right-click the script you want to delete in the tree view, and click Delete Item on the shortcut menu.
Your script can have more than one event in it. However, the way you combine all event conditions in the script becomes very important. That is you need to ensure the Boolean logic makes sense, the brackets are closed properly, and so on. NOTE Until the combination of all event conditions in the script is satisfied, your script will not be executed. Event Types The following event types are available in Navisworks: ■ On Start - event triggers a script as soon as scripting is enabled.
Navisworks checks the event conditions in your script, and reports back any detected errors. To delete an event 1 If the Scripter window is not already open, click Animation tab ➤ Script panel ➤ Scripter . 2 Select the desired script in the tree view. 3 Right-click the event you want to delete in the Events view, and click Delete Event.
To delete an action 1 If the Scripter window is not already open, click Animation tab ➤ Script panel ➤ Scripter . 2 Select the desired script in the tree view. 3 Right-click the action you want to delete in the Actions view, and click Delete Action. Enable Scripting To enable animation scripts in your file, you need to click Animation tab ➤ Script panel ➤ Enable Scripts . You can now interact with your model. NOTE When the scripts are enabled, you can’t create or edit scripts in the Scripter window.
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Create Photorealistic Visualizations 14 You can use the Presenter to apply texture materials, lighting, Rich Photorealistic Content (RPC), and background effects to your model. Overview of the Presenter Tool Presenter Window The Presenter dockable window is used to set up materials and lights in your scene and render it with more realism and effects.
use this tab to create new materials, or customize existing materials. ■ Lighting. Includes a variety of lighting options, which can be selected and applied to the model. You can also customize lighting options, if you want. ■ RPC. Contains Rich Photorealistic Content (or RPC), which you can add from various sources, including websites. RPCs can include images of people, trees, cars and so on. ■ Effects.
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 an NWF file, or published as an NWD file. You can save your own edits to materials into an NWP file format. See “Organize and Manage Materials” on page 357 for more information on how to do this. The User Archives The user archives allow you to save your own edited materials, lights, effects, and render styles for use in other scenes.
To set up and render a scene 1 Choose Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ Presenter to open the Presenter window. 2 Set up the scene. ■ Use the Materials tab to drag and drop materials onto items in the model. You can use the predefined materials, or create your own from the templates in the Materials tab (see “Use Presenter Materials” on page 355 for more details). Or Use the Rules tab to set up rules which define project-wide material application (see “Use Presenter Rules” on page 380 for more details).
Ribbon: Output tab ➤ Visuals panel ➤ Rendered Image Menu: Application button ➤ Export ➤ Images & Animations ➤ Rendered Image To export rendered animations 1 Apply materials and lighting effects to the required scene, and, in the Presenter window, click Render. 2 When the scene is rendered, click the Output tab ➤ Visuals panel ➤ Animation . The Animation Export dialog box opens. 3 From the Source drop-down list, select the animation type you want to export.
■ An item in the Selection Tree ■ A selection or search set If you drag the material from an archive, it will appear in the palette where it can be edited and saved with the scene, if necessary. Presenter uses Autodesk Navisworks selection resolution to decide which items to apply the material to when dragging from an archive or palette into the main view. When hovering over any item in the main view, the proposed selection will change into the selection color (blue by default).
NOTE Remove Material will only be available if the right-clicked item has a material assigned to it at that selection resolution in the Selection Tree. To use the Presenter window to remove materials from model geometry 1 Open the Presenter window, and click the Materials tab. 2 In the material palette, right-click the material that you want to remove from items in the scene, and click Remove From All Items on the shortcut menu.
NOTE You can also copy materials between the folders in the left pane by either dragging and dropping them, or using the Copy and Paste options on the shortcut menu. To manage palette materials ➤ Right-click a material in the right pane of the Materials tab (the palette). ■ Click Copy to copy the material to the clipboard. Right-click an empty space in the palette and click Paste to paste a copy of the material with the same name suffixed with the next number in the list.
■ Click Clear Palette to delete all the materials from the palette and also from all items in the scene. Edit Presenter Materials Installed archive materials cannot be edited while they are in the archives, but you can edit materials in the scene’s palette. Edited materials will be saved with the Autodesk Navisworks model in an NWD or NWF file, or in an NWP palette file, or they can be added to your user archive, called My Materials.
■ Click Main Window Preview to close the preview window in the Material Editor and instead preview the material on the item in the Scene View. This is updated interactively while you change the parameters. The preview will be represent the material shown in Autodesk Navisworks during navigation, but the quality will not be as high as the photorealistic render.
3 Browse to and select your image file, and 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 “Edit Presenter Materials” on page 359 for more information. Advanced Materials Internally, a material is defined by four shaders from different classes: Color, Transparency, Reflectance and Displacement.
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 cleared). With both Normalized and Offset Center selected, the origin will be repositioned in the center of the repeated image, directly below (Point 4).
Add and Position Lights Lights and light studios can be taken directly from the archives and applied to the model by dropping them into the palette. These can then be repositioned as needed.
To position or reposition lights in the model 1 Open the Presenter window, and click the Lighting tab. 2 In the palette (right pane of the Lighting tab), right-click the light you want to reposition, and click Edit on the shortcut menu. 3 Use the Light Editor to position the light as needed. Point, Distant, Spot and Projector lights have a Location parameter. Distant and Spot lights additionally have a To parameter.
To copy lighting effects into a custom folder 1 In the Presenter window, Lighting tab, click a lighting effect in the right pane, and drag it to the desired location under the My Lighting folder in the left pane until a mouse pointer displays a small plus symbol. 2 Release the left mouse button to drop the lighting effect into the folder.
■ 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.
At any time, click Apply to apply the parameter edits to the light in the scene. You can save an edited light for use in other scenes by dragging it onto the My Lighting user archive. Shadow Casting Selecting the Shadows check box in the Light Editor of a light that supports shadows (point, distant, spot, sky, sun, projector and goniometric) results in the selected light casting shadows in the scene.
Advanced Lighting You can use Presenter to apply advanced lighting effects. Soft Shadows 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.
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 Color to define brightness and color of the lit medium. ■ Use a solid color shader set as density shader for simulation of density variations in the medium. ■ Decrease the Error Bound parameter, if image appears spotty outside shadow areas.
To set up image-based lighting 1 Open the Presenter window, and click the Lighting tab. 2 Expand the Recommended archive in the left pane of the Lighting tab. 3 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 a High Dynamic Range Image. 4 Click Render to render the scene using the default image contained in this Environment light.
An example of RPC people on and around a building 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. NOTE While navigating through the scene, RPCs will always turn to face the camera. If an RPC is 3D or 3.5D, right-clicking it in the Scene View, and clicking Refresh on the shortcut menu will set it to the correct frame, based on the current camera position.
5 In the Open RPC File dialog box, locate the desired RPC file, and click Open. Autodesk Navisworks has a small selection of free, example RPC files in the resources area of the product DVD. You can use them to make up a simple scene with some people, plants, and trees. 6 Adjust the settings in the RPC Editor as needed, and click OK. To add an RPC to a model 1 Open the Presenter window, and click the RPC tab.
Use Presenter Rendering Effects Effects Tab Like the Materials, Lighting, and Rendering tabs, the Effects tab is divided into two panes, with the archives on the left and the palette on the right. This tab is where you set up different background and foreground effects. You can only have one background and one foreground effect at a time in the palette. NOTE A complete reference manual for all types of foregrounds, backgrounds and rendering styles is included with the Autodesk Navisworks API (see \API\COM\
In the Background Editor, you can change backgrounds by clicking the Browse button (...) next to the File Name field and open a new image as the background. Editing parameters in the Background Editor will interactively alter the scene with those changes. At any time, click Apply to apply the parameter edits to the scene. You can save an edited background for use in other scenes by dragging it into the Backgrounds folder inside the My Effects user archive.
Setting up an environment background consists of two components: the background image, such as the sky over the desert, and the environment that holds the background image. To add a background effect 1 Open the Presenter window, and click the Effects tab. 2 In the left pane, expand the Recommended archive, and choose the desired background effect. 3 Drag your chosen background into the palette on the right side.
Foreground Effects Foreground effects change the foreground of the image when rendered, and include fog and snow effects. None of these effects are available as an interactive preview and can only be seen when a full render is done. Adding foreground effects is similar to adding background effects. Double-click an effect in the palette to open the Foreground Editor. Each editor will be different for each foreground type.
Rendering Styles Rendering styles affect the way that the scene is rendered when a full photorealistic render is done (by clicking Render). None of these effects are available as an interactive preview. To set up a rendering style, drag your chosen style into the palette on the right side of the tab. To edit your chosen rendering style, double-click the style in the palette. The Render Editor dialog box opens. Each editor will be different for each type of rendering style.
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 like the Recommended archive. These rendering styles are the fastest and use the least memory where large parts of the model are obscured from any particular viewpoint.
To edit texture space 1 Select the item (see “Interactive Geometry Selection” on page 215 for more information) and go to the Texture Space tab in the Presenter window to choose another texture space. Alternatively, right-click an item which has a texture applied to it and click a new texture space on the Presenter ➤ Texture Space shortcut menu. 2 You can fine-tune an item’s texture space further by clicking Edit on the Texture Space tab of the Presenter window. The relevant Texture Space Editor opens.
6 Click Ortho if you want Autodesk Navisworks to align the texture space with the nearest axis. 7 Click Fit if you want Autodesk 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.
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 select the rule Selection Sets by Name, and click Apply. To apply predefined Presenter rules 1 Open the Presenter window, and click the Rules tab. 2 Select all the rules you want to apply. You can apply as many rules as you want, as all rules depend on material names.
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 select the rule Materials by Property, and click Apply. 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.
4 Set up the necessary materials: a From the Recommended\Glass archive on the Materials tab, drag the Window Glass material into the palette, press F2, and rename it as “AutoCAD Color Index 9”. Press Enter to save the new name. NOTE The name of the Presenter material must match the name of the material saved in the original CAD file. You can view the material properties in the Properties window or on the Properties tab of the Selection Tree. b From the Recommended\Bricks archive on the Materials tab, drag t
384 | Chapter 14 Create Photorealistic Visualizations
Simulate Construction Scheduling 15 The TimeLiner tool enables you to link your 3D model to an external construction schedule for visual 4D planning. Overview of TimeLiner Tool The TimeLiner tool adds 4D schedule simulation to Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011. TimeLiner imports schedules from a variety of sources. You can then connect tasks in the schedule with objects in the model to create a 4D simulation.
TimeLiner Window The TimeLiner dockable window enables you to link items in the model to project tasks, and simulate project schedules. To toggle the TimeLiner window ■ Click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ TimeLiner . Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ TimeLiner To set TimeLiner options 1 Click ➤ Options. 2 Expand the Tools node in the Options Editor, and click the TimeLiner option.
The Task View The tasks are shown in a multi-column table, which provides some flexibility in how records are displayed. You can: ■ Move or resize columns ■ Sort column data in ascending or descending order ■ Add new user columns to the default column set TIP 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 keyboard keys to move forwards and backwards between fields.
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.
■ Attach Named Search - attaches all items selected by the named search currently selected in the Selection Tree. For example, anything on the Sets or Properties tabs of the Selection Tree. ■ Attach Selection Set - attaches all items contained within a Selection Set, to the selected tasks. 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 tasks.
The Link View The links are shown in a multi-column table. The columns show link name, source (for example, 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. You can move and resize columns, if necessary. The Link Status Synchronized All linked tasks have the same values as the external schedule.
■ Planned - the bars are shown as blue. ■ Planned vs Actual - the planned dates are shown as grey bars, and actual dates are shown as red bars. You can also use the Zoom control to modify the resolution of the displayed chart. The Task Grid The tasks are shown in a multi-column table. All columns are read only, but you can expand/collapse the task hierarchy, and move the columns. The Task Grid on the Gantt View tab is synchronized with the Task View on the Tasks tab.
On-time start, early finish. On-time start, on-time finish. On-time start, late finish. Late start, early finish. Late start, on-time finish. Late start, late finish. Started after planned finish. No comparison. The Display Dates The Display Dates drop-down enables you to switch between Actual, Planned, and Planned vs Actual Gantt charts. The Zoom Slider The Zoom slider enables you to adjust the resolution of the displayed Gantt chart.
The appearance definitions are shown in a multi-column table. You can move and resize table columns, if necessary. TimeLiner comes with a set of ten predefined Appearance Definitions that you can use to configure the task types. Appearances define a level of transparency and a color. You can customize the default appearance definitions, or create new ones, as necessary.
The Playback Controls Use the standard VCR buttons to step and play forwards and backwards through the simulation: Rewind will rewind the simulation back to the beginning. Step Back will step back a single step size. See “Simulation Settings Dialog Box” on page 397 for more information. will play the simulation backwards. Reverse Play 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.
Select Link Dialog Box When you relink a task to an external schedule you will be prompted to select which link to use, as your project may be linked to multiple schedules. Field Selector Dialog Box The Field Selector dialog box determines various options used when importing data from a link. The options available may be different for each type of link source. The Field Selector Dialog Box for importing data from an external scheduling software.
Options CSV Import Settings Row 1 Contains Headings Select the Row 1 Contains Headings check box if you want the first row of data in your CSV file to be treated as column headings. TimeLiner will use it to populate the External Field Name options in the grid. If the first row of data in your CSV file does not contain column headings, clear this check box.
M, %M The numeric month. Single-digit months will NOT have a leading zero. MM The numeric month. Single-digit month names will have a leading zero. MMM The abbreviated month name. MMMM The full month name. y, %y The year without the century. If less than 10, it will NOT have a leading zero. yy The year without the century. If less than 10, it will have a leading zero. yyyy The year in four digits, including the century. h, %h The hour in 12-hour clock format. Single digit hours will NOT have a leading zero.
It is possible to override the Start and End dates that the simulation runs between. Selecting the Override Start/End dates check box enables the date boxes and allows you to choose the start and end dates. By doing this, you can simulate a small sub-section of the overall project. The dates will be shown on the 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.
You can add animation to an entire schedule, so that during the TimeLiner sequence playback, Autodesk Navisworks will also play the specified viewpoint animation or camera. The following options can be selected in the Animation field: ■ No Link - no viewpoint animation or camera animation will be played. ■ Saved Viewpoints Animation - links your schedule to the currently selected viewpoint or viewpoint animation.
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.
Overlay Text Dialog Box You have the option to define the text overlaid in the Scene View during simulation, by clicking Edit in the Simulation Settings Dialog Box. 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.
%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.
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 Attach objects in the model to tasks.
Alternatively, you can Use Rules to Attach Tasks automatically. 4 Click the Gantt View Tab on page 390 to view a read-only graphical representation of your project schedule. You can switch between Planned, Actual, and Planned vs Actual Gantt charts. 5 Simulate your schedule. You can visualize your model at any date in your schedule with the currently active tasks highlighted. Run through the entire schedule using familiar VCR controls.
6 Adjust the way your simulation plays. You can 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. 7 Create image and AVI files. Export the current simulation view as an image, or the entire simulation as an AVI. 8 Keep up to date with changes in your project.
You can adjust the Task View. You can also add new user columns to the default column set. This is useful when you create links to external project files that contain more fields than TimeLiner. To move a column 1 Open the TimeLiner window, and click the Tasks tab. 2 Position the mouse over the header of the column you want to move, and press the left mouse button. 3 Drag the column header to the desired location, and release the left mouse button.
Create Tasks In TimeLiner tasks can be created in one of the following ways: ■ Manually, one at a time. ■ Automatically, based on object structure in the Selection Tree, or the selection and search sets. ■ Automatically, built from links to external project files. TIP Unlike manual tasks, which need to be attached to geometry in your model, automatic tasks will be attached to the corresponding geometry as soon as they are created.
2 In the TimeLiner window, the Tasks tab, right-click in the Task View, and click Tools on the shortcut menu. 3 Click Add Named Task for Each Selection Set to create tasks with the same names as each selection and search set in the Sets dockable window. NOTE Actual Start and End dates will be automatically created, starting from the current system date and incrementing by one day for each subsequent end and start date.
NOTE Currently, you cannot use the keyboard shortcuts CTRL + C and CTRL + V to copy and paste date/time values. To set or modify the task type 1 In the TimeLiner window, the Tasks tab, click the task you want to modify. 2 From the Task Type drop-down list, select the type of task you wish this task to be. By default, you can choose from: ■ Construct ■ Demolish ■ Temporary The task type defines how the items attached to the task will be displayed during simulation.
Attach Tasks Manually To attach a task to a current selection 1 If the TimeLiner window is not already open, click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ TimeLiner . 2 Select the desired geometry objects in the Scene View, or on the Selection Tree. 3 In the TimeLiner window, the Tasks tab, right-click the required task, and click Attach Selection on the shortcut menu. The task icon has changed indicating that this task now contains attached items.
NOTE If you need to add additional items to already attached tasks, click the Append Selection option on the shortcut menu, otherwise any previous task attachments will be overridden. Use Rules to Attach Tasks Attaching tasks manually could take a long time. It is a good practice to either user task names, which correspond to Selection Tree layers, or create selection and search sets that correspond to the task names.
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 want to compare Item names to.
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 itself, it is contained within an item that is attached. ■ Find contained items.
To view a Gantt chart for Planned vs Actual dates 1 Click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ TimeLiner , and click the Gantt View tab in the TimeLiner window. 2 Select Planned vs Actual in the Display Dates drop-down. To change a resolution of a Gantt chart 1 Click the Gantt View tab in the TimeLiner window. 2 Optional: Use the Display Dates drop-down to customize the displayed Gantt chart. By default, the Actual dates are used. 3 Drag the Zoom slider to adjust the chart’s resolution.
NOTE Autodesk Navisworks TimeLiner supports multiple sources of external schedules using a COM interface. Anyone can develop support for a new schedule source - the type library that defines the interface is included with TimeLiner. Microsoft Project 2003 This Link requires Microsoft Project 2003™ to be installed. Microsoft Project 2007 This Link requires Microsoft Project 2007™ to be installed.
Once connected, a dialog box allows the user to select which project to open. A check box 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 Field Selector Dialog Box, including Project Activity Codes, Global Activity Codes, and User Defined Fields.
NOTE For more information on which sources are typically available, see “Supported Scheduling Software” on page 414. 4 Use the standard Open dialog box to browse to and open the desired project file. TimeLiner creates the link to the selected file in accordance with the predefined parameters configured for the corresponding data source using a COM interface. Depending on the data source, the Field Selector Dialog Box may be displayed. You can use it to override some of the predefined data import options.
To import CSV data 1 If the TimeLiner window is not already open, click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ TimeLiner . 2 In the TimeLiner window click the Links tab. 3 Right-click in the Link View, click Add Link, and click CSV File. 4 Use the standard Open dialog box to locate the desired project file in CSV format, and click Open. 5 In the Field Selector Dialog Box, use the CSV Import Settings area to specify how your data should be imported into TimeLiner.
Delete Links To delete a link 1 If the TimeLiner window is not already open, click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ TimeLiner . 2 In the TimeLiner window, the Links tab, right-click the link you want to delete, and click Delete Link on the shortcut menu. This only deletes the link, not the tasks built from this link. These tasks become automatically Unlinked. NOTE If you made a mistake, use the Undo button on the Quick Access toolbar to restore the deleted item.
4D Simulation In this section, you will learn how to play 4D simulations, and how to customize the simulation playback and appearance. Play Simulations To play a simulation 1 If the TimeLiner window is not already open, click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ TimeLiner . 2 On the Tasks tab select the Active check box for all tasks that you want to include in the simulation. 3 Be sure the active tasks are assigned the correct Task Types.
To add a task type definition 1 If the TimeLiner window is not already open, click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ TimeLiner . 2 Click the Configure tab, right-click in the Task Types area, and click Add on the shortcut menu. 3 A new task type is added to the bottom of the list; it will be highlighted, enabling you to enter a new name for it. 4 Use the drop-down buttons to the right of each of the Appearance field to assign the desired object behavior.
2 In the Default Simulation Start Appearance drop-down list, select the appearance option, which you want to use to start your simulations. Export You can export a static image at any time during a simulation by using one of the standard Autodesk Navisworks image exports, whilst the Simulation tab is active. See “Export an Image” on page 317 for more information. You also have an option to export an animation of an entire TimeLiner simulation. See “Export an Animation” on page 318 for more information.
5 Click OK. To add a camera animation 1 If the TimeLiner window is not already open, click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ TimeLiner . 2 Click the Simulation tab, and click the Settings button. 3 In the Simulation Settings dialog box, click the drop-down arrow in the Animation field, and select the desired camera animation, for example Scene1 ➤ Camera.
4 Click OK. Add Animation to Tasks The animation that you can add to individual tasks in TimeLiner is restricted to scenes and animation sets from the scenes. By default, any added animation is scaled to fit the task duration. You also got an option of playing an animation at its normal (recorded) speed, by matching its start or end point with the task. NOTE Animation keyframes may contain transparency and color overrides.
3 Click the drop-down arrow in the Animation field, and select a scene or an animation set from a scene. When you select a scene, all animation sets recorded for this scene will be used. 4 Click the drop-down arrow in the Animation Behavior field, and select how the animation will play during this task: ■ Scale - the duration of the animation is matched to the duration of the task. This is the default setting. ■ Match Start - the animation starts when the task starts.
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Locate and Manage Interferences 16 The Clash Detective tool enables you to search through your total project model, identifying cross-discipline interferences (clashes) earlier in the design process. Overview of Clash Detective Tool The Clash Detective tool enables effective identification, inspection, and reporting of interferences (clashes) in a 3D project model. Using Clash Detective can help you to reduce the risk of human error during model inspections.
To toggle the Clash Detective window ■ Click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ Clash Detective . Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ Clash Detective To set Clash Detective options 1 Click the application button ➤ Options. 2 Expand the Tools node in the Options Editor, and click the Clash Detective option. 3 On the Clash Detective page, use the View in Context Zoom Duration (seconds) box to enter the required value.
NOTE This option is only applicable when the Animate Transitions check box is selected on the Results tab of the Clash Detective window. 6 Use the Dimming Transparency slider to specify the level of transparency of items not involved in clashes. NOTE This option is only applicable when both the Dim Other and Transparent Dimming check boxes are selected on the Results tab of the Clash Detective window. 7 Click OK. Batch Tab The Batch tab enables you to manage your clash tests and results.
Select Tab The Select tab enables you to refine your clash test by only testing sets of items at a time, rather than the whole model against itself. Use it to configure the parameters for the clash currently selected on the Batch tab. TIP To run all tests in your batch, use the Update button on the Batch tab. NOTE Hidden items are not included in a clash test.
Clash testing can be faster, more effective, and easily repeatable if you use selection and search sets. Carefully consider what sets of objects need clashing against each other and create Selection/Search Sets accordingly. Geometry Type Buttons Clash tests can include the clashing of surfaces, lines, and points of the selected items. - clashes item surfaces. This is the default option. - clashes items with center lines, for example pipes. - clashes (laser) points.
Results Tab The Results tab enables you to interactively view the found clashes. It contains the list of clashes, and a number of controls to manage them. You can now group clashes into folders and subfolders to make managing large numbers of clashes or related clashes simpler. The Results Area The found clashes are shown in a multi-column table. You can use the scroll bars at the right and at the bottom of the Results tab. By default, clashes are numbered and sorted by “severity” on page 516.
■ 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. If the status is manually changed to “Resolved”, and a new test finds the same clash, its status will be changed back to “New”. ■ 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 also “clash test status” on page 516 for a description of old tests.
For a clash group, selecting this check box automatically shows the ‘worst’ clash point in the group in the Scene View. Auto Zoom Selecting this check box automatically zooms the camera to show all items involved in the selected clash or selected clash group. Clearing this check box allows you to keep the main viewpoint static while flicking through the clashes one by one.
■ Import Current Selection - the items currently selected in the Scene View become selected in the tree, if the items exist in the currently visible hierarchy. ■ Group Clashes Involving Item - creates a new Clash Group from all clashes where the selected items are involved. The Highlight Check Box Select this check box to override the color of the item in the Scene View with the color of the status of the selected clash.
■ Everything - reports will contain both summaries of the clash group folders that you have created and individual clash results. For each clash that belongs to a group, an extra field, called Clash Group, can be added to the report to identify it. To enable this functionality, select the Clash Group check box in the Contents area. NOTE If your test does not contain any clash groups, this box is not available.
Run Clash Tests To run clash tests 1 If the Clash Detective window is not already open, click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ Clash Detective . 2 Click the Batch tab. 3 To run all of the tests in the batch, click the Update button. To run a single test from a batch, select it in the Tests Area, click the Select Tab, and click the Start button. Manage Batches of Clash Tests To manage batches of clash tests 1 If the Clash Detective window is not already open, click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ Clash Detective .
To import a clash test 1 Click the application button ➤ Import ➤ Clash Tests XML . 2 In the Import dialog box, browse to the folder containing the clash test data, select it, and click Open. Export Clash Tests Tests can be set up to clash items based on generic properties, including direct property selection on the The Left and Right Panes of the Select tab, 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”.
3 Click Save. Create 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” on page 430. The results from all tests in the batch are combined and presented as the results of the custom clash test.
Clash Rules Using ignore clash rules reduce the number of clash results by ignoring certain combinations of clashing items. The Clash Detective tool includes both the default clash rules and clash rule templates that can be used to create custom clash rules. Default Clash Rules The following ignore clash rules are built-in: ■ Items in Same Layer - any items found clashing that are in the same layer are not reported in the results.
■ Same Property Value - any items found clashing that share a specific property value are not reported in the results. This template can be used when the information is stored on the same property. ■ Same Selection Sets - any items found clashing that are contained within the same Selection Set are not reported in the results. ■ Specified Selection Sets - any items found clashing that are contained within two specified Selection Sets are not reported in the results.
■ “”. Choose from the available list, which property you want to define. Again, only the properties in the scene within the chosen category will be available. ■ Any Parent. Search for the defined property on the specified selection. Any Parent is the default option, though you can also choose a Model, a Layer, the Last Object, or the Geometry ■ the Last Object. Search for the defined property on the specified selection.
You can also transfer the current selection to one of the boxes by selecting items in the usual way in the Scene View or Selection Tree and clicking the appropriate Select Current button. 4 Optional: Select the appropriate Self Intersect check box to test the corresponding set for self-intersection, as well as intersection against the other set. 5 Optional: You can include the clashing of points, or lines, or surfaces in your test.
Similarly, linking to an object animation scene integrates the features of Clash Detective and Object Animation giving you the ability to automatically check interferences between moving objects. Finally, you can link to an animated TimeLiner schedule (a schedule in which some tasks are linked to animation scenes), and run automatic time-based soft clash tests.
Soft Clashing Project models can include the dynamic representation of temporary items, such as work packages, ships, cranes, installations, and so on. You can use the Animator window to create animation scenes with these objects, so that they will be moving around a project site, or change their size, and so on. It is possible that some moving objects could collide. Setting up soft clashing enables the automated checking of this.
Setting up a time-based soft clashing enables the automated checking of this throughout the project lifetime. When a time-based soft clash session is run, at each step of TimeLiner sequence, Clash Detective is used to check if a clash has occurred. If it has, a date of when the clash took place is logged, along with the event that caused the clash. You can review the Clash Results and, for example, re-route some objects to avoid any space/time conflicts.
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. All clashes found up until the interrupt will be reported, and the test will be saved with a Partial status. Clash Results In this section you will learn how to interact with the results of your clash tests. Understand Clash Results All found clashes are shown in the Results tab in a multi-column table.
Manage Clash Results You can manage clash results individually. You can also create and manage clash groups. Created groups are represented in the Results tab as folders. To rename an ungrouped clash 1 On the Results tab, right-click the clash in the Results tab, and click Rename. 2 Type the new name, and press Enter. Command entry: F2 To create a clash group 1 Click the New Clash Group button on the Results tab.
NOTE Multiple clashes can be changed by either holding down the CTRL key whilst selecting individual clashes (the last selected being shown in the Scene 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 Scene View). To change status of a clash group 1 On the Results tab, click the required clash group.
Clear the check box to return to default view of highlighting only the items involved in the clash selected in the Results area. To isolate clash results in the Scene View 1 In the Clash Detective window, click the Results tab. 2 To hide all items that obstruct viewing the clashing items in the Scene View, select the Auto Reveal check box. When you click on a clash result, you can see the clash when zooming in on it, without having to move location.
Viewing clashing items with the Dim Other check box clear Viewing clashing items with the Dim Other check box selected 5 To set transparent dimming of all objects not involved in the clash, select the Transparent Dimming check box. This option can only be used with the Dim Other option, and will render all items that are not involved in the clash transparent, as well as gray. The level of dimming transparency can be customized in the Options Editor. By default, 70% transparency is used.
To save viewpoints with clash results 1 In the Clash Detective window, click the Results tab. 2 In the Display area, make sure the Save Viewpoint check box is selected. 3 Click a clash result in the Results list. 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.
To review soft clash results 1 In the Clash Detective window, set up and run a soft clash test (see “Soft Clashing” on page 445). 2 Click the Results tab. 3 Select the Simulation check box in the Display area. 4 In the Clash Detective window, Results tab, select a clash in the Results list. 5 Click the Animation tab on the ribbon. The Playback Position slider on the Playback panel is moved to the exact point at which the clash occurs.
3 Select the Simulation check box in the Display area. 4 If the TimeLiner window is not already open, click Home tab ➤ Tools panel ➤ TimeLiner the Simulation tab. , and click 5 In the Clash Detective window, Results tab, select a clash in the Results list. 6 The simulation slider in the TimeLiner window is moved to the exact point at which the clash occurs. You can move the slider to investigate the events happening immediately before and after the clash. 7 Repeat this process to review all found clashes.
3 In the For Clash Groups Include box, Include Clashes area, specify how to display the clash groups in your report. 4 NOTE If your test does not contain any clash groups, this box is not available. Choose from the following options: ■ Group Headers Only - your report will only include summaries of the clash group folders that you have created. An example of a report with group headers only ■ Individual Clashes Only - your report will only contain individual clash results.
■ Everything - your report will contain both summaries of the clash group folders that you have created and individual clash results. For each clash that belongs to a group, an extra field, called Clash Group, can be added to the report to identify it. To enable this functionality, select the Clash Group check box in the Contents area.
■ Text creates 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 creates a folder in the Saved Viewpoints dockable window, 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. 9 Click the Write Report button to write the report.
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Autodesk Navisworks Reference 17 Animation Export Dialog Box Use this dialog box to export an animation to an AVI file or a sequence of image files. Source Source Selects the source from which to export the animation. Choose from: ■ Current Animator Scene. The currently selected object animation. ■ TimeLiner Simulation. The currently selected TimeLiner sequence. ■ Current Animation. The currently selected viewpoint animation. Renderer Renderer Selects the animation renderer.
■ Windows Bitmap. Exports a sequence of static images, which are taken from individual frames in the animation. There are no Options for this format. Options Enables you to configure the options for the selected output format. Size Type Use the drop-down list to specify how to set the size of the exported animation. TIP For animations, a much lower resolution can be used than for static images, for example, 640x480. Choose from: ■ Explicit.
Ribbon: View tab ➤ Scene View panel ➤ Background Shortcut menu: Right-click a blank area in the scene, and click Background on the shortcut menu. Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ Background Collision Dialog Box Use this dialog box to adjust the collision settings for the selected viewpoint. By default, Collision, Gravity, Auto Crouch, and Third Person view are switched off. Collision Select this check box to define a viewer as a collision volume in Walk and Fly modes.
Pointing device: Options Editor dialog box ➤ File Readers node ➤ DWG/DXF option ➤ Advanced Culling Options Dialog Box With the AutoCAD File Exporter plugin installed in an AutoCAD application, the Culling Options dialog box enables you to adjust geometry culling when you navigate a model in the Navigator Palette. Area Enable Specifies whether or not area culling is used. Number of Pixels Below Which Objects Are Culled Specifies a value for the screen area in pixels below which objects are culled.
Rename Displays the Rename Toolbar dialog box and enables you to rename a custom toolbar. Delete Enables you to delete the selected custom toolbar. Commands Tab Use this tab to add and remove commands from the Menu bar and the toolbars in the Classic user interface. NOTE You cannot add and remove commands from shortcut menus. Categories Contains the groups of commands that can be customized. Commands Contains all available commands for the selected category.
Menu Animations Defines the way menus are animated. Default Collision Dialog Box Use this dialog box to specify and save your preferred collision settings. By default, Collision, Gravity, Auto Crouch, and Third Person view are switched off. When you modify default collision settings, your changes do not affect the currently opened Autodesk Navisworks file. They are used as soon as you open a new Autodesk Navisworks file, or start a new Autodesk Navisworks session.
Edit Key Frame - Animation Set All values are relative to the previous keyframe, or, if it is the first keyframe, relative to the model’s starting position. Time 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. Translate Enter the X, Y, and Z coordinate values to move the selected objects into this position.
Deletes the section plane selected in the Section Planes list. Distance The distance of the selected section plane across the model. Plane Selects the vector that represents the angle of the section plane. The drop-down list contains a range of pre-defined values. If you select the Define Custom option, you can manually define the “up” vector for the plane. Enabled Indicates whether the selected section plane is active or not.
Override Material Select this check box to save material override information with the viewpoint. When you use a viewpoint again, the material overrides set when the viewpoint was saved are reapplied. NOTE Saving the state information with each viewpoint requires a relatively large amount of memory. Collision Settings Opens the Collision dialog box.
■ Use View. Uses the width and height of your current view. ■ Use Printer Page. Sizes the image to the page setup size of the default printer. Width Enables you to enter the width in pixels, when available. Height Enables you to enter the height in pixels, when available.
Fixed Select this radio button to set the far clipping plane to the value provided in the Distance box. Distance Specifies the closest distance between the camera and the far clipping plane position in constrained mode. Specifies the exact distance between the camera and the far clipping plane position in fixed mode. NOTE Nothing is drawn beyond this plane; when you override automatic mode, make this value large enough to include your data.
Scene Lights Tab Use this tab to change the intensity of the scene’s ambient light for Scene Lights mode. Ambient Use the slider to control the overall brightness of the scene. NOTE To see the effect your changes have on the model in the Scene View, apply Scene Lights mode DataTools Tab Use this tab to create and manage links between the opened Autodesk Navisworks file and external databases. DataTools Links Displays all database links in Autodesk Navisworks file.
Image Export Dialog Box Use this dialog box to export the current viewpoint into one of the file types supported by Autodesk Navisworks. Output Format Use the drop-down list to select one of the image types supported by Autodesk Navisworks. Choose from: ■ JPEG ■ PNG ■ Windows Bitmap Options Enables you to specify the options for PNG and JPG files. For PNG images, you can select the Interlacing and Compression Level settings, and for the JPEG images you can select Compression and Smoothing levels.
Check for New Online Content Specifies how often Communication Center checks for new content. Use Animated Transition Effects for Panels Check to animate panel transitions. Pointing device: InfoCenter Settings dialog box ➤ General node Search Locations Node Use the Search Locations node to identify content (documents, Web locations, and files) to be searched, as well as the name that displays for each location and the number of results to display for each.
% Transparency of Balloon Notification Enter a numeric value to indicate the transparency of balloon notifications. Alternatively, drag the slider toward Opaque to decrease the balloon notification transparency percentage or toward Transparent to increase the transparency percentage. Pointing device: InfoCenter Settings dialog box ➤ Communication Center node ➤ Balloon Notification page RSS Feeds Page Use the settings on this page to RSS feeds. RSS Subscription Add.
Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ Global Options Shortcut menu: Scene ➤ Global Options Buttons Export Displays the Select Options to Export dialog box, where you can select the global options you want to export (or “serialize”). If an option cannot be exported, it is unavailable. Import Displays the Open dialog box, where you can browse to the file with the required global option settings. OK Saves the changes, and closes the Options Editor. Cancel Discards the changes, and closes the Options Editor.
Maximum Recently Used Files Specifies how many file shortcuts Autodesk Navisworks can remember. By default, shortcuts to the four most recently opened files can be displayed. Auto-Save Page Use the setting on this page to adjust the auto-save options. Enable Auto-Save Indicates whether Autodesk Navisworks automatically saves Navisworks files. By default, this check box is selected. Clear this check box if you do not want to save Navisworks files automatically.
Pick Radius Specifies the radius, in pixels, that an item has to be within in order for it to be selected. Resolution Specifies the level of selection used by default. When you click in the Scene View, Autodesk Navisworks requires a starting point for the object path in the Selection Tree box to identify the selected item. You can choose one of the following options: ■ Model - the object path starts at the model node; as a result, all objects in the model are selected.
When this check box is clear, the surface of the parametric objects is used for the shortest distance measurement instead. NOTE Changing this option does not affect any measurement currently in place. To see any changes, clear the measurement, and start again. Snapping Page Use the options on this page to adjust the cursor snapping. Picking Snap to Vertex Select this check box to snap the cursor to the nearest vertex. Snap to Edge Select this check box to snap the cursor to the nearest triangle edge.
Show Links Toggles the display of links in the Scene View. In 3D Indicates whether the link icons are drawn in 3D in the Scene View. Select this box if you want the links to float in 3D space just in front of their attachment points to the geometry. If the links become obscured by other geometry, clear this check box to draw the link icons in 2D over the top of geometry. Max Icons Specifies the maximum number of icons to draw in the Scene View.
Hide Icons Without Comments Select this check box to display only the links that have comments in the Scene View. TimeLiner Icon Type Specifies how to display this link category. Select one of the following options: ■ Icon - links are represented by default icons in the Scene View: - links to manually created tasks - links to tasks with valid links - links to tasks with broken links ■ Text - links are represented by text boxes with link descriptions in the Scene View.
■ Text - links are represented by text boxes with link descriptions in the Scene View. Visible Select this check box to display this link category in the Scene View. Hide Icons Without Comments Select this check box to display only the links that have attached comments in the Scene View. User-Defined Categories Page Use this page to view custom link categories. The padlock icon indicates that you cannot add or remove categories directly from here.
Previous and Next Element Use and to navigate between quick properties definitions. If you clicked the Records View button, this is the only way to move between the records. Category Specifies the property category that you want to customize. Property Specifies the property that is displayed in the tooltips for the selected category. Developer Page Use the options on this page to adjust the display of object properties.
Snap Size Enter a number from 1 through 9 to set the size (in pixels) of snap points drawn in the Scene View. Enable Parametric Primitives Indicates whether Autodesk Navisworks dynamically renders parametric primitives during interactive navigation. Selecting this check box means the level of detail changes during navigation depending on the distance from the camera. Clear this check box to use the default representations of primitives; the level of detail stays the same during navigation.
Size Specifies the size of the ViewCube. You can choose from the following options: ■ Automatic ■ Tiny ■ Small ■ Medium ■ Large NOTE In automatic mode, the size of the ViewCube is relative to the size of the Scene View, and ranges between medium and tiny. Inactive Opacity When the ViewCube is inactive, that is your cursor is distant from the ViewCube, it appears transparent.
■ Normal (128x128) ■ Large (256x256). Normal is the default option. Opacity Controls the opacity level of big wheels. The default value is 50%. You can choose from the following options: ■ 25% (mostly transparent) ■ 50% ■ 75% ■ 90% (mostly opaque) Mini Wheels Size Specifies the size of mini wheels. You can choose from the following options: ■ Small (16x16) ■ Normal (32x32) ■ Large (64x64). ■ Extra Large (256x256) Normal is the default option.
Use Viewpoint Linear Speed When this check box is selected, the Walk tool will respect the Viewpoint Linear Speed setting. In this case, the Walk speed slider will act like a multiplier. When this check box is clear, the Walk tool will work independently of the Viewpoint Linear Speed setting, using a fixed value set with the slider. Walk Speed Sets the speed of the Walk tool from 0.1 (very slow) to 10 (very fast).
On Append Select this check box to merge duplicates when a new file is appended to the currently opened Autodesk Navisworks file. On Load Select this check box to merge duplicates when a file is loaded into Autodesk Navisworks. On Save NWF Select this check box to merge duplicates when the current scene is saved in the NWF file format. On Load Collapse on Convert Collapses the tree structure on the Selection Tree to the specified level when native CAD files are converted into Autodesk Navisworks.
Geometry compression results in less memory being required and therefore smaller NWD files. Reduce Precision Coordinates Select this check box to reduce the precision of coordinates. Precision Specifies the precision value for coordinates. The larger the value, the less precise coordinates are. Normals Select this check box to reduce the precision of normals. Colors Select this check box to reduce the precision of colors.
File Readers Node Use the settings in this node to configure the file readers required to open native CAD and scanning applications file formats in Autodesk Navisworks. TIP If you want to restore the default values, click the Defaults button. 3DS Page Use this page to adjust the options for the 3DS file reader. Convert Hidden Select this check box if you want Autodesk Navisworks to convert hidden entities in 3DS files. They are automatically marked as hidden by Autodesk Navisworks.
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. To get twice the number of facets, double this value. To get half as many facets, halve this value. Larger faceting factors result in more polygons to a model and larger Autodesk Navisworks files. Max Facet Deviation This setting controls the greatest distance between the edge of a facet and the actual geometry.
If this check box is clear, the file reader attempts to convert all reference files, and presents you with a dialog box to find any unresolved reference files at a run time. Use Level Symbology Select this check box to enable the level symbology from MicroStation. This makes items in Autodesk Navisworks take their color from level rather than use the default element color in MicroStation.
When this check box is clear, the file reader ignores maps and textures. See also: ■ “DWF File Reader” on page 119 DWG/DXF Page Use this page to adjust the options for the DWG/ DFX file reader. Faceting Factor Enter the required value to control the level of faceting that takes place. 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. To get twice the number of facets, double the value.
Convert Entity Handles Select this check box to convert entity handles, and attach them to object properties in Autodesk Navisworks. When this check box is clear, the file reader ignores entity handles. Convert Groups Select this check box to retain groups in DWG and DXF files; this adds another selection level to the Selection Tree. When this check box is clear, the file reader ignores groups.
Selecting this check box results in corresponding hidden objects appearing in Autodesk Navisworks. NOTE This option does not affect the normal behavior of space objects that have visible 3D geometry in DWG files. Material Search Paths Autodesk Navisworks automatically searches the default Autodesk material paths. Use this box to specify additional paths to texture files used in Autodesk Architectural Desktop materials. Separate the paths with semi-columns.
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. To get twice the number of facets, double this value. To get half as many facets, halve this value. Larger faceting factors result in more polygons to a model and larger Autodesk Navisworks files. Max Facet Deviation This setting controls the greatest distance between the edge of a facet and the actual geometry.
Faceting Factor Enter the required value to control the level of faceting that takes place. 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. To get twice the number of facets, double the value. To get half as many facets, halve the value. Larger faceting factors result in more polygons to a model and larger Autodesk Navisworks files.
Faceting Factor Enter the required value to control the level of faceting that takes place. 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. To get twice the number of facets, double this value. To get half as many facets, halve this value. Larger faceting factors result in more polygons to a model and larger Autodesk Navisworks files.
See also: ■ Parasolid File Reader on page 125 PDS Page Use this page to adjust the options for the PDS file reader. Load Tags Select this check box if you want Autodesk Navisworks to read associated TAG files together with the DRI file. When this check box is clear, the file reader ignores TAG files. Load Display Sets Select this check box if you want Autodesk Navisworks to read associated Display Set DST files with the DRI file. When this check box is clear, the file reader ignores Display Set DST files.
Max Facet Deviation This setting controls the greatest distance between the edge of a facet and the actual geometry. If this distance is greater than the Max Facet Deviation value, Autodesk Navisworks adds more facets. If the Max Facet Deviation is set to 0, then this function is ignored. Convert Attributes Select this check box to convert attribute files. All files located by the file reader are considered in the same order they were found. Attributes are matched to elements in the scene by name.
Faceting Factor Enter the required value to control the level of faceting that takes place. 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. To get twice the number of facets, double this value. To get half as many facets, halve this value. Larger faceting factors result in more polygons to a model and larger Autodesk Navisworks files.
Default Units Specifies the type of units Autodesk Navisworks uses when opening STL files. TIP If the chosen units type turns out to be wrong, you can rescale the model by using the File Units and Transform option. (Right-click in the Scene View, and click File Units and Transform on the shortcut menu. Override Normals Normals control how objects appears when lit. By default, this check box is clear, and the file reader uses the data provided in the STL file, giving the most accurate visible results.
Z+F Page Use this page to adjust the options for the Z+F Scan file reader. Sample Rate Specifies the frequency of points extracted from the input file. Increasing the sample rate, reduces the number of points extracted. As a result, the image resolution is reduced, and the file is converted faster. Remove Spurious Points Select this check box to ignore spurious points in the input file. When this check box is clear, the file reader extracts spurious points.
NOTE This option does not affect the normal behavior of space objects that have visible 3D geometry in DWG files. Convert Lines Select this check box to convert lines and arcs in DWG and DXF files. When this check box is clear, the file exporter ignores lines. Convert Off Select this check box to convert layers that are switched off in DWG and DXF files. They are automatically marked as hidden in Autodesk Navisworks. When this check box is clear, the file exporter ignores switched off layers.
If the Max Facet Deviation is set to 0, then this function is ignored. Merge 3D Faces Indicates whether the file exporter interprets adjoining faces with the same color, layer, and parent as a single item in the Selection Tree. Clear this check box to keep the entities as separate items in the Selection Tree. Line Processing Specifies how the file reader processes lines and polylines. Select one of the following options: ■ Merge Lines by Color.
Export Specifies how geometry is exported. Select from the following options: ■ Entire Project - all geometry in the project is exported. ■ Current View - everything that is currently visible is exported. ■ Selection - only the currently selected geometry is exported. Try and Find Missing Materials When this check box is selected (the default option), the file exporter looks for a match for the materials missing from the export.
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. To get twice the number of facets, double this value. To get half as many facets, halve this value. Larger faceting factors result in more polygons to a model and larger Autodesk Navisworks files. Ignore Unres. References Select this check box to ignore unresolved reference files in DGN files.
Viz/Max Page Use this page to adjust the options for the 3DS file exporter. Convert Hidden Items Select this check box to convert hidden entities in 3DS files. They are automatically marked as hidden by Autodesk Navisworks. When this check box is clear, the file exporter ignores hidden items. Convert User Properties Select this check box to attach any user properties you have defined in Viz or Max to the converted Navisworks items. When this check box is clear, the file exporter ignores user properties.
CSV File: Read Encoding Specifies the format of the text file that will be used when importing a CSV file into TimeLiner. Choose between UTF-8 (for the traditional 8-bit character coding) and Multibyte (for larger coded character sets). CSV File: Write Encoding Specifies the format of the text file that will be used when exporting a CSV file from TimeLiner. Choose between UTF-8, UTF-8 with BOM (byte-order mark), and Multibyte. Presenter Page Use this page to adjust the Presenter options.
Hardware Shading Selects the hardware-accelerated shading. NOTE This option can only be used on machines with OpenGL 1.5 compliant graphics cards. Choose from the following options: ■ Off - turns off hardware-accelerated shading. ■ Lighting - only lights are shown. ■ Passive Shadows - both lights and shadows are turned off during navigation, and automatically reappear when navigation stops. ■ Interactive Shadows - both lights and shadows are shown during navigation.
Keywords List of keywords that can be used to search for this document. Comments Displays additional information about the document. Password You can limit access to an NWD file by entering a password into this box. You are asked to confirm the password when you click OK. Now anybody who wants to open this NWD file must type in the password you specified. IMPORTANT If you forget your password, you cannot recover it from the published NWD file.
Size Type Use the drop-down list to specify how to set the size of the exported image. Choose from: ■ Explicit. Gives you full control of the width and height (the dimensions are in pixels). ■ Use Aspect Ratio. Enables you to specify the height. The width is automatically calculated from the aspect ratio of your current view. ■ Use View. Uses the width and height of your current view. Width Enables you to enter the width in pixels, when available.
Alignment Select alignment of the corresponding section plane from one of the 9 available options. See Customize Section Plane Alignment on page 290. Click this button to re-apply a View, Line, or Surface alignment.
512 | Chapter 17 Autodesk Navisworks Reference
Glossary Glossary of technical terms relating to Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011. 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.
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.
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.
Active - a clash found in a previous run of the test and not resolved. Reviewed - a clash previously found and marked by somebody as reviewed. 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.
Index 3D space 155 3DS options 488 4D 420 A ADN 18 align viewpoint 155 animation action types 348 actions 348 add sets 338 capture 339 create 335 create scenes 336 cut 300 cuts 300 delete scenes 336 edit 299 enable scripts 302, 349 event conditions 347 event types 347 events 347 object 299 organize scenes 336 play 302, 335 record 299 scope 321 scripts 345 sets 338 share 303 update sets 339 viewpoint 299 Animation Export settings 459 Animation toolbar 82 Animator options 508 Animator toolbar 322 annotations
compass (ViewCube) 178 compatible CAD applications 110 configuration files 105 constrained orbit 176 Convert Object Properties 461 create 140 crouching 199 culling 210 area 210 backface 210 near and far clipping planes 210 require objects 211 Culling Options 462 Area 462 Backface 462 Far Clip Plane 462 Near Clip Plane 462 custom properties 233 custom scene views 87 Customer Involvement Program 19 Customize 462 commands 463 options 463 toolbars 462 customize keyboard 84 customize toolbars 84 customizing navi
Home view 183 horizon background HUD 195 hyperlinks 267 Leica Scan 124 MAN 124 Parasolid 125 PDS 125 Riegl Scan 126 RVM 126 SAT 127 SketchUp SKP 127 STEP 127 STL 128 VRML 128 Z+F Scan 129 file units 144 File Units and Transform 470 File Units 470 Origin 470 Rotation 470 Scale 470 find 223 comments 263 InfoCenter information 8 links 272 redline tags 266 finding InfoCenter information 15 fly 175 focal point 175 Forward tool 161 Frame Rate 469 Front view 181 frustum culling 210 Full Navigation wheels 191 Full
navigation bar 184 Navigation Bar options 482 Navigation Mode toolbar 79 navigation modes 171 Constrained Orbit 176 Fly 175 Free Orbit 175 Look Around 173 Orbit 174 Pan 174 Turntable 176 Walk 172 Zoom 173 Zoom Box 174 Navigation Tools toolbar 83 NetMeeting 305 network deployment 32 Network License Activation 37 Network License Manager 37 network licenses 37 network share 39 new 140 new features 3 New Link 473 connection 473 fields 473 notifications 10 NWC 109 NWC options 487 NWD 109 NWD options 486 NWF 109
quick properties 274 control display 274 definition 274 hide category name 274 Quick Properties options 480 quit 59 P pan 174 Pan tool 165 Parasolid options 496 pauses 300 PDS options 497 Performance options 485 pick radius 218 Piranesi EPix Export 509 pivot points 163 plain background 206 Presenter 351 advanced lighting 368 advanced materials 361 archives 352 background effects 373 custom rules 381 edit materials 359 effects 373 foreground effects 376 lighting 362 materials 355 position lights 363 predefi
save 141 automatically 59 search sets 229 selection sets 229 viewpoints 283 Scene Area 86 scene statistics 153 scene views 86 content 87 custom 87 resize 86 Scripter options 508 search InfoCenter 8 search directories 105 search sets 227 delete 229 export 229 import 229 rename 229 save 229 update 229 searching InfoCenter 15 section plane sets 342 Section Plane settings 510 section planes align 292 disable 288 enable 288 link 294 move 292 slider step size 292 sectioning box attributes 295 boxes 295 modes 287
Sectioning 82 Selection Tools 79 Standard 78 Workspace 80 Tools menu 77 tooltips 186 Tour Building wheels 190 Tour Building Wheels 186 transform 144 transparency 245 turntable 176 edit 284 export 287 folders 284 organize 284 save 283 use 283 views ViewCube orientation VRML options 500 U walk 172 Walk tool 167 wheels 186 window Animator 322 Comments 253 Edit Viewpoint 284 Find Comments 263 Find Items 223 Measure Tools 247 Presenter 351 Properties 232 Redline Tools 255 Saved Viewpoints 280 Scripter 322 Sel
524 | Index
