Datasheet

File aggregaTion
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File Aggregation
The building industry has expanded and become more technically diverse over the last few
decades. As a result, there are a plethora of design and engineering applications aimed at solv-
ing their own small piece of the building puzzle. Couple that with the fact that each of these
applications has its own unique file format and you can quickly see how managing these files
becomes a challenge. This is where Navisworks shines by allowing the user to combine these
disparate files into a composite model, thereby removing the interoperability challenges of the
numerous formats.
In this section, we’ll explore the concept of aggregating these various file formats and ways
to automate the creation of the composite model. As you read through this section, think about
a current, or past, project and start to identify the different file types or disciplines that make up
the model. Doing so will help you understand all of the moving pieces in most projects—and
will also make the exercises much more relevant and speed up your mastery of Navisworks.
Whether you’re using a native NWC or NWD file or bringing in one of the numerous CAD
formats, opening files is the first step to creating your composite model. Navisworks is an intui-
tive program, so you’ll notice that there is more than one way to accomplish most tasks. By
design, this flexibility is designed to accommodate most users’ habits and keep the learning
curve minimal.
Opening Files
We’ll explore a couple of methods for opening files in Navisworks. Navisworks will keep a list
of your recently opened files in the Open dialog box. By default this list is limited to 4 files; how-
ever, you can change this amount up to a maximum of 16. To override the default, choose Global
Options  General  Environment and adjust the value for Maximum Recently Used Files.
Ne W Fi l e s
To open a new file, follow these steps:
1. Click the green application icon in the upper-left corner.
2. If your file is listed in the Recent Documents list, select the file you want to open.
3. If your file is not listed, click the small arrow to the right of the open icon and choose
Open File, as shown in Figure 2.9.
If you hover over the Open command, the Recent Documents list will change to reflect
the various open options.
4. Select the appropriate file type from the drop-down list (see Figure 2.10).
5. Navigate to the file location, select the file, and click Open.
You can also use the default keyboard shortcut Ctrl+O to access the Open dialog box.
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