Datasheet

CHAPTER 2 Files and File Types

3. In the Batch Utility dialog box, navigate to your model location and select the ﬁles you

wish to append. Click the Add Files button to add them to the conversion list. If neces-

sary, use the File Type drop-down to ﬁlter the results.

4. Double-click on the ﬁlename in the upper-right queue to add to the output list, or use the

buttons to add or remove ﬁles from this list.

5. When all models have been speciﬁed, select As Single File from the Output area and click

the Browse button.

6. In the Save Output dialog box, choose NWD from the File Type drop-down box. Select

the desired location for the ﬁle output. Click Save.

7. Check View On Output if you wish to view the appended model immediately after

completion.

8. By default, all outputs will overwrite any existing ﬁles with the same name. If you want

to maintain an archive of previous versions, check the Increment Output File Names

radio button.

9. Additionally, you can create a log of your different batches for future reference. Select the

Log Events To button and browse to your desired location.

10. Click the Run Command button to execute the Batch utility.

To create an output of multiple ﬁles, repeat the process but choose the As Multiple Files tab in

the Output section.

Using the Batch utility is a great way to use tools already in Navisworks to perform automa-

tion of certain tasks, such as creating model reports and ﬁle aggregation. However, you can

further add value by scheduling batch runs to occur after hours so you’re not tying up resources

during business operations. To do this, set up your batch tests using the previous steps, but

before running the command, conﬁgure the scheduling component. Here’s how:

1. Now that your batch test is fully conﬁgured, click the Schedule Command button toward

the bottom of the Batch Utility dialog box.

2. Before conﬁguring the schedule tasks, Navisworks wants you to save your task ﬁle. In the

Save dialog box, select your desired location and enter a name for this ﬁle. Click Save.

3. The Scheduled Task dialog box opens, and depending on your computer’s security pro-

ﬁle, it may ask for your login and password. You can also change the task name to suit

your own naming conventions (Figure 2.25).

Figure 2.25

Scheduled Task

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