Navisworks previous approved clashes not showing when dwfx models updated

[burdurky]

Hi,

We are using dwfx exports from Revit for each discipline and combining them in navisworks (nwf) and running clash detection. However, when we update the models each week the previous "approved" clashes are not showing!!

Does anyone know how to fix this?

[Patrick_Aps_9121]

I use this workaroud:

create an NWD each week

Do the Clash detection in the NWD, not in the NWF

Export the Clashes found "as viewpoints"

Save the NWD after the clash detection

next week,

Use Export Viewpoins XML and import Viewpoints XML to show the previous clashes in the new model

But if anyone has a better solution,

please do reply

[IanBadcoe]

Hi,

Clash results should not dissappear unless the clashing objects they refer to disappear.  Also "Approved" clashes should retain their status through an update.

If you can give me some more details about how you create the NWF, and clash test; and how you update when new dwfx files are available -- then I may be able to work out why you are losing your results.

Thanks,

Ian

[burdurky]

Hi Ian,

Thankyou for your interest.

My workflow is as follows.

I have my all my current working files in a folder called "current" and this contains my NWF file and the DWFx files associated with it. The DWFx files are in a separate folders for each discipline. (Arch, Stru, Mech,Elec,Fire and Hydr (plmg))

When regular project updates come, I make copy the "current" folder (NWF and DWFx files) and archive them in a dated folder (I also make a NWD file from the NWF) as backup, e.g. 2012.06.15_Project Name_archive.

Once archiving is completed I return to the "current" folder. I then delete the superseded DWFx files (and Navisworks created NWC files) and insert the new DWFx files. (each week these DWFx files have exactly the same name so they update the NWF file properly) I then open the NWF file which creates new NWC files for each new DWFx file it finds. (NWF opens without the "approved" clashes)

If you can suggest anything with my work flow Ian I would appreciate it.

Note - For updates, each discipline of the project team exports DWFx files from Revit for each level (so for a 10 storey building there are 10 files from each discipline). We initially attempted using NWC files but levels exported from Revit with fragments and objects from other levels. Our service provider escalated the problem to Autodesk who told us to export levels from Revit to DWFx as a fix, which was a compromise, but worked.

Regards,

[IanBadcoe]

Hi,

I am pretty sure your problem here is that you are deleting the NWC files when you update.

The NWC is Navisworks' record of the data from the previous version of the file, when the file is updated it uses this as the basis for analysing the new data in order to determine which items have the same identity between the two versions of the file.  I think by deleting the NWC you are effectively telling NW that the DWFx is totally new each time.  And this is breaking the relationship between the old clash results and the items in the new file.

--

For certainty, I think you are doing this but I should just check, when you delete and replace the old DWFx, the new one must have the same name as the old one.  Otherwise NW will have no reason to treat it as the same file.  You shouldn't actually need to delete anything, you should just be able to copy the new file over the old one.

--

For NWC output from Revit, this is an area we try to improve each year.  Additionally in NW 2013 we have added the ability to open RVT files natively.

Hope this helps,

Ian

[burdurky]

Hi Ian,

We checked your solution and it did not seem to have any effect (response from the project BIM coordinator below)

Also, in regards to Navisworks, I followed the advice given in the email you forwarded to me and simply overwrote the dwfx file with a new one (with the same file name as we have been doing all along). I then ran the clash detection and as before, it is still listing already approved clashes as new clashes.

I ran the clash detection on Levels 05 and 06, the clashes occurring are definitely old clashes, not new ones.

I have found a solution from a guy who has written a plugin for navisworks that copies all approved,resolved etc clashes to a file and allows you to import them into the new one, we found it works well.

His e-mail is kroyly@gmail.com if anyone wants it. He charged us $249 and it paid for itself immediately.

[burdurky]

Hi,

see my response below with the Navis plugin

[IanBadcoe]

Hi,

This sounds wrong.  The other possibility is that the DWFx is coming through each time with different identidiers on the objects.  This would leave NW believing that when the file was changed all the objects it previously knew about had disappeared and a completely new set appeared instead.

Please could you raise a support issue and supply:

1) the NWF

2) some DWFx's that the NWF references

3) a changed version of at least one DWFx file.

We would like to get to the bottom of this, because it is contrary to what is supposed to be a basic mode of NW usage.

Thanks,

Ian

[burdurky]

Hi Ian,

Thank you again for your quick responses.

We submitted a technical help ticket to our support company about this issue a couple of months ago and they could not solve it, so they forwarded it to autodesk who replied with the following response

Posted on: 18 May 2012 02:11 PM

G'day,

Here is some feed back from the Autodesk support team

Thank you for choosing Autodesk Support. Though there is a referenced model file missing and I can not find exactly the same clash as you reported, but I can reproduce the issue by detecting clash again. I checked the related element IDs but could not find any difference. So I think this should be a defect. I am now reporting this issue to the develop team. I believe that they will fix it soon.

Ian, this is response is obviously no use to us and suggested that there is some sort of Autodesk issue. This is why we sourced the plug-in solution.

Regards,

[IanBadcoe]

Hi,

I am following up further by private message...

Ian

[bnydam]

So....I know this post is 5 years old, but it's the best description of what I'm experiencing.

I'm export dwfx files through dynamo into revit and I have intermittent clearing of previously approved/grouped clashes.  As far as I can tell, the ID's all stay the same, and the dwfx files all get overwritten, so I have no idea what the problem is.

If anyone has any insight, thanks.