Tags and Comments

[kevin.bailey]

Hello,

We use Navisworks like most people - as a method to convey what the final product could look like based off of their current designs and specification. It also eliminates many of the honest mistakes made during the design phase. During these reviews the client would like us to add comments that are attached to each machine to give a thorough description of what the machine does. Using Navisworks Manage this is easy enough using tags and comments. However if the client wants to continue to view the model at their own workplace (which they currently do using Navisworks Freedom) the tags and comments are no longer present.

Is there a way to convey information in a useful manner using Navisworks Freedom as a medium? I have been at this for a couple days and have not found anything that looks promising.

Is there any way to import a large amount of information using a flat file format (such as .txt) into Navisworks for this tagging and commenting process? The process we have now is very cumbersome and, quite frankly, a waste of time. All of this information is already populated and we are doing the input twice just so they can see it on the 3D model.

Any help or pointers would be appreciated greatly, thanks.

[kevin.bailey]

Hello,

We use Navisworks like most people - as a method to convey what the final product could look like based off of their current designs and specification. It also eliminates many of the honest mistakes made during the design phase. During these reviews the client would like us to add comments that are attached to each machine to give a thorough description of what the machine does. Using Navisworks Manage this is easy enough using tags and comments. However if the client wants to continue to view the model at their own workplace (which they currently do using Navisworks Freedom) the tags and comments are no longer present.

Is there a way to convey information in a useful manner using Navisworks Freedom as a medium? I have been at this for a couple days and have not found anything that looks promising.

Is there any way to import a large amount of information using a flat file format (such as .txt) into Navisworks for this tagging and commenting process? The process we have now is very cumbersome and, quite frankly, a waste of time. All of this information is already populated and we are doing the input twice just so they can see it on the 3D model.

Any help or pointers would be appreciated greatly, thanks.

[john.lipp]

Hi kevin.bailey, 
 
You should be able to view comments, tags, hyperlinks, redlines, and quick properties in Freedom 2012.  I took a screenshot with these examples from Freedom and pasted it below:



You stated that tags and comments are no longer present when the client views the models in Freedom.

Does this mean that the client isn’t able to view the comments and tags that you created in Navisworks Manage and saved to an NWD when they open that NWD file in Freedom on their machine?  If so then there appears to be a problem.  In Freedom, ensure Links is enabled in the Display panel of the Home tab, and that the visible box is marked for both links and tags under  Interface > Links > Standard Categories in the options editor. 

If you meant that they are unable to edit or create new tags or comments, then that is as designed as Freedom is only a free viewer and lets you view, but not modify files.

Regarding importing a file to create tags or comments, this is not possible unless you are using Integraph PDS and importing PDS Tag files.

Something somewhat similar to what you described is DataTools.  You can link a database through DataTools so that external data from a database is available as property data when selecting items in a model.  However, you aren’t able view embed database data within Freedom.

I recommend logging a wish list item for what you desire on the customer feedback portal.
 - http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=1109794

Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Best regards,



John Lipp
Support Specialist
Product Support
Autodesk, Inc.

[Patrick_Aps_9121]

Be sure to follow this workflow:

Create an NWD of the complete model special for the purpose of a model review

Use the Review, Simulate or Manage version to open the NWD.

Whenever a TAG is placed, an additional "tag view" viewpoint should be created automatically that shows the redlinging and tags. But If you want to make redlining, teks or whataver, Always first place a tag, so that this comment gets a tag number

Save the NWD from time to time during the review, and certainly at the end of the reveiw session.

As everthing is saved in this NWD, this als should be visible in Freedom, just by activating the saved viewpoint.

This worked since Freedom 5.

If you did not do that, but you have an NWF that holds the comments, you can use the "export Viewpoints XML" and "import" them again to copy the viewpoints (with tags or comments) into a new NWD, to proof the next review session what has been done about the comment.

[kevin.bailey]

Hi,

Sorry for the slow reply but I have been slammed at work.

The redline text not appearing was my oversight. I knew you had to be in a certain view to see the text when I created it but when I transferred the files over to Freedom format I completely forgot about it. I sent the request for the Freedom viewing to be able to view the DataTools, not the persistant information but a snapshot of the information at the point in time when it was exported.

A follow-up question (which may need a new forum post) is to allow for an export format that would make the file viewable only in the Navisworks Freedom program. As it stands now my company is worried about somebody takes a model that we built, open it is manage, change the file and call it their own. There is the publish feature but it doesn't stop the file from being modified by an offending part (unless I'm mis-using the functionality).

Thanks,

-Kevin

[dgorsman]

When publishing, there is a toggle setting for "Allow to be re-saved".  When this is cleared, you can't re-publish the resulting NWD.  We've been bitten by that once or twice in the other direction, where we've had an NWD appended to a number of "live" DWG files that couldn't be published.  If somebody *really* wanted to, they could export (to FBX, ADSK, etc.) and use that as a basis for design work.  There is very little you can do to restrict use of content once that content leaves your control.

I don't condone that path, of course - I'd like to keep our reputation and time invested in development intact as much as the next person or company.  Its just that past a certain point it becomes more hinderance than helpful and takes more time than is warranted for the protection.  The current "rate of return" on protection is pretty low.