Cannot get a plugin to make the add-in tab

[Anonymous]

I've searched around the forum and the net for an answer to this, but I can only find solutions for Navisworks 2011 and older.  I'm working with Navisworks 2014, and i've compiled a simple Hello World dll in .net 4.0.  When I put the dll in the Program Files/Nav/Plugins/ folder, it doesn't make an Add-ins tab in the Navisworks UI.  

What am I doing wrong?  I read several threads about making a folder with the last 7 characters be ".bundle" but that doesn't work.  And I can't find any information if I need to make a ".addin" text file, like the Revit API requires.  I found a thread about making an .xml file, but that didn't work either.  The problem is, in the official documentation, there is no good explanation on how to make simple script, and the other problem is, the software changes so much between releases that actually-helpful information that do give good explanations of are now archaic and out of commission.  

Is there a plan to implement the Revit and Navisworks API's in a simple logical way, like all other scripting languages are in every other 3D program, or will we have to suffer through this cumbersome, ridiculous, and stupifying workflow every time we have to code in these programs?  And if Autodesk wants to make the API development so insufferable, why not write a page on their website that explains the whole process step-by-step?  

[Anonymous]

This works for me for Navisworks Simulate 2012 and 2014:

Under Plugins create a folder that is the same name as your assembly name or class name.  For instance, my assembly name is ECS_PW_SAVE_2012.ProjectWiseSave so I created the folder

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Navisworks Simulate 2014\Plugins\ECS_PW_SAVE_2012.ProjectWiseSave

I then put the .dll file and .pdb of the same name ECS_PW_SAVE_2012.ProjectWiseSave.dll, ECS_PW_SAVE_2012.ProjectWiseSave.pdb in that folder.

I then open Navisworks and it shows up under Add-ins.

I remeber the documentation with 2012 was alot of help when I was moving from COM to .NET.

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Navisworks Simulate 2012\api\net\examples\PlugIns

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Navisworks Simulate 2012\api\net\documentation\NET API.chm

I do not see the api documentation in the Simulate 2014 installl, but it works the same way.

[Khez]

• If your Navisworks is 64 bits, make sure the target CPU for building is set to x64 in the visual studio project settings. Otherwise, it won't even display it in the addins tab. (

•Make sure the infos you give in the plugin attributes are correct, it should look like this:

    [PluginAttribute("InfoVP.InfoViewpoint",    //Namespace.Starting class of the plugin (where the override function is)
                 "KHEZ",  // Your dev ID (It can be anything up to 7 letters I believe)
                 ToolTip = "Display the viewpoint information",    //Plugin Tooltip content
                 DisplayName = "Infos Viewpoint")]    //Name of the plugin button.

•Make sure you generate the plugin so the name of the library is PluginName.DevID.dll, and that it is located in a folder called PluginName.DevID in the plugins directory.

 There you have it, everytime one of my plugins don't show in the ribbon, it's either one of those things that was wrong.

[xiaodong_liang]

Hi genscripter,

if any of the comments below solved your problem, could you mark it as solution? It will help others to refer to in the future. Thank you!

[pkramesh]

The steps given worked perfectly. Please build your solution and copy the DLL and PDB in the plugin folder.

Create a folder with folder name as the assembly name or "Title" and copy the 2 files there. It works for me in 2020.