Best Practice importing a Revit file into Navisworks Manage

[mdhutchinson]

I know that the Revit file (RVT) can be loaded into Navisworks NWF file... but isn't it best to load an exported NWC using the Exporters out of Revit? 

Are there considerations when doing this?

[brettgatti · Accepted solution]

When you Append a Revit file into Navisworks it creates an NWC file as part of the process.  That NWC then gets loaded into the NWF.

The one issue that I have found with "linking" the Revit files into Navisworks is that the Switchback command does not seem to work as expected because the file that is being used to generate the NWC is technically the Central model.

The main benefit to "linking" the Revit files into Navisworks is that you no longer have to manually create an NWC file each time that you wish to reload.

If using the Append method for the Revit files, would recommend creating a 3D view named Navisworks in each Revit file and then adjusting the visibility to match what you would like to have appear in Navisworks.  Navisworks will use this view to generate the NWC file and it uses WYSIWYG to create the NWC.  

[Mohamed.Hesham.afifi]

Hi @brettgatti  ,

Thank you for this explanation , but i still have a question , i heard before that naviswork can open revit files natively  but it takes long time than exporting process , and maybe some data can't make a jump across transition also well , so how would that be safe for project's data ? and if i choose exporting for my workflow that means each time i update my revit model  i need to export ? or just refresh from naviswork ?

[brettgatti]

There is no true reading of the native data from Revit to Navisworks.  When Revit files are linked in (Appended) to Navisworks, an NWC file is created (in the same folder as the Revit file) and then the NWC is linked into Navisworks.

Personally, I have not noticed this process taking any longer than opening each Revit file and then exporting to NWC from there.  One thing to note is that each time that you open or Refresh the Navisworks file (NWF), it does look at each linked Revit file to see if it has changed since the last open.  If a change has been made, it does "re-export" the Revit data to NWC file prior to loading the NWC into the Navisworks session.

If you use the Append method to link in the Revit files (via the auto-created NWC files), each time that you open or Refresh the Navisworks file (NWF), it will update the info from the Revit files - automatically.  If you choose to Export to NWC from within Revit, you would have to open each Revit file to re-export (either manually or scripted) prior to having those changes available within your Navisworks session.

[Mohamed.Hesham.afifi]

That's an amazing explanation . it's clear now for me , Thank you so much 

[brettgatti]

No problem.  Glad it helped.

[mdhutchinson]

Thanks for your explanation Brett Gatti!

I should have figured this, as this is the way Navis deals with AutoCAD Dwg files as well.

In fact, it is my experience that if NWC out from the authoring software fails, many times you can simply snag a successful copy of the NWC file that gets (re)created when loading the DWG (or the RVT file) directly, if needed to send to designated 3d coordinator / GC.   

[brettgatti]

That's the way that I usually come up with NWC files that are sent out.

[Anonymous]

Can the NWC files that are generated when either Opening or Appending in a Native Autocad or Revit Model be mapped to be placed into a separate folder from the folder where the Native Autocad or Revit reside?

We are trying to keep our Revit Project clean and we were hoping to have the NWC files that get created when using Navisworks could be automatically be placed into a separate folder from our Revit Models.

[brettgatti]

By default it places them in the same folder and I am not aware of an out of the box method of forcing them elsewhere.

[marc_binns]

Will this method work for a cloud hosted revit model? particularly models published to BIM 360 Docs.

I would like the ability for the NWF to point directly to the revit models located in the "shared" folder on BIM 360 Docs.

Cheers!

[Anonymous]

It does take longer to Append or Merge a Revit File into Navisworks, and it is because Navisworks seem to read every Link inside the revit file as if it is loading it. So, even when the links aren´t really loaded of shown in the Navisworks File, Navisworks will be taking its time to load all of them. If you export to NWC from a View and you take care of Hidding your links in the exported view, it will be much faster than appending the Revit file.