Product Update: Navisworks 2025 - What's New

[brett_parkerLUEP7]

Edit: 22.05.2024 - Navisworks 2025 Update 1 Release
Edit: 13.06.2024 - Navisworks 2025 Update 2 Release 

Hello, 

Today we have released Navisworks 2025. This release has been focused on addressing product issues and a particular focus to enhancements for users and workflows.

Product Improvements

Navisworks Home Screen

Dropping you directly into a working space upon opening an application can be a jarring and unforgiving experience. It often does not match your desired task and assumes a relatively high level of knowledge of the product. Navisworks Home strives to provide a consistent and welcoming experience for users of our products. Navisworks Home highlights your most common needs and provides easy access to required resources.

Enhanced Properties Panel

The existing properties panel was overdue a redesign and in need for many requested features. As such we are introducing the new enhanced properties panel into product for Navisworks 2025. Improved Properties panel allowing additional functionality:

• Stacked category tabs
• Combined Category / Single List
• Favourites
• Multiple selection traversal
• Auto Zoom to selected
• Hyperlink support
• Column sorting
• Category sorting
• Find Matching Items
• Create Search
• Add to Existing Search

Autodesk Translation Framework for IFC Import

Previously many applications in Autodesk used similar but different IFC loaders. This has led to different outcomes based on the application. As a result, the Autodesk Translation Framework is being adopted for IFC import in Navisworks 2025. This brings benefits such as:

• Support for IFC v4.3
• Platform centred approach allowing to get the latest and greatest updates across the Autodesk products.
• 50% decrease in load time compared to the previous v3 version
• Improved geometric fidelity
• Improved large coordinate support
• Shared coordinates management

We will continue to monitor and update this framework as new versions become available and ensure we remain up to date on the latest versions of IFC.

Section Above and/or Below Grid

This new feature adds the ability to create section planes to the top and bottom heights of a grid levels. It is currently possible to fit selection when creating sections, but with these new buttons, you can fit to grid above and/or below.

To use this feature, the mode must be set to Fixed then select an Active Grid and Display Level and finally click Above and/or Below to section to the selected level.

Find Items Overhaul

Find items has had some long-standing issues with the way properties are managed. In Navisworks 2025, we introduce a fundamental change to the way find items works. We also introduce highlighting a found property in the properties panel.

As a result of these changes, many long standing defects have been resolved:

• Find item search not respecting file units
• Cannot find items when the search criteria involve "Element" property category on German Navisworks
• Cannot find dimension properties in the list of "Find Item" dialog
• Not all Find Item Values are exposed
• Duplicate name parameter in “Quick Property Definitions”
• Values displayed instead of source units in selection tree rather than UI units
• Duplicated entries of the same categories in the selection inspector
• Duplication of property names in the Find Items property list in Navisworks
• Automatic change of values in the Find item tree in Navisworks from feet to meters
• Find Items shows different results with typed in value vs chosen value

General Enhancements

• Added the ability to invert zoom scroll

• We have added a collapse all button for selection tree

• Rules tab in Clash Detective will show the number of active rules

• Measure icons added to measure panel

• Additional copy options in measure panel including with or without units
• Support loading a password protected PDF file
• Orbit shortcut key previously toggled the old orbit not new
• There is no tip/hint for exiting full screen. Added a hint to exit full screen.
• Updated product font to the Autodesk Artifakt font
• Added the ability for seconds in TimeLiner
• Increased the default recently used files limit
• Ability to hide ‘BIM 360 Glue’ ribbon if not used
• Improved search set folder management. Now closing the folder does not load the search sets within the folder. Clicking the folder itself will load the search sets.
• Icon consolidation - Removing some duplicate icons.
• PDMS renamed to AVEVA
• Single point measure improvements

KML Export

• Improvements to KML export performance
• Improved error message with KML export if resulting file will be larger than 4GB
• Improved progress reporting on KML exporter

DWG Files

• Accessing hyperlink properties of Civil 3D dwg file

RVM Files

• Hyperlinks from RVM files are automatically converted to links in Navisworks

Stability and Defects

General Fixes

• Point clouds did not load in Inventor when Express Mode is enabled
• General improvements to the Navisworks help
• Custom Project Parameters with the same name as in-built ones were not exported to Navisworks
• Language selected during Custom Install was ignored and Navisworks was shown according to Windows Display Language instead
• Incorrect values for files in different dimensions in Navisworks
• After export of FBX from Navisworks, models containing a PDMS tab can have not all element properties visible
• Error when saving Navisworks file to BIM 360 Glue
• Exporting an FBX file could result in a crash
• NWD could fail to Export to FBX stopping at around 97%
• PDMS tab wasn't always shown for structural items

Revit Files

• Object`s levels could be misaligned when RVT or NWC is opened in Navisworks

Plant3D Files

• Plant3D properties were not language localized
• Navisworks could crash when using Plant 3D and checkout files from Vault

DWG Files

• DWG file search sets were showing multiple of same property value
• Mirrored AutoCAD 3D solid blocks appeared wrong in Navisworks
• Some customers reported being unable to open some DWG files in Navisworks Simulate 2023

DGN Files

• DGN file could crash using the NWCOUT export tool in MicroStation Connect V17.2
• There was an error message LcOaPartitionPropsReadChunk:End when opening DGN in Navisworks

VUE Files

• Trying to open a VUE file with XML data could cause a crash in Navisworks 2024
• Some properties of elbow/pipe/duct were not imported through vue file
• Some customers reported seeing distorted element shapes of the VUE file in Navisworks Simulate

Development focus

Our attention now turns to Navisworks 2025 Update 1 and Navisworks 2026 specifically improving performance, resolving known defects, and bringing new quality of life features into the product. The team and I are committed to improving the product in all aspects and that is our goal for 2026.

We'd love to hear from you, please feel free to reach out to me directly or via account teams.

Regards

[JonathanKruger]

That's great news, do you know the ETA of the Navisworks 2025 NWC File Export Utility, I see that 2025 has not been posted yet on the download page.

https://www.autodesk.com/products/navisworks/3d-viewers

[brett_parkerLUEP7]

Having some technical difficulties getting these to the website but we expect it to be resolved this week.

Regards

[GHASEM_ARIYANI]

What's New in Navisworks 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG8ui-Kiszk

[eric_vanvoorthuizen_sweco]

will also Navisworks Freedom 2025 be published this week?

[brett_parkerLUEP7]

Both Navisworks Freedom 2025 and Exporters 2025 are now available at the below link.

https://www.autodesk.com/products/navisworks/3d-viewers

[Ahmed_M_Heteba]

looking forward updates to clash detection specially tolerance options to be Horizontal or Vertical and some other features. 

[Mr.Borges]

For next release consider updating UI for better (truly) dark theme. AutoCAD (and Vertical), Inventor, Vault, even Revit got a awesome dark theme.

Another good thing would be a easy way to define the position of the Pivot for Orbiting the model. A option for always showing it on the model view and dragging it to the desire position (or snapping it on a model vertex).

Orbiting big models (away from origin) always drive me crazy.

[GHASEM_ARIYANI]

navisworks software is much weaker than similar products (Bexel-Plexos) and the expectation of users of this software is a product beyond the present, considering the strength and brilliant history of Autodesk.
In my opinion, currently, navisworks is only suitable for general coordination.
For project management, time, cost, etc., it does not have any special features and is very beginner.

[Darrell_Edwards]

Mr Borges, If you hold down Ctrl and Shift then click with the mouse roller ball, this will place the Orbit where you want.
It's not perfect but it is useful!

[amartinezo304]

Hi! I was wondering if there is a publication date for the Navisworks 2025 SDK. We have developed some plug-ins in our company that we use daily, and we won't be able to upgrade to Navisworks 2025 until we have the new SDK. Thanks!

[Mr.Borges]

Thank you for the answer.  I'm already know about that, so what I'm asking is that when you define the position of the Pivot, it's remain locked on that, position unless you explicit move it again. As it is now, a simple zooming move it aleatorily. The Crtl + Shift + Center Button  is a bad shortcut, too much keystrokes. Just make the Pivot visible all the time, and when the mouse hover over it could be moved by dragging it.

[peter.roman]

Does the below just refer to attaching a Recap file in Inventor or is there another way to get a .nwd underlay in Inventor?

General Fixes

• Point clouds did not load in Inventor when Express Mode is enabled

[brett_parkerLUEP7]

CTRL + Left click will place the pivot where required. There isn't a way to lock that pivot point today but I have discussed and raised it with the development team and we will look to target this development for 2026.

Please look out for the Navisworks BETA this year.

Regards

[brett_parkerLUEP7]

This refers to Express Mode enabled for Inventor file loader. When loading a .iam file in Navisworks users would expect to see a point cloud, but the scene was empty. This resolved that issues specifically.

Regards

[matt_knoll]

As much fun as it is to watch the struggle to navigate the model in online meetings I think a massive quality of life improvement would be FPS style control. WASD controls with freelook, ctrl modifier to switch to cursor to click. Or expose the keys for remapping.

[brett_parkerLUEP7]

Navigation improvements and options is top of our list. Given Navisworks age and implementation from it's beginnings (early 2000s) it isn't as simple as a newer application. However, we are reviewing technical changes to support future updates that would support controller, WASD and other navigation tools.

Regards

[eblackburnTDSKF]

I'd love to see integration with Autodesk Construction Cloud, the ability to overlay views (plans, sections, details) with the model views, the ability to bring in more types of reality capture (360 camera views, gaussian splats, photogrammetry meshes, etc.) and align them to model data, and gaming engine display. Basically all the things that other competing software platforms are providing with more modern user interfaces.

[andriy.b-VEC]

@brett_parkerLUEP7 Do you have any roadmap for Navisworks that you can share with the community? I know that for the Revit we have such one.

[brett_parkerLUEP7]

Hello,

We currently do not have a public roadmap right now, working on something more formalised similar to Revit. In the short term you can contact your account teams who can arrange a roadmap presentation.

Also the BETA program will be arriving soon which will have further details about the future.

Regards