What’s new in Navisworks 2019.1

Navisworks 2019.1 update (available via the Autodesk Desktop App) comes with the following list of bug fixes and improvements:

Improvements

• [LMV] Support .VUE file property.
• Fixed incorrect IFC Class and Element description in IFC hierarchy.
• AVEVA E3D import (RVM file format) – missing attributes in the object properties.
• Allow Display ID to be shown in Timeliner overlay text.
• Add a space between the date and time in TXT clash report exports.
• Read shared parameters in corresponding to IFC data.

Bug fixes

• Timeliner Auto Attach not working on certain Category/Property.
• SceneConvertServer doesn’t shutdown.
• Setting global options via API or XML file has no affect with out-of-process loaders.
• ArchiCAD 21 cannot export nwc with error “Cannot write output file”.
• Cannot check ArchiCAD 21 in “Configure Installation” dialog when installing NWExporter2019.
• C++ error rendering a model.
• Navisworks does not display anything if the assembly is saved in a substitute LOD.
• Navisworks Manage 2018 crash with CER during Save.
• CER when load IFC file after install IFC for Revit.
• Navisworks License Timeout.
• Multi – threaded clash, crashing with a point cloud data set.
• A Chinese translation mistake in Archicad config file “nwexportarchicad.name”.
• ArchiCAD21 Exporter options display unreadable code in localization OS.
• Exported NWC and Glued model are not what is displayed in Revit.
• English Language Pack – Spanish category objects in selection tree.
• Revit to Navisworks Export is excluding certain instances of family.
• Navis exporter progress dialog issues.
• Global Options overrides are not passed onto SceneConvertServer.
• Some files cannot be loaded with internal error.
• Cannot load rvt because of an internal error.
• Navisworks 2018 crashes with saving file.
• Embedded texture is not displayed while opening NWD file.

Direct download links for 2019.1 update could be found at Luke Johnson’s blog.

If you are interested in Navisworks future, please vote for bringing back Navisworks Idea Station here: Autodesk community ideas.

 

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Conductor Revit & Rhino add-in becomes free and open source, bringing Trello boards inside your models

Conductor is a Revit and Rhino add-in that integrates Trello task management with your models. This add-in has originally been released as paid application (I’ve already mentioned it in my post last year) by Nathan Miller from provingground, and now it’s available for free.

Conductor uses Trello API to move your tasks between Revit (Rhino) and Trello. The integration is clean and seamless:

 

Below you can find the the add-in requirements:

• Revit 2017/2018*
• Rhinoceros 5.0 64-Bit for Windows*
• Windows OS (Developed and tested with Windows 10)
• ClickOnce installer is best used with Internet Explorer
• ClickOnce user installer assumes a standard Windows user setup
• Internet connection
• Trello account (you’ll also need to authorize the app with your own Trello token)
• * Versions for Revit 2019, Rhinoceros 6, and Navisworks 2019 are forthcoming.

You can also read the full description here (including the download links), and release notes here. Source code has been posted to bitbucket.

Navisworks 2019: nothing to see here, move along

This year’s Navisworks 2019 has been around for about two weeks, being released rather quietly. And the reason for this is pretty obvious: there is nothing new inside, except for the version number, desktop shortcuts, and a splash screen.

Considering the huge amount of time and effort that Autodesk spends with BIM 360 products, it is no surprise that Navisworks becomes abandoned. New features are coming to the cloud, leaving desktop products obsolete, and this is inevitable.

All of these machine learning and artificial intelligence stuff just can’t fit into the single desktop application. And we’ll probably see the other products shifting to the cloud in the coming years.

Quick Access Toolbar missing in Navisworks on Windows 10 with UltraHD (4K)

If you are using Navisworks 2017 / 2018 on Windows 10 with UltraHD (4K) monitor, then you’ve probably seen this picture:

Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is invisible, while the buttons are still in place (hover over them with mouse cursor, and you’ll see the tooltips).

The problem is caused by WPF hardware acceleration, which is enabled in Navisworks by default. Here are the steps to switch off WPF hardware acceleration and bring Quick Access Toolbar back:

• Open Navisworks options > expand Interface menu > select Display
• Switch off the WPF acceleration:

• Click OK to accept changes
• Accept the warning message and restart Navisworks:

• After Navisworks restarts, you’ll see the QAT:

Where to find Navisworks 2018 / 2019 language packs

Autodesk has changed the way to distribute Navisworks language packs. Previously you could have found them via the Autodesk Knowledge Network portal in the Downloads & Upgrades > Service Packs & Fixes menu.

Starting from Navisworks 2018, there are no links to download language packs. Why? Because now language packs for Navisworks are already contained in the software package.

All you need to do is downloaded the software package (which is usually an sfx archive) and extract its contents:

..\Autodesk_Navisworks_Manage_2019_Multilingual_Win_64bit_dlm\x64\

Find the folder with the language code you need:

• en-US (for English localization)
• de-DE (for German localization)
• es-ES (for Spanish localization)
• fr-FR (for French localization)
• it-IT (for Italian localization)
• ja-JP (for Japanese localization)
• ko-KR (for Korean localization)
• pt-BR (for Brazilian Portuguese localization (documentation only))
• ru-RU (for Russian localization)
• zh-CN (for Chinese (PRC) localization)

Each of these folders contains both Navisworks language pack and Navisworks exporters plugin (NWEXPORT):

Open the folder with the language pack you need and launch the *.msi installer:

 

After installing the language pack, modify the Navisworks desktop shortcut.

Right-click the Navisworks shortcut > Properties > Shortcut > add the language code in the Target field:

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Navisworks Manage 2019\Roamer.exe" -lang de-DE

Save the changes and launch Navisworks.

Toggle contour lines in Navisworks section

Sometimes it could be frustrating to navigate in Navisworks section views when you look at the cut elements without contour lines. The edges of elements can’t be easily distinguished, so that your view becomes messy:

Since Navisworks 2018 we can change the way Navisworks renders cut elements in sections. This option is called Sectioning and lies inside the Interface menu in Navisworks options:

Open Navisworks options > expand Interface menu > select Sectioning

From there you can enable / disable contour lines and switch their color. This is how the same model looks like after changing the options:

 Even while Navisworks does not ‘read’ elements as solids, they could be easily distinguished with contour lines.

Continuous orbit in Navisworks

This tip shows how to present Navisworks model in a merry-go-round style. Open Navisworks menu (the “N” application button) > Options:

In options menu, open “Interface” > “Display” sublist and select “Navigation Bar” item. Make sure the “Use classic Constrained Orbit (Turntable)” option is checked, then click “OK” to close Options menu.

While in 3D view, hover the Orbit tool in the floating panel, press the small arrow below and toggle “Constrained Orbit”:

Notice that the mouse cursor has changed and now shows the turntable.

Finally, click and hold left mouse button somewhere in 3D view, and “push” your model in desired direction. The model starts constantly spinning around the pivot:

Note that rotation speed depends on the strength of your mouse “push”.

Navisworks 2018.2.1 update is now available

Navisworks 2018.2.1 update (available via the Autodesk Desktop App) comes with the following list of bug fixes and improvements:

Enhancements
• LMV users will now see a clear error message when the Navisworks extractor fails
• In Recap, a viewpoint is saved at the origin of each scan
• Navisworks now supports the ability to outline cross-sections

Fixes
IFC Loader
• Imported IFC files now include classification data so that it can be used to create search sets
• Model hierarchy is now preserved when using the Revit_IFC loader, to help find information more efficiently
• Resolved an issue where Revit AddIns for IFC Loader cannot work if Navisworks 2018 is uninstalled, then reinstalled
• Resolved an issue where Navisworks 2018 crashes when an IFC file with reinforced bars is imported

How to sort Navisworks selection tree?

Navisworks interface is somewhat overwhelmed with features and buttons. That’s why some really useful things like sorting become overlooked for years. So here is how you can make your Navis tree look cleaner:

Open an *.NWF file with unsorted selection tree, select the ‘Standard’ option from the drop-down list. Then right-click on any item in the tree, and select ‘Scene’ > ‘Sort’:

Navisworks will notify you that this operation can’t be undone. You can save your file if you want, then click ‘OK’:

That’s it! Now your selection tree looks clean and structured:

 

Zhukoven.com dynamo package update brings Navisworks SearchSet XML creator

An updated version of my Dynamo nodes package (rev.2017.6.2) is now live at Dynamopackages.com. This version contains the Dynamo node that builds a Navisworks search set XML from the input data:

Based on the original code by Luke Johnson from What Revit Wants (Bakery package), this node gives you the freedom in Navisworks XML file creation. You’re able to specify the Navisworks Search Set name & group, and choose which Navisworks parameter you’re going to use. This XML file stores data in the structured way that could be easily read by Navisworks. This means that you can use the power of Dynamo to automate your Navis searches, and even set the rules that couldn’t be otherwise done without workarounds.