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DT9876 and DT9775 - Introduction To BIM For Construction Management

The document discusses three native file formats used in Navisworks: NWD, NWC, and NWF. It explains the differences between the formats and how appending and merging files works in Navisworks.

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180 views5 pages

DT9876 and DT9775 - Introduction To BIM For Construction Management

The document discusses three native file formats used in Navisworks: NWD, NWC, and NWF. It explains the differences between the formats and how appending and merging files works in Navisworks.

Uploaded by

geekdc
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DT9876 and DT9775 – Introduction to

BIM for Construction Management

Appending and Merging

Lecturer: Barry McAuley


Copyright of Barry McAuley
Native File Formats
Navisworks utilizes three native file formats: NWD, NWC, and NWF. This section will explain
the differences and explore some of the various workflows
1. NWD File Format
An NWD, or Navisworks Document, file is the basic file format that contains all geometry,
relevant object properties, and clash tests, as well as any markup, comments, and viewpoint
information. As the project evolves, an NWD can be thought of as a snapshot of the model that
captures the current conditions or milestone events. This also includes clash tests and 4D
simulations, which will be covered in subsequent chapters. The file size of most NWDs is
considerably smaller compared to the corresponding CAD/BIM formats.
2. NWC File Format
NWC, or Navisworks Cache, files are generated by default when CAD/BIM files or laser scans
are opened, merged, or appended in Navisworks. The NWC files are read-only files and can be
thought of as a transfer mechanism to convert CAD/BIM and other model data into a format
that Navisworks recognizes. All geometry, relevant object property information, and display
settings from the original source files will carry over with the NWC export. Once the file is
opened in Navisworks, any changes made—such as redlines, markups, viewpoints, or display
overrides—can not be saved back to this format.
By default, when the native CAD/BIM format files are first brought in, Navisworks creates a
file with the same name but with the .nwc file extension in the same directory as the original
source file. This is an intentional behavior and an important concept for a successful
Navisworks project.
When NWC files are opened, merged, or appended, Navisworks compares the original data to
the newly created NWC file and re-caches the file if data in the original file is newer than the
NWC. This ensures that as changes are made to the project design, they are reflected in your
Navisworks project. If no changes are detected, Navisworks opens from the original NWC file,
resulting in quicker loading.
To ensure changes to your CAD/BIM files are updated correctly in your Navisworks model,
the filename must remain the same. If the source filename changes, a new NWC file will be
created.
3. NWF File Format
NWF files host no 3D geometry but rather contain links to the geometry from the original
native source files. Besides the links, NWF files contain such items as markup data, viewpoints,
comments, graphical overrides, search/selection sets, and TimeLiner and Clash Detective data.
We'll explore these topics in more detail in future chapters.
When working with the NWF file format, you'll notice the file size for NWFs is extremely
small as compared to the NWC and NWD formats; however, remember that the user must have
access to the original source files to view them properly.
Navisworks Global Options
This can be found by clicking on the Navisoworks icon and then clicking on the options tab.

This tab contains the following options:

• General: Use the General settings to adjust the buffer size, file locations, number of
recent file shortcuts you want Navisworks to store, and the Auto-Save options.
• Interface: Use the settings on the Interface page to customize the behaviour of
Navisworks.
• Model: Use the Model settings to optimize the performance of Navisworks and to
customize parameters for NWD and NWC files.
• File Readers: Use the File Readers settings to configure the file readers required to
open native CAD, BIM, and scanning application file formats in Navisworks.
• Tools: Use the Tools settings to adjust the options for Clash Detective, Presenter,
TimeLiner, Scripter, and Animator. Options include.
Appending and Merging

Append
The Append command functions almost identically to the Open command, but instead of
opening a new file, all existing files remain open in Navisworks while the new model is added
to the overall scene. To use the Append command, do the following:
1. Start Navisworks and open a file.
2. To append another file to this scene, click the Append button on the left side of the Home
tab.
3. In the Append dialog box, select the appropriate file type from the drop-down box.
4. Navigate to the file location and select the file (or hold down the Shift or Ctrl key to select
multiple files). Click Open to append files into the existing scene.

Merge
The Merge feature allows multiple copies of the same model to be combined without any
duplication.When model design reviews are conducted with the various disciplines (Architect,
MEP Engineer, Structural Engineer, etc.), having access to the Navisworks composite data
model becomes paramount. Typically, most current Navisworks models are shared among the
entire team as an NWD or NWF file with the associated source files for the external design
reviews. Navisworks assists with the review process by providing markup tools such as redline
and comments. Since the models all contain the same model geometry, the only differences
are any comments made by the different disciplines. The Merge command allows these
multiple reviewed models to be combined into a single file. Any duplication of geometry is
automatically removed, so the final file contains one set of geometry and all of the markups
and comments from the different reviewers. It's important to note that this scenario works only
with NWF files. The Merge command will function like the Append command with NWD files
and ultimately display duplicates.
To create a merged file, follow these steps:
1. Open Navisworks with one of the original files.
2. Click the drop-down arrow on the Append button and choose the Merge command. You
can also use the default keyboard shortcut Ctrl+M.
3. In the Merge dialog box, select the appropriate file type from the drop-down box.
4. Select the appropriate file(s) and click Open.
5. All files without any duplicated elements are successfully merged into a single file.

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