ffirs.indd viii 7/9/2012 2:00:00 PM Mastering Autodesk Navisworks 2013 ® ® Jason Dodds Scott Johnson ffirs.indd i 7/25/2012 6:04:37 PM Senior Acquisitions Editor: Willem Knibbe Development Editor: Kelly Talbot Technical Editor: Michael N Smith Production Editor: Elizabeth Britten Copy Editor: Linda Recktenwald Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan Production Manager: Tim Tate Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde Book Designer: Judy Fung and Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama Proofreader: Paul Sagan, Word One New York Indexer: Ted Laux Project Coordinator, Cover: Katherine Crocker Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed Cover Image: © Pete Gardner/DigitalVision/Getty Images Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN: 978-1-118-28171-0 ISBN: 978-1-118-33354-9 (ebk.) ISBN: 978-1-118-33070-8 (ebk.) ISBN: 978-1-118-33470-6 (ebk.) No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600 Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S at (877) 762-2974, outside the U.S at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002 Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com Library of Congress Control Number: 2012941757 TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission Autodesk and Navisworks are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners John Wiley & Sons, Inc is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book 10 ffirs.indd ii 7/25/2012 6:04:40 PM Dear Reader, Thank you for choosing Mastering Autodesk Navisworks 2013 This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching Sybex was founded in 1976 More than 30 years later, we’re still committed to producing consistently exceptional books With each of our titles, we’re working hard to set a new standard for the industry From the paper we print on to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available I hope you see all that reflected in these pages I’d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we’re doing Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at nedde@wiley.com If you think you’ve found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex Best regards, Neil Edde Vice President and Publisher Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley ffirs.indd iii 7/25/2012 6:04:41 PM Wow, what an adventure! I don’t think it would have been possible without someone on the other end Thank you, sweetheart, for the patience and understanding you have provided There are many times I may have lost my sanity along the way To my many colleagues who have been able to add ideas as well, I have appreciated the support all along journey I have appreciated writing this book with you as well, Scott Thank you —Jason First and foremost, to my best friend and partner in crime, Jojo—I could not have done this without you You always believe in me Special thanks go to Mom, Dad, and my family for their love and support, C&J for their unwavering company, and my many colleagues at Autodesk who have challenged and inspired me —Scott ffirs.indd iv 7/25/2012 6:04:41 PM Acknowledgments First, we want to thank Autodesk and the Navisworks team for creating such a great product Product development can be a long, drawn-out process, but it has been particularly satisfying to watch Navisworks grow and mature over the years Thank you for listening to all of the users and helping advance this wonderful piece of technology Second, we want to thank those have made personal contributions to this book, including John Mack from Herrero Contractors, Art Theusch from The Christman Company, Roberta Oldenburg from Mortenson Construction, Chris Bushong from Gensler, C.W Driver, and many others too numerous to mention Thank you for your valuable case studies and other contributions They have helped to make this a Mastering book Finally, we would like to thank some of the behind-the-scenes team members Thanks to Michael Smith, our technical editor, for sharing his expertise and insight on numerous chapters We also want to thank Willem Knibbe for helping develop the idea of this book, but more importantly, for his tenacity and perseverance in keeping us on track And, of course, to all of our friends and colleagues who have shared in this great adventure: Thank you! ffirs.indd v 7/25/2012 6:04:41 PM About the Authors Jason Dodds has been actively involved in the design and building technology community for over 15 years During his career, Jason’s focus and experience have been on construction, architecture, interiors, structures, MEP, construction administration, and using Navisworks on projects He has been involved in all facets of design and building processes and understands what it takes to complete projects from design, to estimating, to coordination, and to fabrication Jason is also a nationally recognized speaker at industry associations such as the BIMForum, Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), and Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), as well as a speaker at Autodesk University When not working, Jason enjoys off roading in his Jeep, playing golf, and spending time in the kitchen Scott Johnson is a senior technical account manager supporting key construction accounts at Autodesk His broad background includes over 15 years of experience in the design/build, manufacturing, and architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries Scott has spoken and lectured at Autodesk University, BIMForum, and Autodesk Users Group International (AUGI) events as well as at numerous university settings His educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Pipe Organ Design and Construction from Lewis and Clark College as well as a master’s in Construction Management from Washington University in St Louis In his spare time, Scott enjoys biking and camping in the Pacific Northwest, travel, woodworking, cooking, good beer, and music Michael N Smith, Technical Editor, is a BIM manager for C.W Driver, a general contracting and construction management firm headquartered in Pasadena, California His areas of focus include scheduling and coordination, creating site studies and project simulations, and integrating 5D practices He has a wealth of knowledge of current software capabilities and limitations Michael has been a speaker at several BIM conventions and user groups, including Autodesk University, the Coalition for Adequate Student Housing (C.A.S.H.) Conference, and American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) He is the content manager for AUGIWorld magazine and has written numerous articles documenting Navisworks best practices Michael is also the instructor for CAD Learning’s Navisworks 2012 and 2013 courses and founder of Blink Forward LLC Michael graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management In his free time, Michael enjoys mentoring students, writing software, and providing service through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ffirs.indd vi 7/25/2012 6:04:41 PM Contents at a Glance Foreword xvii Introduction xix Part • Navisworks Basics Chapter • Getting to Know Autodesk Navisworks Chapter • Files and File Types 33 Chapter • Moving around the Model 73 Chapter • Climbing the Selection Tree 95 Chapter • Model Snapshots: Viewpoints, Animations, and Sections 155 Part • Simulation and Clash Detection .181 Chapter • Documenting Your Project 183 Chapter • 4D Sequencing with TimeLiner 221 Chapter • Clash Detection 309 Part • Advanced Navisworks Tools 345 Chapter • Creating Visualizations 347 Chapter 10 • Animating Objects 379 Chapter 11 • Giving Objects Life and Action with Scripter 403 Chapter 12 • Collaborating outside of Navisworks 425 Chapter 13 • Other Useful Navisworks Tools 449 Chapter 14 • Managing BIM Workflows 471 Appendix A • The Bottom Line 509 Appendix B • Best Practices and Supplementary Information 521 Index 535 ffirs.indd vii 7/25/2012 6:04:42 PM ffirs.indd viii 7/25/2012 6:04:42 PM 540 | DONE STATUS IN CLASH DETECTION • EXPORT DATA PANEL comments, 208–214, 209–210, 212–214 Measure tools See Measure tools Redline tools See Redline tools saving in viewpoints, 218, 218 tags, 215–218, 215–218 Done status in clash detection, 310 Download Archive option, 378 drag and drop animations, 168–169, 169 materials, 353, 353 RPCs, 366 Selection Sets, 110 TimeLiner tasks, 270 Draw tools, 23, 202–203, 202 Cloud, 204, 204 Ellipse, 205, 205 Erase, 208 Freehand, 205–206, 206 Line, 206, 207 Line String, 207, 208 drivers Microsoft Office, 449 ODBC, 451 Presenter, 350–351, 351 drop-out, 30, 529 due dates in promises, 489 Duplicate Clash option, 320 duplicate clashes, 532 duplicates, eliminating, 523 Duration setting for animations, 169 DWF/DWFx format, 446 DWG/DXF file reader, 40–43, 40 DWG/DXF settings, 11–12 DWG Loader Version setting, 11, 42 E Each Clash Found with the Clash Detective Tool link, 462 Each Redline Tag in Your Navisworks Model link, 462 Each Selection Set link, 462 Each Set Attached to TimeLiner link, 462 Early Appearance setting, 280 bindex.indd 540 Early/Before Planned Start status filter, 234 Early/Early status filter, 234 Early/Late status filter, 234 Early/On Time status filter, 234 earth work analysis in civil workflows, 503 Edit Animation dialog box, 169–170, 170 Edit Comment option, 209 Edit Link dialog box, 453, 455 Edit Links dialog box, 461, 461 Edit option data tools, 453 links, 461 Edit Viewpoint command, 162 Edit Viewpoint dialog box, 18, 528 Edit Viewpoint - Current View dialog box, 162, 162 Edit Viewpoint tool, 18 editing animations, 169–170, 170 links, 461–462, 461 materials, 357–358, 357–358 RPCs, 367 viewpoints, 160–164, 161–165 effects, 369, 369 backgrounds and foregrounds, 369, 370 environments, 370–371, 371–372 Element tab for Search Sets, 111, 111 elevations, measuring, 193, 193 Ellipse tool, 205, 205 emailing files, 56–57, 57 Embed Database Properties setting, 56 Embed Textures setting, 56 embedding animations in 4D simulations, 295–296, 295, 297 files in PowerPoint Presentations, 440–441, 440–441 Enable Find option, 295 Enable Scripts tool, 24 Enable Sectioning tool, 21 Enable Stereo tool, 24 enabling scripts, 405 End Appearance setting, 280 End Of Working Day (24h) option, 295 End option for Play Animation actions, 417 Ending At property, 417 Ending command for On Animation events, 414 Entering Property option, 411 Entire Project option, 100 Environment setting, Environmental Variables dialog box, 258, 258 environments, 370–371, 371–372 equal signs (=) with Search Sets, 114 Equal To operator, 413 equipment 4D simulations, 301, 301 reusable libraries, 303–304, 303 RPCs for, 365 simulating, 304–305, 304 Equipment Cost setting, 246 Erase tool for markups, 208 Evaluation property, 413 events, Scripter tool, 405–406, 406 conditions, 414–416 On Animation, 413–414 On Collision, 409–411, 410 On Hot Spot, 411–412, 411 On Key Press, 408–409, 408 On Start, 407 On Timer, 407–408, 407 On Variable, 412–413, 412 Events view in Scripter window, 404 Everything option for clash reports, 338, 340, 340 Excel spreadsheets, 452, 452 exclamation mark (!) icon in clash tests, 312 execution plans in contractor workflow, 498, 498 existing data in civil workflows, 505–506 Expires setting, 56 Explicit size option, 172 Explode Group option, 328 Export Animation tool, 24 Export Data panel, 28 7/25/2012 6:06:11 PM EXPORT DIALOG BOX • FOUND OPTION FOR CLASHES Export dialog box, 97 Export Image dialog box, 28 Export Model Relative to Terrain Height option, 442, 444 export options, 5, link settings, 454 Revit, 97–99 Export Options dialog box, 198 Export Scene As dialog box, 45 Export Scene panel, 28 Export Schedule button, 227 Export tab, 21 Export To Navisworks dialog box, 46 exporters, file, 43–46, 44–46 exporting animations, 170–173, 171, 400–401, 401 clash tests, 311–312 to Google Earth, 442–444, 442–445 link settings, 454 Revit files, 201 schedules, 242, 242 Search Sets, 121, 121 settings, 13 simulations, 297–299, 298–299 terminology, 529 viewpoints, 165–166, 166 to XML format, 242–243 external application links, 462 external references, 529 external schedules conceptualizing, 438–440, 439 linking, 241–242 Eye lighting, 359 F faceting factor, 529 Faceting Factor option, 41, 186–188, 187 facets, setting, 186–188, 187 facility maintenance in BIM, 497 Fast Forward tool, 386 Favorites option, FBX file format, 127, 445–446, 445–446 FBX Options dialog box, 445, 445 FBX tool, 28 field of view (F.O.V.) defined, 531 bindex.indd 541 Field Of View (F.O.V.) tool, 18 Field Selector dialog box Asta Powerproject files, 267 CSV files, 247–249, 248–249, 275–276, 276 MPP files, 251 MPX files, 249–250, 250 Primavera files, 257, 266 TimeLiner data sources, 245–247, 245 File option clashes, 330 selection resolution, 149 File Options dialog box, 15, 15, 521 File Readers settings, 11–12, 11–12 File setting, 25 File Size Estimate setting, 298 File To Load property, 423 File Units and Transform feature, 150–151, 151 filenames, 125–129, 126–128 files aggregation overview, 46 appending, 49–50, 49 Batch utility See Batch utility comparing, 152–154, 153 deleting, 53 emailing, 56–57, 57 file exporters, 43 locating and installing, 43–44, 44 need for, 43 NWC files, 44–46, 45–46 file readers, 38 configuring, 40–43, 40 settings, 11–12, 11–12 supported formats, 38–39 merging, 50, 51 names, 485–486, 486 navigating See selection tree object enablers, 66–70, 68–70 opening, 5, 5, 47–49, 48–49 publishing, 54–56, 55 refreshing, 53, 53 saving, 53–54, 54 terminology, 529–530 types, 33–35, 35–36, 525–526 versions, 51–52, 52 Fill In Detail option, 349, 522 | 541 Filmbox (FBX) format, 445–446, 445–446 Filter By Status setting, 226, 227, 233–234, 233 Filter/Export area, 225, 226 filters tasks, 225, 226, 233–234, 233 for tracking progress, 293–294 final rendering, 374–375 Find Comments dialog box comments, 212–214, 212–214 tags, 216–217 Find Comments tool, 23 Find Items dialog box, 111–118, 111–118, 120 Find Items In Other Sheets And Models option, 458 Find Items tool, 16, 226 Find Object In Other Sheets And Models option, 458 finding See searching First 3D View setting, 100 First Object option, 149 Fit To Window tool, 93 5D models, 533 Float property, 108 Float Type option, 412 Fly Speed setting, 83–84 Fly tool, 83–84, 83 focal points, 531 Focus On Clash option, 330 Focus tool, 88–89, 144 focused 4D simulations, 305 folders clash groups, 327–328 creating, 404 viewpoints, 160, 160, 166 Follow option for links, 461 fonts, 42, 288–289 For Every Set option, 241 For Every Topmost Item option, 241 For Every Topmost Layer option, 241 Force Duration setting, 243 formats for clash reports, 339–340, 339 Forward button, 284 Found information for clash results, 326 Found option for clashes, 320 7/25/2012 6:06:11 PM 542 | 4D MODELS • HIGH OPTION FOR 2D GRAPHICS 4D models civil workflows, 507–508 defined, 533 production planning, 495–496, 496 scheduling, 493–494, 494–495 sequencing with TimeLiner See TimeLiner 4D simulations, 300–301 automatically mapping model to schedules, 305–307, 306 civil workflows, 503 context, 301–302, 301–302 embedding animations in, 295–296, 295, 297 focused simulations, 305 multiple task types for schedule analysis, 305 reusable equipment libraries, 303–304, 303 trades and equipment paths, 304–305, 304 FPS setting animation exports, 173 simulation exports, 297 frame rate defined, 529 guarantee, 521 Free Orbit tool, 88 Freehand tool, 205–206, 206 From Current Selection option, 381–382 Full Lights tool, 20 Full Render model, 20 Full Screen tool, 25 furniture, RPCs for, 365 future actions in promises, 489 future processes, mapping, 481–482 G Gantt charts areas, 225, 225, 230–231, 230–231 interactive, 239–240, 239–240 planned vs actual, 230, 231 zooming, 231, 231 General settings in Options Editor, 7–8, bindex.indd 542 Gensler design model, 341–343, 341–344 geometry Animator, 390–391 color, 395–396, 395 rotate, 393–394, 393 scale, 394–395, 395 translate, 391–392, 391–392 transparency, 396 clash objects, 317–318 Geometry option for selection resolution, 149 geospatial-geographic information systems (GIS), 534 gizmos animation, 387–388, 387, 394–395, 395 lighting, 362, 362 Move, 140–142, 141 Rotate, 140, 141, 393–394, 393 Scale, 394 sections, 176–179, 177–180, 397 Translation, 391, 391 Glide (Walking Pan) setting, 79, 80 Global Options See Options Editor glossary, 528–534 Go To Tag tool, 23, 217, 217 goals in BIM, 476–477, 476 Goniometric lighting, 359 Gooch setting, 352 Google Earth, exporting to, 442–444, 442–445 Google Earth KML tool, 28 GoToMeeting service, 479 Graphics System settings, 350, 522 gravity and Gravity tool description, 19, 20 events, 410 Glide, 79 Walk, 81 Greater Than operator, 413 Greater Than Or Equal To operator, 413 greater than signs (>) for Search Sets, 114 grids clashes, 326 navigating, 87 settings, 9, 25, 25 Grids & Levels panel, 25 Group option, 327 Group Clashes Involving Item option, 331 Group Headers Only option, 338, 340, 340 groups, clash, 327–328, 328 Guarantee Frame Rate option, 349, 521 H Hard Clash option, 319 hard clashes, 532 Hard (Conservative) option, 319 Hardware Acceleration option, 350, 522 hardware in BIM, 481 Hazy environment, 371, 372 HDRIs (high-dynamic range images), 364, 364–365 Headlight tab, 15 Headlights tool, 20 Heads Up settings, 350 Help toolbar, 6–7, Help window, 527 Hidden Line model, 20 Hide Colliding Icons setting, 464 Hide command, 133–134, 134 Hide Icons Without Comments option, 466 Hide Matches option, 153 Hide Other option, 329 Hide tool, 16 Hide Unselected command, 134, 278 Hide Unselected tool, 16 hiding with display overrides See display overrides model objects, 133–135, 134 hierarchies of schedules, 235, 235, 239, 239 high dynamic range images (HDRIs), 364, 364–365 High option for 2D graphics, 349, 521 7/25/2012 6:06:11 PM HIGH QUALITY RENDER STYLE • LEADERSHIP IN BIM High Quality render style, 373 Highlight All Clashes option, 328, 329 Highlight Results option, 153 Highlight setting, 9, 331 highlighting clashes, 328, 329 selection, 137–139, 137–139 Highlighting option, 328, 329 Hold command, 145 Hold Open For Application Lifetime option, 453 Hold tool, 29 Home option for clashes, 330 Home tab, 14, 14 Display panel, 17, 17 Project panel, 14–16, 15 Select and Search panel, 16 Tools panel, 17 Visibility panel, 16 Home tool for SteeringWheels, 93 Home ViewCube view, 91–92 horizontal Orbit direction, 88 hot spot events, 411–412, 411 Hotspot property, 411 HTML option, 339 HTML (Tabular) option, 339, 339 HUD tool, 25 I Icon Type option for links, 466 IDs comments, 23, 214, 215 tags, 23, 216–217, 217–218 Image Export dialog box, 286 Image option, 21, 28 Import Current Selection tool, 318 Import/Export setting, 464 Import option, 453–454 Import settings, 13 Import Sheets And Models icon, 457 importing clash tests, 311–312, 312 costs, 291–292, 292 files, 61–62, 62 KMZ files, 443 ODBC settings, 453–454 In 3D setting links, 464 bindex.indd 543 measurements, 9, 188 in-betweens, 386, 388 In Range option, 411 Include Clashes: For Clash Groups, Include option, 338 Include The Effects Of Gravity property, 410 Include These Statuses option, 338 Increment By operator, 421 Indent Down button, 227 Index tab for help, 527 Individual Clashes Only option, 338, 340, 340 Infinite option, 382 Inherit option, 363 initial views, 156 Input area for Batch utility, 58, 59 Insert New Property option, 108 Insert Task button, 226 installing file exporters, 43–44, 44 object enablers, 68 instances, 530 Integer property, 108 integrated ActiveX controls, 428 integrated building models in BIM, 489–490, 490, 534 Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Teams, 534 Intensity setting for lighting, 361, 362 interactive Gantt charts, 239–240, 239–240 Interactive Lighting setting, 12 Interactive Materials setting, 12 Interactive Transparency option, 523 interface, Application menu, 3–5, Help toolbar, 6–7, Options Editor See Options Editor Presenter tool, 349–352, 349–351 Quick Access toolbar, 6, ribbon See ribbon internal names, 531 interoperability of software, 504 intersection method for clashes, 532 | 543 Interval property, 407 Interval Size menu, 288, 288 intervals On Timer events, 407 simulation, 287–288, 288 Invert Selection tool, 16, 119 IPD (Integrated Project Delivery) Teams, 534 Isolation Dropdown settings, 329 Item and panes, 331, 331 item names, 530 Item tab for properties, 96, 96 Item Tool tab, 459 Item Tools tab, 29, 29 item types, 530 J Java Development Kit (JDK), 257 JPEG option, 172 K Key Down property, 409 key press events, 408–409, 408 Key Pressed property, 409 Key Up property, 409 keyframes Animator, 386–388, 387 timeline view, 384, 384 Keywords setting, 56 KML Options editor, 442–443, 443 L Labor Cost setting, 246 LADAR (Light Detection and Ranging), 534 large AutoCAD files, 437 laser scan formats, 39 Last Object option, 149 Last Planner process, 489 Last Unique option, 149 Late Appearance setting, 280 Late/Early status filter, 234 Late/Late status filter, 234 Late/On Time status filter, 234 layers in selection resolution, 149 lcodieDX.dll file, 427 leader lines for links, 465, 465 leadership in BIM, 473–475 7/25/2012 6:06:11 PM 544 | LEAVING PROPERTY OPTION • MEASURE TOOLS Leaving Property option, 411 Less Than operator, 413 Less Than Or Equal To operator, 413 less than signs ([...]... 6:05:18 PM Introduction Welcome to Mastering Autodesk Navisworks 2013 This book is based on the 2013 release of Navisworks and covers tools for the three different versions of Navisworks: Simulate, Manage, and Freedom Autodesk Navisworks 2013 pushes the boundaries of BIM technology and boldly takes construction and design to new levels Mastering Autodesk Navisworks 2013 is the comprehensive guide to... the benefits of Navisworks We hope you find this book well balanced with technical knowledge and real workflow methodologies All of the tutorial files to complete the book’s exercises are located at www.sybex.com/go/ masteringnavisworks2013 To download a trial version of Navisworks, go to www .autodesk com /navisworks, where you will also be able to find complete system requirements for running Navisworks Who... TO KNOW AUTODESK NAVISWORKS MODEL Use the Model settings (see Figure 1.9) to optimize the performance of Navisworks and to customize parameters for NWD and NWC files Additional options include: Figure 1.9 Model options, with Performance options shown Performance Optimizes the performance of Navisworks Memory Limit Specifies the amount of physical memory that Navisworks uses Merge Duplicates Navisworks. .. 7/25/2012 5:34:17 PM Chapter 1 Getting to Know Autodesk Navisworks This chapter explains the Autodesk Navisworks 2013 interface, its tools, capabilities, recommended settings, and basic operating features By understanding the interface, you will create a solid foundation for tool locations, understand each individual function, and increase your overall knowledge of Navisworks In this chapter, you’ll learn... along the way Take a look at the following chapter descriptions for a preview Chapter 1, “Getting to Know Autodesk Navisworks, ” introduces you to the interfaces and features of Navisworks Chapter 2, “Files and File Types,” helps you understand the various file types and how to begin bringing them into Navisworks, a process sometimes referred to as file aggregation Chapter 3, “Moving around the Model,” is... starting point within Navisworks, the Application menu, or blue N, contains operations like New, Open, and Save Several other useful operations that can be performed from here are shown in Figure 1.1 c01.indd 3 7/25/2012 5:34:17 PM 4 | CHAPTER 1 GETTING TO KNOW AUTODESK NAVISWORKS Figure 1.1 The blue N, or Application menu Tooltip If you pause and hover your mouse cursor over any area in Navisworks, you... information about the current version of Navisworks you are running About also allows you to check out or return a license file on a network license Navisworks Options Options, or the Options Editor (sometimes referred to as Global Options), is used to adjust the program settings for Navisworks The settings that you change here are retained across different Navisworks sessions Settings can also be shared... directory c01.indd 7 7/25/2012 5:34:19 PM 8 | CHAPTER 1 GETTING TO KNOW AUTODESK NAVISWORKS Figure 1.7 General options, with the Auto-Save settings shown Environment Specifies the maximum number of recently opened files for Navisworks to display The default setting is 4 with a maximum of 16 Auto-Save Controls the settings for the Navisworks Auto-Save feature From here, you can specify the save interval... Interface page (see Figure 1.8) to customize the behavior of Navisworks Additional information includes: Figure 1.8 Interface options, with the Snapping options shown Display Units Changes the Navisworks display units Meters are the default setting for new Navisworks files Selection Configures the way geometry is selected and highlighted within Navisworks Pick Radius Specifies the radius that an object has... this book if the need arises Enter Mastering Navisworks in the Search box (or type the book’s ISBN—9781118281710) and click Go to get to the book’s update page flast.indd xxi 7/25/2012 6:05:18 PM flast.indd xxii 7/25/2012 6:05:18 PM Part 1 Navisworks Basics u u u u u c01.indd 1 Chapter 1: Chapter 2: Chapter 3: Chapter 4: Chapter 5: Getting to Know Autodesk Navisworks Files and File Types Moving around