Load data exchanges into Navisworks

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The Autodesk Navisworks Connector allows you to bring in exchanged data

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—neutral exchanges of object-level design data—from other Autodesk and non-Autodesk applications.

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To begin integrating Data Exchange into your existing Navisworks workflows, first load a data exchange.

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With Navisworks already open, from the Data Exchange tab, click Data Exchange.

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The Connector interface opens.

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You might be prompted to log into the Autodesk Construction Cloud using your Autodesk credentials.

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Once signed in, select Load Data Exchanges.

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The Data Exchange dialog opens, listing the data exchanges you can access in Autodesk Docs.

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Data Exchanges are hosted on ACC, which reduces your dependency on file-based workflows for managing, sharing,

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and viewing your data.

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If necessary, you can switch between different projects from the Project drop-down,

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either by performing a search for the project, or by selecting the project from the drop-down.

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This makes it possible to load data exchanges from different projects.

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You can also search for a data exchange.

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In the search field, enter the name of the data exchange you wish to load.

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The list updates according to your search query.

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This first example is of surface data.

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Select it from the list, and then click Load.

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The dialog containing the list of Exchanges closes, and the Connector interface indicates the loading progress.

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During loading, the Data Exchange Settings dialog opens.

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Here, select the Parameters you wish to include.

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You can choose to load All or only the property types you require.

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That way, in Navisworks, you do not have to navigate through all the element properties to find the information you need.

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Select Load.

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After the load is completed, the Data Exchange is listed in the Connector interface,

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and the data—in this case, the surface—displays in the Scene View.

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You can continue to load additional data exchanges.

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From the Connector interface, select Load Data Exchanges.

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Then, in the Data Exchange dialog, navigate to another data exchange and load it,

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such as a structural model.

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Again, from the Data Exchange Settings dialog, select and load the appropriate parameters.

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And again, after it loads, the Connector interface updates, as well as the Scene View.

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In the Scene View, pan and orbit to review both the surface and the structural model.

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For this example, a third data exchange is loaded, along with its appropriate parameters, this time of the architectural model.

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Once all the data exchange files are loaded, notice that the Navisworks connector retains the model hierarchy.

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From the Selection Tree, you can now navigate the model hierarchy.

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Expand the nodes, then click an object to select the corresponding geometry in the Scene View.

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You can also hide the objects in the current selection so that they are not drawn in the Scene View.

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This is useful when you want to focus on only specific parts of the model.

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Select the object you wish to review, then right-click, and from the shortcut menu, click Hide Unselected.

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Only the selected geometry remains visible.

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To see all the data again, simply repeat these steps to turn Hide Unselected off.

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The retained model hierarchy in Navisworks helps you easily navigate the exchanged data and develop 4D simulations.