The biggest advantage of this one is that it’s completely free. Navisworks Freedom – The most basic version of the three, offering the most basic functionality of viewing Navisworks’ own NWD files.Navisworks is provided in three different versions: Navisworks can provide a lot of features like clash detection, construction simulation, project scheduling, and more – but some of the more specific features would cost you more than the rest. Navisworks’ capabilities can also be expanded using a system of plugins, which allows for the addition of even more specific features like time simulation, interference detection, and photorealistic rendering. This makes Navisworks a vital part of collaboration inside of pretty much any CAD or BIM project since it can not only combine and open various 3D models but also review them, run clash detection, measure various parameters, and so on. While Navisworks is a great solution on its own, it is at its best when used in tandem with various 3D design platforms and packages – AutoCAD, Revit, and so on. Features of NavisworksĪnother important factor that needs to be brought up to answer the question “What is Navisworks?” correctly is the nature of the software in question. While it was technically acquisitioned by Autodesk back in 2007, only the 2016 version of Navisworks is considered the first “stable” release version. While Autodesk currently owns Navisworks, it was originally created by the developer that went with the same name – NavisWorks – and was a subsidiary of Lightwork Design. As with most solutions on the CAD/BIM market, Navisworks is a software that offers a long list of extremely specific features, but its primary purpose is project review – it can open various types of 3D models made with different software appliances and combine them to make it easier to check for clashes and other potential problems down the line. There are plenty of different Autodesk solutions right now, each with its use case and a target audience, but the one we’ll be looking at the most is Navisworks.Īfter that, the logical question would be, “What is Navisworks?”.

Table of Contents Introduction to NavisworksĪutodesk has been around for a while now and has established itself as one of the top BIM/CAD software providers on the market.

Free navisworks viewer