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NavisWorks Freedom - 2012
User Guide
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Autodesk NavisWorks NavisWorks Freedom - 2012 User Guide

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Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
User Guide
April 2011
©
2011 Autodesk, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holder.
Trademarks
Disclaimer
THIS PUBLICATION AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS MADE AVAILABLE BY AUTODESK, INC. "AS IS." AUTODESK, INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE MATERIALS.
This User Guide was last updated on 11 April 2011.

Contents

Chapter 1 Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 . . . . . . . . . 1
What Is New in This Release? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
How to Get Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Find Information Using InfoCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Overview of InfoCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Search for Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Access Subscription Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Use Communication Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Save and Access Favorite Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Use the Help System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Specify InfoCenter Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Get More Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
View the Product Readme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Join the Customer Involvement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter 2 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Quick Start to Stand-Alone Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Prepare for Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
System Requirements for Stand-Alone Installation . . . . . . 21
Install Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Understand Administrative Permission
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Avoid Data Loss During Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
iii
Choose a Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Install Multiple or Bundled Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Install and Run Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 . . . . . . . 27
Install Autodesk Navisworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Launch Autodesk Navisworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
How to Launch Autodesk Navisworks in Another
Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Repair Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 . . . . . . . . . 31
Uninstall Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 . . . . . . . . 31
Installation Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
General Installation Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
How can I check my graphics card driver to see if it needs
to be updated? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
How do I switch my license from stand-alone to network
or network to stand-alone? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
When performing a Typical installation, what gets
installed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Why should I specify the Project Folder and Site
Folder? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
How do I share the Autodesk Navisworks settings on a
site and project basis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
When should I reinstall the product instead of repairing
it? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
When I uninstall my software, what files are left on my
system? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Uninstall and Maintenance Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
When should I reinstall the product instead of a
repair? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
When I uninstall my software, what files are left on my
system? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Chapter 3 Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Start and Quit Autodesk Navisworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
The User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Parts of Autodesk Navisworks Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Application Button and Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Quick Access Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Tooltips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Keytips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Navigation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
The Classic User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Scene View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Dockable Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
iv | Contents
Undo/Redo Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Autodesk Navisworks Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Default Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Navigation with the Wheel Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Autodesk Navisworks Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Location Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Display Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Search Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Gizmos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Chapter 4 Work with Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Use File Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
NWD Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
DWF/DWFx Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Manage Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Open Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Create Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
2D and Multi-Sheet Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Project Browser Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Chapter 5 Explore Your Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Navigate a Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Orientation in a 3D Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Product-Specific Navigation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Navigation Bar Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
SteeringWheels Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Classic Navigation Modes and Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
ViewCube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Overview of ViewCube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
ViewCube Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Reorient the View of a Model with ViewCube . . . . . . . 143
Set the View Projection Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Home View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Examine Individual Objects with ViewCube . . . . . . . . 149
Navigation Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Overview of Navigation Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Reposition and Reorient the Navigation Bar . . . . . . . . 151
Control the Display of Navigation Tools on the Navigation
Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
SteeringWheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Overview of SteeringWheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Wheel Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
View Object Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Tour Building Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Contents | v
Full Navigation Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
2D Navigation Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
3Dconnexion 3D Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Set Camera Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Control the Field of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Position and Focus Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Navigation Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Head-Up Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Reference Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Control the Realism of Your Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Gravity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Crouching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Collision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Third Person View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Chapter 6 Control Model Appearance and Render Quality . . . . . . . . 181
Control Model Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Select Render Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Full Render . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Shaded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Wireframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Hidden Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Add Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Full Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Scene Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Head Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
No Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Select Background Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Adjust Displaying of Primitives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Snap Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Control Render Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Use Culling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Make Objects Required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Control Rendering of Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Adjust Scene Rendering During Navigation . . . . . . . . . 194
Accelerate Display Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Adjust Presenter Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Stereo Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
vi | Contents
Chapter 7 Review Your Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Select Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Interactive Geometry Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Selection Tree Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Selection Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Selection Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Set Highlighting Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Hide Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Find Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Quick Find . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Find All Sheets and Models Containing the Selected Object . . . . . . 212
Find Items in Other Sheets and Models Window . . . . . . . . . 213
Use Sets of Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Object Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Properties Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Reset Object Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Reset to Original Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Measure Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Measure Tools Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Measuring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Comments and Annotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
View Comments and Annotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Comments Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
View Redlines and Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Link Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Display Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Customize Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Find and Follow Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Reset Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Quick Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Chapter 8 Use Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Modify Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Saved Viewpoints Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Recall Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Organize Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Edit Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Chapter 9 Play Back Animations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Play Animations and Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Chapter 10 Work Within a Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Collaborate Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Contents | vii
Collaboration Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Chapter 11 Share Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Print Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Print Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Print Current Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Chapter 12 TimeLiner Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Overview of TimeLiner Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
TimeLiner Playback Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Simulate Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Play Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Simulation Settings Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Overlay Text Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Chapter 13 Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Background Settings Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Collision Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Default Collision Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Edit Viewpoint Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
File Options Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Culling Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Orientation Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Speed Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Headlight Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Scene Lights Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
InfoCenter Settings Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
General Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Communication Center Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Autodesk Channels Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Balloon Notification Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
RSS Feeds Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Options Editor Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
General Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Undo Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Locations Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Interface Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Display Units Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Selection Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Measure Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Snapping Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Viewpoint Defaults Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Links Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
viii | Contents
Quick Properties Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Developer Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Display Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
3Dconnexion Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Navigation Bar Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
ViewCube Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
SteeringWheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
User Interface Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Model Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Performance Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
NWD Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
NWC Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Chapter 14 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Contents | ix
x

Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012

1
Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 software is the free viewer for NWD and DWF files. Use Navisworks Freedom to extend the whole-project view to all project stakeholders, helping to improve communication and collaboration. Multi-disciplinary models created in building information modeling (BIM), digital prototype (DP), and process plant design applications can be combined into a single integrated project model and published into the NWD format using Autodesk Navisworks Manage or Autodesk Navisworks Simulate software. The published file provides access to model hierarchy, object properties, and embedded review data, including viewpoints, animations, redlines, and comments.
™

What Is New in This Release?

Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 contains many new features and enhancements.
User Interface
Easy access to commonly used review and navigation tools to increase review productivity.
■ The Viewpoint tab now includes the Navigate pane, providing access to
tools such as walk, pan, zoom, and orbit; SteeringWheels tracking menus, 3Dconnexion 3D mouse, and the realism settings.
1
Autodesk File Format Support
Autodesk Navisworks now offers 2D DWF and multi-sheet DWF support, allowing you to open, review and explore your 2D datasets alongside your 3D models. Importantly, the 2D view is integrated with the 3D environment ­this enables you to select a component in the 3D model and then to find and review the same component in a 2D representation (such as a floor plan or section) providing you with the most appropriate view of the data for the task that you are undertaking. When working with the FBX visualization file format you can now achieve an accurate transfer of materials, textures and lights when importing or exporting data between Autodesk Navisworks and other FBX compatible applications.
■ Support for opening 2D/3D DWF and DWFx files. See DWF File Reader.
■ Support for exporting 3D DWF and DWFx files. See Export 3D DWF/DWFx
Files.
■ Multi-sheet file support. See 2D and Multi-Sheet Files (page 100).
■ 2D/3D Object Association support. See Find All Sheets and Models Con-
taining the Selected Object (page 212).
■ FBX consistent material support for lights, materials, and textures. See FBX
File Reader.
Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 Enhancements
■ The Review tab now contains Measure tools supporting field access to
dimensioning and area calculation.
2 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
■ You can now open 2D DWF, and multi-sheet DWF files, as well as NWD
files.
■ A Gantt View is now available during 4D TimeLiner simulations.
Miscellaneous Enhancements
■ Enhanced support for the
■ 3D mouse through an extended interface. See 3Dconnexion 3D Mouse
(page 164).
■ Communication Centre now supports live updates.
■ New avatars to be used in a variety of roles ranging from construction
workers and safety professionals, to office workers. Since avatars can vary
What Is New in This Release? | 3
per viewpoint, you can easily show how project stakeholders will interact with a specific phase of the project in the relevant context.

How to Get Assistance

There are various ways to find information about how to use this program, and multiple resources are available.

Find Information Using InfoCenter

You can use InfoCenter to search Autodesk Navisworks help file for information. You can also easily access product updates and announcements.
Overview of InfoCenter
You can use InfoCenter to search for product-related help, display the Subscription Center panel for subscription services, display the Communication Center panel for product updates and announcements, and display the Favorites panel to access saved topics.
You can use InfoCenter to:
■ Search for information in the main product Help through keywords (or
by entering a phrase)
■ Access subscription services through Subscription Center panel
4 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
■ Access to product-related updates and announcements through
Communication Center panel
■ Access saved topics through Favorites panel
To display the InfoCenter box in a collapsed state, click the arrow to its left.
To rearrange the topics displayed on a panel
1 Display a panel by doing one of the following:
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Subscription Center button.
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Communication Center button.
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Favorites button.
2 Click and drag a category or group header to the desired position.
TIP To keep the Subscription Center, Communication Center, and the
Favorites panel expanded, click the push pin icon in the bottom-right corner of the panel.
NOTE You can rearrange categories within a group, but you cannot move them into other groups.
Search for Information
You can enter keywords or a phrase in the InfoCenter box to search for information.
How to Get Assistance | 5
When you enter keywords or a phrase in the InfoCenter box, you search the contents of the main Autodesk Navisworks Help file.
Keyword searches produce better results. The results are listed on the Help Search tab. Click a topic to display it in help.
When you use InfoCenter to search for information, you can use the following special symbols in your query to refine or expand it. These symbols can be used alone or can be combined.
DescriptionSymbol
*
?
~
Replaces one or more characters when used at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. For example, “*lish”, “p*lish”, and “pub*” will find “publish”. Also, “anno*” will find “annotative”, “annota­tion”, “annoupdate”, “annoreset”, and so on.
Replaces a single character. For example, “cop?” will find “copy”, but not “copybase”.
Adds grammatical form variations to a keyword when added at the beginning or end of a word. For example, “plotting~” will find
“plots”, “plotted”, and so on. Also, “~plot” will find “preplot”, “replot”, and so on.
When performing the exact phrase search, use double quotation marks (" ") to enclose words that must appear next to each other in the specified text string. For example, enter "specify units of measurement" to find only topics with all those words in that order. You can also use the previously mentioned symbols in a text string that is enclosed in double quotation marks.
To search the main Help file for information
1 In the InfoCenter box, enter a keyword or phrase.
2 Click the Search button.
The main Help file opens, and the search results are listed on the Help Search tab.
6 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
Access Subscription Center
Subscription Center displays links to information about subscription services such as product enhancements, personalized web support from Autodesk technical experts, and self-paced e-Learning.
If you are a subscription member, you can access subscription services by
clicking the Communication Center button in the InfoCenter box, and then clicking a Subscription Center link. To learn more about Autodesk subscription membership, visit http://www.autodesk.com/subscriptioncenter.
About Subscription Center
With Autodesk Subscription, you get the latest releases of Autodesk software, incremental product enhancements, personalized web support from Autodesk technical experts, and self paced e-Learning. Subscription services are available to subscription members only.
By clicking the Communication Center button in the InfoCenter box, members have access to the following options (under Subscription Center):
■ Subscription status. Checks your subscription status.
■ Create support request. Provides direct one-to-one communication
with Autodesk support technicians. You receive fast, complete answers to your installation, configuration, and troubleshooting questions.
■ View support requests. Tracks and manages your questions and
responses through Autodesk's state-of-the-art support system.
■ Edit Subscription Center profile. Sets up and maintains your
subscription account.
■ View e-Learning catalog. Features interactive lessons organized into
product catalogs.
■ e-Learning Lessons. (For subscription members only.) Each lesson is
15-30 minutes and features hands-on exercises, with an option to use a simulation instead of the software application. You can use an online evaluation tool that identifies gaps in skills, determines what lessons will be most helpful, and gauges learning progress.
How to Get Assistance | 7
Subscription Resources and Privacy
Subscription resources provide interactive product features over the Internet. Each time you access subscription resources (such as e-Learning or Create Support Request) from Communication Center in an Autodesk product, product information (such as the serial number, version, language, and the subscription contract ID) is sent to Autodesk for verification that your product is on subscription.
Autodesk compiles statistics using the information sent to subscription resources to monitor how they are being used and how they can be improved. Autodesk maintains the information provided by or collected from you in accordance with Autodesk's published privacy policy, which is available at
http://www.autodesk.com/privacy.
To open the Subscription Center
1 Click the Communication Center button in the InfoCenter box.
2 On the Communication Center panel, under Subscription Center,
click the subscription resource you want to access.
NOTE Subscription Center is not available to all product users. If subscription resources are not available in your product, your product is not entitled to subscription benefits.
Manage Files with Autodesk Vault
If you are a subscription customer, you have access to Autodesk Vault, a file management tool that provides a repository where documents and files are stored and managed.
Autodesk Vault gives you more power to manage files and track changes. Versioned copies of master files are maintained, allowing you to easily revert to earlier versions of files. You can check files out for editing and later check them back in. The master copy is never directly edited.
Autodesk Vault consists of two required components: the Autodesk Data Management Server and the Vault Client. Optionally, you can also install the Vault Office Add-in.
For information about using the Vault, refer to the Vault Help system.
8 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
TIP The main components for the Autodesk Vault can be downloaded from the Autodesk Subscription site.
Use Communication Center
Communication Center provides up-to-date product information, software updates, product support announcements, and other product-related announcements.
Overview of Communication Center
You can click the Communication Center button to display links to information about product updates and announcements, and may include links to RSS feeds.
Whenever new information is available, Communication Center notifies you by displaying a balloon message below the Communication Center button in the InfoCenter box.
Communication Center provides the following types of announcements:
■ Autodesk Channels: Receive support information, product updates, and
other announcements (including articles and tips).
■ RSS Feeds. Receive information from RSS feeds to which you subscribe.
RSS feeds generally notify you when new content is posted. You are automatically subscribed to several default RSS feeds when you install the program.
■ Product Support Information. Get breaking news from the Product
Support team at Autodesk, including when Live Update maintenance patches are released.
■ Subscription Announcements. Receive subscription announcements
and subscription program news, as well as links to e-Learning Lessons, if you are an Autodesk subscription member (available in countries/regions where Autodesk subscriptions are offered).
■ Articles and Tips. Be notified when new articles and tips are available
on Autodesk websites.
■ Live Update Maintenance Patches. Receive automatic notifications
whenever new maintenance patches are released from Autodesk.
■ Featured Technologies and Content. Learn more about third-party
developer applications and content.
How to Get Assistance | 9
You can customize the items that display on the Communication Center panel. For more information, see Specify InfoCenter Settings (page 16).
Communication Center Online Policy
Communication Center is an interactive feature that must be connected to the Internet in order to deliver content and information. Each time Communication Center is connected, it sends your information to Autodesk so that you receive the correct information. All information is sent anonymously to Autodesk to maintain your privacy.
Communication Center sends the following information to Autodesk:
■ Product name (in which you are using Communication Center)
■ Product release number
■ Product language
■ Country/region (specified in the Communication Center settings)
■ Your unique Customer Involvement Program (CIP) ID if you are
participating in the CIP program
Autodesk compiles statistics using the information sent from Communication Center to monitor how it is being used and how it can be improved. Autodesk maintains information provided by or collected from you in accordance with the company's published privacy policy, which is available at http://www.autodesk.com/privacy.
To open Communication Center
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Communication Center button.
To receive new information notifications
■ Click the link in the balloon message to open the article or announcement.
Save and Access Favorite Topics
You can click the Favorites button to display saved links to topics or web locations.
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Any link that displays on the Subscription Center or Communication Center panel can be marked as a favorite.
A link marked as a favorite displays a star icon on the Subscription Center panel or the Communication Center panel.
To display the InfoCenter Favorites panel
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Favorites button.
NOTE The links displayed on the Favorites panel are organized into the same groups or categories from which they were added.
To save a link in InfoCenter as a favorite
1 Display a panel by doing one of the following:
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Subscription Center button.
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Communication Center button.
2 Click the star icon that is displayed next to the link that you want to
save as a favorite.
To remove a favorite link from the InfoCenter Favorites panel
1 In the InfoCenter box, click the Favorites button to display the Favorites
panel.
2 Click the star icon that is displayed next to the link that you want to
remove from the Favorites panel.
Use the Help System
You can click the Help button to display topics in Help.
You can get much more benefit from the Help system when you learn how to use it efficiently. You can quickly find general descriptions, procedures, details about dialog boxes and palettes, or definitions of terms.
The Help system contains complete information about using this program. In the Help window, you use the left pane to locate information. The tabs
How to Get Assistance | 11
above the left pane give you several ways for finding the topics you want to view. The right pane displays the topics you select.
To display topics in Help
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Help button.
How Help Topics Are Organized
Most topics in this Help system have three tabs above the right pane of the Help window. The tabs display different types of information.
■ Concept tab. Describes a feature or function. When you click the
Concept tab, the Help Contents list in the left pane of the Help window expands and highlights the current topic. The Contents tab displays the structure of the Help on that topic. You can easily display nearby topics by clicking them in the list.
■ Procedure tab. Provides step-by-step instructions for common procedures
related to the current topic. After displaying a procedure, you can click the Procedure tab to redisplay the current list of procedures.
■ Quick Reference tab. Lists reference information related to the current
topic.
When you click a different tab, the topic remains the same. Only the type of information displayed—concept, procedures, or quick reference links—is different.
Search in Help
Use the Help Search tab to find relevant topics based on keywords that you enter.
The basic search rules are as follows:
■ Type your keywords in uppercase or lowercase characters; searches are not
case-sensitive.
■ Search for any combination of letters (a-z) and numbers (0-9).
■ Do not use punctuation marks such as a period, colon, semicolon, comma,
hyphen, and single quotation marks; they are ignored during a search.
■ Group the elements of your search using double quotation marks or
parentheses to set each element apart.
12 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
Use Wild Card Characters
You can use the following wild card characters in any keyword:
DescriptionSymbol
*
?
~
Replaces one or more characters when used at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. For example, “*lish”, “p*lish”, and “pub*” will all find “publish”. Also, “anno*” will find “annotative”, “annotation”, “annoup­date”, “annoreset”, and so on.
Replaces a single character. For example, “cop?” will find “copy”, but not “copy­base”.
Expands the tense of the word at the begin­ning or end of a word. For example, “plot­ting~” will find “plots”, “plotted”, and so on. Also, “~plot” will find “preplot”, “replot”, and so on.
Search for Phrases
When searching for a phrase, use double quotation marks (“ ”) to enclose words that must appear next to each other in the specified sequence. For example, enter “specifying units of measurement” to find only topics with all those words in that order. If you don’t use the quotation marks around that text, Help finds all topics containing any one of the listed words, that is, all topics containing “specifying”, all topics containing “units”, all topics containing “of”, and all topics containing “measurement”.
TIP If you can’t find the information you need through a search, try using the
Contents tab.
Use Boolean Operators
With the AND, OR, NOT, and NEAR operators, you can precisely define your search by creating a relationship between search terms. The following table shows how you can use each of these operators. If no operator is specified,
How to Get Assistance | 13
AND is used. For example, the query spacing border printing is equivalent to spacing AND border AND printing.
ResultsExampleSearch for
“tree view” AND “palette”Both terms in the same
topic
viewpoint OR animationEither term in a topic
nwd NOT nwcThe first term without
the second term
user NEAR menuBoth terms in the same
topic, close together
Topics containing both the words “tree view” and “palette”
Topics containing either the word “viewpoint” or the word “anima­tion” or both
Topics containing the word
“NWD”, but not the word “NWC”
Topics containing the word “user” within eight words of the word “menu”
NOTE The |, &, and ! characters do not work as Boolean operators. You must use AND (also +), OR, and NOT (also -).
Find Information in Help Topics
The tabs on the left side of the Help window provide different methods for finding information.
Contents Tab
■ Presents an overview of the available documentation in a list of topics and
subtopics.
■ Allows you to browse by selecting and expanding topics.
■ Provides a structure so you can always see where you are in Help and
quickly jump to other topics.
14 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
Index Tab
■ Displays an alphabetical list of keywords related to the topics listed on the
Contents tab.
■ Accesses information quickly when you already know the name of a feature,
command, or operation, or when you know what action you want the program to perform.
Search Tab
■ Provides a keyword search of all the topics listed on the Contents tab.
■ Accepts the Boolean operators AND (+), OR, NOT (-), and NEAR.
■ Accepts the wild cards *, ?, and ~.
■ Allows you to perform a search for a phrase when the phrase is enclosed
in double quotes.
■ Displays a ranked list of topics that contain the word or words entered in
the keyword field.
■ Arranges the results alphabetically by title or by location if you click on
the Title and Location column headings.
To find a specific word or phrase in the currently displayed Help topic
1 Click in the topic text and press CTRL+F.
2 In the Find text box, enter a keyword or phrase.
3 Click Next. If the keyword or phrase is located, the topic scrolls to display
the result.
Print Help Topics
The quickest way to print the current topic is to right-click within the topic and click Print.
The Print button on the Help toolbar provides these print options:
■ Print the selected topic (recommended)
■ Print the selected heading and all subtopics
NOTE When you select the second option, you may get numerous printed pages, depending on how many subtopics the currently selected topic contains.
How to Get Assistance | 15
To print a Help topic
1 Display the topic you want to print.
2 Right-click in the topic pane. Click Print.
3 In the Print dialog box, click Print.
To print a selected heading and all subtopics
1 Display the topic you want to print and make sure that the Contents
tab is displayed.
2 On the Help toolbar, click Print.
3 In the Print Topics dialog box, click Print the Selected Heading
and All Subtopics.
4 Click OK.
Show and Hide the Contents Pane
You can control the size of the Help window.
Use the Hide button on the Help toolbar to shrink the Help window to a compact size by hiding the pane that contains the Contents, Index, and Search tabs. The compact window size is best for displaying procedures while you work.
Use the Show button to expand the Help window to display the pane that contains Contents, Index, and Search tabs. The expanded window size is best for locating and displaying conceptual and reference information.
Specify InfoCenter Settings
You can specify general and Communication Center settings in the InfoCenter Settings dialog box.
In the InfoCenter Settings dialog box, you can specify the following settings:
■ General. Your current location, frequency for checking new online content
and option to turn on or off animated transition effects for the InfoCenter panels.
16 | Chapter 1 Welcome to Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
■ Communication Center. Set the maximum age of the articles displayed
on the Communication Center panel.
■ Autodesk Channels. Channels to display in the Communication Center
panel as well as the number of articles to display for each channel.
■ Balloon Notification. Notifications for new product information,
software updates, and product support announcements. Also, you can customize the transparency and the display time of the balloon.
■ RSS Feeds. RSS feed subscriptions. You can add or remove RSS feeds. RSS
feeds generally notify you when new content is posted.
To specify the channels to display in the Communication Center panel
1 Display a panel by doing one of the following:
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Subscription Center button.
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Communication Center button.
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Favorites button.
2 Click the InfoCenter Settings button.
3 In the InfoCenter Settings dialog box, in the left pane, click Autodesk
Channels.
4 In the right pane, select or clear the channels you want to display in the
Communication Center panel.
5 Click OK.
To specify InfoCenter balloon notification settings
1 Display a panel by doing one of the following:
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Subscription Center button.
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Communication Center button.
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Favorites button.
2 Click the InfoCenter Settings button.
3 In the InfoCenter Settings dialog box, in the left pane, click Balloon
Notification.
4 In the right pane, select or clear the options to turn balloon notification
on or off.
5 Enter the number of seconds to set the length of time for balloon
notifications to display.
How to Get Assistance | 17
6 Enter the transparency value of the balloon or set the value using the
slider.
7 Click OK.
To add an RSS feed to Communication Center
1 Display a panel by doing one of the following:
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Subscription Center button.
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Communication Center button.
2 Click the InfoCenter Settings button .
3 In the InfoCenter Settings dialog box, in the left pane, click RSS Feeds.
4 In the right pane, do one of the following:
■ Click Add.
■ Right-click anywhere in the right pane. Click Add.
5 In the Add RSS Feed dialog box, enter the location of the RSS feed you
want to add. Click Add.
6 In the InfoCenter - RSS Feed Confirmation dialog box, click Close.
7 Click OK.
To remove an RSS feed from Communication Center
1 Display a panel by doing one of the following:
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Subscription Center button.
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Communication Center button.
■ In the InfoCenter box, click the Favorites button.
2 Click the InfoCenter Settings button.
3 In the InfoCenter Settings dialog box, in the left pane, click RSS Feeds.
4 In the right pane, do one of the following:
■ Click Remove.
■ Right-click an RSS feed. Click Remove.
5 In the InfoCenter - Remove RSS Feed dialog box, click Yes.
6 Click OK.
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Get More Help

You can access several additional sources of help.
■ Use Communication Center. Display the Communication Center
panel for product updates and announcements.
■ Press F1. Displays context-sensitive reference information.
■ Click the Help button in many dialog boxes. Displays reference
information for the dialog box.
■ View the product Readme. Displays late-breaking information about
this product.
Other resources help you get information about Autodesk products and assistance with your questions about this program.
■ Autodesk website. Access http://www.autodesk.com.
■ Local support. Check with your dealer or Autodesk country/region office.

View the Product Readme

You can find late-breaking information about this software in the Readme.
It is suggested that you read through the Autodesk Navisworks Readme for information about recommended hardware, updated installation instructions, and known software problems. The Readme file is available from the product’s program group on the Windows Start menu.

Join the Customer Involvement Program

You are invited to help guide the direction of Autodesk design software.
If you participate in the Customer Involvement Program (CIP), specific information about how you use Autodesk Navisworks is forwarded to Autodesk. This information includes what features you use the most, problems that you encounter, and other information helpful to the future direction of the product.
See the following links for more information.
■ Learn more about the Autodesk Customer Involvement Program: ht-
tp://www.autodesk.com/cip
How to Get Assistance | 19
■ Read the Autodesk Privacy Statement: http://www.autodesk.com/cipprivacy
When you join, you will be able to view reports that can help you optimize your use of Autodesk Navisworks.
To turn the CIP on or off
1 On the InfoCenter toolbar, to the right of the Help button, click the
drop-down arrow.
2 Click Customer Involvement Program.
3 In the Customer Involvement Program dialog box, select to start or stop
participating.
4 Click OK.
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Installation

Quick Start to Stand-Alone Installation

This section provides step-by-step instructions about how to prepare, and then install Autodesk Navisworks.
Stand-alone installation is recommended for individual users or small groups. The key point is that you will repeat the installation process on each computer. For a stand-alone license this is the only valid installation type, but it can also be used with a multi-seat stand-alone or network license.

Prepare for Installation

To prepare for installation, you should review the system requirements, understand administrative permission requirements, and close all running applications.
2
Complete these tasks, and you are ready to begin installing Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012.
NOTE It is also recommended that you install Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0 before installing the product. See Install Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0 (page 23).
System Requirements for Stand-Alone Installation
The first task you need to complete is to make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements. If your system does not meet these requirements, problems can occur, both within Autodesk Navisworks and at the operating system level.
21
Whether your Windows operating system is the 32-bit or the 64-bit version, the version is automatically detected during installation.
See the following table for hardware and software requirements.
Hardware and software requirements for client machine
RequirementHardware/Software
Operating System
Web browser
Processor
Microsoft® Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit) Home Ba-
sic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, or Ul­timate (recommended)
Microsoft® Windows Vista® SP2 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate
Microsoft® Windows XP SP3 (32-bit) Home, or
Professional
Microsoft® Windows XP SP2 (64-bit) Professional
Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7.0 or later
AMD Athlon™, 3.0 GHz or faster (minimum); Intel
Pentium® 4, 3.0 GHz or faster (recommended) -
with SSE2 technology
512 MB (minimum); 2 GB or more (recommended)Memory (RAM)
1024 x 768 with true color (minimum)VGA Display
®
Graphics Card
22 | Chapter 2 Installation
1280 x 1024 32-bit color video display adapter with true color (recommended)
Direct3D 9® and OpenGL® capable graphics card
with Shader Model 2 (minimum)
11 GB free disk space for installationHard disk
Hardware and software requirements for client machine
Pointing device
Microsoft® Mouse-compliant pointing device
Any speed (for installation only)DVD-ROM
Printer or plotterOptional hardware
Modem or access to an Internet connection
Network interface card
Install Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0
Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 requires Microsoft .Net 4.0 to be installed prior to product installation.
Most Windows updates should include Microsoft .NET Framework 4, however, for old versions of Windows, you can download and install Microsoft .NET Framework 4 redistributables from: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/de-
tails.aspx?FamilyID=0a391abd-25c1-4fc0-919f-b21f31ab88b7 or install Microsoft
.Net Framework 4 from the following directory in the installation media: \3rdParty\NET\4\wcu\dotNetFramework\.
The Installation wizard will install Microsoft .Net Framework 4 if it detects that required updates have not been installed.
NOTE If the Installation wizard prompts you to install the Microsoft .NET 4.0 Framework, the .NET 4.0 Framework installer may prompt you to first install the Windows Imaging Component (WIC). This can occur if you do not have the latest Microsoft Windows updates or service packs. You are most likely to need WIC if you are running Windows XP SP2 without certain Windows Updates installed. If required, the Microsoft WIC installers are available at the following locations:
■ 32-bit installer: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?Family-
ID=8e011506-6307-445b-b950-215def45ddd8&displaylang=en
■ 64-bit installer: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?Family-
ID=f64654ac-6e26-41d9-a90a-0e7783b864ee
Quick Start to Stand-Alone Installation | 23
Understand Administrative Permission
Requirements
To install Autodesk Navisworks, you must have administrator permissions.
You do not need to have domain administrative permissions. See your system administrator for information about administrative permissions.
To run Autodesk Navisworks, you do not need administrator permissions. You can run the program as a limited user.
Avoid Data Loss During Installation
The Autodesk Navisworks installation process may stop if some applications (such as Microsoft® Outlook® or virus-checking programs) are running.
Close all running applications to avoid possible data loss.
Choose a Language
You can select a different language for installation instructions, and a language for individual product installations in the same install process.
When you start the installation process, the installer automatically determines your operating system language. If a supported language is detected, your install pages are displayed in that language. If you want to change that language, you select a different one from the Installer Language list on the first page of the Installation wizard.
NOTE Some products may not have multi-language support at the time of product release. Additional language support may be available later. Check http://sup-
port.autodesk.com for the availability of additional language packs.
Using Language Packs
Language packs support use of different languages in each Autodesk Navisworks product, including exporters. Pack names start with NAVFREE_, NAVSIM_, NAVMAN_, and exporters_ respectively.
24 | Chapter 2 Installation
NOTE You must install at least one language pack for each product.
It is possible to install additional language packs to Autodesk Navisworks products later. You can manually install the required language packs by double-clicking on the language pack MSI file.
Language packs are located on the installation DVD and unpacked downloaded media under the x86 folder for 32-bit products and under the x64 folder for 64-bit products.
■ Language packs for specific products are included in the NAVFREE,
NAVSIM, NAVMAN, and NWEXPORT subfolders of x86 and x64 folders.
■ Language packs for specific languages are included in the en-US (English),
de-DE (German), es-ES (Spanish), fr-FR (French), it-IT (Italian), ja-JP
(Japanese), ko-KR (Korean), pt-BR (Brazilian Portuguese), ru-RU (Russian) and zh-CN (Chinese PRC) subfolders of the product folders.
So, for example, to install the 32-bit French language pack for Autodesk Navisworks Freedom, double-click x86/NAVFREE/fr-FR/NAVFREE_LP.msi.
Configuration
During the installation process, you choose either a typical installation (install the product with default settings), or a customized installation. On the Install
➤ Configure Installation page, for any product you have selected to install,
you will see a triangular control for access to a configuration panel.
Click anywhere in the product box to open the configuration panel:
■ Installation Type. If you choose a Typical installation (default settings)
the product installs the most common application features. A Custom installation installs only the application features that you select from the Select Features To Install list. The available features will depend upon the product you are installing:
Redistributable ActiveX Control
Contains Autodesk Navisworks Redistribut­able ActiveX control.
Quick Start to Stand-Alone Installation | 25
Program
■ Create the Desktop Shortcut. Select the check box to create the desktop
shortcut for Autodesk Navisworks.
■ Project and Site Folders. Use the Browse buttons to select the
directories that will contain Autodesk Navisworks settings that can be shared across an entire project site, or across a specific project group (see Select the Project and Site Folders).
■ Service Packs. If a service pack is available for your installation, you can
include it in the installation.
After you have configured the settings as required, click the product name to close the configuration panel.
Contains full set of Autodesk Navisworks files.
Install Multiple or Bundled Products
Some Autodesk packages are comprised of multiple products or are part of multi-product bundles.
The Installation wizard for packages that are comprised of multiple products gives you the option to choose which products you want to install.
In the Installation wizard, for packages containing multiple products, you can choose which products and languages you want to install. During the install process, you are informed whether a copy of the software is already installed. You are also warned if your system does not meet the minimum system requirements for the product. Each product name is displayed on its own tabbed panel; you can configure them individually.
If you purchased a package that is a multi-product bundle, such as an educational or institutional package, you may have a package that includes several Autodesk products. For these bundled packages, an Installer disc contains information for all the products in the package. The Installer disc helps you install all of the products.
26 | Chapter 2 Installation

Install and Run Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012

You must have administrative permissions to install Autodesk Navisworks.
This section provides instructions for installing and activating Autodesk Navisworks for an individual user on a stand-alone computer.
NOTE Autodesk does not recommend or support the distribution of an Autodesk product using imaging software.
Install Autodesk Navisworks
The Autodesk NavisworksInstallation wizard contains all installation-related material in one place.
From the Installation wizard, you can access user documentation, change the installer language, select a language-specific product, install supplemental tools, view support solutions, and learn about deploying your product on a network.
■ Review installation documentation before you install. It is
recommended that you take the time to familiarize yourself with the complete installation process before you install Autodesk Navisworks. Documentation is accessible from links on the lower left corner of the installer.
■ Install Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012. From the Installation
wizard, click Install. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
Install Autodesk Navisworks Using Default Values
This is the fastest means of installing Autodesk Navisworks on your system.
Only default values are used which means it is a typical installation being installed to C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Navisworks Freedom 2012.
Quick Start to Stand-Alone Installation | 27
To install Autodesk Navisworks using default values on a stand-alone computer
1 Close all running applications on your computer and start the
Installation wizard.
2 On the Installation wizard, if required, select an alternate language
for the Installation wizard from the Installation Instructions drop-down, and then click Install.
3 Review the Autodesk software license agreement for your country or
region. You must accept this agreement to proceed with the installation. Choose your country or region, click I Accept, and then click Next.
NOTE If you do not agree to the terms of the license and want to terminate the installation, click Cancel.
4 On the Configure Installation page, select the products to install,
and if required add a language pack(s) from the Product Language drop-down (see Choose a Language (page 24)).
5 If required, use the Installation PathBrowse button to select the
drive and location where product will be installed.
6 Click Install. The wizard installs the products you selected using a
Typical installation, which installs the most common application
features. To see which features are included in a Typical installation, refer to Typically Installed Features (page 34).
NOTE By default, the Installation wizard automatically enables the exporter plugins for all third-party products already installed on your computer.
7 Click Finish.
Install Autodesk Navisworks Using Configured
Values
With this installation method, you can fine-tune exactly what gets installed.
You can alter the license type, the installation type, the install path, and specify the location of the Project and Site folders.
To install Autodesk Navisworks using configured values on a stand-alone computer
1 Close all running applications on your computer and start the
Installation wizard.
28 | Chapter 2 Installation
2 On the Installation wizard, if required, select an alternate language
for the Installation wizard from the Installation Instructions drop-down, and then click Install.
3 Review the Autodesk software license agreement for your country or
region. You must accept this agreement to proceed with the installation. Choose your country or region, click I Accept, and then click Next.
NOTE If you do not agree to the terms of the license and want to terminate the installation, click Cancel.
4 On the Configure Installation page, select the products to install,
and if required add a language pack(s) from the Product Language drop-down (see Choose a Language (page 24)).
5 Click the product name to open the configuration panel where you can
review and change settings. See Configuration (page 25). After you have configured the settings as required, click the product name to close the configuration panel.
6 If required, use the Installation PathBrowse button to select the
drive and location where product will be installed.
7 Click Install. The wizard installs the products you selected using your
Custom installation settings.
8 Click Finish.
Launch Autodesk Navisworks
Assuming that you’ve followed all of the previous steps outlined in this Quick Start section, you can launch Autodesk Navisworks and start taking advantage of its new and updated features.
You can start Autodesk Navisworks in the following ways:
■ Desktop shortcut icon. When you install Autodesk Navisworks, a
shortcut icon is placed on your desktop. Double-click the Autodesk Navisworks icon to start the program.
■ Start button. Click Start ➤ All Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Navisworks
Freedom 2012 ➤ Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012.
■ Location where Autodesk Navisworks is installed. If you have
administrative permissions, you can run Autodesk Navisworks in the location where you installed it. If you are a limited-rights user, you must run Autodesk Navisworks from the Start button or from the desktop shortcut icon. If you want to create a custom shortcut, make sure that the
Quick Start to Stand-Alone Installation | 29
Start In directory for the shortcut points to a directory where you have write permissions.
NOTE When the product is started, by default, it uses the language that best matches the settings on your computer. You can also launch Autodesk Navisworks in another of the supported languages.
How to Launch Autodesk Navisworks in Another
Language
To run Autodesk Navisworks in another of the installed languages, you need to add one of the language selector arguments to the desktop shortcut.
To run Autodesk Navisworks in another language
1 Right-click the Autodesk Navisworks desktop shortcut, and click
Properties on the shortcut menu to open the Autodesk NavisworksProperties dialog box.
2 On the Shortcut tab, enter a space in the Target field after
..\roamer.exe, and then enter one of the following arguments:
■ -lang en-US for English localization
■ -lang de-DE for German localization
■ -lang es-ES for Spanish localization
■ -lang fr-FR for French localization
■ -lang it-IT for Italian localization
■ -lang ja-JP for Japanese localization
■ -lang ko-KR for Korean localization
■ -lang pt-BR for Brazilian Portuguese localization
■ -lang ru-RU for Russian localization
■ -lang zh-CN for Chinese (PRC) localization
3 Click OK to save the changes.
30 | Chapter 2 Installation
Repair Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
If you accidentally delete or alter files that are required by Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012, Autodesk Navisworks might not perform correctly, and you might receive error messages when you try to execute a command or find a file. You can attempt to fix this problem by repairing Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012.
Repairing uses the features that were part of the installation type you chose when you initially installed the program.
To repair Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
1 Do one of the following:
■ (Windows XP) Click Start ➤ Settings ➤ Control Panel ➤ Add
or Remove Programs.
■ (Windows Vista and Windows 7) Click Start ➤ Control
Panel ➤ Programs and Features.
2 From the list of programs, click Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012,
and then click Change/Remove (Windows XP) or Uninstall/Change (Windows Vista and Windows 7).
The Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012Installation wizard re-opens in Maintenance Mode.
3 Click Repair or Reinstall.
4 On the Repair or Reinstall page, click RepairAutodesk Navisworks
Freedom 2012. This option replaces all registry entries that Autodesk Navisworks initially installed and restores Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 to its default state. Click Repair.
NOTE ReinstallAutodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 repairs the registry and reinstalls all files from the original installation. Use this option if the RepairAutodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 option does not solve the problem.
5 On the Repair Complete page, click Finish.
Uninstall Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
When you uninstall Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012, all components are removed. This means that even if you've previously added or removed
Quick Start to Stand-Alone Installation | 31
components, or if you've reinstalled or repaired Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012, the uninstall removes all Autodesk Navisworks installation files from your system.
IMPORTANT Do not use registry cleaning programs or attempt to modify the registry entries yourself to uninstall Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012. Failure to follow the official uninstall procedure will result in the inability to re-install the software .
To uninstall Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012
1 Do one of the following:
■ (Windows XP) Click Start ➤ Settings ➤ Control Panel ➤ Add
or Remove Programs.
■ (Windows Vista and Windows 7) Click Start ➤ Control
Panel ➤ Programs and Features.
2 From the list of programs, click Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012,
and then click Change/Remove (Windows XP) or Uninstall/Change (Windows Vista and Windows 7).
The Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012Installation wizard re-opens in Maintenance Mode.
3 Click Uninstall.
4 When informed that the product has been successfully uninstalled, click
Finish.
NOTE Even though Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 is removed from your system, the software license remains. If you reinstall Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 at some future time, you will not have to register and re-activate the program.

Installation Troubleshooting

This section provides solutions to installation issues and answers to commonly asked questions that may arise while installing your products.
Additional troubleshooting information and support is also available at ht-
tp://support.autodesk.com.
32 | Chapter 2 Installation

General Installation Issues

This section provides solutions to installation issues and answers to commonly asked questions that may arise while installing your products.
How can I check my graphics card driver to see if
it needs to be updated?
It is recommended that you ensure your computer has the most current graphics card driver for the best possible display performance.
To identify your graphics card driver
1 Start Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012.
2 In the InfoCenter box, click the down arrow next to the Help button
➤ System Info.
The Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012 information dialog box opens.
3 Review the information about your system including the graphics card
driver and driver version, and click OK to close the dialog.
To check the Web for an updated graphics card driver
■ Use Windows Update. If a more recent graphics card driver is available,
select it to have Windows Update download and install it.
■ Search the graphics card manufacturer’s website for the type of installed
graphics card. If a more recent graphics card driver is available, install it following the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
To install an updated graphics card driver
1 Check the Web for to see if an updated driver is available.
■ Use Windows Update.
■ Search the graphics card manufacturer’s website for the type of
installed graphics card.
2 If a more recent graphics card driver is available, follow the instructions
from the website to download and install it.
Installation Troubleshooting | 33
How do I switch my license from stand-alone to
network or network to stand-alone?
If you simply entered the wrong license type by mistake, and are still running the installer, use the Back button to return to the Product Information page, and change the License Type.
If you want to change the license type for an installed product, contact your Autodesk reseller or license supplier to obtain the new license and serial number. Then uninstall your product and run a new install to change the license type and enter the new serial number.
When performing a Typical installation, what gets
installed?
A Typical installation includes the following features:
Redistributable ActiveX Control
Program
Contains Autodesk Navisworks Redistribut­able ActiveX control.
Contains full set of Autodesk Navisworks files.
Why should I specify the Project Folder and Site
Folder?
You can share global Autodesk Navisworks settings, workspaces, datatools, avatars, Clash Detective rules and custom tests, Presenter archives, object animation scripts, and so on, with other users.
These settings can be shared across an entire project site, or across a specific project group depending on the required level of granularity.
Autodesk Navisworks examines the current user profile and the all users profile on the local machine, and then checks the settings in the Project Directory and the Site Directory. The files in the Project Directory take precedence.
34 | Chapter 2 Installation
How do I share the Autodesk Navisworks settings
on a site and project basis?
Sharing Autodesk Navisworks settings requires you to export the desired settings as an XML file to the appropriate Site or Project directory’s global_options folder. The name of the XML file is not significant. However it must be stored in the global_options folder.
TIP When you configure global options, you can lock some of the options to prevent users from editing them later on local machines. To create a locked global options file, run the stand-alone Options Editor from the command line by typing “drive:pathname\OptionsEditor.exe” -l. The Options Editor opens with the locking facility.
To share settings on a site and project basis
1 Create appropriate Site and Project directories and subfolders in a central
location to be accessed by other Navisworks users.
2 In Autodesk Navisworks, click the application button ➤ Options
Editor.
3 Click Export.
4 In the Select Options to Export dialog box, check all options you
want to export and click OK.
5 In the Save As dialog box, name the XML file as desired and save it to
the global_options folder in the appropriate Site or Project directory.
Installation Troubleshooting | 35
See also:
Location Options (page 90)
Autodesk Navisworks Options (page 85)
NO LABEL
Run the installer again from the original media, and click Install Tools & Utilities on the first screen. The installer guides you through the process of selection, configuration and installation of tools and utilities.
When should I reinstall the product instead of
repairing it?
Reinstall your product if you accidentally delete or alter files that are required by the program.
Missing or altered files adversely affect the performance of your product and cause error messages when you try to execute a command or find a file.
If an attempt to repair an installation fails, reinstalling is the next best option.
When I uninstall my software, what files are left
on my system?
If you uninstall the product, some files remain on your computer such as files you created or edited (for example, drawings or custom menus).
Your license file also stays on your computer when you uninstall your product. If you reinstall on the same computer, the license information remains valid; you do not have to reactivate the product.

Uninstall and Maintenance Issues

This section outlines common issues and their solutions with regards to adding and removing features, reinstalling or repairing your installation, and uninstalling products.
36 | Chapter 2 Installation
IMPORTANT Do not use registry cleaning programs or attempt to modify the registry entries yourself to uninstall Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012. Failure to follow the official uninstall procedure will result in the inability to re-install the software.
When should I reinstall the product instead of a
repair?
You should reinstall your product if you accidentally delete or alter files that are required by the program. Missing or altered files adversely affect the performance of your product and cause error messages when you try to execute a command or find a file.
If an attempt to repair an installation fails, reinstalling is the next best option.
Installation data is cached locally on your drive and that data is reused when reinstalling. If any files cannot be located when reinstalling a product, you are prompted to load the original media. If the product was installed from a network deployment, you need access to the original deployment, unaltered by later changes such as the addition of a service pack.
When I uninstall my software, what files are left
on my system?
If you uninstall the product, some files remain on your system such as files you created or edited.
Your license file also stays on your workstation when you uninstall your product. If you reinstall on the same workstation, the license information remains valid and you do not have to reactivate the product.
Installation Troubleshooting | 37
38

Quick Start

Start and Quit Autodesk Navisworks

Once you’ve installed (page 21)Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2012, you can start it from the Windows desktop or from the command line.
To start Autodesk Navisworks, do one of the following from the Windows desktop:
■ Double-click the Autodesk Navisworks icon, or
■ Click Start ➤ All Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Navisworks Freedom
2012 ➤ Freedom 2012.
Autodesk Navisworks starts in the language that best matches the settings on your computer. You can also start Autodesk Navisworks in another of the in-
stalled languages (page 30).
3
To quit Autodesk Navisworks, click the application button . At the bottom of the application menu, click Exit Autodesk Navisworks.

The User Interface

The Autodesk Navisworks interface contains a number of traditional Windows elements, such as the application menu, Quick Access toolbar, ribbon, dockable windows, dialog boxes and shortcut menus in which you complete tasks.
39

Parts of Autodesk Navisworks Interface

This section briefly describes the main components of the standard Autodesk Navisworks interface.
The Autodesk Navisworks interface is intuitive and easy to learn and use. You can adjust the application interface to match the way you work. For example, you can hide docking windows that you rarely use, so they do not clutter the interface. You can add and remove buttons from the ribbon and the Quick Access toolbar.
You can apply a different theme to the standard interface. You can also switch back to the classic Autodesk Navisworks interface with old-style menu and toolbars.
40 | Chapter 3 Quick Start
5. Scene View1. Application button and menu
6. Navigation bar2. Quick Access toolbar
7. Dockable windows3. InfoCenter
8. Status bar4. Ribbon
See also:
Overview of InfoCenter (page 4)
To change theme of the standard user interface
1 Click the application button ➤ Options.
2 In the Options Editor, expand the Interface node, and click the User
Interface option.
3 On the User Interface page, select the required theme type from the
Theme drop-down list.
4 Click OK.
Application Button and Menu
The application menu enables you to access common tools.
It provides access to many common file actions, and also allows you to manage your files using more advanced tools, such as Import, Export, and Publish. Some application menu choices have additional menus that show related commands.
To open the application menu, click the application button . Clicking it again closes the application menu.
The User Interface | 41
DescriptionOption
(New)
(Open)
(Print)
(Print Preview)
(Print Settings)
42 | Chapter 3 Quick Start
Closes the currently open file, and creates a new file.
Opens files.
Prints the scene.
Shows a preview of how the document will print.
Specifies print settings.
Opens the Options Editor.Options
Exits the program.Exit Navisworks
Recent Documents List
You can view, sort, and access supported files that you have recently opened.
The most recent files are shown in the Recent Documents list. The list is ordered with the most recently used file at the top.
By default, up to four files are shown. If you want to modify the size of this list, use the Options Editor.
You can pin the files by using the push pin button to the right. Pinning enables you to keep a file in the list until you turn off the push pin button.
Sort and Group Files
Use the drop-down list at the top of the Recent Documents list to sort or group files by:
■ By Ordered List
■ By Access Date
■ By Size
■ By Type
Preview Documents
When you mouse over a file in the Recent Documents list, the following information is displayed:
■ Path where the file is stored
■ Date the file was last modified
■ Name of the person who is currently working with the file
To change the number of recent documents listed
1 Click the application button ➤ Options.
2 In the Options Editor, expand the General node, and click the
Environment option.
3 On the Environment page, enter the number of recent documents to
be listed into the Maximum Recently Used Files box.
The User Interface | 43
4 Click OK.
To keep a document in the Recent Documents list
■ Click the push pin button to the right of the document.
To view the Recent Documents list by access date
■ In the top-left corner of the Recent Documents list, in the By Ordered
List drop-down list, select By Access Date.
To view the Recent Documents list by size
■ In the top-left corner of the Recent Documents list, in the By Ordered
List drop-down list, select By Size.
To view the Recent Documents list by type
■ In the top-left corner of the Recent Documents list, in the By Ordered
List drop-down list, select By Type.
Quick Access Toolbar
At the top of the application window, the Quick Access toolbar displays frequently used commands.
44 | Chapter 3 Quick Start
You can add unlimited number of buttons to the Quick Access toolbar. Buttons are added to the right of the default commands. You can add separators between the buttons. Commands that extend past the maximum length of
the toolbar are displayed in a flyout button .
NOTE Only ribbon commands can be added to the Quick Access toolbar.
You can move the Quick Access toolbar either above or below the ribbon.
To add a ribbon button to the Quick Access toolbar
1 Display the tab and panel that contains the button you want to add to
the Quick Access toolbar.
2 Right-click the button on the ribbon, and click Add to Quick Access
Toolbar.
To remove a ribbon button from the Quick Access toolbar
1 Right-click the button on the Quick Access toolbar
2 Click Remove from Quick Access toolbar.
To display the Quick Access toolbar below the ribbon
■ Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar drop-down button, and
click Show Below the Ribbon.
Shortcut menu: Right-click any button on the Quick Access toolbar. Click Show Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon.
To display the Quick Access toolbar above the ribbon
■ Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar drop-down button, and
click Show Above the Ribbon.
The User Interface | 45
Shortcut menu: Right-click any button on the Quick Access toolbar. Click Show Quick Access Toolbar above the Ribbon.
By default, it contains the following tools:
DescriptionOption
(New)
(Open)
(Print)
(Undo)
(Redo)
(Select)
(Customize Quick Access Toolbar)
Closes the currently open file, and creates a new file.
Opens files.
Prints the current viewpoint.
Cancels the most recent action.
Reinstates the most recent action.
Selects items with a mouse click.
Customizes the items displayed on the Quick Access toolbar. To enable or disable an item, click next to it on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar drop-down.
Ribbon
The ribbon is a palette that displays task-based tools and controls.
The ribbon is divided into tabs, with each tab is supporting a specific activity. Within each tab, tools are grouped together into a task-based series of panels.
46 | Chapter 3 Quick Start
To specify which ribbon tabs and panels are displayed, right-click the ribbon and, on the shortcut menu, click or clear the names of tabs or panels.
You can customize the ribbon depending on your needs in the following ways:
■ Change the order of ribbon tabs. Click the tab you want to move, drag it
to the desired position, and release.
■ Change the order of ribbon panels in a tab. Click the panel you want to
move, drag it to the desired position, and release.
You can control the amount of space the ribbon takes in the application window. There are two buttons to the right of the ribbon tabs, that allow you to choose the ribbon toggle and ribbon minimize states.
■ The first button toggles between the full ribbon state and the minimize
ribbon state .
■ The second drop-down button allows you to select one of four minimize
ribbon states:
■ Minimize to Tabs: Minimizes the ribbon so that only tab titles are
displayed.
■ Minimize to Panel Titles: Minimizes the ribbon so that only tab
and panel titles are displayed.
■ Minimize to Panel Buttons: Minimizes the ribbon so that only tab
titles and panel buttons are displayed.
■ Cycle Through All: Cycles through all four ribbon states in the order,
full ribbon, minimize to panel buttons, minimize to panel titles, minimize to tabs.
Contextual Tabs
Some of the tabs are contextual. When you execute some commands, a special contextual ribbon tab is displayed instead of a toolbar or dialog box. For example, as soon as you start selecting items in the Scene View, the previously hidden Item Tools tab appears. When nothing is selected, it becomes hidden again.
Slideout Panels
A down arrow to the right of a panel title indicates that you can slide out the panel to display additional tools and controls. By default, an expanded panel closes automatically when you click another panel. To keep a panel
The User Interface | 47
expanded, click the push pin icon in the bottom-left corner of the slideout panel.
Floating Panels
If you pull a panel off of a ribbon tab and into a different area in the application window or the desktop, that panel floats where you placed it. The floating panel remains open until you return it to the ribbon, even if you switch ribbon tabs.
Tool Launcher
Some ribbon panels display a dialog box or a dockable window related to that panel. A tool launcher arrow in the lower-right corner of the panel indicates that you can display a related tool. Click the icon to display the associated dialog box or dockable window.
Check Boxes
Check boxes allow you to toggle an option on or off.
Sliders
When an option can be executed with varying intensity, the slider allows you to control the setting from lower to higher, or reverse.
To display the ribbon
If you use the Classic user interface, you can switch back to the ribbon.
1 Click the application button ➤ Options.
2 In the Options Editor, expand the Interface node, and click the User
Interface option.
3 On the User Interface page, select Standard (Recommended) from
the User Interface drop-down list.
4 Click OK.
To hide or show a ribbon tab
1 Right-click anywhere inside the ribbon.
2 Under Show Tabs, click or clear the name of a tab.
48 | Chapter 3 Quick Start
To hide or show a ribbon panel
1 Click the ribbon tab that you want to organize.
2 Right-click the ribbon tab.
3 Under Show Panels, click or clear the name of a panel.
To show or hide text labels on ribbon panels
■ Right-click a ribbon tab, and click or clear Show Panel Titles.
To return a floating panel to the ribbon
■ Mouse over the right side of the floating panel and click the Return
Panels to Ribbon icon.
To toggle the ribbon size
1 Click the drop-down arrow in the ribbon tab bar, and select the desired
minimize ribbon state.
2 Double-click the name of the active ribbon tab or anywhere in the ribbon
tab bar.
The ribbon toggles between the selected minimize ribbon state and the full ribbon state.
To reset the ribbon and the Quick Access toolbar
1 Right-click anywhere inside the ribbon.
2 Click Restore Default Ribbon.
The User Interface | 49
Home Tab
Contains tools to...Panel
control the whole scene.Project
Select & Search
Display
Viewpoint Tab
Save, Load & Playback
Navigate
select items and save selections in the scene via a range of methods, including using searches.
show and hide items of model geometry.Visibility
show and hide information including properties and links.
launch TimeLiner Playback tool.Tools
Contains tools to...Panel
load and playback saved viewpoints and viewpoint animations.
apply various settings to the camera.Camera
set the linear and angular speed of motion, select navigational tools and 3D mouse settings, and apply realism settings such as gravity and collisions.
Review Tab
50 | Chapter 3 Quick Start
control the lighting and rendering settings.Render Style
Contains tools to...Panel
measure distances, angles, and areas.Measure
Animation Tab
View Tab
Contains tools to...Panel
view and locate comments in the scene.Comments
Contains tools to...Panel
select and play back animations.Playback
enable scripts.Script
Contains tools to...Panel
Stereo
Navigate
Navigation Aids
Scene View
Workspace
enable stereoscopic vision provided suitable hardware is available.
set the linear and angular speed of motion, select navigational tools and 3D mouse settings, and apply realism settings such as gravity and collisions. This panel is hidden by default.
toggle navigation controls, such as the Navigation Bar, ViewCube, HUD elements, and reference views.
control the Scene View window including going full screen, splitting the window and setting the background style/colors.
control which floating windows are shown, and load/save workspace configurations.
The User Interface | 51
Output Tab
Contains tools to...Panel
Print
Send
Item Tools Tab
Hold
Look At
Transform
Appearance
print and preview the current viewpoint, and set print settings.
send an email with the current file as an attachment.
Contains tools to...Panel
hold the selected items so that they move with you as you navigate around the scene.
focus and zoom the current view onto the selected items.
control the visibility of the selected items.Visibility
reset the position, rotation, and scale of the selected items back to their original values.
reset the color and transparency of the se­lected items back to their original values.
Links
Tooltips
Placing the mouse pointer over a menu choice or a button shows a tooltip containing the name of the tool, a keyboard shortcut (if applicable), and a brief description of the tool.
52 | Chapter 3 Quick Start
reset the links on the selected items back to their original values.
Some tooltips on the application menu, Quick Access toolbar, and ribbon are progressive. If you leave the cursor over the menu choice or a button for another moment, the tooltip may expand to show additional information.
While the tooltip is visible, you can press F1 for context-sensitive help that provides more information about that tool.
Keytips
Autodesk Navisworks provides accelerator keys, or keytips, to enable you to use the keyboard, rather than the mouse, to interact with the application window.
Keytips are provided for the application menu, Quick Access toolbar, and ribbon. You can still use ‘old style’ keyboard shortcuts, such as CTRL + N to open a new file, and CTRL + P to print the current file.
To display keytips, press ALT. The keytips (letters or numbers) are shown on the screen next to the corresponding command or user interface element. Press the displayed accelerator key to immediately invoke the desired command or to show the user interface element. For example, pressing ALT, and then pressing 1 creates a new file.
To hide the keytips, press ALT again.
See also:
Default Keyboard Shortcuts (page 79)
The User Interface | 53
Navigation Tools
The navigation bar provides access to tools related to interactive navigation and orientation in the model including Autodesk® ViewCube®, SteeringWheels®, and 3Dconnexion® 3D mouse.
You can customize the navigation bar based on what you consider important to show. You can also change the docking position of the navigation bar in the Scene View.
The Classic User Interface
If you prefer, you can switch back to the Classic user interface, and use the toolbars and pull-down menus from the menu bar instead of the ribbon.
NOTE The Classic user interface is no longer being updated with enhancements to Autodesk Navisworks. It is recommended that you work using the standard Autodesk Navisworks interface.
To switch to the classic user interface
1 Click the application button ➤ Options.
2 In the Options Editor, expand the Interface node, and click the User
Interface option.
3 On the User Interface page, select Classic from the User Interface
drop-down list.
4 Click OK.
Menu Bar
The Menu bar contains all commands available in Autodesk Navisworks, grouped together by similar or 'like' functionality.
For example, all commands related to review functionality are located under the Review menu, all commands related to user assistance are located under the Help menu and so on.
54 | Chapter 3 Quick Start
When a menu has a right-pointing arrow, such as , there is a submenu associated with that choice.
When a menu item is followed by a series of dots, such as , there is a dialog box associated with that choice.
File Menu
This menu contains commands for managing files.
DescriptionOption
New
Send by Email
Recent Files
Resets the program, and closes the currently open Autodesk Navisworks file.
Displays the Open dialog box.Open
Displays the Open URL dialog box.Open URL
Displays the Print dialog box.Print
Enables print preview mode.Print Preview
Displays the Print Setup dialog box.Print Settings
Saves the currently open Autodesk Navisworks file, accesses your email program, and adds the saved file as an email attachment.
Displays shortcuts to the most recently opened files.
Exits the program.Exit
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Edit Menu
This menu contains commands for locating, selecting and editing geometry in your model.
DescriptionOption
Reverses the last performed operation.Undo
Redo
Reset Item
Reset All
Sort
Reverses the last operation performed by the Undo command.
Gives you access to selection functionality.Select
Displays the Quick Find dialog box.Quick Find
Repeats the previously run quick find search.Quick Find Next
Toggles hidden mode for selected items.Hidden
Toggles required mode for selected items.Required
Toggles hidden mode for unselected items.Hide Unselected
Enables you to reset selected items back to their original state.
Enables you to reset all overridden items back to their original state.
Enables you to sort the items in the Selection
Tree alphabetically.
File Units an Transform
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Displays the File Units and Transform dialog box.
View Menu
This menu contains commands that control the Autodesk Navisworks interface.
DescriptionOption
Enables you to toggle the display of control bars.Control Bars
Enables you to control workspaces.Workspaces
Scene View
Head-Up Display
Enable you to control the views in the Scene View.
Enables you to toggle navigation controls, such as ViewCube, Navigation Bar, and HUD elements.
Enables you to control the SteeringWheels.SteeringWheels
Puts the video output into stereo mode.Enable Stereo
Displays the Stereo Options dialog box.Stereo Options
Displays useful scene statistics.Scene Statistics
Viewpoint Menu
This menu contains a set of commands that affect the current viewpoint, including model appearance and navigation.
DescriptionOption
Enables you to look from a preset viewpoint.Look From
Set Viewpoint Up
Sets the viewpoint up vector to align with the selected orientation.
Enables you to select rendering mode.Rendering
Enables you to select lighting mode.Lighting
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DescriptionOption
Enables you to display primitives.Display
Enables you to select navigation mode.Navigation Mode
Navigation Tools
Edit Current Viewpoint
Enables you to control the camera during inter­active navigation.
Displays the Edit Viewpoint dialog box for the current viewpoint.
Tools Menu
This menu contains commands for advanced model analysis and reviewing, and also commands for customizing Autodesk Navisworks.
DescriptionOption
Toggles the TimeLiner Playback window.TimeLiner Playback
Toggles the display of links.Links
Toggles the display of quick properties.Quick Properties
Animation
Background
Enables you to control animation playback, and toggle scripts.
Enables you to select a background color for the Scene View.
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Displays the File Options dialog box.File Options
Displays the Options Editor.Global Options
Toolbars
Autodesk Navisworks toolbars provide quick access to frequently used commands.
Every button on a toolbar includes a tooltip, which describes the function the button activates. Placing the mouse over a button displays a brief instruction on how to use this feature in the Status bar.
You can rearrange, open and close toolbars:
■ To move a toolbar, click the dotted line at the edge of the toolbar, and
drag it to a different location.
■ To open or close toolbars, right-click an empty area next to the last toolbar
on the screen, and choose from the list of available toolbars on the shortcut menu.
When a Autodesk Navisworks toolbar button has a down-pointing arrow, such
as , a submenu toolbar is associated with that choice. Click the triangle to open the menu, and select a specific option. As you move through the menu, additional help is displayed in the Status bar. When the option is selected, it becomes the current command and is displayed as a button in the toolbar. To repeat the command, click the button in the toolbar. To choose a different command, click the triangle again.
Some toolbar buttons enable you to choose a program mode. For example, to look around your model, you need to be in look around mode. To rotate the model, you need to be in Free Orbit mode and so on. Autodesk Navisworks remains in the selected mode until instructed otherwise. To identify the mode you are in, look at the buttons. If a button is highlighted and has a dark blue boarder around it, the corresponding mode is currently active.
To leave the mode, either click the same button again or choose a different mode.
Some buttons are used to toggle the display of dialog boxes, and dockable windows (for example, the Presenter window, the Animator window etc.). Again, if a button is highlighted and has a dark blue boarder around it, it means that the corresponding display element is currently open.
As you open more toolbars on the screen, or resize the Autodesk Navisworks window, the toolbars may get overlapped with each other to reduce the screen clutter. When this happens, some buttons will be hidden under the overlaps.
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To quickly access the entire set of commands on a toolbar, click the chevron
button at the right end of the toolbar. The remaining commands available
for that toolbar will appear.
In this section, you will find a complete list of Autodesk Navisworks toolbars and associated buttons.
NOTE The actual toolbar content can differ from this reference depending on the workspace you use.
Standard Toolbar
This toolbar provides quick access to file management commands. It also enables you to undo/redo your actions, and open the Help system.
DescriptionButton
Resets the program, and closes the currently open Autodesk Navisworks file.
Refreshes your scene with the latest versions of currently loaded model files.
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Displays the Open dialog box.
Displays the Append dialog box.
Displays the Merge dialog box.
Saves the currently open Autodesk Navis­works file.
Displays the Publish dialog box.
Saves the currently open Autodesk Navis­works file, accesses your email program,
DescriptionButton
and adds the saved file as an email attach­ment.
Reverses the last performed operation.
Reverses the last operation performed by the Undo command.
Displays the Print dialog box.
Displays copyright and license information about your copy of Autodesk Navisworks.
Opens the Help system.
Selection Tools Toolbar
This toolbar provides access to the selection commands, plus enables you to hide geometry objects.
DescriptionButton
Turns on Select mode.
Turns on Select Box mode.
Toggles required mode for selected items.
Toggles hidden mode for selected items.
Toggles hidden mode for unselected items.
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Navigation Mode Toolbar
This toolbar includes nine modes and six SteeringWheels for interactive navigation around your 3D models.
DescriptionButton
Selects the wheel.
Turns on Walk mode.
Turns on Look Around mode.
Turns on Zoom mode.
Turns on Zoom Box mode.
Turns on Pan mode.
Rendering Style Toolbar
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Turns on Orbit mode.
Turns on Free Orbit mode.
Turns on Fly mode.
Turns on Constrained Orbit mode.
This toolbar controls the model appearance in Autodesk Navisworks.
DescriptionButton
Selects Lighting mode.
Selects Rendering mode.
Toggles the rendering of surfaces.
Toggles the rendering of lines.
Toggles the rendering of points.
Toggles the rendering of snap points.
Toggles the rendering of 3D text.
Workspace Toolbar
This toolbar gives you quick access to the Autodesk Navisworks review and analysis tools.
DescriptionButton
Toggles the Redline Tools tool window.
Toggles the display of links.
Toggles the display of quick properties.
Toggles the Measure Tools tool window.
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DescriptionButton
Toggles the Viewpoints control bar.
Toggles the Sectioning toolbar.
Toggles the Plan View control bar.
Toggles the Section View control bar.
Toggles the Selection Tree control bar.
Toggles the Sets control bar.
Toggles the Comments control bar.
Toggles the Find Comments dialog box.
Toggles the Find Items control bar.
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Toggles the Properties control bar.
Toggles the Clash Detective tool window.
Toggles the Presenter tool window.
Toggles the TimeLiner tool window.
Toggles the TimeLiner Playback window.
Toggles the Animator tool window.
DescriptionButton
Toggles the Scripter tool window.
Controls workspaces.
Animation Toolbar
This toolbar allows you to play back object and viewpoint animations, and toggle the scripting functionality.
DescriptionButton
Rewinds the current animation back to the beginning.
Steps back a single animation frame or keyframe.
Plays the current animation backwards.
Records the viewpoint animation.
Pauses the animation.
Stops playing the current animation, and rewinds it back to the beginning.
Plays the currently selected animation.
Steps one frame or keyframe forwards.
Fast forwards the current animation to the end.
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DescriptionButton
Toggles the Scripter engine on and off in the Autodesk Navisworks file.
Navigation Tools Toolbar
This toolbar enables you to control the camera during interactive navigation.
DescriptionButton
Dollies and pans the camera so that the entire model is in the Scene View.
Zooms the camera so that the selected item fills the Scene View.
Puts the Scene View into focus mode.
Holds the selected items. As you move around the model, these objects will move with you.
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Uses a perspective camera.
Uses an orthographic camera.
Toggles collision.
Toggles gravity.
Toggles crouching.
DescriptionButton
Toggles third person view.
Aligns the current viewpoint with the X axis.
Aligns the current viewpoint with the Y axis.
Aligns the current viewpoint with the Z axis.
Scene View
This is the area where you view and interact with your 3D models.
When you start Autodesk Navisworks, the Scene View contains only one scene view, but you can add more scene views, if needed. Custom scene views are named “ViewX” where “X” is the next available number. The default scene view cannot be moved.
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Looking at several views of your model simultaneously is useful when you compare lighting and rendering styles, animate different parts of your model, and so on.
Only one scene view can be active at a time. A scene view becomes active as you work in it. If you left-click a scene view, the scene view is activated and whatever you click is selected, or, if you click an empty area, everything is deselected. Right-clicking a scene view activates it, and opens a shortcut menu.
Each scene view remembers the navigation mode being used. The recording and playback of animations only occurs in the currently active view.
Each scene view can be resized. To resize scene views, move the cursor over
the scene view intersection and drag the splitter bar .
You can make custom scene views dockable. Dockable scene views have title bars, and can be moved, docked, tiled, and auto hidden the same way as
dockable windows (page 70). If you want to use several custom scene views,
but don't want to have any splits in the Scene View, you can move them elsewhere. For instance, you can tile your scene views on the Viewpoints control bar.
NOTE You cannot undock the default scene view.
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Full Screen Mode
In Full Screen mode your current scene view takes up the full screen.
To interact with the model in the scene view, you can use the ViewCube, the Navigation Bar, the keyboard shortcuts, and the shortcut menu.
TIP If you use two monitors, your default scene view is automatically placed on the primary display, and the interface can be placed on the secondary display to control the interaction.
To create a custom scene view
■ To split your active scene view horizontally, click View tab ➤ Scene View
panel ➤ Split View ➤ Split Horizontal .
■ To split your active scene view vertically, click View tab ➤ Scene View
panel ➤ Split View ➤ Split Vertical .
Toolbar: Classic user interface: Model Views ➤ Split Horizontal
and Model Views ➤ Split Vertical
To make a custom scene views dockable
■ Click View tab ➤ Scene View panel ➤ Show Title Bars.
All of your custom scene views now have title bars.
Toolbar: Classic user interface: Model Views ➤ Toggle Title Bars
To delete a custom scene view
1 If your scene view is not dockable, click View tab ➤ Scene View panel
➤ Show Title Bars.
2 Click to close the scene view.
NOTE You cannot delete the default scene view.
To toggle Full Screen mode
■ Click View tab ➤ Scene View panel ➤ Full Screen .
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Command entry: F11
Shortcut menu: Viewpoint ➤ Full Screen
To resize the content of the active scene view
1 Click View tab ➤ Scene View panel ➤ Window Size .
2 In the Window Size dialog box, Type drop-down list, select the sizing
type.
■ Use View - makes the content fill the currently active scene view.
■ Explicit - defines the exact width and height for the content.
■ Use Aspect Ratio - uses the aspect ratio of the current scene view
to automatically calculate the width of the content when the height is entered, or the height of the content when the width is entered.
3 If you selected the Explicit option, enter the width and height for your
content in pixels.
If you selected the Use Aspect Ratio, enter the width or height for your content in pixels.
4 Click OK.
Dockable Windows
Most Autodesk Navisworks features are accessible from dockable windows.
There are several windows to choose from, which are grouped into several functional areas:
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Main Tools Windows
These windows give you access to the core Autodesk Navisworks functionality:
■ TimeLiner Playback
Review Windows
These windows contain tools required to perform select/search/review operations:
■ Selection Tree
■ Properties
■ Comments
■ Measure Tools
Viewpoint Windows
These windows contain tools necessary to set up and use viewpoints:
■ Saved Viewpoints
■ Tilt - 3D workspace only.
■ Plan View - 3D workspace only.
■ Section View - 3D workspace only.
Multi-Sheet Windows
These window enable you to work with multi-sheet files:
■ Project Browser
■ Find Item in Other Sheets and Models
Windows can be moved and resized, and either floated in the Scene View or docked (pinned or auto-hidden).
TIP You can quickly dock and undock a window by double-clicking the window’s title bar.
A docked window shares one or more edges with adjacent windows and toolbars. If a shared edge is moved, the windows change shape to compensate. You can also float windows anywhere on the screen, if necessary.
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NOTE The Tilt window can only be docked vertically on the left or right, taking up the full height of the canvas, or be floating.
By default, a docked window is pinned, meaning that the window remains displayed at its current size and can be moved. When you auto hide a window and move the mouse pointer away from it, the window is reduced to a tab displaying the window name. Moving the mouse pointer over the tab displays the window fully, but temporarily, over the canvas. Auto-hiding a window can show more of the canvas while still keeping the window available. Auto-hiding a window also prevents it from being undocked, grouped, or ungrouped.
NOTE When you dock windows inside the default scene view, you do not get pin and auto-hide functionality.
An undocked window is one that has been separated from the program window. Each undocked window can be moved around the screen or screens as desired. Although undocked windows cannot be pinned, they can be resized and grouped.
A window group is a way to have more than one window occupy the same amount of space on the screen. When windows are grouped, each window is represented by a tab at the bottom of the group. In a group, click a tab to display that window. You can group or ungroup window as necessary and save custom workspaces. After changing window positions, you can save your settings as a custom workspace.
Auto Hide Position
When you auto hide a window, it collapses against a specific side of the canvas
- Top, Left, Right, or Bottom. The side to which it collapses is determined by the docking position. So, for example, if you dock a window to the left of canvas, it collapses to the left.
The Shortcut Menu
Right-clicking a dockable window displays a shortcut menu of available commands. If you right-click a single item, or select one or more items and right-click, this menu contains commands related to the items. If you right-click an area that contains no items or data, the menu contains commands related to the dockable window, if appropriate.
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To show a dockable window
1 Click View tab ➤ Workspace panel ➤ Windows .
2 Select the check box next to the desired window in the drop-down list.
To move a dockable window
1 Click and drag the title bar at the top or side of the window.
2 Optional: to prevent a window from automatically docking while you
drag it, hold down the CTRL key.
TIP The docking tool allows you to place windows in a specific relationship to the canvas areas.
To group dockable windows
1 Click and drag the title bar of the window to be added to another window
or group.
2 Drop the window on the title bar of the receiving window or group. A
tab with the name of the dragged window is added to the bottom of the receiving window.
To ungroup dockable windows
1 Within the group, click the tab for the window you want to remove.
2 Click and drag the window tab out of the group.
3 Drop the window to ungroup it.
To auto hide dockable windows
1 On a window title bar, click .
The window continues to be displayed until you move the mouse pointer away from it. When you move the mouse pointer, the window is collapsed until you place the mouse pointer over the window tab on the side of the canvas where its docked.
NOTE To move or group windows, you need to pin them first.
To pin dockable windows
1 Move the mouse cursor over the title bar to display the hidden window.
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2 Click on the title bar. The window is now pinned, and can be moved
and grouped.
To resize a dockable window or a group of windows
1 Place the mouse pointer over a window border until the mouse pointer
changes to the splitter bar .
2 Click and drag the boarder to the desired size.
TIP You can resize both pinned and auto hidden windows. In an auto-hidden
group, each window can be resized separately from other windows. In a pinned group, resizing one window resizes the rest of the windows.
Docking Tool
The docking tool indicates the relationship of a dragged window to the rest of the canvas, and enables you to pinpoint drag and drop destinations.
The tool contains an inner zone and outer zone of controls representing the drop destination. Five stickers of the inner zone are used to dock windows relative to the closest suitable area on the canvas, while four stickers of the outer zone are used to dock windows relative to the canvas itself.
The docking tool also provides visual previews of what space will be occupied by a window. These previews are shown when you are moving a window and while your mouse is over one of the stickers.
TIP To quickly create a window group, use the sticker at the center of the docking tool when you drag a window to its location. This works anywhere on the canvas excluding the default scene view and the Tilt window. Custom scene views can be grouped with other windows.
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To move a window with the docking tool
1 Click and drag the title bar at the top or side of the window towards the
place where you want it to dock. This activates the docking tool.
2 Drag the window over the sticker on the docking tool that represents
the area you want the window to occupy.
3 Release the mouse button to dock the window there. The window is
automatically resized to fill the area.
Status Bar
The Status bar appears at the bottom of the Autodesk Navisworks screen. It cannot be customized or moved around.
The left-hand corner of the Status bar is used to display short instructions on how to use the Autodesk Navisworks features (applies to the Classic user interface only).
The right-hand corner of the Status bar includes four performance indicators that give you constant feedback as to how well Autodesk Navisworks is performing on your machine, a button to toggle the Project Browser window, and controls to navigate between sheets/models in multi-sheet files.
Multi-Sheet Navigation Controls
Click the previous/next and first/last arrows to open the desired sheet/model in the Scene View. This is equivalent to double-clicking the sheet/model in the Project Browser window. The sheet/model will be automatically prepared for use in Autodesk Navisworks, if applicable.
NOTE These controls are only available for multi-sheet files.
Project Browser Button
Click the Project Browser button to toggle the Project Browser window (page 100).
Pencil Progress Bar
The progress bar under the left hand icon (pencil) indicates how much of the current view is drawn, that is how much drop-out there is in the current
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viewpoint. When the progress bar is at 100%, the scene is completely drawn, with no drop-out. The icon changes color when a redraw is in progress. Whilst the scene is being drawn, the pencil will change to yellow. If there is too much data to handle and your machine cannot process this quickly enough for Autodesk Navisworks, then the pencil changes to red, indicating a bottleneck.
Disk Progress Bar
The progress bar under the central icon (disk) indicates how much of the current model is loaded from disk, that is how much is loaded into memory. When the progress bar is at 100%, the entire model, including geometry and property information, is loaded into memory. The icon changes color when a file load is in progress. Whilst data is being read, the disk changes to yellow. If there is too much data to handle and your machine cannot process this quickly enough for Autodesk Navisworks, then the disk changes to red, indicating a bottleneck.
Web Server Progress Bar
The progress bar under the right hand icon (web server) indicates how much of the current model is downloaded, that is how much has been downloaded from a web server. When the progress bar is at 100%, the entire model has been downloaded. The icon changes color when a file load is in progress. Whilst data is being downloaded, the web server changes to yellow. If there is too much data to handle and your machine cannot process this quickly enough for Autodesk Navisworks, then the web server changes to red, indicating a bottleneck.
Memory Bar
The field to the right of the icons reports the amount of memory currently being used by Autodesk Navisworks. This is reported in Megabytes (MB).

Undo/Redo Commands

You can undo or redo your actions in Autodesk Navisworks.
The default settings are adequate for regular Autodesk Navisworks usage, but you can adjust (page 281) the amount of space allocated to the undo/redo buffer, if necessary.
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To undo an action
■ Click Undo on the Quick Access toolbar.
Command entry: CTRL + Z
Toolbar: Classic user interface: Standard ➤ Undo
To redo an action
■ Click Redo on the Quick Access toolbar.
Command entry: CTRL + Y
Toolbar: Classic user interface: Standard ➤ Redo

Autodesk Navisworks Workspaces

Workspaces retain information about which windows are open, their positions, and the size of the application window.
Workspaces retain changes made to the ribbon but not to the Quick Access toolbar.
NOTE In the Classic user interface mode (that is, the ribbon is turned off), workspaces retain information about the dockable windows and the toolbars.
The workspaces can be shared with other users. You could, for example, create separate workspaces for occasional and power Autodesk Navisworks users, or setup your own corporate standard.
Autodesk Navisworks comes with several pre-configured workspaces:
■ Safe Mode - selects the layout with the minimum features.
■ Navisworks Standard - selects the layout with commonly-used windows
auto-hidden as tabs.
■ Navisworks Minimal - selects the layout giving the most space to the
Scene View.
You can use these workspaces as-is or modify them in accordance to your requirements. When you first start Autodesk Navisworks, the Navisworks Minimal workspace is used. You can choose a different workspace at any
time by clicking View tab ➤ Workspace panel ➤ Load Workspace ,
and then selecting the required workspace from the list.
Toolbar: Classic user interface: Workspace ➤ Workspaces
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To save current layout to a new workspace
1 Set up your design review layout. For example, you can group together
the Properties and Saved Viewpoints windows.
If you use the Classic user interface mode, for example, you can close all toolbars except the Standard, Selection Tools, Navigation Mode, and Workspace.
2 Click View tab ➤ Workspace panel ➤ Save Workspace .
3 In the Save Current Workspace dialog box, enter a name for the new
workspace. You can also select the name of an existing workspace to overwrite it with your modified configuration.
4 Click Save.
To load a saved workspace into Autodesk Navisworks
1 Click View tab ➤ Workspaces panel ➤ Load Workspace .
2 In the Load Workspace dialog box, browse to the folder containing
the desired workspace, and select it.
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3 Click Open.

Default Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are keyboard alternatives you can use to initiate commands normally accessed with the mouse.
For example, to open the Selection Tree, window you can press CTRL + F12, to open the Comments window, you can press SHIFT + F6, and so on. Keyboard shortcuts offer a means to let you work faster and more efficiently. Some dialog boxes or dockable windows can be closed with the same command used to open it.
Many keyboard shortcuts are already set for most commonly used actions. You can modify the default shortcuts or add new shortcuts, if necessary.
DescriptionDefault Keyboard Shortcut
Zooms to view all objects in the Scene View.PgUp
Zooms to magnify all selected objects in the Scene View.PgDn
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DescriptionDefault Keyboard Shortcut
HOME
ALT + F4
Takes you to Home view. This keyboard shortcut only applies to the Scene View windows. This means it will only work when this window has focus.
Deselects everything.ESC
Used to modify the middle mouse button actions.SHIFT
Used to modify the middle mouse button actions.CTRL
Turns the keytips on or off.ALT
Closes the currently active dockable window when it is undocked, or exits the application if the main application window is active.
Turns on Turntable mode.CTRL + 0
Turns on Select mode.CTRL + 1
Turns on Walk mode.CTRL + 2
Turns on Look Around mode.CTRL + 3
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Turns on Zoom mode.CTRL + 4
Turns on Zoom Window mode.CTRL + 5
Turns on Pan mode.CTRL + 6
Turns on Orbit mode.CTRL + 7
Turns on Free Orbit mode.CTRL + 8
Turns on Fly mode.CTRL + 9
DescriptionDefault Keyboard Shortcut
CTRL + D
CTRL + N
Toggles Collision mode. You must be in appropriate navigation mode (that is, Walk or Fly) for this keyboard shortcut to work.
Displays the Quick Find dialog box.CTRL + F
Toggles Gravity mode.CTRL + G
Toggles Hidden mode for selected items.CTRL + H
Displays the Insert File dialog box.CTRL + I
Resets the program, closes the currently open Autodesk Navisworks file, and creates a new file.
Displays the Open dialog box.CTRL + O
Displays the Print dialog box.CTRL + P
Toggles Require mode for selected items.CTRL + R
Toggles Third Person mode.CTRL + T
Reverses the last operation performed by the Undo command.CTRL + Y
Reverses the last performed operation.CTRL + Z
Displays the previous sheet.CTRL + PgUp
Displays the next sheet.CTRL + PgDn
Opens the Help system.CTRL + F1
Toggles the TimeLiner Playback window.CTRL + F3
Toggles the Tilt window.CTRL + F7
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DescriptionDefault Keyboard Shortcut
Toggles the Plan View window.CTRL + F9
Toggles the Section View window.CTRL + F10
Toggles the Saved Viewpoints window.CTRL + F11
Toggles the Selection Tree window.CTRL + F12
Dollies and pans the camera so that the entire model is in view.CTRL + HOME
Play selected animation.CTRL + Right Arrow
Reverse Play selected animation.CTRL + Left Arrow
Sets current view as Home.CTRL + SHIFT + HOME
Sets current view as Front.CTRL + SHIFT + END
Takes you to the previous redline tag.CTRL + SHIFT + Left Arrow
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Takes you to the next redline tag.CTRL + SHIFT + Right Arrow
Takes you to the first redline tag.CTRL + SHIFT + Up Arrow
Takes you to the last redline tag.CTRL + SHIFT + Down Arrow
Opens the Help system.F1
Renames the selected item, when appropriate.F2
Repeats the previously run Quick Find search.F3
Toggles Full Screen mode.F11
DescriptionDefault Keyboard Shortcut
Opens the Options Editor.F12
Opens the last used SteeringWheel.SHIFT + W
Enables you to get context-sensitive help.SHIFT + F1
Toggles the Comments window.SHIFT + F6
Toggles the Properties window.SHIFT + F7
Opens a shortcut menu.SHIFT + F10
Opens the File Options dialog box.SHIFT + F11

Navigation with the Wheel Button

If you have a wheel mouse, you can use the middle mouse button to zoom, pan, and orbit.
Pan
Orbit
Do this...To
scroll the wheel button forward.Zoom in
scroll the mouse wheel backward.Zoom out
hold down the middle mouse button, and then move the mouse to pan.
press and hold SHIFT and hold down the middle mouse button, and then move the mouse to orbit about the currently defined pivot point. This function is not available in a 2D workspace.
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Do this...To
Change the pivot point
press and hold the SHIFT and CTRL keys and hold down the middle mouse button, then drag to the point on the model you want to use as the pivot point. This function is not available in a 2D workspace.
NOTE The above does not apply when using Walk, Fly, or any of the classic navigation modes, all of which have their own wheel/middle button behaviors.
Mouse Wheel / Middle Button Navigation
NOTE In a 2D workspace you can only pan and zoom. Also, the Shift+ Middle Button function is only available in a 3D workspace.
Wheel
Non-Navigational Tools
Select
Classic Navigation Modes
Middle But­ton
SHIFT + Middle Button
OrbitPanZoom In/Out
Glide Camera (Faster)Glide CameraLook Up/DownWalk
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OrbitPanZoom In/OutLook Around
-Zoom (Drag)Zoom (Roll)Zoom
-Zoom (Drag)Zoom (Roll)Zoom Box
-Zoom (Drag)Zoom (Roll)Pan
-Glide CameraZoom (Roll)Orbit
-PanZoom (Roll)Examine
Wheel
Standard Navigation Modes
Middle But­ton
SHIFT + Middle Button
-Roll-Fly
-PanTilt Up/DownTurntable
OrbitPanZoom In/OutPan
OrbitPanZoom In/OutZoom Window
OrbitPanZoom In/OutZoom
OrbitPanZoom In/OutOrbit
OrbitPanZoom In/OutFree Orbit
OrbitPanZoom In/OutConstrained Orbit
OrbitPanZoom In/OutLook At

Autodesk Navisworks Options

There are two types of options: File Options and Global Options.
File Options
For each Autodesk Navisworks file (NWF and NWD), you can adjust the model appearance and the speed of navigation around it. Viewing options are stored with Autodesk Navisworks files (NWF or NWD), and reloaded each time you open these files.
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OrbitPanZoom In/OutSteeringWheels
The File Options dialog box is used to customize various file options, and
can be accessed by clicking Home tab ➤ Project panel ➤ File Options
.
Global Options
Global options, on the other hand, are set for all Autodesk Navisworks sessions.
The Options Editor can be accessed by clicking the application button
➤ Options, or it can be launched as a separate application. To do this, click Start ➤ All Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ Navisworks Freedom 2012 ➤ Options
Editor. The options are grouped together, and presented in a tree structure,
making it quicker to find and change them.
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Global options can be exported and imported, making it quick and easy for project managers, or systems administrators, to ensure the Autodesk Navisworks settings on all machines are identical.
To configure file options
1 Click Home tab ➤ Project panel ➤ File Options .
2 Use the File Options dialog box to customize various file settings.
3 Click OK to save the changes.
Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ File Options
See also:
File Options Dialog Box (page 274)
To configure global options
1 Click the application button ➤ Options.
2 In the Options Editor, expand the desired node, and click the option
you want to configure.
3 Click OK to save the changes.
Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ Global Options
Autodesk Navisworks Options | 87
See also:
Options Editor Dialog Box (page 280)
To export global options
1 Click the application button ➤ Options.
2 In the Options Editor, click the Export button.
3 In the Select Options to Export dialog box, select the check boxes
for all options you want to be exported (or “serialized”). If an option cannot be exported, it is greyed out.
TIP To quickly select/deselect all options for a given category, use the top-level check boxes. For example, selecting the General check box, instantly selects all options under this node.
4 Click OK to export the selected settings.
5 In the Save As dialog box, enter a name for the settings file. You can
also select the name of an existing settings file to overwrite it with your modified configuration.
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6 Click Save.
7 Click OK to close the Options Editor.
Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ Global Options
To import global options
1 Click the application button ➤ Options.
2 In the Options Editor, click the Import button.
3 In the Open dialog box, browse to the folder containing the settings
file, select it, and click Open.
Autodesk Navisworks Options | 89
4 Click OK to close the Options Editor.
Menu: Classic user interface: Tools ➤ Global Options

Location Options

These options enable centralized sharing of global Autodesk Navisworks settings, workspaces, datatools, avatars, Clash Detective rules, Presenter archives, custom Clash Detective tests, object animation scripts, and so on, with other users.
The settings can be shared across an entire project site, or across a specific project group depending on the required level of granularity.
See also:
How do I share the Autodesk Navisworks settings on a site and project basis? (page 35)
To configure location options
1 Click the application button ➤ Options.
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