Software

Navisworks

Model federation, clash detection and design review.

Quick answer

Structural Engineering Services supports Navisworks projects worldwide with navisworks model review & clash detection, tekla 3d modeling, cadworx 3d piping modeling, engineering design services — delivered by senior engineers on licensed software to international codes.

Publisher: Autodesk
Discipline: Model federation, clash detection & review
Licensing: Commercial seats, in-house only

Capability at a glance

Our Navisworks bench strength

Every figure below is what we run in production — licensed seats, supported versions and the scale we deliver at, so you can size us against your package before you enquire.

Licensed seats

Navisworks Manage with clash, TimeLiner and Quantification

2019–2025

Versions supported

Plus the free viewer for every stakeholder

60 models

Largest federation

Around 2.5 GB federated across all disciplines

Weekly

Clash cycle

Run, grouped, assigned and reported every week

Grouped

Issues, not raw hits

Thousands of clashes reduced to actionable items

Deliverables

What we produce in Navisworks

Navisworks does not author anything — it tells you the truth about everyone else's models. Our output is a closed clash register and a review model the site team can actually use.

Scope your deliverables

Federated project model

Every discipline appended on shared coordinates into one NWF and NWD, with a register recording source, version and date for each file.

Clash test matrix

Discipline-pair tests with defined tolerances, separating hard clashes from clearance, access and insulation-envelope issues.

Grouped & filtered clash reports

Raw hits grouped by cause and location, so one modelling decision becomes one issue rather than two hundred duplicates.

Issue register with viewpoints

HTML and spreadsheet reports with saved viewpoints, responsible discipline, status and closure date, tracked across cycles.

4D construction sequence

TimeLiner simulation linking the model to the programme for erection sequencing, lay-down planning and crane studies.

Review model & walkthroughs

A lightweight NWD anyone can open, plus recorded walkthroughs for design review, HAZOP support and site briefings.

Interoperability

Navisworks file formats we work with

Navisworks reads almost everything, which is its point — but a federated model is only as good as its coordinate setup. We verify coordinates on every append before the first clash test is run.

Native formats.nwd published model.nwf federation file.nwc cache

Navisworks import and export formats and how we use them
Format	Direction	How we use it
NWC / NWF / NWD	Both ways	Cache, federation and published formats — the NWD is the shareable deliverable, needing only the free viewer.
RVT	We import	Revit structural, architectural and MEP models appended directly with their coordinate systems.
IFC	We import	Open-BIM input from Tekla and other authoring tools where no native reader exists.
DWG / DGN	We import	AutoCAD, Plant 3D and MicroStation geometry brought into the federation.
Clash reports (HTML / XML / XLSX)	We deliver	Issue registers with viewpoints and status, re-importable on the next coordination cycle.
Point cloud (RCP / RCS / E57)	We import	Scan data federated with design models for brownfield fit and tie-in verification.
AVI / FBX	We deliver	Walkthrough animations and sequence videos for review meetings and site briefings.

Working in a format that is not listed? Send a sample file with your enquiry — we confirm every exchange route before kick-off rather than discovering it at issue.

How we work

Our Navisworks workflow

Our process is built around catching problems before they reach your reviewer, so the checking stages are fixed, not optional.

1
Model register & coordinates
Source files, versions and origins logged, and shared coordinates verified against a common control point before anything is appended.
2
Federation & search sets
Models appended and organised into selection and search sets by discipline, system and area, so tests can be rerun automatically.
3
Clash test matrix
Test pairs and tolerances defined with the project team — structure against piping, piping against HVAC, access envelopes and insulation gaps.
4
Run, group & filter
Results grouped by root cause, with duplicates and acceptable touches eliminated, so each reported issue is a genuine decision.
5
Constructability review
Quality gate
Beyond geometry: maintenance access, valve reach, lifting routes, lay-down and erection sequence reviewed with viewpoints captured.
6
Issue, assign & track
Each clash assigned to a discipline with a due date; the register is re-run next cycle and closure is evidenced, not claimed.
7
Sign-off NWD
A published, dated review model issued at each milestone as the record of what was coordinated and what remains open.

One stage is a formal quality gate — work does not move forward until a senior engineer signs it off, which is why revisions after issue stay rare.

Choosing a platform

When Navisworks is the right choice

Most enquiries arrive naming a tool. Sometimes it is the right one; sometimes another package in our stack gets you there faster and cheaper. Here is how we decide.

Choose Navisworks when

Several disciplines or several authoring tools must be checked against each other before fabrication or site work.
Clashes need to be tracked as an auditable register with ownership and closure, not resolved by email.
Construction sequencing, access or lifting studies need to be examined in 4D against the programme.
Stakeholders need to view and mark up the whole project without owning authoring licences.

We would use something else when