WPCAD00074

March2012

GuidebyAndyDavis

AutodeskNavisworksFreedom
QuickReferenceGuide

QuickReferenceGuidetoAutodeskNavisworksFreedom

OpeningaModel
Toopenamodel,clickontheApplicationButtontoopentheApplicationMenutheneitherchoosefromthelist
ofRecentDocumentsorclickOpen:

Alternatively,clickontheOpeniconontheQuickAccessToolbar:

ChooseafileintheOpenwindowandclicktheOpenbutton.

SupportedFileTypes
NavisworksFreedomcanopenthefollowingtypesoffile:

NWDfilesareNavisworksmodelfilesthathavebeenpublishedusingtheNavisworksPublishertool.

DWF,DWFXfilesarefreetoviewfilesproducedbyAutodesksoftwareforsharing2Dand3Dinformation.

StartingAgain
Toclosethecurrentmodelandopenanewone,choosetheNewoptionfromtheApplicationmenu:

Alternatively,clickontheNewiconontheQuickAccesstoolbar:

NavigatingtheModel
Navisworks provides three mechanisms for navigating around a model: the ViewCube, the Navigation Bar and
SteeringWheels.

ViewCube
The ViewCube tool provides visual feedback about the current viewpoint of the model as view changes occur.
WhenthecursorispositionedovertheViewCubetool,itbecomesactive.
DragorclicktheViewCube,switchtooneoftheavailablepresetviews,rollthecurrentview,orchangetothe
Homeviewofthemodel.

RightclickontheViewCubeorclickonthedownarrowglyphatthebottomrightoftheViewCubetoaccessthe
ViewCubecontextmenu.
Whenitemsareselectedinthemodel,clickingtheLocktoSelectionoptionredefinesthecentreofthecurrent
viewandthedistancefromcentrefortheviewbasedontheselectionofitemeffectivelysettingthepivotpoint
fortheview.

Tip:SettheHomeView
TheHomeViewisaspecialviewstoredwithamodelthatmakesiteasytoreturntoaknownorfamiliarview.Any
viewofthemodelcanbedefinedastheHomeview.
ClickonthehouseglyphatthetopleftoftheViewCubetoreturntotheHomeView:

ThebehaviouroftheViewCubeiscontrolledbyseveralconfigurationoptionssetthroughtheNavisworksOptions
Editor.TheyareaccessedbychoosingtheViewCubeOptionsoptionfromtheViewCubeContextmenu:

Note:ifFittoviewonchangeisselectedabove,clickingontheViewCubewillcausethemodeltoberotated
aroundthecurrentcentreofthesceneandzoomedouttofitthewholesceneintotheSceneView.Ifthischeck
boxisclear,clickingordraggingtheViewCuberotatesthemodelaroundthecurrentpivotpointanddoesnot
zoominorout.

NavigationBar
TheNavigationBarisadockabletoolbarthatprovidesquickaccesstoallofthenavigationtoolsthatareavailable
inNavisworks.
ClickonthedownarrowglyphatthebottomrightofthetoolbartoaccesstheCustomizemenu.Herethevarious
navigationtoolscanbeturnedonorremovedfromtheNavigationBarandthepositionofthetoolbaritselfcan
besetrelativetotheNavisworksSceneWindow.

ClickingontheNavigationBarOptionsmenuitemopenstheNavisworksOptionsEditortoallowvarious
Navigationtooloptionstobeset:

NavigationTools
ThetoolsavailableontheNavigationBarareshownbelow:

ViewCube.ShowstheViewCubethistoolisonlydisplayedwhentheViewCubeisturnedoff.

SteeringWheels.AccessestheSteeringWheeltools.

Pan.Movestheviewparalleltothescreen.

ZoomWindow.Allowsaboxtobedrawnandthemodeltobezoomedintothatarea.

Zoom.Standardclick/dragzoom.

ZoomSelected.Zoomsin/outtoshowtheselectedgeometry.

ZoomAll.Zoomsouttoshowthewholescene.

Orbit. Moves the camera around the focal point of the model. The up direction is always
maintained,andnocamerarollingispossible.UseCTRL+LeftClicktosetthefocalpoint.

FreeOrbit.Rotatesthemodelaroundthefocalpointinanydirection.UseCTRL+LeftClicktoset
thefocalpoint.

Constrained Orbit. Spins the model around the up vector as though the model is sitting on a
turntable.Theupdirectionisalwaysmaintained.UseCTRL+LeftClicktosetthefocalpoint.

LookAround.Looksaroundthescenefromthecurrentcameralocation.

LookAt.Looksataparticularpointinthescene.Thecameramovestoalignwiththatpoint.

Focus.Looksataparticularpointinthescene.Thecamerastayswhereitis.

Walk.Movesthroughamodelasifwalkingthroughit.

PressandholdtheLeftMouseButtonwhiledraggingthemousetowalk,releasethemousebuttonto
stop.Alternatively,usetheUp,Down,LeftandRightarrowkeysforgreatercontrol.

Tip:UseinconjunctionwiththeTiltWindowtocontroltheverticalalignmentofthecamera.

Thefollowingoptionsareavailableinwalkmode:

Collision.Addsmassandacollisionvolumetothecameratopreventnavigation
throughotherobjects,pointsorlinesinthescene.

Gravity.Inconjunctionwithcollision,addsthepullofgravitytothecamerawalking
overemptyspacewillpullthecameradowntoinfinity.

Crouch.Inconjunctionwithcollision,thecamerawillcrouchunderanyobjectsthatit
cannotwalkunderatitsspecifiedheight

ThirdPerson.Addsanavatartothescreentoshownavigationfromtheperspectiveofa
thirdperson.

Tip:CollisionsettingsaremodifiedintheCollisionWindowwhichisaccessedbyclickingtheSettings
buttonintheEditCurrentViewpointWindow:

Fly.Movesthroughamodellikeinaflightsimulator.
PresstheLeftMouseButtontoflyforwards.WiththeLeftMouseButtonpressed:dragforwardtoclimb,
dragbacktodescend,dragleftorrighttobank.UsetheLeftandRightarrowkeystorollleftandright.
UsetheUpandDownarrowkeystozoominandzoomout.

Gravity,CrouchandThirdPersonoptionsareavailableasinWalkmode:

NavigatingwiththeWheelMouseorThreeButtonMouse

TheWheelButtonorMiddleButtonofathreebuttonmousecanbeusedinconjunctionwithothernavigation
toolstonavigatetheNavisworksmodel.Thefollowingactionsmaybeperformed:

MouseControl
ScrollWheelForward
ScrollWheelBackwards
PressWheel/MiddleButtonanddrag
PressSHIFTkeyandWheel/MiddleButtonanddrag
PressCTRL+SHIFTkeysandWheel/MiddleButtonanddrag

NavigationAction
ZoomIn
ZoomOut
Pan
Orbit
LocatePivotPoint

SteeringWheels
SteeringWheelsaretrackingmenusthatfollowthecursor.Theycombinemanyofthecommonnavigationtools
intoasingleinterfaceandarespecifictothecontextinwhichamodelisbeingviewed.
Usingthemouse,pressdownanddragonawedgeofthewheeltointeractwithit;releasethemousebuttonto
returntothewheel.
Clickonthexglyphatthetoprightofthewheeltocloseit.
Clickonthedownarrowglyphatthebottomrightofthewheeltoaccessthewheelmenu:

ClickontheSteeringWheelsOptionsmenuoptiontoopentheNavisworksOptionsEditorandaccessthe
SteeringWheelconfigurationoptions:

ViewObjectWheel
TheViewObjectWheelisusedtoviewindividualobjectsorfeaturesinamodel.

Thewheelprovidesthefollowingoptions:

Center.Specifiesapointonamodeltoadjustthecentreofthecurrentvieworchangethetargetpoint
usedforsomeofthenavigationtools.

Zoom.Adjuststhemagnificationofthecurrentview.

Rewind.Restoresthemostrecentvieworientation.Movebackwardorforwardbyclickinganddragging
leftorright.

Orbit.

TourbuildingWheel
TheTourBuildingWheelisusedtonavigateabuildingorafullmodel.

Thewheelprovidesthefollowingoptions:

Forward.Adjuststhedistancebetweenthecurrentpointofviewandthedefinedpivotpointofthe
model.Clickingoncemovesforwardhalfthedistanceasfarastheobjectthatwasclicked.

Look.Swivelsthecurrentview.

Rewind.Restoresthemostrecentview.Movebackwardorforwardbyclickinganddraggingleftorright.

Up/DownTool.SlidesthecurrentviewofamodelalongtheZaxisofthemodel.

FullNavigationWheel
TheFullNavigationWheelcontainstoolsusedforbothviewinganobjectandnavigatingafullmodel.

Thewheelprovidesthefollowingoptions:

Zoom.Adjuststhemagnificationofthecurrentview.

Rewind.Restoresthemostrecentview.Movebackwardorforwardbyclickinganddraggingleftorright.

Pan.Repositionsthecurrentviewbypanning.

Orbit.Rotatesthecurrentviewaroundafixedpivotpoint.

Center.Specifiesapointonamodeltoadjustthecentreofthecurrentvieworchangethetargetpoint
usedforsomeofthenavigationtools.

Walk.Simulateswalkingthroughamodel.

Look.Swivelsthecurrentview.

2DNavigationWheel
The2DNavigationWheelprovidestoaccessbasic2Dnavigationtools.

Thewheelprovidesthefollowingoptions:

Pan.Repositionsthecurrentviewbypanning.

Zoom.Adjuststhemagnificationofthecurrentview.

Rewind.Restoresthemostrecentvieworientation.Movebackwardorforwardbyclickinganddragging
leftorright.

SelectingItems
Items may be selected by clicking on screen with the Select tool
from the Quick Access Toolbar or Home
Ribbon > Select & Search Panel > Select button or by selecting entries in the Selection Tree window, accessed
fromtheHomeRibbon>Select&SearchPanel>SelectionTreebutton.

ViewingItemProperties
The properties of Selected Items are viewed in the Properties Window, accessed from Home Ribbon > Display
Panel>Propertiesbutton.

UsingSavedViewpoints
ViewpointsandViewpointAnimations that havebeensavedwiththepublishedNavisworksmodelarelisted in
theSavedViewpointsWindow,accessedfromViewpointRibbon>Save,Load&PlaybackPanel>Launchbutton

Clickonaviewtoswitchthedisplaytothatview.

ControllingtheScreenLayout
TheViewtaboftheNavisworksToolRibbonprovidesfunctionstocontrolthescreenlayout.
The Workspace panel is shown below with the Windows button selected, listing all of the supplementary
windows that may be displayed in Navisworks. These windows are displayed automatically when the
correspondingNavisworksfunctionisactivated,butmaybealsoturnedonoroffhere.
The Navigation Bar and View Cube buttons toggle the display of the Navigation Bar and ViewCube controls
respectively. Similarly,theHUD buttonenables the XYZaxesandpositionreadoutwindowstobe displayed,as
showninthebottomleftcornerofthewindow,below.
SaveWorkspaceandLoadWorkspacemaybeusedtosaveandreloadconfiguredWorkspaces(screenlayouts).

NavisworksToolRibbons
HomeRibbon

Panel
Project
Select&Search
Visibility
Display
Tools

Function
Controlthewholescene
Selectitemsandsavedselectionsinthescene
Showandhideitemsofmodelgeometry
Showandhideinformationincludingpropertiesandlinks
LaunchTimeLinerPlaybacktool

ViewpointRibbon

Panel
Save,Load&Playback
Camera
Navigate
RenderStyle

Function
LoadandplaybackSavedViewpointsandViewpointAnimations
Applysettingstothecamera
Navigatethemodel
Controllightingandrealtimerenderingsettings

ReviewRibbon

Panel
Measure
Comments

Function
Measuredistancesandangles
Viewcomments

ViewRibbon

Panel
NavigationAids
SceneView
Workspace

Function
Togglenavigationaids
Controlthesceneviewwindow
Controlwindowlayoutandworkspacesettings

AnimationRibbon

Panel
Function
Playback Controltheplaybackofviewpointandobjectanimations
Script
Enablescripts

OutputRibbon

Panel
Print
Send

Function
Printandpreviewandsetprintsettings
Emailthecurrentmodel

ItemToolsRibbon

Note:thisribbonisonlydisplayedwhenanitemisselectedinthemodel.
Panel
Function
Hold
HoldtheselectedItems
LookAt
Focusandzoomthecurrentviewontotheselecteditems
Visibility
Controlthevisibilityoftheselecteditems
Transform Resettheposition,rotationandscaleofselecteditemsbacktotheiroriginalvalues
Appearance Resetthecolourandtransparencyoftheselecteditemsbacktotheiroriginalvalues
Links
Resetthelinksontheselecteditemsbacktotheiroriginalvalues

ContextMenus
SceneMenu
RightclickonablankareaofthescreentodisplaytheSceneMenu:

SelectMenu
RightclickonaniteminthecurrentviewtodisplaytheSelectMenu:

ViewpointMenu
TheViewpointMenuisasubmenuoftheSceneandSelectmenus:

EditingGlobalOptions
TheOptionseditorisactivatedinseveralways:

ApplicationButton>Optionsbutton

SceneMenu>GlobalOptions

F12key