Getting Started with Navisworks: From Multiple Models to One Coordinated Project

If you are a civil engineering, architecture or BIM student, you may have already worked with tools such as AutoCAD or Revit.

But here is a common situation on a real project:

The architectural model is created by one team.

The structural model is created by another.

The MEP services are handled by another team.

So how do you bring everything together and check whether the different systems actually work together?

This is where Autodesk Navisworks becomes useful.

Navisworks is commonly used for model coordination, project review, clash detection and construction planning.

Let's understand the basic workflow through a simple project.

Step 1: Open Navisworks

Open Navisworks and create a new project.

The interface may look different from the CAD software you're familiar with.

You'll typically work with:

• Model View
• Selection Tree
• Properties
• Navigation tools
• Clash Detective
• Timeliner
• Viewpoints

Don't try to learn everything at once.

For beginners, start with model viewing and coordination.

Step 2: Bring Your Models Together

Imagine you are working on a small building project.

You have:

• Architectural model
• Structural model
• HVAC model
• Plumbing model
• Electrical model

Each discipline may have its own model.

The first step is to bring these models together into Navisworks.

Depending on your workflow, you may work with supported CAD/BIM formats or create a coordinated Navisworks project file.

The goal is simple:

Bring different disciplines into one coordinated environment.

Step 3: Explore the Combined Model

Once the models are loaded, use the navigation tools to move around the building.

Try:

• Zoom
• Pan
• Orbit
• Walk
• First-person navigation

Look at the building from different angles.

Move through different floors and rooms.

This gives you a much better understanding of the project than looking at individual drawings separately.

Step 4: Use the Selection Tree

One of the most useful areas for beginners is the Selection Tree.

It allows you to explore the model hierarchy.

You may be able to identify:

• Building
• Floors
• Rooms
• Walls
• Doors
• Pipes
• Ducts
• Structural elements

Select an object and explore its properties.

This helps you understand exactly what you're looking at.

Step 5: Select an Element and Check Its Properties

Click on an object in the model.

The Properties panel can provide information about the selected element, depending on the source model and available data.

For example, you may be able to inspect information such as:

• Element name
• Category
• Dimensions
• Material
• Model source
• Other object data

This is one reason coordination isn't simply about looking at a colourful 3D model.

The information behind the model matters too.

Step 6: Start Your First Clash Check

Now let's get to one of the most important Navisworks workflows:

Clash Detection.

Imagine an HVAC duct passing through a structural beam.

On separate drawings, both elements may look perfectly fine.

But when the models are combined, you discover that they occupy the same space.

That's a coordination problem.

Navisworks can help identify these conflicts before they become construction problems.

Step 7: Create a Clash Test

In Navisworks Manage, open:

Clash Detective

Create a new clash test.

For example:

Test 1: HVAC vs Structure

Select:

Selection A → HVAC ducts

Selection B → Structural elements

Run the test.

Navisworks analyses the selected elements and reports detected clashes according to the test settings.

Step 8: Review the Clash Results

The results may show issues such as:

Duct → Beam

You can select an individual clash and navigate directly to the relevant location.

Now ask:

• Why are these elements overlapping?
• Can the duct be rerouted?
• Can the design be modified?
• Does the structural element need to remain unchanged?
• Which discipline should coordinate the correction?

This is where BIM coordination becomes more than software operation.

You are learning to identify and solve project problems.

Step 9: Create Viewpoints

Once you identify an important issue, save a viewpoint.

A viewpoint can help you capture the exact location and context of the problem.

For example:

Clash 01 – HVAC Duct vs Beam

Save a clear view showing the issue.

This makes it easier for team members to understand what needs attention.

Step 10: Think Like a BIM Coordinator

Don't stop after finding a clash.

A good coordination workflow is:

Find → Understand → Discuss → Resolve → Recheck

For example:

Problem: HVAC duct clashes with beam.

Discussion: MEP and structural teams review the issue.

Solution: Duct route is modified.

Recheck: Updated model is tested again.

If the clash disappears, the coordination issue has been addressed.

A Simple Student Practice Project

Want to practise?

Create a small building project containing:

Architectural model

Walls, doors, windows and rooms.

Structural model

Columns and beams.

MEP model

A few ducts and pipes.

Bring them into Navisworks and try to identify:

• Duct vs Beam
• Pipe vs Wall
• Pipe vs Duct
• Equipment vs Wall

Create a clash test for each combination.

Then create viewpoints for the important issues.

What You Learn From This Exercise

This small project introduces you to several important BIM coordination skills.

SkillWhat You Learn

Model Aggregation

Combining different discipline models

Navigation

Reviewing a 3D project

Selection Tree

Understanding model structure

Properties

Inspecting model information

Clash Detection

Identifying coordination problems

Viewpoints

Communicating issues clearly

Coordination

Working toward practical solutions

Navisworks Is Not Just About Finding Clashes

This is an important point for students.

Many beginners think:

Navisworks = Clash Detection

But the bigger idea is project coordination.

A coordinated BIM workflow can help teams review how different elements come together before construction.

You can also explore areas such as:

• 4D construction simulation
• Quantification
• Project review
• Model-based communication
• Construction sequencing

A Beginner's Learning Path

If you're starting Navisworks from scratch, try learning in this order:

Level 1 – Model Review

Learn:

• Opening models
• Navigation
• Selection
• Properties
• Viewpoints

Level 2 – Coordination

Learn:

• Appending models
• Model organisation
• Sectioning
• Measurements
• Search and selection

Level 3 – Clash Detection

Learn:

• Clash tests
• Tolerance
• Clash grouping
• Reviewing results
• Reporting

Level 4 – Construction Planning

Explore:

• Timeliner
• 4D simulation
• Sequencing
• Project communication

From 3D Models to Better Coordination

The real value of Navisworks is not simply creating another 3D view.

It helps you look at a project from a coordination perspective.

A wall may be correct.

A duct may be correct.

A beam may be correct.

But when all three are brought together, you may discover a problem.

That's the advantage of coordinated BIM.

Learn the model. Find the problem. Coordinate the solution.

Your first Navisworks project can be the beginning of your BIM journey.