How to Launch a Navisworks File into Prospect
- Open your file in Navisworks Manage or Simulate (2017-2021)
- Use the selection tree or section box tool to hide geometry that contains particularly large, dense or complex elements, or any layers you don’t need in VR. Learn how to optimize your file here.
- Navigate to the IrisVR tab on the Ribbon > click View in VR
Select Desired Viewpoints & Properties
- Use the Viewpoints tab to choose the specific viewpoints and camera positions you wish to export
- Use the Properties tab to choose what BIM metadata you would like included in the export these configurations will persist for subsequent launches until changed
- Click "Start Processing" and Prospect will automatically collect, export, and optimize your file's geometry. After processing, your file will be ready to enjoy in VR! For Prospect Basic (legacy) users the experience will immediately load, and for Prospect Pro, Pro Plus and Workstation users, the experience will open in the Prospect Library.
Loading Times: Large files will experience long load times. If the process takes longer than 15 minutes, consider canceling and reducing the file complexity. Learn how to optimize your file
File Specific Settings
File Types
Navisworks supports the import of dozens 3D and BIM file formats. To support Navisworks, we need to build and test each Navisworks supported format individually. If you experience any seemingly unexpected behavior with geometry within your Navisworks file, please send us a message with details about the type of files you're working with.
Sun Position
Geolocation, if available from the native file, is exported to Prospect for the Sun Settings tool. If none exists, the default is 0,0,0.
Origin Point
Performance in-VR works best when the model is located on or close to the origin point of (0,0,0) - utilizing a version of your model near this origin point is a best practice when exporting and processing the model to view in-VR.
Section Boxing
We currently support sectioning through the “Box” or “Plane” mode in Navisworks. This tool can be used to reduce the size of a model, which typically increases performance in-VR. Learn how to optimize your file here.
Materials and Textures
Textures are not supported. Instead, textured faces are assigned color values.
Objects with multiple materials from Revit will get split into unique building elements when they’re imported into Navisworks. This means in Prospect, both sides of the wall will be individually selectable and appear to be unique, independent objects.
- Example: If a wall in Revit (single building element) has a different color on each side, it will get imported to Navisworks, and then Prospect, as two elements.
Layers & Geometry
The plugin will automatically use the top-level of the “Selection Tree” hierarchy under Item > Layer and map those to the Prospect concept of Layers. Layers in VR are based on the element's placement in the selection tree in Navisworks.
Geometry not marked as being on a layer will be put on the default layer. All file geometry is exported to Prospect, except hidden geometry, elements or “layers” from the selection tree that are specifically toggled off. Please note - phasing is not currently supported.
Viewpoints
Any saved Viewpoints are imported as Prospect Viewpoints and are camera positions only. Layer states, visibility settings, etc. are not yet supported.
BIM Metadata
Select elements to display their element-level BIM metadata in-VR, as shown below. This feature is available to files exported with Prospect v2.5 or newer.
Supported Versions
- Navisworks Manage 2017-2021
- Navisworks Simulate 2017-2021
- Navisworks Freedom does not support 3rd party plugins and is therefore not compatible, users will need a version of Navisworks Manage or Simulate 2017 or newer.
- Plugins install alongside Prospect Software and do not have separate installers at this time.