Friday, September 24, 2010

Closing Cloud Redline Tool

Quick Tip:

When using the Cloud Redline Tool, did you ever wonder how to close it off?  Well, it doesn’t work like AutoCAD or Revit…and I’m assuming it’s different for other design software as well.  Usually, you can snap to the beginning point to close off a cloud.

Navisworks doesn’t snap back to the beginning, so when you are ready to close off the cloud, the way to close off the Cloud tool is to actually just right click!  That’s it, just a simple right-click. 

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Navisworks 2011 Service Pack 1 Available

Autodesk released the first service package for Navisworks 2011 on Sept. 14.  Please make sure to read the readme file before installing the service pack.  Service Pack  Readme 

One thing to note….This service pack only updates individual installations of Autodesk Navisworks 2011 products and should not be applied to Navisworks products installed as part of Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2011.

This service pack fixes the following defects.

  • TimeLiner. The TimeLiner / P6 Web Services hot fix, released in May 2010, has been included in the
    service pack and addresses two problems users may experience when accessing projects in Primavera
    using the P6 web services interface:
      • When importing projects from Primavera the project data in the Tasks and Gantt View tabs is not
        structured correctly under the top level New Link node.
      • When synchronizing or rebuilding projects in TimeLiner user data associated with a project's tasks
        does not persist correctly.
  • Z+F File Loader. The Z+F hot fix, released in April 2010, has been included in the service pack and upgrades
    the Z+F DLL to the latest version of the DLL from Z+F (http://www.zf-laser.com).
  • DPI Aware. The user interface of Autodesk Navisworks 2011 handles the setting of Windows custom text
    size (DPI) setting correctly and addresses the rendering problem of some windows.
      • Custom text size can be set using Control Panel ➤ Appearance and Personalization ➤ Display settings
        in Windows Vista and Windows 7.
        In Windows XP, click Control Panel ➤ Display ➤ Settings, click the Advanced button, and use the
        DPI Settings drop-down list to set custom text size.
  • Communication Center. The RSS feed is fully supported and the issue relating to Communication Center
    crashing Autodesk Navisworks 2011 when the user logs in using double byte usernames has been fixed.
  • Redline. Converting multiple measurements to redlines will not crash Autodesk Navisworks 2011.
  • Presenter. The Presenter Rules tab now redraws itself correctly when the window is reduced in size when
    docked at the bottom the application window.
  • Licensing. A number of reported licensing issues have been addressed.
  • COM API.
      • Calling InwPlugin_Site.GetApplication() returns an object.
      • Calling lnwOpAnonView.ClippingPlanes.Clear() no longer stops sectioning from working.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Navisworks 2011 – Part 1a – Interface Items - Navigation

One of the items I wanted to touch on that I mentioned in the previous post about the new interface was the Navigation Bar (Nav. Bar).  The Nav. Bar can be located by default on the right side of the screen as shown below.

image

In the Navigation Bar, here’s what you’ll find for functions/tools…

Wheel functions  imagePan Tool image

Zoom Tools imageOrbit Toolsimage

Look/Focusimage    Walk/Fly Tools image

At the bottom of the Nav. Bar, there is a little arrow that will allow you to turn tools on/off, where you would like to dock the Nav. bar and even options for the Nav. Bar.

image

In the Options that you can set if you would like to utilize the classic orbiting/walk tools, or if you’d like to utilize the new 2011 versions.  In the image below, you can see that you can utilize the classic orbit and walk tools.  By having these checked, you’ll utilize the icons and have the same interaction that you’ve had for orbit navigations.

image

Now, by un-checking these same options, you’ll turn the orbiting and walking tools into the new functionality for 2011.  Basically what is going on here is that the functionality is the same, except that it’s more like using the tools from the Wheel.  As you can see in the image below, the orbit tools all look the same and utilize the pivot point set by the Wheel-Center tool.  They each function as they have in the past, so you still have 3 separate orbit tools.  As for the Walk, the feet go away and you now get an arrow.  Interesting thing about the Walk…the arrow is always based on a start point in the lower center of your screen.  This is unlike the “classic” Walk (with the feet) in that the Feet could be anywhere on the screen.

image

The Constrain Walk angle being checked, the Walk tool will keep the camera upright while navigating.  If it’s cleared, the camera will have the ability to roll (like the Fly tool).

The Use viewport linear speed check-box is pretty self explanatory.  If this is unchecked, it will use the value in the slider.  0.1 is very slow  while 10 is very fast.

And last, but definitely not least on the new Navigation modes…when you are in the Selection Mode (using the Arrow), you can now utilize your mouse wheel to pan, zoom and orbit…just like in other Autodesk products!!  I think I can speak for almost everyone on this….IT’s ABOUT TIME!!!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Saving Back to Earlier NWD or NWF Versions

Navisworks allows you to save you files back to earlier versions, even back to JetStream v5 if you are running 2010.  Yes, sorry…2011 can’t natively save back to JetStream file format.  If you are running 2011, you’ll have to save it back to 2010, then open it in 2010 to save it back to a v5 format.

But, there’s a little something I ran into regarding published NWD files.  Had a customer needing to get their files to v5.  They were publishing their files to NWD, but publishing doesn’t allow you to publish to a different format.  So they re-opened the NWD’s to do a save-as to get to the v5 (or in the pull-down, it’s called Navisworks 5) format but they were only getting the option to save as a NWF file.  I noticed during the publish, the check box for “May be re-saved” was unchecked.  So I had them do the publish again but this time check that box.  When they opened the newly published file, they now got the option to save it as a v5 format.  Here’s the screen shots (from 2010) showing the difference, the publish box on the left and then the subsequent save-as dialog when the published file was opened…

image

image

Now, you can also get around this by just doing a save-as to your current project and choosing the earlier format.  Just have to be careful that you then close the file and re-open the current project file to continue working.  Otherwise, you’ll hit save and “upgrade” the file you just saved back to an earlier version.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Navisworks 2011 – Part 1 – New Interface

So you’ve (probably) seen the list of new items Navisworks 2011, but I’m going to expand on this list in a series of posts.  This first post will focus on the new Interface in Navisworks 2011.

If you’ve been using practically any Autodesk product the past couple years, you’ve probably become accustom to the Ribbon interface.  For Navisworks 2011, the Ribbon is one of the first new things you will notice.  Below are some screen shots of the new Ribbon…

The Home tab of the Ribbon includes many of the features that were found in the Edit pull-down in 2010 and it also includes a Tools panel that allows the user to turn on certain tools (or Control Bars).  As in the other products, some Ribbon Panels have little arrows at the bottom to give the user access to additional tools.  Take the Select and Search Panel (shown below)…hitting the little down arrow expands the panel and allows the user to change the Selection Resolution on the fly, without having to go into Global Options (which has changed location…see bottom image)  This type of behavior is consistent throughout Navisworks.  As you can see in the image, if a tool has a blue background to it, the tool/control bar is active.  image 

For the Viewpoint tab, this is really the tools specific to working with a Viewpoint.  I don’t want to say there are a lot of new tools here, but there are some enhancements.  Take the big button for Save Viewpoint and the drop-down list for the Saved Viewpoints.  This allows the user to save and pick a saved Viewpoint without having to go to the Saved Viewpoints Control Bar.  Sure, you still have to go to the Saved Viewpoints Control Bar to give a new Viewpoint a name, but it allows easier access later on.  The other big item on the Viewpoint tab is the Enable Sectioning button.  This will open an extra tab just for Sectioning.  I’ll go into the Sectioning enhancements in a later post.image

The Review tab gives you the tools for Measuring, Redlines, Tags and Comments.  Not much in the way of changes for these tools.image

The Animation tab is really for turning on Animator and Scripter, plus playback capability.  You can get to the Record button in the Viewpoint tab, just hit the down arrow under the Save Viewpoint button.image

The View tab allows you to turn on the Navigation bar (again more about this in a future post), the View Cube, Workspace Saving and Loading, etc.  The Windows button is actually for turning on the various Control Bars. image

And last but not least, the Output tab.  This basically give you all of the Export, Print and Publish options.  It’s kind of nice not to have to go into the Application Button to get these options.  Don’t know what the Application Button is…see paragraph below. :)image

The Application Button/Menu in the upper left corner (or what I call the “Bin N”) get’s you into the “typical” New, Open, Print, etc.  You’ll notice that some have a fly-out which will get you additional tools/options.    And speaking of Options…I’ve gotten the question a few times already - “Where is the Global Options in Navisworks 2011?”  Well, you’ll see a button in the lower right of the App Menu called Options…this is where you get to the Global Options.image

So, that’s the new interface in a nutshell.  I’ll expand on a few items in the near future.  And speaking of the future…next on the list (other than expanding on the items stated above) is using the Classic interface!   Yep, I said it…there is a classic interface for Navisworks 2011.  And there are a couple “gotchas” with using the classis interface.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Navisworks 2011 TimeLiner - P6 Web Services Hotfix

This TimeLiner hotfix addresses two problems users may experience when accessing projects in Primavera using the P6 web services interface:

  1. When importing projects from Primavera the project data in the Tasks and Gantt View tabs are not structured correctly under the top level “New Link” node.
  2. When synchronizing or rebuilding projects in TimeLiner user data associated with a project’s tasks does not persist correctly.

The hotfix applies to both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011 and Simulate 2011 and can be downloaded HERE.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Voting for Autodesk University 2010 Classes Now Open

Voting is now open to the public for classes submitted for Autodesk University 2010.  I threw together a class about how to utilize the exportable XML files in Navisworks to share between projects and co-workers.  If you are thinking about attending and would like to attend (potentially) this class, please log-in to the following site and VOTE for my class – Transferring Project Standards in Navisworks!

To vote for classes (and not just mine, pick your favorite classes!!):

  1. Go to Autodesk University Class Voting
  2. Sign in to the AU website using your AU username and password. This is the same account you use to access AU online classes, and register for the AU conference or AU Virtual.
  3. Search through the class proposal list. You can filter by track, audience expertise, class type, software product, language, keywords and speaker.
  4. Click on a class to get more information about the class or to vote for the class.
  5. Respond to all three (3) questions in order for your vote to register.
  6. Click Add Comments to insert comments about the class for the Track Manager.
  7. Once you have completed your comments and answered all three questions, click Submit Vote.
Voting ends Friday, May 21.

Thank you in advance if you do vote for my class!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Introduction to Navisworks 2011 Webinar

In about 2 weeks, I’ll be doing a couple live webinars on some of the new features in Navisworks 2011.  There will be a little bit of an intro to Navisworks, but I will definitely show the new features of 2011.  If you’re interested in attending a session, click on one of the links below to register.

Introduction to Autodesk Navisworks 2011

Friday, April 2, 2010

Navisworks 2011 Downloads Available

Yep, if you log in to the subscription center, you should be able to download your update to Navisworks 2011.  Just make sure you download the correct version – 32bit or 64bit.

Enjoy!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Navisworks 2011 Restructure – RIP Review

There’s a pretty decent change in the Navisworks 2011 lineup, and that is the absence of Navisworks Review.  For 2011, Autodesk has decided to discontinue the Review product and now only provide Manage, Simulate and Freedom Viewer.  The functionality that was in Review is still in the Simulate and Manager products, and Freedom Viewer keeps it’s core functionality of being a viewer only.

For those of you who have Review and on subscription, you will now get Simulate for your subscription renewal.  If you have Review but are not on subscription, you can cross-grade over to Simulate.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

What’s New in Navisworks 2011 and Availability

Yep, today’s the day when Autodesk let the world know about the new 2011 products.  When it comes to Navisworks, here’s a list of some of the things you can expect in the 2011 release…

  • User interface (UI) – The Ribbon is here!  And it isn’t that bad.
  • Navigation – Amen, finally being able to use the mouse like the other Autodesk programs!
  • Gantt view – We can now see a Gantt Chart in the Timeliner.
  • Sectioning using direct manipulation – Amen, being able to directly push-pull the section plane without using the slider!
  • Autodesk® Revit® rooms support – Yes, you can now see Room info from Revit files.
  • Autodesk® 2011 product support 
  • Primavera® P6 web services
  • Graphisoft® ArchiCAD® 13 exporter

And a few things carried over from the Subscription Advantage Pack for 2010…

      • Batch process utility
      • Distributable Export Utility
      • Import/Export Autodesk® FBX®

As the program becomes available, I will post more about the new features.  And as for the availability of Navisworks 2011, the preliminary date is the end of next week, around April 2.  I’ll make another post when the program is actually ready for download on the subscription center.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the date is pushed back slightly.

Hope you enjoy the 2011 version of Navisworks!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Moving or Editing Redline Text

I know it’s been quite a while since I last posted anything, but I guess it’s kind-of a good sign that things are going well and I’m busy!

I haven’t seen this one documented much and it’s definitely not in the courseware that we use to teach Navisworks.  If you want to Move or Edit any Redline text you place in a Viewpoint, right-click on the text and you will now have the option to Move or Edit the text.

When you go to Move the text, it doesn’t work like a “traditional” move command you would use in AutoCAD or Revit.  When you hit Move, your curser will change to a little target and then you pick a new point for the text.  Once you pick the point, the text will now move to that location.  There’s no picking base points or anything, just pick a new location for the text. 

And, you don’t have to be in the Redline Text tool to move or edit the text, you can right-click when you are in the selection mode or even a navigation mode!