Beyond Design

Workbook Setting Error when Exporting Catalog from QTO

Have you ever found yourself working with a QTO project and then you try to export the catalog to XML (Excel) only to find that you get the below error message?

via doddsandends.typepad.com

A great workaround here from Jason Dodds to an error when exporting to XML in QTO

New Navisworks API forum

Where do you get technical support from if you have a problem? The person sat next to you? Your CAD Manager? Your reseller?

Often the quickest and easiest way to get an answer if you can't find the information you need in the Help guides or Knowledge Base is now to search our Autodesk Support Discussion Groups. For a while we've had an active presence in there, helping answer questions, showing you where information is available and suggesting alternative workflows and workarounds.

For Navisworks, we've noticed one of the most popular topics in discussion is the API, since the introduction of the .NET API in the 2011 release we've noticed a lot more people using it and asking how to utilize it, what is the ActiveX control, and how to get round those annoying problems that just need a change to one line of code to make the whole thing work. So we've created a separate forum for it. Especially for you to ask those questions you need.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Navisworks-API/bd-p/600

This isn't a replacement to ADN, the Autodesk Developer Network, in fact we think it's a healthy addition to it. If you have a project you are working on, looking to sell your plugins commercially, or just want access to Technical Support and the latest releases, the ADN team will help you with examples and more, if you have a quick query, or want to want to ask other API users what the API is capable of and whether ADN is right for you, then head to the forum.

For more information about ADN just go to our site www.autodesk.com/joinadn

Linking Animations to Timeliner tasks

A quick Monday morning update. One of the most powerful ways to use Navisworks is to use features in conjunction with each other. Time-based clashing, search sets and the appearance profiler and linking animations to Timeliner. There's a long list of ways and reasons why you might want to link an object or set of objects in a Timeliner task to an Animation, opening doors at the right time, moving panels for a snazzy animation, rotating a crane into position amongst others.

Here's how you do it.

1. Create an animation using Animator, an object moving, rotating, changing scale or a combination of these.
2. In the Tasks tab in Timeliner, change the Column Set to Extended, this will make all the Advanced columns available.



3. Select an Animator Scene/Animation in the Animation column to link the object to.
4. In Animation behaviour, decide whether you want to 'Scale' the Animation to the length of the Task, 'Match Start' to the beginning of the task, or 'Match End' of the task. Just remember how long your animation is in comparison to the task, Animation default units is seconds, Timeliner can be days or weeks, meaning you might want to scale it to the length of the task.



5. Easy as that, we'll talk about some ways in which you might want to use this feature over the next few weeks.

We welcome any feedback on how you use this, or questions about why you would use this, just use the links in the left column to contact us.

Interoperability Enhancements for Navisworks 2012

 
The Interoperability Enhancement Pack for Navisworks 2012 is released today, so I wanted to share with you an overview of what this offers.

• Firstly there's an update to the Faro laser scan formats, now supporting version 4.8.
• We've also updated the Exporter for Graphisoft ArchiCAD, now supporting versions 14 and 15 (both 32 and 64-bit).
• More manufacturing models can now be integrated into your projects with New file readers for SolidWorks and NX.
• Autodesk Vault integration has been extended so that you can now access all supported file readers via the Vault (compared to the 2012 release product which was limited to Navisworks formats only).

• You'll find a new Collaborate tab on the ribbon providing access to the Autodesk Bluestreak desktop application. You may already be familiar with Bluestreak through Revit.
• Access to Bluestreak File Sharing via the web is also available directly from the Navisworks ribbon.

I've created a quick video of these enhancements. Take a look:

You can download the Interoperability Enhancements if you have a current Subscription contract on your Navisworks products. Go to https://subscription.autodesk.com, log in with your details, go to Downloads > Product Enhancements > Interoperability Enhancements for Autodesk Navisworks 2012.

To install the 'Interoperability Tools of Navisworks 2012', you will need to have the Service Pack 1 installed on the machine first.

For the 'Exporters Update for Navisworks 2012', there is no need to install the Service Pack 1, this can be installed over the top of other 2012 Exporters/Manage/Simulate installations.

Try them out and let us know what you think.

Navigating the Navisworks DataTools maze

Connecting your Navisworks model to a database can be a maze for the non-expert. Working in support I get asked alot about DataTools connections, linking to Excel, Access, Text files, SQL Databases and more. It's a difficult area, we want to provide the best help we can, but you know the data better than we do, you know the environment you are on, due to the amount of variables  we can only guide you. Any changes to that environment or data can kill the connection to your model, so here's some guidance for those working with DataTools to get it set up.

We ALWAYS recommend that you know SQL and the database you are connecting to, otherwise you'll get lost quite easily. Get your IT department involved if you do not know how to connect to the database yourself.

Golden Rules

• If this doesn't work outside of Navisworks, it definitely won't work inside Navisworks
• We will only recognize 32 bit ODBC drivers on 32 bit machines, if you have a 64 bit machine; you need a 64 bit ODBC driver

ODBC Drivers

You will need a suitable ODBC data source for your type of database (Excel, Access, Text, CSV), this needs to appear in Administrative Tools > Data Sources. These can either be pre-configured as a DSN or used directly via the driver.

If the source appears in one of the DSN tabs then there should be a wizard to set up the connection string supplied by ODBC. When setting up a new DSN, this wizard should create a working link to the database. The menus to create the connection will vary from driver to driver as well. You can refer directly to this DSN through Navisworks, in which case there is no further connection configuration needed.

Alternatively you can also set up a connection directly in Navisworks using the ODBC driver itself, if you select a driver in the ODBC Driver field in DataTools, clicking setup will launch the same wizard as used to make DSN's in Windows. This allows you to configure the connection directly in Navisworks.

SQL string

Once you have a connection string configured you still need to specify how the database will be queried. This is done via an SQL SELECT Query.

This would typically be comprised of three parts, but will vary depending on your precise needs. Our examples will assume a simple use case accessing a single table.

There's whole books and websites dedicated to creating SQL strings, and because of the huge variety of ODBC Drivers available, and Data that can be linked to, we cannot give an explicit 'this will work' sample for you but here is a simple single table Access query to get you started. When actually entering this in DataTools this needs to be a single line terminated with a semi colon.

SELECT (this is where you enter the field names you want to query) FROM (this is the name of the table) WHERE (this is where you enter the condition for which data to bring through – typically this would include a Navisworks tag which fetches model data to participate in the condition);

SELECT weight FROM entity_data WHERE name=%prop('Item','Name');

This assumes a table called entity_data with two fields, weight and Name, where Name is the same as the Name of Items in the Navisworks model, %prop is one of the tags that can be used in an SQL string in Navisworks DataTools to retrieve model data for conditional matching, more can be found in the Help file in the product.

Once you've got fields selected by your SELECT statement, to get them to show in Navisworks, you have to list the fields with a display name in the right-hand pane of DataTools.

If you have any tips, or recommendations specific to different files types, please Submit a Tip

Navisworks 2012 Service Pack 1 Available Now

We're pleased to announce the release of the new Service Pack for Navisworks 2012

There are 3 separate Service Packs

• 32 bit Service Pack - install if you have a 32 version of the product
• 64 bit Service Pack - install if you have a 64 version of the product
• Updated Exporter Plug-ins - you will need to install this for your exporters to continue running correctly after installing the Service Pack. If you have the standalone exporters on any machines then you should also upgrade to this version.

This can be installed on all standalone versions of Navisworks 2012 (Manage, Simulate and Freedom), and versions of Navisworks in the suites below:

• Factory Design Suite (Premium and Ultimate)
• Building Design Suite (Ultimate)
• Infrastructure Design Suite (Standard, Premium and Ultimate)
• Plant Design Suite (Premium and Ultimate)

The main fixes include: -

• NWC files can't be loaded in Navisworks 2012 NWF's
• Clashed items appear gray instead of highlighted
• Inventor files that seemed to load in as exploded models
• Support for NVidia 3D Vision (more information on its way)
• AutoCAD MEP Property Browser properties now correctly convert
• Handling World Up in the DWF reader and exporter correctly
• Batch test's selections no longer switching when files are appended
• Referenced DWF files now can be opened in Navisworks
• Task appearance coloring now correct when rendering
• Support for the FARO SDK 4.8
• Support for hidden items in Inventor
• No crash in Revit when using Switchback on linked/appended elements
• No crash when loading multiple NWD files in Freedom
• No crash when overwriting an existing Clash Report
• No error now if opening a file from Vault if its reference file is renamed.

There are other fixes as well, just check in this readme.

The Service Pack can be downloaded and installed from here.

Taking BIM to the Point of Construction and Beyond

For as long as I can remember, Navisworks has had an API (Application Programming Interface), which customers and third parties can use to extend and add to the out-of-the-box functionality. Whilst we recognize that the vast majority of customers may not use the API themselves, what it enables our Partners to achieve is something special, and this can be of benefit to everyone.

One such partner is Vela Systems who is successfully taking digital information and documentation into the field on Tablet PCs and mobile devices, including iPads. This is very cool stuff, and that isn't the half of it! As well as access to plans and drawings (imagine no more rolls of drawings and repeated trips to the job trailer), their Field BIM product for commissioning and owner handover helps manage quality and commissioning data, documents, photos and other field-generated data, linking this with the BIM model in Navisworks, for example. With the data synchronized between the Vela system and the Navisworks model, this data can then be accessed by all project stakeholders, whether in the office, job trailer, or out in the field.

Take a look at this video to see some of this in action:

If you're using a Vela Systems product, or another Partner or plugin for Autodesk Construction solutions, why not let us know about your experience.

How to solve poor graphics performance in Navisworks

Do you get lots of drop out, does the screen not refresh very often? Does it feel like you are playing a primitive 1980's computer game rather than the 2012 release of Navisworks?

Well there's three main areas where you can improve the graphics performance for Navisworks after checking Navisworks System Requirements.

Graphics card

Is it up to spec? Navisworks requires a graphics card that supports OpenGL 4.0. If you don't have this then you should look at upgrading, the general rule is, you get what you pay for. The more money you spend the more easily the card should be able to handle 3D models.

Are the drivers up to date? It is good practice to reinstall drivers if there are any problems in this area, especially if this is a relatively new machine, the computer may have been sat in a warehouse and may have out of date or corrupted drivers, even out of the box, it's amazing how often this resolves problems. You should go to your card manufacturer's website to install the latest drivers, we recommend you stick to the latest stable releases rather than beta's on production machines.

Advanced Settings, vary from card to card and different manufacturers. Interactive Textures and Lighting can slow things down a lot, if you strip the settings back to basics then switch things on again one by one to identify which is killing your performance.

The Model

Is it detailed? Is it large? How many triangles, you can find out under Project > Scene Statistics, compare this to what your card can handle? Models with lots of curves require more triangles, just get a piping model and switch to hidden line mode; you'll see that this can build up quickly to create thousands and millions of triangles that need to be drawn. If you reduce the faceting factor (Options > File Readers), when bringing the native CAD file in, then this will reduce the number of triangles we use to draw the rounded item, lower it too much though and the item may look blocky, the default is set to 1.

Are there any parts of the model a long way away? Do a quick audit of the model by seeing if Zoom All zooms so far out you can't see the model you expected. Use the Selection Box tool to work out what is distant from the model and see if you can change in the native application, if not then Hide it.

If you have set lots of the model to be required (i.e. prioritized when you are navigating) then you may experience lots of drop out of all the other items. Again, start from nothing (right click > Reset All > Unrequire All) and slowly build up adding those essential items.

Try running the model with 'Scene Lights' Lighting and 'Shaded' Mode on the Viewpoints tab, if this significantly improves performance then you might have over done it on the materials and lighting. Look at using the materials and lighting you need rather than going overboard and adding materials and lights to everything.

Navisworks Settings

Most of the settings in Navisworks are set to a low level by default then intended to be increased for improved performance. Here are the main ones which cause problems

Hardware Acceleration (Options > Interface > Display) – Without this Navisworks isn't using your graphics card, the minimum specification asks that you have a card that supports OpenGL, assuming you do then there should be no reason to have this switched off unless troubleshooting.

Frames Per Second or FPS (Home tab > File Options > Speed) – This is set per file, the higher this is the smoother navigation should be, however if you are redrawing a complex file 25 times a second, your card may not get chance to catch up and draw everything, the default is 6.

Guaranteed Frame Rate (Options > Interface > Display) – This is set across all sessions; Navisworks will ask the graphics card to draw a minimum of the FPS set above. If one of your files has a high FPS saved in it, then you may notice lots of drop out, if this is on, check your FPS rate to see if it's unusually high. If the model is refreshing very slowly, you may want to switch this on and check the FPS rate too.

Fill In Detail (Options > Interface > Display) – This will ask the graphics card once the camera stops moving in navigation, to fill in all the parts of the model that could not be drawn whilst navigating.

Advanced Settings like Occlusion Culling and Interactive Transparency (Options > Interface > Display) and Interactive Lighting, Materials and Hardware Shading (Options > Tools > Presenter) can be switched off if you are getting slow or unexpected results.

If you have a similar machine, try it out on there; see if you have the same problems with the same models.

There may also be other hardware issues, like not enough RAM, or the graphics card overheating, something corrupt on the machine or there may be too many other applications running. If after going through all this you still get poor performance then you should get in touch with your support provider.

Let us know how you get on with these tips, and any more you might have to improve performance.