Using Navisworks with Aconex

Required User Role Permissions

• Access Models - General access to the plugin is enabled by this permission
• Create Design Issues 
  • Create New issue tool
  • Create Issue from clashes
  • Create issue from viewpoint
•  Create Issue sets - Controls Create Issue set tool
• Design Issue Administrator - Allows editing of design issues owned by other users

Your Organization Administrator may need to grant these permissions to your user role.

Connecting to Aconex from Navisworks

1. Download and install the latest version of the Model Coordination plugin here
2. If there’s an update available for the plugin, you’ll see Update Available in the top Ribbon bar. Click it to download the latest version.
3. On the Oracle Aconex tab in Navisworks, click Connect to begin the login process.

4. Select your project location from the list and Log in.
5. You will be directed to the Aconex web interface. Enter your Aconex login details.
6. Click Open Aconex Login Approver to get connected. You will be redirected back to Navisworks.
7. The plugin ribbon bar will become available with options based on your Aconex permissions. Select your project.

Create Design Issues

1. Prepare the model to display your design issue in the most effective way and click Add Issue. 

2. In the pop-up, enter information about your design issue, including mandatory fields such as Title.
3. Select the associated model stack(s) to display the model viewpoint in Aconex. Otherwise, the model viewpoint will not be loaded automatically in Aconex.
4. If the 3D model contains sectioning, check the box Save sectioning information. This allows you to keep the same 3D view in Aconex. Alternatively uncheck the box to display the complete model for your design issue.
5. When all necessary information is entered, click Publish to add the issue to Aconex.

View issues

1. Click View and Edit Issues in the top ribbon bar

2. The Design Issues panel will open. By default the list of issues will display only issues assigned to the user currently logged in. To see the whole list, click Clear filter.
3. Click an issue viewpoint thumbnail to open the model viewpoint. Switch between issues by selecting them from the list.
4. Select a Viewpoint to load the model viewpoint to the scene.

5. Click the magnifier icon on the thumbnail to open a viewpoint snapshot for the corresponding design issue.

Edit an issue

1. Click Details on the issue that requires editing.
2. The Design Issues screen will open.
3. Click the pencil icon on the top right to edit the details. You will need permissions to edit.

4. Click Add comment in the Design Issue pop-up to leave a comment.

5. Edit related items for the issue from the Design Issue pop-up. If you have edit permissions click the edit icon on the Related Items section.

Create an Issue set

Use Issue sets to group design issues and provide controlled management on them.

1. Click Create Issue Set.

2. You’ll see the Create Issue Set screen.
3. Enter the set name (mandatory).
4. Define start and end dates for your set.
5. Add members to the issue set, to provide them access to the issues within the set. Select a user from your organization and click Add.

Create issues from Viewpoints

1. Click Issues from Viewpoints.

2. Select a viewpoint to be shared with Aconex as a design issue. Enter additional information for the design issue.
3. Click Publish to share the issues with Aconex.

Create Issues from Clashes

Publish clashes from Clash detective directly to Aconex using Navisworks Manage.

1. Run the clash test based on your requirements. 

2. Click Issues from Clashes.

3. Select clash test results you would like to share with Aconex, and click Next.
4. You will see all the clashes with the same parameters in Clash Detective.

The table splits into two parts: Clash test results and Oracle Aconex design issues.

The Clash test results provide information from the Clash Detective. You can manually change the clash status to update it in Clash detective when published.

Oracle Aconex design issues  provide information about

• publish actions available for each specific clash, or group of clashes;
• Aconex issue number (for published clashes only)
• Aconex issue parameters: status, type, assignee etc.
   

6. Filter your clashes in the table. Click the yellow field under the required column to filter results.
7. Add or remove columns or reset to the default columns view by clicking the right mouse button on any column name.

8. Edit clashes in bulk by holding the right mouse button and dragging it over them. Selected clashes are highlighted. Changes on the one of the selected clashes will apply to all highlighted clashes.

9. Select snapshot size for your design issues. Click the drop-down list at the bottom of the pop-up to select the required snapshot size. Select Reduced to publish issues faster.

10. To publish clashes to issues in Aconex, select the clashes/groups and click Publish.The progress screen shows the number of issues to be published.
11. Refresh the clash test to see the Aconex issue numbers of the published clashes.
12. You will see ‘Update’ as the Publish Action for any clashes that have been updated in Navisworks and can be published to Aconex.
13. Select a clash you would like to update in Aconex and click Publish.

Models auto-association

Map models loaded into your projects with available Aconex model stacks. This option will only be enabled when at least one model is added to Navisworks.

Models with confirmed mapping save you time and increase accuracy for:

• ad-hoc design issues to all unhidden models at the moment of issue creation
• issues from viewpoints to all unhidden models at the moment of issue creation
• issues from clashes to all models used in the clash test

1. Click Models Mapping. A dialog will open, showing:

• models added to Navisworks
• Aconex model stacks in the project
• the current mapping status between models and Aconex model stacks

The plugin checks for exact matches on Document Number, or title (depending on the Field 1 selection in Setup > Project Settings > Models).

2. Review all Suggested mappings and make any changes. Manually select additional mappings as required.
3. Click Save. The mappings will now have the status Confirmed. 
4. Create a design issue. Confirmed models are automatically selected as associated models, and appear at the top of the list.