To export an Advance Steel model to Navisworks, go to the Export & Import tab and click Export to Navisworks. Advance Steel saves the file in the project folder, and anyone can open it in the free Navisworks Freedom viewer to review the model.
You’ve finished an Advance Steel model and need someone to review it: the engineer, the GC, the architect, or the fabricator’s PM. The problem is that most of them don’t have Advance Steel. The easiest fix I know is to export the model for Navisworks and send them that file. They can open it in Navisworks Freedom, which is a free viewer from Autodesk, and orbit around the model, check members and take measurements without any CAD license.
The export takes about a minute. Here are the steps.
How do I export Advance Steel to Navisworks?
Step 1: Open the Export & Import tab
Step 2: Click Export to Navisworks
Step 3: Find the exported file
Advance Steel saves the file in the same folder as your project, with a .dwf extension. That’s the file you send.
And this is what the model looks like when the reviewer opens it in Navisworks Freedom:
What should I tell the reviewer?
- Large models make large files. If it’s too big to email, use a file-sharing link.
- Tell the reviewer which version of the model it is (date or revision) so comments come back against the right one.
- Navisworks Freedom is Windows-only and you can download it from Autodesk.
Why is my Advance Steel model not showing in Navisworks?
If someone opens your Advance Steel DWG directly in full Navisworks instead of the exported file, the steel can show up empty. Navisworks needs the Advance Steel Object Enabler to read Advance Steel objects in a DWG. The simple fix is to send the exported file instead.
If the export itself fails, save the model, close other programs and try again, and check you have write access to the project folder.
