Preparing a Revit Model for Navisworks: Coordinates, Properties, and Geometry

To review a Revit model in Navisworks or combine it with models from other disciplines, you need to configure the transfer options for your intended use. Autodesk’s Navisworks 2023 user documentation describes the Revit file reader settings, while the Revit 2026 API documentation covers Navisworks export options. The steps below clarify choices about coordinates, data, and geometry while preserving the differences between these two methods.

1. Choose the transfer method and define your goal

1. If you’re using Navisworks’ Revit file reader, review the options on the Revit page in the Navisworks Options Editor. These settings determine how Navisworks reads the RVT file. If you’re using the Revit API to export the model as a file, the options in the NavisworksExportOptions class apply. Don’t treat these two interfaces as if they were the same settings screen.

2. Decide which data you need. Simply viewing the model is different from inspecting element properties, ID numbers, links, or room data. Defining the project’s review and coordination goals in advance helps you select settings that match the intended use.

3. Take documentation versions into account. Reader settings are described in the Navisworks 2023 user documentation, while the API options are covered in the Revit 2026 API documentation. The API documentation lists the version of the relevant assembly as 26.4.0.0. The location or behavior of options in the interface may differ in other versions; don’t assume the values described here apply automatically to every version.

2. Check coordinates and linked models

1. Confirm a shared coordinate approach for files that will be combined. The Coordinates option in the Navisworks Revit reader determines whether shared or internal coordinates are used when files are combined. The documentation states that shared coordinates are the default. These coordinates, defined in Revit, can reflect the model’s position and rotation relative to true north.

2. Make sure coordinates have been published for linked models. Autodesk notes that files may appear misaligned in Navisworks if shared coordinates in the main Revit model have not been published to linked models. Having teams agree on a coordinate system before creating and sharing models can help prevent this issue.

3. If models are misaligned, don’t change the transform at random. The documentation explains that models can be aligned in Navisworks using the transform or move tools, without changing their coordinates in Revit. Saving the file as an NWF after alignment ensures that the transforms are applied when the file is reopened. First, check whether the coordinates in the source model were set up correctly.

3. Choose property, link, and geometry options to match your needs

1. Transfer element properties only when needed. Convert Element Properties in the reader controls whether properties of Revit elements are converted to Navisworks properties. In the API documentation, the default for ConvertElementProperties is false, meaning this property transfer is off by default when exporting via the API. Parameter conversion, however, defaults to All in the API; in the reader, the options are None, Elements, or All. All can include parameters for both the elements found and the elements they reference.

2. Check link options for the transfer method you’re using. The reader offers options to import linked RVT files and linked CAD formats. In the Navisworks reader, the option to import linked RVT files is off by default. In the Revit 2026 API documentation, the default for ExportLinks is false, while ConvertLinkedCADFormats defaults to true. The reader documentation describes the option for linked CAD formats but doesn’t specify its default state. So don’t assume the API default also applies to the reader. DXF, DGN, SAT, and SketchUp are listed as examples of CAD links.

3. Consider surface detail alongside file size. Faceting Factor controls the number of facets/polygon faces in the model. The default value in the API documentation is 1.0; a value of 0 disables faceting. Doubling the value doubles the number of facets, while halving it reduces the number of facets by half. A higher value means more facets and a larger Navisworks file. Increasing the value can inflate file size if you don’t need the extra detail.

The values in the table are defaults from the Revit API documentation; they are not necessarily the same as the defaults for each setting in the Navisworks file reader.

4. Export checks and common mistakes

1. Check the export scope and view. The default scope in the API options is Model; ViewId is used for view export. The Navisworks reader offers Navisworks view, First 3D view, and Entire project options. To load the Navisworks view, the name of the saved 3D view in Revit must contain Navis; otherwise, the first 3D view is loaded. Selecting the target view instead of loading the entire project can limit the export scope to what you need.

2. Run a small test export. Check coordinate alignment, whether the required element properties are visible, whether links are included, and the level of surface detail in a sample file. If the result is correct, apply the same settings approach to the project workflow.

Common mistakes: Looking for alignment issues without checking whether shared coordinates have been published to linked models; assuming the reader and API have the same defaults; increasing the Faceting Factor without accounting for the larger file size; and transferring unnecessary parameters and links. Check the corresponding option and its default for the method you’re using.