Navisworks vs. Newforma Project Center

Navisworks is a key tool if doing any 3D model coordination with other trades. It will allow you to view your model content with others to know for certain that your design is accurate and can be assembled. Navisworks also comes with a lot of additional tools to make this process easy.

Incentivized

Newforma is a great tool to collaborate with large teams and between firms. It allows for great documentation of transfers, activities, and other procedural aspects of projects that require collaboration between disciplines, for example, MEP, electrical, architectural and technology. For internal use, Newforma has been great for communications tracking and archival, as well as for record-keeping of all the users in a team or number of teams. Many great options are features are unused due to a lack of training or exposure to them, for example, the graphical viewers that can preview CAD, Revit, and other formats, or the markup tool available with the desktop client.

Incentivized

• Model Viewing, the navigation tools are really easy to use for walking through the model, especially if viewpoints are set up for key locations.
• The take-offs work really well and can be very quick and easy if the model was built right.

Incentivized

• Newforma sits on top of our previous filing system (Windows Explorer). This was very important to us because we didn't have to change the project numbering system in order to fit Newforma's design. Also, if we were to decide we didn't like it, we could easily revert back to our previous methods.
• Newforma does a great job of indexing information, making searches much easier by being able to use keywords instead of knowing the exact file location. No more traversing through countless folders before finding what you need.
• Newforma keeps a read receipt for everything that you submit through it for issue tracking, and keeps an easy to read record of your workflow.

Incentivized

• A link to BIM 360 Model Coordination is a serious shortcoming. It used to be easy to link to models loaded to BIM 360 Glue for more in depth clash detection.
• I would have liked the ability to export a simulation created in Navisworks to 3DS Max for a more immersive animation with decent material mapping and better animation tools.
• I would like to be able to view/create BIM 306 Docs/Field issues directly in Navisworks. In the current workflow we have to use other file formats to work within BIM 360. It would be more productive to be able to navigate the model through Navisworks and to create viewpoints and issues from within Navisworks.

Incentivized

• I have found it difficult to locate audits.
• Some users have issues while uploading project data.

Users are very happy with it and hear no complains from them

Incentivized

Autodesk owns Navisworks, and it seems to have a pretty good support network. A lot of the troubleshooting or support information is provided through an online database, so you most likely would not be getting any personal attention with your issues. Since there are so many users for Navisworks, there is a lot of information on the web.

Incentivized

While I have never asked for support myself, a Newforma representative has been in the office annually to give training seminars and info sessions on how to fully use the product. I find this essential to keep the product relevant and make sure everyone knows its full capabilities and an important part of customer support.

Incentivized

Navisworks is a master tool if we want to do any 3D model coordination with any trade of a building. It allows us to view our model content with all elements to visualize and understand for certain where our design stands in terms of accuracy and how all things can be assembled on site. Navisworks also comes with a lot of additional tools to make BIM process easy.

Incentivized

A good competitor against other similar solutions and support is excellent.

Incentivized

• It helps in coordination on BIM projects. We have had major project coordination saving millions on jobs.
• Helps us win more projects as we can coordinate them
• Used to use the animation tools for site logistics. Now we use game engines.

Incentivized

• Newforma makes it easy to transfer, share, archive, and search extensive data sets in a single GUI
• For it to be effective, all users in a team must receive a basic training and use it consistently
• Adoption in the industry is good (A/E); many teams use it consistently. Learning to use it once produces time-saving in subsequent projects

Incentivized