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Navisworks version converter

Can it be saved down?

Usually yes. Navisworks' Save As lists the earlier NWD versions your release can write. For anything further back, re-append the original NWC files in the older release.

On coordination projects the clash model is passed between the BIM coordinator, the contractor and trade consultants, who are rarely on the same release. Navisworks handles this better than Revit: NWD files can be written for earlier releases, and NWF files only reference the source models.

The procedure that works

  1. 1File → Save As, then choose the older NWD version in the "Save as type" list. Save under a new name.
  2. 2Better for live coordination: send the NWF plus the NWC cache files. The NWF only references the models, so the older release rebuilds the scene from them.
  3. 3Version gap too large: open the older Navisworks and append the original NWC files (or the native RVT/DWG/IFC models) directly.
  4. 4Re-run the clash tests in the receiving release — clash results and viewpoints should be checked after any version change.

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What the file loses

  • • Features introduced after the target release (newer clash or timeliner options) are dropped.
  • • Saving an NWD freezes the geometry; later model updates do not flow through, unlike an NWF.
  • • Very large version gaps can drop appearance profiles and some saved viewpoint settings.

Questions

NWD, NWF or NWC — which should I send?

NWD for a frozen review copy, NWF plus NWCs for ongoing coordination, NWC only as the cache that a model exports to.

Can Navisworks Freedom open any NWD?

Freedom opens NWD files saved by its own release or earlier. Save down to the reviewer's Freedom version if they cannot open it.

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