NavisWorks Collision Detection vs. Clash Detective

Don’t be confused or tricked when looking for the correct NavisWorks program that can find interferences between two or more solid objects. NavisWorks comes in 4 flavors; Freedom Viewer, Review, Simulate and Manage. Only Manage comes with Clash Detective, while Review and Simulate and Manage comes with Collision Detection. Don’t get the two mixed up, because they do two very different things. It is very deceiving. What is the difference?

Collision Detection
This function defines you as a collision volume in a walkthrough environment that can navigate around and interact with the model, obeying certain physical rules and gravity that confine you within the model itself. In other words, you have a mass and as such, cannot pass through other objects, points or lines in the scene.

You can walk over, or climb over objects in the scene that are up to half the height of the collision volume, thus allowing you to walk up stairs or through a door, but not allowing you to walk through a wall, for example.

Clash Detective
The Clash Detective tool enables effective identification, inspection, and reporting of interference clash in a 3D project model between various 3D solid objects.

Using Clash Detective can help you to reduce the risk of human error during model inspections.
Clash Detective can be used as a one-off ‘sanity check’ for a completed design work, or it can be used as an ongoing audit check of the project.

You can use Clash Detective to conduct clash tests between traditional 3D geometry (triangles), and laser geometry.

You can combine the Clash Detective functionality with other NavisWorks tools:

• Linking Clash Detective and Object Animation together gives you the ability to automatically check interferences between moving objects. For example, linking a Clash Detective test to an existing animation scene would automatically highlight clashes for both static and moving objects during the animation, e.g. a crane rotating through the top of a building, a delivery lorry colliding with a workgroup, etc.
• Linking Clash Detective and TimeLiner together enables the time-based clash checks on the project.
• Linking Clash Detective, TimeLiner, and Object Animation, together enables clash testing of fully animated TimeLiner schedules.

So if you, or somebody is looking for “Collision Detection” in a software program, make sure you know what that means.

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Autodesk Extends 3D Leadership with Acquisition of NavisWorks

Autodesk has signed an agreement to acquire NavisWorks, a privately-held company based in Sheffield, England that provides software for 3D coordination, collaboration and sequencing in design and construction for approximately $25 million in USD cash, subject to a working capital adjustment. The acquisition underscores Autodesk’s commitment to help its customers derive the greatest possible value from the information created during all phases of the design process.

NavisWorks is a global provider of software that enables full exploitation of the benefits of 3D digital designs in the construction, plant and marine design markets for purposes ranging from design coordination and clash detection to construction simulations. Its products are used by many of the world’s leading construction companies, architects, engineers, process and power firms and shipbuilders. NavisWorks products support increased interoperability by coordinating design information from multiple sources. The company is also a Charter Member of the USA National BIM standard.

Autodesk currently plans to offer new solutions that incorporate both NavisWorks and Autodesk technology, and to continue supporting the existing NavisWorks product line “The acquisition of NavisWorks is part of Autodesk’s commitment to offering more complete solutionsacross the AEC industry” said Jay Bhatt, senior vice president, Autodesk AEC Solutions. “The addition of NavisWorks technology to the Autodesk portfolio will help our customers leverage their design data to make better design and construction decisions and increase the value of their investments in design technology.”

“For more than 7 years, NavisWorks solutions have helped design professionals across the construction, building, plant, and marine industries better collaborate, create more coordinated designs, and work more efficiently,” said Peter Thompson, CEO of NavisWorks. “The combination of NavisWorks and Autodesk technology is an excellent match. Our products augment the coordinated, consistent, and computable information produced by the Revit platform for building information modeling, and can aggregate that information with data from other sources including AutoCAD, Inventor and Civil 3D, to build the most complete understanding possible of the overall project. We are excited to join the Autodesk family.”

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