Overview
What is Navisworks: Autodesk Navisworks is BIM project review and coordination software for AEC teams. It aggregates 3D models from 60+ file formats, including Revit, AutoCAD, and IFC, into a single federated view. Its core functions include clash detection via Clash Detective, 4D/5D schedule simulation via TimeLiner, and quantification takeoff. Navisworks Manage, the full edition, is included in the Autodesk AEC Collection and integrates directly with Autodesk Construction Cloud for issue tracking and model coordination.
Datagrid connects to Navisworks through a plugin that pushes data from within the Navisworks desktop environment, as well as through workspace-level Automations that ingest Navisworks exports. Datagrid is an official Autodesk AECO Technology Partner, and the integration covers four primary data endpoints: Clash Tests, Clash Results, Model Data, and Model Geometry. Clash Tests and Clash Results depend on Navisworks Manage, while plugin-based non-clash workflows can run from supported desktop installations. Once ingested, Datagrid's agentic AI agents turn raw BIM data into structured outputs. Receiving teams do not need Navisworks installed.
The key data flows between the two systems center on clash detection outputs, including test configurations, individual clash results with element pairs and status flags, element-level model properties such as material, system type, level, and discipline, plus model geometry. This data feeds workflows like automated coordination reporting, cross-platform sync with project management, scheduling, and enterprise systems, and agentic AI-prioritized clash triage.
How to integrate Navisworks with Datagrid
The Navisworks integration gives Datagrid access to clash tests, clash results, model data, and model geometry from your Navisworks projects. To set up the integration, install the plugin, authenticate the connection, and configure data sync from the Datagrid workspace.
Install the Navisworks plugin
Open Navisworks Manage on your desktop for clash-related workflows. For non-clash plugin workflows, use a supported Navisworks desktop installation.
Install the Datagrid plugin for Navisworks. The plugin sends data directly from the Navisworks environment to your Datagrid workspace.
In Datagrid, go to Settings > Connectors > Add New and select Navisworks.
Authenticate the connection
Authenticate your Datagrid workspace with your Navisworks plugin credentials.
Select the data endpoints you want to sync: Clash Tests, Clash Results, Model Data, and/or Model Geometry.
The Navisworks integration uses plugin-based authentication. The Datagrid plugin installs directly within supported Navisworks desktop editions and handles the data handoff between the desktop application and Datagrid's cloud workspace. For cloud-hosted Navisworks files in Autodesk Construction Cloud, Autodesk Platform Services uses OAuth 2.0 authentication with 2-legged and 3-legged flows.
Configure data sync
Configure your sync schedule or set up event-driven Automations from the Datagrid workspace.
The list below shows the supported sync endpoints and what each one sends into Datagrid.
Clash Tests — Navisworks → Datagrid, Test configurations including discipline pairs and selection sets
Clash Results — Navisworks → Datagrid, Individual clash records with element GUIDs, status flags, and severity
Model Data — Navisworks → Datagrid, Element-level properties including material, system type, level, phase, and discipline
Model Geometry — Navisworks → Datagrid, 3D geometry data from federated model sources
A typical workspace configuration looks like this:
{
"source": "Navisworks",
"authentication": "plugin-based",
"endpoints": [
"Clash Tests",
"Clash Results",
"Model Data",
"Model Geometry"
],
"sync": "scheduled or event-driven Automations",
"workspace_path": "Settings > Connectors > Add New > Navisworks"
}
Data pushes from Navisworks via the plugin or through scheduled Automations in the Datagrid workspace. Teams can version each sync and maintain a full coordination history. For setup details, use the Datagrid Navisworks connector documentation.
Why use Navisworks with Datagrid
Navisworks produces high-value coordination data, but that data often stays trapped in desktop files, exports, and manual review cycles. Datagrid turns those outputs into repeatable workflows that project teams can route, review, and act on across the rest of the stack.
Agentic AI-prioritized clash triage: Datagrid's AI agents parse clash results by discipline pair, severity, and grid location, separating true positives from false positives without manual review.
No-code BIM data transformation: Transform raw Navisworks element properties into structured formats such as JSON, CSV, or platform-native schemas without writing scripts or running desktop exports manually.
Cross-platform sync to 100+ tools: Route Navisworks model data and clash results directly to connected project platforms in your stack.
Versioned data with full traceability: Push and access multiple versions of clash data and model properties. Every coordination cycle produces a tracked record instead of a disposable export file.
Autonomous coordination reporting: AI agents aggregate clash status, issue assignments, and resolution rates into structured reports without manual pre-meeting compilation.
Reusable data workflows: Build transformation logic once and apply it to new project versions, new model uploads, and new coordination cycles with Datagrid's reusable Dataflows.
What you can build with Navisworks Datagrid integration
Project teams can use Navisworks data in Datagrid for coordination, reporting, enterprise sync, and schedule review workflows. The examples below show where the integration fits best.
Automated clash triage and routing: Datagrid's agent ingests Clash Detective XML exports at each coordination cycle, classifies each clash by discipline pair and severity, and routes prioritized clash lists to responsible teams through connected coordination workflows. A peer-reviewed study in Automation in Construction validates ML-based filtering of true vs. false clashes as a production-ready approach, and an Autodesk University session documented a firm achieving efficiency gains and reduced coordination prep time using Navisworks data with AI.
BIM-to-enterprise data pipeline: Extract element-level properties such as material, system type, and quantities from Navisworks model data, transform them in Datagrid, and deliver structured records to enterprise or cost management systems. This removes manual re-entry of BIM data into financial platforms and keeps model data moving beyond coordination software.
Schedule variance detection from TimeLiner exports: Ingest TimeLiner task exports, including planned start and end dates, task types, and element-to-task linkages, then cross-reference them against live schedule records in connected scheduling systems. Datagrid's agent identifies sequencing conflicts and critical path risks, then produces natural-language schedule risk summaries routed to project leadership. This export-based workflow is separate from the integration's four documented sync endpoints.
Coordination meeting report generation: Aggregate clash data, issue status, and viewpoint metadata from Navisworks exports into structured coordination meeting reports. The agent produces open-issue counts by trade, resolution-rate trends, and overdue item summaries by responsible party. Project executives receive coordination health updates without direct Navisworks access, and each cycle stays consistent and audit-ready.
Resources and documentation
Use the resources below to validate setup requirements, desktop API boundaries, and Autodesk cloud authentication details.
Datagrid Navisworks connector documentation - data endpoints, integration method, and setup details
Autodesk Navisworks .NET API and SDK overview - desktop API capabilities, NWCreate SDK, and plugin development
Navisworks 2025 ACC integration guide - Coordination Issues Add-In and BIM 360 connection setup
Navisworks Data Exchange Connector GA announcement - incremental model refresh and cross-app sharing for Navisworks 2024–2026
Frequently asked questions
What data can Datagrid extract from Navisworks?
Datagrid's Navisworks integration covers four data endpoints: Clash Tests, Clash Results, Model Data, and Model Geometry. Clash data includes test configurations and individual clash records with element GUIDs and status flags. Model Data covers element-level properties such as material, system type, level, phase, and discipline.
Does the Navisworks connector require a desktop installation?
Yes. Desktop-native Navisworks operations rely on the Navisworks .NET API, which requires a local Windows installation of Navisworks Manage or Simulate. Datagrid's plugin runs from within the Navisworks desktop application to push data to your cloud workspace. For Navisworks files hosted in Autodesk Construction Cloud, the Model Derivative API supports cloud-based NWD-to-SVF2 translation for viewing, but Navisworks-native desktop operations still require the desktop application.
What authentication method does the integration use?
The Datagrid plugin handles authentication directly within Navisworks. For cloud-hosted workflows involving Autodesk Construction Cloud or BIM 360, Autodesk Platform Services requires OAuth 2.0, using either 2-legged or 3-legged flows. If using 3-legged OAuth with ACC, your APS Client ID must be registered in the ACC admin panel under Custom Integrations.
Can Datagrid export transformed Navisworks data to other platforms?
Yes. After ingestion, Datagrid transforms Navisworks data and routes it to connected platforms. Transformed BIM data can be exported in structured formats for use in cost management, scheduling, and project management systems.
Does the AEC Data Model API work with Navisworks files?
No. The Autodesk AEC Data Model API explicitly supports only Revit 2024/2025 models hosted in Forma Data Management. Navisworks files are excluded. For Navisworks data extraction, the Datagrid plugin and the Model Coordination API for cloud-hosted clash detection via BIM 360 or ACC are the supported paths.
Similar integrations
Teams that run Navisworks usually connect it with adjacent BIM and coordination systems. These related integrations cover upstream authoring and downstream coordination workflows.
Autodesk Revit - BIM authoring tool that produces the parametric models fed into Navisworks for coordination and clash detection.
Autodesk Construction Cloud - Cloud-based common data environment for BIM coordination, document management, and issue tracking across Autodesk products.