Opening a Revit DWG in Navisworks...Where are the materilas?

[anthony.foster-davis]

How do I get my materials to apprear in Navisworks from a Revit DWG. I don't use Revit...only Navisworks, but when I retrieve a Revit DWG File from an Architect, Contractor, etc., I am unable to see the materials in Navisworks. I contacted Navisworks support and they told me I needed to have a materials file attached with the DWG that was sent to me. Unfortunately the personnel at my company that uses Revit are not sure on how to create a materials file. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thx

[david.kingham]

I believe it is only possible to bring in materials from Architectural Desktop aka AutoCAD Architecture or from 3dsmax. A dwg from revit or even a nwc from will not have materials. A nwc will have the material parameter from revit so you can map the appropriate NW material but the actual image will not come through. A dwg from revit will only have layers that you can map materials to.

I'd like to be proven wrong because I would love for the revit materials to come straight over but I think this is a wishlist item

[anthony.foster-davis]

Hi David,
I learned that if the Revit users export a DWF File, Navisworks will show the materials in the model. However, in the selection tree the layers appear as numbers not the actual name of the items/objects in the layers and the materials are not called out they are only visuals...Any suggestions?

[david.kingham]

DWF's do not work well in NW and we have no control of what comes out of revit. Are you trying to render or do you just want to see what the materials are?

[anthony.foster-davis]

I plan on doing both...I want to be able to use the full potential of NW

[david.kingham]

If the architect is willing to send you the revit file your best bet is to download revit and install the navisworks plugin, you can export a nwc from revit in demo/viewer mode. This still doesn't bring over the render materials but it does bring the material definitions so it will be easy to map those definitions to navis materials

[L Wood]

Any predictions on the compatibility of the new rendering platform in Revit 2009 with Navisworks?

[david.kingham]

NavisWorks is still using LightWorks in 09, so no there is no compatability