Measure tool

[diesellam]

Does Navisworks Freedom 2009 have the measure tool like in Navisworks Manage 2009?

[lgarduno]

I do not think it does. I have looked for it and cannot find it. The funny thing is in the global options you can change the color, thickness, and in 3D. I know it was there on the download about 3 months ago but no idea where it went.

[diesellam]

I guess Autodesk wants people to buy Manage if they do want the measure tool.
I think if this tool is kind of necessary to have especially doing to the presentation in Freedom. If the consultants want to know the distance of the clearance, we can know it right a way.

Freedom doesn't have this measure tool and the section tool, which ironically the Design Review has both of them.

[RobertB]

I guess Autodesk wants people to buy Manage if they do want the measure tool.

I think if this tool is kind of necessary to have especially doing to the presentation in Freedom. If the consultants want to know the distance of the clearance, we can know it right a way.

Freedom doesn't have this measure tool and the section tool, which ironically the Design Review has both of them.That's a bit unfair when you know the history of Navisworks. Please remember that Navisworks was bought by Autodesk less than 2 years ago. The Freedom viewer, with its limitations, was developed by the original company.

[cjehly]

That's a bit unfair when you know the history of Navisworks. Please remember that Navisworks was bought by Autodesk less than 2 years ago. The Freedom viewer, with its limitations, was developed by the original company.

you shouldn't open up old wounds. As a user of Navisworks since 2003, I feel a bit jaded when the subject comes up. I won't mention the price back then, but I will state the product back then has not been advanced much at all in 5yrs, except to dissect a product in 3 different pieces. grrrr.

[RobertB]

you shouldn't open up old wounds. As a user of Navisworks since 2003, I feel a bit jaded when the subject comes up. I won't mention the price back then, but I will state the product back then has not been advanced much at all in 5yrs, except to dissect a product in 3 different pieces. grrrr.Granted. I didn't say that the purchase improved things, only that Freedom existed before Autodesk's purchase.

P.S. As I recall, the old company had a bunch of different modules that had to be purchased to perform different tasks. Not much different, is it?

[cjehly]

Granted. I didn't say that the purchase improved things, only that Freedom existed before Autodesk's purchase.

P.S. As I recall, the old company had a bunch of different modules that had to be purchased to perform different tasks. Not much different, is it?

in 2001, there was only 1 module that did it ALL. When I purchased in 2003, I had to buy Navis+clash, and Timeliner was seperate as well.

[dgorsman]

in 2001, there was only 1 module that did it ALL. When I purchased in 2003, I had to buy Navis+clash, and Timeliner was seperate as well.

Hmmm, one module? Lets see...

Old system:

Freedom
Roamer (we got a "bundled" version with CADWorx)
Presenter module (required Roamer license)
Publisher module (required Roamer license, we only had one fixed license)
Clash Detective module (required Roamer license, we eventually got a floating license)
Timeliner module (required Roamer license)

Now we have:

Freedom (clients can see CADWorx data in Freedom now - BIG improvement for us)
Review (includes Publish - BIG improvement for our side)
Simulate (includes Review; nothing for us here)
Manage (includes Simulate and Clash Detective)

Under miscellaneous improvements, using the FlexLM licensing makes things much easier for me to manage the licenses.

[cjehly]

Hmmm, one module? Lets see...

Old system:

Freedom
Roamer (we got a "bundled" version with CADWorx)
Presenter module (required Roamer license)
Publisher module (required Roamer license, we only had one fixed license)
Clash Detective module (required Roamer license, we eventually got a floating license)
Timeliner module (required Roamer license)

Now we have:

Freedom (clients can see CADWorx data in Freedom now - BIG improvement for us)
Review (includes Publish - BIG improvement for our side)
Simulate (includes Review; nothing for us here)
Manage (includes Simulate and Clash Detective)

Under miscellaneous improvements, using the FlexLM licensing makes things much easier for me to manage the licenses.

so, for another 12k, you got flexLM, and you can see CADWorx in Freedom...

I was speaking of a time before there was "Roamer", "Clash Detective", "Publisher" etc...

If you had Navisworks, you had all of that. I dunno if Coade was the first to sell crippled versions or not; I wasn't running Coade at the the time, but I do remember installing "NAVISWORKS", paying a small sum compared to just 6 yrs later, and enjoying the functionality that I basically still use today.

There has been VERY little added... was my point, and I'll stick to it, thanks.

[amixam]

There has been VERY little added... was my point, and I'll stick to it, thanks.

Perhaps you should read Lachmi Khemlani's review of NavisWorks (http://www.aecbytes.com/review/2008/NavisWorks2009.html) on why so little has changed.

Here's a quote:

"Taking a detailed look at NavisWorks after a long gap of over four and a half years, what surprised me was how little the application has really changed, apart from some enhancements and the repacking into four separate applications. On the surface, this might seem like a bad thing as it could be indicative of a lack of progress in the application. On the other hand, it could also be reflective of how good the original application was that it warranted such little change over the last few years.

Cheers

[cjehly]

The article is spot-on, by the way... the product (navisworks) WAS That good, from the start. Now I also don't mean to infer that Autodesk needlessly jacked the price of the product; that was done before, long ago...

I'm just venting a bit, knowing that many people are excluding from using such a product simply based on cost. Its annoying to see personally. Navisworks was/is a great product, but it was much more accessible to guys like me in the past, working for smaller companies, or consulting on their own.

Thankfully, I have a forward-thinking company with a budget that can afford some seats, and I get to use it daily, but I do feel sorry that we've isolated a group of companies and individuals would include me less than a decade ago.

I guess I've completely derailed this one... my sincerest apologies.