InstructionsandnotesforProjectVUEViewingFileReader

Version1.2.0.0
Thanksforjoiningtheproject.Herearesomeinstallationinstructionsalongwithsometipstohelpyou
getgoodresultsfromtheNavisworksVUEFileReader.
First,arequest
Pleasegiveusyourfeedback.YoucaneitherpostcommentsontheLabsforumorsendusprivateemail
viatheVUEViewingLabsprojectemailaddresslabs.nw.vue@autodesk.com.
Wereallyappreciateyourinput!
BeforeinstallingtheupdatedVUEFileReader
TheVUEFileReaderworkswithNavisworksManageorNavisworksSimulateversions2015or2016.If
youreusingNavisworksManage2015youshouldalsohaveServicePacks2and3installed.
Navisworksisa64bitapplicationandmustusethe64bitMicrosoftAccessDatabaseEnginetoreadthe
SmartPlant3DMDB2modelpropertiesfiles.TheVUEFileReaderinstallerincludesthe2010versionof
thatdatabaseengineandwilltrytoinstallitifneeded.
Important:Ifyouarerunning32bitMicrosoftOfficeproductsthenthe64bitMicrosoftAccess
DatabaseEnginewontwork,andtheVUEFileReaderwontbeabletoretrieveanddisplayany
properties/attributesfromthe.mdb2files.Insuchcasesyouwillneedtofirstuninstallthe32bitMS
Officeproductsandreplacethemwith64bitMSOffice.Sorry,thatsjusthowMicrosoftmadethose
tools.
ToinstalltheVUEFileReader

ManuallyuninstallanypriorversionoftheVUEFileReader.
DownloadandunzipthecontentsofthenewVUEFileReadersinstaller.
RuntheSetup.exetoinstallthenewVUEFileReader.
TestthenewVUEFileReaderinNavisworksandprovidegreatfeedback!

SomegeneralnotesabouttheVUEFileReader
TheVUEFileReaderaddsafilereadertoNavisworkswhichcanreadSmartPlantReviewmodels.The
FileReaderexpects.VUEand.MDB2filepairshavingthesamebasefilename.Themodelgeometryisin
theVUEfileandthetextualpropertiesareintheMDB2file(oroptionallyinanXMLfile).TheFileReader
willreadpropertiesfromeithertheMDB2ortheXMLbutcurrentlygivesbetterresultsusingtheMDB2.
Thegeometrywereawareofissupported.Weareusingcyancoloredaxiallyalignedboundingboxesas
placeholdersforanygeometrynotyetsupported.Youshouldseeveryfewifanyofthose.Butitcould
happen.Furtherbelow,thereareinstructionsforhowtofindanyboundingboxes.Ifyoudosee

boundingboxesorgeometrythatneedsourattentionorifyouhaveotherideasforimprovements
pleasepostanoteontheLabsprojectsforumorwriteusanemailusingtheLabsprojectemailaddress
labs.nw.VUE@autodesk.com.Wecantsayiforwhenwelladdsupportforyourcommentsorideas,but
wewillcertainlyconsiderthem.
WeareseeinggreatfilecompressionwhencomparingtheoriginalSmartPlantReviewmodelfilesto
theNavisworksversion.
IttakeslongertoloadVUEfilesinNavisworksthanittakestoopenthesamemodelinoneof
IntergraphsviewerssuchasRevieworFreeview.ButitsworthnotingthatNavisworksisntjustloading
themodelitsconvertingandmergingtheVUEgeometryandtheMDB2propertiesintoNavisworks
ownNWCcachefileformat.Openingthemodelthereafterwillbefast.
Beforeyouloadyourmodel
SmartPlant/Smart3DOnlyplease
TheFileReadersupportsonlySmartPlant3Dcontent.ItdoesnotsupportcontentinVUEfileswhichmay
havebeencreatedusingotherdesigntools,suchasIntergraphPDS,whichmayhavebeenincluded
usingSmartPlantInterop(SPIOP).TheFileReaderwilltrytorecognizethesemodelsanddisplayanalert
messageaboutUnsupportedGeometry.NonSmartPlant3DmodelsarestoredintheVUEfiledifferently
andsupportingthemviaVUEfilesisoutsidethescopeofthisproject.HoweverNavisworksdirectly
supportscontentfrommanyotherdesigntoolsalready.Somodelsfromthoseothertoolscanusuallybe
loadedusingNavisworksAppendfunctionality.
OpeningmultipleVUEfilesallatonce
SmartPlantReviewsupportsopeningmultiplefilesusinganSVFfile.Navisworksdoesntusethose.
NavisworkshassimilarfunctionalityviaitsNWFfile.ToloadVUEfilesthefirsttimeyoucanuseeither
OpenorAppend,andthenselectmultiplefilesatonceinthefiledialogbox.Oryoucanoptionallyselect
multipleVUEfilesinWindowsExplorerandthendrag&dropthemontoNavisworks.Eitherway,after
openingtheminNavisworksyoucansavetoanNWFfile.TheNWFfileisareferencepointertooneor
moremodelfiles.Thereafter,whenyouopentheNWFfile,NavisworkswillcheckforupdatestotheVUE
filesandwillreimportthemifneeded.Anymodeloffsets,transforms,colorchanges,etc.madetothe
loadedmodel(s)arestoredintheNWFandwillbereappliedtoanyupdatedVUEfilemodels.
ChoosetokeeporomitWelds
Weveincludedanoptionwhichpermitsenablingordisablingtheloadingofwelds.Forsomecompanies
thedisplayandpropertiesofweldsmaybeimportant.Forothers,notsomuch.Soweveprovidedan
optiontoloadthemornot.NotloadingthemwillreducethesizeoftheNavisworksmodelfile,andwill
alsoincreasethespeedofimportingthemodel.IfyoupressF12andthengotoFileReaders>VUE,and
choosetheoptiontoHideWeldstheywontbemported.Wehaveseenthisreducetheresultingfilesize
from25to45%.Andwehaveseenloadtimeimprovementsfrom5to75%.Itsyourchoice.

Workingwithyourmodel
OrderingtheSelectionTree
WhenNavisworksloadsamodelitleavesthingsintheordertheyweregiveninthesourcemodel.This
canmakelookingforthingsintheSelectionTreetedious,especiallywhenyourelookingthrough
hundredsorthousandsofitems.Toremedythis,afterloadingyourmodel(s),youcangetamoreorderly
hierarchyintheNavisworksSelectionTreebysortingit.TosortyourSelectionTreesimplyrightclickon
thetoplevelofitandusethecontextmenuandclickScene>Sort.Thisisaonetimeprocessforeach
loadedmodelandoncethemodelissavedthesortedorderwillremainineffect.

FindingitemsbyNameinyourmodel
YoucanfindanyitemsinyourmodelusingQuickFind(CtrlF)orFindItems(Shift+F3).Itspretty
intuitivesonodetailshere.JustnotethatFindItemsisapowerfulfeaturethatwillpermityoutofilter
forthethingsyourelookingfor.YoucanalsouseQuickFindduringyourtestingtofindany
placeholdergeometry(thecyancoloredaxiallyalignedboundingboxesmentionedearlier).Findthese
byusingeithertheQuickFindintheribbonbarorbypressingCtrlF.Thentypeinboundingbox
withoutthequotes.Afterfindingoneboundingbox(assumingyoudo),youcanfindthenextoneby

clickingthelightningboltnexttowhereyoutyped,orbyclickingtheFindMorebutton.Youcanalso
chooseSelectSameNameonthetoolbarmenutoselectthemall.
QuickFindandFindItemsontheribbonbar

QuickFindusingtheCtrlFkeystroke

Findingitemsbytheirproperty
NavisworkshasmorethanoneformofSelectionTree.ItcanbetheStandardhierarchybasedone.Orit
canbebasedonProperties.Justchoosewhatyouwantfromthedropdownmenu.

WhenusingthePropertiesversionoftheSelectionTree,youcandrilldownthroughanyproperty,
includingSmartPlant3Dproperties.YoucanusethistolocatemanythingsnotshownintheStandard
SelectionTree,suchasSpools,SystemPath,SystemName,SupportNames,PipingMaterialClasses,and
manyotherthings.


NoteifyouarenotgoingtousethePropertiesversionoftheSelectionTreeoften,youmaywantto
leavetheSelectionTreesettoStandardwhenyouexitNavisworks.ThiswillpreventNavisworksfrom
takingthetimetoloadthepropertiesallatoncewhenyounextopenthemodel.


Selectingsomethingfromalistandzoomingtoit
YoucanselectanitemintheSelectionTreeandthenpressyourHomeorPageDownkeytozoomtoitin
themodeldisplay.Iftheobjectisntvisible(perhapshiddenbehindsomethingelse)youcaneasilyorbit
aroundtorevealit.Yourselecteditemwillbethecenterofyourorbitsoyoushouldseeitasyouorbit.
Butifyouneedto,justtapyourHomeorPageDownkeyagaintoensureyourselectedobjectisinyour
view.
Selectingobjectsinthemodeldisplay
Whenpickinganobjectintheview,youllseethatNavisworksdefaultbehavioristoselecttheLast
objectinthemodelhierarchy.YoucanseethisintheSelectionTree.ThisusuallycausesNavisworksto
picksomethingotherthananamedobjectinyourmodel.Youcaneasilychangethisbehaviorbyright
clickinganitemintheview,andthenchoosingSetSelectionResolutiontoFirstObjectonthecontext
menu.PickingsomethingthereaftershoulddisplaySmartPlantpropertiesataparentobjectlevel.This
settingwillremainforsubsequentNavisworkssessionsunlessyouchangeitagain.Notethatifyou
changedtheSelectionResolutiontoFirstObjectbutstilldontgettheexpectedPropertiestodisplay,
thenyoucanusuallypickanelementonelevelbelowthatitemintheSelectionTreeanditsproperties
willbedisplayed.

DisplayingQuickProperties
NavisworksQuickPropertiesfeaturedisplaysatooltipcontainingoneormorepropertieswhenyou
hoveryourcursoroveragiveniteminthemodel.Youcansettheseupandturnthemon/offusingthe
Options(F12)dialogboxunderInterface>QuickProperties>Definitions.Usethedialogboxtochoose
theSmartPlant3Dcategoryandthenchooseoneormorepropertiesyouwanttodisplay.Thesesettings
willremainforsubsequentNavisworkssessions.Notethatsettingtheseupusingasmallmodelis
quicker,asNavisworkswillparsethewholemodeltoprovideyouwithacompletelistofallpossible
propertiestochoosefrom.

Automaticloadingandupdatingofmodels
YoucanuseNavisworksScripterfunctionalitytoautomaticallyloadoneormoreVUEfilesasthedesign
processprogressesandchangesaremade.Thisprocesscanevenbeconfiguredtorunwhenyoure
awayfromyourcomputer.ChecktheonlineHelpfordetailsaboutthis.

ColorsandTransparency
TheVUEFileReaderusespreset(hardcoded)colorsandtransparencyaccordingtoitemtypes.Andin
somecasessuchasforSlabsandforobstructionvolumesandInsulationweaddedtranslucency.
YoucanchangebothcolorsandtransparencyinNavisworksofcourse,andthensavethechangestoan
NWFfilesotheyarereappliedwhenyoureopenthemodel(s).
Thisisntoptimal.Butyoumaynotneedtoselecteachitemtodothisyoucantryselectingoneitem
andthenoneoftheoptionsunderSelectSameinthemenu.Oncetheitemsareselectedyoucan
rightclickononeofthemintheSelectionTreeandchooseOverrideItem>ColororTransparency.
Feedbackisalsowelcomedhereofcourse.
Otherinformation
Navisworkshasmanyothergreatfeaturesandfunctionality.PleaserefertoHelporexploreanyofthe
manyvideos,tutorialsanduserforumsavailableontheinternet.
Knownlimitations
OnlySmartPlant/Smart3DmodelssupportedinVUEfiles
TheFileReadersupportsSmartPlant3Dcontentonly.ItdoesnotsupportcontentinVUEfileswhichmay
havebeencreatedusingotherdesigntools,suchasIntergraphPDS,whichmayhavebeenincluded
usingSmartPlantInterop(SPIOP).TheFileReaderwilltrytorecognizetheseanddisplayanalert
messageaboutUnsupportedGeometry.Ifthisalertisshownitwillgiveyoutheoptiontotryandload
onlytheS3Ddata.
Hierarchyandassociations
ForsomemodelsthehierarchyintheSelectionTreemightnothavesomethingsintheirproperplaces.
Ifyouseethispleasebringittoourattention.Forexample,ifyouseesomethingthatshouldhavea
parent/childrelationshipwellappreciatehearingfromyou.Itwillhelpalotifyoucanprovidesample
modelsandcitespecificexamplesoftheseissues.
YoumayknowthattheFileReadertriestoloadpropertiesfromtheMDB2generatedbySmartPlant
RevieworfromtheXMLfileinitiallyexportedfromSmartPlant3D.WhenonlytheXMLfileisavailableit
willreadinthepropertiesfromthere.HowevertheSelectionTreehierarchydoesnothavethesame
parent/childlevelsaswhenusinganMDB2.Propertiesarealsonotasrobust.
ColorRules
ColorsandTransparency
Colorsandtransparencyarepresetbasedonitemtypes.ThesecanbechangedinNavisworksandthose
changescanbesavedandreappliedasdesignchangesoccur.

Morefeedbackneeded!
Remember,youcaneitherpostyourcommentsontheforum,oryoucansendusaprivateemailvia
labs.nw.vue@autodesk.com
WehopeyouliketheVUEFileReaderandthatyourtestingofitinNavisworksisagoodexperience.

AutodeskandNavisworksareregisteredtrademarksofAutodesk,Inc.IntergraphandSmartPlantare
registeredtrademarksofIntergraphCorporationoritssubsidiariesintheUnitedStatesandinother
countries.IntergraphispartofHexagon.