Better Coordination in Revit

Many designers mainly use Navisworks Manage for coordination. But you may have heard peers in your industry talking about bouncing back and forth between Navisworks and Revit. If you’ve been wondering whether you’re behind the curve in your use of Revit, take heart. Coordination can be done in Revit.

Coordination has improved quite a bit in the latest version of Revit. With Navisworks Manage being the ultimate software to coordinate models, it is still the standard. But getting your models just right earlier in your workflow and in Revit is possible.

First you can coordinate all Revit families within a project using the Interference Check tool built into Revit. You can coordinate duct, pipe, electrical containment – nearly all of your systems if you’re using Revit system families.

You can run interference checks for systems vs. other discipline models. For instance, you can check your ductwork to determine clashing with pipes or even structure within your Revit working models. Check early in the design stages for these coordination issues so you can be prepared in coordination meetings to quickly isolate real or bigger issues.

Autodesk Knowledge Network describes in detail the typical workflow for interference checking, tips for interference checking, and examples of elements that require interference checking, including:

• Girders and purlins
• Roofs and floors
• Structural bracing and walls
• Doors, windows
• Specialty equipment
• Structural and architectural columns

But what if you don’t have Revit families or models to coordinate against? In Revit version 2018, Autodesk introduced using interoperable workflows between Revit and Navisworks. You can open a Navisworks model directly in Revit to coordinate your design with a team that is not using Revit.

The workflow of using Revit and Navisworks together involves several steps:

• C. Exporting the Revit model
• D. Using the model in Navisworks.

Besides clash detection, Navisworks allows you to perform simulations and quantification.

All types of CAD files can be used in Navisworks and saved as a coordination model to link into your Revit working projects for coordination.

Although in the past you had to go back and forth between them, now bringing all of those models into your Revit project saves the time of switching between products to make a change and then move on to the next.

The Autodesk Knowledge Network has four useful lessons about coordination models:

1. Use Coordination Models (with video)
2. Link a coordination model
3. Use Visibility/Graphics
4. Manage coordination models

Note: MEP fabrication parts and detailed steel modeling elements are not included during interference checking. The recommended workflow is to use Navisworks.