Free course · Architecture & Engineering
Free Navisworks Course
Coordinate BIM projects in Navisworks: federate models, review and mark up, build search sets, run clash detection, simulate construction in 4D and report.
7 lessons · 1 practical project · about 6 hours · free, no sign-up
Your progress
0 of 8 lessons and projects complete · saved on this device
About this course
Navisworks is where discipline models come together. This free course teaches the workflow of a BIM coordinator: combining models correctly, finding your way around and recording issues, organising elements into reusable search sets, running focused clash tests, simulating construction sequences with TimeLiner, and reporting in a way that gets problems fixed.
The final project runs a complete coordination round, from receiving models to producing the meeting pack.
By the end you will be able to
- Set up federated models correctly
- Review, measure and mark up models
- Build self-updating search sets
- Run and manage clash tests
- Create 4D simulations
- Report coordination clearly
Who it’s for
- • BIM coordinators and aspiring BIM managers
- • Revit users joining coordination teams
- • Contractors' engineers and planners
- • Services designers coordinating their trades
Getting Navisworks legitimately
- • Autodesk offers free trials of Navisworks Manage and Simulate.
- • Navisworks Freedom is a free viewer for NWD files.
- • Eligible students and educators can get free educational access.
Course outline
Follow the order, or jump to what you need — nothing is locked. Each lesson has steps, an exercise, a checklist and a quiz.
Beginner Federating and reviewing
Beginner overviewWhat Navisworks is, how its file types work, and how to navigate and review a federated model.
- 1. What is Navisworks?Navisworks combines models from many design tools into one place for review, clash detection and construction simulation. It’s the coordination hub on many BIM projects.12 min
- 2. File formats and appending modelsGetting file types right is the first coordination skill. Learn NWC, NWD and NWF, how to append models from different tools, and how to keep a federated model up to date.16 min
- 3. Navigation, viewpoints and reviewReviewing a model well means getting to the right place quickly and recording what you find. Learn navigation, viewpoints, sectioning, measuring and markup.16 min
Intermediate Coordination
Intermediate overviewSearch sets and Clash Detective — the core of model coordination.
- 1. Selection trees and search setsClash tests and 4D links are only as good as the sets they use. Learn to find elements by property and build search sets that update automatically when models refresh.18 min
- 2. Clash DetectiveClash Detective finds where models collide. Learn to set up focused tests, filter out noise with tolerances and rules, group results into real issues and report them.24 min
Advanced 4D and reporting
Advanced overviewConstruction simulation with TimeLiner, quantity take-off and coordination reporting.
- 1. TimeLiner: 4D simulationTimeLiner links model elements to the construction programme so you can watch the building go up — a powerful way to check sequencing and communicate with the whole team.20 min
- 2. Quantification and coordination reportingNavisworks can measure quantities from models and produce the reports that keep coordination moving. Learn what quantification can and can’t do, and how to report well.16 min
Practical projects Practical project
Practical projects overviewRun a complete coordination round.
Free KitWren tools for this course
- Length ConverterConvert between metres, centimetres, millimetres, kilometres, inches, feet, yards and miles.
- Merge PDFCombine multiple PDFs into one file, in any order, choosing which pages to include from each.
- Image CompressorCompress JPG, PNG and WebP images to make them much smaller — with a before/after preview and the size saved.
- Working Days CalculatorCount business days between two dates, excluding weekends and your public holidays.
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Navisworks course: questions
Which version of Navisworks do I need?
Navisworks Manage includes Clash Detective and Quantification; Simulate includes review and TimeLiner; Freedom is a free viewer. The coordination lessons need Manage — a trial or education licence works for learning.
Do I need to know Revit first?
It helps to understand how models are made, and the export lessons mention Revit. The BIM and Revit courses give that background.
Can Navisworks fix clashes?
No. It finds and communicates them; the fixes happen in each discipline's authoring model.
Free, independent learning material written for KitWren. Navisworks is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. KitWren is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Autodesk. We never provide software downloads, licence keys or cracks — use the official sources.