Autodesk Navisworks is the desktop review layer between discipline authoring and coordinated project delivery.
For Australian AEC teams, the key question is how much review capability each user needs before choosing a version and license route.
The Navisworks decision begins with three different jobs: viewing a published model, building a simulation and detecting clashes.
Treating these jobs as one requirement can give occasional reviewers more software than they need while leaving coordinators without Clash Detective.
Once you separate them, the version, file workflow and Australian licensing route become much easier to compare.
What is Autodesk Navisworks?
Autodesk Navisworks is desktop model-review and coordination software that combines design and construction data in one federated model.
A federated model brings separate architectural, structural, services and other project inputs into a common review environment without turning them into one authoring model.
The coordination team can navigate the combined project, inspect object properties, measure elements and save review viewpoints.
Depending on the version, Autodesk Navisworks can also run construction simulations, quantify model content and detect interferences.
Autodesk describes the product as review and coordination software for unifying project data rather than creating the source design.
Navisworks therefore does not replace Revit, AutoCAD or another authoring application.
If your review finds a duct intersecting a beam, the responsible discipline changes its source model, then the updated information is loaded back into Navisworks for checking.
What is Navisworks Used For?
Navisworks is primarily used for:
- Model federation: Combine discipline and specialist inputs so the project can be reviewed across teams.
- Model review: Navigate complex models; inspect properties and clearances; save viewpoints to communicate findings.
- Clash detection: Use Navisworks Manage to test selected model sets for physical intersections and required clearances, then organise the results for resolution.
- 4D and 5D simulation: Link model objects to programme activities and cost items to review planned construction sequence and project timing.
- Quantification and issue workflows: Measure quantities from 2D or 3D information and connect coordination issues with Revit and Autodesk’s cloud environment.
Simply put, Autodesk Navisworks is used for BIM coordination by bringing discipline models together for review and simulation. Navisworks Manage also adds clash detection.
In your workflow, Navisworks can expose and group issues for communication. It does not make source‑model corrections or decide who owns them.
The surrounding coordination process still needs agreed model versions, test rules, responsibilities, and a close‑out cycle.
Navisworks Versions: Freedom vs Simulate vs Manage
Naviswork Freedom is for viewing, Simulate is for model review and 4D or 5D simulation, and Manage adds full coordination and clash detection.
We suggest you choose according to the highest action each user must perform, not simply the file they receive as you see in following table:
| Capability | Navisworks Freedom | Navisworks Simulate | Navisworks Manage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary job | View published project files | Federate, review, simulate and quantify | Coordinate, simulate, quantify and detect clashes |
| Open published NWD and DWF files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Build and save working review projects | No | Yes | Yes |
| Author TimeLiner simulations and quantification | No | Yes | Yes |
| Run Clash Detective and manage interference results | No | No | Yes |
| Revit and cloud issue integration | No | No | Yes |
| License status | Free | Paid | Paid |
Navisworks Freedom (Free Viewer)
Navisworks Freedom is the free viewer for published NWD and DWF files. It suits clients and reviewers who need to navigate the model or inspect embedded properties and viewpoints.
They can also see animations, redlines and comments without building the coordination model themselves.
Please note that Freedom is not a free edition of Manage. It cannot create the working federation, author a TimeLiner sequence or run Clash Detective, so a Simulate or Manage user must prepare and publish the NWD first.
Navisworks Simulate
Navisworks Simulate is the paid tier for federated model review, TimeLiner scheduling, simulation and quantification without Clash Detective.
Its 4D scope links model objects to time, while 5D workflows can add cost-related information to the programme and model review.
Choose Simulate when a user must combine inputs, interrogate the project or build construction-sequence simulations but does not own native clash testing. It is a narrower license than manage, not an intermediate viewer.
Navisworks Manage
Navisworks Manage is the full tier for clash detection in BIM, advanced coordination and the complete Simulate toolset.
Clash Detective lets coordinators test defined model sets, review hard or clearance conflicts, group results and track their status through repeated coordination cycles.
Manage is normally the relevant tier when a BIM manager or coordinator is accountable for federated clash review.
It also supports issue integration with Revit and Autodesk’s cloud environment, but source-model corrections still return to the authoring team.
Navisworks File Formats (NWC, NWF, NWD)
There are three Navisworks file formats, each serving a distinct purpose: NWC carries model input, NWF stores the live coordination setup, and NWD packages a published snapshot.
Autodesk’s native-format definition makes the distinction depend on what each file stores and how it responds to source changes.
| Format | What It Is | What It Stores | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| NWC | Cache or exchange file | Converted model geometry and associated object data from a source input | Supply optimised discipline inputs to the federation |
| NWF | Working review file | Links to source files plus Navisworks review data; it does not save model geometry | Maintain the coordinator’s live federation, viewpoints, tests and review setup |
| NWD | Published document | A self-contained snapshot of model geometry and Navisworks review data | Issue a controlled model for wider review in paid Navisworks or Freedom |
|The rule is NWC in, NWF to coordinate, NWD to issue. So, when a source model changes, the NWC can be regenerated and the NWF can load the updated input while preserving Navisworks review data.
For example, if you send an NWF without its referenced files and working paths, the recipient does not receive a self-contained handover.
An NWD packages the reviewed state for distribution until the publisher issues another snapshot.
Navisworks vs Revit (and Where AutoCAD & ACC Fit)
Navisworks reviews combined models, while Revit and AutoCAD create project information and Autodesk Construction Cloud (now Autodesk Forma) controls cloud-based sharing and issues.
Navisworks and Revit are complementary parts of the workflow rather than substitutes for the same job.
Autodesk Construction Cloud is the cloud layer for controlled files, model coordination, and issue tracking.
Autodesk now positions ACC capabilities within Autodesk Forma, although ACC terminology remains common across existing projects and integrations.
| Tool | Primary Role | Typical Information | Where a Coordination Issue Is Handled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revit | BIM authoring and documentation | Discipline models, sheets, schedules and object data | The responsible author edits the Revit model |
| AutoCAD | Precise 2D and 3D CAD drafting | DWG drawings, details and specialist design information | The responsible author edits the DWG |
| Navisworks | Desktop federation, review, simulation and clash detection in Manage | NWC inputs, NWF working reviews and NWD publications | The coordination team finds, validates and rechecks the issue |
| ACC / Autodesk Forma | Cloud data management, model coordination and issue tracking | Controlled project files, versions and assigned issues | Teams distribute, assign and monitor the issue across the project |
In your workflow, a common handoff is:
- To author and correct information in Revit or AutoCAD.
- Aggregate and test it in Navisworks.
- Distribute files or issue records through the cloud environment.
Of course, the exact route can vary, but Navisworks remains the review layer rather than the source of design geometry.
How to Get Navisworks License in Australia
Australian firms can download Freedom free or buy paid Navisworks online or through an authorised Autodesk Partner like Interscale.
Autodesk lists all three paid purchase routes for Australia, so the commercial decision is mainly which product and seat mix fits the work.
The following public list prices were checked on 29 July 2026. They are per user, paid annually and exclude GST.
| Licnese | Price | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Navisworks Freedom | Free | Users who only view published NWD or DWF files |
| Navisworks Simulate | A$1,680 per year | Users who federate, review, simulate or quantify without running Clash Detective |
| Navisworks Manage | A$4,150 per year | Coordinators who run and manage clash tests |
| AEC Collection | A$5,390 per year | Named users who need Navisworks Manage plus other collection products |
Match Standalone Seats to Defined Roles
Standalone licenses are usually the better route when only a small group needs Navisworks functions and those people do not also need other Collection products. Start with a simple seat map:
- Freedom: people who only open published models.
- Simulate: users who prepare model reviews, 4D outputs or quantification.
- Manage: coordinators who own clash tests and issue follow-up.
Compare Manage with the AEC Collection per User
The Autodesk AEC Collection becomes the stronger option when the same named user needs Navisworks Manage alongside Revit, AutoCAD, Civil 3D or Autodesk Docs.
At the prices shown, the AEC Collection costs A$5,390 per user each year, compared with A$4,150 for standalone Manage: a difference of A$1,240.
Our advice is to compare that difference against the separate tools each person genuinely uses.
Because, in case, a clash coordinator may need Manage only, while a designer-coordinator who also works in Revit may be better suited to the Collection.
Confirm the License Plan Before You Order
Before approving a purchase, document each named user’s project responsibility, required Navisworks version and other Autodesk products.
This prevents occasional reviewers receiving Manage seats while coordinators lack the clash capability they need.
If you want help turning that review into a license plan, our team can license Navisworks via the AEC Collection, compare standalone seats and support assignment and rollout.
When Navisworks Licensing Needs a Practical Rollout Plan
Navisworks licensing becomes difficult when a team knows it needs model review and clash detection but has not defined who owns each task.
Without that role clarity, it is hard to choose the right version and license route.
Occasional reviewers can end up with paid functionality they never use, while coordinators may lack Manage and Clash Detective.
The result is a license plan that does not match the way models are actually reviewed and coordinated.
Once those responsibilities are defined, the license plan can follow the same workflow.
Interscale can help your team license Navisworks via the AEC Collection by mapping user roles, comparing standalone and Collection options, and supporting license assignment and rollout.
Where upfront software cost affects your decision, Interscale’s financing calculator can compare an ex-GST invoice amount with monthly leasing options across 12 to 60 months.
Our financing service can help procurement assess the cash-flow impact of the selected license plan before committing to a payment route.
If your team also needs help applying the workflow after licensing, Interscale’s clash detection services and BIM coordination support can help structure model federation, testing and issue follow-up.
Book a free Navisworks licensing discussion to map the right seats, license route and coordination support for your team. Schedule a free consultation with our experts.
