AutoCAD 2016 now has the option of referencing Navisworks cache (NWC) files or document (NWD) files.
A designer can reference these files from within AutoCAD and so “draw in context.” This promotes clash avoidance and promotes better coordination between the building trades. When the AutoCAD file is appended to the Navisworks model, it would be coordinated and be correctly located within the model.
This both simplifies the coordination process and lets the AutoCAD user see the relevant NWC or NWD file change as the aggregated model is updated.
For more information, view this video: BIM Coordination – AutoCAD and Navisworks
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Jim Cowan
AEC Senior Application Specialist
Jim Cowan’s extensive AEC design industry experience, Autodesk design solutions expertise, and status as an Autodesk Certified Instructor have made him a sought after university curriculum developer, instructor, and presenter. Jim’s areas of expertise include eLearning, interoperability between solutions, and overcoming barriers to the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM). Educated in Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art/Heriot–Watt University and in Landscape Architecture at the University of Manitoba, Jim has a special focus on sustainability issues: daylight analysis, sun studies, lighting analysis, modeling buildings, and conceptual energy modeling (models with shading devices). You can learn more from Jim on his YouTube Channel.