Connecting to NavVis IVION

Before connecting to NavVis IVION from your Autodesk® Revit® project, make sure that an accurate site model exists in the NavVis IVION instance. To connect, follow these steps:

1.    Open your Revit project.

2.    Click on “NavVis” -> “Settings”.

3.    Enter the NavVis IVION instance address (and credentials if Private Mode is enabled on the instance), then click “Connect”. If the connection succeeds, the tab “Coordinate System” opens.

Continue by using an existing transformation or creating a coordinate system transformation.

Using an Existing Transformation

The NavVis IVION Add-in for Revit uses a coordinate system transformation to understand how the data in the two programs fit together. If your Revit project uses the same coordinate system as your NavVis IVION site or you have pre-defined transformations, you can select an existing transformation. Otherwise, create a transformation as described below.

Follow these steps to use an existing transformation in your project:

1.     In Revit, go to NavVis > NavVis IVION Settings > Coordinate System.

2.     Select a NavVis IVION site from the Site drop-down menu.

3.     Check the check box Use an existing transformation.

4.     If your Revit project uses the same coordinate system as your NavVis IVION site, select the option Site from the drop-down menu.

5.     If you want to use a transformation that you have previously created, select the desired option from the drop-down menu.

6.     Click Apply.

Creating a Transformation

To create a coordinate system transformation, you should either already have a model or open the point cloud of the site which you are going to model. Check that the floor levels defined in Revit are at the correct heights of the point cloud.

Follow these steps to transform the data in both programs to the same coordinate system:

1.     Create two points of interest (POIs) in NavVis IVION to serve as tie points:

1.     Choose two corners on the same floor, but on opposite sides of the selected building.
2.     Place the POIs on the floor of the point cloud.
3.     Give them a recognizable name.

2.     In Revit, select a floor plan which corresponds to the floor where the two POIs are located in NavVis IVION.

3.     Open “NavVis” -> “NavVis IVION” -> “Coordinate System”.

4.     Select a NavVis IVION site from the Site drop-down menu.

5.     Select the building corresponding to your current Revit model from the Building drop-down menu. The options are based on the site model defined in NavVis IVION.

6.     Select the correct POIs as tie points from the respective drop-down menus. If the POIs don’t appear here, you may need to re-connect to NavVis IVION in order to refresh it.

7.     Click the “Pick” button for the first tie point.

8.     Click on the location on the top view that corresponds to the location of the point of interest. 

9.     Repeat the two previous steps for the second tie point.

10.     Click “Calculate Transformation”. The add-in calculates the transformation matrix (translation and rotation).

11.     Click “Apply”.

Note: You get feedback about the accuracy of the transformation: This number is the distance between the POIs minus the distance between the points you picked on the floor plan. If the difference is larger than 0.05m, try picking the points again.

Now that you’ve created a transformation, it’s a good idea to save it to the connected NavVis IVION instance. You can start using the add-in to help you work with your Revit model.

Saving a Transformation to the NavVis IVION Instance

1.     Enter a name for the transformation and click “Save to NavVis IVION” if you want to use it again later. You’ll see a pop-up window asking you to log in.

2.     Enter the administrator credentials for the NavVis IVION instance and click “Log in”. The add-in then saves the transformation in the instance.

Finding a Location in NavVis IVION

Once you’re connected to an NavVis IVION instance and have your transformation set up, you can find any location in NavVis IVION directly from your Revit model.

1.     Click on “NavVis” -> “Locate”.

2.     Click on a location on the floor plan. NavVis IVION shows that location in a separate window and you can see a panorama image of the real building.

The installer that ran when you downloaded this app/plug-in from Autodesk App Store will start installing the add-in. OR, simply double-click the downloaded installer to install the add-in.

You need to restart the Revit to activate the add-in.

To uninstall this add-in, exit the Revit if you are currently running it, simply rerun the installer, and select the "Uninstall" button. OR, click Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features (Windows 7/8.1/10/11) and uninstall as you would any other application from your system.

Taking a Measurement in NavVis IVION

1.     Find the location where you need to take a measurement in the NavVis IVION instance.

2.     Activate the point cloud in NavVis IVION. We recommend setting the point cloud quality to “high” and adjusting the point size until you feel you can see what you’re doing.

3.     Use the Measurements Tool to take a measurement in NavVis IVION.

Exporting DXF Floor Plans for Use in NavVis IVION

If you’re exporting DXF floor plans to use in your connected NavVis IVION instance, the add-in can save your work on geo-registering them.

1.     Make sure you’ve saved the transformation to the NavVis IVION instance.

2.     Export your floor plans in DXF format using meters as the unit.

3.     Clean up the floor plans: Remove annotations and explode unsupported geometries in Autodesk® AutoCAD® or another CAD software.

4.     When importing the plans to NavVis IVION, start typing the name of the saved transformation in the field “Source Coordinate System” and select your transformation. The plans should immediately appear in the correct location after the upload finishes.

You can find more information on our website.