Bryan Bane and Brayden Behanna are among the winners of Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.’s annual Innovation Award for their exceptional work in automating the Navisworks workflow.
Their award-winning procedure has significantly improved efficiency, reduced costs, and enhanced collaboration across disciplines and CEC’s entire footprint. Bryan is a Senior Designer and Brayden is a Designer, both in the Pittsburgh office’s Manufacturing Infrastructure Services practice.
The Challenge: Manual, Time-Consuming Model Coordination
Navisworks is a powerful 3D model review software widely used in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. At CEC, it plays a critical role in multi-discipline coordination, clash detection, material take-offs, and 4D construction schedule simulations. However, the traditional process of exporting models from Revit and Plant 3D into Navisworks was highly manual. Each discipline exported their models daily, append them into a master file, and then generate a distributable version.
The Vision: Full Automation for Better Collaboration
Bryan and Brayden set out with a clear goal: fully automate the creation of Navisworks models and CAD exports from Revit and Plant 3D. Their vision included enabling daily or on-demand updates, reducing human error, and freeing up team members to focus on higher-value tasks. The ultimate aim was to improve internal workflows while delivering better, faster results to our clients.
The Journey: From Manual to Seamless Automation
The team began with basic scripting and evolved into a sophisticated, multi-layered automation system:
Manual Exports
Initially, users exported .nwc files from Revit and Plant 3D, appended them into a .nwf file, and manually exported a .nwd file. This process was inconsistent and prone to errors due to differences in user settings and file handling.
Scripted Automation
They introduced Windows Task Scheduler and scripts to automate the export process. However, issues like locked files and inconsistent exports persisted. To resolve this, they worked with IT to develop a script that copied models from the shared P-drive to a local C-drive, avoiding file locks and ensuring consistent exports.
Cloud Integration with ACC
Hosting models on Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) introduced new challenges, including long processing times and disorganized model structures. To address this, the team adopted Ideate Automation, which allowed scheduled Revit exports (NWC, 2D, and 3D CAD) and nightly model audits to improve stability and performance.
Plant 3D Enhancements
When Autodesk changed its licensing model, the team developed version 2.0 of the scripts, which enabled Navisworks exports without opening the software, saving time and avoiding license conflicts. This script could also convert multiple file types like .ifc and .stp to Navisworks and was run on remote machines to avoid tying up user resources.
Final Workflow Optimization
The team reorganized models by vendor, removed duplicate data using .fbx files for smaller, more accurate exports. The final setup allowed for fully automated nightly generation of coordination models using Windows Task Scheduler, with minimal user intervention.
The Results: Massive Time and Cost Savings
The impact of this innovation was profound:
Manual Process: ~300 hours, $45,000 per project
Automated Process: ~60 hours, $9,000 per project
Efficiency Gain: 5X reduction in time and cost
Beyond the numbers, the automation significantly reduced human error, improved model consistency, and allowed team members to focus on more strategic project work.
Why It Matters
This process exemplifies the power of innovation at CEC. By combining technical expertise, creative problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration, Bryan and Brayden delivered a solution that not only improved internal operations but also enhanced the value delivered to clients. Their work is a model for how thoughtful automation can transform the way we work — and why CEC continues to invest in innovation across the organization.
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