3D Model Management

Introduction

Integrate BIM models and visualize them next to point clouds directly within NavVis IVION by importing IFC files.

The Model Management tool allows you to upload and align models with a point cloud. Once the model is correctly aligned, it can be visualized in the navigation mode and Mark & Measure. Refer to Working with Models.

Requirements

Navvis version 11.3.0 and greater

The Manage models permission. Site Admin users have this permission by default. A Global Admin can assign this permission to other user groups — for example, the Editor group — to allow those users to upload, align, edit, and delete models without full Site Admin access.

NavVis supports IFC files based on the following buildingSMART International (bSI) data exchange standards: IFC2X3, IFC4x1, IFC4x2, IFX4x3 RC3,...

What are IFC files?

The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) is a file format that provides an interoperability solution between different software applications. The format establishes international standards to import building objects and their properties. IFC improves communication, productivity, delivery time, and quality throughout the life cycle of a building. It reduces the loss of information during transmission from one application to another, with established standards for common objects in the building industry.

Uploading a model

1. Select Model Management tool from the NavVis IVION side menu.

   

2. Click Upload Model in the bottom right corner.

3. Navigate to your .ifc file and click Upload.

4. Select the method of placing the model:

   • If you want to place the model using the site information (site origin), click Move model origin to site origin, then click Upload Model. If you put your mouse over the information icon, it will display coordinate information that was created when the site was create.

   • If you know the referenced information from the model, click Select the coordinate system. This information would have been created when the IFC files was created in the model application. When this selection is clicked the screen extends down to display more fields:

     • If NavVis IVION detected the coordinate system information from the IFC file, the fields will be filled with that data.

     • If the coordinate system information is empty, enter the information manually referencing the IFC model application.

     • We support the uploading of IFC files that incorporate embedded projected metric coordinate systems and accurately position them for display.

     • Examples of supported systems include UTM-based projections such as ETRS89 / UTM zone 32N (EPSG:25832), which is widely used in Europe.

       Note: Global geographic coordinate systems (e.g., WGS 84 EPSG:4326), as well as projected systems that do not use metric units (e.g., those using feet, such as NAD83 / California zone 3 EPSG:2227), are not supported.

       

   • If you want to select the location by clicking on a map or entering an address, click Select location on the map, then click Next.
     

   • The following screen is displayed, either enter the address or coordinates or click on the location in the map displayed. The location will be identified with a blue crossed circle.

     When the location is selected, click Upload.
     

Aligning a model to a point cloud

Once you have imported the model, you must now align it to the point cloud. The following shows you how to use the model alignment tools.

Viewing side and top views

Use the buttons on the top right corner to change the angle from which you are viewing the model.

Rotating the view

Use the compass button in the bottom right corner of the screen to rotate the view of the model.

Unlocking a model for transformation

1. Unlock the model by clicking on the padlock icon.

2. This will open the transformation tools tab in the bottom right of the screen.

Moving and rotating

You can drag the model and move and rotate it by changing its axis and rotation values or by aligning points manually or with the Move Model tool.

You can also change the values by placing your mouse in the box of the value you wish to change and scrolling up and down.

Aligning a model

Moving the model in place

1. Click Move Model.

2. Click on a point in the model

3. Click on the corresponding point in the point cloud to link them together and the model will move to that point.

Note: Ensure the model is aligned from every perspective.

Rotating the model in place

1. Click Rotate Model.

2. Click on a point to define it as the center of the rotation.

3. Click on a second point to define it as the first rotation axis.

4. Click on a third point to define it as the second rotation axis.

Note: You can only rotate from the top view mode.

Checking alignment in the 3D view

To check the alignment, you can switch to a 3D view. If you see any mis-alignment in the 3D view, you can go back to the 2D view and make minor alignment adjustments to the model.

Visibility of model and entities

Show or hide the model by clicking on the eye icon next to its name.

Changing the color and opacity of the model and its entities

1. Expand the tree on the right side of the screen and place your mouse over the model you want to edit.

2. Click on the color wheel.

   • Select a color for that model.

   • Select the default color scheme.

   • Select random colors for the entites inside the model.

   • Adjust the slider to modify the model's opacity. This feature allows you to verify the models' alignment and identify any discrepancies.

Editing the name and permissions

1. Place your mouse over the model you want to edit.

2. Click on the pencil icon.

3. Edit the name of the model, and editing and viewing permissions in the pop up.

1. Place your mouse over the model you want to edit.

2. Click on the pencil icon.

3. Click on the red trash icon to delete the model.

Click on the target icon next to the model's name to navigate to it.

Saving & publishing the model

Click Save & Publish changes in the bottom right corner of the screen to make them visible to authorized users.

Sharing the 3D Model

To share and collaborate on the 3D model with other people, copy the URL of the page.

Verification Tool

Verifying a model against a point cloud

Use the Verification tool in NavVis IVION to compare a point cloud (captured reality) against a 3D IFC model (design intent) directly in your browser. The tool highlights geometric deviations between the two, so you can see where real-world conditions differ from the design without exporting data to third-party software.

The Verification tool supports two primary use cases:

Visualization modes

The tool offers two visualization modes:

You can adjust the tolerance value at any time. Colors update instantly and do not require reprocessing.

Permissions and access

Two permissions control access to the Verification tool:

Users with only the view permission see the Verification icon only if at least one model on the site already has processed verification data accessible to them.

When reprocessing is required

Previously calculated verification data becomes invalid and requires reprocessing when any of the following changes occur:

• Model alignment changes

• Site base point changes

• Dataset alignment changes

• Site location changes

• A bundle is moved

Draft changes take effect only after you publish them.

Prerequisites

• The site contains at least one processed point cloud dataset.

• At least one IFC model is uploaded.

• The IFC model is correctly aligned to the site. For more information, see Aligning a model.

• You have the View Verification permission to view verification results (assigned to "Everyone" by default).

Running a verification calculation

1. Open the site in NavVis IVION.

2. Click the Verification icon in the toolbar.

3. In the Verification dialog, select the model you want to verify against from the Reference drop-down menu.

   • If valid verification data already exists for the selected model, go to Reviewing results.

   • If no verification data exists, continue with the next step.

   

4. Click Process verification.

   • Processing may take several minutes, depending on the size of the dataset and model.

   • You cannot change alignment or edit the model during processing.

5. Wait for the notification that verification is ready.

6. Click Open verification in the notification, or reopen the Verification dialog from the toolbar.

   

Reviewing results

1. In the Verification dialog, select the processed model from the drop-down menu.

2. Switch on Show verification. The view updates to a color-coded display that highlights deviation between the dataset and the model.

   

3. Select the visualization mode:

   

   • Tolerance check: Displays a two-color (green/red) pass/fail view.

     

   • Deviation check: Displays a color-gradient heat map that shows deviation magnitude. The following example shows floor deviation; the floor area is cropped to isolate and validate the deviation.

     

4. Adjust the Tolerance range to change the threshold value. The colors update instantly so you can check results quickly.
   

More settings

Click More settings to show the display settings.

• Hide points outside threshold: Switch on to hide points that exceed the tolerance range and focus the view on deviations within the configured range.

• Display color legend in view: Switch on to display a vertical reference legend on the right side of the 3D view. The legend reflects the selected visualization mode and current tolerance settings.

• Model opacity: Adjust the opacity of the reference model to see the underlying point cloud coloring more clearly.

Keyboard shortcuts

Press ? to display a list of keyboard shortcuts.

Best practices

• Use a tolerance that matches the project requirement instead of a generic default.

• Confirm alignment quality before you draw conclusions from large deviations.

• Review suspect areas from several camera positions to avoid misreading occlusions.

• Use verification as a decision-support tool, not as the only source of truth.

• Rerun verification after relevant model or site position changes.

Note: The Verification tool is released as an open beta with NavVis IVION 12.0.0. A future release adds automatic issue detection, issue lists, navigation to problem areas, report export, and partial model selection.