Managing Navigation Graphs

A navigation graph enables Routing and positioning. You can only generate a navigation graph once you have created an alignment bundle.

Generating a Navigation Graph

Note: Only use automatic navigation graph generation for regular indoor environments or spaces with a similar degree of structure. For large open spaces and empty planes, we recommend editing a navigation graph manually.

1. Go to Site Setup > Dataset Management.

2. If you are generating a navigation graph for the first time, click Create maps and navgraph next to the Alignment Bundle for which you want to generate a navigation graph.

   

3. If you have already added a navigation graph and want to regenerate it, open the Advanced drop-down menu and click Recreate Navgraph.

   

4. Click Publish when you have finished.

Editing a Navigation Graph

It may be necessary to manually edit the navigation graph in the case of stairs, elevators, and disconnected areas. Nodes in areas that are not walkable, i.e. nodes on top of tables, should also be removed.

Note: Press ? to view a list of available keyboard shortcuts that you can use when editing your navigation graph.

Adding New Nodes

1. Go to Site Setup > Navigation Graph Editor.

2. To add nodes in the 2D view:

   1. Select the Path Drawing Tool in the top right corner of your screen.

   2. Select a node to specify a starting point for your path.

   3. Draw a path by clicking each time you want to place a node.

   4. If you want to delete a node, press the backspace key or select the node, right-click on it and select Delete Node.

   5. Click Done.

   6. Click Save.

   

3. To add nodes in the 3D view:

   1. Right-click where you want to add a new node.

   2. Select + Create Node from the context menu.

   3. If you want to delete a node, press the backspace key or select the node, right-click on it and select Delete Node.

   4. Select another node to which you can connect the node you have just created.

   5. Click Create Edge in the Edit nodes and edges section of the menu.

   6. Click Save.

   

4. Click Publish when you have finished.

Adjusting the Location of Nodes

1. Go to Site Setup > Navigation Graph Editor.

2. Select the Node Editing Tool in the top right corner of your screen.

3. Select the node that you want to move.

4. Drag the node to the desired location.

5. Click Save.

Adjusting the Height of Nodes

The height of the nodes in your path depends on the node you choose as the starting point and, if applicable, as the end point. If you connect two pre-existing nodes with different heights, the nodes in between will gradually increase or decrease in height based on a calculation of distance and height difference between the starting point and the end point. If you only specify a starting point, the height of this node will be applied to the other nodes of the path.

1. Go to Site Setup > Navigation Graph Editor.

2. Select a node by clicking on it.

   Once you have selected a node, the Change node z-level tool will appear on the right side of your screen.

3. Select the desired unit of length from the drop-down menu.

4. Use the arrows pointing up and down to adjust the height of the node.

5. Click Save.

6. Click Publish when you have finished.

Auto-Splitting Edges

If you want to use your navigation graph with the Positioning SDK, the graph should have edges that are approximately one meter apart.

1. Go to Site Setup > Navigation Graph Editor.

2. Select two nodes.

3. Open the Advanced menu.

4. Click Auto-Split Edge.

5. Click Save.

6. Click Publish when you have finished.

Connecting Floors via Elevators

In order to allow Routing via elevators, elevators must be added manually to the navigation graph.

1. Go to Site Setup > Navigation Graph Editor.

2. Turn on the 3D view to be able to see the elevators clearly and to change between floors easily.

   

3. Identify the existing elevators in the building.

4. Create a node inside each elevator on each floor by right-clicking and selecting + Create Node.

   

5. Make sure that the nodes are placed at floor level.

6. Connect each elevator node to the navigation graph outside the elevator by selecting two nodes and clicking Create Edge.

   

7. Connect the elevator nodes to each other vertically by selecting two nodes and clicking Create Edge.

   

Note: Use only one edge between each pair of nodes and only connect floors directly above and below each other.

8. Click Publish when you have finished.

Connecting Floors via Stairs

In order to route via stairs, you must make sure that the navigation graph fully connects the different floors of your building.

1. Go to Site Setup > Navigation Graph Editor.

2. Turn on the 3D view to be able to see the stairs clearly and to change between floors easily.

   

3. Identify all stairs in the building.

4. For each staircase, check whether the navigation graph fully connects both floors.

5. If the navigation graph does not connect both floors, create a single path of nodes that connects the navigation graph on one floor to the navigation graph on the floor above or below. Right-click and select + Create Node to place new nodes.

   

Note: Make sure that:

• The path is located on top of the stairs.

• Stair landings are covered by nodes as well.

6. Create edges between the nodes by selecting two nodes and clicking Create Edge.

   

7. Make sure that the nodes are approximately one meter apart. If necessary, auto-split the edges.

   

8. Click Save.

9. Click Publish when you have finished.

Excluding paths and areas from routing

Exclude path

If you do not want an automatically generated path to be available, exclude it from the navigation graph by deleting the edges and nodes along the path.

1. Go to Site Setup > Navigation Graph.

2. Delete all edges and nodes along the path.

   • To delete an edge, select the two end nodes and click Delete edge.

     

   • To delete a node, select the node and click Delete.

     

3. Click Save and Publish the changes.

Routing will avoid the excluded path and find a route based on other nodes in the navigation graph.

Exclude Area

To exclude an entire area from the navigation graph, delete all the nodes within the area.

1. Go to Site Setup > Navigation Graph.

2. Delete all nodes in an area. Select each node and click Delete.

3. Click Save and Publish the changes.

A route will not be calculated to or from an area that is excluded from the navigation graph.

Creating a Navigation Graph in Unmapped Spaces

NavVis IVION does not support the automatic generation of a navigation graph in unmapped spaces. Routes in unmapped spaces, for example between buildings, can only be generated if you manually draw a navigation graph in those areas.

Procedure

1. Go to Site Setup > Navigation Graph Editor.

2. Turn on the 2D view.

3. Check where the unmapped spaces are in your site. These are the areas for which no navigation graph has been generated automatically.

4. Select the Path Drawing Tool in the top right corner of your screen.

5. Select a node near an unmapped area.

6. Draw a path by clicking each time you want to place a node.

7. Either connect your node path to another existing node or finish the node path in an unmapped area.

8. Click Done.

9. Click Save.

10. Click Publish when you have finished.

Refer to Quality Checking a Site on what to look for when checking the quality of your navigation graph.

Deleting a Navigation Graph

1. Go to Site Setup > Dataset Management.

2. In the Alignment Bundles section, open the Advanced drop-down menu.

3. Click Remove navgraph.

4. Click Publish when you have finished.

Resetting a Navigation Graph

Follow these steps to reset the navigation graph to its first automatically generated version or reinstate it after removing it.

1. Go to Site Setup > Dataset Management.

2. In the Alignment Bundles section, open the Advanced drop-down menu.

3. Click Recreate navgraph.

4. Click Publish when you have finished.

The automatically generated navigation graph will appear again.