BIMetic | Help & Documentation

1. Installation and Uninstallation

How to Install

Download the `.bundle` or `.msi` installer package from the Autodesk App Store.
Make sure Autodesk Navisworks is completely closed.
Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts.
Launch Navisworks. You will find the new "BIMetic" tab in the Ribbon.

How to Uninstall

Close Autodesk Navisworks.
Go to Windows Settings > Apps & Features (or Control Panel > Programs and Features).
Find "BIMetic Saved Viewpoints Manager" in the list and click "Uninstall".
Alternatively, if installed via the `.bundle`, delete the `BIMeticPlugin.bundle` folder from `%ProgramData%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins`.

2. General Usage Instructions & Commands

Once installed, navigating the plugin is incredibly simple. The plugin adds a single dedicated tab to your Navisworks Ribbon.

Available Commands

Command Name: Saved Viewpoints Manager
Location: BIMetic Tab > BIMetic Panel
Description: Opens the main BIMetic Cloud Dashboard. This is the primary interface where you configure formatting rules, detect duplicates, manage markups, and restore backups.

Basic Workflow

Click the "Saved Viewpoints Manager" button in the BIMetic ribbon tab.
Log in securely using your Autodesk Account credentials.
The dashboard will automatically sync with your active Navisworks document and load your Viewpoints Tree.
Select the folders or viewpoints you wish to modify.
Configure your pipeline modules (e.g., Data Sanitizer, Prefix Folder Index, etc.).
Click Run Formatter Pipeline to instantly apply changes to your Navisworks model.

3. Autodesk Authentication

Our plugin is secured using the official Autodesk App Store Entitlement API. When you click the Ribbon button, the C# engine checks your current logged-in Autodesk ID against the App Store.

Note: You must be signed into Navisworks with the exact Autodesk ID used to purchase the subscription, or you will receive a "License Required" error.

4. Pipeline Formatter

The core feature of BIMetic is the bulk formatting pipeline. You can access this via the "Pipeline Formatter" tab.

Target Scope Selection

The UI reads your live Navisworks folder structure. Use the checkboxes to select which folders to process. Tip: Shift+Click a parent folder to instantly toggle all of its subfolders.

Configuration Rules

Append Current Date: Appends today's date to the viewpoint name.
Prefix Folder Number: Pre-pends the index of the viewpoint within its folder (e.g., "01 - ViewName").
Dynamic Auto-Counting: Automatically counts how many viewpoints are inside a folder and appends the total to the folder name itself (e.g., "Architecture (42)").
Character Mapping Matrix: Add custom find-and-replace rules to sanitize your data before formatting (e.g., replace "_" with " ").

5. Markup Tracker

Go to the "Viewpoint Markups" tab to analyze your model for active redlines.

The engine scans every viewpoint in your scope for hidden Redline data.
It presents a summary list of all views containing markups.
Click the Target Reticle Icon next to any flagged viewpoint to instantly activate that view in Navisworks and see the markup!

Important Note for Navisworks 2027: Autodesk has removed the Redlines API starting in Navisworks 2027. Therefore, the Markup Tracker feature will not detect markups in Navisworks 2027 and newer.

4. Duplicate Detector

The Duplicate Detector scans your selected folders and analyzes the viewpoints to identify exact matches.

It compares camera target positions, angles, and names.
Any viewpoints that are identical in these properties are flagged as True Duplicates.
This allows you to safely clean up redundant views that were accidentally copied or created.

6. Auto-Backup & Restore

We built an infallible safety net into the plugin. Before any operation executes, the C# engine silently captures an XML snapshot of your entire Saved Viewpoints tree.

If you make a mistake, click the Restore Pipeline tab.
Select the exact timestamp of the backup.
Choose whether to restore just Viewpoint Names, or the full Folder structure.
The plugin will instantly roll back the Navisworks tree.

7. System Requirements & Known Issues

System Requirements

Autodesk Navisworks Manage or Simulate (2024, 2025, 2026, or 2027).
Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit).
An active internet connection is required to authenticate with Autodesk Single Sign-On and load the Cloud Dashboard.

Known Issues

When running large bulk formatting pipelines on highly complex models with thousands of viewpoints, the Navisworks UI may briefly pause for 1-2 seconds while the XML tree is re-rendered.
Occasionally, the Autodesk SSO login token may expire if left idle for several days. Simply close and reopen the plugin to refresh the token.