Online NWD Viewer | View Navisworks Files in Browser

60+

Formats CUBE can view in a project, with this page as the public .nwd route

50 MB

Maximum .nwd size this page accepts

0 licences

No Navisworks® install needed. No account is required to open the model

14 days

How long a file on this viewer is kept before automatic deletion

How to Use This Online NWD Viewer

Two steps from a published .nwd to a model you can review. The file is checked on your device, then it opens inside CUBE.

Step 1 of 2

Choose a .nwd File

The browser checks the extension and size before anything leaves your device. Maximum size is 50 MB. NWF and NWC files point to other models, so publish an NWD first.

A .nwd file dropped into the viewer and checked in the browser for format and size, still on your device

Step 2 of 2

View It in CUBE

The model opens in the CUBE viewer. Pan, zoom, fit. Upgrade to measure the model, share it, raise issues, and run reviews.

What This NWD Viewer Shows in a Model

An NWD is a published snapshot of a coordination model: every discipline's geometry in one file, frozen at the moment it was published.

Every Discipline in One File

Architecture, structure, and services arrive together because the NWD stores their geometry, not links to it. Pan, zoom, and fit to get around.

View Without a Licence

Open the model without Navisworks® installed.

Hand-off Into CDE

Your model is already stored in CUBE, not a throwaway preview. Upgrade and it becomes a controlled document with versions, reviews, and transmittals.

Measure, Share, and Issues

This page is the viewer. Upgrade to measure the model, share it, and raise tracked issues.

NWD Viewer Workflow, Step by Step

Upload and preview your files, directly in the browser.

From Dropzone to Viewer

Four steps between choosing a file and working on it in CUBE.

Choose

Extension lock to .nwd and size check at 50 MB, both in the browser. Nothing is uploaded yet.

Upload and scan

The file uploads for this viewing session, visible only to you. Malware scan runs before translation and fails closed.

Translate and view

The model translator used in Spaces renders the published snapshot. Pan, zoom, fit, and orbit. Measuring, sharing, and issues need an upgrade.

Keep or expire

Files are deleted after 14 days. Upgrading keeps them as controlled project documents.

What an NWD File Contains

NWD is one of three native formats in Autodesk® Navisworks®, the tool many construction teams use to combine models from every discipline and check them for clashes. NWC files are caches made from single source models, NWF files hold links to those models, and NWD is the published result: one complete file that anyone can open.

Because an NWD stores geometry rather than links, it travels on its own. It can also carry the scene, saved viewpoints and object properties, depending on what the author chose when publishing. This Online NWD Viewer accepts published files under 50 MB.

NWD File Map

What a published Navisworks® file can carry. Publish settings decide how much of it is there.

GEOMETRY

Stored Geometry

The combined model itself, written into the file instead of linked from source models.

SCENE

Scene and View

The scene environment and the view that was current when the file was saved.

VIEWPOINTS

Saved Viewpoints

Named camera positions, saved with the published model.

PROPERTIES

Hierarchy and Data

The selection tree and object properties carried over from each source model.

PUBLISH

Publish Options

Choices made at publish time, including properties, textures, a password, and an expiry date.

Published NWD Snapshot

An NWD is a complete file. It does not need the source models next to it, which is why it is the format to send outside the coordination team.

A coordination folder where the published .nwd is accepted and the .nwf and three .nwc cache files are rejected

Publish Options

When an NWD is published, the author decides whether it keeps properties, textures, and hidden items, and can add a password or an expiry date. Two NWD files from the same model can carry different things.

Example publish settings for an NWD: properties and textures kept, hidden items left out, no password and no expiry date

Common content in a published NWD:

Model geometry

Selection tree

Object properties

Scene environment

Current view

Saved viewpoints

Animations

Section planes

Textures

Hidden items

ReCap data

Password

Expiry date

If the author left out properties or textures when publishing, they cannot be recovered here. Saved viewpoints and animations stay in the file for Navisworks®, while the Online NWD Viewer focuses on the model itself. An unreadable file shows a parse error instead of a blank canvas.

NWD Viewer Compared With Navisworks® Freedom and Other Tools

Compare with in-browser parsers that never leave the tab and Navisworks® Freedom, the free desktop viewer.

Need	CUBE NWD Viewer	In-browser parser	Navisworks® Freedom
Open .nwd without a licence	Yes. No account and no Navisworks® licence.	Varies. Few parsers read NWD.	Yes. A free Windows install.
File leaves the device	Yes. Uploaded for viewing, scanned, and deleted after 14 days.	Usually no. The file is parsed in the tab.	No. Opens from local disk.
Matches project CDE preview	Yes. Same production translator.	No. A separate engine.	No. A separate desktop tool.
Published model geometry	Yes. Pan, zoom, fit, and orbit.	Varies. Some data may not draw.	Yes, with saved viewpoints.
Edit geometry	No. View only.	No.	No. Freedom is a viewer.
Save into a controlled project	Already stored in CUBE. Upgrade to keep and share.	No CDE hand-off.	No CDE hand-off.

Who Uses an NWD Viewer on a Construction Project

A coordination model only helps if the people in the meeting can open it. Most of them do not have Navisworks® installed.

Coordination

BIM and VDC Managers

Open the published model, check the areas you flagged, and see what still needs resolving before the next round.

On site

General Contractors

Pull up the combined model on a site laptop before an install, without a Navisworks® seat on every machine.

A laptop on site showing the model in a browser, with no install and no named user

Before install

MEP and Specialty Trades

See your services in context with structure and architecture before a coordination meeting, and check the spots you want to raise.

Sign-off

Owners and Consultants

Review a published model without buying authoring seats for every stakeholder. Upgrade when it should become the project record.

Three reviewers, an owner, a consultant and a guest, marking up one model with no authoring seats

NWD Viewer FAQ

Do I need Navisworks® to use this NWD viewer?

No. CUBE opens .nwd files in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari. You do not need Navisworks®, Freedom, a plugin, or an authoring licence to look at the model.

Is the CUBE NWD viewer free?

Yes. Viewing on this page is free. Measuring the model or other advanced actions needs an upgrade.

Does this NWD viewer upload my file?

The browser checks the file first, then uploads it so it can be scanned and translated by CUBE’s production model engine.

What files does the NWD viewer accept?

.nwd only, up to 50 MB. NWF and NWC files depend on source models, so publish an NWD from Navisworks® first. RVT, IFC, and other formats have their own viewer pages.

Will saved viewpoints appear?

They stay in the file, but the Online NWD Viewer is built for the model itself: pan, zoom, and fit. Open the NWD in Navisworks® when you need its saved viewpoints or animations.

Does the NWD viewer edit the model?

No. Changes belong in the source models, followed by a new publish from Navisworks®.

Which NWD versions can the viewer read?

CUBE uses the same translator as the rest of CUBE. Navisworks® lets authors publish to older file versions, and if a file cannot be read the Online NWD Viewer shows a parse error rather than a blank canvas.

Notes and Trademarks

Trademark notice. Autodesk®, Navisworks®, Revit®, AutoCAD®, FBX®, ReCap™, DWG™, and DWF are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and affiliates in the USA and other countries. IFC is an open standard of buildingSMART International. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari are trademarks of their respective owners. All other product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners and appear on this page only to identify file formats and compatible software. CUBE is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Autodesk, Inc., or any other trademark owner named on this page.

Use of this tool. Use of the CUBE NWD Viewer does not require a CUBE account. It is subject to the CUBE Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. By uploading a file, you confirm that you own the file or are authorised to share it, and that it does not contain material you are not permitted to disclose. Files are used only to generate the preview and are handled as described above.

File retention. Uploaded files are deleted automatically 14 days after upload. You can delete a file yourself at any time before then. Paid plans keep files as controlled project documents.

Preview only. Rendered models are provided for reference. Some geometry, materials, textures, or linked content may not display exactly as in the authoring application. Do not rely on the preview for construction, fabrication, setting out, or measurement without checking the original file. The tool is provided as is, without warranty of any kind.

Availability. This tool is not offered in countries or regions subject to comprehensive U.S. or other applicable trade sanctions, or to persons on restricted-party lists.

Online NWD Viewer for Design & Construction Teams

Drop a .nwd File Here