Clash Review

Clash Review brings coordination clash results into Revit, so you can navigate to clashing elements, assign review statuses, and prepare for coordination meetings without switching between applications. Currently supports Navisworks XML imports, with additional clash sources on the roadmap. All review data is saved in the Revit model, so your work travels with the project file.

Experimental

Clash Review is currently in the Experimental panel. Features and behavior may change as development continues.

Getting Started

Find Clash Review on the Amorphous ribbon tab in the Coordination panel.

Note

A Revit project must be open before launching Clash Review. You will also need a Navisworks XML clash export file to import.

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Features

• Navisworks XML import - Import clash test results exported from Navisworks Clash Detective
• Reconcile on re-import - Re-importing a test preserves your existing reviews and marks removed clashes as stale
• Coordination Worklist mode - Groups clashes by parent group for a higher-level overview
• Editable review fields - Status, Trade Owner, Notes, and Reviewed By for every clash
• Pin/favorite rows - Pin important clashes to the top of the list for quick access during meetings
• Element selection - Highlight the source or target element directly in Revit, including elements in linked models
• Section Box integration - Isolate the clash area using Smart Section Box with one click
• Clash point marker - Place a visible marker sphere at the exact clash location
• Zoom to clash - Jump to the clashing elements in your current view
• Filters and search - Filter by status, test name, or free-text search, and hide stale clashes
• Persistent storage - All review data is saved in the Revit model and travels with the project file

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How to Use

Preparing Your Clash Data

Before using Clash Review, export your clash results from Navisworks:

1. Run clash tests in Navisworks Clash Detective
2. Export as XML - Right-click the clash test and choose Report > Write Report with XML format
3. Export each test separately as its own XML file for best results

Make sure your Navisworks XML report includes the following fields:

Field	Why It’s Needed
Element ID (Object Attributes)	Identifies the clashing elements in Revit
Element Properties UniqueId (Smart Tags)	Identifies elements in linked models
Clash Point	Places the marker sphere at the exact conflict location
Parent Group	Enables Coordination Worklist mode grouping

Tip

Export one test per XML file. While the add-in can handle multiple tests in a single file, separate files make re-importing individual tests much easier.

Navisworks Export Settings

Follow these steps to configure your Navisworks XML export with the correct fields.

Report Options

Open the Report tab in Clash Detective and configure the export options. The screenshot below shows the minimum required settings. You can enable additional fields, but these must be checked for Clash Review to work correctly:

Contents (minimum required):

Field	Required
Clash Point	Yes
Item Path	Yes
Item ID	Yes
Status	Yes
Clash Group	Yes
Quick Properties	Yes

Other fields like Date Found, Distance, Description, and Grid Location are optional but recommended for a more complete report.

Output Settings:

• Report Type - Set to All tests (separate) to export each test as its own file
• Report Format - Set to XML

Field Definitions (Navisworks 2025 and Earlier)

Add the required fields to your report definition:

UniqueId - Add from Element Properties in Definitions

This field allows Clash Review to locate the exact elements in your Revit model, including elements inside linked models.

Field Definitions (Navisworks 2026)

Navisworks 2026 changed the report configuration interface. The same field is needed, but the steps to add it are different:

UniqueId - Add from Element Properties in Property Set

Note

The field names and values are the same across versions. Only the Navisworks interface for configuring them has changed.

Importing Clashes

1. Click Clash Review on the ribbon
2. In the launcher dialog, click Import New
3. Select your Navisworks XML file
4. The review window opens with all clash results loaded

Reviewing Clashes

1. Browse the clash list using the data grid
2. Filter by status, test name, or search text to narrow down results
3. Click a row to select a clash
4. Use action buttons to navigate to the clash in Revit:
   • Zoom To Clash to jump to the location
   • Select Source or Select Target to highlight individual elements
   • Section Box to isolate the area
   • Show Clash Point to mark the exact location with a visible sphere
5. Set review fields for each clash:
   • Status - Current review state
   • Trade Owner - Team responsible for resolution
   • Notes - Free-text comments
   • Reviewed By - Who reviewed this clash
6. Save Reviews to store your changes in the model

Re-Importing Updated Clashes

When clash tests are re-run in Navisworks:

1. Click Re-Import in the review window
2. Select the updated XML file
3. The reconcile engine merges the new results with your existing reviews:
   • New clashes are added
   • Existing clashes keep their review data
   • Removed clashes are marked as stale

Tip

Use the Hide Stale filter to focus on active clashes after a re-import.

Pinning Clashes

Click the pin icon on any row to pin it to the top of the list. Pinned clashes stay at the top regardless of sorting or filtering, making them easy to find during coordination meetings.

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User Interface

Launcher Dialog

The launcher dialog appears when you first click the Clash Review button:

Option	Description
Import New	Select a Navisworks XML file to import
Review Existing	Open the review window with previously imported data
Clear Saved Data	Remove all stored clash and review data from the model

Caution

Clear Saved Data permanently removes all clash records and reviews from the model. This cannot be undone.

Review Window

The review window is a modeless panel that stays open while you work in Revit.

Element	Description
Mode dropdown	Switch between Individual Clash Results and Coordination Worklist
Status filter	Show only clashes with a specific status
Test Name filter	Show only clashes from a specific test
Search box	Free-text search across clash names and descriptions
Hide Stale toggle	Hide clashes that no longer appear in the latest import
Data grid	Sortable, editable table of all clashes
Pin column	Click to pin/unpin rows to the top
Action buttons	Zoom To Clash, Select Source, Select Target, Section Box, Show Clash Point
Re-Import button	Import an updated XML file
Save Reviews button	Save all review changes to the model
Settings gear	Open settings popup

Settings

Click the gear icon in the title bar to access settings:

Setting	Description	Default
Sphere Radius	Size of the clash point marker	1 ft

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Display Modes

Mode	Best For	Description
Individual Clash Results	Detailed review	Every clash shown as its own row with full details
Coordination Worklist	Meeting prep	Groups clashes by parent group, showing one representative row per group. Reduces hundreds of clashes to a manageable list.

Tip

Start in Coordination Worklist mode for meeting prep and high-level status tracking. Switch to Individual Clash Results when you need to investigate specific clashes.

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Review Statuses

Status	Intended Use
Pending	Not yet reviewed (default for new clashes)
Accepted	Clash acknowledged, action planned
In Progress	Resolution underway
Needs Info	More information required before a decision
Not An Issue	False positive or acceptable condition
Ready For Meeting	Flagged for coordination discussion
Resolved	Clash has been fixed

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Visualization Tools

Clash Point Marker

Click Show Clash Point to place a visible orange sphere at the exact clash location. This helps identify the precise point of conflict, especially in dense areas with many elements nearby.

• The marker appears as a semi-transparent orange sphere
• Click Show Clash Point again to remove it
• The marker is automatically removed when you close the review window
• Adjust the sphere size in Settings if the default is too large or small for your model scale

Section Box Integration

After selecting a source or target element, click Section Box to invoke Smart Section Box on that element. This isolates the clash area so you can inspect it without surrounding elements blocking the view.

The Section Box button tracks which element you last selected (source, target, or both) and applies the section box accordingly.

Note

The Smart Section Box add-in must be installed and enabled for this feature to work.

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Tips & Best Practices

• Save reviews frequently to avoid losing work if Revit closes unexpectedly
• Use Coordination Worklist for meetings, switch to Individual mode for detailed review
• Pin clashes before meetings so the important items are always visible at the top
• Re-import regularly as the design evolves to keep your clash data current. Existing reviews are preserved.
• Combine Section Box with clash point markers for the clearest view of each conflict
• Use status filters to focus your review session (e.g., show only “Pending” clashes to work through the backlog)
• Assign Trade Owner for each clash so team members can filter for their responsibilities

Tip

For the most efficient coordination workflow, assign a keyboard shortcut to Clash Review in Revit’s Keyboard Shortcuts settings (File > Options > Keyboard Shortcuts).

From the developer

Clash Review was designed to replace the back-and-forth between Navisworks and Revit during coordination. The goal is simple: see the clash, look at it in your model, make a decision, move on. If your coordination workflow involves formats or tools beyond Navisworks XML, open an issue on GitHub and let me know what you’d like supported.

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Limitations

Limitation	Details
Navisworks XML only	Currently the only supported import format. Other formats (BCF, BIM 360, etc.) are not yet available.
Clash point marker is a model element	The sphere is a real element in the model. It is automatically cleaned up when you close the review window.
Section Box requires Smart Section Box	The Section Box button depends on the Smart Section Box add-in being installed and enabled.
Linked element selection	You can select elements in linked models, but only one linked element at a time.
Revit 2022 linked element selection	In Revit 2022, selecting Source/Target for elements in linked models will select the link instance, not the element within it. This is an API limitation in Revit 2022. Select the element in the host model first, then create a section box if needed.

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Troubleshooting

Clashes not appearing after import

Possible causes:

• The XML file does not contain clash test results
• The file was exported in a format other than XML

Solution: Verify the file is a Navisworks Clash Detective XML export. Open the file in a text editor and check that it contains <batchtest> or <clashtest> elements.

”Review Existing” shows no data

Possible causes:

• No clash data has been imported yet
• Saved data was cleared

Solution: Use Import New to load a Navisworks XML file first.

Clash point marker appears in the wrong location

Possible causes:

• The Revit model’s shared coordinates do not match the Navisworks coordination setup

Solution: Verify that shared coordinates are properly configured between your Revit model and the Navisworks file. The clash point position depends on matching coordinate systems.

Section Box button is disabled

Possible causes:

• No source or target element has been selected yet

Solution: Click Select Source or Select Target first, then click Section Box.

Elements not highlighting when selected

Possible causes:

• The element may have been deleted or modified since the clash test was run
• The linked model containing the element may not be loaded

Solution: Re-import the clash data after updating the model. Ensure all relevant linked models are loaded.

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Related Tools

• Smart Section Box - Isolate clash areas with intelligent section boxes
• Smart Sync - Coordinate sync operations with your team