GuideBeginner12 min
Use the Prism workspace and its modules
Understand the format home, simplified and advanced workspaces, configuration modules, review screen and export result states.
- Applies to
- Current Prism release · Navisworks Manage 2025–2027
- Availability
- All Prism users; locked controls show their required plan
- For
- Prism operators
- Last reviewed
Format home
The opening screen presents the output formats available to the verified plan. Choose a format to open its workspace. A locked format identifies the minimum plan required to use it.
Simplified and advanced views
| View | Best for | What it exposes |
|---|---|---|
| Simplified | Routine work and known defaults | Essential scope, destination, common target options, Fast toggle when eligible and the final action. |
| Advanced | Delivery setup, interoperability and diagnosis | Selection, Models, Target, Geometry, target-appropriate Data, Checks and Review modules. |
Switching views does not create a second configuration. Both views edit the same export request, so Review always shows the resolved current choices.
Advanced workspace modules
| Module | Key decisions | Check before leaving |
|---|---|---|
| Selection | Tree branches, All/Clear, saved and search sets | The selected count and excluded branches match intent. |
| Models | Source-model inclusion, scope, Fast or Standard, hidden items, geometry-only and clash-proxy policy | No required source is excluded and the effective scope is valid. |
| Target | Schema/container, units, coordinates, origin, structure and per-model output | The receiving tool supports the exact target profile. |
| Geometry | Cleanup, normals, welding, instancing, lines/points and target-specific simplification | Fidelity changes are intentional and tested. |
| Data | Properties, classifications, hierarchy, materials, appearance and metadata/privacy controls; not shown for OBJ or STL | Required information is included without exporting unnecessary sensitive fields. |
| Checks | Pre-checks, validation level, IDS, warning/error policy and report formats | Blocking rules match the delivery requirement. |
| Review | Resolved scope, target, configuration, destination, limits and warnings | There are no unexpected settings or path errors. |
Progress, cancellation and results
- The progress view identifies the active stage: Reading source, Resolving scope, Validating snapshot, Mapping properties, Extracting geometry, Writing target, Validating target or Generating report.
- Choose Stop export to cancel the current job. Wait for cancellation to complete before starting another job.
- A write failure can still produce a useful report. Open the report when Prism says it is available, even if the model was not published.
- A completed state reports the output and warning count. Open the target and report from the links in the result screen.
- If Navisworks stops reporting progress, do not force-close it immediately. Note the stage and time, then use the troubleshooting guidance.
Application settings
| Area | Use it for |
|---|---|
| General | Default workspace behavior, scope preferences and delivery networking. |
| Appearance | Prism interface theme and visual preferences, not exported model appearance. |
| Updates | Catalogue checks, signed downloads, eligible channels, Engine components and Repair. |
| Account | Browser sign-in, account refresh, plan and effective access details. |
| Advanced | Diagnostics summary and specialist controls intended for diagnosis or managed guidance. |
- Choose which workspace view opens by default or remember the last one used.
- Set a default scope for new workspaces; verify it on every project because live selection changes.
- Enable or disable delivery networking for sign-in, entitlement refresh and signed component delivery.
- Check for updates, download an available update or repair components. Stable is the default; eligible Ultra entitlements can select the authenticated LTS channel.
- Copy the diagnostics summary from Advanced when support needs product, transport, model and capability context. Keep relevant logs available if support requests them.
Related guidance
Choose exactly what Prism exportsUse whole-model, selection, saved/search-set, visibility, source-model and section controls without losing required context.Understand export presets and profilesUnderstand built-in profile intent, configure the current workspace and standardize repeatable company exports.Validate an export and read the reportsConfigure Prism checks, IDS validation, halt-on-blocking policy, HTML/JSON/CSV reports and BCF issue output, then decide whether a result is deliverable.