Reviews
This page contains quotes from some of the critical acclaim JetStream has received over the past six years.
Note: JetStream was originally called NavisWorks, so older reviews will be under that name.
"NavisWorks, the leaders in design review technology, introduce new ideas in the latest version of JetStream that open up even more interesting areas for the future.
The first of which is SwitchBack. Previously, after a CAD model was imported into JetStream ... if users wanted to back track to the original model, they would have had to manually go back to find the co-ordinates. Now all of this is done automatically.
By building models that incorporate [temporary structures] within the construction process, and using TimeLiner in conjunction with Clash Detective planners and project managers can now, more finely, tune the use of such structures on site.
JetStream v5 can also now support any ODBC database... This means that clicking on a component can not only bring up physical information, but can also report on costs, availability and other factors affecting the part.
Finally, remember that, unlike AVIs, the JetStream v5 model being rendered is not a one off mock-up or a "moment in time", but is the real, living 3D model, being constantly updated."
David Chadwick - CAD User - March 2006
"NavisWorks JetStream is actually a whole lot more than a marketing facelift. With model size increasing across the AEC sector, streaming of NWD files is sure to attract those already pushing the limits of their hardware.
However, while streaming is not going to appeal to everyone, the introduction of gravity, third person and collision detection certainly is... the ability to navigate structures on a human level is invaluable.
With modules like TimeLiner and Clash Detective, NavisWorks JetStream has all the right tools to form the cornerstone to your design/review process, from the drawing board right through to the construction process. And with support for all the major CAD applications is sure to appeal to the majority of the 3D AEC community.
Greg Corke - AEC Magazine - January 2005
"JetStream, the latest version of NavisWorks design review software [has] added collision detection, gravity and third person view to the software. They have added a lot of other things as well, in the fourth major revision of the product, transforming the use of it into a much more pleasurable and interesting experience!
NavisWorks was always quite a simple product to use. It has always possessed considerable strengths in its user interface, and the way in which it could be used to navigate the smallest mechanical component to the largest building project. Some construction companies use it as the focal point for projects, because of its ability to work with a multitude of file formats, combining all construction data into a large, easily accessible whole. The new navigation tools enhance its ease of use, giving the viewer a more natural perspective on the model."
David Chadwick - CAD User - December 2004
"One of the most pressing uses for NavisWorks is the elimination of clashes, or interference, in a 3D model. Checking a large model for instances where components run through each other, especially where competing geometries have been combined in a single model... The most interesting module to me, though, is Time Liner, a recent addition. Time Liner adds the fourth dimension - time - to 3D models, creating and updating links between task schedules and the 3D model. What this means, in effect, is that the construction of a building can be simulated and viewed simply and effectively, allowing users to display the sequence of erection, and view the process step by step."
David Chadwick - CAD User - September 2004
"Though constant improvement in intelligent modeling software creates healthy competition, just as significant may be the increased acceptance of NavisWorks. This program lets you view intelligent models created in almost any software together as a complete model. This means a Revit structural model, a Bentley mechanical model, and door and window objects from ArchiCAD can all be brought into NavisWorks for clash checking.
NavisWorks promises to be a lingua franca that may eliminate many concerns of the International Alliance of Interoperability, which works on standards to make it easy to share the information in intelligent models."
Mike Bordenaro - Cadalyst - May 2004
"At a time where visualisation solutions for the AEC industry seem to be two a penny, it's good to see one vendor pushing forward with tools which not only enable users to visualise projects more effectively but also manage and plan projects more efficiently. It's functionality like the clash detective and TimeLiner that sets NavisWorks apart from the crowd, and with momentum growing (albeit at a seemingly slow pace) for BIM solutions, NavisWorks looks perfectly placed to help adopters make maximum use of their 3D models."
Greg Corke - AEC Magazine - May 2004
"NavisWorks belongs to a new genre of 3D viewing and navigation applications that are needed in the AEC industry for allowing design content to be reviewed by clients and the extended building team without requiring the use of the original authoring applications. What makes NavisWorks compelling is the additional functionality of imaging, interference checking, and construction simulation that goes beyond just viewing and navigating."
Lachmi Khemlani - AEC Bytes - February 2004
"Pretty much anyone in the AEC industry can pick up a 2D drawing and understand what's going on, but the advantages of working in 3D are seriously diminished if you have to remove a dimension in order to effectively convey design information. Tools like NavisWorks, are aiming to break down these communication barriers, make huge 3D datasets readily accessible to all, and of course to help stimulate the design review process."
Greg Corke - AEC Magazine - May 2003
"The ability to combine multiple types of 3D CAD files in a single environment for 3D design review lets a wide range of companies, contractors, and designers collaborate without different file formats getting in the way... Faults or flaws in a large complicated project can be identified and corrected before the construction phase."
Dave Pitzer - Cadalyst - August 2002
"Presenter enables the designer to interactively drag and drop textures on to the model to create a more realistic representation of the design. All designers who have struggled to communicate special designs to clients using flat drawings or simple 3D models will appreciate the difference NavisWorks will make."
Joe Croser - The Architects' Journal - February 2002
"NavisWorks 2 is as an important a release as the original version with the development of the new features enhancing its appeal to a wealth of AEC and construction industry users. NavisWorks excels in its ability to merge together model data from numerous sources. For the first time, you can use the same tool from reviewing the initial design concept, right through managing the construction project to hand-over of "as-built" 3D models for the end users and facilities managers. NavisWorks has become a portal into the 3D model, intuitive enough for non-technical people to utilise and understand, and powerful enough to cope with mega models on laptops in real time."
Adrian Williamson - CAD User - December 2001
"NavisWorks excelled in its ability to merge together model data from numerous sources. That alone was a major step, without any visualisation functions, with this ability in Navisworks 2 it begs the question as to whether additional investment in additional visualisation tools would be needed or warranted... [NavisWorks] certainly has matured without going stale or being overpriced. So, in not so many words, get navigating, collaborating and above all communicate your designs."
Adrian Williamson - C3 - November 2001
"Version 2 is a hugely important release for NavisWorks and could well herald the beginning of the widespread adoption of the design review solution for 3D users in the AEC market. NavisWorks retains its ease-of-use, and can still be deployed across a collaboration network from architects and engineers to management and sales, with little technical knowledge or hardware power required to navigate a model."
Greg Corke - CAD Server - October 2001
"NavisWorks is an ideal tool for both lead contractors and project management teams who will benefit from its ability to interrogate models and collaborate to implement key solutions. For these reasons alone NavisWorks is fast becoming an integral part of the design process in communicating design intent in a single model environment."
Adrian Williamson - CAD User - May 2001