Introduction to the Clash Matrix

The Clash Matrix is ClashWise's rules engine for clash coordination. It is a set of rules — one for every pairing of two element classes in your model (for example, Walls × Pipes, or Ducts × Structural Framing) — and each rule carries the defaults your team has agreed for that pairing: a priority, a status, a responsible contact, an optional tolerance, and optional tags.

When you run AI analysis on a published clash set, ClashWise applies your matrix: the AI matches each clash to the most appropriate rule and fills in a recommended priority, recommended status, and responsible contact based on that rule. The recommendations come from your matrix, not from any fixed built-in taxonomy — you decide what counts as critical on your project.

Note: ClashWise does not detect clashes. Clash detection happens in Navisworks Clash Detective; the ClashWise plugin publishes the results, and ClashWise manages and analyzes them. The matrix decides how published clashes are classified and routed — it never decides what clashes.

Why use a matrix?

• Consistent triage. Every Pipe-vs-Beam clash gets the same priority, status, and owner — across thousands of clashes, every time you analyze.
• Faster coordination. Instead of reviewing clashes one by one, your team encodes its decisions once and lets the AI apply them to the whole set.
• Clear ownership. Each rule can name a responsible contact, so clashes arrive pre-routed to the right person or company.
• A living standard. As the model grows, you can add classes, sync the matrix with the latest publish, and re-run analysis.

What a rule contains

Each rule pairs two element classes (with optional disciplines) and stores:

• Default Priority — how urgent clashes of this pairing are. Priorities are fully custom: each one is a name + color that you define.
• Default Status — the lifecycle stage to recommend (for example "New" or "Assigned"). Statuses are also custom name + color entries.
• Responsible Contact — the person or company that should resolve clashes matching this rule (name, company, email).
• Tolerance — a distance value your team records for the pairing, in the same units as the clash set's source model. It documents the clearance threshold you agreed for that pairing; it does not change what Navisworks detects.
• Tags — optional labels that are merged onto matched clashes during analysis (when tags are enabled for the matrix).
• Active — a checkbox to switch a rule off without losing it. Inactive rules are not applied during analysis.

Colors matter: everywhere a priority or status appears — the matrix view, the clash grid, and the Excel export — the color always comes from the hex color you configured, so the web and your exported spreadsheets always match.

Who can use it

• Viewing matrices only requires signing in to ClashWise.
• Creating or editing matrices (and everything else that changes data) requires an active Clash Management subscription — a Pro or Business plan, or the trial.
• The Company library (publishing a matrix as an organization-wide standard) is a Business-plan feature; publishing is limited to organization admins, while any member can clone a published matrix.

Where to find it

Sign in at https://clashwise.ai and open Clash matrices from the navigation. The left drawer lists your matrices under the header CLASH TABLES, with two tabs: My matrices and Company library.

Vocabulary note: in a few places the app says "clash table" instead of "matrix" — they mean the same thing. A matrix contains rules; a rule is a pairing of two element classes.

How matrices are created

Matrices are always generated from a published clash set — there is no create-from-scratch option, and rules cannot be typed in one by one. There are two ways to create one:

1. On the web — a three-step wizard that reads the properties captured with your published clash set, lets you pick which classes to include, and generates every rule pairing for you. See Creating a Matrix from a Clash Set.
2. In the Navisworks plugin, via Wise chat — the Wise AI assistant can walk you through the same process conversationally. See Creating a Matrix from a Clash Set.

There is no matrix button on the Navisworks ribbon — matrix creation and editing live on the web (and in Wise chat).

What happens after you create one

1. The matrix is generated in the background and appears in your list with a rule count.
2. You review and refine it: set priorities, statuses, and contacts on the rules (individually, per discipline pair, or in bulk).
3. You assign the matrix to one or more clash sets and run AI analysis. Each clash is matched to a rule and receives a recommended priority, status, and contact — plus any rule tags.
4. As the model evolves, you keep the matrix in sync with new publishes and re-run analysis.

Tips

• Start simple. A matrix generated from your major model categories is usually enough to begin with; refine priorities and contacts as coordination progresses rather than trying to perfect every rule up front.
• Use consistent naming for disciplines and classes so the matrix stays readable (for example, always "Mechanical", not sometimes "HVAC").
• Give priorities colors that signal urgency at a glance — those exact colors carry through to the clash grid and the Excel export.

Related topics

• Creating a Matrix from a Clash Set — the three-step wizard and the Wise chat path.
• Working with the Matrix View — the cross-tab and table views, editing rules.
• Priorities, Statuses, Contacts, and Tags — configuring the options rules draw from.
• Keeping the Matrix in Sync — adding classes, syncing, regenerating, re-evaluating.
• Sharing and Company Library — project sharing and the Business-tier library.
• The Managing Clashes on the Web section — assigning a matrix to a clash set and running AI analysis.
• The Property Mapping section — the property setup in the plugin that determines which element properties are captured when you publish.