Configuring Property Mapping

This article walks you through setting up Property Mapping for the model files in your Navisworks document. If you are new to Property Mapping, read the Introduction to Property Mapping article first — it explains what the six mapped fields are and why they matter.

Before you begin

You will need:

A saved Navisworks document. Save your file before configuring.
At least one clash test with results. Run your clash tests in Navisworks Clash Detective first — ClashWise reads the models involved in your clash results.
To be signed in to the ClashWise plugin. Property Mapping is included with every plan, including the trial.

Where to find it

In Navisworks, open the ClashWiseAI ribbon tab.
In the Clashes panel, click Enhance (or press Alt+3).
In the window that opens, click the Property Mapping Configuration tab.

The tab's own description sums up how it behaves: "Choose which Navisworks properties are to be referenced. Changes are saved automatically. All listed models must have their properties mapped."

Step 1 — Select a model file

Use the Model File dropdown at the top of the tab. It lists every source model in your open document. Each model file needs its own configuration, because different applications store element data in different places.

A blue status line under the dropdown tells you what happened when you picked a model:

"Loaded saved configuration for:" — you have configured this model before; your saved mapping was loaded.
"Auto-detected properties for:" — ClashWise scanned the model and filled in its best match for each field.
"Configuring:" — you are actively editing this model's mapping.

If no models or properties can be found, you will see: "No properties found in the current document. Please ensure you have clash tests with results." Run your clash tests in Clash Detective, then reopen the window.

Step 2 — Review the six fields

Auto-detection runs automatically when you pick a model — there is no button to press. Review what it found for each of the six required fields (all marked with a red asterisk):

Name Property — the element's descriptive name.
ID Property — the element's unique identifier from the source application.
Category Property — the element's classification (for example "Walls" or "Pipes"). The window notes: "The value from the selected property must match the same value types when creating the clash matrix" — in other words, whatever property you choose here is also what your clash matrix classes are matched against.
Layer/Level Property — the floor level or CAD layer.
Type Property — the specific type within a category.
Discipline Property — the trade the element belongs to. The window notes: "Determines which discipline is associated with each element."

Each field is a pair of dropdowns: first pick the property category to look in, then the property within it (the second dropdown activates once a category is chosen). Both dropdowns are editable — you can type an exact name if you know it.

Step 3 — Fix anything auto-detect missed

Auto-detection works well for models with standard property names, but you may need to adjust fields when a model uses non-standard or translated property names. Some pointers:

Revit models commonly keep element data under an "Element" category (Name, Element ID, Category, Level, Type).
AutoCAD-based models often use "Item" or "LcOaNode" categories, with a "Layer" property instead of a level.
IFC exports often use "Item" or IFC-specific categories, with properties like "IfcClass" for the classification.
Discipline is the field most often missing from models. If your models have no explicit discipline property, map it to whatever property most reliably indicates the trade — many teams use the source file name (when models are split by discipline) or the element category.

Property names may appear in another language if the model was authored under a different locale — that's fine. Select them exactly as they appear.

Step 4 — Verify with Preview

Use the preview to confirm your mapping reads real data correctly:

Click Preview. The on-screen instruction reads: "Click "Preview", then select objects in the model to preview their mapped properties."
Click elements in the Navisworks model view. A grid fills in live, showing the mapped Name, ID, Category, Layer/Level, Type, and Discipline for each object you select, with a header like "Showing 12 extracted row(s) from 4 selected object(s)." The grid shows up to 500 rows.
Check that each column shows the kind of data you expect — names in the Name column, identifiers in the ID column, and so on. A few blank cells are normal (not every element carries every property), but a column that is consistently wrong or empty means that field is mapped to the wrong property.
Click Stop Preview when you are done, adjust any fields that looked wrong, and preview again.

If you click Preview too early you may see "Please select a model file first." or "Please configure at least one property mapping first." — pick a model and map at least one field, then try again.

Step 5 — Apply the configuration to similar models

If several model files share the same structure (for example, several Revit models from the same project), you don't need to configure each one by hand:

Finish and verify one model's configuration.
Click Apply to Other Models....
The Apply Configuration to Other Models dialog opens: "Select which model files should use the same property configuration as '{model}'. The system will attempt to match property configurations automatically:"
Tick the models that should receive the configuration (or click Select All), then click Apply.
You will see a confirmation such as "Configuration applied to 3 model file(s)."

Only apply a configuration to models from the same source application — a Revit mapping will rarely fit an IFC export. After applying, select each target model and spot-check it with Preview.

What happens next

Everything is already saved. Changes save automatically as you make them — there is no Save button. Mappings are stored per model file on your computer and persist across sessions and documents.
The Enhance run unlocks. The Start button on the Clash Tests tab stays disabled until every listed model has all six fields mapped.
Publishing benefits too. The Clash Tests tab reminds you: "Important: Before publishing clashes, review the Property Mapping configuration tab to ensure the correct properties are assigned for Name, ID, Category, Layer/Level, and Type. This ensures ClashWiseAI receives accurate element information for optimal use".

Occasionally, during other data-extraction flows (such as creating a clash matrix from the plugin's Wise chat), ClashWise may ask you to confirm which property identifies element categories in a dialog titled Select Category Property. Choose the same category and discipline properties you configured here.

Tips

Configure and verify one model of each source type first, then use Apply to Other Models... for the rest.
Preview with elements from different disciplines and levels, not just one area of the model.
Reconfigure when new model files are added, when a model is re-exported with a different structure, or after changing the Navisworks display language — mappings remember the language they were made under, and a language change triggers re-detection.
Agree on consistent property standards with your modeling team; the more standard the models, the better auto-detection works.