Introduction to Property Mapping

What Property Mapping is

Property Mapping tells ClashWise where to find key information about the elements in your Navisworks model. You set it up once per model file, inside the Navisworks plugin, and every ClashWise feature then reads accurate element data from your models.

Design tools store element data in different places. Revit, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Tekla, ArchiCAD, and IFC exports each keep an element's name, ID, category, level, type, and source under different Navisworks property categories — and those names can also change with the model's language or your project's naming standards. Property Mapping bridges that gap: for each source model file, you point ClashWise at the exact properties that hold this information.

Why it matters

Accurate property mappings power three core parts of ClashWise:

AI clash naming (Title Update). Descriptive clash titles are built from the real element names, types, levels, and sources in your model. If the mappings are incomplete, a Title Update run cannot start.
Clash Matrix creation and matching. The element classes and disciplines used by your clash matrix come from the mapped Category Property and Source Property. The values ClashWise reads here must line up with the values used when the matrix was created, or matrix rules will not match your clashes.
Publishing and AI analysis. When you publish clash results to the web, the element information sent with each clash comes from these mappings. Complete, correct mappings mean better AI analysis, filtering, and reporting on the web.

The six mapped fields

For every model file, ClashWise needs six properties mapped. Each one is a pair: the Navisworks property category to look in, and the property within it. In the Property Mapping window, each field row carries an info icon — hover it for a detailed description of the value that field should produce.

Field	What it identifies	Typical values
Name Property	The element's descriptive name	"W12x26 Beam", "Ø200 Duct"
ID Property	The element's unique identifier from the source application	"123456", "GlobalId" values
Category Property	The element's classification	"Walls", "Structural Framing", "Pipes"
Layer/Level Property	The floor level or CAD layer the element belongs to	"Level 2", "01-HVAC"
Type Property	The specific type within a category	"Basic Wall", "Rectangular Duct 200x100"
Source Property	The source authoring file each element came from	"STR_Central.rvt", "MEP_Level3.dwg"

All six fields are required for every model file listed in your document. The Category Property is also what your clash matrix classes are matched against, and the Source Property identifies the authoring file — when models are split by trade, it is also what tells disciplines apart.

The Source Property was previously called the Discipline Property. Saved configurations carry over unchanged — only the label is new.

How it works

Per model file, with per-level overrides. Each source model in your Navisworks document gets its own mapping. When a source is split across several appended files (for example one file per level exported from the same Revit model), they appear as levels under that source — levels inherit the source's mapping, and any level can override individual fields where its data differs.
Auto-detected. When you open the window, ClashWise scans unmapped models and fills in its best match for each field — including pre-selecting the source-file property for the Source field when the model carries one. You only step in when a suggestion is blank or wrong.
Saved automatically. Every change is saved as you make it — there is no Save button. Mappings are remembered per model file on your computer, so they persist across sessions and documents.

Who can use it

Property Mapping is part of the ClashWise plugin for Navisworks and is included with every plan — Starter, Pro, and Business — as well as the free trial. You need to be signed in to the plugin to use it.

Where to find it

Property Mapping has its own window: on the ClashWiseAI ribbon tab in Navisworks, go to the General panel and click Property Mapping. The window also opens automatically if you start a Title Update run while any model still has unmapped fields.

For step-by-step setup instructions, see the Configuring Property Mapping article. For common problems and answers, see the Troubleshooting Property Mapping and Property Mapping FAQ articles.