NO Navisworks does not export IFC in any edition — not Manage, not Simulate, not the free Freedom viewer. It can only read and append IFC. To turn an NWD or NWC into IFC you need a standalone converter — one that does not run inside Navisworks.
If you have gone hunting through File → Export for an IFC option and not found one, you are not missing it. There isn't one.
What Navisworks actually does with IFC
IFC support in Navisworks is one-directional. It reads IFC — you can open or append an .ifc into a federated model alongside DWG, RVT, NWC and the rest. What it will not do is write one back out. Navisworks exports to NWD, NWC, DWF, FBX, KML and image/animation outputs, but IFC is not on the export list in any tier:
| Edition | Imports IFC? | Exports IFC? |
|---|---|---|
| Navisworks Manage | Yes | NO |
| Navisworks Simulate | Yes | NO |
| Navisworks Freedom (free viewer) | Yes | NO |
Why this trips people up
Because the import works, it is reasonable to assume the export must too — most formats in Navisworks are two-way. IFC is the exception. The result is a very common situation: someone is handed a .nwd, needs it in an IFC-based tool (Solibri, BIMcollab, Dalux, Revizto, or a Revit IFC link), opens Navisworks expecting Export → IFC, and finds nothing there.
What to do instead
Convert the Navisworks file directly, without Navisworks in the loop at all. That is what Veksle does: it takes the .nwd or .nwc and writes IFC4 Design Transfer — no Autodesk software, no licence anywhere.
Get an IFC out of your NWD
Upload one file, preview it in your browser, download the IFC. Free while we are in launch — no account, nothing to install.
OPEN THE CONVERTER ▸What you get out
IFC4 Design Transfer with real classes — beams, columns, slabs, plates, members, coverings and the MEP flow classes where the source carries them, an IfcBuildingElementProxy only where it does not — with every element's Navisworks property sets, its storey, and Revit systems carried across. Right for clash detection, coordination, quantity take-off and openBIM handover. Walkthrough: convert NWD to IFC or convert NWC to IFC.
Does Navisworks Freedom export IFC?
No, and the question comes up a lot because Freedom is the edition most people without a licence are given. Freedom lets anyone open an NWD, NWC or IFC, orbit it, section it, measure, read properties and step through saved viewpoints, for free. What it cannot do is get anything out: no IFC, no DWG, no FBX, no data export, no scripting, no batch. Manage and Simulate at least write NWD, NWC, DWF, FBX and KML. Freedom writes nothing at all. If you were sent an NWD and Freedom is what you open it in, you can look at the model, but the IFC has to come from a converter that reads the file itself.
FAQ
Can Navisworks Manage export to IFC?
No. Manage reads and appends IFC but has no IFC export. Its export formats are NWD, NWC, DWF, FBX, KML and image/animation outputs — IFC is not among them.
Can Navisworks Freedom export IFC?
No. Freedom is a free viewer — it opens and inspects NWD/NWC/IFC but exports nothing at all.
Can you convert an NWD to IFC?
Yes — just not from inside Navisworks. A standalone converter like Veksle produces IFC4 without any Autodesk software installed.
Does Navisworks import IFC?
Yes. IFC is a supported input format — you can open or append an .ifc into a Navisworks model. Only the export direction is missing.
Is there a Navisworks IFC export plugin?
The add-ins that exist run inside Navisworks and require a licence and installation. Veksle is a standalone converter, so it works for people who do not own Navisworks at all.