NWD vs NWC
vs NWF.

All three are Navisworks formats, but only two actually carry a model. Knowing which you are holding tells you whether it can be opened, shared, or converted on its own.

Side by side

	NWC	NWD	NWF
What it is	Cache of one source model	Published document	Session / reference file
Contains geometry?	Yes	Yes (whole federation)	No — links to sources
Self-contained?	Yes, for that one model	Yes	No — needs the source files present
Typical use	Feeding native models into Navisworks	Hand-over, review, archive	The live working session
Converts to IFC on its own?	Yes	Yes	No — it holds no geometry

NWC — the cache

When Navisworks reads a native file (Revit, AutoCAD, Tekla…), it writes an NWC: a lightweight cache of that model's geometry and properties. One NWC per source model. It carries real geometry, so it converts to IFC on its own.

NWD — the published document

An NWD is the "publish and send" format — the whole federated model frozen into one self-contained file for review, hand-over or archive. It contains everything, which is why it is the one most people receive and need to open. It converts to IFC.

NWF — the reference file

An NWF is the working session. It does not contain the models — it only records which source files are appended and the review data (viewpoints, clashes, markups). Open an NWF without its source files present and there is nothing to see. Because it holds no geometry itself, an NWF cannot be converted on its own — publish it to an NWD first, then convert that.

Full form — what the letters mean

Extension	Full form	Plain English
.nwc	Navisworks Cache	One converted source model
.nwd	Navisworks Document	The published, all-in-one model
.nwf	Navisworks File set	The working session — a list of what is appended

Which is smaller?

Almost always NWF < NWC < NWD. An NWF is a few hundred kilobytes because it stores no geometry. An NWC holds one model. An NWD holds the whole federation, so it is the largest — though Navisworks compresses geometry hard, and a published NWD is often smaller than the sum of the NWCs it was built from.

How one becomes the other

1. Native → NWC. Navisworks writes an NWC the first time it reads a Revit, AutoCAD or Tekla file. Revit and AutoCAD can also write one directly with Autodesk's free NWC Export Utility, no Navisworks needed.
2. NWC → NWF. Append NWCs (or native files) in Navisworks and save: the session is an NWF pointing at them.
3. NWF → NWD. File → Publish bakes everything into one NWD. This is where the publisher can set a password, an expiry date and whether the file may be re-saved.
4. NWD or NWC → IFC. Not possible inside Navisworks. Convert the file with Veksle: NWD to IFC or NWC to IFC.

There is no "NWF → IFC" step because the NWF has no geometry to convert. Publish it to an NWD first.

So which can I convert to IFC?

The two that contain geometry: NWD and NWC. An NWF has to become an NWD first. Navisworks itself exports no IFC either way — see does Navisworks export IFC?

FAQ

What is the difference between NWD and NWC?

An NWC is a cache of one source model; an NWD is a published document holding a whole federated model in one self-contained file. Both carry geometry and both convert to IFC.

What is an NWF file?

A Navisworks session file that references the appended source models rather than containing them, plus review data. Without the source files present it shows nothing, and it cannot be converted on its own.

Which Navisworks files convert to IFC?

NWD and NWC, because they contain geometry. An NWF must be published to an NWD first.

Which format is best to share?

NWD — it is self-contained, so the recipient needs nothing but a viewer. NWF breaks the moment it is separated from its source files.

What is the full form of NWC, NWD and NWF?

NWC is Navisworks Cache, NWD is Navisworks Document, NWF is Navisworks File set. Cache = one converted model, Document = the published whole, File set = the working session that lists what is appended.

Which is smaller, NWD or NWC?

An NWC, because it holds one model. An NWD holds the whole federated model, so it is bigger — but thanks to compression it is often smaller than all its NWCs added together. An NWF is tiny; it has no geometry at all.

Can I convert an NWF to an NWD?

Yes, in Navisworks: open the NWF with its source files present and use File → Publish. The result is a self-contained NWD you can share or convert to IFC.

Can I convert an NWF to IFC?

Not directly — an NWF contains no geometry. Publish it to an NWD in Navisworks, then convert the NWD to IFC.

How do I make an NWC without Navisworks?

With Autodesk's free NWC Export Utility, an add-in for Revit and AutoCAD that writes an NWC straight from the native model. Navisworks itself creates one automatically whenever it opens a native file.