Viewer on Mobile FAQ and Troubleshooting

In the Autodesk Construction Cloud mobile app, there is a new viewer that is enhanced with performance improvements. This makes navigating larger 3D models easier.

In this topic, you'll find details about the viewer. You'll also learn how to troubleshoot some situations you may run into.

The new viewer will work on most iOS and Android devices. In general, the better the device specifications and the higher the available RAM, the better the performance of opening large models.

Devices Recommended Version
iPad Pro With M1 or M2 chip
iPad Mini or Air With M1 or newer chip
iPhone 13 or newer
Android 8-GB RAM higher end Android phones with Vulkan support like Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy S21 or above
Note: The new viewer is not supported on 32-bit devices. If you have a device that falls into this category, the Autodesk Construction Cloud mobile app new viewer won't be available.

Features Not Yet Available on the Viewer

We are working on bringing all the functionality available into the viewer. The following features are currently unavailable:

If you need to access one or more of these features, you can switch out of the new viewer.

Switch In and Out of the New Viewer on Mobile

You can switch in and out of the viewer at any time to use the features in the older viewer and return to the new viewer for its enhanced features.

  1. With a model open, click the list icon List icon at the top right corner.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap the New Viewer toggle to turn it off to revert to the older viewer or on to use the new viewer.
  4. Exit the Settings menu using the Close icon icon at the top right corner.

When switching out of the new viewer, your viewer will revert to the standard viewer. You will no longer see the new label in the top header.

View and navigate models in the old viewer

When you open a 3D file in the standard viewer (not new), you can view and navigate a model using these features:

Models navigation features

The following numbers correspond to the numbers in the image:

  1. Mini-map: Understand your location and orientation on a 2D map while navigating in 3D. Navigate the 3D model by dragging the avatar on the 2D map to the desired location.

  2. Model browser, views, and levels menu: Tap this menu to view the following:

    • Model browser: View and hide the objects in your model.
    • Views: View any 2D or 3D views associated with your model.
    • Levels: Select and view any levels in your model.

  3. Home view: This resets the model to the original view.

  4. Joystick and gyroscope: Tap to expand and select joystick or gyroscope mode. To use the gyroscope feature, let Autodesk access your device's motion sensors.

    Expanded navigation tool

    Joystick navigation icon Joystick: Navigate the model in first-person with gravity.

    Gyroscope navigation icon Gyroscope: Tilt and move your mobile device to view the model using your device's motion sensors.

  5. Levels: Move up or down a level in your RVT model or file with predefined levels set in design tools.

  6. Sectioning tool: Add a plane to see a section of the model. Tap to select either the X axis, Y axis, Z axis, or specific area.

  7. Measurement: Tap two points on your model to measure the distance between them

Troubleshooting the Viewer

As the viewer is new, you may come across some issues. The following table lists some common situations that you may experience and what you can do:

Description Explanation Solutions
Model/app crashes Large complex models may crash when viewed.
  • Break up the model into smaller files such as work areas, levels, or buildings. This will reduce the size of the model and make it more likely for it to be opened.
  • If you are using an older device, try a newer device with more RAM and check that you have enough free memory available.
Missing objects after loading bar is complete The viewer was not able to load a complete image because the information does not fit into the amount of memory we have to render all of the data.
  • Try zooming in to view more details.
  • Try a newer device. See device recommendations for the new viewer.
"The model is still processing" It can take minutes to hours to process and sync a new 3D model to mobile devices.
  • Make sure that the file has finished processing on web. If it hasn't, or something went wrong, make sure that the file is available.
  • If downloading is taking too long, try unsyncing and resyncing.
When opening a view for the first time, loading may be slower than subsequent times loading the view. More computations to load the model data for the first time. This is true for each view and for each version of the file. N/A. Loading should be faster after first load.
Cannot switch units for measuring The new viewer can only display the model units.
  • Switch to the old viewer to change units from the Settings for the Measure tool.
  • Change model units in your design tool.
Cannot switch units for measuring The new viewer can only display the model units.
  • Switch to the old viewer to change units from the Settings for the Measure tool.
  • Change model units in your design tool.
Objects are flickering or coming in and out of the scene or taking time to load The viewer loads the model progressively as you navigate through the model. Loading each unique object in a model can cause flickering. Sometimes, this can also be caused by transparent design objects in the model.
  • If caused by transparent objects, remove or hide these items from the model to improve your experience.
  • Smaller models will typically have less flickering. Break the model into smaller models and upload to try viewing again.
Zooming out is hard or slow If the model is wide or has a wide bounding box, navigation can be slow.
  • Use the home button to reset the view.
  • In extreme cases, you can reduce the bounding box in your design tool or break down the model into smaller models.
Viewpoints don't match the display in Navisworks. Missing orthographic camera, color override transparency. This is expected. N/A
Color (materials or textures) of objects don't match original design Model objects can sometimes be displayed in different colors compared to the original design like from Revit. To determine the root cause and contact support with your troubleshooting steps:
  • If the model was uploaded through Revit Cloud Worksharing (RCW) or Desktop Connector, try uploading the model directly into BIM 360 or ACC. This will determine whether the issue is specific to a certain upload method.
  • Upload the model to Autodesk Viewer https://viewer.autodesk.com/. If the problem doesn't reproduce in Autodesk Viewer, this can indicate that the problem is specific to the processing used in ACC and BIM 360 but not in Autodesk Viewer.
Rooms or space geometry is not visible in a 3D model This is expected. Rooms in Revit and spaces in IFC are marked as hidden geometry by the extractor when the files are processed for cloud viewing. N/A
Some objects appear to be missing When uploading models for online viewing, some objects may not be included in the resulting processed model. This could occur due to exporting and publishing settings in the design tool. This could also happen due to a bug or limitation in the processing pipeline. Upload the model to Autodesk Viewer https://viewer.autodesk.com/. If the issue reproduces, contact support.
Android viewer error message On Android devices, you may see this error message if either:
  • An error was encountered while loading the viewer.
  • Your device doesn't support the new viewer.
  • The new viewer is not set as your default viewer. You tried to perform an action that requires the new viewer. This includes trying to view the placement of an issue or asset on a 3D model.
 Try the following solutions one at time in this order:
  • Close the app and reopen.
    1. Swipe up from the bottom, hold, then let go.
    2. Reopen the ACC app and try the action again.
  • Reboot your device.
    1. Press and hold the power button on your device.
    2. Tap "Restart", "Reboot", or "Power off" on your device.
    3. Turn the phone back on.
    4. Reopen the ACC app and try the action again.
    • If you continue to see this error message, then your device may not support the new viewer.

    If you haven't already, you can turn on a setting to not use the new viewer by default. See Visit Switch In and Out of the New Viewer on Mobile. However, you won't be able to perform certain actions, as mentioned such as viewing issue or asset placements on 3D models. Review the Recommended Devices for the New Viewer.
Parent page: Files on Autodesk Construction Cloud Mobile App