NWD Reader - Load Time

Yes, those large differences in coordinate magnitude (i.e., features far apart in space) can negatively impact performance, especially with 3D data or when high precision is required.

I’d first try splitting the two areas into individual NWD files, then bring each separately into FME

https://docs.safe.com/fme/2025.1/html/FME-Form-Documentation/FME-ReadersWriters/navisworks/navisworks.htm

Another possible recommendation is to offset or normalize coordinates so that all features are closer to a local origin (e.g., (0,0,0)), which can improve processing speed and reduce floating-point precision issues. This is especially relevant if your data spans a wide area with large coordinate values. If you want to try this, you can use the Offsetter transformer to shift all coordinates to a more local range.

General tips for optimising reader performance

• Turn off Feature Caching when running large or production jobs, as caching can multiply performance issues. Add an inspector transformer
• Minimize the amount of data being read—filter out unnecessary features as early as possible, ideally at the reader level.
• Use reader parameters to select only the feature types you need (e.g., specific layers or tables).
• Apply WHERE clauses or similar filters directly in the reader when supported.
• Remove excess feature types from the reader to avoid reading unneeded data

Thanks ​@j.botterill 

I’m trying to automate this process and was hoping to solve it without having to manually open the data and filter things out first. For now, we’re going to set a requirement that the input only includes a single area, rather than multiple areas that are large distances apart.