You can work with Content Center as a stand-alone user (libraries are saved in the Desktop Content location on your computer) or as a member of a workgroup (libraries are shared on a Vault server).
If you select the Desktop Content option in the installation, Content Center libraries are installed to the folder specified in the installation configuration. After the installation, the Desktop Content environment is set up and Content Center is ready for use. If you select the Vault Server option in the installation, Content Center libraries are not installed on your computer. You must install Content Center libraries on the server, and log in to the server to use Content Center.
Before you start using Content Center, set up Autodesk Inventor and Content Center libraries to correspond with your needs:
- Set the Application Options. The Content Center tab in the Application Options dialog box sets the storage location of Content Center libraries and refreshing of standard parts on instancing. The File tab in the Application Options dialog box specifies the default Content Center Files folder where instanced Content Center parts are saved.
- Set Content Center options in the Autodesk Inventor project. Use the Configure Libraries dialog box to configure Content Center libraries. If appropriate, change the Content Center Files folder.
After a successful installation and configuration of Autodesk Inventor Content Center, the following components are available:
- Standard Content Center libraries installed in the Desktop Content folder or on an Autodesk Vault Server and configured in the project.
- One or more user libraries located in the Desktop Content folder or on an Autodesk Vault Server and configured in the project.
Content Center environment for a stand-alone user
If you work as a standalone user, we recommend you to work in the Desktop Content environment. You do not need to log in to a server or set any user permissions. Libraries are treated as files in the Desktop Content folder on your hard disc. Work with libraries, for example creating, deleting, moving, or copying libraries, is more convenient.
If you want to work as a stand-alone user, perform the following steps to set up Content Center:
- Select the Desktop Content option in the Autodesk Inventor installation.
- If your legacy user libraries reside on the server, transfer them to Desktop Content location. Autodesk Inventor can do the transfer automatically on the first startup. Click Yes in the Content Center Library Migration dialog box.
- If appropriate, copy user libraries from an external Desktop Content location to your Desktop Content folder.
- Set up the configuration of Content Center libraries in the project:
- Transfer user libraries from a server by using Library Transfer guide.
- Select the In Use box to add libraries in the configuration.
- Migrate and synchronize legacy user libraries by using the Update Tool.
Tips:
- Use Library Transfer guide to manually transfer libraries from a Vault server to the Desktop Content location.
- Copy external Desktop Content user libraries to your Desktop Content folder: Locate a library to copy, and copy it as a file to your Desktop Content folder. The library appears in the Libraries list of the Configure Libraries dialog box, and can be added to the configuration. Note: The copied library must be unique in the Desktop Content folder. That means it must have a unique File Name and internal library name. The internal library name is created when the library is created, and cannot be changed. If more libraries with the same internal name exist in the Desktop Content folder, they are duplicates even if they have different File Names and Display Names. Content Center configuration does not allow adding libraries duplicate to currently configured libraries.
Content Center environment for a design workgroup
You can eliminate the need for each member of a design workgroup to install and synchronize their own Content Center libraries by installing Content Center libraries on a Vault server.
Local settings for workgroup members
After Content Center libraries are set up on the server, members of the workgroups configure their local settings.
We recommend that you designate an administrator to install the server, set up projects and predefine the standard set of libraries to use in a design project. The administrator can create a common project and add shared libraries to the Content Center configuration, and then share the common project file (.ipj) with the other team members.
To log into the server within Autodesk Inventor, you specify the location (or name) of the remote server in the Log In dialog box.
Storage folder for instanced standard components
When you insert a Content Center library part in an assembly, the library part is copied from the server to the Content Center Files folder. The configuration of the Default Content Center Files folder is saved in Application Options, and the setting can be overridden in the project.
Set the Content Center Files folder depending on how you want to consume changes to the Content Center libraries:
- Specify a network location of the Default Content Center Files folder on each of the local computers for each user to get the most recent library content automatically.
- Specify a location on the local computers for users to decide when to update their libraries. In this scenario, use the Refresh Standard Components command to get the latest content.
Separate servers for Content Center and Vault
The Vault server manages libraries for Content Center and file databases for Autodesk Vault Basic. If needed, you can use two separate servers for Content Center libraries and Autodesk Vault Basic files. Install the server on two computers, and then use one as a Vault server and the other as a Content server:
- To enable the connection to two separate servers, change the Autodesk Inventor settings on computers of the workgroup members: Click
Vault Server Connection Options and select Use Separate Servers for Content and Vault in the Connection Options dialog box. - To log in to the Content Center server, click Vault Server Content Center Log In.
- To view the status of the server, click Vault Server Connection Status.
Before beginning, designate an administrator who installs and manages Content Center libraries on the Autodesk data management server.
Library configurations for team members are saved in the Autodesk Inventor project and can be edited in Project Editor. Each team member can create a personal project using the project file (.ipj) as a template, or include a common project (.ipj) file that is configured with the shared libraries. This enables each team member to have the same configuration.
If you are connecting to a vault database and the Content Center libraries database, the administrator creates the vault project file first and makes it the active project. Then the administrator configures the Content Center libraries in the Configure Libraries dialog box.
Overview
- Install the server and client components for a design team.
- Create a common project file (.ipj) with the desired configuration of Content Center libraries. This project can be used as a template or as an included project.
- In the common project, change the folder where standard components are created, if needed.
- In Autodesk Data Management Server Console, create the user accounts for anyone requiring editing permissions. Communicate user account information and the Login procedure to each member in the team.
Comparing Desktop Content and Vault Server
| Desktop Content | Autodesk Vault Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | Autodesk Inventor installation includes Desktop Content libraries | Autodesk Inventor without libraries installed on client computers, Vault Server and libraries installed on the server |
| Additional software needed | No | IIS or AWS, SQL Server |
| User accounts and permissions | No (can be added on the file access level of the operation system, if appropriate) | Yes (managed by Vault Server) |
| Supports multiple Autodesk Inventor versions on one computer | Yes (with no limitations) | Yes, with limitations (one version of Vault Server, the corresponding and two previous versions of Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Inventor Client Update installed for legacy Autodesk Inventor versions) |
| Management of Content Center libraries | In Autodesk Inventor, by using the Configure Libraries dialog | External, by using Vault Server Console |
| Work with Content Center | No log-in or permissions needed, all Content Center functionality available | Connection and log-in to the server required, editing permissions needed to perform editing tasks |
| Migration of legacy user libraries | Yes (transfer from ADMS or copying from a legacy Desktop Content folder and migration by Update Tool) | Yes (migration and set up on the Vault Server, then migration by Update Tool) |
Working with Autodesk Inventor 2009 , 2010, and 2011 libraries on the same server
Autodesk Inventor 2014, the Autodesk server 2011, and the server Client Update installation for Autodesk Inventor 2009 and 2010 enable you to access Autodesk Inventor 2009, Autodesk Inventor 2010 and Autodesk Inventor 2011 libraries on one library server.
To support Side-by-Side installation, the Autodesk server maintains Content Center libraries that were built for different Autodesk Inventor versions. Libraries are saved in the corresponding Partition of the Autodesk server. Libraries in Autodesk Inventor 2008 partition are used by Autodesk Inventor 2009 with Client Update patch. Libraries in Autodesk Inventor 2010 partition are used by Autodesk Inventor 2011 with Client Update patch. Libraries in Autodesk Inventor 2014 partition are used by Autodesk Inventor 2014.
The default prefix of the library name is determined by the partition where the library is saved. You can copy user libraries from Autodesk Inventor 2009 or 2010 partition into Autodesk Inventor 2014 partition. Copying from Autodesk Inventor 2014 partition to Autodesk Inventor 2009 or 2010 partition is not supported.