Asset Tracking

The Asset Tracking feature provides direct access within 3ds Max to asset tracking systems (ATS), also known as providers. You use asset tracking systems to share files such as scene files and bitmaps used in materials with other members of your development team.

Path Management with the Asset Tracker

Another important function of the Asset Tracking dialog is for repathing and for locating missing files. For example, if you move bitmap files used by materials in your scene to the same folder as the scene file, the bitmaps will be loaded when you open the scene file, but the materials will still use the original, no-longer-valid path for the bitmap files, and the Asset Tracking dialog will show the files as missing. To resolve the incorrect paths, you can use the tools available from the Paths menu.

Asset Tracking with Autodesk Vault

Asset tracking provides full support for the Autodesk Vault data-management solution, and basic version-control support for other providers, such as Perforce and Microsoft SourceSafe. In general, asset tracking supports version-control providers that are capable of integrating into Microsoft Visual Studio, sometimes referred to as MSSCC support. This topic assumes usage of Autodesk Vault. Autodesk Data Management Server and Autodesk Vault Explorer are available to subscription customers and are also shipped with certain other Autodesk softwares. The Vault Plug-ins are included with 3ds Max.

Note: When you have Vault installed, you can open files directly from the Vault database with the File menu command Open from Vault. This command mimics the File Open process, but browses the vault instead of the file system. In addition to opening the scene file, it downloads or updates any dependent scene files, such as bitmaps and XRefs. You see Open from Vault in the File menu only if you have installed the Vault Plug-in.

The 3ds Max Vault Plug-in works with 3ds Max by adding data-management tools to the interface. Through the Vault Plug-in, you can add files to a vault, and check files out and in. The add-in works with many different types of files including MAX and image files. The recommended method for performing Vault operations depends upon your working environment.

When you work on a file that is checked out of the vault, you work on a local copy of the file and not the original. At no point do you ever work on the actual vaulted file. When you check a modified file back into the vault, the modifications are available as the latest version in the vault. All past versions of a file are maintained in the vault.