When you save a file expecting it to be referenced later, you can lock all the assets in it so that only their published attributes can be manipulated in the parent file. Additionally, you can lock the file itself so that no reference edits can be saved to the file from a parent file.
To lock unpublished attributes for referencing
- Open the file to be referenced, then select File > Save Scene As >
to open the Save Scene As Options. - In the Referencing Options section, set Asset unpublished to Lock.
- (Optional) Set Lock File to Lock.
This prevents users from saving any reference edits to this file from the parent file.
- Click Save Scene As and enter a name for the file.
When the file is saved, all the unpublished attributes for all assets in the scene are locked. This is the equivalent of selecting for each asset in the file. For more information, see Lock an asset.
Locking is important for referenced assets because changes made to the unpublished attributes are invisible at the asset level. Likewise, changes saved to unpublished attributes are lost if the referenced asset is replaced. Locking ensures users use published attributes so as to avoid these pitfalls.