About managing data in Autodesk Vault
You can access your Autodesk Vault Server from within Alias.
About Autodesk Vault
Autodesk Vault manages all your design and engineering files, regardless of the file type. Files can be Autodesk Alias, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, Moldflow, 3Ds Max, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, or any other file used in a design's lifecycle. You can organize all of your files and keep them in one location for easy access. All file versions are retained, so you never misplace or replace past versions. The vault stores each version of a file, along with all the file's dependencies, giving you a living history of the project as you work on it. The vault also stores file properties such as the user name, date, and comments for rapid searching and retrieving.
In a design team, all the files and associated data are stored on the server so all users have access to the information and its history. Each member of a team must have a unique login name and password. Team members check out files to prevent more than one member from editing the same file at the same time. Once a file is checked back into the vault, team members can refresh their local copies of the model file to get the latest version from the vault, so all members of the design team work together.
The Autodesk Vault integration with Alias brings the basic file management functionality of Autodesk Vault into the designer's environment.
You must have the Autodesk Vault Client installed and set up properly on your local machine for this functionality to work. For details, contact your system administrator.
When the Vault Client is installed, the Vault Server menu appears on the File menu. Using the Vault Server commands in Alias, you can:
- log in and out of your Vault Server
- open Alias files from Vault Server
- check Alias files in and out of Vault
- undo the checkout of files checked out of Vault
- launch Vault
- set check in options
When working with Autodesk Vault, it is important to understand that the way you currently have your files organized may not be suited for a vaulted environment.
The very nature of a data management system requires that some planning be done to optimize file access and organization. We recommend all users not familiar with data management solutions to contact their Autodesk Authorized Reseller or Autodesk Professional Services for additional advice.
About opening files from a Vault
You can open any Alias file already stored in a vault, or place a file that is stored in vault into the current working folder. When you open a file from vault, you can choose to view it or check it out. You must check out the file to make modifications to it. The file is temporarily stored on your local drive while you make the changes.
Local copies that are not checked out are read-only.
Each of the following conditions must be met to open a file from the vault for editing:
- You must be logged into the vault that contains the file you want to edit.
- You must have an account established for you to log into the vault. It is important to log into the server with a unique user name and password assigned by the server administrator to maintain a secure working environment. Contact the administrator of your server for your account information and server location.
- The file must be in a checked-in state. It cannot be checked out to another user.
- You must have permissions to check out the file for editing.
If the working copy of a file (the file stored in your working folder) is older than the version in the vault, you are prompted to replace the working copy. If the working copy is currently checked out, it is not replaced.
About checking files out of a Vault
You can check out files for editing when you open files from a Vault.
Checking out a file copies the file version in the vault to your local working folder. Once a file is checked out, it can be edited. Only one member of a team can check out a file at one time. No one else can modify a checked out file until it has been checked back into the vault.
Launch the Autodesk Vault client application to see who has a file checked out. The person who checked out the file is listed in the User Name column.
If you have already opened a file from the Vault as Read Only, you can check it out using the Check Out command.
Once you are finished editing a file, you can check the file back into the vault to store your changes or Undo Checkout to cancel any changes and return the file to the Vault as the version it was before you checked it out.
About checking files into a Vault
Use Check In for adding files to the vault for the first time and to check in a file that you have checked out.
You cannot check Stage sets (.stg) into the vault.
If Embed images on check in is selected in Options, all file texture and environment images used in the file are embedded into the .wire file. This ensures that the texture and environment images are available when the .wire file is opened on another machine.
You can check in your updates and keep the file checked out to you by selecting the Keep files checked out option on the Check In dialog box. When you are finished with your edits, check the file back into the vault. This makes the file available for another user to check out and for other team members to get the latest version of the file.