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Is there a method to change the owning project file

23 REPLIES 23
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Message 1 of 24
divingdoug
962 Views, 23 Replies

Is there a method to change the owning project file

If I have a part or assy file open, can I change what project [file] that the part or assembly belongs to?

23 REPLIES 23
Message 2 of 24
ampster402
in reply to: divingdoug

pack n go into another project folder would be one if not the only way?!?!

 

Not aware of any option to switch projects on parts & assy's after they've been modeled in another project.

Message 3 of 24
divingdoug
in reply to: ampster402

acknowledged

 

thanks

Message 4 of 24
LT.Rusty
in reply to: ampster402

Can't you just copy the files into another project? 

 

From what I can tell, it seems that Inventor isn't tracking what project file the .IPT or .IAM is associated with, so much as it's tracking where that .IPT or .IAM is located, and what project file that location is associated with.

 

When I get error messages about the file I'm trying to open not being part of the active project, it's because I'm opening something from a location outside of my currently active project.  I just move the file and things are fine again.

Rusty

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Message 5 of 24
ampster402
in reply to: LT.Rusty

You could manually copy the files sure, but due to file links and just in case there's Content Center parts that I did not save into the Project folder (and have forgotten or unsure if there are any CC parts in there), I've always used Pack N Go to ensure the links stay put.

Message 6 of 24
coreyparks
in reply to: ampster402

Or you could do what we do and just make one project file that encompasses all file locations.

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Message 7 of 24
divingdoug
in reply to: divingdoug

Unfortunately, we have different departments that operate free willy.  An no one with authority cares to take on actual cad management for the entire location.

 

If I had authority I would but half the users would ignore the protocols anyway when managment doesn't reinforce the rules.

 

 

So if I read the information above right, if someone creates a part / assy on their drive and I copy it over, it will open under my all encompasing project?

 

If I instruct them to copy and create assy's on my [network] drive, it will still open under my project?

 

If that is the case, it should be a non-issue.

Message 8 of 24
LT.Rusty
in reply to: divingdoug


@divingdoug wrote:

Unfortunately, we have different departments that operate free willy.  An no one with authority cares to take on actual cad management for the entire location.

 

If I had authority I would but half the users would ignore the protocols anyway when managment doesn't reinforce the rules.

 

 

So if I read the information above right, if someone creates a part / assy on their drive and I copy it over, it will open under my all encompasing project?

 

If I instruct them to copy and create assy's on my [network] drive, it will still open under my project?

 

If that is the case, it should be a non-issue.


 

 

So long as all the files are located in a directory that's included in your project, then there's no problem. 

 

Well, maybe - if the directory is included as a library, then anything in it will be read-only.  I've got one main project file that I've set up, which addresses my workspace, and I've got libraries that are accessed by that project.  I've got a separate project that I use when I want to edit my hardware library.

 

But, yeah, if everyone copies their stuff onto a network location and you copy the files from there to your workspace, then so long as you got all the components you'll be good to go.  If stuff is from content center, you just have to make sure that everyone is working off the same content center libraries, and you should regenerate all the parts from there pretty transparently.

Rusty

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Message 9 of 24
ampster402
in reply to: LT.Rusty

to avoid the worry or concern as to whether or not you got all the files, this is where Pack N Go and including the "Copy to Single Path" option comes in handy  😉

Message 10 of 24
LT.Rusty
in reply to: ampster402

Thing about Pack-n-Go, it works best when you've already got the project file.  If you're using it outside of your project, it gets a little squirrely.  For instance, I've got an external drive that's got about 10 years worth of Inventor / MDT / ACAD files on it, in about 15,000 directories.  Pack-n-Go is pretty much worthless there, because it doesn't recognize the directory structure.

Rusty

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Message 11 of 24
divingdoug
in reply to: LT.Rusty


@LT.Rusty wrote:

  If you're using it outside of your project, it gets a little squirrely. 


That's an understatement !!!

Message 12 of 24
ampster402
in reply to: LT.Rusty

While I don't have years worth of experience to back up my statement, I've pack n go'd many times outside of a project file with no issues.

 

I'd tend to think that as long as the files are stored where Inventor last saved them, and they weren't manually moved by a person from where they were saved by Inventor into some other folder structure then pack n go should be able to locate where everything is.

 

The minute you move files from where Inventor last stored them to some other location, I wouldn't expect pack n go to find anything.

 

The one thing that gets screwed up while using pack n go for me is I sometimes forget to reset the copy to single path option.

 

What squirrely things are you seeing?

 

 

Message 13 of 24
LT.Rusty
in reply to: ampster402

If you saved them there, with your current installation of Inventor, maybe that's one thing.  If you're going into old data that maybe has migrated from one computer to another to another ... PnG isn't going to find it so easily.  We replace our computers pretty freqently, and we've had a whole bunch of different guys file through here over the past 10, 15 years.

 

Realistically, PnG works off your current project file, unless you specify another one.  It's going to look through all the locations included in that project, and nowhere else unless you manually tell it to look there.  It'll get really confused if, for instance, you've inherited 4 different guys files, and each of them has something different that has the same file name.  When you do a PnG on an assembly that contains one of those parts, it's a crap shoot as to whether you'll get the right one unless you are so intimately familiar with all the other guys' files that you tell it to pick the right one.

 

Also, when you're using PnG outside your project file, I'm willing to bet that you have all your related files probably in one place, or close to it.  PnG likes that.  If, however, you've got 4 or 5 different directories where parts of the same assembly are stored, and another one where the .IDW's are, and all this is outside your project ...  I highly doubt you're going to like the results you get.

Rusty

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Message 14 of 24
divingdoug
in reply to: ampster402

When you pack n go an assy w/ many sub-assy's and components in a significant director structure, you do not want to flatten that out.

 

Thus, when you process to a folder outside of the original project, everything reverts to an absolute reference and all assy's / sub-assy's are pointing to the original location.  Not fun to fix when you have dozens if not hundreds of components in your assy's.

 

This is what is nice about SW.  It maintains all the references in the assy file itself.  If it's a relative ref, it stays relative. If absolute, it stays absolute.

 

Tha means that you can copy an assy w/ subfoldres that only contains refs to items in it's own folder or subs and it all stays nice and connected to wherever you copy to.  P&G when you have absolutes and it maintains both relative and absolute links.

Message 15 of 24
ampster402
in reply to: divingdoug

OK, I can see where things would get hairy with alot of sub-assys, multiple older versions as well as the headach of multiple people creating different parts with the same file name! I had to giggle when I read that from LTRusty! What does Vault call that situation, "unique file names"?

 

That would explain it, I mostly kepp everything within a single folder and maybe one sub-folder under that with the rare occasion of letting a CC part or two get placed in the default folders.

Message 16 of 24
LT.Rusty
in reply to: ampster402


@ampster402 wrote:

OK, I can see where things would get hairy with alot of sub-assys, multiple older versions as well as the headach of multiple people creating different parts with the same file name! I had to giggle when I read that from LTRusty! What does Vault call that situation, "unique file names"?

 

That would explain it, I mostly kepp everything within a single folder and maybe one sub-folder under that with the rare occasion of letting a CC part or two get placed in the default folders.


heh

 

My working folder has (at the moment) 9,953 files and 2,009 subfolders in it.  It takes up 22.6 GB.  My archives - all the assorted crap from the past years & employees - has 84,501 files in 16,901 subdirectories.  165 GB.

 

It's ... complicated.

Rusty

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Message 17 of 24
SBix26
in reply to: divingdoug

I'd be glad to have this clarified by someone from Autodesk, but here's what I have deduced from working with Inventor for a few years (eleven, to be precise):

 

Part, assembly and drawing files have no association to projects (.ipj files).  Links to other files, though, appear to be absolute, but in a relative kind of way.  That is, if a part file gets moved to a different location, Inventor will have no problem re-linking to assembly and/or drawing files, as long as that new location is within the paths defined by the current active project.

 

So, to copy files to a different project, just copy them.  The key is to change projects to one that does not include the original location in its path definitions, and Inventor will happily link the files in their new location (as long as the filenames haven't changed).

 

I like Inventor's project setup, and use it to my advantage.  But, I haven't experienced all the different environments in which Inventor is used.  Therefore, YMMV.

Sam B
Inventor 2012 Certified Professional

Please click "Accept as Solution" if this response answers your question.
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Message 18 of 24
divingdoug
in reply to: SBix26

What I am getting is then, whether you want to utilize the 'features' of the project file or not, you have to be aware of the coverage of the project file. Either let it cover everything in the world or take the time to manage an ever growing list of project files for each actual project where it is extremely likely that there will be crossover because there are some folders with common parts in them.
When our group received our introductory week of "Here's Inventor,Start Using It!!" training, there was never any mention of project files so no one did anything to account for them.
Since I have now researched the uses of them and received more information on trying to reign them in, I have concluded they will serve me no real purpose and want to do whatever I need to do to forget they are there.
My goal then is to be able to forget the project file exists.  So bottom line, how can I make sure INV always opens up with the single all encompassing project file, even if I open dwg or part files that were originally created under some other project file that I at this point have no clue what it would have been.
 
 
Message 19 of 24
LT.Rusty
in reply to: divingdoug

At my company (and I've mirrored this at home) we use one project file that covers everything.

 

My workspace is set up as C:\DESIGNS.  All of my active stuff is contained there, except for libraries.  I've got those set up as C:\HARDWARE, C:\TEXTURES and a couple of others.  Whenever I need something that is old or migrated or whatever, I drag that from whatever other directory it was stored in, and then put it in the main workspace.

 

Because the libraries are read only, I've got a second project set up called HARDWARE EDIT, and this one is used for (as the name suggests) editing things in the hardware library - the workspace is set to C:\HARDWARE.

 

I've got a couple other project files set up for specific functions, but those are the two that I spend 99% of my time using.

 

Rusty

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Message 20 of 24
divingdoug
in reply to: LT.Rusty

Rusty I find it interesting that, based on the quantity of files you have mentioned, that you are working from your C drive.

 

Most computer savvy folk will say to always keep your data physically segregated from your OS. That way, if your system crashes, you can get to your data immediately with out having to worry about fixing a crashed computer. Simply go to another system with the application and access the data files as needed.

 

Whether it is a second drive in the computer or a network attached drive, it isolates your data from your OS.

 

It also makes backups easier.  I back up my data drive (home) quite often.  I back up my OS drive only occasionally like when I install a major application.  And then I use Ghost so it creates an image vs. just backing up the files. That way, you can create a replacement drive in a matter of a couple hours as opposed to having to start from scratch and reinstall the OS and all the apps an then restore data. (I'm sure there are other programs that does what Ghost does, that is just my particular choice)

 

Didn't mean to run all off topic, specially since I started this thread but that just kinda stuck out there for me.

 

 

 

Back on topic,  Still want to verify how I can make sure that every time I open IV, it is using my all encompassing project file.  Can this be set in my default templates?  or does it work like, once you select a project file, it stays with it for the long term until you intentionally select a different one?

 

 

 

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