Vault 2012 Workgroup Preview Issues

[Cadmanto]

This is an issue I have seen periodically over the last year that I never investigated further until now.

Here is the scenario.  There are times that certain files when checking into the vault will trip and error when it comes to creating a .dwf file.  It will state upon check in that the .dwf file cannot be checked in do you want to continue.  I always say yes and life goes on as well as my model/drawing file into the vault.  I believe that the .dwf file is used to create the image seen when previewing inside of vault client.  With that being said, there are those that have very base permissions within the vault that can preview some "Released" drawing files and get permission errors on others.  These errors rise up when selecting the update button within the vault preview. 

My question is two fold.  First, what causes some files to trip when being checking into the vault on the .dwf file causing the .dwf file not to be checked into the vault.  Second, what causes the preview not to work in the vault client?  Is this a permissions thing or a setting?  The permissions, if it is, doesn't make any sense to me.

I look forward to your responses.  Thanks

[Cadmanto]

No one has any thoughts on this?

[herrerh]

For your first issue, a DWF will not get checked in if a DWF already exists with the same name and if the DWF has been disconnected from its parent file.  Several functions can disconnect the DWF from the parent file depending upon configuration.  These are in the Visualization options.

For your second issue, a DWF preview will not show if a DWF is not associated to that version of the parent file or is disconnected from the parent file.  Permissions will also do this.  We recommend that DWFs do not get permissions applied to them and should be open.  This is because of viewing and creation issues.

-Hywell

[Cadmanto]

Hywell,

Thank you for getting back to me.

On your first point I would really like it if you elaborated on what you meant by "Several functions can disconnect the DWF from the parent file depending upon configuration."

And your second point, are you saying that permissions can be setup up differently for .dwf files?

I am an administrator and is it possible to have a user just be able to see the .dwf files?  and not the .ipt and idw files?

And if this was the case I would think the viewing of .dwf files for a casual vault client user (non-inventor user) might work out better.

I look forward to your thoughts on this.

Thanks again.

[herrerh]

For the DWF disconnect.

Tools -> Administration -> Vault Settings -> Visualization -> Visualization Management.

These are the settings for removing a link from the parent file depending upon configuration. As per the help, we recommend leaving these settings alone.  Other times, we've found disconnected DWFs without any explanation as to why they were disconnected.

You'd have to play with the permissions, but yes as long as your user does not need to Update the DWF in any way (Update button, creation on check in, Queue to job server) then yes, I believe you could restrict a user from seeing the parent file and only see the DWF.  They would need to turn on Show Hidden files option in Vault Explorer.

[Cadmanto]

I checked those settings and all are checked.  I know I have not touched these, so I can only assume that these

are the settings that came out of the box.  I will take your suggestion and not touch these.

Based on the experience I have had with the software I am going to side with this is an unexplainable occurance.

I say that because I don't do anything different with one file versus another and yet one will check in error free and

the other will error and not create/checkin the .dwf file.

I am going to look into the permissions settings and see if I can set it up so just the .dwf files are showing for this user.

Thanks again for your help and when this user comes in on Monday I will try this out and let you know how it works out.

[jcorson8499]

Scott, 

i too have run into this dwf issue. i have a guy here who will randomly check the dwf out, then gets the error. What i have been doing is running a search for all dwfs checked out, select them all, the remove the reservation on them. Then i send the files to the job server to update the previews. 

the reseller we go thru knows about this issue and does not know whats going on, why this is happening, or how to fix it. so we take the round about way and go thru the steps above.

[Cadmanto]

There is obviously an issue when it comes to .dwf files and checking into the vault.

We aren't specifically checking in or out the .dwf files, but it is just weird to me how

like I described in my earlier post, you can check out one modeland drawing pair and get the dwf

error and on another (very similar to the first) you wont.  I am hoping since the gentleman fromAutodesk

says this is random and there isn't a clear cut explaination that this is something they are working on.

Since Friday I have changed the one guy in my departments settings to view the dwf files so he can check them and open them up in trueview or design view.  I will see if this solves his issue.