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Multiple users opening the same IPT file

15 REPLIES 15
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Message 1 of 16
steveg
2994 Views, 15 Replies

Multiple users opening the same IPT file

We are currently using Inventor 2013 without Vault and I discovered that multiple users can open the same IPT file at the same time with no warning message or read only access like we get in Autocad. We have 6 designers all using the same Project that is a single user project. We normally don't have more than no person working on the same part or assembly, but it did happen. Two designers opened the same file to make separate changes not knowing that the other was in the file. Not until one of them went to save the file did he know someone else was also in the file. When he went to save the file he then got a warning - "A later version of this file has been saved by (user). Saving the file would overwrite changes, which is not allowed. If you wish to preserve your changes, use the Save Copy As command." In Autocad if you try to open a file that someone else has open you get the warning right away and are forced to open it read only or not at all. Is there a way to set Inventor to do the same thing? Other than using Vault and having to checkin/checkout every file. Our six designers work on an average of 50+ parts per week and many times have multiple files open at the same time to use as reference. Also the shop floor opens our files to use for programming and asking them to checkin/checkout files would not be received well. The shop floor has "read only" rights as determined by our network. Does our network settings determine if more than one person can open the same file?

15 REPLIES 15
Message 2 of 16
Ray_Feiler
in reply to: steveg

This can not be done as far as I know you will need to use something like Vault.


Product Design & Manufacturing Collection 2024
Sometimes you just need a good old reboot.
Message 3 of 16
kwilson_design
in reply to: Ray_Feiler

Are you not using any type of data management software (Vault, Adept, etc)? How are you keeping up with revision history (I'm not talking about revision in title blocks)?

Regards,
Kenny
If this post solved your issue please mark "Accept as Solution". It helps everyone...really!
Message 4 of 16
steveg
in reply to: kwilson_design

No we are not using any type of data management at this time. But are talking about it now. We tried Vault but with the way our files are used by multiple departments found it very cumbersome.

Message 5 of 16
coreyparks
in reply to: steveg

In the application options check the box to "Enable creation of Legacy projects".   This allows files to checked in and out without using vault.  Vault or some other system like it is the only safe way to work when multiple users can access the same files at the same time.  Also if you decide to use shared or semi-isolated for your project files keep in mind these are legacy project setups that are no longer recommended or really supported by autodesk.  Good luck.

 

Other Projects.PNG

Please mark this response "Accept as solution" if it answers your question.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corey Parks
Message 6 of 16
kwilson_design
in reply to: steveg

Hmm then I would definitely try to steer your company or its decision makers in some form of data management. I would go nuts trying to keep up with models, history, etc all without data management.

 

I'm curious where your company found it's bottleneck with data management in the past or found Vault to be cumbersome across multiple depts..Having multiple departments work on the files shouldn't be an issue with Vault but of course some company's workflows are more complex than others. Vault is fairly flexible so I'm wondering what was causing you guys issues? What level of Vault did you try (Basic, Collab/Workgroup, Pro)?

 

The other option is to do as the member above said and use the File Status workflow. We did that briefly years ago back before we had any sort of data management software. It worked but it sometimes was a pain fixing some file that for whatever reason showed it was checked out to a user when it really wasn't. As he said it's not really a supported method these days since Autodesk now has a data managewment solution or others out there that would work.

 

Best of luck!

Regards,
Kenny
If this post solved your issue please mark "Accept as Solution". It helps everyone...really!
Message 7 of 16
mcgyvr
in reply to: kwilson_design

1 employee = no Vault needed

More than one employee = Vault is a must

 

Its simple math 🙂

 

 



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Inventor 2023 - Dell Precision 5570

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Message 8 of 16
swhite
in reply to: steveg

Vault is your best bet and the only way to be sure every user has the most current version and is not trying to change the same file someone else is at the same time. The best thing with vault is if you place all projects under one main folder, such as let's say CAD Files, then all the multiple projects can be shared amongst each other and you can easily switch from one to the next without making a seperate project for every one.

Vault2.PNG

 

 

Also with Vault you can open any file without checking it out if you want it open for reference only, or even to copy and paste from, while others can check it out and edit it. It really is the only way to go. Inventor can be set to keep files checked out when you check them in so new parts are added to the vault, without having to recheck files back out as you are working on them, then check in permenantly any files automatically when closed.

 

Files opened in Inventor thru vault do not need to be checked out, they can be opened as read only, which still allows parts to be opened to check dimensions, etc, or even to be copied and reused or renamed. It allows you to design copy entire assemblies and rename all the parts to a new assembly, so that only changed parts need to be made if two assemblies are similar. Why redo 75% of something if its all exactly the same but for a few parts?

 

I see those making 20 project folders, which makes no sense, all folders should be under one main project, just different jobs in that project folder. I think the term project confuses people and they think every job is a new project. The project folder is just where all the jobs are kept.

 

Once you get vault and inventor set up correctly and learn all its uses, you will wonder how you ever got along without it.

Steven White
Lee C. Moore, Inc.
www.lcm-wci.com
Inventor 2011
Intel Dual Xeon E31225 @ 3.1 GHz CPU
16 GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro 600 GPU
Windows 7 - 64 Bit
Message 9 of 16
steveg
in reply to: swhite

Thank you, your explained vault and how it works better than any of the sales people who sold us our Autodesk products. I will be working on getting Vault setup.

Thanks,

Steve Geniesse
Senior Tool Designer
Great Lakes Custom Tool Mfg., Inc.
715-582-3884 ext. 220
Message 10 of 16
swhite
in reply to: steveg

I didn't even begin to cover what Vault is capable of, I don't have that many hours in the day :). You got to remember the sales people just sell it, they don't actually WORK with it.

 

I am not IT, so can't really explain what is needed to set it up, but can help once you get it installed to get all the Inventore settings adjusted. One can also set up permissions, so that library items (commonly reused parts that are always the same can be reused multiple times,) yet restrict who has access to edit them. Not view or open them read only, but actually make changes to them. It saves a new version everytime checked in, so one can always revert to a previous version if needed, even if rarely.

 

I do believe they should of called it something else besides project path though, which implieas a new one should be made for each job, so I can see why some set it up that way. Which then makes sharing of files between jobs a compete headache.

 

My email in case your company decides to set up vault and has questions. Will gladly answer any I can.

 

swhite@lcm-wci.com

Steven White
Lee C. Moore, Inc.
www.lcm-wci.com
Inventor 2011
Intel Dual Xeon E31225 @ 3.1 GHz CPU
16 GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro 600 GPU
Windows 7 - 64 Bit
Message 11 of 16
petestrycharske
in reply to: steveg

@johnsonshiue, is there any way to restrict networked Inventor files so that the first user to open a file locks it as "read only", like AutoCAD?  If not, what's the best workaround for a company without Vault?  Would @coreyparks suggestion of using a legacy project file (link to definitions) be the best approach.  I've got a customer working through this challenge now and any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance for your assistance and have a most blessed day!

Peace,

Pete

Just a guy on a couch...

Please give a kudos if helpful and mark as a solution if somehow I got it right.
Message 12 of 16

Hi Pete,

 

When Inventor loads a file, it is loaded in the memory. The file on disc isn't relevant, until a save event. You can even delete the file from disc. So, there is no way Inventor can enforce readonly status on any file. This is why the best collaboration tool for a file-based CAD system like Inventor is to use Vault. The files are stored on the server, managed by Vault. Each user gets the files locally and Vault manages who and when can check in.

Another solution without using Vault is the old legacy project type: Semi-Isolated.

Many thanks!



Johnson Shiue (johnson.shiue@autodesk.com)
Software Test Engineer
Message 13 of 16
IgorMir
in reply to: johnsonshiue

Hi Johnson,

But how can you explain the behavior of AutoCAD files? They too are loaded into memory when open. Yet if another user is trying to open the same very file - he/she will get a message that the file can only be open in Read mode. And there is no overheads needed to achieve this.
In short - it appears Inventor is bloated with some un-needed routines. Vault being one of them. It seems - some people have got on a tangent creating more and more modules in order to keep things simple. Loosing the simplicity in the process. 
Cheers,

Igor.

 


@johnsonshiue wrote:

Hi Pete,

 

When Inventor loads a file, it is loaded in the memory. The file on disc isn't relevant, until a save event. You can even delete the file from disc. So, there is no way Inventor can enforce readonly status on any file. This is why the best collaboration tool for a file-based CAD system like Inventor is to use Vault. The files are stored on the server, managed by Vault. Each user gets the files locally and Vault manages who and when can check in.

Another solution without using Vault is the old legacy project type: Semi-Isolated.

Many thanks!


Web: www.meqc.com.au
Message 14 of 16
NigelHay
in reply to: mcgyvr

We have 3 users & no Vault but we all sit within head slapping distance so it's never been a problem. 😁

Message 15 of 16
johnsonshiue
in reply to: IgorMir

Hi Igor,

 

AutoCAD simply blocks a file from being edited by two sessions. When a file is opened by AutoCAD, it adds a lock so that nobody else can edit it. This behavior is nice. However, most AutoCAD files contain everything within one dwg file. The Xref is mostly for referencing purpose.

The Inventor works quite differently. Except individual parts, assemblies, drawings and presentation require external references. These files are constantly being edited and saved by the user in various workflows. This is why it, as our competitors do, requires a file managing tool like Vault to help set things straight.

If you work on a small team, the design is not that big, and the data isn't reused heavily, I personally Fusion 360 might be a good tool for you. Every user can access the same data at the same time without having to deploy a file managing tool.

Many thanks!



Johnson Shiue (johnson.shiue@autodesk.com)
Software Test Engineer
Message 16 of 16
IgorMir
in reply to: johnsonshiue

Thanks, Johnson but really...
I don't want to be argumentative here but I fail to agree with you on this one. My point is - if the file is open by a user - the lock must be introduced to that file. So other people can view the model but not edit it.
In AutoCAD one can create an assembly consisted from different files too. For example - one file represents one subassembly. And another one - the second subassembly. Both files are x-refed into a third file, which represents a main assembly. I am talking about 3D Modeling in AutoCAD here, which I had done a lot in the past.
The individual parts of the assembly are separated by the Layers. When parts drawings are created - the corresponding subassembly file is x-refed into a new file and the unneeded layers are set to Frozen state. So you detailing one part at a time. Do you see a similarity with the Inventor approach here?
Anyway, you and I we both know - the way Inventor handles files won't change. Hence my comment can be completely disregarded.

Best Regards,

Igor.

Web: www.meqc.com.au

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