Pulling Drawing Numbers

[meck]

Hi All,

We have some offsite contract drafters working for us. They do not have access to our Vault. Is there a way to pull drawing numbers from the Vault without creating a new drawing using AutoCAD or Inventor?

[PaulMunford]

Could you create blank files as place holders, and swap them out later?

[meck]

Thanks for the response. That's what we are doing at the moment. I was just hoping that there was a way in Vault to just get the next number in line.

[BLHDrafting · Accepted solution]

Are you looking for a method to reserve some drawing numbers? Do you use Vault Workgroup or above? Do you use Custom Numbering Schemes (auto numbering)?

If yes to all the above then simply create a dummy part, save it and select/use the auto-numbering sequence and hit OK. At the Save As window hit Cancel. This makes Vault index that number by 1, even though you're not saving anything. Repeat this as many times as you need.

Not elegant but it works.

[36396485]

We pull drawing numbers in sequence as you stated above. We attach our standard blank drawing with title block as a place holder for a particular drawing. However, many third parties require an obscene number of unique drawings which are published one click at a time. It takes a lot of time to create these drawings and often they are not sequential as other designers are pulling drawings while this work is being conducted. Is there a way to pull out a block of drawing numbers in one instance. For example, drawing # 1000 through 2000?

[brendan.henderson]

I can't find a way of reserving (pulling out) a block of numbers. I haven't tried it, but looking at the Numbering Schemes I think there might be a way to implement a workaround to acheive what you want.

You're going to need to stop issuing numbers so that the Numbering Scheme can be swapped out. It appears that once a Scheme has been made that it can't be modified (or deleted if you believe the Help site but I just deleted 1 that was in use). So at the close of business stop access to the Vault (to prevent people grabbing new numbers), find and note down the last number used in the Scheme you want. Delete that Scheme (although it says below that it can't be deleted). Then create it again and change the range start point to be 1000 more than the previously noted number.

Like I said, a workaround. Test it thoroughly before implementing.