Want to create PDF files manually in Vault Professional 2022

[G.S.III]

Hello all,

Ever since we updated to Vault 2022 wanted to use the new option to create PDF files manually with vault. For some reason every time try to do this wants to send it to the Job Processor. Don't want to use the Job Processor at all. Currently are exporting PDF files from inventor and manually entering them into Vault.

This photo below is the message after clicking the PDF creator the second time.

[Gabriel_Watson]

This is hardwired to use the Job Processor, and the reasons for the error are addressed in this article below:
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/vault-products/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles...

You can use File > Plot to print to PDF manually without using the Job Processor.

[G.S.III]

Don't see what in that link shows me how to change it to quite submitting pdf's to the Job Processor?

[Gabriel_Watson]

The link explains your error message highlighted in the picture you showed.
The alternative to generate your own PDF exports from Vault, not using Job Processors, is the part where I mention the Plot function.

[G.S.III]

Wanting to create pdf files like this video does. Where you just click the button and it creates them suppose to be a new feature for the vault.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiO9NaHTGrY

[Gabriel_Watson]

Those are all through the Job Processor, not instantaneous as in the video. Sorry!
It is indeed a new feature, as before 2020 we had to use custom-coded plugins for this. However, at least with my previous team the custom plugin still worked better than this out-of-the-box solution.

[G.S.III]

So in vault 2020 this new feature with the button in the video still runs thru the Job Processor? Didn't know that thought it was outside of that now.

Are you saying this is the best method you mentioned below to create pdf files?

You can use File > Plot to print to PDF manually without using the Job Processor.

Want to be able to create the pdf files where ever we want in the work flow of the drawing. We send them to Engineers for approval before they are released.

[Gabriel_Watson]

Yes.

And my previous team used extensively our own PDF plugin to leverage Job Processors and create those files for all departments aside from engineering design. The Job Processors allow you to schedule the tasks on the server and forget about it while things run (potentially, hundreds of drawings).
If you wish to create all of this without Job Processors, you would either use the Plot function, or schedule via Start Menu > Inventor > Task Scheduler, where you can select multiple drawings and generate those files. However, you still need to check those in (maybe using the task scheduler too).

You can Plot out drawings at any point in your workflow in Vault, as long as your user can see the files to select them (they must have permissions to read those at the lifecycle state and folder/file restrictions they are currently in).

If anybody else has other ideas, I'm all ears too. But this is how things work with Vault, as far as I know.

[G.S.III]

Seems I was confused by this new function in Vault. That it does use the Job Processor to run these files. So Maybe need to learn about the Job Processor then?

Seems to me that there should be a better way to create our pdf files then how we are currently doing it.

This is our current process that we are doing to update the pdf files for release process after engineering approval below.

1. With current new rev of Inventor open do a FILE - EXPORT - PDF and save that to your local drive.

2. Find pdf in vault and change state to WIP which will bump pdf rev to same revision as current new rev of Inventor

3. Will then double click pdf in Vault to open it and check it out of the Vault

4. Close the pdf view of the that pdf leaving the pdf Checked out in the Vault

5. Find that Checked out pdf in your current local work space and delete it

6. Copy paste in new rev pdf you created in step 1 into your current local work space replacing the one you deleted

7. Go to Vault find that this checked out pdf file and Check it into Vault

8. Verify that Vault is now showing the new pdf rev of the drawing

9. In Vault edit properties of the pdf to match the Inventor file properties (ECN might have changed some properties)

10. Change state of pdf file to be Released

This process works with no issues but it is time consuming. Currently working a ECN which will change over 100 drawings. So will have to do this process on everyone one of them.

Just looking for a better process for doing this.

[Gabriel_Watson]

Look into lifecycle state transitions, and include a custom job task to publish PDFs of your drawings every time they get released or re-released (new revision) in Vault.

[G.S.III]

Hello Again,

Looking into this manual PDF creator button in Vault. Now getting it to work using the Job Processor. It is creating the pdf in the vault. Wanting to know if there is a way to change the name that it calls it? Looking at the photo below the one highlighted is the one that the manual pdf creator made. It includes .dwg in the pdf name. The one below the highlighted pdf is the way we been adding these all along with just the drawing number than .pdf

Is there way to get the manual pdf function to create the name with out the .dwg in the file name?

[ihayesjr · Accepted solution]

@G.S.III 

Please see this section in the online Help.

Vault 2022 Help | Publish PDF from 2D CAD Files | Autodesk

[johan.degreef · Accepted solution]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-tyWjg6GLo

[G.S.III]

Hello,

This manual pdf creation had been working great for me. But all of the sudden it is now creating the pdf as released status shown below.

Don't want it created this way. Want to edit all the properties before it is released.

Can see here below have the option clicked to have revision and life cycle from source.

Does anyone know what could be causing this?

Thanks

[ihayesjr · Accepted solution]

@G.S.III 

Look at the Lifecycle Definition that gets assigned to the PDF. The is possible two possible problems I could think of.

1. The default state of the lifecycle definition assigned to PDF is Released.
2. You don't have matching states in the lifecycle definition assigned to the PDF as you have assigned to the IPT or DWG.

[G.S.III]

The default state of the lifecycle definition assigned to PDF is Released was the issue.