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Autodesk Vault Vs Windows Explorer – Renaming Files

February 18, 2023
| No Comments
| CDE (Common Data Environment), Data Management, Data Management for AutoCAD, Data Management for Civil and Infrastructure, Data Management for Manufacturing, Vault, Vault
Compare Autodesk Vault to using windows explorer
Compare Autodesk Vault to using windows explorer

Autodesk Vault Vs Windows Explorer - Renaming Files

This Autodesk Vault Vs Windows Explorer post looks at the common workflows in both systems when it comes to renaming a file. Typically when a a file is renamed it is either named differently because their is a variation, or perhaps the design intent has changed and there may be a need to modify the filename or it is copied and the requirement to have a unique filename exists.

File Management

Renaming Files in Windows Explorer

When renaming within a Windows Explorer environment, as long as the file is not opened, you can simply left click or right-click > rename and change the filename as long as the same filename does not exist in the same file path.

There are 3rd party tools to batch rename as well of you need to change a filename in bulk.

Windows Explorer File Renaming Challenges

Using Windows, users experience the following challenges:

  • Reference management may fail as the filename in the reference file path has changed
  • Changing multiple files can be time consuming
  • Updating the part number or other metadata, properties or attributes within the file. While we can rename the file, if we need to also rename the metadata within that file, we need to go into each file that needs to be modified, make the changes, save, exit and repeat for each file that needs a similar metadata change.

Renaming in Vault

With Vault, you can rename files and metadata within the file a couple ways:

  • Rename Wizard
  • Edit Properties
  • Copy Design
 

Rename Wizard

By selecting a file or files, then right-clicking the mouse button, you can select the rename command to launch the rename wizard.

Autodesk Vault’s Rename Wizard gives you the following options:

  • Add more files to rename
  • Add a Prefix and/or Suffix or Increment
  • Modify the filename
  • Update the Part Number
  • Numbering Scheme (for Vault Professional environments)
 
Autodesk Vault
Using the Rename Wizard in Vault

Edit Properties

Like the Rename Wizard in Autodesk Vault, you can bulk update properties through the Vault Explorer without needing to open files individually.

Autodesk Vault Autodesk Vault Basic Training Course
Editing Properties in Vault

Opening Files That Have Been Renamed

Windows Explorer

The issue with opening referenced files that have been renamed is matching the file reference. No big deal when it’s one, but if there are hundreds or more, the process can be mind numbing and time consuming.

Autodesk Vault

When files are renamed in Vault and opened in CAD, Vault tracks the change and ensures the reference to any other files are maintained, giving users more time to focus on design rather than file administration. 

Autodesk Vault Vs Windows - File Renaming Video

Watch the video below to compare file remaming in Autodesk Vault Vs Windows Explorer.

Learn More about Autodesk Vault

Check out the rest of the Autodesk Vault Vs Windows Explorer Blog Series or click on a button below to learn more about having Vault to manage your data on-prem or in the cloud.

Autodesk Vault Autodesk Vault Basic,Vault Professional, available on-premise or pay by the month in the cloud
Autodesk Vault
Autodesk Vault Page
Autodesk Vault Cloud Page

Free 90 Day Vault Trial

If you are interested in trialling Vault or just want to discuss your data management requirements further, feel free to fill out the form below or contact us on 1800 490 514, [email protected], by live chat or fill out the form below.

Contact Form Demo (#5)

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Autodesk Vault Vs Windows Explorer – File Management

January 12, 2023
| No Comments
| CDE (Common Data Environment), Data Management, Data Management for AutoCAD, Data Management for Civil and Infrastructure, Data Management for Manufacturing, Vault, Vault
Compare Autodesk Vault to using windows explorer
Compare Autodesk Vault to using windows explorer

Autodesk Vault Vs Windows Explorer - File Management

In the first post of the Autodesk Vault vs Windows Explorer Blog Series, we take a look at the differences between Autodesk Vault and Windows Explorer when it comes to file management and how users store, find files, create files and folders.

File Management

Windows Explorer File Management Processes and Techniques

When managing CAD or BIM data using AutoCAD, Inventor or Revit in a Windows Explorer, Network Server or even Cloud Storage environment, users typically:

  • Store data in folders
  • Sort data or projects by folder
  • Descriptive filenames that are complex and long are used to understand what the file is and what it contains
  • Find files by clicking through folders and sub-folders or searching by file name
  • Have a centralised library of content center files, xrefs, blocks, templates, etc.
  • Create multiple ipj files (for Inventor) to manage projects or isolate project specific files
  • Updating files and the file metadata on a batch scale using 3rd party tools, such as Inventor task scheduler

Windows Explorer File Management Challenges

Using Windows, users experience the following challenges:

  • Complex folder and sub-folder structures based on agreed upon rules or company standards
  • Understanding what a filename means to know what the file contains
  • Having to open the file or multiple files to find the right file/s.
  • Managing folder and filenames characters when the 255 character folder/filename limitation becomes an issue
  • Wasting time looking through folder structures to find the ‘correct’ file
  • Understanding which files reference the file you want to modify.
  • If there are duplicates, which file is the right file.
  • Using files across projects. In an Inventor environment, doing this while managing ipj files and reference errors can also become challenging.
  • Renaming or updating files on a batch scale can be laborious 
  • The time it takes windows to search and find the files is time consuming
  • Windows finds other files that may not be related
  • You can’t see the metadata or file properties that are stored within the CAD file
  • Unless the filename includes the version or revision, it’s difficult to understand if it’s the latest file
Autodesk Vault vs Windows Explorer - searching for a file side by side comparison
Autodesk Vault vs Windows Explorer - Side by side comparison when searching

Vault File Management

Using a SQL database, Vault managing folder and file entries, queries and file attributes, changing the way files are managed from relying on manual standards, file naming and folder structure procedures to leveraging file metadata and visualisation.

Using Vault, users can still use traditional folder and file naming methods to find files or by using advanced searching criteria, metadata and visualisation, users can the right file.

In the scenario below, we know the file name contains 558, it’s an ipt file and who created it, so by using this criteria, we can filter through the folder structure very quickly to isolate which file/s we are looking for. Search results can also be saved for future use too.

Autodesk Vault explorer user interafce
Autodesk Vault Explorer User Interface
Autodesk Vault File Management - Advanced Search criteria to find the right file

Folder Management

Like Windows, using the Project Explorer interface, users can create folders, sub-folders and (also new files) also use numbering schemes, Vault properties, datasheet, categories, version controls and lifecycles to manage the folder and its contents.

Tools to find the right file in Vault

Now that we have found what files have met the search criteria, amongst other tools in Vault, we can use these tabs to give us more insight into the file:

  • Search Results – view the results, file category, stage, compliance and any other associated metadata you want to view
  • Properties – displays all the properties associated with the file
  • History – provides an thumbnail, it’s version, revision, historical state and other meta data
  • Where Used – Lets you know which files are referencing the selected file before you start editing it and making changes to the file.
  • View –  without needing to open the file, a user can view a 3D model (pan, rotate & zoom) or 2D drawing, measure, see markups, create cross sections and utilise all the other tools available in the Autodesk Viewer that is used in other Autodesk management tools such as Fusion Teams and Autodesk Construction Cloud.
Autodesk Vault saved search Moving at the Speed of Business
Autodesk Vault - View tab lets you preview a 3D model in Vault
Autodesk Vault visualisation viewer lets you preview the model in 3D before opening it
Autodesk Vault - View tab lets you preview a 3D model in Vault
Autodesk Vault - where used allows users to understand where the file is being used as a reference
Autodesk Vault - Where Used Tab lets you see which other files are referencing the selected file

Autodesk Vault File Management Video

Watch the video below to see how easy it is to find files in Autodesk Vault.

Learn More about Autodesk Vault

Autodesk Vault can be deployed on-premise or cloud. To learn more about Autodesk Vault click one of the buttons below.

Autodesk Vault Page
Autodesk Vault Cloud Page

Free 90 Day Vault Trial

If you are interested in trialling Vault or just want to discuss your data management requirements further, feel free to fill out the form below or contact us on 1800 490 514, [email protected], by live chat or fill out the form below.

Contact Form Demo (#5)

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Autodesk Vault Vs Windows Explorer

January 11, 2023
| No Comments
| CDE (Common Data Environment), Data Management, Data Management for AutoCAD, Data Management for Civil and Infrastructure, Data Management for Manufacturing, Vault, Vault
Compare Autodesk Vault to using windows explorer
Compare Autodesk Vault to using windows explorer

Autodesk Vault Vs Windows Explorer

When using CAD software such as Autodesk AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor, the natural choice is to use the Windows Explorer environment and store files and manage projects and data in Windows folders.

User who use Windows folders can experience limitations and need to do more manual operations compared to using Autodesk Vault to manage their data, however, what are the differences between these two ways of working and is the time and money spent on implementing a new system less than the time spent working in Windows folders?

The answer an overwhelming yes from Vault users, and this blog series will demonstrate the differences, so if you are unsure of why you should stop how you are managing your CAD data in Windows, this blog should answer those questions. 

What's the Difference?

Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:

  • File Management – How do you store and find files and metadata
  • Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
  • Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
  • Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
  • IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
  • Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
  • Version Control – How versions are managed
  • Concurrent Design – How do you work on the same project and files
  • Collaboration – How do you collaborate with other team members

File Management

Windows Explorer File Management Processes and Techniques

When managing CAD or BIM data using AutoCAD, Inventor or Revit in a Windows Explorer, Network Server or even Cloud Storage environment, users typically:

  • Store data in folders
  • Sort data or projects by folder
  • Descriptive filenames that are complex and long are used to understand what the file is and what it contains
  • Find files by clicking through folders and sub-folders or searching by file name
  • Have a centralised library of content center files, xrefs, blocks, templates, etc.
  • Create multiple ipj files (for Inventor) to manage projects or isolate project specific files
  • Updating files and the file metadata on a batch scale using 3rd party tools, such as Inventor task scheduler

Vault File Management

Using a SQL database, Vault managing folder and file entries, queries and file attributes, changing the way files are managed from relying on manual standards, file naming and folder structure procedures to leveraging file metadata and visualisation.

Using Vault, users can still use traditional folder and file naming methods to find files or by using advanced searching criteria, metadata and visualisation, users can the right file.

In the scenario below, we know the file name contains 558, it’s an ipt file and who created it, so by using this criteria, we can filter through the folder structure very quickly to isolate which file/s we are looking for. Search results can also be saved for future use too.

Autodesk Vault explorer user interafce
Autodesk Vault Explorer User Interface

Autodesk Vault vs Windows Explorer - File Management Blog Post

Click the button below to learn more about how Autodesk Vault manages files compared to using Windows Explorer

File Management Blog Post

Reference Management

Windows Reference Management

When files are referenced within a file such as an xref in AutoCAD and Revit or iam, ipt and idw in an Inventor iam

Windows Vs Vault

Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:

  • Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
  • Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
  • Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
  • IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
  • Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
  • Version Control – How versions are managed

Renaming Files

Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:

  • Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
  • Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
  • Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
  • IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
  • Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
  • Version Control – How versions are managed

Copying Files

Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:

  • Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
  • Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
  • Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
  • IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
  • Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
  • Version Control – How versions are managed

IPJ File Management

Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:

  • Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
  • Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
  • Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
  • IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
  • Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
  • Version Control – How versions are managed

Attributes/Properties

Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:

  • Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
  • Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
  • Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
  • IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
  • Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
  • Version Control – How versions are managed

Version Control

Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:

  • Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
  • Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
  • Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
  • IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
  • Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
  • Version Control – How versions are managed

Get in Touch

DC is an authorised Autodesk Reseller providing products and services for the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Infrastructure and Manufacturing Sectors.

Feel free to contact us on 1800 490 514, [email protected], by live chat or fill out the form below.

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Autodesk Vault Migration Best Practices

May 18, 2022
| No Comments
| Vault, Vault
Vault badge Moving at the Speed of Business
Vault migration planning best practices and information

Autodesk Vault Migration Best Practices

A Vault migration occurs where the Vault environment is being migrated from one release to a later release (e.g. 2022 to 2023).

Migrations need to be planned out and not left too long between releases and from the current release to avoid issues with data and config migrations which ultimately leads an increase in the time and cost to migrate Vault to the designated release.

Vault migration planning Moving at the Speed of Business

Planning the Migration

If Vault migrations are left too long between releases or is migrated to a release that is more than 3 releases from the current, issues can arise in a migration where there are errors in configurations and database relationships due to:

  • Double and triple migrations
  • Autodesk integrating too many changes between releases and the old configuration not being supported in the new release.
  • Users may miss issues during testing and handover phase, etc.
  • Release is end of life and no longer support from Autodesk
  • Forced to do a double migration
  • Cyclical problem of too many changes between releases (being too far apart) and errors, can’t go forward until issues are resolved.
Vault double migration

What is a Double Migration?

Vault can only be migrated within 3 releases. A Vault environment on 2020 can only be migrated to 2022. If the current release in this scenario is 2023, then another migration is required to go from 2022 to 2023.

A triple migration is basically when the Vault release is far back from the desired release. In one example, Design Consulting migrated Vault from 2015 to 2017, 2017 to 2019 and then 2019 to 2021.

The time taken and steps involved to migrate are virtually replicated, resulting in a duplication in costs every time a migration is required, so planning your Vault migration is important to get the best value for money  when migrating and also have users take advantage of the additional productivity features in the new releases of Vault and CAD software.

On one hand IT may want to delay the inevitable for as long as possible to reduce their workload on a 1, 2 or 3 year interval, however, the user base can lose out on new features that makes the business more productive and if there are issues with the migration due to unforseen errors in data and configuration, any time savings in IT may be minimal compared to these aforementioned factors.

Vault migration best practices

Vault Migration Best Practices

While things get busy and there may be budgetary constraints, however, if possible, the best practice for Vault to optimise the migrations are:

  • To ensure backups are scheduled, not failing and up to date
  • Vault Server and CAD System Requirements are being met
  • Try migrating within 3 releases to avoid a double migration (2019 to 2021, 2021 to 2022 double migration costs the same as 2019 to 2021, 2021 to 2023)
  • Stay 1 release behind the latest or wait for the major service pack release to avoid any unforeseen issues.
  • Test environment – Have a compatible server, job processor (if required), CAD-level workstation, etc. as a test environment for the migration that users can connect to, before rolling it out the migrated Vault release into production.
  • For larger environments of 50x users or more, having in place a more formal ITIL framework or similar.

Get in Touch

DC is an authorised Autodesk Reseller providing products and services for the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Infrastructure and Manufacturing Sectors.

Feel free to contact us on 1800 490 514, [email protected], by live chat or fill out the form below.

Contact Form Demo

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