Introduction to Autodesk Vault
Autodesk Vault manages all your engineering files, regardless of the file type. Files can be Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Navisworks, Autodesk Revit, Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Moldflow, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, or any other file used in the design process. You can organize all your files and keep them in one location for easy access. All file versions are retained, so you never misplace or replace past versions. The vault stores each version of a file, along with all the files dependencies, giving you a living history of the project as you work on it. The vault also stores file properties for rapid searching and retrieving.
In a design team, all the files and associated data are stored on the server so all users have access to the information and its history. Each member of a team must have a unique login name and password. Team members check out files to prevent more than one member from editing the same file at the same time. Once a file is checked back into the vault, team members can refresh their local copies of the model file to get the latest version from the vault, so all members of the design team work together.
What is a Vault?A vault is a repository where documents and files are stored and managed. It has two principle components: a relational database and a file store.
Autodesk Vault consists of two components: a server and a client. The server stores the master copies of all your documents and designs. By storing all your data in a common, centralized location, you can easily share and manage information with your design team.
The Autodesk Vault is a client/server application. Separate software components are installed for the server and for client applications.
The Autodesk Vault server stores user data and manages access to that data. The Autodesk Vault server keeps all user files in a common, secure, and centralized location. It provides users with access to their files and maintains information about the status of those files and which users have permission to change and update the files. When changes are made to files, a complete version history of all changes is maintained, providing a convenient mechanism for accessing the latest versions as well as previous versions.
The Autodesk Data Management Server (ADMS) console is an application that allows administrators to manage vaults on the vault server. With the ADMS console, administrators can manage multi-site vault environments, replicate vaults, backup and restore vaults, and perform other vault management tasks.
Autodesk Vault Basic, Autodesk Vault Workgroup, Autodesk Vault Collaboration and Autodesk Vault Professional are standalone applications that provides access to the vault data. Add-in clients for CAD and non-CAD applications provide a fully integrated way to manage your data. When you are working on files that are managed by a vault, it is important to understand that you are checking out a copy of the files that are stored in the vault. You never directly edit the files in the vault. These files are read-only until they are checked out. You check-out copies of the files to edit them. A file may be checked out by only one user at a time. Changes that have been made to checked out files are sent back to the server when the file is checked in by the user.
Autodesk Vault helps design, engineering, and manufacturing workgroups manage the digital prototyping process by helping users reduce time organizing files, avoid costly mistakes, and more efficiently release and revise designs.
A single vault environment has one vault server and one or more vault clients.
A vault client is any stand-alone application or integrated add-in that connects to the vault server to access files and perform vault operations.
An example is the Inventor add-in. When data is added to a vault using the Inventor add-in, the add-in preserves all the complex relationships that are created by assemblies, drawings, presentations, and other files.
Vault Stand-Alone ClientYou can use the stand-alone vault client, sometimes referred to as the vault explorer client, to browse the complete vault structure, add any file to the vault, and perform most other file-based operations, depending on your level of permission. You can also configure revision schemes, numbering schemes, define lifecycle behavior, manage items and change orders, and perform other administrative tasks in the vault stand-alone client. The features available for administration depend on which vault edition you are using.
Vault Add-in ClientAdd-in clients provide basic vault functions within the environment of a parent application. Add-ins maintain application-specific data relationships when adding files to a vault.
There are add-ins available for Autodesk and non-Autodesk design applications.
In which Applications Can I Find the Autodesk Vault Add-in? Autodesk Vault can be used as an add-in with several applications, allowing you to manage your data throughout the lifecycle of the design process. Following is a list of supported applications.
There are four editions of Autodesk Vault , each scaled to suit your specific business needs.
Autodesk Vault Workgroup Vault Workgroup helps teams create and share, design and engineering information by securely organizing, managing, and tracking data in a central location. Ease of administration enables workgroup control of data access and security, and facilitates team-based design across disciplines. Because they can quickly manage their designs and track changes over time, users gain productivity without disruption to their natural design workflows. In addition, Vault Workgroup delivers lifecycle and revision control processes directly in the design application, which promotes faster cycle times and better-quality engineering data.
Autodesk Vault Collaboration Vault Collaboration includes all of the functionality in Autodesk Vault Workgroup and adds an advanced toolset that provides administrators with the scalability needed to manage large workgroups. Users can share engineering design data with downstream data consumers using the included web client and expose design-related information to the extended enterprise by publishing to Microsoft® SharePoint® Scalable multi-site functionality enables companies to synchronize design data among distributed workgroups, extending the reach of the digital model to the entire project team.
Autodesk Vault Professional Vault Professional securely stores and manages engineering information, design data, and documents-shortening the design-to-build and manufacture process. It includes multi-site tools to connect workgroups across discrete locations, helping the entire design chain collaborate and share project information. Take full advantage of advanced functionality by giving design departments the tools they need to track change orders, manage bills of materials (BOMs), and promote earlier collaboration through integration to expert business systems. In addition, support for multi-CAD environments means that Vault clients using non-Autodesk design products can aggregate and manage design data throughout its lifecycle.
Autodesk Vault OnlineBesides the Autodesk Vault Wiki, there are other Autodesk Vault resources available to help you realize your data management goals.
See Autodesk Vault Online for more information.
