borrowing the central file

[Cleo]

I copied the central file onto my notebook computer and am working at home this weekend. My intention is to go back into the office Monday morning and copy it back over the main file. When I just opened the file to go to work, I got a message that said that Revit would treat this as a local file unless I did "save as central" - makes sense, but....should I save a central on my computer and then save as central again to get it back onto the server? should I just work with it on my computer and then copy it back, ignoring the file message? I feel like I am in dangerous waters here and hoping that someone else is cruising the augi board on Sunday afternoon who knows something!

thanks

[Firmso]

[QUOTE=Cleo]I copied the central file onto my notebook computer and am working at home this weekend. My intention is to go back into the office Monday morning and copy it back over the main file. When I just opened the file to go to work, I got a message that said that Revit would treat this as a local file unless I did "save as central" - makes sense, but....should I save a central on my computer and then save as central again to get it back onto the server? should I just work with it on my computer and then copy it back, ignoring the file message? I feel like I am in dangerous waters here and hoping that someone else is cruising the augi board on Sunday afternoon who knows something!

Try this link for your info.
http://discussion.autodesk.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5186018

[Cleo]

thanks for the link - we used to have my notebook set up that way and that will work in the future - I guess for this afternoon I will just "save as" and cross my fingers I don't do damage when I connect back in!
thanks

[greg.mcdowell]

I don't think thats the right solution... it might be okay if you're working alone on the project but not if you've got teammates who might also be working on the file. Unfortunately I don't think there is a good solution for working remotely on a Workset enabled file.

First you should know that every Revit file can be a Central File. All you need to do is a Save As and select Save as Central through the Options button. So, if you're certain that nobody else in the office will be working on this file then you can work to your hearts content and then save it back to the server as a Central and all "should" be right with the world.

But there are a couple other things to think about...

I have read that it is considered "bad practice" to open and/or work out of the central file. We have (or are trying) to make it a habit to copy the central file onto our local drives instead of opening and doing a save as. I don't think that there is anything "wrong" with it but offer it for what it is...

The real issue is what do you do if there are people working (or potentially working) on the project at the same time. The only solution that I'm aware of (apart from setting up a VPN connection or something other technical) is to checkout the worksets that you want to use on your local file so that nobody else will be able to work on them... of course that also means that you shouldn't work on anything not in these worksets (though you can and there in lies the problem). If you choose to go down this road be sure to select the option to grey inactive worksets and keep your eye on the "Only Editable" box in the Options bar... this will help you from inadvertently working on objects not in your worksets.

Make any sense? The short answer is don't do it... unless you really have to of course! <grin>

[Firmso]

I don't think thats the right solution... it might be okay if you're working alone on the project but not if you've got teammates who might also be working on the file. Unfortunately I don't think there is a good solution for working remotely on a Workset enabled file.

First you should know that every Revit file can be a Central File. All you need to do is a Save As and select Save as Central through the Options button. So, if you're certain that nobody else in the office will be working on this file then you can work to your hearts content and then save it back to the server as a Central and all "should" be right with the world.

But there are a couple other things to think about...

I have read that it is considered "bad practice" to open and/or work out of the central file. We have (or are trying) to make it a habit to copy the central file onto our local drives instead of opening and doing a save as. I don't think that there is anything "wrong" with it but offer it for what it is...

The real issue is what do you do if there are people working (or potentially working) on the project at the same time. The only solution that I'm aware of (apart from setting up a VPN connection or something other technical) is to checkout the worksets that you want to use on your local file so that nobody else will be able to work on them... of course that also means that you shouldn't work on anything not in these worksets (though you can and there in lies the problem). If you choose to go down this road be sure to select the option to grey inactive worksets and keep your eye on the "Only Editable" box in the Options bar... this will help you from inadvertently working on objects not in your worksets.

Make any sense? The short answer is don't do it... unless you really have to of course! <grin>


Sounds like the best thing to do then is contacting Support and find out what they would recommend. There might also be some licensing issues involved (?).

[Cleo]

Actually there are no licensing issues - the notebook with Revit on my kitchen table right now is the same notebook with Revit that sits on my desk Monday to Friday.
I logged back in to post what I figured out.
Basically, as soon as I copied the central file onto my notebook, Revit "thinks" that I am trying to create a local file...I happily cart my bag home open it up and it won't function because it can't "check out" from the central file which is still on the server. What I actually needed to do (and am getting in my car in moments to carry out) is open the file on the server, "save as central" to my notebook and then bring it home. Then when I return, open it on my notebook and "save as central" back to the server.
I know that in general this is bad practice and the ONLY reason it works is that I confirmed with the two other people that might be in this file that they should STAY OUT until I arrive in the office Monday morning. In general, I try to set up stupid proof processes and this certainly isn't one of them :) I am probably the most likely person to not remember the file is out and do lots of work that can't be saved! We are definitely going to have to work on a better work-around than this.

(Our office actually has remote access to the server over the internet so I will try just hooking into the central file before I drive.)

[sbrown]

You can work on it as a local file, you will click the puzzle piece, then check all the boxes at the bottom, then ctrl+A to select all the worksets, then make them editable. Now you can work on it without being attached to your network. When you come in on monday and connect to the network and open your file, revit will only check out the worksets/objects you actually did something to. Then you STC and your ready to keep working. NOTE if other people are working on the file you have the chance they did something to a object you worked on which would make your file unable to STC.

[irwin]

You can work on it as a local file, you will click the puzzle piece, then check all the boxes at the bottom, then ctrl+A to select all the worksets, then make them editable. Now you can work on it without being attached to your network. When you come in on monday and connect to the network and open your file, revit will only check out the worksets/objects you actually did something to. Then you STC and your ready to keep working. NOTE if other people are working on the file you have the chance they did something to a object you worked on which would make your file unable to STC.
If you were still connected to the network when you made all the worksets editable then no one else will be able to change the objects you worked on, so you are safe. (Well, actually if before you made them editable someone else made a local file, took it home, made those worksets editable at risk, changed the elements, reconnected to the network, and saved back to central before you did then you'd lose work, but that's always true and isn't related to your taking the file home.)

[Cleo]

I started thinking (before I drove back to the office) and realized that I was treating this as if it was a typical CAD file and that there probably was a way to "check out" from the central file to my notebook without screwing up the whole system. Gave up on accomplishing this from home and just came in really really early to do the work in the office. Thanks for the details on how to do it right next time!