Using project files with vault

[dcook.188104]

I've been scratching my head about this topic since we got vault installed about a month ago..

I want to set up a system on vault where each project has a project file (one project file for each machine we manufacture). How do i make a project file that can be simply downloaded by the vault consumer and then they can start working on parts from that machine?

Right now When you download project files from the vault, it puts them in a sub-folder in the design folder and will not recognize them when you bring up the projects dialogue in inventor.

Can anyone fill me in on how to set up these project files?

What i'm really after is a method that "forces" consumers to keep a vault working folder that organizes machines in the same way they are organized on the vault.. so i'm open to suggestions..

[barrettkamille]

This is a problem with the word "project". Most people think of a project as an activity that yields something. In the Inventor sense, a project is an IPJ file that manages library and pathing information. You have to remember that project files existed before vault and so that projects would stay together and link with the right files. With vault, the need for IPJs is really unnecessary since vault handles pathing and library information automatically.

The optimal way to set up your vault is to have one master IPJ that sits at the root ($) of your system and is appropriately mapped to your Content Center and other libraries as well as to your project workspace. With this setup you will not need separate IPJs for each of your machines. If you organize your files into folders which represent machines, they can all use the same IPJ without any problems.

FYI if you use Autoloader for the initial loading of your data into vault, it will create the top-level IPJ for you with the appropriate settings.

I believe there is a white paper called 'Proper Care and Feeding of Your Vault' which explains this in more detail.

[jonathan.landeros]

I've been scratching my head about this topic since we got vault installed about a month ago..

I want to set up a system on vault where each project has a project file (one project file for each machine we manufacture). How do i make a project file that can be simply downloaded by the vault consumer and then they can start working on parts from that machine?

Right now When you download project files from the vault, it puts them in a sub-folder in the design folder and will not recognize them when you bring up the projects dialogue in inventor.

Can anyone fill me in on how to set up these project files?

What i'm really after is a method that "forces" consumers to keep a vault working folder that organizes machines in the same way they are organized on the vault.. so i'm open to suggestions..

I'm with Barrett on the single *.ipj method. True, it can't *force* a user to put files in a certain folder, but it does add more flexiblity when moving files around.

I've see a couple of cases where the multiple *.ipj method is used, and it tends to start unwinding especially if/when you need to share parts across projects (you start ending up with multiple copies of the same part, and it's a nightmare to untangle).

The nice part about single *.ipj is should a part end up in the wrong folder by mistake, it's easy to find (via the indexing), then drag into the correct folder (Vault maintains the links).

That's just my .02. Hope this helps.