How to stop the dwf being created for the preview

[MysteriousDrX]

One of the guys I work with has been trying to check a file into Vault from inventor that seems to be stalling on the dwf for the preview & not getting further than that. He want to turn off the feature so that the dwf isn't created. Is this a thing that is possible?

Google has given him no answers so I'm hoping that you guys can help.

 

[Sparweb]

MysteriousDrX (Aerospace) (OP)
...Intuition & Google can solve 90% of all problems...

So... this is the other 10% of your problems?

All right, no need for this sarcasm. In fact, the advice that was offered to you on your other recent question, regarding getting some relevant training in the software, is useless when it comes to Vault, which is why I still have some sympathy for you. There is only IT training for the network deployment of Vault. Vault is so esoteric, there is no way to elicit any help from either web searches, the online help, or google searches. I have searched and found no training in the use, optimization, or synchronization of peoples' workflow when using Vault. I have consulted our software vendor, and they only offer a course in Boston once a year, and for IT only, not designers. You just have to muddle through, and pass on the knowledge by word-of-mouth.

I recommend doing anything you can to persuade your organization to do away with it. Vault manages the status of design files with a very heavy hand, and the integration of the two software packages is not seamless. Speaking of my own 90% problem: Vault instigates 90% of my Inventor crashes during check-in.

Also, consider doing away with the DWF previews altogether, since PDF offers most of the view/comment/control features that DWF does.


STF

 

[mflayler]

You can turn it off in the Check In dialog. There is a settings button and it remembers it from session to session.

Vault training is available to non IT users by ways of standard course ware from ASCENT. Its called Autodesk Vault for Inventor Users and is NOT just for the IT based user.

The DWF is a somewhat necessary evil for Autodesk Vault though and you probably have a bigger issue with that user machine if it cannot create the DWF or perhaps the design is just very large and taking a long time. Consider the fact that if you turn off this functionality during checkin you can still create it on the server side, but until then, no preview will be given and if you are using a thin client or external directory for DWF files for shop users they will not have that file either.

It is true that PDF offers view / comment / and control, but you have to buy Adobe for that where Design Review is completely free and offers more options and information than a PDF.

Also for what its worth you should post in the Autodesk Vault forums instead of here as almost no one who uses Inventor or Vault for that matter really frequent these forums. Its just not as well established as the Autodesk ones for obvious reasons.

 

[MysteriousDrX]

You can turn it off in the Check In dialog. There is a settings button and it remembers it from session to session.

Wow, can't quite believe we managed to miss that, thank you. Presumably we were looking for something more complicated.

...you probably have a bigger issue with that user machine if it cannot create the DWF or perhaps the design is just very large and taking a long time.

Both of those things were (but no longer) very much the case & is the crux for the question.

So... this is the other 10% of your problems?

More like the 10% of someone else's problems, but sure, why not.

I was actually here to ask a different question that I thought was part of the 10%, but I've actually managed to answer in the mean time, so turns out it wasn't.

I recommend doing anything you can to persuade your organization to do away with it. Vault manages the status of design files with a very heavy hand, and the integration of the two software packages is not seamless. Speaking of my own 90% problem: Vault instigates 90% of my Inventor crashes during check-in.

Sadly if it was that simple we wouldn't be using it in the first place, let alone moving away from it. Frankly it has caused us nothing but trouble. That being said, based on some of the problems we've had I'd say it is partially due to some of the others misusing it.

I'm not trying to suggest that I know what I'm doing with Vault or anything, I'm learning as I go, but I am very careful to make sure that I only check out what I need to edit, some of the others just check out everything, or copy whole designs, parts & all, when they only want a copy of the assembly. Or worse than that, don't copy the parts they do want to edit & then wonder why the original assembly has also changed.

 

[mflayler]

I would educate the company on the benefits of Undo Check Out then after reading that last statement. Undo Check Out will remove the temporary version in Vault, otherwise you will end up with about 137 Vaulted versions of someone checking something out and then just checking it back in when they didn't do anything to it.

 

[Sparweb]

Mflayler,
You are the first soul I've seen here who admits to knowing how to use Vault.
How did you learn?

STF

 

[mflayler]

Unfair advantages...I work for a Professional Services company that trains users how to use it in a normal work setting by use of training guides as a reference. Every client is different and while there are generally accepted practices, no two companies use it the same way, hence, no real hard this is how to book, just general reference books form Ascent Courseware. I always create custom user guides for my clients on proper company usage of Vault after doing a Pilot project with them. Usually custom videos, documents, and hand holding is involved.

I would also recommend the community here look more to the Autodesk Forums for Vault as they get a lot more traffic than this site.

On a personal note, I don't know how I would work without it for all the advantages it grants me in a design spectrum. Yes, its has its initial challenges to those that are used to a certain method before implementing it, but Copy Design, Release control, Revision tracking, Thin Client usage for Managers and shop users...

 

[Sparweb]

"hand holding" is exactly what I need, often. Not just me; most of the designers at my company.
Evil green dots.... you may know what I'm referring to. A frequent snide joke in our meetings and design reviews.

I have been a member of the Autodesk forums and I have asked questions before - none are answered. Not to the level I need to actually solve problems, that is.

ALL of the Vault features you just referred to are features I either can't use, oe have tried, failed and caused damage, or am completely ignorant of. Nobody in my company was given any training for using Vault. FYI we have the Inventor Product Design Pro Suite, up to date to 2016 and will probably be going to 2017 soon.

I really do enjoy using Inventor. I'm tired of the dead weight. Do you currently do training on the use of Vault?

STF

 

[mflayler]

Sure do...

http://www.imaginit.com/training/find-a-course-and-enroll/find-a-course

Those are the standard course offerings but it sounds like a proper custom SOW and Discovery would be more beneficial to your company to see if you even need to use certain features of the software.

 

[Sparweb]

Is there a way to get a result when one checks the "Vault" and "Canada" boxes at the same time?

I have to 'fess up, now. This is more of a company management issue, on our part, than anything else.
I have done a fair bit of training already with Imaginit, all good, but they won't take my suggestion of a Vault training session seriously when my company won't cough up the cash to get a trainer like you to come up to Toronto or Calgary for a few days to, well, hold our hands.

Whenever I sit a training session with Imaginit (3 times now) I quiz the instructor about Vault, just in case. So far, no luck.
I would rather get training on something I have but can't use, than something I can use and have already figured out for myself. Unfortunately I have been unable to convince my manager of the value in that.


STF

 

[mflayler]

Well we have two guys in Toronto already. Very good as well, we are the largest Vault services company in Canada actually. What you may have run into is we do have specialties for Inventor training that may not be as abreast about Vault as our dedicated Data Management team.

If you go to the Autodesk forums you can find me as mflayler, send me a PM if you want to take this offline of this post before we hijack it too much.

 

[mflayler]

oops.. its Mark_Flayler not mflayler