Autodesk Vault 2019.1

“Vault product data management (PDM) software helps you create better designs, reduce errors, and build a more efficient development cycle.”

A bit under the radar, Autodesk released the Vault 2019.1 update. This is applicable to all “flavours” of Vault. You’ll find it for download within your Autodesk Account.

I will admit to not taking the new features overly seriously, as I initially found them a bit underwhelming. However, the amount of positive feedback I received from my Vault users came completely unexpectantly. You can chalk this up to the little-things; saving time and clearer feedback.

So, what’s new?

  • Open Drawing from Vault
  • Replace from Vault
  • Support for AutoCAD Drawings with PDF attachment
  • Change in Lock icon color

Vault Ideas Submission

“Autodesk Vault includes customer-requested enhancements to help engineering teams create and manage their data effectively and efficiently.”

Autodesk utilizes the forums, specifically the Ideastations as a method to track users requests for new features, enhancements, and updates. They take it very seriously and have Product Managers actively monitoring the forum. With each update and new release, Autodesk introduces as many idea station items as they can. The Vault 2019.1 update is no different.

Use the right-click menu within the Inventor Vault browser to open the drawing of the selected component. If the component is used within multiple drawings, the Select File dialog appears allowing you to select the desired drawing.

Vault 2019.1 - Open Drawing From Vault

This option makes sense, and its funny how sometimes you see something and you wonder how it wasn’t always available or how you survived without it. It makes sense, as Vault already tracks where-used information, so why not let you open drawings directly from Vault?

From the Inventor Model browser, use the new Replace from Vault and Replace All From Vault to search Vault for the replacement. This is a nice addition. It is much easier searching Vault and directly selecting the component opposed to looking through your file store with Windows Explorer.

Vault 2019.1 - Replace From Vault

AutoCAD Drawings, PDFs, and Vault

AutoCAD has supported the attachment of PDFs as Underlays for quite some time. Vault 2019.1 now supports these underlays and treats them as it treats XREFS.

Additionally, from within AutoCAD, you can now directly attach PDFs from Vault.

Vault 2019.11 AutoCAD Select PDF

What’s in a Colour?

In past versions, the colour differences between the Lock Icons was not easy to differentiate. Within Vault 2019.1 the colours where changed for much easier identification.

Vault 2019.1 Icons

Issues Addressed (AKA the Fixes)

The Vault 2019.1 update contains many fixes. You can read the entire list here.

For me, the highlights of this list include:

Copy Design:

  • Cannot update File and BOM properties.
  • with HTTPS it does not remember settings from gridconfiguration.xml
  • The folder view is showing additional wrong files.
  • Removed meaningless rule condition options for Copy Design Rule Set.

CAD Related:

  • DWG loses Xref information when copy designs twice in a row under the same folder
  • Multi-level BOM tree collapses when saving an item
  • Thumbnail of DWG file shown blank in Vault Client history tab.
  • ‘Revert to Latest’ command from Inventor is broken, and directly brings up Check out dialog
  • DWF preview files of part file wrong after check-in from the main assembly.

Vault Client:

  • Checkout command fails for in session file even when Vault client ‘Refresh’ is not explicitly done
  • Logout from Vault client prompts error “Object reference not set to an instance of an object” when Job Queue dialog is present.
  • Vault: Error 243 when renaming a property that is already mapped.

 

Feature Photo by KS KYUNG on Unsplash