Leveraging Vault for Data Management Navisworks 2013 allows you to access the data management capabilities of Autodesk Vault. Vault offers a comprehensive solution for managing the large volume of data that is generated during projects, including the standard NWF, NWD, and NWC formats. A vault is a repository where documents and files are stored and managed. Autodesk Vault is a data management system that offers file security, version control, and multiuser support. The Vault add-in is available with Autodesk Navisworks Manage and Autodesk Navisworks Simulate, and it supports connection to Autodesk Vault Basic, Autodesk Vault Workgroup, Autodesk Vault Collaboration, Autodesk Vault Collaboration AEC, and Autodesk Vault Professional. Furthermore, Navisworks and Vault integration enables you to retrieve/save, check in/check out, control file versioning, and manage the relationship between NWF and design data. You can organize all of 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 file's dependencies, giving you a living history of the project as you work on it. The vault also stores file properties such as the user name, date, and comments for rapid searching and retrieving. To use the Autodesk Vault add-in, you need to install the Autodesk Vault 2013 client first. Once it's installed, a dedicated tab for Vault ( Figure 12.8) will display in the Navisworks interface. Users can save and load standard Navisworks files in addition to appending all the standard formats that Navisworks currently reads. Figure 12.8 Vault tab in the ribbon
When you save files back to Vault, the model hierarchy is retained so workflows between numerous offices can be maintained. Also, the Refresh command allows users to continually update source files and have those changes easily update and display in Navisworks. Lastly, users can add comments or notes to the files when checking in to ensure effective communication with all project members (Figure 12.9). Figure 12.9 Vault's Check In dialog box