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Today we'll discuss the workflow of Replacing one part for another through Vault. First, the rules of the Replace command. You can only replace files of the same type e.g. .ipt for .ipt, .iam for .iam. When you replace files, the parent file(s) will be versioned forward, and therefore need to have a lifecycle state like Work In Progress or otherwise read/write access. You can access the Replace command from the Edit pull down menu after you highlight the file(s) you want to replace.
Hint: Before running the Replace command, you should have at minimum a shortcut to the old file, and perhaps a list of parent files in a saved search or shortcuts folder.
Once the Replace Wizard appears, you’ll have the opportunity to add more files to the list. Click Next when ready.
Next, the wizard will show you all the immediate parent files that will be affected by this change. Please note that you do have the ability to deselect any of the files and they will not get the selected file replaced.
Now it’s time to find the replacement file. You can browse the entire Vault, even using the advanced find or leverage a saved search for the new file.
Finally, a message appears in the case of an Inventor file, to inform you that there ‘may’ be a loss of assembly constraints. Click yes to proceed.
Finally, the parent files will get an automated Comment as well indicating that version had a child replaced.
So let’s examine the benefits of the Replace command in Vault. For a file that impacts multiple parents and contains similar geometry, Vault is the only way to go. Vault can perform this on virtually unlimited files, quickly, and with history.
Consider though for a moment performing this from within the CAD application if it's a one time change, or the geometry has significant differences. Validating and rebuilding constraints or positional data cannot be done with Vault. Also, within CAD, you have the flexibility of replacing a part with an assembly. Either way you approach this, you may have an 'orphaned' file when your done. Next time, we’ll discuss what to do with these files.
-Brian Schanen
