Alibre Design 2012

Alibre Design 2012
© 2011
Alibre Design
© 2011
Information in this document is subject to change w ithout notice. The softw are described in this document is
furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The softw are may be used or copied only in
accordance w ith the terms of those agreements. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for
any purpose other than the purchaser’s personal use w ithout the w ritten permission of Alibre.
Alibre
2350 Campbell Creek Blvd. Suite 100
Richardson, TX 75082
USA
w w w .alibre.com
© 2011 Alibre. All rights reserved.
Alibre and the Alibre logo are registered trademarks; Alibre Design and Alibre PhotoRender are trademarks of Alibre
in the United States and/or other countries. Alibre Motion Copyright © 2010 Jake Lyall
Alibre Design
Contents
3
Table of Contents
Part I Introduction
26
1 Welcome
...................................................................................................................................
to Alibre Design
26
2 Alibre ...................................................................................................................................
Web Site
26
3 Quick Tour
................................................................................................................................... 26
Introduction to..........................................................................................................................................................
the Design Interface
26
The Hom e Window
.......................................................................................................................................................... 27
About Ribbons .......................................................................................................................................................... 27
System Requirements
.........................................................................................................................................................
& Recommendations
29
Workspace Term
..........................................................................................................................................................
s
30
Part Workspaces
.......................................................................................................................................................... 31
Design Explorer
......................................................................................................................................................... 32
Model Terms......................................................................................................................................................... 33
Faces
......................................................................................................................................... 33
Edges
......................................................................................................................................... 34
Vertices
......................................................................................................................................... 34
Assem bly Workspaces
.......................................................................................................................................................... 34
Draw ing Workspaces
.......................................................................................................................................................... 35
4 Installation
................................................................................................................................... 36
5 Getting...................................................................................................................................
Help
37
6 Initial Launch
...................................................................................................................................
of Alibre Design
38
7 Upgrading
...................................................................................................................................
Alibre Design
38
8 Uninstalling
...................................................................................................................................
Alibre Design
39
Part II Alibre Fundamentals
42
1 3D View
...................................................................................................................................
Controls
42
Selection Methods
.......................................................................................................................................................... 42
Rotating
.......................................................................................................................................................... 43
Rotating the .........................................................................................................................................................
view of a part or assembly
43
About Rotation
.........................................................................................................................................................
Points
44
Adding rotation
.........................................................................................................................................................
points
45
Selecting rotation
.........................................................................................................................................................
points
46
Removing rotation
.........................................................................................................................................................
points
46
Zoom ing and Panning
.......................................................................................................................................................... 47
Zooming w ith
.........................................................................................................................................................
the mouse
47
Zooming to fit
......................................................................................................................................................... 48
Zooming to selection
......................................................................................................................................................... 48
Zooming to a.........................................................................................................................................................
w indow
48
Panning your.........................................................................................................................................................
view
49
View Orientations
.......................................................................................................................................................... 49
Jump to previous
.........................................................................................................................................................
and next view s
49
Selecting an.........................................................................................................................................................
orientation
51
Adding a custom
.........................................................................................................................................................
orientation
52
Removing a .........................................................................................................................................................
custom orientation
53
View ing in orthographic
.........................................................................................................................................................
or perspective projection
54
Orient to a plane
......................................................................................................................................................... 54
2 Opening
...................................................................................................................................
& Saving Files
55
© 2011
3
Alibre Design
Gravity
Contents
22
.......................................................................................................................................................... 776
7 Simulation
...................................................................................................................................
Types and Parameters
777
Sim ulation Types
.......................................................................................................................................................... 777
Producing Efficient
..........................................................................................................................................................
and Useful Sim ulations
778
Autom atic Constraint
..........................................................................................................................................................
Mapping (ACM) in Alibre Motion
779
Moving And Fixed
..........................................................................................................................................................
Parts
779
Creating Sim ulations
.......................................................................................................................................................... 780
Renam ing Sim..........................................................................................................................................................
ulations
781
Running Sim ulations
.......................................................................................................................................................... 781
Sim ulation Warnings
.......................................................................................................................................................... 782
Maintaining Multiple
..........................................................................................................................................................
Sim ulations
782
Deleting Sim ulations
.......................................................................................................................................................... 783
Activating a Different
..........................................................................................................................................................
Sim ulation
783
8 Results
...................................................................................................................................
and Feedback from Alibre Motion Simulations
783
Results and Feedback
..........................................................................................................................................................
from Alibre Motion Sim ulations
783
Traces - visualizing
..........................................................................................................................................................
Paths and Vectors
783
Traces - Visualizing
.........................................................................................................................................................
Paths and Vectors
783
Examples Of
.........................................................................................................................................................
Various Trace Options
784
Creating Traces
......................................................................................................................................................... 786
Current Values
......................................................................................................................................................... 786
Video Generation
..........................................................................................................................................................
w ith Alibre Motion
787
Generate Video
.........................................................................................................................................................
Settings
787
Generating.........................................................................................................................................................
Video w ith Alibre Motion
789
Generating X-Y
..........................................................................................................................................................
Plots from Sim ulation Data
790
Generating.........................................................................................................................................................
X-Y Plots from Simulation Data
790
9 Detecting
...................................................................................................................................
Interferences
792
Detecting Interferences
.......................................................................................................................................................... 792
Interferences..........................................................................................................................................................
Dialog
793
10 Frequently
...................................................................................................................................
Asked Questions (FAQ)
793
Part XV Alibre Vault
796
1 Critical
...................................................................................................................................
Notes for Installation or Modification of the Vault
798
2 What ...................................................................................................................................
is Meta Data
798
3 Differences
...................................................................................................................................
between the Vault and File System
799
4 How to
...................................................................................................................................
think about the Vault
801
5 Where
...................................................................................................................................
to find extensive Vault Help
802
6 Enabling
...................................................................................................................................
or Disabling Saving to the Vault
802
7 Saving
...................................................................................................................................
to the Alibre Vault
803
Saving to the Alibre
..........................................................................................................................................................
Vault
803
8 Opening
...................................................................................................................................
Items from the Alibre Vault
804
Opening Item s..........................................................................................................................................................
from the Alibre Vault
804
9 Checking
...................................................................................................................................
In and Out and Versioning
805
Checking In and
..........................................................................................................................................................
Out
805
Versioning .......................................................................................................................................................... 806
View ing an item
..........................................................................................................................................................
's version history
807
Creating Version
..........................................................................................................................................................
Labels
808
Rolling back versions
..........................................................................................................................................................
in the Vault
809
10 Finding
...................................................................................................................................
items in the Vault
810
Searching
.......................................................................................................................................................... 810
View s
.......................................................................................................................................................... 814
Perform ing a Where
..........................................................................................................................................................
Used Search in the Vault
815
© 2011
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Contents
23
817
11 Using...................................................................................................................................
Design Properties with the Vault
Interacting w ith
..........................................................................................................................................................
Design Properties
817
Using M-Files ..........................................................................................................................................................
custom properties in Alibre Design
818
12 General
...................................................................................................................................
Vault Interaction
824
Setting up Notifications
..........................................................................................................................................................
w ith the Vault
824
Using Perm issions
..........................................................................................................................................................
in the Vault
824
Deleting and undeleting
..........................................................................................................................................................
item s in the Vault
825
Renam ing item
..........................................................................................................................................................
s in the Vault
826
Copying Vault..........................................................................................................................................................
Item s
826
Changing the ..........................................................................................................................................................
m eta structure
826
Index
827
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Chapter
15
Alibre Design
15
796
Alibre Vault
Alibre Vault
The Alibre Vault by M-Files is a complete data management solution. It is completely integrated into
Windows and appears as a virtual drive, providing a familiar interface. The Alibre Vault has special
integration with Alibre Design, allowing you to do several items directly from within Alibre Design.
The Vault is composed of two components: the Vault Server and the Vault Client. For single users, both
of these items will usually be installed on the same computer. While the Vault is powerful for a single user
setup, its real power is realized when multiple people (each with their own Vault Client) are using a
centralized Vault Server, allowing everyone to see and share the same data while never creating
duplicates of items.
The Alibre Vault is different than the file system in several key ways. Be sure to familiarize yourself with
these differences with the Differences Between the Vault and File System and How to think about
the Vault sections of the help.
The Alibre Vault can be used with any and all of your programs, such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and
any other program you may have. This allows you unparalleled freedom and control over your documents
and projects.
A few of the Vault capabilities include:
Familiar Interface
• Integrates with Windows Explorer - instantly familiar to everyone.
• The document repository appears as a virtual disk drive.
• Direct opening and saving from all Windows applications.
• File management is made easy by supporting all file types, including Office, PDF, and CAD files.
Controlled Editing
• Check-out and check-in operations eliminate the problems of simultaneous changes.
• Preserves old versions automatically.
• Records a change log with usernames, timestamps, and comments.
Saving You Time Every Day
• Alibre Vault helps you find documents instantly by typing words in the search box.
• High-performance index of file contents and metadata.
• Dynamically view documents in any hierarchical structure you choose.
• Make the same document available from multiple folders without creating copies.
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Independent of Location
• Remarkably fast over remote connections.
• Traveling users can view, create, edit, and store documents in offline mode, with automatic
synchronization.
• Enable Alibre Vault Web Access to make documents available to anyone with a Web browser, including
Mac and Linux users.
Security
• Control data visibility; hide sensitive documents while maintaining a single storage location.
• Simple options and customizable default permissions set by document class reduce the risk of human
error.
• Compatible with Active Directory.
• Electronic document management system automatically schedules backups of all data.
Collaboration Possibilities
• E-mail notification of new and modified documents.
• Simple assignments for ad hoc collaboration.
• Basic and advanced workflow capabilities for formal processes.
Customizable Metadata
• The Alibre Vault electronic document management system provides the most advanced metadata
structure capabilities available, including multi-select lists and filtered fields.
• Graphical interface for all metadata customization, with no programming required.
• Relationships between documents, use of collections, and templates.
• More than documents: Manage client and project data or virtually anything by defining your own object
types.
Simple Installation and Implementation
• Straightforward installation, ideal for implementing a document management system on your own.
• Drag and drop existing files into Alibre Vault.
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• Does not require dedicated IT staff.
• Professional implementation assistance and consulting services available to customers anywhere in the
world.
Connection to Other Systems
• Define links to external databases to utilize existing data such as customer and project listings.
• Import and link files from existing network shares.
• Input paper documents from scanners and multi-function devices.
• Import e-mail messages from your mail server.
15.1
Critical Notes for Installation or Modification of the Vault
For most people, the following information will not apply. However, if you plan on modifying the
structure of the Alibre Vault, you need to be aware of the following warnings, in order to AVOID DATA
LOSS.
Do not delete or modify any Alibre Vault items with an ID less than 100. This applies to
Class files and Object types. Once the Alibre Vault is installed, you have the ability to modify the
meta structure. It is important to note that Alibre Design requires certain class files and object
types in order for it to work properly with the Alibre Vault. In general, you should not delete or
modify any class objects that start with "Alibre". Also, you should not delete or modify any object
types. Deleting, in either case, is not necessary if your goal is to not have them appear on a
particular meta card.
Backups that you create in the Alibre Vault will not include any items that have not been checked
in. If you use a backup to re-constitute the data in new instance of the Alibre Vault IT WILL NOT
INCLUDE ANY ITEMS THAT WERE NOT CHECKED IN.
15.2
What is Meta Data
Meta Data is what the Alibre Vault uses to categorize your data. In effect, it is a replacement for a folder
structure.
Meta Data can basically constitute any property you can think of. Some basic properties include items
such as File Type or File Name. Any items in the General section in Design Properties of part or
assembly workspaces are also available meta-data for you to use. You can create new meta data types,
such as "Export Restrictions" or "Launch Date", basically anything you could need to help you define
CAD data, projects, work flows, press releases, contacts, or any other business related item.
Meta data is used to organize your data and is the most important Vault concept, since all items within
the Vault are differentiated based almost strictly on their meta data. Meta data is also used to search
your Vault.
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Differences between the Vault and File System
The Windows File System and the Alibre Vault are fundamentally different and operate completely
differently. Internalizing the differences early on will save you a lot of time and make the transition to the
Vault substantially easier.
The File System:
Uses folders to store data
Uses folders and file names to differentiate data
Lets you browse a Folder Structure to find your data
Allows only 1 file of a name to be in a particular folder
Has no inherent versioning capability, check in/out, security, or other PDM capabilities.
The Alibre Vault:
Does not use the concept of Folders to store data
Instead, all data is stored in the Vault Server, which is in essence a large database.
Does not use the concept of Folders to differentiate data
Instead, an item's meta data is used to differentiate it from other files. File Name is a basic
example of meta data.
Does not let you browse a Folder Structure to find data.
Instead, you browse what are called Views. Views are essentially filters for meta data. For
example, a view can show you things such as:
"All Alibre Part Files" (all vault items with a .ad_prt file extension)
"All projects due in the next 2 weeks" (all vault items with a Due Date < 2 weeks)
"All Products" (Shows all your different products and lets you drill down to show all associated
part, assembly, drawing, BOM, Word, Excel, etc. files you have associated with a particular
product).
Allows infinite items of the same file name to be stored in the Vault. Remember, the Vault is a
database and much like you can have multiple identical rows in Excel, you can have multiple
identical items in the Vault. However, since you will define meta data for each item, File Name is
only one piece of a file's defining factors.
Has inherent versioning, check in/out, security, notification, etc.
A visual example of the differences:
File System
Alibre Vault
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Alibre Vault
Folders
versus
Views
Logical Views
Traditional Folder Structure
You cannot save an item to the "By Products
Folder" for example since it is not a folder. You
would define the Product field when saving
something and it would show up under the
appropriate Product item.
Saving
Items
Standard Windows Save Dialog
Nothing besides File Name can be input.
Dialog where you input Meta Data
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Opening
Items
We browse the Folder Structure to find an
item
15.4
We look for all files associated with, for example, our
Bike Product.
How to think about the Vault
Before you begin extensively using the Vault, you need to ask yourself several questions so you can
come up with a meta data structure that most logically fits your requirements. A meta data structure is
simply the set of potential meta data that you can use to define your data. The Alibre Vault comes preset
with a standard meta data structure, but you can expand upon it if necessary.
The default meta data structure uses the Product and Project meta data items as a way to easily
differentiate your data at a high level. What this means is that for every item you create, be it CAD data, a
press release, an excel spreadsheet, PDF, invoice, etc., you would select the appropriate Product or
Project from the drop down list when saving it to the Vault (or create a new Product or Project at that
time).
You will need to get in the habit of categorizing your data into Projects, Products, or some other type of
data that fits your business and requirements. Every time you save a new item, you will define its meta
data, such as which Product it is for, what Customers it will serve, what Description or Part Number it will
have, etc. You can then sort all your data based on all of these items.
Remember, the Vault is a database. The more supporting data you put in with the files you save to it, the
more powerful it becomes. This concept is shown below.
Types of things you can display with the Vault
These are just examples, and the potential complexity or criteria of your searches and Views is unlimited.
All products that use HPS70W steel
All file names that contain "girder"
All press releases due within 4 weeks
All files that need to be reviewed by Quality Assurance within 2 weeks
All files recently modified by the Engineering Department
All products within the Marketing Cost Center
All items that are pending your approval
Any type of criteria you can think up can be used in the Vault, as long as you have meta data that
supports your query. This is why it pays to spend some time up front figuring out what kinds of meta data
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you may need that is not included in the default meta data structure. If you know, for example, that
"Export Restriction" is a key part of your business and you will need to be able to sort data based on its
value, you should add it to the meta data list and then ensure you fill it out as you save files.
15.5
Where to find extensive Vault Help
The topics on the Alibre Vault within the Alibre Design Help are refer primarily to high level concepts and
specifically how the Vault interacts with Alibre Design. What the Alibre Design Help does not cover are
advanced topics such as creating meta data structures, setting up servers, adding users, etc.
All of this information is available after installing the Alibre Vault by right clicking on the M-Files icon in the
system tray and selecting the Help item.
15.6
Enabling or Disabling Saving to the Vault
It is a good idea to exclusively use either the Vault or the File System. The advantage of doing this is
ensuring all your data is not duplicated. However, you can select whether or not you want to save items to
the Vault or the File System.
This option can be selected from the Home Window.
To save all items to the Vault
1. Go to the Alibre Design Home Window
2. Select Tools > Options
3. Select All Workspaces > General in the column and select the Use Vault option and select
which Vault you want to use. It is recommended that you use the default Alibre Vault, since it
contains a default meta data structure that mimics the Design Properties structure within Alibre
Design. Also, it has a native concept of Alibre Design file types.
4. The Use Vault option is only selectable if the Vault is detected as being installed and at least one
Vault is available and selected.
To save all items to the File System
1. Go to the Alibre Design Home Window
2. Select Tools > Options
3. Ensure Use Vault is not selected.
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Saving to the Alibre Vault
15.7.1 Saving to the Alibre Vault
When saving items to the Vault, a specific workflow is involved. Ensure the Use Vault option is set in the
Home Window's Tools > Options > General and that you have a target Vault specified.
1. Click Save, Save As, or Save As All.
2. The Save to Vault dialog appears and lists all the items that are being saved. Only items that have
changed will be saved.
3. Under File Name, you can enter a file name if the Save Action is New.
4. When saving items to the Vault, you can change their meta data from the Save dialog using the
meta card icon: . Note that any data types that exist in the General section in Design Properties
of part, assembly, or drawing workspaces are pulled into the meta card automatically. A general
meta card can be seen below. Modify the meta data as required, and then click OK.
5. Repeat the process of entering meta data for each item in your list.
6. If you have many items that all use similar or identical meta data, you can copy existing meta data
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Alibre Vault
from one item in the list to other items. To do this, first select the item in the list to use as your
source item. Then, click the Copy Item Properties button.
7. The Copy Item Properties dialog appears.
8. Ensure the source properties are accurate using the View / Set Properties button. This brings up
the meta card for the item you previously selected as the source.
9. Identify which properties to copy to other Vault items.
10.Select which items in the Save list you want to copy meta data properties to.
11.Specify whether or not you want to overwrite any pre-existing values during the copy.
12.Press OK.
13.You are now back at the Save Dialog. Click Make Version if you want the save action to version
the document.
14.Press OK to finalize the save to the Vault.
15.8
Opening Items from the Alibre Vault
15.8.1 Opening Items from the Alibre Vault
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Select the Open icon, or From the Alibre Gem select Open, or press Ctrl + O.
Browse to the M-Files drive, usually M: .
Select the Vault you want to browse.
Find your file using the Search box or by browsing the various Views, such as By Product.
Click Open.
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Note: You can also browse the Vault outside of Alibre Design and then double click any item to open it.
15.9
Checking In and Out and Versioning
15.9.1 Checking In and Out
Checking out an item from the Vault for editing is a Vault function that prevents concurrent editing of an
object by multiple people. Even when you have checked out an object, other users can view it at the same
time in Read Only mode.
When items get checked out:
When you open something within Alibre Design
When you open something within the Vault and select Check Out
When you get into edit mode on an item that is not checked out
For example, when you open an assembly, only the assembly file gets checked out. If you were
go into edit mode on one of the parts in the assembly, that part would get checked out at that
time automatically.
When items get checked in:
When you explicitly check an item in inside the Vault interface
When you check Make Version in the save dialog
Make Version checks the item in, and then immediately checks the item back out
Opening an item that is not checked out
If an item is not checked out when you open it from within Alibre Design using the File > Open command,
the item will automatically be checked out during the open function. If you want to open an item in readonly mode (even though it is not checked out to someone else), browse to its location in the Vault outside
of Alibre Design. When you try to open the file outside of Alibre Design, you will get the Check Out dialog
below, which allows you to open the file in read-only mode by selecting Do Not Check Out.
Opening an item that is checked out
The item is checked out to you:
The file will open normally.
The item is checked out to someone else:
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The file will open in read only mode.
Checking in files
When you want to check in files, you must do so manually. To do this, browse the Vault interface through
the Windows Explorer to find the files you want to check in. Right click them, and select Check In, or
press Ctrl + I.
To easily find all files checked out to you, browse to the Root folder of the Vault. Go into the Checked
Out to Me view, shown below, to see all files checked out to you. You can multi-select them and then
right click and select Check In, or press Ctrl + I.
15.9.2 Versioning
Using the Vault, you can create versions of documents. Versions serve several purposes, such as
providing a history of the design development and providing the ability to revert to a previous version.
When versions are created
Versions are created in two scenarios:
1. You manually check something into the Vault
2. You check Make Version in the save dialog when saving something to the Vault. When you do
this, the item marked for a version is checked in and then checked back out automatically so you
can continue editing the item.
Note: Versions are not created every time you save an item. They are only created when an item is
checked in to the Vault or you explicitly select Make Version from the Save dialog.
Where to find the current version information
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While browsing the Vault, you can see the version information of any item. Simply click on it and the
properties of the item will be shown near the bottom of the window.
15.9.3 Viewing an item's version history
To view all the versions for an item
1. Find the item in the Vault you want to roll back.
2. Right click it and select History...
3. The History dialog pops up displaying all versions of the document.
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15.9.4 Creating Version Labels
With the Vault, you can create Version Labels for your versions. Version Labels are useful for marking
milestones in an item's creation. For example, you can have standard version labels such as "Meets
Export Restrictions", "Initial Concept", or "Final Build".
To create a label for a version
You can assign a label to a document version. The label will be displayed under Version Label in the
Version History window as well as in the item's Property Display area directly in the Vault interface.
To assign a label:
1. Open the Vault interface.
2. Find the item you would like to create a label for.
3. Right click on it and select History... (Ctrl+H). All of the items versions are shown.
4. Select the version of the item you would like to create a label for.
5. Click the Add Label to This Version... button.
6. Select the Version Label you want from the drop down. You can also add a new version label to the
list by clicking the small arrow by the field and selecting the Add New Value to List function. As a
default, no labels are assigned to any version.
7. If you want the selected label to be cleared from the other versions too, check the Clear this
version label from the other versions of the object box. This is useful when, for example, you
want only one version of a contract to be labeled as approved.
8. The version label is visible from within the History dialog, or on the item's property display area near
the bottom of the Vault interface.
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15.9.5 Rolling back versions in the Vault
As a default, the different versions of an object are listed from the oldest to the newest on the basis of the
creation date. You can restore old versions of documents with the Roll Back function. The function
creates a new version of the document with the contents of the old version. This function is useful when
you have made and saved changes in a document but do not want them to take effect. You can use the
Roll Back function only when the document is not checked out.
To roll back to a specific version
1.
2.
3.
4.
Find the item in the Vault you want to roll back.
Right click it and select History...
The History dialog pops up displaying all versions of the document.
Select the version you want to roll back to and then click the Roll back button.
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5. A confirmation dialog pops up. Select Yes
6. A new versions is created, containing the contents of the old version. All intermediate versions are
maintained.
15.10 Finding items in the Vault
15.10.1 Searching
The Alibre Vault has several ways to sort and search your data. These various capabilities allow you to
sift through extremely large amounts of data almost instantly.
Search functions - Quick Search
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Quick Search is a useful way to search for documents and other objects in the Vault. Quick Search looks
for objects that have the search word contained in the file contents or meta data. In the search field, enter
a search string that has to do with the object, such as the title, the login name of a person who has edited
it, or a customer related to it, and click the Search button. The search string does not need to be a whole
word - you can truncate the word by using an asterisks (e.g., tender*).
For example, if you have a part named Inductor.ad_prt you could find it by searching for ind* . Words and
phrases searched for are saved in a pull-down menu, making it easy to repeat the searches.
With the menu items on the search bar, you can choose to search within document and object properties
(metadata), file contents, or both. You can also restrict the search to the current folder. In the top right
corner there is a button with which you can clear all search criteria.
Quick Search Options
There are two search functions, simple and detailed. You can use advanced search criteria by selecting
Advanced Search on the right side. For more information, refer to Section Advanced Search section
below. The advanced search allows you to restrict the search. You can, e.g., search for all objects, for
documents only, or for customers. Furthermore, you can search for documents from a specific project, for
instance.
Quick Search options
All words
Any word
Boolean
Objects found contain all specified search words.
The search will return all objects that contain at
least one of the specified search words.
The search allows you to use more specific search
phrases and different operators.
You can use different expressions to find documents and objects that strictly meet your search criteria.
The table below lists a few of the wide range of search features provided by the Alibre Vault.
Operators
+-
Put a plus sign (+) in front of a search word to make sure that all
of the documents and other objects found contain the word. Use
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a minus sign (-) to make sure that none of the documents and
other objects contains the word.
"phrase"
AND
(boolean
search only)
Example search: +technical -construction
Enclose the search words in double quotation marks to find
objects where the words appear adjacent to each other.
Example search: "functional specification"
The AND operator combines two search terms. Documents
found contain both terms.
Example search: functional AND specification
The OR operator retrieves all documents which contain at least
OR (boolean one of the terms entered.
search only)
Example search: agenda OR minutes
Brackets are used to group search terms together.
( ) (boolean
search only)
Example search: (agenda OR minutes) AND market*
This search returns all objects which contain the word "agenda"
or "minutes" and which also contain a word or words beginning
with "market".
You can make the results more specific by checking the Search within this folder box. In this case, the
folder is searched using the criteria from the previous search. This way, the search also covers, for
example, the objects found in the previous quick search.
The Alibre Vault ranks the results by counting the number of occurrences of the search words in each
document. The document with the greatest number of occurrences is displayed first.
The latest searches are saved in a specific view. With these, you can return with ease to previous search
results later on in the day.
Search Functions - Detailed Search
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With the detailed / advanced search, you can specify more specific search criteria for the document or
object you are looking for. The more search criteria you use in the advanced search, the more likely you
are to find the exact object you want. This way, you can prevent the search from returning too many
results. The various options in the search are discussed below.
You can, for example, select a project definition from the property list. Each object has property values
that are assigned to it via the document card. These property values can be used to search for documents
in a precise manner. A document property can be, e.g., Project, and the value of this project can be
"Hospital Expansion (Florida)". If you perform an advanced search with these values, the search returns all
documents for which "Hospital Expansion (Florida)" has been specified as the value of the Project
property. You can also restrict the search to a specific object type, such as customers or contact
persons.
If necessary, you can define Additional conditions.
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15.10.2 Views
Views are one of the most important concepts in the Alibre Vault. They are logical views of your entire
data set, essentially providing the functionality of filters based on the meta data you have entered for all of
the items in your Vault.
There are several default views that come set up with the Alibre Vault, shown below.
When you click on a view, the Alibre Vault searches all your data based on the criteria that defines the
view. For example, a By Product view will search all your data and find every Product value that has
been used. It will then display all available projects for you to drill deeper.
Clicking on a Product listed in this view will show all documents, such as CAD files, Word documents,
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Excel sheets, PDFs, etc., that have been associated with the particular Product you click on.
Views can be set up to display an enormous array of items and criteria. For full instructions on how to set
up new Views, please refer to the Alibre Vault Help.
15.10.3 Performing a Where Used Search in the Vault
In the Alibre Vault, you can find out what items use other items. For example, you can find what
assemblies use a specific part. These relationships between parts, assemblies, drawings, and BOMs can
be seen using the Relationships dialog within the Alibre Vault.
Relationships are populated during an Alibre Save operation only, and only when an item is checked in.
This means you will need to select the Make Version option during a save at least once for any given
design for the Relationships to populate.
The two tabs that you will use are:
Relationships from this Object: Shows what the item in question is using. For example, shows
which parts are used in an assembly.
Relationships to this Object: Shows what is using the item in question. For example, shows
which assemblies use a part.
To view an item's relationships
1.
2.
3.
4.
Open the Alibre Vault interface by browsing to your Vault.
Find the item you want to see the Relationships of.
Right click the item, and select Relationships...
The Relationships dialog pops up. There are several tabs. Relationships From this Object
represents items that make up the item we're looking at. In the example below, we are looking at
an assembly file. All the Relationships in this case are in the Relationships From this Object tab,
which means we're looking at the parts and subassemblies that comprise Cutter Assembly.ad_asm
and that nothing else, such as a drawing, is using the assembly (which would show up in the other
tab).
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5. The second tab, Relationships to this Object, represents where the item we are looking at is
being used. In the example below, we're looking at cutter.ad_prt - one of the parts that is used in
the assembly example above. We can see that it has one relationship, and that it points to Cutter
assembly.ad_asm.
Limitations of Relationships
Relationships can only see "one level deep" in either direction. For example, if you have several parts that
make up an assembly, and then create a drawing of that assembly, the parts will only know they are
being used in the assembly but will not have a Relationship to the drawing. Likewise, the Drawing will
know it is using the assembly, but will not know about Relationships to the specific parts within the
assembly.
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You can double click on items that show up in the results list to drill deeper and overcome this limitation
should you need to. For example, if you need to see all the drawings that use a part, you would:
1. Go into the Relationships dialog for the part
2. Go to the Relationships to this Object tab to find out what items are using the part.
3. Click on any assemblies that use the part to open their Relationship screen
4. View any drawings that use the assembly, and therefore the original part in question.
15.11 Using Design Properties with the Vault
15.11.1 Interacting with Design Properties
Design Properties are those properties built into Alibre Design, available in a part, sheet metal, assembly,
or 2D drawing. From the Alibre Gem, go to Design Properties. In the left-hand column, select General >
General. If you have the Vault installed, you can edit these properties only using the meta card available
from Design Properties or from the meta card in the Save dialog.
What you can do with Design Properties
There are several things you can do with Design Properties.
Use them to fill in meta data for your designs so you can search it in the Vault
Create intelligent fields in drawings that automatically pull from the meta card values to populate
your title blocks for you.
Default Design Properties using the meta card
There are several of the design properties that are commonly used, while others are seldom used by most
people. You may need some of the less common items depending on your business requirements. By
default, all the Alibre Design Part Data fields are not immediately available in the meta card. This is to
prevent a massive meta card from being presented when most of the values may not be used.
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To access every available meta field, click the More Properties... button from a meta card.
To change which default meta fields are presented with each type of Alibre Design file by default, see the
section on changing the meta structure.
Changing meta data values
You can change the meta data values for your saved items in 3 ways:
1. From General in the Design Properties and clicking on the meta card icon.
2. From the Save dialog by clicking the meta card icon
3. Directly within the Vault interface by finding your item, right clicking it, and selecting Properties...
15.11.2 Using M-Files custom properties in Alibre Design
Custom properties, once defined in M-Files Server Administrator, can be used as a Design Property in
Alibre Design. From the Alibre Gem, go to Design Properties and the property's values are then
accessible in the General section in the Design Property section. At this point, the user can enter the
value and they can be used in 2D drawings and the Bill of Materials (BOM).
Creating Properties in M-Files
In the M-Files Server Administrator, browse to the Properties Definitions and add a new property. Once
it is created it will show in the Property Definition list. Any of the different supported attributes can be
used; such as: Date, Text, Selection from list, etc.
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Associating the Property to the Alibre Design Workspaces
Since custom properties may not be applicable to all workspaces, the property will have to be added
for each Alibre Design workspace.
1. Click on the word Classes (far left-hand column)
2. Select the workspace (Name) and right click and select Property
3. Press Add.
4. Browse to the new custom property and click Add in the Add Properties dialog box. Click the OK
button until you are back to the main level in M-Files Server Administrator.
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Saving the file to the vault and using the property in Alibre Design
When saving the file, click the More Properties button and add the new property to the save dialog
box. Now you can enter your data into the new property.
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Since the custom property is only associated with a particular vault, it will only show in the Design
Properties in Alibre Design after it is saved to the vault.
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Examples of using the custom property in Alibre Design
When creating a 2D drawing template the custom property can be used as a Field.
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When inserting a new column into a BOM the custom properties can be added
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15.12 General Vault Interaction
15.12.1 Setting up Notifications with the Vault
You can set up notifications for several events within the Vault. For example, you can set up for groups or
individuals to be notified when actions such as Check In, Check Out, Version Rollback, etc. are
performed.
To enable notifications, you will need to access the Server Administrator and input your mail server's
SMTP settings, along with any authentication that is required by your server. This is an advanced topic
and is covered in detail in the full Vault help.
15.12.2 Using Permissions in the Vault
Setting the permissions of any document in the Vault is easy and is done directly on the Meta Card for
any item. The available users or user groups you can choose to grant or deny permissions to is gotten
from the Vault Server. Setting up new users and user groups on the server is an advanced topic and is
covered in the full Vault help.
To set permissions while saving
1. Open the item's meta card
2. If you are saving the document, you will see a Permissions drop down that allows you to set preset
permissions. If you need to add additional permissions, click ... next to the Permissions line.
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3. After clicking the ... item next to the Permissions drop down, you will see the full permissions
dialog.
4. Uncheck Use names access control list if you want to define a specific user permission that is
not available from the drop down. When you do this, Add... becomes available. You can use Add...
to select specific users or user groups to give permissions to.
5. Set the specific permissions you want for each user or user group by changing the Allow or Deny
check marks for each permission item.
6. Select OK.
To set permissions in the Vault interface
Setting permissions is identical in the Vault interface. Select a file, right click it, and select Properties.
Instead of a Permissions drop down, there will be a Permissions Tab at the top of the meta card that
provides the same functionality described above.
15.12.3 Deleting and undeleting items in the Vault
To delete a document
If you want to delete a document, open the Vault interface and click the document to highlight it and
select the Delete function from the File menu. The document is not lost permanently, but it becomes
deleted and can still be found by performing a detailed search when you determine the document has
been removed as a search criterion. This happens if you have permissions for the deleted documents. If
you have the system administrator permissions Full control and See and read all objects (including
deleted ones), you can use a view that shows all deleted documents.
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To undelete a document
This function can be used to restore deleted objects. First find the deleted item either from a view that
shows Deleted files or with the detailed search and then select Undelete after right clicking on the item.
To permanently remove a document
If you want to remove a document permanently, when you delete it use the Destroy Permanently
checkbox.
15.12.4 Renaming items in the Vault
You can rename files in the Vault without implication on your designs. Alibre Design relies on data
beyond the file name to determine which parts, assemblies, drawings, and BOMs go together.
Note: You must use the Vault interface, not Alibre Design, to rename files.
Note: Alibre design does not rely on meta-data you can change to link files. In other words, you can
change any meta data without affecting constituent links of your design (for example, which parts belong
to an assembly or drawing).
To rename a file:
1. Find the file in the Vault.
2. Ensure the file is checked out to you.
3. Right click the file and select Rename.
15.12.5 Copying Vault Items
You can copy items in the Vault using one of two methods.
1. Open the item in Alibre Design, and perform a Save As operation.
2. Find the file in the Vault interface, right click it, and select Make Copy...
15.12.6 Changing the meta structure
The meta structure for items is fully customizable. You may want to do this to include more standard
Design Property values in the default meta card items for Alibre file types, or to add new meta fields that
are of use to you.
This is an advanced topic and is covered in the full Vault help.
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