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Asset Tracking 487
2.
Choose File menu > Export Selected.
3. EnteranameintheFileNamefield.
4. FromtheSaveAsTypedrop-downlist,choose
afileformat.
5. Click the Save button.
Asset Tracking
The Asset Tracking feature provides direct access
w ithin 3ds Max to asset tracking systems (ATS),
also known as providers. You use asset tracking
systemstosharefilessuchasscenefilesand
bitmaps used in materials with other members of
your development team.
Asset tracking provides f ull support for the
Autodesk Vaul t data-management solution, and
basic version-control support for other providers,
such as Perforce and Microsoft SourceSafe. In
general, asset t r ack ing supports version-control
providers that are capable of integrating into
Microsoft Visual Studio, sometimes referred to
as MSSCC support. This topic assumes usage of
Autodesk V ault.
Note: When you have Vault installed, you can open
files directly from the Vault database with the File
menu command O pen from Vault (page 3–389).
This command mimics the File Open process, but
browses the vault instead of the file system. In
addition to opening the scene fi le, it down loads or
updates any dependent scene files, such as bitmaps
and XRefs. You will only see Open from Vault 4/5
intheFilemenuifyouhaveinstalledtheVault
add-in.
Asset Tracking with Autodesk Vault
The 3ds Max Vault add-in works with 3ds Max by
adding data-management tools to the interface.
Through the Vault add-in, you can add files to a
vault, and check files out and in. The add-in works
with many different t ypes of files including MA X
and image files. The recommended method for
performing Vault operations depends upon your
working environment.
When you work on a file that is checked out of the
vault, you work on a local copy of the file and not
the original. At no point do you ever work on the
actual vaulted file. When you check a mod ified file
back into the vault, the modifications are available
as the latest version in the vault. All past versions
of a file are maintained in the vault.
See also
Using Asset Tracking tutorial for an overview of
the asset tracking workflow.
Asset Tracking Dialog (page 3–487)
Open from Vault (page 3–389)
Prompts Dialog (page 3–498)
Asset Tracking Dialog Icons (page 3–498)
System Administrators See also
The Autodesk 3ds Max 9 Install Guide for a full list
of install and configuration documents for b oth
Vault 4 a n d 5 .
Asset Tr acking Dialog
File menu > Asset Tracking
With the Asset Tracking dialog, you can check files
in and out, add files to the Asset Tr ack ing System
(ATS), get different versions of files, etc., all from
3dsMaxwithouttheneedtouseseparateclient
software. Another important function of the Asset
Track ing d ialog is for repathing; locating missing
files. For example, if you move bitmap files used
by materials in your scene to the same folder as
the scene file, the bitmaps will be loaded when you