The Asset Tracking feature provides direct access within Autodesk VIZ to asset tracking systems (ATS), also known as providers. You use asset tracking systems to share files such as scene files and bitmaps used in materials with other members of your development team.
Asset tracking provides full support for the Autodesk Vault data-management solution, and basic version-control support for other providers, such as Perforce and Microsoft SourceSafe. In general, asset tracking 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 Vault.
Note: When you have Vault installed, you can open files directly from the Vault database with the File menu command Open from Vault. This command mimics the File Open process, but browses the vault instead of the file system. In addition to opening the scene file, it downloads or updates any dependent scene files, such as bitmaps and XRefs. You will only see Open from Vault 4/5 in the File menu if you have installed the Vault add-in.
The Autodesk VIZ Vault add-in works with Autodesk VIZ 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 types of files including MAX 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 modified 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.
Using Asset Tracking tutorial for an overview of the asset tracking workflow.