show stopper : "this drawing is more recent than the model"

With associative models and drawings this is unfortunately what you get. If your drafter doesn't add drafting features to the objects being detailed, then only the dimensions attatched to entities which move or are deleted will fail.Careful planning of models can reduce these failures (put datum curves and planes in the models quite early and dimension to those as they are quite robust) but you'll never entirely escape them. Best practice seems to be to have the modeller also do the detailing, as they understand the design intent of the parts already, and can often find errors in their models whilst detailing. Some modellers may think this is 'beneath them' in which case I recommend sacking them and hiring someone a little more customer oriented.

Are you guys using GD&T? If not, you could set the config option 'create_drawing_dims_only' to a value of 'yes' and part of your problem would be eliminated. This works because your Driven(manually created) dimensions would then get stored with the drawing files and not the part/assy files. Therefore they wouldn't turn magenta-colored and have to be re-created if the original model entities that they referenced are indeed still intact; regardless of which part/assy model version your drawing references. Such as when one user makes model modifications and places a copy of their model in a folder that your detailer ends up referencing whenever they retrieve the 2-D drawing file.

Hope this helps.

S.T.

: >

: > > when collaborating on a project using a shared directory on a server, : > > one person works on the assembly, another on a drawing of it. : > > The drafter saves the drawing and closes (and apparently also a new : > > version of the assembly file), the modeler save the assembly (not : > > touching the drawing file) and closes. : > >

: > > drafter re-opens the drawing and gets "this drawing is more recent than : > > the model" , plus all model-referencing items are either gone or : invalid. : > >

: > > not very practical when a drawing and a model need to be created : > > consecutively. : > >

: > > Next test: modeller is not allowed to touch the main assembly... not : > > only impractical, but also counter-intuitive. : > >

: > > I had the drafter export and drop down to autocad to finish the : drawings, : > > autocad : > >

: > > wzzl : : Are you guys using GD&T? If not, you could set the config option : 'create_drawing_dims_only' to a value of 'yes' and part of your problem : would be eliminated. This works because your Driven(manually created) : dimensions would then get stored with the drawing files and not the : part/assy files. Therefore they wouldn't turn magenta-colored and have to be : re-created if the original model entities that they referenced are indeed : still intact; regardless of which part/assy model version your drawing : references. Such as when one user makes model modifications and places a : copy of their model in a folder that your detailer ends up referencing : whenever they retrieve the 2-D drawing file. : You might also consider making the wall higher, which you appear to be trying to erect anyway, by setting draw_models_read_only (another config.pro option) to yes which prevents referencing the models. If your drafters can't store their changes in the drawing model, those references can't be wiped out by a subsequent save which, coming from the modellers, didn't contain those changes and won't contain them the next time the drawing is opened. You really ought to be able to select working scenarios and have software smart enough to pick options that make the software behave to your benefit.

David Janes