Autodesk Vault connectivity

SphereHarness can drive Autodesk Vault from chat — check files in and out, search the vault, read and update properties, move files through lifecycle states, revise them, attach them to change orders and export BOMs — using the same vault Inventor is already connected to.

Before you start: run Inventor with the Autodesk Vault add-in installed and signed in to your vault. SphereHarness reuses your existing, live vault connection — it never asks for a separate vault password in the chat.

Connecting

Am I connected to the vault?

SphereHarness reports whether the Vault integration is active, which server and vault you are signed in to, whether you are logged in, and the state of the current document. If a connection has not been established yet:

Connect to Vault

SphereHarness connects using the vault Inventor is already signed in to. You can ask it to disconnect again at any time.

Checking files in and out

Check out the active part
What is the check-out state, version and lifecycle state of this file?
Check in this file with comment 'updated fillet'

Check-in uploads your changes, releases the lock and creates a new version, storing your comment in the file's history. Include one whenever you can.

Undo my check-out on this file

Discards your check-out and restores the last version in the vault, without saving your local changes.

Save and close before checking in. Vault will not accept a check-in of a file Inventor still holds open for editing — ask SphereHarness to save and close it first.

Saving without changing check-out state

Save this document to the vault as a new version, but leave it checked out

Versions the file up without bumping its revision and without releasing your lock.

Searching & browsing

Search the vault for parts named bracket
Search the vault for anything where the Project property is FRAME-2026
Show the contents of the Designs/Projects folder
Where is this part used?
Show the references of this assembly
Open the vault file BR-2041 in Inventor

Opening a managed file resolves its references and downloads them to your working folder first, so you get the right versions of its children.

Properties

Show the properties of this file
Set the Description property to 'Clamp bracket'

Updating a property normally requires a check-out; SphereHarness handles the check-out and check-in cycle for you unless you ask it not to. If a property your vault requires is missing or invalid, SphereHarness names it.

What properties are required for a new part in this vault?

Bulk property updates

Properties can be changed across many files at once. Preview first, always.

Show me what would change if I set the Project property to FRAME-2026 on every file in the Frame folder — dry run only, do not apply anything
Apply that change for real

Lifecycle, revisions and change orders

What lifecycle state is this file in, and what transitions are available to me?
Transition this file to Released

Transitions follow your vault's lifecycle definition, including its security and required conditions. SphereHarness cannot bypass them and will report the rule that stopped it.

Revise this file to the next revision
Show the version and revision history of this file
Attach this file to change order ECO-00142
Save this document into the vault as a new managed item
What item types and numbering schemes does this vault use?

Bill of materials

Export the Vault BOM for this assembly

Exports the structured bill of materials the vault holds, with item numbers and lifecycle states. That is not the same as the BOM read from the Inventor model — for that, see Assemblies.

Activity and reporting

What have I checked in over the last week?
List everything released between 1 and 31 July

A safe working pattern

  1. Check the state first — check-out state and lifecycle state — before assuming you can edit.
  2. Ask where it is used before changing a shared part.
  3. Check out, work, verify the model (see Verifying results), then save and close.
  4. Check in with a real comment.
  5. Transition deliberately. A lifecycle change is visible organization-wide and is not undone by an undo.
All 29 data-management operations are implemented against the Vault SDK, so the Vault integration is the most complete of the four supported systems. If something is refused, it is your vault's rules or permissions doing it — the reply says which.

See also