I'm looking for advice on the best way for a lighting team to share and work on a show's files (Vectorworks and LW5) and have each member update them without ending up with conflicting data or multiple, inconsistent files. In this case, the files are distributed on Dropbox. The LD, ALD and ME are all working on their own parts of the show. Dropbox isn't a network - just a storage folder - so the Vectorworks "lock" function doesn't work. There's the potential for files of the same name to have different data and to have one member's work inadvertently overwritten by another's file.
This is especially true when one member updates only the LW5 file and doesn't update VW at the same time. It's hard to reconcile instrument data from separate files. Also, version control is important. If everyone works on the same files with the same names, you have a hard time going back to a previous version if you make a mistake. I'd like to have new file names every day so it's easy to step back if needed.
The safest way seems to be to have only one person working on the file at a time. And rename the file every day. But that's slow. We all know the time pressures of getting things done and meeting deadlines. Is there a better way?
The goal is for everyone to work as fast as possible but always have definitive show files in one place with everyone's latest information. Surely this is a problem many of you have solved. How do you do it?
Thanks!
This is especially true when one member updates only the LW5 file and doesn't update VW at the same time. It's hard to reconcile instrument data from separate files. Also, version control is important. If everyone works on the same files with the same names, you have a hard time going back to a previous version if you make a mistake. I'd like to have new file names every day so it's easy to step back if needed.
The safest way seems to be to have only one person working on the file at a time. And rename the file every day. But that's slow. We all know the time pressures of getting things done and meeting deadlines. Is there a better way?
The goal is for everyone to work as fast as possible but always have definitive show files in one place with everyone's latest information. Surely this is a problem many of you have solved. How do you do it?
Thanks!