Network file overwritten by another user.

[FLP]

Firstly this is really a MAX issue and not a Vray issue.

Typical when a file (sketchup, autoCAD) is opened on a network, the file becomes write protected against other users. I have been having an issue were a MAX scene is open and another user unknowingly opens the same file and is able to overwrite it. Basically 2 people end up working on the same file and only the work is saved from the last person to save.

Is there a MAX setting causing this or is it a network issue?

[hermit.crab]

Based on what I've read in the Autodesk forums, it seems like an Autodesk thing; I guess 3ds Max is not designed for synchronized work in comparison with other Autodesk software i.e. Revit.

[FLP]

Thanks for looking into this. Always appreciate the help from Chaos support.

[^Lele^]

Non-locking file access is either a curse or a blessing, depending on who you ask.
I have had my fair share of terror (late evening overwrite by a colleague. same name, different content. don't ask.) when pipelines didn't cater for this.
On the other hand, if Nuke locked all the image files it had in an open comp, no one would be able to overwrite a part of a sequence with fixes, f.e., or if maya locked the referenced files and assets, the scene would never be able to update with changes from other departments (f.e. animation to rendering).

It's simple enough in Max, if possibly expensive with disk space, to turn on "increment when saving" and forget about overwriting by accident, particularly if each user appends a different digit (f.e. myFile_1000.max, myFile_2000.max and so on.).
Some coordination would still be required to figure out why files are sitting there.
Of course, the best thing would be to have something orchestrate this at a facility level (say, scripts, shotgun, etc.), but that's a bit more complicated to attain.