OpenBridge Designer - New File Format (.obdx) in v10.08.01

We are pleased to announce the new file format developed for OpenBridge Designer (OBD) files to be used starting v10.08.01. Below please find the highlights of the changes with new file format (.obdx) and comparison with the old file format (.obd):

• .obdx file includes all analytical components (.lbcx, .lbsx or RM folder) files within its database. In other words, there will not be any external analytical component files referenced in OBD, unlike .obd files in which no analytical files are stored but OBD reference to external analytical files.
  • In Standalone Workflow, if a file is sent from OpenBridge Modeler to analytical components, the analytical component file will be stored in .obdx and an entry under the same “Standalone Group” is generated, automatically if the user chooses to save that file.
• At any time, user may choose to export all analytical component files (and .dgn files) at a directory in local drive user selects, therefore those analytical component files can be shared with other users possessing standalone licenses of analytical components.

• .dgn files will stay as external files referenced in OBD, similar to the old file format, however, .obdx file will store the most up-to-date copy of the .dgn file. In case the external .dgn file cannot be located, user will be asked if the .dgn file should be restored from .obdx database.

TRANSITION WORKFLOWS FROM VERSION 10.07&10.08 TO 10.08.01

Before proceeding with the upgrade from 10.07&10.08  to 10.08.01 backup your working files, just as an extra measure of precaution. 

I. LOCAL WORKFLOW

For this workflow all the files (.obd, .dgn, .lbcx, .lbsx, RM folder) are saved on the local disc.

WORKFLOW I.1. - Normal update

When opening a project created with version 10.07&10.08 (.obd extension) in version 10.08.01, OBD will prompt the user to upgrade the project to the new file format, as stipulated above. OBD will create a new file in the same location as the initial .obd file, with the same name but with the extension .obdx.

Example

Project Bridge 1.obd - the initial .obd file created in version 10.07&10.08

Project Bridge 1.obdx - the upgraded file 

After the user checks if the upgrade process is successful, the user can delete the old .obd and external analytic files.

WORKFLOW I.2. - Update trough the Export function from 10.07 & 10.08 version.

In version 10.07&10.08 the user has the possibility to export his project directly in a .obdx file. When the exported .obdx file is opened with version 10.08.01, OBD will upgrade that file to accommodate the changes done for this version. Depending on the file size, the process can take from a few seconds to a few minutes.

If the user has the .dgn files alongside the exported .obdx file, then OBM will show them in the project tree explorer. If the .dgn files are not available or they are stored in another location than the one used by the initial .obd file, OBD will show an alert that the file is not found. In this case, if the user:

- has access to the .dgn files, he can browse to that location and reassign the paths

- does not have access to the .dgn files, he can restore a backup of the initial  .dgn file that was created when the export to .obdx file was executed.

II. PW WORKFLOW

Due to the multitude of possible workflows/combinations that the user can have when working with PW, we strongly advise contacting the technical support team in order to assist you during the transition to the new file format.