Knowledgebase
DesignBuilder dsb file version compatibility
Posted by Andy Tindale on 19-May-22 11:25 AM

DesignBuilder supports compatibility, i.e. new versions of the software can successfully read in files last saved in older versions. However it does not support forward compatibility, i.e. older versions of the software cannot read in files last saved in more recent versions.

This is especially important when users must use a specific version of the software for certification (e.g. SBEM). In this case models should be created in the same version of the software that will run calculations.

If you have opened a v6 file in DBv7 then you can find a copy of the original v6 model saved at the Upgrade folder on the location: C:\Users\your_username\Documents\DesignBuilder Data\Upgrade 

The archived filename will have the word Archive and the session timestamp.
It should be something like:
Test 20x20-12C (1) Archive 01-07-2021_11_06_38.dsb 

For models created in version 7 then there is an option to export the gbXML file (currently only geometry is exported) and import it back to DBv6 using the import 3D BIM option and then set up the input data again. Components and templates can be exported and imported through DDF files.