DesignBuilder dsb file version compatibility

Modified on Mon, 7 Aug, 2023 at 4:04 PM

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 DB v7 then you can find a copy of the original v6 model saved in 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.

Was this article helpful?

That’s Great!

Thank you for your feedback

Sorry! We couldn't be helpful

Thank you for your feedback

Let us know how can we improve this article!

Select at least one of the reasons
CAPTCHA verification is required.

Feedback sent

We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article