Issue: Unexpected File Format Message When Opening Project
This error can occur when opening a project in an older version of the VE from which it was created (e.g - opening a VE2021 model in VE2019). VE Projects are forwards compatible only.
This message can also appear if a project has been corrupted. If the project is corrupt then you may still be able to recover from a backup.
1. Restore the file from a backup
We strongly recommend backing up projects regularly during the course of the day. The VE has a built-in archive facility that with one click (File>Archive>Current Project) can safely backup the whole project in a second or two. We also recommend you have a couple of copies of each project so that you can revert to them at any moment but that’s potentially overkill (but again for the sake of a few MB... may well be worth it).
2. Recover from TMP file
You might be able to recover from the Backups folder as the VE stores a TMP file in this folder for undo/redo operations.
In VE 2016 Hotfix 1 (onwards) model data is stored in the .mdl file instead of the traditional .mit file. This means the traditional method of recovering a corrupted model using the tmp files from the backup folder is changed, the new process to load these is described below. For instuctions on recovering models pre VE2016 please contact Support for an alternative method.
Procedure:
In project folder find .tmp files created in the Backups folder
Choose the one you want to load (usually the most recently modified) and copy this to the project folder.
In the project folder locate the project.mdl and project.mit files. Delete these
Rename the tmp file to be projectname.mit
Launch VE and create a new blank project with a new name
In the keyin field in ModelIT type the following then hit the enter key:
LOADTMP= followed by the full path to the newly created mit file we want to open
e.g. here we enter LOADTMP=C:\Temp\11Oct2016\92361\2075P Scott Medical School - Geometry\2075P Scott Medical School - Geometry.mit
This will then open the model geometry.
Whether you are able to recover the project or not we would advise that you follow the “Best Practice” steps below when
working on projects:
- Keep a CAB archive on the network server but...
- Work on a copy on your Local drive for added security.
- Do not move/copy project folders. Only move CAB archives.
- Store a GEM file so that the pure-geometry is available at any point.
- Make regular CAB archives so you can always revert to another version of the project (or restore a corrupt project).
