OpenBridge Modeler Tip: File Re-Alignment Workaround
An OBM file will re-align itself and become an ORD file when an ORD file is attached, thus becoming ‘read-only’ in OBM.
We have discovered a major bug affecting the standard workflow when using OBM.
First, some background. There have been some issues with the first version of ORD 2024 (24.00.01.62). More detailed information about the ORD issues are posted here. In light of this development, Bentley has discontinued the use of OBM v. 24.0.01.53 which coincides with ORD v. 24.00.01.62. Bentley is now suggesting use of OBM v. 24.0.0.263.
See this link: LARS | LEAP | OpenBridge | OpenTunnel | RM Blog – OpenBridge Modeler 2024 Update 1, removed from Software Downloads – Communities
Unfortunately, OBM v. 24.0.0.263 also has a bug. In the normal workflow for OBM, referencing in the roadway Alignment is necessary for associating the bridge. When ORD data is copied into the OBM file, i.e. by selecting the roadway (ORD) alignment for the bridge alignment, this action re-aligns the file to be an ORD file instead of an OBM file. Once this happens, when the file is opened in OBM it will be in read-only mode. The warning dialog that states “this is not an OBM file, do you want to open it in read-only mode” doesn’t appear, either. The file will open without any major issues, but the read-only words at the top of the window with the file name will be displayed and the read-only icon will be in the window tray.
The fix is fairly simple. Using the Civil File Manager tool, re-align the file to OBM.
(Re-aligning the file can be done while the file is open, but it will need to be re-opened once the re-alignment is complete.)
- Launch Civil File Manager
- The Civil File Manager (CFM) is not part of the Backstage in OBM (as it is in ORD) but it can still be opened from inside OBM via the key-in: civil file manager
- It can also be launched from the default installation location
The .exe file is installed with the program and can be found here: C:\Program Files\Bentley\OpenBridge Modeler 2024.00\OpenBridgeModeler
2. Select the File, Folder, or Folder + sub folders option (we will use File in this example)
3. Browse to the file and open it, noticing that the Schema Details information for that file has populated the CFM dialog on the right
4. In the list of Schema Details, you will note that one object has been re-aligned to an ORD file
5. If there is only one ORD file, right-click it and select Align, then check the Output tab for success message
6. If there are more than one file, you can use the folder option (this is not recommended) by selecting the folder to view all the schema of files in the Schema Details tab, then selecting Action > Align All and checking the Output tab for success message
7. We recommend exiting OBM after this process
Bentley has stated that this bug has been fixed and will be included in the next release. The next release is expected at the end of the 2nd quarter of 2025.
