We go to great lengths to ensure that piping input files are always upward compatible. This is why the current version of
CAESAR II, 4.30, can accept and process an input file from Version 1.00.
On the other hand, we can't guarantee that a given input file can be utilized by a prior version of the software. This is because the input file structure and content changes as we add input items and features to the software.
In general, you can't use input data on a previous version of the software.However, having said this, there is one way to move down in versions.
Bear in mind that this method may or may not work, depending on which version of the input you have and which version you are attempting to move back to. The procedure involves the following steps:
- Using the current version, go to "Tools\External Interfaces", and generate a CAESAR II neutral file for the desired job.
- Possibly edit the resulting (.CII) text file to remove any new data the previous (older) version won't accept.
- Using the older version, go to "Tools\External Interfaces", and read in the neutral file, creating a CAESAR II input file. (In the case of Version 3.24, this option is under "Utilities" if I remember correctly.)
In this specific case (moving from 4.30 to 3.24) you will have a lot of editing to do on the neutral file before 3.24 will accept it. For example, in Version 4.10 we added 6 more vectors to displacements and forces. So, even if you're not using them, the 4.30 neutral file will contain an extra six lines of zeroes (for each displacement for force) that you will have to remove in order for 3.24 to accept the file.
If you only have to do this once, and the model isn't too big, I would recommend just re-coding the model in Version 3.24. If the model is large, or you have to do this more than once, you need to itemize what changes exist in the neutral file between 4.30 and 3.24. Perhaps the best way to do this is to create a small model in 3.24 that includes everything you normally use (displacements, forces, wind, uniform loads, etc). Generate a neutral file from this model in 3.24. Next, take the model to 4.30 save it, and generate a 4.30 neutral file. Now compare the neutral files and note any extra data.
This extra data will have to be removed from a 4.30 neutral file before 3.24 can read it in.Good luck ...