I was sent a ".C 2" and a ".C2S" file of a piping and structural system for review. When I open input I see the piping but not the structural. I get the error message (2) shown below. When I analyze the ".c 2" file it will run however I get the Fatal Error message (1) below. The results do not match the original run as documented from the originator.
The person sending me the file has the same CAESAR II version as I do and it runs on his machine.
Any ideas?
We are running CAESAR II 2011 SP3 Ver.5.30.03, (Build 120131)

1. “Fatal Error 256 – An error occurred in FBILD attempting to check for special files which should be in the Caesar subdirectory” and
2. “Need compiled structural file (._x) to plot”.

Can you open the srtuctural file in the structural input processor? If so, run the error check to reproduce the files required by CAESAR II piping processor. Then give it another try.

Dave, I think I see the problem. When I open the structural .c2s file it expands the files so that the _x shows up. When I exit the structural preprocessor Caesar II then 'zips up' the files back to the c2s. Thus when the .CAESAR II piping input file opens it can't find the _x. By copying the _x and other expanded structural files to another directory while the .c2s file is open, then closing the c2s, then copying the _x back and other structural files back into the original directory, and then opening the .CAESAR II piping input file, Caesar II then recognizes the _x.
Is there a simpler way?

Wayne Dolbec
Middough

That's not the way it's supposed to work. The Piping Input is able to open the ".c 2s" archive and read the _X file. Something else is amiss.

Can you send both your ".c 2" and ".c 2s" files so we can look at them here?

Note that Error 256 is a different issue from the _X plot file.