Saving a project and 3D model for viewing in Project Viewer

You can save Asta Powerproject 4D projects together with all of the information that is required to open them in Project Viewer. You may want to do this in order to make a project available to someone who does not have access to Asta Powerproject 4D, but who needs to view the project together with its associated 3D model. You do this by saving the project in PPV format - a format that includes the following:

The project's PP file.
The 3D model that was open when the project is saved.
A baseline, if one is referred to in the timeline simulation that is current when the project is saved.

If an IFC group model is open when the project is saved in PPV format, all of the 3D models within the IFC group model are contained within the PPV file. If a project is associated with more than one individual 3D model, only the 3D model that is open when the project is saved is included in the PPV file.

To save a project with all of the information that is required to open it in Project Viewer:

Display the 3D model that you want to include in the PPV file in the IFC Model pane.
Save the project.
Click the File tab, then click Save As. The Save As dialog appears.
Select the folder in which to save the project in the Save in field.
Select "APV 4D files (*.ppv)" in the Save as type field.
Enter a name to apply to the file in the File name field.
Click Save.

The project and its associated files are saved into PPV format. You can now make the PPV file available to Project Viewer users.

Note that you cannot save Asta Enterprise projects in PPV format and that if you have imported a file into Asta Powerproject 4D from a different file format (for example XER), you must save it in PP format before you can save it in PPV format.

You cannot open PPV files in Asta Powerproject; they can be opened only in Project Viewer.