Starting, opening and saving models
A ProcessModel model is saved as one file with the extension .pmd. This article covers the commands that start, open and save a model, and what ProcessModel asks you before it replaces a model that has changes you have not saved.
Starting a new model
Section titled “Starting a new model”File ▸ New, Ctrl+N and the New Model button on the toolbar start an empty model. On the Welcome screen, New Model and the Blank Canvas tile do the same. A new model is called Untitled and is not on disk until you save it.
Opening a model
Section titled “Opening a model”File ▸ Open, Ctrl+O and the Open Model button on the toolbar bring up the Welcome screen. They do not show a file window straight away. From the Welcome screen:
- Open from Computer opens a file window titled Open Model. Choose a .pmd file.
- A row under Recent Models opens that model at once. File ▸ Recent Models lists the five most recent.
- File ▸ Demo Models opens the library of ready-made models, and opening one makes a new model that is not saved. See Demo Models.
Double-clicking a .pmd file opens it in ProcessModel too. A message confirms the model has loaded.
A model can be open in only one ProcessModel window at a time. If you choose one that is already open in another window, a window titled Model Already Open says so and offers Switch to Window and Cancel. Up to five ProcessModel windows can be open together. A sixth shows Window Limit Reached and closes when you choose Exit.
A model protected with a password asks for the password before it opens, and a Run Only model opens for running but not for editing. See Protect Model.
When the open model has unsaved changes
Section titled “When the open model has unsaved changes”The title bar shows an asterisk after the model’s name while it has changes you have not saved. Starting a model, opening one, opening a demo or a recent model, importing and opening a backup all replace the open model, so ProcessModel asks first. The window is titled Unsaved Changes.
| When | What it asks | The buttons |
|---|---|---|
| You start a new model | Do you want to save your changes before creating a new model? | Save then New, Don’t Save, Cancel |
| You open another model | Do you want to save your changes before opening another model? | Save then Open, Don’t Save, Cancel |
| You close ProcessModel | Do you want to save your changes before closing? | Save, Don’t Save, Cancel |
The first button saves and then carries on. Don’t Save carries on without saving, and the changes are lost. Cancel leaves everything as it was. Enter chooses the first button and Esc chooses Cancel. If the model has never been saved, the first button opens the Save Model window, and cancelling there stops the whole action, so nothing is replaced.
Saving a model
Section titled “Saving a model”- File ▸ Save, Ctrl+S and the Save Model button on the toolbar write the model to its file. A model that has never been saved has no file yet, so Save opens the Save Model window.
- File ▸ Save As or Ctrl+Shift+S always opens the Save Model window, so you can keep a copy under another name or in another folder.
The Save Model window shows the file’s name at the top, or “New model” when there is none yet. Type the name in MODEL NAME, and the .pmd after it is added for you. Under Recent Locations, click the folder to save in. The first is the folder the model is already in or, for a new model, a ProcessModel folder inside your Documents, and the others are folders you saved to lately. Browse opens your computer’s own save window for any other folder. After a run that left an animation trace, a box also offers Include simulation trace data with this PMD, which stores the latest trace inside the file and makes the file larger.
A model opened as Run Only cannot be saved: Save and Save As are gray.
ProcessModel also copies the open model aside on its own. See Backups.