To save changes to the current model file, do one of the following:

• On the top left corner of the screen, click Save .
• On the File menu, click Save as > Save.
• Press Ctrl+S.

You can create a copy of the model with a different name or in a different folder. The original version of the model remains intact.

1. On the File menu, click Save as > Save as.
2. In the Model name box, enter a new name.
3. To save in a different location, click Browse and define where you want to save the model.
4. Click OK.

   Tekla Structures creates a new copy with a different name, but the original version of the model remains intact.

You can create a backup copy of the model with the same GUIDs (globally unique identifiers) as the original model.

1. On the File menu, click Save as > Save and create backup copy.

   Tekla Structures saves a copy of the model in the ..\TeklaStructuresModels\backup\<model_name>\<date-time> folder.

2. If you need to take the backup copy into use in place of the current model, move the backup copy from the chosen date to your model folder.

   You can either replace all contents of the current model folder with the content of the chosen backup folder, or you can rename the backup folder (<date-time>) to match the original model name.

3. If you want to change the location of the backup folder, use the advanced option XS_MODEL_BACKUP_DIRECTORY.

Use Autosave to automatically back up and save your work at set intervals to minimize work loss during modeling and drawing editing. You can set the autosave interval for the model and the active drawing using the same Autosave setting. Additionally, you can define that autosaving is done for drawings after a certain number of drawings has been created.

1. On the File menu, click Settings > Options, and go to the General settings.
2. Under Autosave, set the autosave interval for the model and active drawing.
   1. In the first box, enter the number of minutes after which Tekla Structures saves the model and active drawing. The default value is 15 minutes.

      If there are no changes in the model during the autosave interval, the model is not autosaved.

      There will always be at least one model autosave when a drawing is autosaved. Subsequent drawing autosaves will not trigger model autosave unless there are model modifications.

      If you save the model manually, the autosave interval is reset to prevent the model from being autosaved immediately after a manual save.

   2. In the second box, enter the number of created drawings after which Tekla Structures saves your work.
   Note: The smallest accepted value for the autosave interval is 2 for both boxes.

   If you try to enter a value smaller than 2, Tekla Structures automatically changes the value to 2.

3. Click OK.
4. Define where to store the Autosave files.

   By default, Tekla Structures stores the autosave files in the C\TeklaStructuresModels\autosave folder with the extension .db1_<user>. The drawing is saved in the model autosave folder in the \drawings subfolder, for example, C:\TeklaStructuresModels\autosave\House\drawings. To change the folder, use the advanced option XS_AUTOSAVE_DIRECTORY.

5. Define whether to keep old model autosave files.

   By default, Tekla Structures deletes the model autosave files when you close a model, to save disk space. To keep model autosave files even if you exit Tekla Structures without saving the model, use the advanced option XS_KEEP_AUTOSAVE_FILES_ON_EXIT_WHEN_NOT_SAVING.

1. Open the model.

   Tekla Structures automatically checks if the previous session ended normally. If the previous session did not end normally, opening the active model prompts you to open either the manually or automatically saved model version. The dialog includes the following information:

   • The name of the autosaved drawing, if any

   • The path to the autosaved version of the model and the autosaving time

   • The path to the last manually saved version of the model and the saving time

   

2. To restore the autosaved version of the model, select Autosaved.

   If there is an autosaved drawing, Tekla Structures opens the autosaved model and the drawing automatically.

   When the drawing is opened, there is a notification that autosaved drawing was opened and saved.

   

3. Check the drawing and choose if you want to keep or discard that version.
4. Do one of the following depending on whether you want to keep the autosaved drawing:
   • Save the model as soon as possible.
   • If you do not want to restore the autosaved drawing, click Open drawing versions to open the Drawing versions feature and select a previous version and save that instead. The Drawing versions feature can be used through Document manager.

   For more information about working with drawing versions, see Version control for drawings.