Product(s):

OpenFlows Water, OpenFlows Sewer, OpenFlows Storm, OpenFlows Hydraulic Toolset, WaterGEMS, WaterCAD, HAMMER, SewerGEMS, SewerCAD, StormCAD, CivilStorm, FlowMaster, PondPack, CulvertMaster, FLOOD

Background

This article provides information on how to download OpenFlows (water infrastructure) applications and how to upgrade to a newer version.

Bentley's OpenFlows applications are installed using an installation executable file, on a Windows desktop computer. The installation file is independent from the license. The software is licensed/activated via user sign in to the CONNECTION Client application (for version 10.02.XX.XX and greater) or via a license key entered on the computer. The following link has information on licensing and activation: OpenFlows Product Licensing FAQs and Troubleshooting.

The installation files can be downloaded either from the Software Downloads website, or through the update service in the CONNECTION Client (a small application that runs in the background on the client computer). More information on these methods can be found below.

Generally speaking it is best to upgrade to the latest available version, so that you are equipped with the latest features, updates, and fixes to known issues and defects. Note however that OpenFlows software is not forward compatible which means that models cannot be opened in an earlier version. (something to keep in mind if you need to send models to another user). For more details on what's new between the version you currently have and the latest version, see this article: New Features and Enhancements for OpenFlows products

Where are the new versions? Which product do I download? Which Feature Level do I pick?

With recent changes to way we package the OpenFlows products, if you search for a product by name on the Software Download server you might not see the latest 2024 version as a download option in your Search results.

Starting with version 24.00.01.05 look for the new bundled product names -

OpenFlows Water contains WaterGEMS, WaterCAD, and HAMMER

OpenFlows Sewer contains SewerGEMS and SewerCAD

OpenFlows Storm contains StormCAD, PondPack, and CivilStorm

OpenFlows Hydraulic Toolset contains Flowmaster and Culvertmaster

The new product names and Feature Level bundling is explained in this Knowledge Base article -

OpenFlows Product Licensing and Feature Levels (New for 2024)

And a detailed explanation of the Licensing changes can be found in the following Knowledge Base articles -

Who can Download the products?

Access to the Software Downloads website is a benefit of SELECT and ELS subscribers, where upgrades are at no additional cost.

NOTE: If another person in your organization manages your Bentley OpenFlows licenses (such as your IT or HelpDesk administrator), please share the following information to guide them through the upgrade. A list of your Administrators can be seen by going to https://connect.bentley.com. On the right side of the Welcome Banner, click the dropdown and select "Find my Administrator". In the next screen, scroll to the bottom and expand "Account Administrators".

If you do not have a SELECT subscription (that is, you are "Non-SELECT"), you would download the software using the link included in the "Fulfillment Document" PDF file from when you first purchased the software. It is suggested that you keep a copy of any of your installation files for backup purposes or if you need to install the application on another computer.

A note on "Trial" Licenses

There are no separate downloads for "trial" versions of the products. Everything is handled by product licensing. If your organization has SELECT Open Access, your license will contain all Bentley products and you will only be billed for what you use. If you need a separate trial license to use with your Bentley software, please contact your Bentley sales representative.

A note on Virtuosity / Practitioner licenses

For users who purchased a practitioner license from the Virtuosity store, the license must first be allocated to a specific named user, who will then receive an email with a download link. The assigned user can also sign into the Software Downloads site to access their restricted download page. See more here: Practitioner Licensing

How to Download OpenFlows Products

Downloading from the CONNECTION Client

With the CONNECT Edition of the OpenFlows products, the CONNECTION Client will alert you on new version availability and can download and upgrade for you. You may need to check if you have download permissions assigned to your Bentley account (see above for details on downloading the products).

Downloading from the Software Downloads Website

Those with permission to download (such as Site Administrators) can download the software from the Software Downloads section of our website.

1) Sign in to the Software Downloads website

Note:

If you are directed to a page about Bentley "iWare" (https://store.bentley.com/en/products/iware) this means your account does not have permission to download the software. In this case please refer to the note in red located above.

2) Locate the desired product(s)

Select OpenFlows from the Brand pull-down menu and click the Apply button to see the latest OpenFlows products.

3) Download the desired product(s)

When you see the product you want to download, simply click the "Get Software" link on the tile:

Next, click the first link in the search results for the latest version of the product you want to download:

After selecting the product, you should see a list of available versions of the product. If the expected product/version does not appear in the list, click the "Apply" button to be sure that all of your search criteria is included in the Search Results.

You can also use the available filter dropdown fields to further refine or alter your search.

In the list of versions for your selected product, click the blue "Download" button to the right of the version you want to download.

Note:

By default, the list will be filtered on the CONNECT Edition generation. As of January 2021, only the latest CONNECT Licensing-enabled CONNECT Edition version will be available to download. The V8i versions of the OpenFlows products are no longer supported. If you need one of these versions, please contact Technical Support.
If you need to download multiple products or versions, you will need to click each one individually.
Typically you will only need the main installation file. The "Prerequisites for Bentley Desktop" and "i-model Publishing Engine" are only needed when you plan to export your model to an "i-model". The dependencies are only designated as 32-bit (x86), but they will work with both versions (for i-model export).
For the "Architecture" filter, see "note on "bitness" further below.

Note: By default, the latest release of the language last uploaded will be displayed. If you are looking for the latest version of a given language, such as English, simply adjust the filters as needed, such as changing the Language filter. When you click Apply, the latest version for that language will appear.

4) Choose a location to save the file to

The default download location on a Windows 7 or later operating system is: C:\Users\<User_Name>\Downloads\ . You can change the folder path as needed, such as the Desktop or Documents folder.

Confirming the path will initiate the download process.

5) Run the installation file "As Administrator"

The last step is to run the installation file once it is downloaded. You can choose the option in your browser to "Run" the file, or you can manually locate it afterwards to install.

Note: You will need to be signed into Windows with administrator permissions in order to install the software.

Once the software is installed, you will see shortcuts on your desktop for any detected platform versions, such as "WaterGEMS 2024 for Autodesk Civil 3D 2024 - English Imperial."

It is suggested that you open the Standalone version first to ensure that the product is properly licensed.

If you have questions about licensing and activation, contact your site administrator, and see this article: OpenFlows Product Licensing FAQs and Troubleshooting.

How do I know when a new version is available?

Note: The 10.04 releases are known to not show in the Connection Client. That's a known issue because we changed to a 64-bit installer but going forward (like the upcoming 2023 release), it should show up again in the Connection Client.

See: How to receive alerts on new version availability

I want to use Standalone but shortcuts for AutoCAD, MicroStation, ArcGIS Pro, or ArcMap are created

There are no separate setup files for each platform. Meaning there is only one single download file and, when installed, will detect if a compatible version of MicroStation, AutoCAD, ArcGIS Pro, or ArcMap is installed. If there is, shortcuts will be created for launching the application integrated with the CAD products. The "Standalone" version is always included and you should see a separate shortcut for it.

Only WaterGEMS, SewerGEMS and HAMMER have the ability to integrate with ArcGIS Pro/ArcMap. AutoCAD integration is automatically included with WaterGEMS, SewerGEMS, and HAMMER.

With WaterCAD, StormCAD, SewerCAD, and PondPack, you may see shortcuts for AutoCAD, but the program will check your license to see if AutoCAD integration is available. If you do not have AutoCAD integration as part of your license, you will get an error message if you try to open the AutoCAD-integrated shortcut.

FlowMaster, CulvertMaster, and OpenFlows FLOOD are Standalone products only.

A Note on "Cumulative Patch Sets"

When high priority defects are resolved, they are included in cumulative patch sets. These patches apply all available fixes to the respective version without changing the version number. As of 2021, new product versions are released on a quarterly basis. New product version releases include the most current Cumulative Patch Sets, so fixes are made available to users faster and you no longer have to make a special request for a patch set. If you require the latest patch set, please compact Technical Support.

See this link for more details: Cumulative patch sets for Hydraulic and Hydrology products.

A Note on "bitness" (32-bit vs. 64-bit)

For some older versions of products, you will notice two different versions of the product, one labeled "32-bit" (or "x86") and the other one labeled "64-bit" (or "x64"). Both will download the same exact installation file. The installation will always install both a 32-bit and 64-bit copy of the product, to the same installation folder (in other words, the single installation file contains both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions.)

For some versions the 32-bit instance is installed to the root install folder, and a 64-bit version is installed to a "x64" subfolder within the root installation folder. In more recent versions (starting in 2024), it is the reverse and the main installation folder is in C:\Program Files\ and the root folder has the 64-bit components, with an x86 subfolder with 32-bit components. This is done in order to provide support for platform integration. The Standalone version of the OpenFlows product will default to opening the 64-bit version (which has expanded memory bandwidth, helpful for larger models/backgrounds) while the MicroStation and ArcMap integrated versions use the 32-bit instance of the OpenFlows product, because MicroStation and ArcMap are currently only available in 32-bit. ArcGIS Pro as well as recent versions of AutoCAD are 64-bit. The matching "bitness" of the OpenFlows product must be used in order to integrate.

Can I get an old version of software if it is contractually required?

These requests are handled on an individual basis. Please submit a Case to Technical Support for help.

Downloading OpenFlows / Water Infrastructure Software