| Product(s): | WaterGEMS, WaterCAD, SewerGEMS, SewerCAD, CivilStorm, StormCAD, HAMMER |
| Version(s): | 08.11.XX.XX and higher |
| Area: | Installation |
The OpenFlows product will not integrate correctly with AutoCAD. For example the "...for AutoCAD" shortcut does not appear, an error occurs when opening the shortcut (such as "unhandled exception"), or the OpenFlows product's menus / menu bar does not show up in AutoCAD.
When your OpenFlows application is installed, it will attempt to integrate with any compatible versions of AutoCAD, and you will find shortcuts to both the Standalone version as well as AutoCAD (and potentially MicroStation or ArcGIS, depending on the product). There is not a separate installation file for the AutoCAD version of the OpenFlows product, and you are never forced to always use the AutoCAD integrated version.
This article provides troubleshooting tips for when the integration with AutoCAD does not work properly.
General Information
If you do not see the "<Product Name>" for AutoCAD <version>" shortcut on your desktop or in your start menu folder,
The first step is to confirm that your AutoCAD version(s) are compatible with your OpenFlows application version. For instance, version 08.11.05.61 of WaterGEMS, WaterCAD, and HAMMER; and version 08.11.04.054 of SewerGEMS, CivilStorm, SewerCAD, and StormCAD will only integrate with AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD 2014. Early versions of AutoCAD are not supported.
For more information on AutoCAD version compatibility, see the Readme.PDF file, found in the program's installation folder, or the following support solution article: Platform Compatibility
The version of the Bentley OpenFlows product can be found by going to Help > About. See: How can I find my registration / license information and version / build number for my Hydraulics and Hydrology products?
If you have compatible versions, you may need to run the integration tool, which integrates the products and creates the shortcuts. This can be necessary if the OpenFlows program was installed before AutoCAD for example. To run the integration tool, go to Start > All Programs > Bentley > (program name) > "Integrate (program name) with AutoCAD...". Note that Administrator permissions are needed for this step, and it is advisable to right click on the integrator shortcut and choose to Run as Administrator.
You can also try running a Repair on the program through the Control Panel (you may need to click the "Uninstall" button first in order to see the Repair option). This will also rerun the integration tool. Be aware that you also need full administration rights in order to install the programs, including the integration tool.
Try temporarily disabling any antivirus/antimalware/security software (or try the integration in Safe Mode) to make sure it is not interfering with the integration process, then repeat option 2. Check any antivirus/antimalware logs to see if any false positives occurs and quarantined files needed for integration.
Starting with CONNECT Edition Update 3 (10.03.XX.XX+) if the integration step (during installation) fails due to the script being blocked (by security software), it will skip that part and you will not see new integrated-version icons on your desktop/start menu (Ex: "StormCAD for AutoCAD...")
If all of the above does not help, there may be a corruption or conflict involved. Try the following:
1) Uninstall the OpenFlows product
2) Uninstall AutoCAD
3) Delete the installation folder for the OpenFlows product and for AutoCAD, if they are still present (check C:\Program Files\AutoDesk\ for AutoCAD and C:\Program Files\Bentley\ for the OpenFlows product.)
4) Reinstall AutoCAD
5) Reinstall the OpenFlows product (which should detect and integrate with AutoCAD)
If the issue still occurs, gather the integration log and acad.exe.config file, compress them into a ZIP file and submit a Technical Support via the Support Portal:
Older OpenFlows product versions can be installed as either 32-bit, 64-bit, or both, depending on your operating system. Most modern operating systems are 64-bit, in which case both the 32-bit and 64-bit version of the OpenFlows product are installed. In more recent versions (V8i SELECTseries 4 and greater), there is no conflict with Microsoft Office, and 64-bit AutoCAD should correctly integrate with the 64-bit OpenFlows product.
For older versions, conflicts with Microsoft Office can cause a conflict with the 64-bit version of AutoCAD, preventing integration. For example, if you have a 64-bit workstation running the 32-bit version of Microsoft Office, the SELECTseries 3 versions of our software will install as a 32-bit application. However, AutoCAD will be installed as a 64-bit application. Because of this, the integration cannot go through.
You can upgrade to the SELECTseries 4 (or later) versions of the software. The new database format used with SELECTseries 4 and later will allow the program to be installed as a 64-bit application regardless of the version of Microsoft Office. If you cannot upgrade, some other possible workarounds:
1) Uninstall 32-bit Office and reinstall the Hydraulic and Hydrology product.
2) Upgrade to 64-bit Office and reinstall the Hydraulic and Hydrology product.
3) Install the 64-bit version on a Virtual Machine (such as Windows 7's "XP Mode")
4) Try uninstalling Microsoft Office completely (including the 32-bit Access DB engine), then reinstall the Hydraulic and Hydrology product, then reinstall Office. The conflict happens when the 64-bit MS Access database engine is installed second, so this may work. IMPORTANT: this workaround is not tested so we cannot guarantee it will work.
If you see the "for AutoCAD" shortcut but it does not work (error when opening, or some other problem inside the integrated platform), consider these tips:
In order for the software to work correctly, you must first sign in to the CONNECTION Client (a small application running in the Windows system tray) which facilitates the license activation. Ensure that the CONNECTION Client is installed, running and that you are signed in. Also check that your feature level is set to one that includes AutoCAD in the feature string.
After confirming the correct Feature Level is set:
Locate the "...for AutoCAD..," shortcut in the Start menu, right click on it and try choosing More > Run as Administrator". If this does not working, try right clicking on the shortcut, choose to "open file location", right click on the file shortcut, choose "Properties", choose the "Compatibility" tab, click the check box to "run in compatibility mode" and try Windows 8 for example.
1) Go to Start > AutoCAD 20## >"Reset Settings to Default" > "Backup and Reset Customer Settings"
2) Once the AutoCAD environment is reset, close the application.
3) Run the product's Integrator shortcut (start menu) to re-integrate the product with the AutoCAD.
4) Run the product's "...for AutoCAD" shortcut.
See more:
If the OpenFlows product's toolbar/menu/ribbon does not appear after running the "for AutoCAD" shortcut, first, make sure the AutoCAD Lock Docked Dialogs is not active, and if it is, just turn it off (deselect the checkbox).
Solution 1: For more recent versions using a ribbon, enter "ribbon" in the command line (without the quotation marks), and press Enter.
Solution 2: For versions using a menu, enter "menubar" in the command line (without the quotation marks), and press Enter.
If this does not work and you also see an "unrecognized function" error when attempting to use OpenFlows product tools, try the steps further above to reintegrate. If this does not help and you have ProjectWise installed, try these steps:
1) Make sure AutoCAD and the OpenFlows product are closed.
2) Open your Windows control panel and go into the programs and features or add remove programs area.
3) Locate the Projectwise Explorer V8i entry and click the option on top to Change the software setup.
4) Click the Next button when the Setup Wizard pops up and choose the Modify option. Click the Next button. 5) Expand the iDesktop Integration dropdown and click the drop down arrow next to the AutoCAD entry.
6) Set "This Feature will not be available" or whichever option that is similarly worded and has the Red "X" next to it.
7) Click Next and then install. Click Finish if necessary.
8 ) Now, open the OpenFlows product "...for AutoCAD" shortcut and try again.
Try an uninstall and reinstall of the .NET Framework and C++ runtime redistributable prerequisites:
If after integrating the 2024 versions of OpenFlows products with Civil3D 2025 you get the error "Class Not Registered", you may have encountered a known issue (reference # 1645483) and there are two ways the issue can be resolved -
If you are using the OpenFlows product "...for Autodesk Civil 3D..." shortcut, but plain AutoCAD or another profile is opening, please see: Civil 3D Shortcut Opens Plain AutoCAD Instead of Civil 3D
Autodesk support has confirmed a known issue when the Autodesk Grading Optimization plug-in is configured with SewerCAD, StormCAD and WaterCAD and opened Defect - CIVIL-43013. The fix will be included with next new release of Civil 3D 2023.
You could also still temporarily uninstall the Autodesk Grading Optimization plug-in from the affected user's workstations or run our OpenFlows products in Standalone mode.
If you are having trouble integrating these versions, try rolling back your WaterCAD version or upgrade AutoCAD Civil 3D to 2020 or later. If you cannot upgrade AutoCAD Civil 3D 2019, then 10.03.02.75 version has been known to work correctly.
If you attempt to click a specific location in your model, but the selected point is not at the desired location, please check your current value for dynmode. Try changing the value from 3 (or any value other than 0) to 0. This has helped other users move freely in their model.
Problem: When opening a hydraulic model in AutoCAD integrated mode random / crossing lines appear. The lines are not visible if the same model is opened in the standalone platform of the product.
Solution 1: Disable the hardware acceleration in AutoCAD. Generally, turning on hardware acceleration improves graphics performance and productivity. However, it can sometimes interfere in rendering objects or give unexpected results when used with specific video card drivers. See the article (from AutoDesk Support) for this here: How to enable or disable hardware acceleration in AutoCAD
Solution 2: Disable smooth line display. If Line Smoothing is enabled it can give such unexpected results such as random / crossing lines. See the support solution (from Autodesk Support) here: Random lines appear in AutoCAD drawings
If the issue still occurs, gather the integration log and acad.exe.config file, compress them into a ZIP file and submit a Technical Support via the Support Portal
FATAL ERROR or Unhandled Exception when opening AutoCAD
Activate (license) OpenFlows Products
Element selection in the AutoCAD environment (OSNAP)