Please help me to recover this file … Was working on a file last night. Tried to open it this morning and got the unexpected file format message and even a bug splat when trying to open it. you can see the model in preview thumbnails but you can’t open it I am working in 2023 version.
I heard about your file from a colleague, and sent them a recovered version of the file. You may have received the link from them by now, but just in case, here it is:
Thank you for your quick response about the invalid file format issue. I was wondering if you could let me know how you fixed it so that I can use the same method if I face similar challenges in the future. Thank you!
I don’t know if any of this is specifically related to the issue you were having with your model but it wouldn’t hurt to clean it up before you go forward with it.
First, there are a lot of reversed faces in the model. I temporarily changed the back face color to magenta to make them more evident.
Ensuring correct tag usage will go a long way toward making your model easier to work with. All edges and fces should be created and remain untagged.
And purging unused stuff regularly will help.
In this case the purge reduced the file size by 51%.
There seems to be some action people are doing that can leave some of the data in the model being incorrect. We still don’t know what the action is that is causing the problem, but we have tools that can skip those incorrect items instead of failing to open the whole file. In your file’s case there is a group named Group#874 that has something wrong with it. The model I sent back to you has that group removed. Hopefully it wasn’t an important group!
The backup file you provided already had the problem in it. I’m trying to get a model that won’t open, but its backup does, to then hopefully be able to repeat the actions that were done that introduced the problem.
Continuing the discussion from Error unexpected file format 2023:
Hi, please help me to recover this file.
Tried to open it this aftfernoon and got the unexpected file format message, and I have no idea why this is happening, it was working fine before!!!
Are you really using SketchUp 2023? The header in the file says it’s from SketchUp 2020. What operating system are you using? Your profile says “so23” which does NOT indicate an operating system. If you are using Windows, share the .skb backup version of the file.
And please clean up your forum profile. It helps us help you.
It is the firts time I am using this forum, I am sorry!!
I am using sketchup pro 2023 in my computer with windows 11, but the file was created in a earlier sketchup version.
I dont have the .skb version
That shouldn’t keep you from putting the right information in your forum profile. Include the operating system and the actual graphics card model.
Keep your fingers crossed that @colin has time to look at your file and has some success recovering it.
I did what you asked for, I am sorry for not putting the right information, I know you are tring to help me!!
Thank you
Dear Colin,
I need your help.
My file crashed with a bug splatter and when reoening I OKed to recover the file but it opened with unexpected file error.
I tried then to rename the skb file (unfortunately did not make a copy) and still get the error and it opens a blank file.
The file when clicked shows a preview (not last version but at least more recent that other backups)
Can you see if you can open it?
I really appreciate your help!!!
Your profile says you are using SketchUp 2023. Update to the last version or update to SketchUp 2024 and it should open for you. There’s a bad group in the model that the later version of 23 and 24 will deal with.
You should fix the incorrect tag usage and purge unused stuff from the model.
Thank you Dave, you saved my day!
@colin and @DaveR
Good afternoon, how are you? Is there any chance that you guys looked ate the arquive that i sent a while ago??? About an “unexpected file format”
I asked help in April the first…
Thank you for your help.
It looks like your transfer link expired. You’ll have to share the file again.
I didn’t have any luck with your file almost two months ago when you first posted. I expect Colin didn’t, either. Have you be waiting all this time hoping it would get fixed or did you go ahead and redo the model?
I couldn’t redo the model, because it is an old project of the office that i am working, and I dont have the data to do it again, so I was hoping you guys would have more luck then I had trying to fix it!!
I can send it again if you wnat to give it a try
It looks like others have already tried. The difference may be SketchUp 2024 which can sometimes correct problems. If you want anyone to try you’ll have to share the file again.
Or you could try using 2024.
I tried it in SU 2024 when I looked but couldn’t get anything from it.
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