You can change the format of a design by selecting a different format setting in the Format box of the Design Properties dialog box. This action is available only when you are not working on the design in the Design Assistant. By changing a GIS design to an Offline or Template format , you can take a design into the field or work on it elsewhere without a GIS connection.

When you change a GIS design to a non-GIS format, Bentley OpenUtilities Designer flags its work locations as invalid but retains the GIS data for later retrieval. In this way, a GIS design can be temporarily changed to an offline format, and then later returned to GIS format.

You can also make a copy of a GIS design in the Offline or Template format using the Save As command. This operation is useful if you want to preserve a design layout for future use (most systems are set up to delete designs when a job is completed). See Saving a Design in a Different Format.