9. TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 1
Introduction
Tekla Structures is Building Information Modeling (BIM) software that enables the creation
and management of accurately detailed and highly constructable 3D structural models
regardless of material or structural complexity. Tekla models can be used to cover the entire
building process from conceptual design to fabrication, erection, and construction
management.
The 3D structural model includes the geometry and design of the structure, and all the
information about profiles and cross sections, connection types, materials, structural analysis,
etc. Tekla Structures drawings and reports are integrated with the models. Consequently,
dimensions and marks are always correct. Drawings and reports can be created at any stage of
the project and updated according to the changes in the model.
Tekla helps all new Tekla Structures users to get started and to maintain their development. Our
well-defined training course is a jump start to Tekla Structures software and helps to maximize
using Tekla Structures to its full potential. During the basic training course, you will be taught
the basic principles of Tekla Structures. Each training day contains several exercises so you
will learn to apply what you have learned in theory. The instructor will show the correct
solution to each exercise. You can freely ask the the instructor questions to make sure you have
understood each point correctly.
This training manual is intended to be used during a basic Tekla Structures training course, but
you can also use it on your own after the training course. In addition, Tekla provides online
learning material so the users can learn how to benefit from version improvements and adapt to
using the new features.
The following learning and support material is available on the Tekla Extranet (https://
extranet.tekla.com) for all our customers with a valid maintenance agreement. When the
material is available also in the Tekla Structures software via the help menu, it is separately
indicated.
Type Material Language Location
Training manuals Steel Detailing,
Modeling
English, French,
German, Dutch, Italian,
Spanish, Russian,
Japanese, Chinese
Extranet:
Self-learning > Manuals &
instructionsSteel Detailing,
Drawings
Precast Concrete
Detailing, Modeling
Precast Concrete
Detailing, Drawings
Engineering, Modeling
Engineering, Drawings
Construction
Management
Cast-in-place Concrete
Detailing, Modeling
Cast-in-place Concrete
Detailing, Drawings
10. 2 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
Product
documentation
Help file English, French,
German, Dutch, Italian,
Spanish, Russian,
Japanese, Chinese
Help > Tekla Structures Help
Manuals in PDF
format
Extranet:
Self-learning > Manuals &
instructions
Release Notes Help > Release Notes
Quick reference guide
to Tekla Structures
Extranet:
Self-learning > Manuals &
instructions
Keyboard shortcuts Extranet:
Self-learning > Manuals &
instructions
Videos and
tutorials
First Steps with Tekla
Structures - Interactive
Tutorial
English, Finnish,
Swedish, German,
Dutch, French, Spanish,
Italian, Russian,
Japanese, Chinese
Help > Learning Center > First Steps
with Tekla Structures
Extranet:
Self-learning > Interactive tutorials
& videos
http://www.tekla.com/firststeps
Top New Features
Videos
English, German,
Dutch, French, Spanish,
Italian, Russian,
Japanese, Chinese
Help > Learning Center > Top New
Features
Extranet:
Self-learning > Interactive tutorials
& videos
http://www.tekla.com/
topnewfeatures
First steps with BIM -
interactive tutorials
English http://www.tekla.com/bimlessons
More videos and
tutorials
English Extranet:
Self-learning > Interactive tutorials
& videos
Other support
material
Frequently Asked
Questions
English Extranet:
Self-learning > Questions & answers
Tekla Structures
Glossary
Extranet:
Self-learning > Tekla Structures
Glossary
Start-up checklist Extranet:
Self-learning > Start-up checklist
Discussion Forum Extranet:
Discussion Forum
Product Information English, French,
German, Japanese,
Chinese
Extranet:
Product
Type Material Language Location
11. >
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 3
LESSON1
LESSON 1
In this lesson, you will learn the following things:
• what drawing types Tekla Structures has
• how to use the Drawing List
• how to use Master Drawing Catalog
12. 4 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON1
1 Drawing types
Five different drawing types can be generated in Tekla Structures:
• single-part drawings
• assembly drawings
• cast unit drawings
• general arrangement (GA) drawings
• multidrawings
The configuration you use determines which drawing types you can create. You can see the
different drawing types in the Drawing list.
1.1 Configurations
The configuration you use determines which drawing types you can create:
• Steel detailing (STD)
• Engineering (ENG)
• Precast concrete detailing (PCD)
• Full detailing (FUD)
• Reinforced concrete detailing (RCD)
STD ENG PCD FUD RCD
single part
drawing
X X
assembly
drawing
X X
GA drawing X X X X X
multidrawing X X X
cast unit drawing X X X
13. LESSON1
Drawinglist
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 5
2 Drawing list
All drawings in a Tekla Structures model are displayed in the Drawing List dialog box. You can
search, sort, select, and display drawings according to different criteria, and open the drawings
displayed in the list. You can also use the Drawing List to locate the drawing parts in the
model, and to find out if a part is included in any of the drawings.
The buttons on the right of the Drawing List dialog box are used to control the drawings in the
dialog box.
The Drawing List dialog box can be opened in the model by selecting Drawings & Reports >
Drawing List (Ctrl + L) or, when a drawing is open, by clicking Drawing File > Open (Ctrl +
O).
• you can select one drawing by clicking it
• you can select all drawings displayed in the drawing list at once by pressing Ctrl + A
• you can select several drawings by holding down the Ctrl key while you pick the drawings
• you can select several adjacent drawings by clicking the first drawing and then holding
down the Shift key while you click the last drawing
14. 6 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON1
Drawinglist
2.1 Entering drawing status
You can use the variable DRAWING.USERDEFINED.DR_STATUS to indicate which
drawings, for example, have been sent to an architect. You can enter any text. The status
information is displayed in the column Drawing status in the Drawing List dialog box. You
need to add filters to the drawing list. By default, the filters Final, For checking, and For
approval are added to the drawing list to display and select drawings.
To enter drawing status:
1. Select one or more drawings.
2. Right-click the drawing and select User-defined Attributes....
3. Switch off all check boxes by clicking the .
4. Enter a status in the Drawing status box.
5. Click OK.
The status information is not case sensitive. The following criteria is used:
• The selection filter For checking must contain at least the word check.
• The selection filter Final must contain at least the word final.
• The selection filter For approval must contain at least the word approval.
6. Click OK to close the properties dialog box.
The status information will be displayed in the Drawing status column of the Drawing
List dialog box.
15. LESSON1
Drawinglist
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 7
2.2 Searching drawings
1. Click Drawings & Reports > Drawing List....
The Drawing List dialog box opens. You can quickly find the drawings by using the
text-based search by entering the desired criteria in the Enter search criteria box.
2. Enter search criteria.
You can limit the search:
• by selecting an option from the Search in list
• by selecting the Search within the currently visible drawings check box.
Saving the search results
You need to have made a search using the Drawing List dialog box before you can save the
search results.
To save the search results:
1. Click Store.
The Store Result dialog box opens.
2. Enter a name for the search result in the Store Search Result dialog box.
The search results are saved in the DrawingListSearches folder that is created in
the model folder. The saved search results are visible also in the drawing sets list.
2.3 Status symbols
Tekla Structures uses certain symbols to indicate the status of the drawings. Symbols appear at
the beginning of each row in the Drawing List dialog box. If a drawing does not have any
symbol, it is up to date.
Symbol Column
Information in the
Changes column Description
Up to date Parts modified The parts in the drawing have changed,
for example parts have been added or
deleted, or part properties have
changed.
Up to date Quantity increased
Quantity decreased
The actual drawing is up to date, but the
number of identical parts has changed
Up to date All parts deleted All the parts related to the drawing have
been deleted.
Lock The drawing is locked.
16. 8 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON1
MasterDrawingCatalog
3 Master Drawing Catalog
In Master Drawing Catalog, all drawing creation commands are available in one centralized
location.
A master drawing is a Tekla Structures drawing or a set of drawing properties that is used for
creating new drawings that look the same as the master drawing. There are several types of
master drawings:
• Cloning templates: Cloning templates are Tekla Structures drawings that you have added
to Master Drawing Catalog from the Drawing List. You can also use cloning templates
from other models.
• Saved settings: By saved settings we mean drawing property files. There are several
predefined property files, and you can also create your own in the drawing properties
dialog box.
• Rule sets: Sets of rules on how to create new drawings for different object types. By rule
set we mean a combination of object groups (selection filters) and master drawing settings
(cloning template, saved settings) that define which objects to include in the drawing, and
which drawing settings to use. You can use the existing AutoDrawings wizard files or
create your own rule sets.
Opening Master
Drawing Catalog
Click Drawings & Reports > Create Drawings... to open the Master Drawing Catalog.
The figure below shows the search view of the Master Drawing Catalog. The toolbar
commands and view areas pointed out in the figure are shortly described.
Freeze The drawing is frozen. Changes made
to the model objects that have drawing
objects associated with them are no
longer available in the drawing.
Master The drawing has been added as a master
drawing in the Master Drawing
Catalog.
Up to date Linked drawing
changed
A linked drawing has been modified.
Up to date Copied view
changed
A copied drawing has been modified.
Up to date Drawing updated A frozen drawing has been updated.
Up to date Cloned The drawing is a cloned drawing.
The flag disappears when you save and
close the drawing.
Issue The drawing has been issued. For
example, you might re-issue drawings
that have been sent to site.
Issue Issued drawing
changed
The issued drawing has been modified
or otherwise changed.
Symbol Column
Information in the
Changes column Description
17. LESSON1
MasterDrawingCatalog
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 9
Click this button to create drawings, on the basis of the master drawing you have
selected from the catalog. When you click the arrow at the end of the Create
drawings button, Create drawings for all parts command is displayed.
Switch to search view.
Switch to folder view.
Display the master drawings in a detail list or thumbnail list. The thumbnail list
shows the master drawings as thumbnails, which are smaller versions of the saved
preview images, whereas the detail list shows textual information about the master
drawings. You can display a preview image of the master drawing by selecting the
master drawing, right-clicking and selecting Preview.
18. 10 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON1
MasterDrawingCatalog
The figure below shows the search view of the Master Drawing Catalog as a detail list. Here
you can see the name of the drawing, the master drawing type, and the drawing type to be
created.
Display the master drawing description at the bottom of the dialog box.
Select the models from which you want to show cloning templates.
Define rule sets for creating drawings.
Display Drawing List.
Enter search conditions here and then click the Search button.
Click the Store button to save your search results.
Select the category of master drawings that you want to see in the catalog list. All
shows all the master drawings you have in the models you have selected.
List of master drawings. The character after the name of the master drawing indicates
its type. When you point to a master drawing, Tekla Structures displays a tooltip that
tells the master drawing category, the type of the drawing to be created, and the path
and name of the model.
If you double-click a master drawing, Tekla Structures displays the catalog properties
of the drawing.
19. LESSON1
MasterDrawingCatalog
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 11
The figure below shows an example of the folder view of the Master Drawing Catalog. In this
view, you can organize your master drawings into folders you create. By doing so you can limit
the number of drawings shown in the list and find the desired master drawings more easily. The
toolbar commands are the same as in the search view.
3.1 Saved settings
The Saved settings in the Master Drawing Catalog are drawing property files that have
been created and saved in the drawing properties dialog boxes for different drawing types.
There are many predefined drawing property files and you can create new ones.
20. 12 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON1
MasterDrawingCatalog
Adding saved settings to Master Drawing Catalog
1. Modify the drawing properties in the drawing properties dialog box.
2. Give a name to the property file and click Save as.
The new property file is automatically added to Master Drawing Catalog. If it is not
displayed in the list, press F5 to refresh the view
3. Modify master drawing properties: give the master drawing a name, add a preview
image, and enter a description and keywords.
Modifying master drawing properties of saved settings
Each saved setting type of master drawing in Master Drawing Catalog has its own catalog
properties. You can search for master drawings on the basis of the master drawing name,
description and keywords entered in the Master Drawing Properties dialog box. Through the
catalog properties you also have access to drawing properties.
To modify the catalog properties of saved settings:
1. Double-click a master drawing of the desired type, or select the master drawing, right-
click and select Edit Properties. The type of the master drawing and the type of the
drawing to be created are shown in the dialog box
Make sure to always add all important information for each master
drawing in the Master Drawing Properties dialog box. This makes it a
lot easier to find the master drawings you are looking for.
21. LESSON1
MasterDrawingCatalog
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 13
2. Modify the name of the drawing in the Name box.
3. Enter or modify the description of the master drawing. You can search master drawings
on the basis of data that you enter here.
4. Enter or modify keywords for the master drawing. Use spaces between words. You can
search master drawings on the basis of data that you enter here.
5. To add or change the preview image, click Change image and select the image. You can
use .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, or .png images. We recommend that you use .png images.
6. If you want to modify the drawing properties of the master drawing, click Edit drawing
properties to display the drawing properties dialog box. Modify the properties and save
them. Ensure that you have the correct drawing property file name at the top.
7. Click OK to save your changes.
Creating general arrangement drawings using saved settings
To create general arrangement drawings using saved settings type of master drawings:
1. In the model, click Drawings & Reports > Create Drawings.
2. Select the desired set of saved settings (drawing property file) from the list.
3. Click Create drawings (Alt + C).
4. In the Create General Arrangement Drawing dialog box, select the views that you
want the drawing to be produced from and select the desired option from the Options
list.
You also have a chance to modify the drawing properties here by clicking the Drawing
properties button. The settings that you loaded by selecting the property file are in use.
5. Click Create to create the drawing(s).
Tekla Structures creates the drawings and adds them in the Drawing List. Click in the
Master Drawing Catalog toolbar to open the Drawing List.
22. 14 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON1
MasterDrawingCatalog
3.2 Managing Master Drawing Catalog
This section contains instructions on managing Master Drawing Catalog.
Creating and adding preview images
You can create preview images in Tekla Structures and use them as preview images of master
drawings in Master Drawing Catalog.
To create and add the preview image:
1. Create a drawing using the desired master drawing.
2. Open the drawing. Delete all unnecessary objects from the drawing.
3. Click Tools > Create Preview Image.
The image is saved in the drawings folder under the model folder.
4. Close the drawing to go to the model.
5. To open the Master Drawing Catalog, click Drawings & Reports > Create Drawings....
6. Locate the desired master drawing and double-click it to open the Master Drawing
Properties dialog box.
7. Add the image you created.
• For master drawings of type saved settings, cloning templates, and wizard files,
click Change image and browse for the image you just created. Click OK to save
the image as a preview image
• For rule sets created in Master Drawing Catalog, click Next until you get to the
page where you can add the preview image. Click Browse and browse for the
image you just created. Click Save to save the image as a preview image. Now you
can display the preview image by selecting the master drawing on the catalog list,
right-clicking and selecting Preview.
Displaying master drawing descriptions
You can display a master drawing description in the folder view and in the search view. To
display the master drawing description, click .
The description entered in the Master Drawing Properties dialog box is displayed at the
bottom of the view.
23. LESSON1
MasterDrawingCatalog
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 15
Working with folders
In the folder view of the Master Drawing Catalog you can do the following:
• Add new, rename, and delete folders
• Copy master drawings to another folder
• Delete master drawings from folders
• Change the folder location in the tree
Example In the following example, we will create a new folder and two subfolders, change the order of
the subfolders, rename a folder and add master drawings to a subfolder. Then we will copy
master drawings to another folder and delete them from the original folder.
1. Open the Master Drawing Catalog by clicking Drawings & Reports > Create
Drawings....
2. Click the folder view button to go to the folder view.
3. Right-click the tree area of the folder view and select Create new folder and type a
name for the folder. In this example, we use the name Master Drawings for
PROJECT2010.
Deleting master drawings from a folder or copying them to another
folder does not affect the catalog contents in any way. The folder view is
just another way to help you to keep you master drawings well
organized.
24. 16 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON1
MasterDrawingCatalog
4. To create a subfolder, select the folder, in this case Master Drawings for
PROJECT2010, right-click and select Create new subfolder. Type a name for the
folder. In this example, we use the name Site12. Create another subfolder (Site10)
in the same way.
5. We notice that the name of the subfolder Site10 is not correct, it should be Site11.
To rename a folder, select the folder, right-click and select Rename or press F2, and type
a new name.
6. Next, we want to move a folder upwards in the folder list. To move a folder upwards,
select the folder, in this case Site11, right-click, and select Move up to move the
folder one step upwards.
7. Next we will copy drawings to the created folders. Open the folder containing the master
drawings that you want to copy. Select the drawings that you want to copy. You can use
Ctrl or Shift to select several drawings.
8. To copy the selected master drawings, right-click and select Add to and then select the
desired folder, in this case Site11. The master drawings are copied.
9. We notice after copying that some of the drawings we just copied should be in the
Site12 folder. Copy the drawings there in the same way as above.
10. Now you can delete the copied drawings from the original folder, in this case Site11
subfolder. To delete, select the copied drawings, right-click and select Delete or press
Del. The drawings are deleted from the subfolder.
Using search
In the Master Drawing Catalog search view, you can search for master drawings on the basis
of the text that has been entered in the name, description and keyword boxes in the Master
Drawing Properties dialog box and save your search results. In the folder view, you can copy
master drawings from a search results folder to another folder to make it easier for you to locate
the master drawings you need.
To search for master drawings and save the search results:
1. Enter the search criteria in the box next to the Search button.
Tekla Structures remembers search strings. When you start typing a string, it suggests
previous strings starting with the same characters.
2. Click Search. The results are listed.
3. To save the search results, click Store, type a name for the search, and click OK.
The search results are added in the category list in the search view.
The search results are also displayed as a folder in the folder view. There you can
rename the saved search results, and copy the found drawings to the folders of your
choice.
Make sure to always add all important information for each master
drawing in the Master Drawing Properties dialog box. This makes it a
lot easier to find the master drawings you are looking for.
25. LESSON1
MasterDrawingCatalog
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 17
Removing master drawings
You can remove master drawings from Master Drawing Catalog both in folder view and in
search view.
To remove master drawings:
1. In the Master Drawing Catalog, select the master drawings you want to remove.
2. Right-click and select Remove from Catalog.
3. Confirm the removal.
Tekla Structures removes the master drawing(s) from the catalog. Any created drawings
that are based on removed master drawings remain in the Drawing List. The catalog
properties that you have entered for the master drawing are not deleted. They are still
available for the master drawing if you decide to add the master drawing back to the
catalog.
In the folder view, you cannot remove master drawings from the Master Drawing Catalog
through the folders that you have created yourself. Use the Saved searches folders to display
the desired master drawings and then remove the extra ones.
If you want to remove the search results, right-click the results in the
folder list and select Delete.
27. >
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 19
LESSON2
LESSON 2
In this lesson, you will learn the following things:
• how to create general arrangement drawings
• how to clone GA drawings
• how to copy and move drawing views
• how to define part marks and part representation
• what are leader lines
• what associativity in drawings means
• how to freeze and unfreeze drawings
• how to use grids in drawings
• how to use layouts and table layouts
28. 20 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON2
4 General arrangement drawings
General arrangement drawings (GA drawing) are used for displaying model views, including
foundation and anchor bolt plans, and details of models.
The G letter in the Type column in the drawing list denotes a GA drawing.
Many of the functions explained in this section concern other drawing types as well.
4.1 Three levels of modifying drawings
In Tekla Structures, you can modify drawings on three levels, depending on how permanent
and extensive modifications are needed.
• On the highest level, you can change the drawing properties on the drawing level. This
way you can change the properties of all building objects, marks, dimensions, and views in
the drawing. For example, you can define that all parts are displayed in blue color in a
drawing. When you save the drawing property settings in drawing property files, you can
use the same settings later for other drawings of the same type. You can modify the
drawing properties of the selected drawing type in the model before you create the
drawing. You can also change the drawing properties in an existing drawing that you have
opened. Settings propagate to all views and objects in that drawing, except new views that
you create after the drawing is created.
• The second level is to modify the properties on the view level. The modifications apply
only to the view that you have selected in an open drawing. Settings propagate to all
objects in that one view.
• The third and lowest level is to modify the properties on the object level, where you
change the properties of the selected objects in an open drawing. Settings are for that one
object only; however, you can select and modify many objects at a time. The properties
modified on the object level are no longer affected by property changes on view or
drawing level.
• By saving the object property settings and combining them with drawing or view filters
and drawing object types into detailed object level settings, you can also apply the object
properties on the drawing and view level. When doing so, the object level settings override
the property settings made in the drawing property dialog boxes on the view and drawing
level. Object level settings applied on the drawing level are inherited to the view level
settings if there are no object level settings defined on the view level. If you apply object
level settings on the view level, they override the drawing level settings.
• The recommended way of working is to work from the top down, from drawing level to
object level. Once you change properties on the view level you should not go to the
drawing level properties and modify drawing properties there, otherwise you
modifications on the view level will be lost. The modifications made on the drawing level
also remain when the drawing is recreated due to a model change, for example.
4.2 Creating GA drawings
You can GA drawings through the Master Drawing Catalog or using menu, toolbar or pop-up
menu commands. In the following, the general arrangement drawing is created using a menu
command.
Before you create GA drawings, create the model views from which you want to create the
drawings.
29. LESSON2
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 21
To create a
1. Click Drawings & Reports > Create General Arrangement Drawing... to open the
Create General Arrangement Drawing dialog box.
2. Select the views from which you want to create drawings.
You can use the Ctrl and Shift buttons for selecting several views.
3. Select from the list in the Options area, whether you want to
• create one drawing that contains all the selected views
• create one drawing per selected view
• create an empty drawing.
4. Click Drawing Properties... if you need to modify the GA drawing properties.
5. Select the Open drawing check box, the GA drawing opens automatically.
6. Click Create to create the GA drawings.
4.3 Creating a view of entire model view
You can create a drawing view of an entire model view and add it in the drawing.
1. Open a GA drawing and a model view.
2. Click View > Create Drawing View > Of Entire Model View.
3. Click the model view.
Tekla Structures creates the drawing view using the current properties in the View
Properties dialog box. It calculates the boundaries of the view to fit the entire model
view into the drawing view, and places the view in the lower left corner of the drawing.
30. 22 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON2
4.4 Cloning general arrangement drawings
You can clone general arrangement drawings one plane view at a time. You can clone drawings
in the Master Drawing Catalog or through the Drawing List.
Before cloning, finalize, save, and close the drawing you want to use as a cloning template.
To clone a general arrangement drawing through the Drawing List:
1. Select the model view you want to include in the drawing.
2. Click Drawings & Reports > Drawing List... to open the drawing list.
3. Select the general arrangement drawing you want to use as a cloning template.
4. Click Clone... in the drawing list.
5. In the Clone Drawing dialog box, select the drawing object types that you want to clone
into the new drawing, and the actions for each object type:
• For Dimensions and Other marks (all marks for building objects), select whether
you want to Clone them, recreate them automatically when you clone a drawing
(Create) or Ignore them in cloning.
Selecting Create in the Dimensions and Other marks box is useful if cloning the
dimensions or other marks does not produce satisfactory results. Using this option
does not create any new views.
• For other objects, select to Clone or Ignore them.
6. Click Clone selected.
The cloned drawing appears in the Drawing List.
• You can also first create an empty GA drawing and place the model
view there.
• Change the view scale, if the view is too big.
31. LESSON2
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 23
Example
In this example, we first created a general arrangement drawing of the first floor of a building,
then edited the drawing and the cloned the general arrangement drawing of the second floor.
The first floor and second floor have some differences:
We edited the general arrangement drawing of the first floor slightly.
We selected the model view that represents the second floor and then cloned the drawing using
the general arrangement drawing of the first floor as a template.
Section and detail views are not cloned when cloning general
arrangement drawings.
32. 24 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON2
In the cloned drawing:
• The drawing view plane has been moved to match the model view PLAN 2nd Floor plane.
• If there are parts in matching places, the marks have been cloned to the new location and
the content has been updated.
• Dimensions are cloned.
• Other marks and notes are cloned.
4.5 Modifying view label
When you create a drawing, the view label contains the elements selected in the drawing
properties. You can modify the view label in the view properties.
To modify the view label:
1. Double-click the drawing to open the drawing properties dialog box.
2. Click View... to open the view properties dialog box.
3. Go to the Label tab.
34. 26 TEKLA STRUCTURES 17
LESSON2
5. Modify the view label as required.
For example, you can define the content of the view label, the font and frame type of the
label mark elements, and the position of the mark in the label.
6. Click Modify to apply the changes on the drawing.
4.6 Moving views
You have two options for moving views:
• Move views inside a drawing. See Moving views in a drawing (p. 26).
• Move views from one drawing to another. See Moving views from one drawing to
another (p. 27).
Moving views in a drawing
1. Select the view frame.
35. LESSON2
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 27
2. Drag the view frame to move the view in the drawing.
Moving views from one drawing to another
When you move the section views (or detail views) to another drawing, the source drawing and
the target drawing will contain references to each other.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Select the view you want to move.
3. Right-click the view and select Move to drawing from the pop-up menu.
4. Select the target drawing from the Drawing List dialog box.
5. Click Move in the Move view to Drawing dialog box.
6. Save and close the source drawing
Tekla Structures moves the view to the target drawing and creates references between
the source and target drawings.
Example In this example, we have two drawings in the Drawing List: G[1] AXIS and G[2]
DETAILS.
We move the detail view DETAIL A from drawing G[1] AXIS to G[2] DETAILS.
Below is the moved detail view in the target drawing G[2] DETAILS. The view label name
contains reference to the source drawing G[1] AXIS.
In the source drawing G[1] AXIS, the detail mark of the moved detail view contains a
reference to the target drawing G[2] DETAILS.
Dragging from the frame handle resizes the view.
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LESSON2
4.7 Representing bolts in GA drawings
1. Click Drawings & Reports > Drawing Settings > General Arrangement Drawing... to
open the General Arrangement Drawing Properties dialog box.
2. Click Bolt... to open the General - Bolt Properties dialog box.
3. To define how the bolts are displayed in drawings, select an option from the Solid/
Symbol list.
4. To hide the bolts in main parts, select Not visible from the In main parts list.
5. Click OK.
If you use a small scale (for example, 1:100), hide the bolts in drawings.
The drawings will open faster.
37. LESSON2
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 29
4.8 Adding part marks
In an open drawing, you can add part marks for all parts, bolts, reinforcing bars, surface
treatments and connections or for selected ones only. For each view, Tekla Structures creates
the marks according to the mark properties in the view mark properties dialog box.
To add part marks, do one of the following:
Below is an example of the part mark properties dialog box. By default, the assembly position
and profile are displayed for main parts. For secondary parts, part marks are not displayed.
To Do this
Add part marks for all parts Click Annotating > Add Part Marks > For All Parts.
If you have deleted marks manually from the drawing,
this command will not create the marks, and you will
have to create them manually part by part.
Add part marks for selected
parts
1. Select the parts.
2. Click Annotating > Add Part Marks > For
Selected Parts
3. If the part mark does not contain any elements in
the drawing view properties, the Part Mark
Properties dialog box is displayed, and you can
select the elements to be included in the part mark.
Add elements and click Modify.
You can also right-click the parts and select the appropriate mark
creation command from the pop-up menu.
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LESSON2
Below is an example of a part mark.
4.9 Adding associative notes
An associative note is an extra mark that can include any additional information. You can add
associative notes to parts, bolts, reinforcing bars, surface treatments, and edge chamfers. You
can add multiple notes to one object, and place the notes anywhere.
To add an associative note:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Hold down Shift and click Annotating > Associative Note and select With Leader
Line, Without Leader Line, or Along Line.
For more information on each command, see the corresponding menu tooltip.
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TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 31
3. Enter or modify the content and the appearance of the note.
Associative notes may contain the same elements as part, bolt, reinforcing bar, and
surface treatment marks. Notes connected to edge chamfers may contain name, length,
DX and DY.
Associative note appearance properties are the same as the ones for part marks.
Additionally, you can adjust the leader line arrow height and length.
4. Click Apply or OK to save the properties.
5. Select the object.
See below for some examples of leader lines. The one on the left is With Leader Line, the one
in the middle Without Leader Line and the one on the right Along Line.
Below is an example of the associative note properties dialog box.
To place the note exactly in the position you pick and keep it there, click
the Place... button and select fixed in the Placing list.
For edge chamfers and other hard-to-see items, it is easier to use the pop-
up menu command Add Associative Note, as you do not have to select
the object again after selecting the command from the pop-up.
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LESSON2
4.10 Modifying part and neighbor part representation
You can define what is shown in a part or neighbor part and how the part or neighbor part is
shown.
To set the part contents and appearance before creating a drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports > Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Click Part... or Neighbor part....
3. On the Contents tab, select the part representation, select whether to show hidden lines,
center lines and reference lines, and which additional markings to show.
A reference line is a line between the points from which a part is created.
4. On the Appearance tab, select the color and type of the lines.
5. On the Fill tab, set the part and section fill options. Neighbor parts do not have a Fill tab.
6. Click OK.
7. Create the drawing.
Part and neighbor part representation options
Use the options on the Contents tab of the Part Properties or Neighbor Part Properties
dialog box to view and modify the part or neighbor part properties.
All part properties dialog boxes do not contain all of the settings listed below.
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Part representation examples
Here are some examples of what parts look like with different settings defined in the Part
Properties dialog box.
The Outline option:
Option Description
Part representation Outline shows parts as solid objects.
Exact shows parts as solid objects. This choice also
draws the chamfers in the profile cross sections.
Symbol draws parts as lines.
Symbol with partial profile shows a partial profile of the
part. The length of the partial profile is fixed to 1000
mm.
Workshop form draws round tube profiles as wrap-
around templates.
Bounding box draws parts as boxes surrounding the
actual profiles.
Base box shows parts as boxes and uses the h and b
values from the profile catalog as box dimensions.
Symbol offset Defines the distance of the end points of reference lines
and center lines from the end points of the object.
Inner contours Shows the inner contours of a tube.
Hidden lines If the Hidden lines check box is selected, Tekla
Structures shows hidden lines in secondary and neighbor
parts.
If the Own hidden lines check box is selected, Tekla
Structures shows hidden lines in main parts.
Center line Select the Main part > Beam, Plate or Polygon check
box to show center lines in main parts.
Select the Secondary part > Beam, Plate or Polygon
check box to show center lines in secondary parts.
Reference lines Select the Main part > Beam, Plate or Polygon check
box to show reference lines in main parts.
Select the Secondary part > Beam, Plate or Polygon
check box to show reference lines in secondary parts.
Additional marks Select the following check boxes to show additional
marks in drawings:
• Orientation marks
• Connecting side marks
• Pop-marks
• Edge chamfers
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LESSON2
The Symbol option:
The Symbol with partial profile option:
43. LESSON2
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 35
In the following example, the Hidden lines check box is not selected.
In the following example, the following hidden line settings are used:
• The Hidden lines check box is selected.
• The Own hidden lines check box is selected.
Hidden lines for other parts are shown
Hidden lines for the main part are shown.
4.11 Leader lines
You can use leader lines in text, symbols, associative notes and marks to make it clearer to
which item the text, symbol, note, or mark is related to.
Modifying leader
lines
You can modify the shape of the leader line by first dragging from the middle point of the line,
and then dragging further from the created handle points and new middle points.
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LESSON2
Associativityindrawings
5 Associativity in drawings
All the Tekla Structures drawings are associative. This means that drawing objects are linked to
model objects, so that most drawing objects automatically update if the model changes, but you
do not lose manual changes made to drawings. This applies to all drawing types.
Tekla Structures updates the following drawing objects to reflect changes in the model:
• parts
• marks
• dimensions
• welds
• views
• section marks
• detail marks
• associative notes
• lines and other shapes
• tables
Tekla Structures retains the following manual changes made to drawings:
• Base points of objects; for example, if you drag an object to a new location
• Object properties; for example, color, font, and line type
5.1 Associativity symbols
In drawings, the associativity symbol indicates which drawing objects are associative and
automatically updated. Associativity symbols are shown only when you select a drawing
object, for example, a dimension.
Objects that do not have valid association get a ghost associativity symbol and a question mark.
These symbols are shown constantly, even though the dimension is not selected. This makes it
easier to find objects that need attention.
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TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 37
The associativity symbols are not shown in printed drawings.
5.2 Change symbols
Tekla Structures highlights the marks and dimension marks that have been changed, and the
dimension points that have been moved. Tekla Structures highlights also the changes in angle
dimensions, level marks, and associative notes.
Tekla Structures highlights the changes in the following ways:
• A change symbol (by default a cloud) is drawn around the old point, the new point and the
dimension values, or around the changed mark content or note.
• An arrow is drawn from the old point to the new point.
Selecting change symbol color
You can include the automatic change symbols in printed drawings and select the color of the
change symbol.
To change the color of the change symbol:
1. Click Tools > Options > Advanced Options... > Drawing Properties.
To hide associativity symbols in drawing views, click Tools > Options >
Associative Symbol (Shift + A).
Change symbols only appear in associative drawings. They do not
appear in frozen drawings.
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Associativityindrawings
2. Enter the name of the color in the advanced option
XS_DRAWING_CHANGE_HIGHLIGHT_COLOR.
3. Click OK.
Removing change symbols
Removing
dimension
change symbols
Click Dimensioning > Review Dimensions > Remove Dimension Change Symbol and
select Single or All depending on how many change symbols you want to remove.
Removing mark
change symbols
Click Annotating > Review Marks > Remove Mark Change Symbol and select Single or All
depending on how many change symbols you want to remove.
Removing
associative note
change symbols
Click Annotating > Review Marks > Remove Associative Note Change Symbol and select
Single or All depending on how many change symbols you want to remove.
5.3 Associativity examples
The following examples demonstrate how associativity affects drawings. Frozen drawings are
not updated, when the model is modified. Drawings that are not frozen are automatically
updated.
General Arrangement drawing
Drawing is not
frozen
If you use the default color (magenta), the symbols are displayed on the
screen but they will not appear in the printed drawings.
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Freezingandunfreezinggeneralarrangementdrawings
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 39
Drawing is frozen
6 Freezing and unfreezing general
arrangement drawings
You can select whether to allow or not allow the drawing to update all associative objects on
top of the drawing views. The geometry of the model always updates, but this switch is used to
stop the drawing intelligence (associativity) of drawing objects on top of the model views, and
prevents them from being updated. For example, parts are updated, but dimensions, associative
notes, text, marks, views, additional drawing objects are not.
To freeze a general arrangement drawing if something has not gone the way you want:
1. If you have the drawing open, close it without saving it.
2. In the Drawing List, select the drawing you want to freeze.
3. Click Freeze > On.
4. When freezing is no longer necessary, select the frozen drawings and click Freeze > Off.
Before modifications
After modifications
Before modifications
After modifications
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Gridsindrawings
7 Grids in drawings
You can modify grid properties on the drawing and view levels, and modify individual grids or
grid lines in a drawing view.
Use the Select grids in drawings and Select grid lines in drawings in the Drawings: Select
toolbar to select grids and grid lines in drawings and views.
To modify grids, do one of the following:
• Click Grid... in the drawing properties dialog box to modify grids on the drawing level.
• Double-click the border of the drawing view, and click Grid... in the View Properties
dialog box to modify grids on the view level.
• Double-click grid in a drawing to modify the individual grid.
You can modify the following grid properties:
• grid visibility
• label text placement
• grid line color and type
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TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 41
• label text color, size, font, and frame style
7.1 Modifying grid visibility
You can hide grids, display grids and show only grid labels. The visibility of the grids in a
drawing depends on the drawing properties used in drawing creation.
Hiding grids To hide a grid on the view level:
1. Double-click the view frame to open the View Properties dialog box.
2. Click Grid... to open the View Grid Properties dialog box.
3. Select Not visible from the Grid list.
4. Click Modify to hide the grid.
Showing only
grid labels
To show only grid labels of an individual grid:
1. Double-click the grid in an open drawing to open the Grid properties dialog box.
2. Select Only grid labels visible from the Grid list.
3. Click Modify to show only the grid labels and hide the grid lines.
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Gridsindrawings
7.2 Moving grid labels
Grid labels may overlap. You can move the grid labels to make them distinct.
Moving grid line When you move a grid line, the label also moves. To move a grid line:
1. Activate the Select grid lines in drawings switch in the Drawings: Select toolbar.
2. Double-click a grid line to open the Grid line properties dialog box.
3. Enter a value in a box in the Text placing area.
4. Click Modify to move the grid line.
Moving grid label You can move individual grid labels. To move a label:
Grid label
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TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 43
1. Activate the Select grid lines in drawings switch in the Drawings: Select toolbar.
2. Select a grid line.
The grid line and its handles are highlighted.
3. Drag the handle to move the grid label.
7.3 Defining grid label frame size
You can define a fixed size for the grid label frames. This is useful, for example, when you
want all the grid label frames to be the same size no matter whether there are one or two digits
in the frame.
Handle
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LESSON2
Layoutsandtablelayouts
To define the grid label frame size:
1. Click Tools > Options > Advanced Options... > Drawing Properties.
2. Enter a value in millimeters for the XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_FIXED_WIDTH
option.
The default value is zero, which indicates that the width of the grid label frame depends
on the width of the grid label.
3. Click OK.
8 Layouts and table layouts
To produce finalized drawings, you usually need to include a lot of other information, such as
lists and tables. You also need to specify paper size, scale, and perhaps the types of frames you
want to use. This is what the layout is all about.
Layout A layout connects a set of table layouts and a set of drawing sizes. Before you create a drawing,
you must select a layout. Tekla Structures then selects the smallest defined drawing size which
will fit the drawing views and the connected table layout. This tells Tekla Structures which
elements to automatically include in your drawings.
Table layout A table layout is a group of tables which appear together in a drawing of certain type and size.
Table layouts define:
• Which tables appear in drawings
• Where the tables are located
• How much space Tekla Structures leaves between the drawing frame and views
Table In Tekla Structures, the term tables refers to various elements of the drawing layout, such as:
• tables (e.g. revision table)
• title blocks
• lists (e.g. part lists)
• general notes
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Layoutsandtablelayouts
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 45
Tables include information on drawing objects. If you change the model, Tekla Structures
updates the contents of the affected drawings and tables.
8.1 Modifying a table layout
1. In the model, click Drawings & Reports > Drawing Settings > Drawing Layout....
The Layout dialog box opens.
2. Select a layout from the Layouts list.
3. Click Table layout... to open the Table Layouts dialog box.
4. Select the table layout you want to modify from the Table layouts list.
5. Click Tables... to open the Tables dialog box.
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LESSON2
Layoutsandtablelayouts
The Chosen tables list shows the tables that are positioned in drawings when the layout
is used.
6. To add a table to the table layout, select the table from the Available tables list and click
the arrow to move the table to Chosen tables list.
7. To define the position of a table, select the table from the Chosen tables list.
The table appears in the Current table area.
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TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 47
a Choose one of the table corners as its reference point, and select the check box in
that corner.
b In the Reference list, select the reference object (another table or the drawing
frame).
c Choose the reference point of the reference object, and select the check box in the
appropriate corner.
d In the Vector between corners boxes, define the horizontal and vertical
distances of the table from the reference object.
e Set the scale for the table.
f Select the Transparent check box if the table needs to be transparent.
g Click Update.
8. When the table layouts are modified properly, close all the dialog boxes by clicking OK.
The settings are saved in a *.lay file, which is stored in the attributes folder in
the model folder.
You can also position a table to the midpoint of a frame or table
boundary by selecting two reference points, for example, the lower left
and right corners.
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Layoutsandtablelayouts
8.2 Key plans
A key plan is a small map is a small “map” in a drawing that indicates the location of an
assembly, a cast unit, or a part in the model. The key plan contains the model grid and the
assembly, cast unit, or part shown in the included drawing view.
Adding a key plan to a drawing layout
1. In the model, click Drawings & Reports > Drawing Settings > Drawing Layout....
The Layout dialog box opens.
2. Select the layout you want to modify and click Table layout....
The Table Layouts dialog box opens.
3. Select the table layout you want to modify. Click Tables....
The Tables dialog box opens.
4. In the Available tables list, double-click Key plan.
The Drawing List is displayed.
5. Select the drawing that you want to use as a key plan click OK.
6. From the Chosen tables list, select Key plan and set the key plan properties.
7. Click Update.
8. Close the dialog boxes by clicking OK.
The key plan is added to the drawing layout.
8.3 Using a specific drawing size
If you prefer to use a specific drawing size rather than specific drawing view scales, do the
following before creating the drawings:
1. In the drawing properties dialog box, click Layout....
The layout properties dialog box opens.
2. Select Specified size from the Size definition mode list.
3. Enter the specified size.
4. Select the table layout.
5. To let Tekla Structures automatically scale the drawing views, go to the Scale tab.
a Select Yes from the Autoscale list.
b Enter the main and section view scales.
c Select the scale change mode.
You cannot scale the key plan in the Tables dialog box. The properties of
the key plan view define the key plan scale and size.
The Scale tab only relates to single-part, assembly, and cast unit
drawings.
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TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 49
d Enter the preferred drawing size.
6. Click OK or Apply.
7. In the drawing properties dialog box, click View > Attributes and enter the preferred
scale.
8. Click OK or Apply.
Tekla Structures creates the drawing using the specified size. It first tries to use the preferred
scale for the drawing views, then the alternative scales, and selects the largest possible scale.
8.4 Sizing drawings automatically
You can let Tekla Structures find appropriate sizes and table layouts for drawings. This is very
useful if, for example, the number, size, or location of drawing views might change. Tekla
Structures automatically updates drawings to adapt to these changes by using different drawing
sizes and table layouts.
If you prefer to use specific drawing view scales rather than a specific drawing size, do the
following before creating the drawings:
1. In the drawing properties dialog box, click Layout....
The layout properties dialog box opens.
2. Select Autosize from the Size definition mode list.
3. Select the set of drawing sizes in the Autosize area.
You have three options:
• Calculated sizes. Use this when you want to define the rules that Tekla Structures
follows when it tries to adjust the drawing size.
• Fixed sizes. Use this when you want Tekla Structures to use fixed drawing sizes
A2, A3, A4, etc.
• Calculated/fixed sizes. Use this when you want Tekla Structures to select the
smallest of the suitable sizes.
4. To fix the scales of drawing views, go to the Scale tab and select No from the Autoscale
list.
Tekla Structures will use the preferred scales of the main and section views.
5. Click OK or Apply.
6. Click View..., go to the Attributes tab and set the desired Scale.
7. Click OK or Apply.
When you create the drawing, Tekla Structures creates the views using the selected scale and
selects the smallest drawing size where the views fit in the drawing. Tekla Structures may also
need to change the table layout to adapt to the new drawing size. It will then use another
appropriate table layout within the same layout specified in drawing properties.
The Scale tab only relate to single-part, assembly, and cast unit
drawings.
59. >
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 51
LESSON3
LESSON 3
In this lesson, you will learn the following things:
• how to create and modify detail views
• how to create anchor bolt plans
• how to add objects in drawings
• how to drag drawing objects
• how to trim, split and divide shapes
• how to use cover-up tools
• how to dimension general arrangement drawings
• how to use level marks
• how to display surface treatments in drawings
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LESSON3
9 Detail views
A detail view is a detailed area of an existing view in another scaled-up view. Tekla Structures
creates a detail view using the active properties in the View Properties and Detail Symbol
Properties dialog boxes. The direction of the detail view is the same as that of the original
view. A detail view can be either in the same drawing as the origina view or you can move it to
another drawing.
9.1 Creating a detail view
To create a detail view:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click Annotating > Properties > Detail Mark.
3. Enter a name for the detail, and modify the detail mark, detail boundary and detail view
label properties in the Detail Symbol Properties dialog box.
The shape of the detail boundary you select affects the way you select the area for your
detail.
4. Click OK or Apply.
5. Click View > Create Drawing View > Detail View.
6. Depending on the selected detail boundary shape, do one of the following:
• If the shape is Circle, pick the center point of the circle and then pick a point on the
circle.
• If the shape is Rectangle, pick corner points for the rectangle.
7. Pick a position for the detail mark.
8. Pick a position for the detail view.
The detail view is created and a detail mark is added in the original view.
9.2 Modifying a detail label
1. Double-click the detail label.
The Detail symbol properties dialog box opens.
61. LESSON3
Anchorboltplans
TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 53
2. Modify the properties as required.
For example, you can change the name and appearance of the label.
3. Click Modify and OK.
10 Anchor bolt plans
There are two ways of generating anchor bolt plans:
• An anchor bolt plan with only one scale and broken gridlines
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LESSON3
Anchorboltplans
• An anchor bolt plan with two combined scales and no broken gridlines, where you can set
a separate scale for detail views
10.1 Creating an anchor bolt plan with one scale
1. Create a model view of a base plate level.
Set values for view depth Up and Down, 10 mm and 100 respectively.
2. Click Drawings & Reports > Create a General Arrangement Drawing....
The Create General Arrangement Drawing dialog box opens.
3. Select the base plate level view from Views list.
4. Click the Drawing properties button.
The General arrangement drawing properties dialog box opens.
5. Select anchor_bolt_plan from the list and click the Load button.
This property file contains settings needed to create an anchor bolt plan. It does not
create detail views.
6. Click OK to close the General arrangement drawing properties dialog box.
7. If you want to view the drawing immediatelly after creating, select the Open drawing
check box.
8. Click Create.
The anchor bolt plan is created.
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TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 55
10.2 Creating an anchor bolt plan with two combined
scales
1. Create a model view on base plate level.
Set the values for the view depth Up and Down (10 mm and 100 mm respectively).
2. Click Drawings & Reports > Create General Arrangement Drawing....
The Create General Arrangement Drawing dialog box opens.
3. Select the foundation plan view that you created.
4. Click the Drawing properties... button.
The General arrangement drawing properties dialog box opens.
5. Select the setting achor_bolt_plan and click Load.
The setting is loaded and appears in the Name box.
6. Click the View button.
The General - View Properties dialog box opens.
7. Go to the Anchor bolt plan tab.
8. Ensure that the option Show as anchor bolt planis set to Yes.
9. To create separate detail views, set the option Create detail views to Yes.
If you select No, Tekla Structures dimensions the anchor bolts in the main drawing view.
If you create the detail views, you can set a view scale separately for detail views.
10. Create and open the drawing.
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LESSON3
Anchorboltplans
In the model, the yellow and magenta colored points on the column are used as a
reference.
In the drawing, the view that represents the enlarged part is positioned to the original
view.
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TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 57
In the model, the column is positioned correctly to the grid, because the yellow and the
magenta colored points are in the center of the column.
In the drawing, the position is indicated by the yellow and purple colored points of the
column.
The view which represents the enlarged part is positioned to the original view. The
position of the view that includes the enlarged parts is not correct.
The parts in the original view are hidden.
The final display of the view that includes the enlarged parts.
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LESSON3
Anchorboltplans
Automatic adjustment of dimensions
In case you create an anchor bolt plan with two combined scales in which the column reference
point does not fall on the grid line, Tekla Structures adjusts the dimensions relative to the
reference point automatically to the grid lines. If the column is rotated relative to the drawing,
the rotation is automatically dimensioned as well.
The parts in the original view are hidden.
The final display of the view which includes the enlarged parts.
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TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 59
10.3 Adjusting anchor bolt plan views
If the foundation plan view does not fit properly in the drawing, or for some reason does not
look the way you want, you can make some adjustments.
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LESSON3
Anchorboltplans
To Do this
Increase the drawing size if the
drawing is too small
1. In an open anchor bolt plan, double-click the drawing to open the
General Arrangement Drawing Properties dialog box.
2. Click Layout....
3. Adjust the drawing size.
4. Click Modify.
Shorten the line extension for the
grid lines, if it is too long.
• Select the view and drag the view boundary handles (handles on the
dashed lines) along the x and y axis of the view.
• You can also double-click the view frame to open View Properties
dialog box and change the values for X min, X max, Y min and Y max.
Cut the grid lines at the point of the
sloped profiles (windbracings)
1. In the open anchor bolt plan, click View > Drawing View Properties.
2. Go to the Attributes 2 tab.
3. Set the option Cut skew parts to Yes.
Hide the windbracings using a view
filter.
The windbracings are (partially) displayed, therefore you have uneven cuts.
To hide the windbracings:
1. In open anchor bolt plan, click View > Drawing View Properties to
open the View Properties dialog box.
2. Click Filter....
3. Click Add row.
4. Set Category: Parts, Property: Name and Condition: Does not
equal, and enter W* as the Value.
5. Click Modify and OK.
All the windbracings are hidden from the view.
Display grid lines To show grid lines if they are hidden, do one of the following:
• Select the anchor bolt plan view and drag the handles of the dashed
view border.
• In the View Properties dialog box, change the values for X min, X
max,Y min and Y max.
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TEKLA STRUCTURES 17 61
10.4 Displaying additional parts in an anchor bolt
plan
You can use a drawing filter to add to an anchor bolt plan parts that are not usually a part of a
column. You need to define the name of the filter as the value for the advanced option
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_ADDITIONAL_PARTS_FILTER. In the following example, we
will make anchor rods and leveling plates visible in an anchor bolt plan.
1. Click Tools > Options > Advanced Options > Drawing Properties and enter the name
of the general arrangement drawing filter in
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_ADDITIONAL_PARTS_FILTER.
In this example, we will use the name SHOW_IN_ANCHORBOLTPLAN.
2. In the General Arrangement Drawing Properties dialog box, click Filter... .
3. Click Add row.
4. Select Part as the Category, Name as the Property, Equals as the Condition and enter
*ANCHOR*LEVEL in the Value box.
5. Enter the name SHOW_IN_ANCHORBOLTPLAN in the Save as box and click Save as.
6. Click Cancel to exit the dialog box.
10.5 Labeling and modifying detail views in anchor
bolt plans
You can set the appearance of the views that include the enlarged parts and detail views before
you create the drawings.
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1. Click Drawings & Reports > Create General Arrangement Drawing....
The Create General Arrangement Drawing dialog box opens.
2. Click the Drawing properties... button.
The General arrangement drawing properties dialog box opens.
3. Click the Detail view... button.
The General - detail label dialog box opens.
4. Modify the label contents in the View label tab.
5. In the Detail boundary and Detail mark tabs, you can set the appearance of the views
that include the enlarged parts.
11 Adding objects in drawings
In Tekla Structures, it is possible to add drawing objects in the created drawing that you have
opened. You can add objects such as graphical objects (lines, rectangles, clouds), AutoCAD
drawings (DWG/DXF), symbols, text fields, and dimension lines to drawings. Objects can be
placed by snapping on locations or by using fixed coordinates.
11.1 Adding a rectangle on a selected location
Check that all switches in the Snapping toolbar are active so that the rectangle can be created
in any position.
To add a rectangle on a selected location:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Double-click the Draw rectangle button .
The Rectangle Properties dialog box opens.
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3. Enter or modify the properties as required.
4. Click OK to close the Rectangle Properties dialog box.
5. Pick the first corner of the rectangle.
6. Pick the diagonally opposite corner.
To resize the rectangle, select the rectangle and drag a handle. By holding down the
Shift key, the rectangle can be moved.
11.2 Adding a rectangle using fixed coordinates
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click Shapes > Draw Rectangle.
3. Enter the coordinates of the first point relative to the origin of the work place.
4. Enter the coordinates of the second point.
The coordinates can be relative to the first point.
The coordinates can also be relative to the origin.
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11.3 Adding single or multiple lines of text
You can add a single line or multiple lines of text.
All the switches in the Snapping toolbar must be enabled so that the text string can be placed
in any position.
To add text with a line which has an arrow:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click Annotating > Add Text > Along Line, Arrow at End Point.
3. Pick the starting point in the drawing.
4. Pick the end point.
This is where the arrow is created.
5. Pick the insertion point for the text.
Tekla Structures creates the line and positions the text to the right of the insertion point.
6. Repeat steps 2-4 if you need to add the same text elsewhere in the drawing.
Modifying text properties
1. Open a drawing.
2. Hold down the Shift key down while you click Annotating > Add Text > Along Line,
Arrow at End Point.
The Text Properties dialog box opens.
3. Type your text in the Text box.
4. Select the arrow type from the Arrow Type list.
5. Modify the other properties as required.
You can, for example, modify the color.
6. Click OK.
Now you can add text using the new properties.
11.4 Adding links to text files
You can insert a text file inside a frame in a drawing.Tekla Structures creates a link to the text
file. If you change the text in the file, it will change in all drawings containing a link to that
particular text file.
Before you start, check that all the switches in the Snapping toolbar are enabled so that the text
file can be placed in any position in the drawing.
1. Click Annotating > Add Text > From Text File....
The Text File Properties dialog box opens.
2. Define the text file properties in Text Style, Frame, and Scaling areas.
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3. Click Browse to select the text file.
4. Click OK.
5. Pick one or two points in the drawing to indicate the corners of the text file frame.
The scaling type you picked in step 2 determines how many points you have to pick.
6. Click OK to close the Text File Properties dialog box.
11.5 Using symbols in the text field
When you add text in drawings, you can include symbols in the text. You can add, for example,
weld symbols.
To add symbols in the text:
1. Add text to a drawing.
2. Double-click the symbol icon .
The Symbol Properties dialog box opens.
3. Click Select next to the File box and select the symbol file you want to use.
Several symbol files are available by default. These files are stored in the ..Tekla
Structures<version>environmentscommonsymbols folder.
4. Click Select next to the Number box and click the symbol you want to add.
When you click a symbol, its number is displayed in the Number box in the Symbol
Properties dialog box.
5. Double-click the text you added.
6. In the Text box in the Text Properties dialog box, enter the symbol file name, @ sign,
and the number of the symbol, for example TS_Welds@36.
7. Click Modify in the Text Properties dialog box.
11.6 Adding links to DWG or DXF files
You can insert a DWG or DXF file inside a frame in a drawing. Tekla Structures adds the DWG
or DXF file using the properties in the DWG/DXF Properties dialog box. Tekla Structures
creates a link to the selected DWG or DXF file. When you modify the file, Tekla Structures
also modifies all the links in the drawing.
To add a link to a DWG or DXF:
1. Open the drawing where you want to insert a link to a DWG/DXF file.
2. Click View > Add DWG / DXF File..., and then locate the DWG/DXF file you want to
add.
3. Click OK.
4. Pick one or two points to place the frame.
5. Click OK or Apply to add the link.
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12 Dragging drawing objects
You can drag drawing objects such as associative annotation objects, independent annotation
objects, additional drawing objects, and dimension lines to a new location in an open drawing.
To drag the objects to another location:
1. Click the drawing object or object frame to activate it.
2. Point the object or object frame, hold down the left mouse button and drag the object to
a new location.
The object follows the cursor while you drag the object, and you can at all times see
what the end result will be. There is a cross in the middle of the cursor indicating the
object that you are dragging.The magenta lines in the cursor make it easier to place the
object in line with other objects.
13 Trimming, splitting, and dividing
shapes added in drawings
You can trim, split and divide drawing objects added in the drawing. What you can do depends
on the shape type.
13.1 Trimming
You can shorten or extend a line relative to the boundary you select. The boundary can be:
• line
• part
• arc
• rectangle
To trim graphical objects:
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1. Open a drawing.
2. Click Edit > Trim.
3. Select the boundary.
4. Click the middle mouse button.
5. Click end of the line if you want to extend it to the selected boundary, or click the line at
the end from which you want to shorten it.
13.2 Splitting
You can split an object into two pieces at a selected point. You can split the following objects:
• lines
• polylines
• rectangles
• circles
• arcs
To split graphical objects:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Select the object you want to split.
3. Click Edit > Split.
4. Pick a point to indicate the cutting location.
The object is split into two pieces.
13.3 Dividing
Objects can be divided into segments that you specify. You can divide both lines and arcs.
To divide objects:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Select the line or arc.
3. Click Edit > Divide.
The Segments dialog box opens.
4. Enter the number of segments in the Number box.
5. Click OK.
The line or arc is divided to as many segments as you selected in the Number box.
14 Using cover-up tools
Use cover-up line and cover-up area tools for quickly hiding part outlines in drawings.
Cover-up line To use a cover-up line:
1. Click Shapes > Draw Cover-up Line.
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2. Draw a non-transparent line over the part outline that you want to hide.
You can drag the cover-up line to another location, and resize the line by dragging the
handles.
Cover-up area To use a cover-up area:
1. Click Shapes > Draw Cover-up Area.
2. Draw a non-transparent area over the part outline that you want to hide.
You can drag the cover-up area to another location, and resize the area by dragging the
handles.
Part outline visible
Part outline hidden with cover-up line
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15 Dimensioning a general arrangement
drawing
You can create automatic part, grid and overall dimensions, and control the way they are
created. You can also create dimensions manually after you have created a drawing. You can
experiment with different combinations of options to achieve different kinds of dimensioning
effects.
Additionally, you can use semi-automatic dimensioning, which is a special dimensioning type
that you can only use when dimensioning GA drawings. It contains several options:
• which points and parts are dimensioned
• how to combine the dimensions
• whether to use the reference line of the part or the center line as a dimension point
15.1 Dimensioning grid lines
1. Open a general arrangement (GA) drawing.
2. Double-click the GA drawing to open the General Arrangement Drawing Properties
dialog box.
3. Click the Dimensioning... button.
The General - Dimensioning Properties dialog box opens.
4. On the Grid tab, select whether to create grid line dimensions and overall dimensions.
You can use the Dimension positioning options to control where Tekla Structures
positions horizontal and vertical grid line dimensions in the horizontal and vertical
directions.
15.2 Dimensioning anchor bars
If you use anchor bars while modeling, you have the option to create dimensions in general
arrangement (GA) drawings by using semi-automatic GA dimensioning. This is a special
dimensioning type you can only use with GA drawings. This way of dimensioning can be used
for anchor bars, because they are created as profiles.
To dimension anchor bars:
1. Open a GA drawing (an anchor bolt plan).
2. Click Dimensioning > Dimension Properties.
3. Load the settings you want to use.
4. Click OK.
5. Click Edit > Selection Filter....
The Selection Filter dialog box opens.
6. Load the anchorbar_filter filter.
7. Click OK.
8. Select the Select parts in drawings switch .
9. Select the anchor bars in the drawing you want to dimension.
10. Click Dimensioning > GA Dimensioning Settings....
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The Semi automatic GA dimensioning dialog box opens.
11. Set the dimensioning properties.
• Dimension defines which points are used for dimensioning. Intersection points
only creates dimensions for points where two parts intersect. Intersection and
reference points creates dimensions for points where two parts intersect, and to the
reference points of the selected parts.
• Part defines whether to dimension all the selectedparts or only main parts.
• Combine defines how the dimensions are combined.
• Use defines whether to use the reference line or the center line as a dimension
point.
12. Click OK.
13. Create dimensions using the commands in the Dimensioning menu.
14. The anchor bars will be dimensioned automatically.
15.3 Dimensioning profiles and holes
You can dimension profiles and holes with the commands on the Drawing Objects toolbar. In
addition to the dimensioning commands, the toolbar contains commands for adding and
removing dimension points, and for combining, unlinking and linking dimension lines.
It is very important to use correct snap switches to get the dimensions
correct. Change the switch by right-clicking and selecting the switch that
suits the best for your purpose. You can also select the snap switch from
the toolbar.
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15.4 Dimensioning curved beams
To create a correct radius and/or radial dimensions, you need to use center lines and certain
snap settings:
1. Double-click a curved beam in a drawing.
The Drawing Part Properties dialog box opens.
Button Description
Add horizontal dimension
Add vertical dimension
Add orthogonal dimension
Add free dimension
Add parallel dimension
Add perpendicular dimension
Add curved dimension with radial reference lines
Add radial dimension
Add angular dimension
Dimension center of gravity
Add or remove dimension points
Remove a dimension point from the selected dimension set
Combine dimension lines
Unlink dimension lines
Link dimension lines
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2. Select the Center line > on/off.
3. Click Modify and OK.
4. Activate the Snap to points and grid intersections, Snap to end points, and Snap to
center points switches.
Adding a radial dimension
1. Click Dimensioning > Add Radial Dimension.
2. Pick three points on the center line to define the arc.
The second picked point is the coordinate where both center lines of two segments
intersect. It determines the exact radius.
3. Pick a point to place the dimension.
15.5 Fixing dimension locations
It is recommended to fix the dimension locations in general arrangement drawings. This is
useful, for example, when you add another view, because fixed dimensions will not jump
accidentally to any new position. This also applies to marks.
To fix the dimension locations:
1. Create all the necessary dimensions in the drawing.
2. Activate the Select dimensions selection switch only.
3. Select all dimensions.
4. Hold down the Shift key and double-click any dimension.
5. In the Dimension Properties dialog box, click Place at the bottom.
6. In the Dimension Placing dialox box, set Placing to fixed.
7. Click Modify.
All dimensions are now fixed.
