Tekla Structures

Drawing Guide

Product version 21.1

August 2015

©2015 Tekla Corporation

Contents

1 Tekla Structures drawings.............................................................................. 13

1.1 Main features in Tekla Structures drawings........................................................................13
1.2 Drawing mode screen layout................................................................................................. 14
1.3 Drawing layout and views......................................................................................................16
1.4 Drawing objects...................................................................................................................... 17
1.5 Basic principles of drawings.................................................................................................. 18
Drawings integrated with models............................................................................................................................... 19
How drawings are updated........................................................................................................................................... 19
Drawing associativity......................................................................................................................................................20
Associativity symbol................................................................................................................................................. 21
Different levels of changing drawing properties.................................................................................................... 22

2 Creating drawings........................................................................................... 25
2.1 Drawing types......................................................................................................................... 26
General arrangement drawings................................................................................................................................... 27
Example: Foundation plan......................................................................................................................................28
Example: Slab plan................................................................................................................................................... 29
Example: Framing plan............................................................................................................................................30
Example: Deck plan.................................................................................................................................................. 31
Example: Erection elevation drawing..................................................................................................................32
Example: 3D isometric drawing............................................................................................................................ 33
Example: Anchor bolt plan..................................................................................................................................... 34
Single-part drawings...................................................................................................................................................... 34
Example: Anchor bolt...............................................................................................................................................35
Example: Embed........................................................................................................................................................ 36
Example: Plate........................................................................................................................................................... 37
Assembly drawings.......................................................................................................................................................... 40
Example: Beam.......................................................................................................................................................... 40
Example: Stairs.......................................................................................................................................................... 41
Example: Rail..............................................................................................................................................................42
Cast unit drawings...........................................................................................................................................................42
Example: Beam.......................................................................................................................................................... 43
Example: Column...................................................................................................................................................... 44
Example: Stairs.......................................................................................................................................................... 45
Multidrawings...................................................................................................................................................................45
2.2 Before creating drawings.......................................................................................................46
2.3 Creating general arrangement drawings..............................................................................47
2.4 Creating single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings....................................................... 48
2.5 Creating multidrawings..........................................................................................................50
Creating empty multidrawings and linking or copying views.............................................................................50
Creating multidrawings of the selected drawings..................................................................................................51
Creating multidrawings of the selected parts......................................................................................................... 51

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2.6 Master Drawing Catalog........................................................................................................ 52
Master drawing types..................................................................................................................................................... 54
Cloning templates.....................................................................................................................................................55
Saved settings............................................................................................................................................................ 55
Rule sets...................................................................................................................................................................... 57
Wizards........................................................................................................................................................................ 58
Creating drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog............................................................... 58
Applying detailed object level settings in saved settings.....................................................................................58
Creating general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog......................59
Creating anchor bolt plans using saved settings....................................................................................................60
Objects included in the anchor bolt plan...........................................................................................................62
Defining the anchor bolt plan parts using drawing filters............................................................................62
Including assemblies in anchor bolt plans.........................................................................................................63
Creating single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in Master
Drawing Catalog...............................................................................................................................................................64
Example: Creating cast unit drawings one by one.................................................................................................65
Example: Creating assembly drawings from groups of similar parts................................................................68
Creating drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master Drawing Catalog..................................................... 70
Example - Creating a new rule set and drawings for all parts........................................................................... 71
Creating multiple drawing sheets of the same part.............................................................................................. 76
Creating multiple drawing sheets using wizards .......................................................................................... 77
Creating multiple drawing sheets using drawing properties .....................................................................77
Searching for master drawings in Master Drawing Catalog............................................................................... 78
Customizing Master Drawing Catalog....................................................................................................................... 79
Adding master drawings in Master Drawing Catalog.................................................................................... 79
Adding saved settings..............................................................................................................................................80
Adding a rule set....................................................................................................................................................... 80
Adding a cloning template.....................................................................................................................................82
Removing master drawings from the Master Drawing Catalog.................................................................. 83
Modifying master drawing properties.................................................................................................................83
Modifying properties of saved settings.............................................................................................................. 84
Modifying rule set properties................................................................................................................................ 85
Modifying properties and contents of wizard files......................................................................................... 86
Wizard file contents................................................................................................................................................. 86
Modifying cloning template properties.............................................................................................................. 87
Managing Master Drawing Catalog folders...................................................................................................... 88
Example: Adding, renaming, and moving folders ........................................................................................... 90
Copying master drawings to another folder..................................................................................................... 90
Removing master drawings from a folder..........................................................................................................91
Sample images of drawings................................................................................................................................... 91
Creating sample images..........................................................................................................................................92
Adding sample and thumbnail images to master drawings......................................................................... 92
Viewing sample images of drawing templates.................................................................................................93
2.7 Cloning drawings.................................................................................................................... 93
Creating drawings using cloning templates in Master Drawing Catalog........................................................94
Cloning by using cloning templates located in other models......................................................................96
Cloning from the Drawing List.....................................................................................................................................96
Example: Cloning a general arrangement drawing.........................................................................................98
View-specific dimension cloning.................................................................................................................................99
Cloned objects................................................................................................................................................................ 100
Checking and modifying cloned drawings..............................................................................................................101
Refreshing drawing associativity.............................................................................................................................. 102
Copying a drawing to a new sheet........................................................................................................................... 102
Cloning using drawing templates in template library.........................................................................................103

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3 Finding and opening drawings..................................................................... 105
3.1 Opening the Drawing List.................................................................................................... 106
3.2 What is displayed in the Drawing List............................................................................... 106
3.3 Drawing status flags.............................................................................................................109
How to read the drawing status information........................................................................................................109
3.4 Modifying Drawing List contents........................................................................................ 110
3.5 Searching drawings and saving the search results............................................................ 111
3.6 Selecting drawings in the Drawing List..............................................................................112
3.7 Checking whether parts have drawings..............................................................................112
3.8 Opening drawings from the model..................................................................................... 113
3.9 Opening a new drawing when a drawing is already open................................................ 113
3.10 Creating and viewing drawing snapshots...........................................................................114
3.11 Taking screenshots in drawings...........................................................................................115

4 Editing drawings............................................................................................ 117

4.1 Renaming drawings...............................................................................................................118
4.2 Giving titles to drawings......................................................................................................118
4.3 Drawing views....................................................................................................................... 119
Adding views in drawings manually........................................................................................................................ 120
Creating a section view........................................................................................................................................ 120
Creating a curved section view.......................................................................................................................... 123
Creating a detail view........................................................................................................................................... 124
Defining start number or letter for detail view label and mark................................................................126
Creating additional views of parts.................................................................................................................... 126
Creating a drawing view of an entire model view........................................................................................127
Creating a drawing view of a selected area in a model view....................................................................128
Creating a drawing view of a selected area in a drawing view................................................................ 129
Creating a drawing view for a reinforcement mesh (RebarMeshViewCreator)....................................129
Adding single-part views in assembly drawings........................................................................................... 132
Copying drawing views from another drawing.....................................................................................................133
Moving views to another drawing............................................................................................................................134
Linking views from another drawing....................................................................................................................... 136
Modifying drawing views............................................................................................................................................136
Resizing the drawing view boundary................................................................................................................137
Moving drawing views.......................................................................................................................................... 139
Aligning drawing views.........................................................................................................................................140
Rotating drawing views........................................................................................................................................ 141
Arranging drawing views......................................................................................................................................141
Modifying drawing view properties.................................................................................................................. 142
Modifying section properties.............................................................................................................................. 143
Modifying detail properties................................................................................................................................. 144
4.4 Dimensions............................................................................................................................ 145
Adding manual dimensions........................................................................................................................................ 146
Example: Manual dimensions.................................................................................................................................... 148
Adding manual dimensions to general arrangement drawings....................................................................... 152
Adding manual dimensions using User Coordinate System.............................................................................. 152
Adding tags to dimensions......................................................................................................................................... 154
Example: Filtering out dimension tag content......................................................................................................156

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 Adding dual dimensions manually............................................................................................................................158
Recreating dimensions for all parts......................................................................................................................... 159
Adding predefined reinforcement dimensions...................................................................................................... 160
Adding dimension (distribution) lines to reinforcing bars................................................................................. 161
Dimensioning reinforcing bar groups...................................................................................................................... 163
Dimensioning center of gravity................................................................................................................................. 167
Exaggerating selected dimensions in drawings (ExaggerateSelectedDimensions)..................................... 171
Modifying dimension properties............................................................................................................................... 172
Adding dimension points in anchor bolt plans..................................................................................................... 173
Showing plate side marks........................................................................................................................................... 173
Changing the location of short outside dimension texts...................................................................................174
Setting new dimension start point...........................................................................................................................175
Adding closing dimensions......................................................................................................................................... 176
Adding dimension points.............................................................................................................................................177
Linking perpendicular dimension lines.................................................................................................................... 178
Combining dimension lines.........................................................................................................................................178
Dragging dimension marks......................................................................................................................................... 179
Moving the end of the dimension line.................................................................................................................... 180
4.5 Associative annotation objects........................................................................................... 181
Adding part marks......................................................................................................................................................... 181
Adding level marks........................................................................................................................................................182
Adding associative notes.............................................................................................................................................183
Modifying associative annotation object properties...........................................................................................184
Updating marks..............................................................................................................................................................185
Change symbols in drawings......................................................................................................................................186
Removing change symbols...................................................................................................................................187
Removing all change symbols from a drawing (RemoveChangeClouds)................................................187
Merging marks............................................................................................................................................................... 189
Merging reinforcement marks manually..........................................................................................................190
Dragging the mark and associative note leader line base point......................................................................190
Creating and using customized leader line arrows..............................................................................................190
4.6 Independent annotation objects......................................................................................... 192
Adding text......................................................................................................................................................................193
Using superscript in text...................................................................................................................................... 194
Adding links to text files............................................................................................................................................. 195
Adding links to other drawings................................................................................................................................. 197
Adding hyperlinks.......................................................................................................................................................... 198
Adding links to DWG and DXF files.......................................................................................................................... 199
Adding revision marks..................................................................................................................................................200
Modifying the properties of independent annotation objects......................................................................... 201
4.7 Drawing shapes..................................................................................................................... 201
Creating a shape in a drawing...................................................................................................................................202
4.8 Building objects in drawings............................................................................................... 203
Modifying building objects.........................................................................................................................................203
Shortening parts view by view.................................................................................................................................. 204
Hiding building object outlines using cover-up tools.........................................................................................205
Showing a single reinforcing bar in a group .......................................................................................................206
Adjusting the location of a single reinforcing bar........................................................................................ 207
Showing layer information on reinforcing bars in drawings (RebarLayeringMarker)................................207
4.9 Custom presentations in drawings..................................................................................... 209
4.10 Exploding drawing plug-ins.................................................................................................210
4.11 Welds in drawings................................................................................................................ 210
Weld concepts.................................................................................................................................................................211

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 Examples: Model welds in drawings........................................................................................................................ 212
Modifying model weld mark visibility and appearance in a drawing.............................................................218
Modifying model weld appearance.......................................................................................................................... 220
Dragging weld marks....................................................................................................................................................221
Adding weld marks........................................................................................................................................................223
Example: Weld marks added in drawings...............................................................................................................224
Merging weld marks..................................................................................................................................................... 226
4.12 Edge chamfers in drawings................................................................................................. 228
Displaying edge chamfers in a drawing.................................................................................................................. 228
Defining default line color and type for edge chamfers.................................................................................... 229
Changing edge chamfer line color and type manually.......................................................................................230
Creating edge chamfer marks.................................................................................................................................... 231
Example: Edge chamfers..............................................................................................................................................231
4.13 Reference models in drawings............................................................................................ 233
Setting automatic reference model properties in drawings............................................................................. 234
Modifying properties of hidden lines in reference models using advanced options..................................234
4.14 Pours in drawings................................................................................................................. 237
Showing pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in drawings....................................................................238
Changing the pour break symbol.............................................................................................................................. 240
Examples of pour drawings and pour reports .....................................................................................................240
4.15 Grids in drawings.................................................................................................................. 241
Modifying grid and grid line properties.................................................................................................................. 242
Dragging grid labels......................................................................................................................................................242
Hiding grids or grid lines............................................................................................................................................. 243
4.16 Symbols in drawings.............................................................................................................243
Creating and modifying symbol files....................................................................................................................... 244
Viewing and modifying symbol file contents................................................................................................. 244
Creating a new symbol file.................................................................................................................................. 245
Changing the symbol file in use.........................................................................................................................245
Adding symbols in drawings.......................................................................................................................................246
Modifying symbol properties......................................................................................................................................246
Moment connection symbols in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools)...............................................247
Creating moment connection symbols (Drawing tools).............................................................................. 247
Updating moment connection symbols (Drawing tools).............................................................................250
Deleting moment connection symbols (Drawing tools).............................................................................. 250
Adding surface treatment symbols in drawings (AddSurfaceSymbols)..........................................................251
4.17 Changing drawing objects................................................................................................... 252
Dragging, reshaping and resizing drawing objects..............................................................................................253
Copying with offsets (Drawing tools)...................................................................................................................... 255
Arranging drawing objects..........................................................................................................................................256
Hiding and showing objects in drawings and drawing views...........................................................................257
Listing hidden parts in drawings........................................................................................................................260
Trimming.......................................................................................................................................................................... 261
Splitting............................................................................................................................................................................262
Dividing............................................................................................................................................................................ 263
Modifying the shape of leader lines.........................................................................................................................263
Aligning drawing objects.............................................................................................................................................264
Creating fillets in drawings (Drawing tools)..........................................................................................................265
Creating chamfers in drawings (Drawing tools)...................................................................................................266
Cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools)..................................................................................... 268
Creating cut lines (Drawing tools).....................................................................................................................269
Updating cut lines (Drawing tools)....................................................................................................................270
Deleting cut lines (Drawing tools)..................................................................................................................... 270

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4.18 Colors in drawings................................................................................................................ 271
Changing drawing color.............................................................................................................................................. 272
Specifying and using special color........................................................................................................................... 274
Pen numbers in Color Table........................................................................................................................................ 274
Changing the pen numbers for colors (line weight).....................................................................................275
4.19 User coordinate system (UCS).............................................................................................276
Setting a new UCS........................................................................................................................................................ 277
Toggling between two user coordinate systems...................................................................................................277
Resetting UCS.................................................................................................................................................................277
Keyboard shortcuts for UCS........................................................................................................................................278
4.20 Saving drawings....................................................................................................................278
4.21 Deleting unnecessary drawing files in single-user mode................................................. 279
4.22 Closing drawings...................................................................................................................280
4.23 Keyboard shortcuts for drawings........................................................................................280

5 Working with drawings................................................................................ 282

5.1 Updating drawings when the model changes....................................................................282
5.2 Locking and unlocking drawings........................................................................................ 283
5.3 Freezing drawings.................................................................................................................284
Freezing and unfreezing general arrangement drawings.................................................................................. 284
Freezing and unfreezing single part, cast unit and assembly drawings........................................................ 285
How freezing affects drawings..................................................................................................................................285
5.4 Issuing drawings................................................................................................................... 286
5.5 Deleting drawings.................................................................................................................286
5.6 Revising drawings................................................................................................................. 287
Creating revisions..........................................................................................................................................................287
Changing revisions........................................................................................................................................................ 288
Deleting revisions.......................................................................................................................................................... 289
Revision handling attributes...................................................................................................................................... 289

6 Printing drawings.......................................................................................... 291

6.1 Printing to a .pdf file, plot file or printer..........................................................................292
6.2 Printing settings and search order .................................................................................... 296
6.3 Printing configuration files................................................................................................. 296
6.4 Customizing print output file names..................................................................................297
6.5 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances............................................ 300
Printing single drawings..............................................................................................................................................300
Example: Printing on A4 in landscape..............................................................................................................301
Example: Printing on A3 in portrait.................................................................................................................. 302
Example: Printing A3 drawing on A4 paper....................................................................................................302
Printing multiple drawings with different sizes in one go................................................................................ 303
Creating PDF files.......................................................................................................................................................... 304
Printing to file................................................................................................................................................................ 305
Customizing print file names.............................................................................................................................. 305
Switches for customizing print file names......................................................................................................306
Printing to multiple sheets......................................................................................................................................... 308
Adding frames and foldmarks in drawings............................................................................................................ 309
Adding frames and foldmarks in printouts......................................................................................................310
Adding a DWG/DXF file frame.............................................................................................................................312

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 Setting up printer instances in Printer Catalog.................................................................................................... 312
Adding a printer instance.....................................................................................................................................313
Adding a print-to-file instance...........................................................................................................................313
Adding an Adobe postscript printer instance................................................................................................. 314
Defining paper size.................................................................................................................................................315
Defining print area h*b..........................................................................................................................................316
Colors and line weights in printing................................................................................................................... 316
Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog box..................................................................................................... 317
Printing tips.....................................................................................................................................................................318

7 Modifying drawing settings......................................................................... 320

7.1 Modifying and saving automatic drawing properties before creating drawings...........325
7.2 Modifying drawing properties of an existing drawing..................................................... 326
7.3 Modifying view-level drawing properties.......................................................................... 328
7.4 Settings affecting the recreation of drawings..................................................................328
7.5 Preventing automatic drawing updates and recreation................................................... 329
7.6 Modifying and saving drawing object properties..............................................................330
Loading saved drawing object properties in an existing drawing...................................................................330
7.7 Detailed object level settings.............................................................................................. 331
Creating detailed object level settings in a general arrangement drawing..................................................331
Example: Applying detailed object level settings on drawing level................................................................332
Creating detailed object level settings in cast unit drawings.......................................................................... 335
Example: Applying detailed object level settings on view level in a cast unit drawing........................... 337
7.8 How Tekla Structures applies drawing properties.............................................................339
7.9 Drawing layout..................................................................................................................... 340
Table layouts................................................................................................................................................................... 341
Tables................................................................................................................................................................................ 343
Creating a new layout..................................................................................................................................................343
Defining fixed sizes................................................................................................................................................ 344
Defining calculated sizes......................................................................................................................................345
Creating and adding a new table layout................................................................................................................ 345
Setting margins and spaces for drawing views.................................................................................................... 346
Adding tables in a table layout ...............................................................................................................................347
Replacing a table with another one.........................................................................................................................347
Setting the properties of tables in a table layout................................................................................................348
Key plans.......................................................................................................................................................................... 350
Adding a key plan in a table layout.................................................................................................................. 350
Setting up a drawing view to be used as a key plan....................................................................................351
Adding a DXG/DXF file in a table layout.................................................................................................................352
Selecting a new layout................................................................................................................................................ 352
Modifying tables in Template Editor........................................................................................................................353
7.10 Drawing size and drawing view scale................................................................................. 354
Using exact drawing view scale and automatic drawing size..........................................................................354
Using exact drawing size and automatic drawing view scale..........................................................................355
Autoscaling and autosizing drawings......................................................................................................................356
7.11 Object protection and placement settings in drawings................................................... 357
Protected areas.............................................................................................................................................................. 358
Protecting areas in drawings......................................................................................................................................361
Defining placement settings for annotation objects...........................................................................................362
Defining placement settings for dimensions......................................................................................................... 363
Defining automatic free or fixed placement of drawing views........................................................................364

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7.12 Automatic drawing views.................................................................................................... 364
Defining the views to create in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings.......................................... 365
Defining automatic view settings for general arrangement drawings.......................................................... 366
Defining view labels and view label marks............................................................................................................ 367
Setting the view projection type...............................................................................................................................369
Including single-part drawings in assembly drawings........................................................................................370
Part orientation in drawing views ..........................................................................................................................372
Changing the coordinate system....................................................................................................................... 372
Rotating parts in drawing views........................................................................................................................ 374
Defining plate orientation in drawings ..........................................................................................................376
Setting viewing direction for columns in assembly drawings...................................................................378
Setting viewing direction for beams and bracings in assembly drawings............................................. 378
Showing neighbor parts in views..............................................................................................................................379
Shortening and lengthening parts............................................................................................................................380
Shortening a part in the model.......................................................................................................................... 381
Lengthening a part in the model........................................................................................................................381
Shortening parts in drawing views....................................................................................................................382
Lengthening shortened parts in drawing views.............................................................................................384
Unfolding polybeams in drawings............................................................................................................................ 385
Undeforming deformed parts in drawings............................................................................................................. 386
Showing part openings and recesses in drawings............................................................................................... 387
Additional ways for showing symbols in openings and recesses..............................................................388
Setting automatic section view properties............................................................................................................ 390
Examples of section view and mark settings..................................................................................................391
Showing section and end view direction marks............................................................................................ 392
Setting the location of end views and section views.................................................................................. 394
7.13 Automatic dimension settings............................................................................................ 396
Automatic view-level dimensions.............................................................................................................................397
Example: Creating automatic overall and hole dimensions on view level.............................................401
Dimensioning rule properties.............................................................................................................................. 409
Examples: Dimensions created with view-level dimensioning..................................................................416
Creating a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning......................................................................422
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated.............................................................................................427
Grouping identical objects to the same dimension line ........................................................................... 429
Adding elevation dimensions.............................................................................................................................. 430
Check dimensions................................................................................................................................................... 432
Example: Part dimensioning................................................................................................................................ 434
Example: Bolt dimensioning................................................................................................................................436
Example: Position dimensioning.........................................................................................................................437
Example: Closing dimension................................................................................................................................442
Example: Combining dimensions....................................................................................................................... 443
Example: Combining bolt group dimensions.................................................................................................. 446
Example: Forward offset.......................................................................................................................................446
Example: Recognizable distance .......................................................................................................................447
Example: Preferred dimension side .................................................................................................................. 448
Example: Reinforcement dimension..................................................................................................................449
Adding automatic dual dimensions..........................................................................................................................449
Modifying dimensions for unfolded parts.............................................................................................................. 450
Creating minimum and maximum position dimensions for bolts .................................................................452
Creating dimension line extensions......................................................................................................................... 453
Setting the dimension extension line length........................................................................................................ 453
Changing the appearance of absolute dimensions..............................................................................................455
Creating exaggerated dimensions............................................................................................................................ 456
Changing the prefix in radial dimensions...............................................................................................................458
Dimensioning plates..................................................................................................................................................... 458

9
 Dimensioning profiles...................................................................................................................................................460
Sloped dimension texts................................................................................................................................................462
Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings............................................................................ 463
Object groups in dimensioning...........................................................................................................................463
Dimensioning object groups on different dimension lines.........................................................................464
Example: Grid and overall dimensions............................................................................................................. 466
Example: Using maximum leader line length options................................................................................. 467
Example: Dimensioning parts partly outside the view................................................................................ 469
Example: Limiting the number of outside dimensions.................................................................................470
Example: Part dimension positioning................................................................................................................470
Example: Dimensions in anchor bolt plans..................................................................................................... 476
7.14 Automatic mark settings..................................................................................................... 479
Adding automatic marks............................................................................................................................................. 480
Setting the visibility of marks....................................................................................................................................482
Setting the appearance of mark text, frames and leader line .........................................................................483
Additional ways for modifying part mark leader lines.................................................................................484
Placing the base point of the reinforcement mark leader line automatically...................................... 485
Mark location................................................................................................................................................................. 486
Setting a predefined location for beam, bracing and column marks...................................................... 487
Part mark and surface treatment mark leader line types and mark location....................................... 487
Leader line types and mark location for reinforcing bar group marks....................................................488
Reinforcement leader line types and mark location.....................................................................................489
Merging marks automatically....................................................................................................................................490
Merged part marks.................................................................................................................................................490
Merging part marks .............................................................................................................................................. 492
Merged reinforcement marks..............................................................................................................................493
Merging reinforcement marks automatically.................................................................................................493
Showing mark frames and leader lines for hidden parts................................................................................... 494
Unit settings for marks................................................................................................................................................ 495
Adding level attributes in part marks...................................................................................................................... 497
Adding user-defined attributes and template attributes in marks ...............................................................499
Example 1: Creating a mark template containing separate value fields and text elements............ 500
Example 2: Creating a mark template containing a formula in the value field................................... 502
Adding templates in marks.........................................................................................................................................504
Adding symbols in marks.............................................................................................................................................505
Defining contents of bolt mark Size element using advanced options......................................................... 506
Adding pull-out pictures in reinforcement marks................................................................................................509
7.15 Automatic grid settings in drawings...................................................................................511
Setting automatic grid properties.............................................................................................................................512
7.16 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings..................................................512
Setting automatic drawing part properties........................................................................................................... 513
Example: Part representations................................................................................................................................... 514
Setting automatic neighbor part properties.......................................................................................................... 515
Indicating part orientation......................................................................................................................................... 516
Using part mark as an orientation mark in general arrangement drawings......................................... 516
Displaying compass direction in part marks................................................................................................... 518
Displaying orientation marks (north marks)................................................................................................... 519
Displaying connecting side marks......................................................................................................................520
7.17 Automatic bolt settings in drawings.................................................................................. 522
Setting automatic bolt properties in drawings.....................................................................................................522
Creating user-defined bolt symbols......................................................................................................................... 523
Example: Bolt representations...................................................................................................................................524
7.18 Automatic hatch patterns in drawings.............................................................................. 525

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 Adding automatic hatch patterns on drawing objects.......................................................................................526
Example: Insulation hatch patterns......................................................................................................................... 528
7.19 Automatic surface treatment in drawings........................................................................ 530
Adding automatic surface treatment in drawings...............................................................................................530
7.20 Automatic weld settings in drawings................................................................................. 531
Setting automatic weld properties in drawings................................................................................................... 531
7.21 Automatic reinforcement and mesh settings in drawings............................................... 532
Setting automatic reinforcement and reinforcement mesh properties.........................................................532
Example: Hiding reinforcing bar lines in drawings..............................................................................................534
Example: Reinforcement representations...............................................................................................................535
7.22 Units and decimals in drawings, reports and templates ................................................. 536
7.23 User-defined attributes in drawings.................................................................................. 537
Modifying automatic user-defined drawing attributes......................................................................................538
Creating new user-defined drawing attributes.................................................................................................... 539
7.24 Defining a firm folder for images and symbols................................................................. 541
7.25 Defining customized line types........................................................................................... 542

8 Drawing settings........................................................................................... 544

8.1 General arrangement drawing properties.......................................................................... 545
8.2 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties..................................................548
8.3 Layout properties................................................................................................................. 549
8.4 View properties in drawings ...............................................................................................551
8.5 Section view properties....................................................................................................... 555
8.6 Dimension and dimensioning properties............................................................................ 556
General dimension properties.................................................................................................................................... 556
Dimension format, precision and unit properties.................................................................................................558
Dimension appearance properties............................................................................................................................ 560
Dimension mark and dimension tag properties.................................................................................................... 561
General dimensioning properties.............................................................................................................................. 562
Position dimensioning properties..............................................................................................................................565
Part dimensioning properties..................................................................................................................................... 566
Bolt dimensioning properties..................................................................................................................................... 568
Dimension grouping properties ...............................................................................................................................569
Sub-assembly dimensioning properties.................................................................................................................. 570
Reinforcement dimensioning properties................................................................................................................. 571
Grid and overall dimensioning properties (GA drawings)...................................................................................571
Part dimensioning properties (GA drawings).........................................................................................................572
8.7 Mark properties.................................................................................................................... 573
Mark appearance and merging properties............................................................................................................. 574
Leader line types............................................................................................................................................................577
Positioning properties of view label, section and detail marks........................................................................578
Drawing weld mark properties...................................................................................................................................578
Model weld mark visibility and appearance properties in drawings.............................................................. 580
Level mark properties................................................................................................................................................... 582
8.8 Mark elements...................................................................................................................... 583
Common elements in marks.......................................................................................................................................584
Part mark elements....................................................................................................................................................... 585
Bolt mark elements.......................................................................................................................................................586
Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mark elements............................................................................ 587
Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mesh mark elements.................................................................588

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 Elements in merged reinforcement marks............................................................................................................. 589
Connection mark elements.........................................................................................................................................590
Surface treatment mark elements............................................................................................................................590
Section and detail mark elements............................................................................................................................ 591
View, section view and detail view label mark elements...................................................................................591
8.9 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings................................................................. 592
8.10 Bolt content and appearance properties in drawings.......................................................595
8.11 Surface treatment visibility and content properties in drawings................................... 597
8.12 Surface treatment hatch pattern properties (surfacing.htc).......................................... 597
8.13 Part and shape hatch pattern properties (.htc)................................................................ 599
8.14 Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh properties in drawings................... 601
8.15 Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp) ................................................603
8.16 Pour object and pour break properties in drawings.......................................................... 610
8.17 Placement properties for annotation objects....................................................................612
8.18 Welding properties............................................................................................................... 612
8.19 Drawing shape properties.................................................................................................... 614
8.20 Drawing grid properties....................................................................................................... 615
8.21 Orientation settings............................................................................................................. 616

9 Disclaimer.......................................................................................................618

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1 Tekla Structures drawings

Tekla Structures drawings contain a large variety of features that help you to create and
manage your drawings efficiently. The drawings consist of three main types of elements:
drawing layout, drawing views, and drawing objects. You can select what to include in the
drawing before you create it, and also add necessary objects in an existing drawing.

See also
Main features in Tekla Structures drawings on page 13
Drawing layout and views on page 15
Drawing objects on page 17
Drawing mode screen layout on page 14
Basic principles of drawings on page 18

1.1 Main features in Tekla Structures drawings

Tekla Structures includes the following features for drawings:

• All information comes directly from the model, which minimizes the work you have to do.
In many cases all you need to do is to check the predefined settings or do some minor
editing.
• Up-to-date drawings. The drawings are actually a part of the model. If you revise the
model, Tekla Structures also updates the drawings, so they are always up to date.
• Master Drawing Catalog, which is a fast, efficient and controlled way of creating
drawings in one centralized location using master drawings.
• Automatic workshop single-part and assembly drawings, and cast unit drawings of
selected parts with predefined settings for layout, views, dimensions, marks, and building
objects. View properties are defined separately for each view before a drawing is created.
• Automatic general arrangement drawings and anchor bolt plans of selected views.
• Drawing cloning capabilities.
• Drawing management. Revision control, locking freezing, and issuing drawings.

Tekla Structures drawings 13 Main features in Tekla Structures drawings

 • Interactive editing tools that you can use for adding dimensions, various drawing shapes,
texts, additional annotations, symbols, and links in the drawings.
• Standard and customized drawing layouts. Tekla Structures contains many ready-to-use
standard drawing layouts. You can also create your own.
• Export capabilities.
• Printing to paper, file and PDF.

See also
Basic principles of drawings on page 18
Modifying drawing settings on page 320
Automatic drawing views on page 364
Creating drawings on page 25
Cloning drawings on page 93
Editing drawings on page 117
Working with drawings on page 282
Printing drawings on page 291
Exporting a drawing to a 2D DWG or DXF file...

1.2 Drawing mode screen layout

When you open a drawing, Tekla Structures activates the drawing mode. The menus and
icons for the modeling mode are replaced by those of the drawing mode. The model views

Tekla Structures drawings 14 Drawing mode screen layout

remain on the screen behind the drawing. The following image identifies the various areas of
the drawing window:

1. Menus contain all commands available in the drawing mode.

2. Basic tools for working with drawings.
3. Commands for creating dimensions and objects.
4. Select switches determine the selectable objects.
5. Snap settings control which points you can snap to and pick.

See also
Filtering in drawings
Interface overview
Snap switches
Selection switches

Tekla Structures drawings 15 Drawing layout and views

1.3 Drawing layout and views
A Tekla Structures drawing consists of two types of basic elements:
• A drawing layout defines the drawing size and the included tables, such as revision
tables, title blocks, material lists, bills of material, general notes, key plans and DWG files.
Tekla Structures has a range of predefined layouts, and you can also create layouts of
your own.
• Drawing views are views to the whole model, to a part of the model or to individual parts
in the model. Views can show building objects from different directions (top, front, back,
bottom) and cross sections. Drawing views act as containers for the building objects or
areas in the model that you have selected to be included in the drawing.
Below is an example of the drawing layout and views in a workshop drawing.

1. Top view to a part

2. Front view to a part
3. Material list
4. Drawing title block

See also
Tekla Structures drawings on page 13
Drawing layout on page 339
Automatic drawing views on page 364

Tekla Structures drawings 16 Drawing layout and views

1.4 Drawing objects
Drawing views may contain several types of objects. Some of them come from the model and
represent something that will exist in the real building or will be closely related to it. Others
are objects that represent information that is only relevant in the drawing, or that add extra
information to the information in the model. Drawings may include the following object
types:
• Building objects: parts, bolts, welds, chamfers, reinforcing bars, surface treatment, etc.
• Associative annotation objects: dimensions, marks, associative notes
• Independent annotation objects that are not linked to the model: text, text files, symbols,
links, hyperlinks, DWG/DXF files, and reference models. Texts, for example, are associative
if they have associativity points, i.e. they are associated to building objects.
• Shapes: drawing shapes used for highlighting parts of the drawing (clouds, lines,
rectangles, etc.). These object are associative if they have associativity points, i.e. they are
associated to building objects.

Shapes: clouds and rectangles

Dimensions

Tekla Structures drawings 17 Drawing objects

 Marks, associative notes

Building objects

See also
Associative annotation objects on page 180
Dimensions on page 145
Independent annotation objects on page 192
Drawing shapes on page 201
Building objects in drawings on page 203

1.5 Basic principles of drawings

There are a couple of basic principles in Tekla Structures that you need to understand before
you start creating or modifying drawings:
• The model is the single source of information for drawings. The drawing is just another
view to the model, usually a 2D view. This ensures that the information in drawings and
reports is always up-to-date.
• Tekla Structures integrates the drawings with the model.
• Drawing objects are associated with model objects, and updated when the model
changes.
• Changing some of the properties requires the recreation of the drawings.
• If there are several identical parts, cast units or assemblies in the model, Tekla Structures
creates only one drawing.
• You can modify drawing properties on three levels; drawing, view and object level,
depending on the drawing type and the desired results.

See also
Drawings integrated with models on page 18
Drawing associativity on page 20
How drawings are updated on page 19
Different levels of changing drawing properties on page 21
Settings affecting the recreation of drawings on page 328

Tekla Structures drawings 18 Basic principles of drawings

Drawings integrated with models
Tekla Structures integrates the drawings with the model. A drawing is a window to the model
presenting 3D structures in 2D. The building objects shown in the drawing are model objects
you create in the model. You can change their representation in the drawing but you cannot
change the geometry or the location of the building object, or delete building objects; all
changes to building objects are made in the model. That is why the drawings are always up-
to-date. For example, dimensions and marks in drawings are always correct. You can filter
out parts and bolts in drawings using the filtering tools, or make them invisible by hiding
them.
You can create drawings at any stage of the project. Creating single-part, assembly and cast
unit drawings requires that the model is numbered, so you need to plan and perform the
numbering before creating drawings.
If the model changes, Tekla Structures notifies in the Drawing List that you need to update
the related drawings. You cannot open a drawing that is not up-to-date.

See also
Basic principles of drawings on page 18
Numbering the model
Updating drawings when the model changes on page 282

How drawings are updated

When a model changes, the related drawings need to be updated. Tekla Structures takes care
of updating and notifies you if updating is needed.

WARNING When you start using a newer version of Tekla Structures, updating drawings created
with the older version may cause problems. We recommend that you complete any
drawings you have started using the older version, or recreate the drawings using your
new version of Tekla Structures.

Updating is necessary, when:

• The geometry of a model object changes.
• Some other model object properties, for example, material and class change.
• Model objects are added or deleted.
• The number of identical model objects changes.
Tekla Structures automatically updates drawings each time you number the model. If you
have not numbered the model, you are prompted to do so when you create a drawing.
Furthermore, if you have changed the model and go to the Drawing List to open drawings,
Tekla Structures has marked the outdated drawings, and you need to update them before you
can open them.
General arrangement drawings are always updated when you open them if the model has
changed. You do not need to number the model to update general arrangement drawings.

Tekla Structures drawings 19 Basic principles of drawings

See also
Basic principles of drawings on page 18
Updating drawings when the model changes on page 282
Settings affecting the recreation of drawings on page 328
Numbering the model

Drawing associativity
Tekla Structures drawings are associative. The objects in the drawing are linked to model
objects, which means that most objects in the drawing are automatically updated when the
model changes. For example, if a model object is resized, dimension points move with the
corresponding object in the drawing, and the dimensions are recalculated. Still you do not
lose any manual changes that you have made in the drawing. This applies to all drawing
types.
Tekla Structures updates the following drawing objects to reflect the 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

See also
Basic principles of drawings on page 18
Associativity symbol on page 20

Tekla Structures drawings 20 Basic principles of drawings

Associativity symbol

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 drawing object is not selected.
This makes it easier to find objects that need attention.

The associativity symbols are not shown in printed drawings.

TIP To hide associativity symbols in drawing views, click Tools --> Options --> Associative
Symbol (Shift+A).

See also
Drawing associativity on page 20

Tekla Structures drawings 21 Basic principles of drawings

Different levels of changing drawing properties
In Tekla Structures, you can change drawings on different levels, depending on how
permanent and extensive changes are needed.

Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings

• On the highest level, you can define drawing properties on drawing level. Some of the
drawing-specific properties that you define in the Drawing Properties dialog box apply
to the whole drawing: protection settings, user-defined attributes for the drawing, detail
view start number/letter, drawing-specific section view settings, some drawing-specific
view attributes, drawing titles and drawing layout settings. On the drawing level, you can
also select the views that you want to create, and set view, dimensioning, building object
and mark settings separately for each view by going further to the View Properties
dialog box for the selected view. For example, you can define that all marks have blue
frame in one view, or that model weld marks are shown in another view. It is very
important to save the view-level properties files in the View Properties dialog box to be
able to connect the desired view properties to the views that you select to create. You
can modify the drawing level properties before you create the drawing and also change
them in the created drawing.
• You can also change drawing properties on view level by double-clicking a view frame in
an open drawing, which opens the View Properties dialog box. The changes take place
only in the views that you have selected in an open drawing. Settings propagate to all
objects in the selected views.
• Finally, you can change drawing properties on object level by double-clicking the object
in an open drawing, which opens an object-specific property dialog box. Properties
change for the selected object only. The properties changed on the object level are no
longer affected by any property changes on higher levels.
• The recommended way of working is to work from top to bottom, from drawing level to
object level. Set your drawing and automatic drawing view properties as close as possible
to what you want by first attempting this on the drawing level. Then modify anything
else that needs to be changed on the view level, and finally, if any further cleanup is
necessary, you can make changes on the individual object level. The modifications made
on the drawing level remain when the drawing is recreated due to a model change. Once
you change properties on the view level you should not go to the drawing level properties
and modify drawing properties there. Once you have change something at one level,
changing something else on the level above may negate the changes you have just made.

General arrangement drawings

• On the highest level, you can change drawing properties on drawing level. This is done in
the Drawing Properties dialog box and its subdialog boxes. This way you can change the
properties of all building objects, marks, dimensions, and views in the drawing at the
same time. For example, you can define that all marks have blue frame. You can modify
the drawing properties before you create the drawing and also change them in the
created drawing. Property changes propagate to all views and objects in that drawing,
except new views that you create after the drawing is created.

Tekla Structures drawings 22 Basic principles of drawings

• You can also change drawing properties on view level by double-clicking a view frame in
an open drawing, which opens the View Properties dialog box. The changes take place
only in the views that you have selected in an open drawing. Settings propagate to all
objects in the selected views.
• Finally, you can change drawing properties on object level by double-clicking the object
in an open drawing, which opens an object-specific property dialog box. Properties
change for the selected object only. The properties changed on the object level are no
longer affected by any property changes on higher levels.
• The recommended way of working is to work from top to bottom, from drawing level to
object level. Get your drawing as close as possible to what you want by first attempting
this on the drawing level. Then modify anything else that needs to be changed on the
view level, and finally, if any further cleanup is necessary, you can make changes on the
individual object level. The modifications made on the drawing level remain when the
drawing is recreated due to a model change. Once you change properties on the view
level you should not go to the drawing level properties and modify drawing properties
there. Once you have change something at one level, changing something else on the
level above may negate the changes you have just made.

Detailed object level properties

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 level
properties on the drawing and view level. Note that detailed object levels properties on
drawing level are available only in general arrangement drawings. Object level settings are a
powerful tool: you can use the same property file for creating drawings and quickly change a
particular property before you create drawings, for example, reinforcement color or mark
frame shape. The object level settings override the property settings in the view and drawing
property dialog boxes. Changes in the object level settings applied on the drawing level are
inherited to the view level 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.

Example workflow
The following image illustrates the idea of the three property levels. The frame color and the
shape of the mark are used as an example.

1. You change the mark frame color and shape for the whole drawing on the drawing level.
The changes propagate to the view level and to the object level.

Tekla Structures drawings 23 Basic principles of drawings

2. You change the mark frame color and shape in the selected views. The changes take
place in the selected views only. The properties do not change in the whole drawing.
Note that if you change the frame color and shape on the drawing level after changing
them on the view level for some of the views, the drawing level changes override the
view level changes in all views. In this case, only view settings are not overridden, for
example, the view scale stays as you have set it for individual views.
3. You change the mark frame color and shape in the selected marks. The properties do not
change anywhere else. If you try to change the mark frame color and shape on the view
or drawing level, the properties do not change in the marks that you changed separately.

See also
Modifying and saving automatic drawing properties before creating drawings on page 325
Modifying drawing properties of an existing drawing on page 326
Basic principles of drawings on page 18
Modifying view-level drawing properties on page 327
Modifying and saving drawing object properties on page 330
Creating detailed object level settings in a general arrangement drawing on page 331
Example: Applying detailed object level settings on drawing level on page 332
Creating detailed object level settings in cast unit drawings on page 335
Example: Applying detailed object level settings on view level in a cast unit drawing on page
336

Tekla Structures drawings 24 Basic principles of drawings

2 Creating drawings

Drawing creation is always based on drawing properties, no matter which way you use to
create them. Planning and implementing the most suitable drawing settings carefully is very
important.
You can create drawings one by one, in groups, or you can create all drawings automatically.
There are many different ways to create drawings:
• Creating drawings using menu, toolbar and pop-up menu commands.
• Creating drawings using the various master drawing types in the Master Drawing
Catalog. Using rule sets is a highly automated process of creating several drawings of
different type in one go.

Creating drawings 25 Basic principles of drawings

 • Cloning drawings on the basis of cloning templates in the current model or in the cloning
template models. You can clone drawings in the Master Drawing Catalog and in the
Drawing List.
• You can increase the level of automation even more by applying detailed object level
settings to all of the above mentioned methods. When the level of automation increases,
the need for manual modifications decreases. We recommend that you put extra effort in
making the automated settings as effective as possible.
Click the links below to find out more:
• Drawing types on page 26
• Before creating drawings on page 46
• Creating general arrangement drawings on page 47
• Creating single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings on page 48
• Creating multidrawings on page 49
• Master Drawing Catalog on page 52
• Example: Creating cast unit drawings one by one on page 65
• Example: Creating assembly drawings from groups of similar parts on page 68
• Example - Creating a new rule set and drawings for all parts on page 71
• Cloning drawings on page 93
• Creating multiple drawing sheets of the same part on page 76
• Modifying and saving automatic drawing properties before creating drawings on page
325

2.1 Drawing types

You can create many types of drawings in Tekla Structures according to your needs.
Click the links below to find out more:
• General arrangement drawings on page 26
• Single-part drawings on page 34
• Assembly drawings on page 39
• Cast unit drawings on page 42
• Multidrawings on page 45

Creating drawings 26 Drawing types

General arrangement drawings
Create general arrangement (GA) drawings when you need
• Several views in one drawing, including the entire model or a part of it
• Plan drawings (foundation, floor, deck layout, and anchor bolt plans)
• Erection elevation drawings
• Information from model views, including 3D views
General arrangement drawings show the model from the most suitable direction. For
example, in plan drawings, you are looking from the top of a building or floor down towards
the ground. In elevation drawings you are looking from one of the sides of the building, like
along a grid line. General arrangement drawings often contain enlarged views of complex
areas or details, and other additional information that helps in the approval process and
during the installation phase.
You can create general arrangement drawings using menu, toolbar or pop-up menu
commands, or in the Master Drawing Catalog.

See also
Drawing types on page 26
Example: Foundation plan on page 27
Example: Slab plan on page 28
Example: Framing plan on page 29
Example: Deck plan on page 30
Example: Erection elevation drawing on page 31
Example: 3D isometric drawing on page 32
Example: Anchor bolt plan on page 33
Master Drawing Catalog on page 52
Creating general arrangement drawings on page 47
Creating general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog on
page 59

Creating drawings 27 Drawing types

Example: Foundation plan

See below for an example of a foundation plan.

See also
General arrangement drawings on page 26

Creating drawings 28 Drawing types

Example: Slab plan

See below for an example of a slab plan.

See also
General arrangement drawings on page 26

Creating drawings 29 Drawing types

Example: Framing plan

See below for an example of a basement level framing plan.

See also
General arrangement drawings on page 26

Creating drawings 30 Drawing types

Example: Deck plan

See below for an example of a deck plan.

See also
General arrangement drawings on page 26

Creating drawings 31 Drawing types

Example: Erection elevation drawing

See below for an example of an elevation erection elevation drawing.

See also
General arrangement drawings on page 26

Creating drawings 32 Drawing types

Example: 3D isometric drawing

See below for an example of an isometric drawing.

See also
General arrangement drawings on page 26

Creating drawings 33 Drawing types

Example: Anchor bolt plan
See below for an example of an anchor bolt plan.

See also
General arrangement drawings on page 26

Single-part drawings
Single-part drawings are workshop drawings that show the fabrication information for one
part (usually without welds).
Single-part drawings usually use small sheet sizes, for example, A4 or imperial standard size
8.5" x 11.5".
You can create single-part drawings using menu, toolbar and pop-up menu commands, or in
the Master Drawing Catalog.

See also
Drawing types on page 26
Example: Anchor bolt on page 35
Example: Embed on page 35
Example: Plate on page 36
Master Drawing Catalog on page 52

Creating drawings 34 Drawing types

Creating single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings on page 48
Creating single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing
Catalog on page 64
Creating drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master Drawing Catalog on page 70

Example: Anchor bolt

See below for an example of a single-part drawing presenting an anchor bolt.

See also
Single-part drawings on page 34

Creating drawings 35 Drawing types

Example: Embed

See below for an example of a single-part drawing presenting an embed.

See also
Single-part drawings on page 34

Creating drawings 36 Drawing types

Example: Plate

See below for examples of single-part drawings presenting plates.

Creating drawings 37 Drawing types

Creating drawings 38 Drawing types
See also
Single-part drawings on page 34

Creating drawings 39 Drawing types

Assembly drawings
Assembly drawings are typically workshop drawings showing fabrication information for one
assembly. In most cases, an assembly consists of a main part and secondary parts. The
secondary parts are either welded or bolted to a main part.
Assembly drawings usually use larger sheet sizes than single-part drawings, for example, A3
or imperial standard size 11" x 17".

See also
Drawing types on page 26
Example: Beam on page 40
Example: Stairs on page 41
Example: Rail on page 41
Creating single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings on page 48
Creating single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing
Catalog on page 64
Creating drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master Drawing Catalog on page 70

Example: Beam

See below for an example of an assembly drawing presenting a beam assembly.

See also
Assembly drawings on page 39

Creating drawings 40 Drawing types

Example: Stairs

See below for an assembly drawing presenting stairs.

See also
Assembly drawings on page 39

Creating drawings 41 Drawing types

Example: Rail

See below for an example of a rail assembly drawing.

See also
Assembly drawings on page 39

Cast unit drawings

Cast unit drawings are dimensional, formwork, or reinforcement drawings used in concrete
design and construction. They show cast-in embeds, edge chamfers, and hard and soft
insulation.
You can only create cast unit drawings of concrete parts and cast-in embeds (steel parts or
assemblies added to a cast unit). Cast unit drawings also show the bolts and welds in steel
parts. Edge chamfers can also be shown. The volume and weight information of the cast unit
remains accurate even if there are cuts inside the cast unit.
Cast units have the cast unit type part property - they are set either Cast in place or Precast.
It is important to use the correct cast unit type, because some functionalities, for example
numbering and continous concrete are based partly on the cast unit type. In the Cast in Place
configuration, you can create cast unit drawings of cast-in-place cast units only.
Cast unit drawings that show cast-in-place concrete structures usually use large sheet sizes,
for example, A1 or imperial standard size 24" x 36". Drawings that show precast structures
usually use smaller sheet sizes, for example, A3 or imperial standard size 11" x 17".

Creating drawings 42 Drawing types

See also
Drawing types on page 26
Example: Beam on page 43
Example: Column on page 43
Example: Stairs on page 44
Creating single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings on page 48
Creating single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing
Catalog on page 64
Creating drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master Drawing Catalog on page 70
Pours in drawings on page 236
Showing pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in drawings on page 238

Example: Beam

See below for an example of a combined form and reinforcing bar drawing of an inverted tee
beam.

See also
Cast unit drawings on page 42

Creating drawings 43 Drawing types

Example: Column

See below for an example of a combined form and reinforcing bar drawing of an exterior
column with no corbels or plats for beams.

See also
Cast unit drawings on page 42

Creating drawings 44 Drawing types

Example: Stairs

See below for an example of a combined form and reinforcing bar drawing of stairs with
landings.

See also
Cast unit drawings on page 42

Multidrawings
Multidrawings are workshop drawings that gather several single-part or assembly drawings
on one sheet.
Create multidrawings when you want to:
• Have more than one assembly on a sheet
• Collect multiple single-part drawings on a large sheet
Multidrawings usually demand large sheet sizes such as A1 or imperial standard size 24" x
36".
Below is an example of a multidrawing with several assemblies included.

Creating drawings 45 Drawing types

 See also
Drawing types on page 26
Creating multidrawings on page 49

2.2 Before creating drawings

The list below contains some things that you may need to do before you create or clone
drawings in Tekla Structures:

• The model needs to be numbered. If the model changes, the numbering needs to be
updated. This applies to assembly, single-part, cast unit and multidrawings only; model
does not need to be numbered before creating general arrangement drawings. Numbering
ensures that Tekla Structures connects the right objects to the right drawings. If you try
to create drawings without numbering the model, Tekla Structures prompts you to do so.
You can also number general arrangement drawings, because then parts and marks will
have numbers instead of question marks if you have included part position in part marks.
• Check that the piece is detailed correctly.
• You may want to create test drawings of different types of parts to see how well the
predefined drawing properties, layouts, rule sets (wizards) or cloning templates suit your
needs.

Creating drawings 46 Before creating drawings

 • You may want to modify drawing properties, layouts, or rule sets and save the modified
settings for future usage. If you are going to use a drawing as a cloning template, check
that it contains all the necessary elements for this purpose.

See also
Creating drawings on page 25
Modifying drawing settings on page 320

2.3 Creating general arrangement drawings

Before you create general arrangement drawings, create the model views that you need and
ensure that the views are as you want them to be in drawings. The drawing views will have
the same orientation and content as the model view you select. Fit work area using two
points to select the area that you want to show in the general arrangement drawing.

NOTE General arrangement drawings get overwritten if you recreate them. If you want to
create another general arrangement drawing of the same model view, give another
name to the drawing in drawing properties.

To create general arrangement drawings:

1. Create the model views you need.
If you want to switch between 3D view and plane view in the created view, press Ctrl+P.
2. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> General Arrangement Drawing...
and select the appropriate predefined drawing properties (saved settings) from the list,
and then click Load.
Always load predefined properties when you are creating a drawing. When you need to
modify drawing properties, save the new changes to the properties file when necessary.
3. If needed, modify drawing properties and, if necessary, apply object-level settings.
4. Click Apply or OK.
5. Click Drawings & Reports --> Create General Arrangement Drawing , or the
corresponding toolbar command.
Alternatively, you can select the model views from the model (selected views get a red
frame), right-click and select Create General Arrangement Drawing from the pop-up
menu.
6. If you have not selected the views yet, select them from the displayed list.
You can use the Shift and Ctrl buttons for selecting several views.
7. In the Options list, select if you want to create one drawing for each selected view or
add all selected views in one drawing.

Creating drawings 47 Creating general arrangement drawings

 TIP By selecting Empty, you can create an empty drawing and add drawing views in it
afterwards.

8. If you want to open the created drawings, select Open drawing.

9. Click Create.

Tekla Structures creates the drawings and adds them in the Drawing List.

See also
Modifying drawing settings on page 320
General arrangement drawings on page 26
Creating general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog on
page 59
Creating views
General arrangement drawing properties on page 544
Pours in drawings on page 236

2.4 Creating single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings

Cast units have the cast unit type part property setting in the model - they are set either
Cast in place or Precast. It is important to use the correct cast unit type, because some
functionalities, for example numbering, are based on the cast unit type. In the Cast in Place
configuration, you can create cast unit drawings of cast-in-place cast units only.
To create single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. In the drawing properties dialog box, load the appropriate predefined drawing properties
(saved settings).
Always load predefined properties when you are creating a drawing. When you need to
modify drawing properties, save the changes to a new properties file when necessary.
Ensure that for cast unit drawings, you use a property file that contains the desired Cast
unit creation method:
• By cast unit position: A drawing will be created from each cast unit. If there are
identical cast units, one of them will serve as the base cast unit for the drawing. This
is the most common method for creating cast unit drawings.
• By cast unit ID: Each part in the model includes a unique ID number. You can create
drawings by using cast unit ID numbers. The ID number determines the marking of
the drawing. You can create several drawings from identical cast units.

Creating drawings 48 Creating single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings

3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
If you do not have any views defined yet, first add the views and then select the view
properties for the views.
4. If needed, modify the view properties including view, building object, dimensioning and
mark settings and apply detailed object-level settings.
5. Click Save to save the view properties.
6. Click OK to return to drawing properties.
7. Click Apply or OK.
8. Select the objects, or use an appropriate selection filter to select the objects you want to
create drawings from and select the entire model.
Activate only Select parts on the Select switches toolbar when selecting parts.
Otherwise selection could take a long time in large models.
9. Do one of the following:
• Click the desired drawing command on the Drawings & Reports menu.
• Click the corresponding toolbar command.
• If you selected individual objects, right-click and select the appropriate drawing
creation command from the pop-up menu.
If you press down Ctrl+Shift while you select the command from the pop-up menu,
Tekla Structures opens the created drawing.
10. Number the model if you are prompted to do so.

Tekla Structures creates the drawings. The created drawings are listed in the Drawing List. If
you already have a drawing with the same type and mark, Tekla Structures will not create a
new one.

TIP To automatically open any drawing after the drawing has been created, hold down Ctrl+Shift
while you create the drawing.

See also
Modifying drawing settings on page 320
Pours in drawings on page 236
Showing pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in drawings on page 238
Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties on page 548
View properties in drawings on page 551

Creating drawings 49 Creating multidrawings

2.5 Creating multidrawings
You can create multidrawings of selected parts and of selected drawings. You can also create
empty multidrawings and copy or link views in them from other drawings.
If you create multidrawings from existing drawings, you can choose to include their
individual drawing layouts. If you want to have separate lists, tables, and call-offs for each
part or assembly, you should include the individual drawing layouts. You can also include lists
and tables for all parts or assemblies in the multidrawing.
Before creating a multidrawing, check the original assembly or single-part drawing, and
clean it up, if necessary. Do not do the modifications in the multidrawing that links to the
original.
Before you start, you can set XS_MULTIDRAWING_REMOVE_VIEW_LABEL_GAP to
TRUE through Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options --> Drawing Properties to remove
extra space between drawing view labels and drawing views.

See also
Multidrawings on page 45
XS_MULTIDRAWING_REMOVE_VIEW_LABEL_GAP
Modifying drawing settings on page 320
Creating empty multidrawings and linking or copying views on page 50
Creating multidrawings of the selected drawings on page 51
Creating multidrawings of the selected parts on page 51

Creating empty multidrawings and linking or copying views

You can create empty multidrawings in which you can link or copy views in other drawings
with or without layout.
To create an empty multidrawing and link views:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Create Multidrawing --> Empty Drawing .
2. Open the empty multidrawing from the Drawing List.
3. From the Drawing List, select the drawings that you want to link to the multidrawing.
4. Click Views --> Add Views from Other Drawing and select one of the copying or linking
commands.
The views are placed in the multidrawing.
5. Arrange the views if they are on top of each other.

NOTE When you update multidrawings, also the linked drawings are updated.

Creating drawings 50 Creating multidrawings

What does XS_CREATE_CONNECTION_WHEN_COPYING DRAWING_VIEWS do?
For more information about this advanced option, click What does
XS_CREATE_CONNECTION_WHEN_COPYING DRAWING_VIEWS do?

See also
Creating multidrawings on page 49

Creating multidrawings of the selected drawings

You can create multidrawings of the drawings you select. You can also keep the layout of the
selected drawing in the new multidrawing.
To create a multidrawing of selected drawings:
1. Select the drawings from the Drawing List.
2. Click Drawings & Reports --> Create Multidrawing and select one of the following
commands:
• Selected Drawings: Create multidrawings of the selected drawings without the
drawing layout.
• Selected Drawings with Layout: Create multidrawings of the selected drawings,
keeping the layout of each selected drawing.

See also
Creating multidrawings on page 49

Creating multidrawings of the selected parts

Create single-part and assembly drawings of the parts that you select and place the drawings
in a multidrawing. You can also keep the layout of the selected single-part or assembly
drawings.
To create a multidrawing of selected parts:
1. Select the parts using appropriate selection filters.
2. Click Drawings & Reports --> Create Multidrawing and select one of the following
commands depending on the desired result:
• New Single-Part Drawings of Selected Parts: Create single-part drawings of the
selected parts and place the drawings in a multidrawing
• New Single-Part Drawings of Selected Parts with Layout: Create single-part
drawings of the selected part, keeping the layout of each drawing, and place the
drawings in a multidrawing.

Creating drawings 51 Creating multidrawings

 • New Assembly Drawings of Selected Parts: Create assembly drawings of the
selected parts and place the drawings in a multidrawing.
• New Assembly Drawings of Selected Parts with Layout: Create assembly drawings
of the selected parts, keeping the layout of each drawing, and place the drawings in a
multidrawing.

See also
Creating multidrawings on page 49

2.6 Master Drawing Catalog

The Master Drawing Catalog is a fast, efficient and controlled way of creating drawings
using master drawings. In the 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, saved settings and rule sets. You can also use the
existing AutoDrawings wizard files as master drawings.
The example below shows the search view of the Master Drawing Catalog as a thumbnail
list.

Creating drawings 52 Master Drawing Catalog

The Master Drawing Catalog has a toolbar containing commands for creating drawings,
selecting the view type and the master drawing list type, displaying master drawing
descriptions, selecting the models from which you want to use cloning templates, creating
rule sets, displaying the Drawing List, and for keeping the Master Drawing Catalog window
always on top.

Tekla Structures populates the catalog by looking for items in the Tekla Structures default
folder search order: first from the firm folder, then from the project folder, and then from the
system folder and so on. Cloning templates in the folder defined for the advanced option
XS_CLONING_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY are shown in the catalog.

See also
Creating drawings on page 25
Master drawing types on page 54
Searching for master drawings in Master Drawing Catalog on page 78
Customizing Master Drawing Catalog on page 79

Creating drawings 53 Master Drawing Catalog

XS_CLONING_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY
Folder search order

Master drawing types

The master drawing type you should use depends on the type of the drawing that you want
to create:
• You can create single-part drawings, assembly drawings or cast unit drawings using
saved settings, rule sets, or cloning templates.

• You can create general arrangement drawings using saved settings.

• You can create multidrawings using wizards (old file-based rule sets)

See also
Saved settings on page 55
Rule sets on page 57
Wizards on page 58
Cloning templates on page 54

Creating drawings 54 Master Drawing Catalog

Cloning templates

Cloning templates are Tekla Structures drawings that are used as templates for creating new
drawings. You can select a drawing from the Drawing List and add it to the Master Drawing
Catalog to be used as a template.
You can also use cloning templates that are located in other models. When you have similar
parts in several projects, you can maintain a set of cloning template models and then take
the cloning templates in the cloning template models in use when necessary.

See also
Master drawing types on page 54
Cloning drawings on page 93
Creating drawings using cloning templates in Master Drawing Catalog on page 94
Cloning by using cloning templates located in other models on page 95
Adding a cloning template on page 82

Saved settings
The saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog are drawing properties 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 also create your own in the drawing
properties dialog boxes.
Each drawing type has its own property files. Default saved settings are located in the
environment (..\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments
\<environment>\system). When you save your own settings, they are saved under the
current model directory.
Below some examples how the saved settings are show in the Master Drawing Catalog
dialog box.

Creating drawings 55 Master Drawing Catalog

Creating drawings 56 Master Drawing Catalog
See also
Master drawing types on page 54
Creating drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog on page 58

Rule sets

Rule sets are sets of rules on how to create drawings for different object types. A rule set is a
combination of object groups (model selection filters) and master drawing settings (cloning
templates, 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.
The order of sets is important, as Tekla Structures by default creates only one drawing for
each object. For example, a rule set creates an assembly drawing for an object that fulfills
the selection filter criteria in one set. Tekla Structures will not create another assembly
drawing for that object, even if it matches the criteria of the selection filter in later sets in
the same rule set file.

See also
Master drawing types on page 54

Creating drawings 57 Master Drawing Catalog

Creating drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master Drawing Catalog on page 70
Adding a rule set on page 80

Wizards

A wizard file is a file-based wizard consisting of several sets of drawing requests containing
drawing, attribute and part settings to apply to selected objects, as well as a selection filter.
The order of sets is important, as Tekla Structures by default creates only one drawing for
each object. You can edit the files in the Master Drawing Catalog. However, creating new
wizard files is not possible in the Master Drawing Catalog. Instead, you can create a rule
set, which is basically the same thing as a wizard: It applies drawing properties to objects
selected by filters, but in a dialog box, not in a text file like a wizard.

NOTE In the Master Drawing Catalog, the only way to create multidrawings is to use the
wizard files.

See also
Master drawing types on page 54
Creating drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master Drawing Catalog on page 70
Wizard file contents on page 86

Creating drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog

In Master Drawing Catalog, you can create single-part drawings, assembly drawings, cast
unit drawings and general arrangement drawings using saved settings (drawing property
files). You can edit the drawing properties of saved settings and apply object level settings.

See also
Applying detailed object level settings in saved settings on page 58
Creating single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing
Catalog on page 64
Creating general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog on
page 59
Adding saved settings on page 79

Applying detailed object level settings in saved settings

You can apply drawing object level settings in the drawings that you create in Master
Drawing Catalog for the saved settings type of master drawings. This way you can use the
same saved settings for many drawings and only apply some specific object level settings at

Creating drawings 58 Master Drawing Catalog

the point when you create the drawing, for example, use different kind of marks or change
the reinforcement color.
To apply detailed object level settings in saved settings for a general arrangement drawing:
1. In the Master Drawing Catalog, double-click the saved setting you want to use for
creating drawings.
2. In the Master Drawing Properties dialog box, click Edit drawing properties

3. Click the toggle button at the bottom to empty the check boxes.
4. In the Drawing Properties dialog box, select only the Use detailed object level settings
check box and ensure that the Yes button next to it is selected.
5. Click Edit settings.
6. Select the filter to be used, the drawing object type and the drawing object property file
to be used.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Save on the top of the dialog box to save the changes in the saved settings file
(property file).
9. Click OK in the Master Drawing Properties dialog box.
10. Create the drawings.

NOTE In single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings, you need to go from the Drawing Properties
dialog box further to the view properties of the view where you want apply detailed object
level settings.

See also
Modifying properties of saved settings on page 84
Creating detailed object level settings in a general arrangement drawing on page 331
Example: Applying detailed object level settings on drawing level on page 332
Creating detailed object level settings in cast unit drawings on page 335
Example: Applying detailed object level settings on view level in a cast unit drawing on page
336

Creating general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master

Drawing Catalog
Before you create general arrangement drawings, create the model views that you need and
ensure that the views are as you want them to be. The drawing views will have the same

Creating drawings 59 Master Drawing Catalog

orientation and content as the model view you select. Fit work area using two points to
select the area that you want to show in the general arrangement drawing.
To create general arrangement drawings using saved settings:
1. In the model, click Drawings & Reports --> Create Drawings .
2. Select the set of saved settings (drawing properties file) from the list.
3. If needed, modify the drawing properties by double-clicking the saved setting and
clicking Edit drawing properties.
Remember to save the changes in the properties file.
4. Click Create drawings (Alt+C).
5. In the Create General Arrangement Drawing dialog box, select the views that you want
to create and the desired option from the Options list.
If you select Empty, you can create an empty drawing and add drawing views in it
afterwards.
6. Click Create to create the drawings.

Tekla Structures creates the drawings and adds them in the Drawing List. Click in the
Master Drawing Catalog toolbar to open the Drawing List.

NOTE General arrangement drawings get overwritten if you recreate them. If you want to create
another general arrangement drawing of the same model view, give another name to the new
drawing in drawing properties.

For more information about creating cast in place general arrangement drawings, see Pours
in drawings on page 236

See also
Saved settings on page 55
Creating drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog on page 58
Creating general arrangement drawings on page 47

Creating anchor bolt plans using saved settings

Anchor bolt plans are general arrangement drawings showing the anchor bolt layout. You can
create anchor bolt plans in Master Drawing Catalog or using menu, pop-up menu and
toolbar commands. Here we will create an anchor bolt plan using the Master Drawing
Catalog.

WARNING Define the drawing as an anchor bolt plan when you are creating the drawing.
You cannot convert a general arrangement drawing to an anchor bolt plan
afterwards.

Creating drawings 60 Master Drawing Catalog

Before creating the anchor bolt plan, create a model view that is in the xy-plane.
To create an anchor bolt plan:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Create Drawings .
2. Double-click a saved setting that has been created for anchor bolt plans, for example,
anchor_bolt_plan.
3. Open the General Arrangement Drawing Properties dialog box by clicking Edit drawing
properties.
4. Click View.
5. Click the Anchor bolt plan tab and ensure that the option Show as anchor bolt plan is
set to Yes.
6. Modify the enlarged part view scale, if necessary.
7. If needed, set the option Create detail views to Yes to create separate detail views.
If you select No, Tekla Structures dimensions the anchor bolts in the enlarged view. Tekla
Structures groups similar detail views so that similar details are drawn only once.
8. Set the Detail view scale.
9. Click Save to save the changes in the saved settings file (drawing properties file).
10. Click OK to close the Master Drawing Catalog Properties dialog box.
11. Select Create drawings.
12. In the Create General Arrangement Drawing dialog box, click Create.
13. Select one view in the xy-plane.
If you select some other type of view or several views, Tekla Structures displays a warning
message and the anchor bolt plan is not created.
14. Click Create.
Tekla Structures creates the anchor bolt plan.
Tekla Structures creates the bolt dimensions in an anchor bolt plan in the directions of
the bolt group coordinate system. If the angle between the bolt group and the view
coordinate systems is not orthogonal, Tekla Structures adds angle dimensions to the
detail view. Use the advanced option
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_USE_VIEW_COORDSYS_FOR_BOLT_DIMENSIONS
to create the dimensions in the x and y directions of the main view.
When details are compared, the following aspects are taken into account:
• bolt dimensions
• column profile
• column orientation (coordinate system)
• plate profile

Creating drawings 61 Master Drawing Catalog

TIP In the final drawing, check that the Ghost Outline is selected and Drawing Color
Mode is set to Color in Tools --> Options . In color drawings with white background,
hidden objects are shown as ghost outlines, if this setting is selected. In gray scale and
black and white drawings, hidden objects are not shown even if Ghost Outline is
selected.

See also
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_USE_VIEW_COORDSYS_FOR_BOLT_DIMENSIONS
Saved settings on page 55
Objects included in the anchor bolt plan on page 62
Defining the anchor bolt plan parts using drawing filters on page 62
Including assemblies in anchor bolt plans on page 63
Example: Dimensions in anchor bolt plans on page 476
General arrangement drawing properties on page 544
View properties in drawings on page 551

Objects included in the anchor bolt plan

Tekla Structures selects the objects that are included in the anchor bolt plan based on the
following default rules:
• The part is a column or an almost vertical beam.
• The part is the main part of an assembly.
• A base plate is included in the assembly, and it is located lower than the main part. If
there is more than one part in the column assembly that fulfills the rules, the lowest part
of them is considered to be the base plate.
• Bolts are attached to the base plate.
• The assembly is cut by the view plane.
• The boundary box of the base plate in the xy-direction intersects the boundary box of the
column.

See also
Creating anchor bolt plans using saved settings on page 60

Defining the anchor bolt plan parts using drawing filters

You can use general arrangement drawing filters and advanced options to define the parts to
be included in the anchor bolt plan.
To define the included parts using general arrangement drawing filters:

Creating drawings 62 Master Drawing Catalog

1. Create the necessary general arrangement drawing filters in the Filter Properties
subdialog box of the general arrangement drawing properties dialog box.
2. Click Tools > Options > Advanced Options > Drawing Properties.
3. Enter the following values for the following advanced options:
• XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_COLUMN_FILTER: <the name of the
drawing filter for columns>
• XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_BOLT_FILTER: <the name of the drawing
filter for bolts>
• XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_BASEPLATE_FILTER: <the name of the
drawing filter for base plates>
• XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_ADDITIONAL_PARTS_FILTER: <the name of
the drawing filter for additional parts>
If you do not use these advanced options, the default rules are used to determine columns,
baseplates, and anchor bolts to be included in the anchor bolt plan.

NOTE Using these advanced options only affects the creation of new anchor bolt plan
drawings, and do not affect the already created ones.

See also
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_BASEPLATE_FILTER
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_BOLT_FILTER
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_COLUMN_FILTER
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_ADDITIONAL_PARTS_FILTER
Creating drawing filters
Creating anchor bolt plans using saved settings on page 60

Including assemblies in anchor bolt plans

If you have anchor bolts at varying elevations, you can create the general arrangement
drawing at the level of the top-most base plate/anchor bolt. The anchor bolt plan view
extrema only looks downwards. If the lowest level anchor bolt is not shown, adjust the
advanced option XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_DRAWING_TOLERANCE.
To specify the distance:
1. Click Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options --> Drawing Properties .
2. Set a value for the advanced option
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_DRAWING_TOLERANCE.
Define the distance in millimeters. The default value is 200 mm.

Creating drawings 63 Master Drawing Catalog

See also
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_DRAWING_TOLERANCE
Creating anchor bolt plans on page 60

Creating single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved

settings in Master Drawing Catalog

NOTE • Cast units have the cast unit type part property setting in the model - they are
set either Cast in place or Precast. It is important to use the correct cast unit
type, because some functionalities, for example numbering, are based on the
cast unit type. In the Cast in Place configuration, you can create cast unit
drawings of cast-in-place cast units only.
• For prerequisites for and more information about creating cast in place cast unit
drawings, see Pours in drawings on page 236

To create single-part, assembly or cast unit 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 properties file) on the list.
For cast unit drawings, select a file that contains the desired Cast unit creation method:
• By cast unit position: A drawing will be created from each cast unit. If there are
identical cast units, one of them will serve as the base cast unit for the drawing. This
is the most common method for creating cast unit drawings.
• By cast unit ID: Each part in the model includes a unique ID number. You can create
drawings by using cast unit ID numbers. The ID number determines the marking of
the drawing. You can create several drawings from identicat cast units.
3. If needed, modify the drawing properties and, if necessary, apply object-level settings. To
do this, double-click the saved setting and click Edit drawing properties. Remember to
save your changes in the property file.
4. If you are creating a drawing only for selected objects, select the objects.
You can also use an appropriate selection filter and select the whole model. Activate only
the Select parts selection switch when you select objects, otherwise the selection may
take a long time.
5. Click Create drawings (Alt+C) or Create drawings for all parts (Alt+A).
6. Number the model if you are prompted to do so.

Creating drawings 64 Master Drawing Catalog

Tekla Structures creates the drawings and adds them in the Drawing List. Click the button in
the Master Drawing Catalog toolbar to open the Drawing List.

NOTE If you already have a drawing with the same type and mark, Tekla Structures will not create a
new one.

See also
Example: Creating cast unit drawings one by one on page 65
Example: Creating assembly drawings from groups of similar parts on page 68
Saved settings on page 55
Creating drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog on page 58
XS_DRAW_CAST_UNIT_INTERNAL_LINES
XS_DRAW_CAST_PHASE_INTERNAL_LINES

Example: Creating cast unit drawings one by one

In this example, you will create a drawing of a cast unit using saved settings called
Column_with_BOM.
To create a drawing of a cast unit:
1. In the model, right-click the concrete column and select Cast Unit --> Set Top in Form
Face , and select the cast unit face that will face upwards in the form.

Creating drawings 65 Master Drawing Catalog

 When you right-click the column and select Cast Unit --> Show Top in Form Face , the
selected face is shown red, see the image below.

The top-in-form face will be displayed in the front view of a drawing.

2. Still in the model, double-click the column and select Precast as the Cast unit type.
It is important to use the correct cast unit type, because some functionalities, for
example, numbering, are based on the cast unit type.
3. Select Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Cast Unit Drawing .
4. In the properties dialog box, load the appropriate predefined drawing properties (saved
settings). In this example, Column_with_BOM is loaded.
5. Ensure that the Column_with_BOM settings contain the desired Cast unit creation
method:
• By cast unit position: A drawing will be created from each cast unit. If there are
identical cast units, one of them will serve as the base cast unit for the drawing. This
is the most common method for creating cast unit drawings.
• By cast unit ID: Each part in the model has a unique ID number. You can create
drawings by using cast unit ID numbers. The ID number determines the marking of
the drawing. You can create several drawings from identical cast units.

Creating drawings 66 Master Drawing Catalog

6. If you made any changes in Column_with_BOM, save the changes and close the dialog
box.
7. Select the column in the model.
8. Click Drawings & Reports --> Create Drawings.
9. Select the saved settings Column_with_BOM (C) under Cast-unit drawings.

10. Click Create drawings.

Tekla Structures creates the drawing.

You can open the Drawing List by clicking the Drawing List button on the toolbar
and open the drawing to view it.

Creating drawings 67 Master Drawing Catalog

See also
Creating single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing
Catalog on page 64

Example: Creating assembly drawings from groups of similar parts

Creating drawings one by one may take a lot of time. You can automate the creation process
a bit more by selecting groups of items and then create the drawings. For example, you can
define the needed properties for the beams and then run all the beam drawings at once by
using the Tekla Structures model selection filters. In this example, you are going to use saved
settings named Beam_with_BOM and create assembly drawings from all beams.
To create assembly drawings in groups:
1. Define a selection filter that selects only one type of items, in this case beams.
a. Click Edit --> Selection Filter in the model.
b. Create a selection filter that selects all objects named BEAM and save it using the
name BEAM.

Creating drawings 68 Master Drawing Catalog

2. Activate the BEAM filter from the list of selection filters and use area selection to select
all beams in the model.

3. Open the Master Drawing Catalog by clicking Drawings & Reports --> Create
Drawings .
4. Under Assembly drawings, select the saved settings master drawing. In this example,
Beam_with_BOM (A) is selected.
5. Click Create drawings.

Creating drawings 69 Master Drawing Catalog

 Tekla Structures creates the beam assembly drawings.

See also
Creating single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing
Catalog on page 64

Creating drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master Drawing Catalog

In the Master Drawing Catalog, you can create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings
using rule sets, and multidrawings using wizards. You can use the file-based wizards, use the
existing rule sets or create your own.
To create drawings using a rule set or wizard:
1. In the model, click Drawings & Reports --> Create Drawings .
2. Select a rule set or a wizard file from the list.
3. If needed, modify rule set properties or wizard file contents by double-clicking the rule
set or wizard.
4. If needed, edit the drawing properties of the master drawing connected to the rule set. To
do this double-click the rule set, select the master drawing from the list and click
Properties --> Edit drawing properties . Remember to save your changes.
5. Select the whole model or desired parts.
6. Do one of the following:
• If you selected parts, click. Create drawings (Alt+C).
• If you selected the whole model, click Create drawings for all parts (Alt+A).
7. Number the model if prompted to do so.

Creating drawings 70 Master Drawing Catalog

Tekla Structures creates the drawings and adds them in the Drawing List. Click the drawing
list icon on the Master Drawing Catalog toolbar to open the Drawing List.

NOTE If you already have a drawing with the same type and mark, Tekla Structures will not create a
new one.

Limitations
• In the Master Drawing Catalog, you can create multidrawings only by using the wizards.
You cannot create rule sets for multidrawings.
• You cannot create general arrangement drawings in the Master Drawing Catalog using
rule sets or wizards. General arrangement drawings can only be created using saved
settings.

See also
Rule sets on page 57
Wizards on page 58
Master Drawing Catalog on page 52
Adding a rule set on page 80
Example - Creating a new rule set and drawings for all parts on page 71

Example - Creating a new rule set and drawings for all parts
The following example will go through creating a basic rule set that will create assembly and
single part drawings based on the names of the parts in the model.
The model used here is a very simple model consisting of two columns with a beam in
between, base plates and end plates. The parts are named BEAM, COLUMN and PLATE.
Before setting up a rule set in the Master Drawing Catalog, you need to have some saved
settings (drawing properties) and some selection filters that link the drawing properties to
the parts in the model.

Creating selection filters

You need to have filters that select the beams, columns and plates.
To create the selection filters:
1. In the model, select Edit --> Selection Filter .

Creating drawings 71 Master Drawing Catalog

2. Click Add row and add a selection filter for the beams as shown below, saving it as
DRAWING_BEAM.

3. In the same way, create selection filters for columns and plates, saving them as
DRAWING_COLUMN and DRAWING_PLATE.
The new filters are displayed in the selection filter list.

Creating drawings 72 Master Drawing Catalog

4. Close the Selection Filter dialog box by clicking Cancel.
The new filters will be saved in the model folder. If necessary, copy them to the necessary
folders, for example, to the firm or project folders.

Creating saved settings (drawing properties)

Next you need to modify the drawing properties and save them so that they are displayed as
saved settings in the Master Drawing Catalog. The saved settings are created separately for
single-part drawings and assembly drawings.
To create saved settings:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Assembly Drawing and create
properties for a beam and a column drawing.
2. Give a descriptive name for the drawing in the Name box, for example, BEAM for the
beam properties and COLUMN for the column properties.
3. Save the properties as DRAWING_BEAM and DRAWING_COLUMN.
4. Click Drawings & ReportsDrawing SettingsSingle-part Drawing and create some
single-part drawing settings for a beam shaft, column shaft and plates.

Creating drawings 73 Master Drawing Catalog

5. Give a descriptive name for the drawing in the Name box, for example, BEAM SHAFT for
the beam shaft properties, COLUMN SHAFT for the column shaft properties and PLATE
for the plate properties.
6. Save the settings as DRAWING_BEAM_SHAFT, DRAWING_PLATES and
DRAWING_COLUMN_SHAFT.

Creating a rule set

Now that you have created the necessary selection filters and saved settings, you can create
a rule set that automatically creates single-part and assembly drawings for beams, columns
and plates.
To create a rule set:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Create Drawings .

2. Click Define rule set icon on the toolbar.

3. In the Define Rules for Creating Drawings dialog box, select the drawing types you
want to create with the rule set and click Next.
In this example, select Single-part drawings and Assembly drawings.

4. In the Define Rules - Single-part Drawings dialog box, click Add group and select the
filters and the corresponding single-part drawing saved settings.
5. Under Object group select the three new filters, and under Master drawing, select the
three new saved settings.
The (S) after the master drawing name indicates that its type is saved setting.

6. Click Next.

Creating drawings 74 Master Drawing Catalog

7. In the Define Rules - Assembly Drawings dialog box, click Add group and select the
filters and the corresponding assembly drawing saved settings.
8. Under Object group select the two new filters, and under Master drawing, select the
two new saved settings.

9. Click Next.
10. Give the rule set a name (Rule Set: Column+Beam+Plate), description and keywords.
11. Use Browse next to Preview image and add a sample image for the master drawing.
12. Click Finish when you are done.

Creating all drawings using the rule set

Now you can create drawings using the new rule set.

Creating drawings 75 Master Drawing Catalog

To create the drawings:
1. In the Master Drawing Catalog Search view, enter your search criteria in the box next
to the Search button and click the button.
In this example, column beam plate is entered. Tekla Structures finds the newly
created rule set.
2. Right-click the rule set and select Create drawings for all parts.
Tekla Structures starts creating the drawings. When the drawings have been created, the
following message is displayed pointing to the Drawing List icon on the toolbar: "6
drawings created. Open the Drawing List to see the results". This is a correct amount of
drawings.
3. To check which drawings have been created, click the Drawing List toolbar icon.

See also
Creating single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing
Catalog on page 64

Creating multiple drawing sheets of the same part

You can create several drawings from the same part as multiple drawing sheets. The number
of sheets is not limited, and each drawing can have its own properties. This is useful when
you need extra sheets for details and section views, and especially when you want to have
several drawings of an assembly with different presentation options: one with a large 3D
image of the assembly, one with additional section views, and one where only certain parts
or sub-assemblies of the assembly are marked and dimensioned.
You can create multiple drawing sheets of the same part in the Master Drawing Catalog
using rule sets or wizards, or using the drawing properties dialog box.

See also
Creating drawings on page 25
Creating multiple drawing sheets using wizards on page 76
Creating multiple drawing sheets using drawing properties on page 77
Copying a drawing to a new sheet on page 102

Creating drawings 76 Master Drawing Catalog

Creating multiple drawing sheets using wizards

Before you start, ensure that you have created drawing property files (saved settings) for
creating multiple sheets for the same part, each file containing the desired settings for a
specific purpose and individual sheet numbers.
To create several drawing sheets of the same part using drawing wizards in the Master
Drawing Catalog:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Create Drawings to open the Create Drawings - Master
Drawing Catalog dialog box.
2. Double-click the desired wizard file in the list to open the Master Drawing Properties
dialog box.
3. Click Edit drawing properties to open the wizard file.
4. In the file, give the names of the drawing properties files that you want to use to create
the multiple drawing sheets.
Give the file names in parenthesis on the set_drawing_attributes row as shown
below:
set_drawing_type(cast_unit)
set_drawing_attributes(sheet1, sheet2, sheet3)
set_filter(column_filter)
create_drawings()
5. Save the wizard file with a new name.
6. In the model, select the parts you want to create the drawings from.
7. Click the newly created wizard file in the Master Drawing Catalog and click Create
Drawings. Tekla Structures creates the drawings.

See also
Creating multiple drawing sheets of the same part on page 76
Wizards on page 58
Wizard file contents on page 86

Creating multiple drawing sheets using drawing properties

To create multiple drawing sheets through the drawing properties dialog box:
1. Open the drawing properties dialog box by double-clicking the background of an open
drawing.
2. Adjust the drawing properties and change the name so that it refers to the type of
drawing you want to create, for example, FRAME 3D.
Do not touch the Sheet number.

Creating drawings 77 Master Drawing Catalog

3. Click Apply to keep the changes and leave the dialog box open.
4. Create a drawing of the object by selecting the appropriate command from the Drawings
& Reports menu.
5. In the drawing properties dialog box, adjust the drawing properties again and change the
name to match the type of the new drawing, for example, FRAME FRONT.
6. Change the sheet number in the Sheet number box to get another drawing of the same
assembly with a different sheet number.
7. Click Apply and create a new drawing of the same object with different properties.
8. Continue making all the sheets you need in the same way as in steps 5 - 7.

Example
An example how the Drawing List shows the multiple drawings:

See also
Creating multiple drawing sheets of the same part on page 76

Searching for master drawings in Master Drawing Catalog

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.

TIP 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.

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.

Creating drawings 78 Master Drawing Catalog

See also
Master Drawing Catalog on page 52
Modifying master drawing properties on page 83

Customizing Master Drawing Catalog

You can customize the Master Drawing Catalog according to your needs. Keeping the
Master Drawing Catalog up to date and well organized is essential if you want to create
drawings fast and efficiently. Having good master drawings saves time and effort. Add only
the necessary master drawings, remove obsolete ones, organize the master drawings in
folders, add proper preview images, and keep the properties, descriptions and keywords up to
date.

See also
Adding master drawings in Master Drawing Catalog on page 79
Removing master drawings from the Master Drawing Catalog on page 82
Modifying master drawing properties on page 83
Managing Master Drawing Catalog folders on page 88
Adding sample and thumbnail images to master drawings on page 92
Master Drawing Catalog on page 52
Sample images of drawings on page 91

Adding master drawings in Master Drawing Catalog

Depending on your environment, the Master Drawing Catalog usually contains some master
drawings when you start using it, at least the predefined saved settings (drawing property
files) are displayed there. You can also add new saved settings, rule sets and cloning
templates.

See also
Adding saved settings on page 79
Adding a rule set on page 80
Adding a cloning template on page 82

Creating drawings 79 Master Drawing Catalog

Adding saved settings

All predefined drawing properties files are shown as saved settings in the Master Drawing
Catalog. When you save a new drawing properties file, Tekla Structures shows it in the
Master Drawing Catalog.
To add saved settings to the Master Drawing Catalog:
1. Modify the drawing properties in the Single-part Drawing Properties, Cast Unit
Drawing Properties, Assembly Drawing Properties or General Arrangement Drawing
Properties dialog box.
2. Give a name to the property file in the box next to the Save as button and click Save as.
The new property file is automatically added to the 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 sample image,
and enter a description and keywords.

See also
Adding master drawings in Master Drawing Catalog on page 79
Saved settings on page 55
Adding sample and thumbnail images to master drawings on page 92
Creating drawings using saved settings in Master Drawing Catalog on page 58

Adding a rule set

To add a rule set in the Master Drawing Catalog:

1. Click the Add rule set toolbar command button .

2. In the Define Rules for Creating Drawings dialog box, select the drawing types you
want to create with the rule set.
You can select several drawing types with the same rule set. For example, you can use
the same rule set to create single-part drawings and assembly drawings.
3. Click Next.

Creating drawings 80 Master Drawing Catalog

4. In the next dialog box, click Add group and select the object groups for which you want
to create drawings, and a master drawing for each group.
Only those master drawing types are listed that can be used for the drawing types that
you selected in the previous dialog box. Saved settings are marked with an S and cloning
templates with T.

You can use the buttons in the dialog box to do the following:
• Use Move up and Move down to move a rule upwards and downwards in the list.
If a rule that is higher in the list creates a drawing of an object, another rule lower in
the list that would create a drawing of the same object will not do it again.
• Use Properties to view or modify the properties of a master drawing that you have
selected in the list.
• Use Preview to display a sample image of the selected master drawing.
5. Click Next.
6. If you have selected several drawing types, repeat steps 4 and 5 for all drawing types that
you have selected.
7. Modify master drawing properties of the rule set: give a name to the rule set, add a
sample image, and enter a description and keywords.
8. Click Finish. The rule set is added in the Master Drawing Catalog.

Creating drawings 81 Master Drawing Catalog

See also
Adding master drawings in Master Drawing Catalog on page 79
Rule sets on page 57
Creating drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master Drawing Catalog on page 70
Adding sample and thumbnail images to master drawings on page 92
Example - Creating a new rule set and drawings for all parts on page 71

Adding a cloning template

You can add drawings in the Master Drawing Catalog from the Drawing List.
Before you add a cloning template in the Master Drawing Catalog, create a drawing with
the desired properties and contents and save it.
Limitations: You cannot add general arrangement drawings or multidrawings to the Master
Drawing Catalog from the Drawing List. You can clone general arrangement drawings using
the Clone command in the Drawing List dialog box.
To add a new cloning template:
1. Open the Drawing List by clicking Drawings & Reports --> Drawing List .
2. Select the drawing, right-click and select Add to Master Drawing Catalog (Ctrl + M).
3. Modify the master drawing properties of the cloning template. On the General tab, enter
a name for the cloning template, and a short description and keywords.
4. Tekla Structures adds a preliminary thumbnail image for the cloning template. If
necessary, click Change Image and browse for a new image. The same image will then be
displayed when you right-click the thumbnail and select Preview.
5. Go to the Drawing creation tab and specify how dimensions and marks are created, and
select the objects to be cloned from the master drawing.
6. Click OK.

The new cloning template is added in the Master Drawing Catalog. The icon is
displayed in the Master column of the Drawing List next to the drawing you added.

See also
Adding master drawings in Master Drawing Catalog on page 79
Cloning templates on page 54
Creating drawings using cloning templates in Master Drawing Catalog on page 94
Adding sample and thumbnail images to master drawings on page 92

Creating drawings 82 Master Drawing Catalog

Removing master drawings from the Master Drawing Catalog

Limitations: 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.
To remove master drawings from the Master Drawing Catalog:
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.

See also
Customizing Master Drawing Catalog on page 79

Modifying master drawing properties

Each master drawing in the Master Drawing Catalog has its own properties. You can search
for master drawings based on the master drawing name, description and keywords. A sample
image can also be added for each master drawing (Change image button). The sample image
is also shown as a thumbnail in the thumbnail view of the Master Drawing Catalog. You can
access drawing properties (Edit drawing properties button) and you can, for example, apply
object level settings.

TIP 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.

Creating drawings 83 Master Drawing Catalog

See also
Adding sample and thumbnail images to master drawings on page 92
Modifying rule set properties on page 85
Modifying properties of saved settings on page 84
Modifying properties and contents of wizard files on page 85
Wizard file contents on page 86
Modifying cloning template properties on page 87
Master Drawing Catalog on page 52
Customizing Master Drawing Catalog on page 79

Modifying properties of saved settings

To modify the master drawing properties of saved settings:

1. In the Master Drawing Catalog, double-click a master drawing of the desired type.
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 sample image, click Change image and select the image. You can
use.bmp,.jpg,.jpeg, or.png images. We recommend that you use.png images.

Creating drawings 84 Master Drawing Catalog

6. If needed, modify the drawing properties of the master drawing by clicking Edit drawing
properties... to display the drawing properties dialog box. This also allows you to apply
object level settings.
Edit the properties and save them. Ensure that you have the correct drawing property file
name at the top.
7. Click OK.

See also
Modifying master drawing properties on page 83
Applying detailed object level settings in saved settings on page 58
Saved settings on page 55

Modifying rule set properties

To modify the master drawing properties of rule sets:

1. In the Master Drawing Catalog, double-click a master drawing of the desired type.
2. In the Edit Rules dialog box, modify the drawing type selections if necessary.
3. Click Next.
4. Add or remove object groups and select the appropriate master drawing type.
5. Click Next and do the same for all the selected drawing types.
6. Modify the name of the drawing in the Name box.
7. Enter or modify the description of the master drawing.
You can search for master drawings based on the data you enter here.
8. Enter of modify keywords of the master drawing.
Use spaces between words. You can search master drawings on the basis of data you
enter here.
9. To add or change the sample image, click Change image and select the image.
You can use .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, or .png images. We recommend that you use .png
images.
The same image is used in the thumbnail view of the Master Drawing Catalog.
10. Click Save to save your changes.

See also
Modifying master drawing properties on page 83
Rule sets on page 57

Creating drawings 85 Master Drawing Catalog

Modifying properties and contents of wizard files

You can modify wizard files using a text editor through the Master Drawing Properties
dialog box. In previous versions of Tekla Structures, you could only edit and use wizard files
through the AutoDrawings dialog box.

To modify the master drawing properties of wizard files and the wizard file contents:
1. In the Master Drawing Catalog, double-click a wizard file.
2. Modify the name of the drawing in the Name box.
3. Enter or modify the description of the master drawing.
You can search for master drawings based on the data you enter here.
4. Enter of modify keywords of the master drawing.
Use spaces between words. You can search for master drawings based on the data you
enter here.
5. To add or change the sample image, click Change image and select the image.
You can use .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, or .png images. We recommend that you use .png
images.
The sample image will also be used as the thumbnail image of the master drawing in the
thumbnail view of the Master Drawing Catalog.
6. To edit the contents of the wizard file, click Edit drawing properties.
The wizard file is opened in a text editor. Modify the contents of the file, and save and
close it.
7. Click OK.

See also
Modifying master drawing properties on page 83
Wizards on page 58

Wizard file contents

Wizard files consist of the following entries. Notice the use of parentheses.
set_drawing_type(assembly)
This line defines the type of drawing the wizard creates. The drawing type appears in
parentheses. The options are:

Option Creates
single single-part drawings
assembly assembly drawings
multi_single single-part multidrawings

Creating drawings 86 Master Drawing Catalog

 Option Creates
multi_single_with_layout single-part multidrawings with layout
multi_assembly assembly multidrawings
multi_assembly_with_layout assembly multidrawings with layout
cast_unit cast unit drawings

set_drawing_attributes(column)
This line tells Tekla Structures which drawing properties to use when creating the drawings.
The name of the saved drawing properties appears in parentheses.
set_template_drawing
This line tells Tekla Structures to use the defined drawing as a template when creating a new
drawing. This line is used instead of the line set_drawing_attributes. The path and
the name of the drawing template are given in parenthesis like in the following example:
set_template_drawing("C:\TSModels\AngleModel":"[A.2]")
set_filter(column_filter)
This line tells Tekla Structures which selection filter to use to select the parts from which to
create drawings. The filter name appears in parentheses.
create_drawings()
Tekla Structures starts creating the drawings. This line should always appear immediately
after the lines set_drawing_type, set_drawing_attributes and
set_filter.

See also
Wizards on page 58
Creating drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master Drawing Catalog on page 70
Modifying properties and contents of wizard files on page 85

Modifying cloning template properties

To modify the master drawing properties of cloning templates:

1. In the Master Drawing Catalog, double-click a master drawing of the desired type.
2. Modify the name of the drawing in the Name box.
3. Enter or modify the description of the master drawing.
You can search for master drawings based on the data you enter here.
4. Enter of modify keywords of the master drawing.
Use spaces between words. You can search for master drawings based on the data you
enter here.
5. To add or change the sample image, click Change image and select the image.

Creating drawings 87 Master Drawing Catalog

 You can use .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, or .png images. We recommend that you use .png
images.
The sample image will also be used as the thumbnail image of the master drawing in the
thumbnail view of the Master Drawing Catalog.
6. Go to the Drawing creation tab.
a. For the Dimensions, Marks, and Marks for welds in model, define whether you want
to Clone them, recreate them automatically when you clone a drawing (Create) or
Ignore them in cloning.
b. Select the objects to be cloned from the master drawing: Drawing welds, Level
marks, DWG/DXF, Text files, Texts, Symbols, Graphics, and Hyperlinks).
7. Click OK.

See also
Modifying master drawing properties on page 83
Cloning templates on page 54
Creating drawings using cloning templates in Master Drawing Catalog on page 94

Managing Master Drawing Catalog folders

In the folder view of the Master Drawing Catalog you can manage the folders in the
following ways:
• Add new, rename, and delete folders
• Copy master drawings to another folder
• Delete master drawings from folders
• Change the folder location in the tree

Creating drawings 88 Master Drawing Catalog

NOTE Deleting master drawings from a folder or copying them to another folder in the
folder view 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.

See also
Example: Adding, renaming, and moving folders on page 89
Copying master drawings to another folder on page 90
Removing master drawings from a folder on page 91
Customizing Master Drawing Catalog on page 79

Creating drawings 89 Master Drawing Catalog

Example: Adding, renaming, and moving folders

This is an example of how you can add, rename and move folders Master Drawing Catalog:

1. In the Master Drawing Catalog, click the folder view button to go to the folder
view.
2. To add a folder: Right-click the tree area in the upper part of the folder view, select
Create new folder and enter a name for the new folder.
For example, enter PROJECT_XYZ.
3. To add a subfolder: Right-click folder, in this case PROJECT_XYZ, and select Create
new subfolder.
4. Enter a name for the folder.
For example, enter Site12.
5. Create another subfolder Site10 following the steps 3 - 4.
6. To rename a folder: Right-click the folder, select Rename (F2) and enter a new name.
For example, rename Site10 to Site11.
7. To move a folder upwards: Right-click the folder and select Move up. In this case, we
move Site11 one step up.

See also
Managing Master Drawing Catalog folders on page 88

Copying master drawings to another folder

To copy drawings to another folders:

1. In the Master Drawing Catalog, click the folder view button to go to the folder view.
2. Open the folder containing the master drawings that you want to copy to another folder,
and select the drawings.
3. Right-click and select Add to and then select the desired folder.

The master drawings are copied. They are not removed from the original folder.

TIP Use the following keys and key combinations for selecting drawings:
• Select all displayed drawings: Ctrl + A
• Select consecutive drawings: Click the first drawing, hold down Shift and select
the last drawing.

Creating drawings 90 Master Drawing Catalog

 • Select several drawings: Click the first drawing, hold down Ctrl and select the rest
of the drawings.

See also
Managing Master Drawing Catalog folders on page 88

Removing master drawings from a folder

You may want to remove master drawings from a folder in the folder view, for example, when
you have added the master drawings in another folder and do not need them in the original
folder anymore.
To remove drawings from a folder:

1. In the Master Drawing Catalog, click the folder view button to go to the folder view.
2. In the upper part of the folder view, click the folder from which you want to remove
drawings.
The master drawings in the folder are shown in the lower part of the view.
3. Select the master drawings to be deleted, right-click and select Remove from folder.

The master drawings are removed from the folder. The master drawings are not removed from
the catalog, just from the folder.

See also
Managing Master Drawing Catalog folders on page 88

Sample images of drawings

You can create sample or preview images of the drawings. These screenshots are saved by
default in the \drawings folder under the model folder as .png files.
The sample images can be viewed by selecting Preview from the master drawing's pop-up
menu. They can also be used as thumbnail images for master drawings in the Master
Drawing Catalog views. They can also be viewed through the Clone Drawings dialog box,
when you start cloning from the Drawing List.

See also
Creating sample images on page 91
Adding sample and thumbnail images to master drawings on page 92
Viewing sample images of drawing templates on page 93

Creating drawings 91 Master Drawing Catalog

Creating sample images

You may want to add a sample image for a master drawing in the Master Drawing Catalog.
Before you can create a sample image of a drawing, you must first create the drawing.
To create a sample image:
1. Open the drawing you want to use.
2. Clean up the drawing from unnecessary objects, for example, associativity symbols.
3. Click Tools > Create Preview Image.
The image is saved in the \drawings folder under the model folder in .png format
with the same name as the drawing.

See also
Sample images of drawings on page 91

Adding sample and thumbnail images to master drawings

Before you can add a sample image or a preview image to a master drawing, you must have
it somewhere ready.
The same image that you add as a sample image is used as the thumbnail image for the
particular master drawing in the Master Drawing Catalog.

NOTE Sample images are just samples, they are not real drawings, and they do not update
when the drawing changes.

To add a sample and thumbnail image to a master drawing in the Master Drawing Catalog:
1. Open the Master Drawing Catalog by clicking Drawings & Reports --> Create
Drawings .
2. Locate the desired master drawing and double-click it to open the Master Drawing
Properties dialog box.
3. Add the image you created:
• For the master drawings of the type saved settings, cloning templates, and wizard
files, click Change image and browse for the preview image. Click OK to save the
image as a sample image.
• For rule sets, click Next until you get to the page where you can add the preview
image. Click Browse and browse for the preview image. Click Save to save the image
as a sample image.
Now you can display the sample image by selecting the master drawing on the catalog
list, right-clicking and selecting Preview. The thumbnail image in the Master Drawing
Catalog thumbnail view is a smaller version of the same sample image.

Creating drawings 92 Master Drawing Catalog

 See also
Creating sample images on page 91
Sample images of drawings on page 91

Viewing sample images of drawing templates

You can create sample images of the drawing templates that you have in your template
library (model folder). You can later browse through the sample images easily through the
Clone Drawings dialog box, and quickly find the drawing template you are looking for. The
Clone Drawings dialog box is displayed when you are cloning through the Drawing List
using drawing templates in the template library.
To view preview images that you have created for drawing templates:
1. Open the Drawing List.
2. Open the Clone Drawing dialog box by clicking Clone in the Drawing List.
3. Select Other model and browse for the template library.
4. Click the Select template button to open the list of drawings that the selected model
has. On the list, there is a small icon in the Preview column if the drawing has a preview
image.

5. Double-click the drawing to open the sample image.

See also
Cloning using drawing templates in template library on page 103

2.7 Cloning drawings

You should consider cloning drawings when:
• There are several similar parts, assemblies, or cast units in the model.
• You want to ease editing work when there are several similar parts that have different
position numbers. You may have separate drawings of these similar parts.
• The drawings need a lot of manual editing
If cloning does not produce a satisfactory result, you need to modify the cloned drawing
manually. For example, you can create a drawing for one truss, modify the drawing, and then
clone it for similar trusses. Sometimes you need to modify the cloned drawings where the
trusses differ.

Creating drawings 93 Cloning drawings

The cloned drawing may contain more or less parts than the original drawing. Part properties,
marks, associative notes and related text objects are cloned from a similar part in the original
drawing.
You can clone drawings using the cloning templates added in the Master Drawing Catalog
in the existing model and in other models, using a drawing in the Drawing List, and using
the cloning templates in the template library.

See also
Creating drawings using cloning templates in Master Drawing Catalog on page 94
Cloning by using cloning templates located in other models on page 95
Cloning from the Drawing List on page 96
View-specific dimension cloning on page 99
Cloning using drawing templates in template library on page 103
Cloned objects on page 100
Checking and modifying cloned drawings on page 101
Refreshing drawing associativity on page 101
Creating drawings on page 25

Creating drawings using cloning templates in Master Drawing Catalog

In the Master Drawing Catalog, you can create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings
using cloning templates in the Master Drawing Catalog. You can add new cloning templates
from the Drawing List. Note that only the cloning templates located in the folder that is set
for the advanced option XS_CLONING_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY are displayed in the
Master Drawing Catalog.
Limitations:
• You cannot clone general arrangement drawings through the Master Drawing Catalog.
You can clone general arrangement drawings only by using the Clone command in the
Drawing List dialog box.
• You cannot clone multidrawings.
• The drawing properties of cloning templates cannot be modified through the Master
Drawing Catalog.
To create drawings using a cloning template:
1. In the model, click Drawings & Reports --> Create Drawings .
2. Double-click the cloning template that you want to use.
3. Go to the Drawing creation tab and specify how dimensions and marks are cloned.

Creating drawings 94 Cloning drawings

 You can select to ignore the dimensions and marks, clone them, or recreate them.
The Marks option controls revision marks and all marks for model objects.

TIP 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.

4. On the same tab, select which object types you want to clone.
5. If you want to create a drawing only for certain parts, select the parts from the model.
You can also use an appropriate selection filter and select the whole model. Activate only
the Select parts selection switch when you select objects, otherwise the selection may
take a long time.
6. Click Create drawings (Alt + C) or Create drawings for all parts (Alt + A).
7. Number the model if prompted to do so.
Tekla Structures creates the drawings and adds them in the Drawing List. In the Drawing
List, cloned drawings are marked with text Cloned in the Changes column.
8. Check the cloned drawing and modify it, if necessary.

TIP If you have cloning templates that you have created using an older Tekla Structures version and
want to utilize the better associativity of a newer Tekla Structures version, refresh the drawing
associativity by using the Refresh Associativity command, which you can add to the User menu
in the Customize dialog box ( Tools --> Customize ).

See also
Cloning drawings on page 93
Cloned objects on page 100
Checking and modifying cloned drawings on page 101
Refreshing drawing associativity on page 101
Cloning templates on page 54
Adding a cloning template on page 82
XS_CLONING_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY
XS_INTELLIGENT_CLONING_ADD_DIMENSIONS

Creating drawings 95 Cloning drawings

Cloning by using cloning templates located in other models

You can show cloning templates located in other models in the Master Drawing Catalog and
create drawings using them.
Limitations: You can use only cloning templates from other models, not other types of master
drawings, such as saved settings or rule sets.
To use cloning templates from other models:

1. In the Master Drawing Catalog, click to open the Models Containing Master
Drawings dialog box.
2. Click Add model and browse to the desired model.
3. Click OK.
4. Select the cloning template from the Master Drawing Catalog and create a drawing
using the selected template.

TIP When you have similar parts in several projects, you can maintain a set of cloning models and
then take the cloning templates in the cloning models in use when necessary.

See also
Master Drawing Catalog on page 52
Creating drawings using cloning templates in Master Drawing Catalog on page 94

Cloning from the Drawing List

In addition to cloning drawings using cloning templates in Master Drawing Catalog, you can
clone single-part, cast unit, assembly and general arrangement drawings from the Drawing
List.

NOTE • When you clone drawings of assemblies or cast units, they must have the same
type of main part as the assembly or cast unit from which the original drawing
was created. For example, the upper chords of the original and the cloned truss
could be main parts.
• Section and detail views are not cloned in general arrangement drawings, and
only one view is cloned.

Before cloning, finalize, save, and close the drawing you want to use as a cloning template.
To clone a drawing from the Drawing List:

1. In the model, select what to include in the drawing:

• If you are cloning a single-part drawings, cast unit drawing or assembly drawing,
select parts, assemblies or cast units.

Creating drawings 96 Cloning drawings

 • If you are cloning a general arrangement drawing, select a model view. To do this,
click the desired model view so that the view gets a red frame around it.

2. Click Drawings & Reports > Drawing List.

3. In the Drawing List, select the drawing that you want to use as a cloning template.
4. Click Clone.
5. In the Clone Drawing dialog box, select the drawing object types you want to clone into
the new drawing, and the actions for each object type.
• For Dimensions and Other marks (all marks for model 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.
Tekla Structures clones the drawing. In the Drawing List, cloned drawings are marked with
text Cloned in the Changes column.

See also
Cloning drawings on page 93

Creating drawings 97 Cloning drawings

Example: Cloning a general arrangement drawing on page 98
Creating drawings using cloning templates in Master Drawing Catalog on page 94

Example: Cloning a general arrangement drawing

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.

Creating drawings 98 Cloning drawings

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.

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.
• All model object marks and notes are cloned.

See also
Cloning from the Drawing List on page 96

View-specific dimension cloning

The dimension cloning options in the Clone Drawing dialog box affect all views, whereas
with Dimension creation method in this view in the View Properties dialog box you can set
the dimension creation method for the selected view only. With this feature you can create
automatic dimensions in the front view and clone the dimensions in section and end view, for
example.

To clone dimensions in the selected view:

1. Double-click the drawing view frame to open the View Properties dialog box.

Creating drawings 99 Cloning drawings

2. Select Dimension creation method in this view --> Clone on the Attributes 2 tab.
3. Click Modify.
4. Save and close the drawing.
5. Open the Drawing List, select the drawing and click Clone.
6. In the Clone Drawing dialog box, select the objects to be cloned and the dimension
cloning option (Ignore, Clone, Create).
• If you select Dimension > Ignore, the dimensions will be cloned only for those views
that have Dimension creation method in this view set to Clone.
• If you select Dimension > Clone, the dimensions will be cloned for all views.
• If you select Dimension > Create, the dimensions will be created for all views except
for those that have Dimension creation method in this view set to Do not create.
7. Click Clone selected.

See also
Cloning drawings on page 93

Cloned objects
The following objects can be cloned:
• Dimensions
• Marks for welds added in the drawing
• Marks for welds added in the model
• Level marks
• Revision marks
• Annotation objects
• All user-defined attributes of a drawing
• Texts
• Symbols
• Graphical drawing objects (shapes)
• Text files
• DWG/DXF files
• Hyperlinks
• Manually created section and detail views
• When you clone an assembly drawing that includes single-part drawings, Tekla
Structures includes the single-part drawings in the cloned assembly drawing by default.

Creating drawings 100 Cloning drawings

See also
Cloning drawings on page 93

Checking and modifying cloned drawings

Always check the cloned drawing to make sure that the drawing contents meet your needs.
You should go through the cloned drawings and check that everything is correct. Below is a
checklist for this purpose.

Object Check and modify

Marks • In general, mark contents are correct in cloned drawings, but
sometimes you may need to modify the location of the marks.
• Tekla Structures clones only marks that can be mapped to the
original drawing. To create marks to a cloned drawing also for
parts that could not be mapped to the template drawing, set the
advanced option
XS_CREATE_MISSING_MARKS_IN_INTELLIGENT_CLON
ING to TRUE through Tools > Options > Advanced Options>
Marking: General.
Views • Ensure that the view sizes and view orientation are correct, and
that the views are placed correctly in the cloned drawing. The size
of the views is updated according to the parts included in the
views.
Dimensions • If the cloned drawing contains less parts than the original
drawing, the dimensions to the missing parts are automatically
removed.
• If the cloned drawing contains more parts than the original
drawing, Tekla Structures dimensions the additional parts using
automatic dimensioning, if you have set the advanced option
XS_INTELLIGENT_CLONING_ADD_DIMENSIONS to TRUE.
Because Tekla Structures uses automatic dimensioning for creating
dimensions for new parts, you may have to check and correct the
created dimensions.
• Add missing dimensions and remove the incorrect ones.

See also

Cloning drawings on page 93

Cloned objects on page 100

Creating drawings 101 Cloning drawings

Refreshing drawing associativity
Often improvements in cloning and associativity require that the associative rules have to be
recreated. This can be done by using the Refresh Associativity command. When you use this
command, you do not need to recreate the drawing.
For example, this command is very useful if you have a cloning template you have created
using an older Tekla Structures version and want to utilize the better associativity of a newer
Tekla Structures version.
Refresh Associativity is available in the Customize dialog box, and you may want to add it
in one of the toolbars or in the User menu.
To add the command in the User menu and refresh the associativity:
1. Click Tools --> Customize... .
2. Enter a part of the command name in the Filter box, for example, refr.
The command is displayed in the list of commands.
3. Open the Menu tab.
4. Double-click the Refresh Associativity command to add it in the User menu.
5. If you have not added the User menu on the menu bar before, restart Tekla Structures to
activate the menu. The menu name is always User.
6. Open a cloning template the associativity of which you want to refresh from the
Drawing List.
7. Click User --> Refresh Associativity .
8. Save the cloning template.

See also
Drawing associativity on page 20
Cloning drawings on page 93

Copying a drawing to a new sheet

You can copy a drawing to a new sheet. This is useful, for example, if you want to have the
same layout and views as in the original drawing, but highlight something else on the new
drawing sheet.
To copy a drawing to a new sheet:
1. In the Drawing List, select the drawing that you want to use as the original for copying.
2. Right-click and select Create Drawings --> Copy to new sheet .

Creating drawings 102 Cloning drawings

 Tekla Structures copies the original drawing to a new sheet and gives the copied drawing
a new sheet number.

3. Open the new drawing sheet, make the necessary changes and save it.

NOTE If you use the Recreate (Shift+R) command for the copied drawing, Tekla Structures asks if
you want to copy the drawing again from the original drawing. If you answer yes, the
previously copied drawing sheet will be replaced by a new copy of the previously selected
original drawing.

See also
Creating multiple drawing sheets of the same part on page 76

Cloning using drawing templates in template library

This is a more manual way of cloning drawings: you can create drawings using drawing
templates located in the template library. The template library is a model folder that contains
the drawings you want to use as drawing templates. You can select a drawing in the current
model folder or in another model folder.
To clone using a drawing template:
1. Create a drawing you want to use as a drawing template.
2. Save the model.
3. In the model, select the objects to be included in the new drawing.
4. To open the Clone Drawing dialog box, click Clone in the drawing list dialog box.
5. Use the Objects and actions in cloning options to define the drawing objects to be
cloned and the actions for each cloned object.
6. Select the current model or click Other model.
You can use Browse to browse to another model folder containing the drawing templates
that you want.
7. Click Select template.
8. In the Drawing Templates dialog box, select a drawing template indicated by an icon on
the left.

Creating drawings 103 Cloning drawings

9. Leave the list open and clone the drawing by clicking Clone selected.
Tekla Structures clones the drawing. In the Drawing List, cloned drawings are marked with
text Cloned in the Changes column.

TIP You can specify that a certain model folder is always used as a template library using
the advanced option XS_DRAWING_TEMPLATES_LIBRARY.

See also
XS_DRAWING_TEMPLATES_LIBRARY
Cloning drawings on page 93

Creating drawings 104 Cloning drawings

3 Finding and opening drawings

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 take snapshots of the drawings, and locate the
drawing parts in the model, and to find out if a part is included in any of the drawings.

See also
Opening the Drawing List on page 106
What is displayed in the Drawing List on page 106
Drawing status flags on page 109
Modifying Drawing List contents on page 110
Searching drawings and saving the search results on page 111
Selecting drawings in the Drawing List on page 112

Finding and opening drawings 105 Cloning drawings

 Checking whether parts have drawings on page 112
Opening drawings from the model on page 113
Opening a new drawing when a drawing is already open on page 113
Working with drawings on page 282
Creating and viewing drawing snapshots on page 114

3.1 Opening the Drawing List

To open the Drawing List dialog box, do one of the following:

• Click the Open Drawing List button .

• In the model, select Drawings & Reports > Drawing List (Ctrl + L).
• In an open drawing, select Drawing File > Open (Ctrl + O).

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
Finding and opening drawings on page 105
Opening drawings from the model on page 113
Opening a new drawing when a drawing is already open on page 113

3.2 What is displayed in the Drawing List

The Drawing List contains the following columns.

Option Description For more information

Issue, Lock, Freeze, These columns contain Locking and unlocking drawings on
Master, and Up to date flags that are graphical page 283
symbols indicating the
drawing status.
Changes Textual information
about the changes in the
drawing. For example, if
the drawing has been
cloned, it says Cloned in
this column.
Created The creation date of the
drawing.

Finding and opening drawings 106 Opening the Drawing List

 Option Description For more information
Modified The latest modification
date of the drawing.
Revision The revision number or Revising drawings on page 287
revision mark of the
drawing.
By default, Tekla
Structures shows
revision numbers. To
show revision marks
instead, set the
advanced option
XS_SHOW_REVISION
_MARK_ON_DRAWING
_LIST to TRUE.
Type The drawing types are Drawing types on page 26
identified by the
following letters:
• W for single-part
drawings.
• A for assembly
drawings.
• C for cast unit
drawings.
• G for general
arrangement
drawings.
• M for multidrawings.
U (unknown) means that
an error has occurred,
and you need to delete
the drawing.
Size The paper size the
drawing uses.
Mark In a single-part drawing XS_SHOW_REVISION_MARK_ON_DRA
mark is the part position, WING_LIST
and in an assembly
drawing the assembly
position from which the
drawing was created.

Finding and opening drawings 107 What is displayed in the Drawing List
 Option Description For more information
You cannot change
drawing marks.
Mark contains the sheet
number as well, if it is
not zero (0).
You can choose to have
Tekla Structures base the
mark of cast unit
drawings on the position
number or the ID of the
cast unit.
Name The name given for the
drawing in the drawing
properties dialog box.
Title 1, Title 2, and Title Extra drawing titles Giving titles to drawings on page 118
3 added in the drawing
properties dialog box.
Locked by The Locked by column Locking and unlocking drawings on
shows who locked the page 283
drawing. If you have
logged in using your
Tekla account, the
account name is shown.
Otherwise the user name
is shown.
User-defined attributes You can show up to 20 User-defined attributes in drawings on
user-defined attributes page 537
in the Drawing List.
These user-defined
attributes must be added
in the User-defined
Attributes dialog box or
panel in drawing
properties. To include a
user-defined attribute in
drawing lists, the user-
defined attribute must
have the option
special_flag set to
yes in the
objects.inp file.

See also
Finding and opening drawings on page 105

Finding and opening drawings 108 What is displayed in the Drawing List
3.3 Drawing status flags
Tekla Structures uses certain symbols called flags, to indicate the status of the drawings. The
columns Issue, Lock, Freeze, Master and Up to date contain the flags, and the potential
additional information is displayed in the Changes column. If a drawing does not have any
flag symbol, it is up to date.

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
How to read the drawing status information on page 109
Finding and opening drawings on page 105

How to read the drawing status information

The table below explains the meaning of the status flags and information about the status of
a drawing in the Drawing List.

Flag Column Information in the Description

where shown Changes column
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.
Quantity The actual drawing is up to date, but the number of
increased or identical parts has changed.
Quantity
decreased
Up to date All parts deleted All the parts related to the drawing have been
deleted.

Finding and opening drawings 109 Drawing status flags

 Flag Column Information in the Description
where shown Changes column
Lock The drawing is locked and you cannot open it for
editing.
Freeze The drawing is frozen. Changes made to the model
objects, which 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 You have a linked drawing in this drawing and the
changed linked drawing has been modified.
Up to date Copied view A copied drawing has been modified.
changed
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 The issued drawing has been edited or otherwise
changed changed.

See also
Finding and opening drawings on page 105

3.4 Modifying Drawing List contents

In addition to using search, you can select which drawings you want to see in the list and in
which order.
To filter the Drawing List contents, do any of the following:

To Do this
Display a predefined set of drawings Select a set of drawings from the select drawing set
list.
Saved search results are also displayed in this list.
List all drawings Click Show all.

Finding and opening drawings 110 Modifying Drawing List contents

 To Do this
Invert the contents of the current list Click Invert.
This feature allows you to list the opposite of the
current content.
For example, if you had selected to display Locked
drawings, clicking Invert shows all drawings except
the locked ones.
List selected drawings only Select the drawings and click Selected.
List up-to-date drawings only Click Up to date.
List drawings that need to be updated 1. Click Up to date.
2. Click Invert.
Lists only drawings associated with the 1. Select objects in the model.
objects you have selected in the model.
2. Click By parts.
This is an easy way to identify the drawings associated
with a specific part, assembly or cast unit.
Sort the list according to Column name Click the column name.

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
Finding and opening drawings on page 105

3.5 Searching drawings and saving the search results

You can search for drawings in the Drawing List.
To search for drawings and save the results:
1. In the Drawing List, enter the search criteria in Enter search criteria.
2. If needed, you can limit the search so that it addresses only information in a certain
column by selecting a column from the Search in list.
3. If needed, you can also limit the search to the currently visible drawings by selecting
Search within the currently visible drawings.
4. Click Search.
5. Click Store to save the search results.
6. Enter a name for the search results in the Store Search Result dialog box and click OK.

Finding and opening drawings 111 Searching drawings and saving the search results
 The search results are saved in the DrawingListSearches folder, which is created
in the model folder.
You can move the saved search results to your environment, company or project folder.
After you have saved the search results, they will be visible in the predefined drawing
sets list in the Drawing List dialog box.

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
Finding and opening drawings on page 105

3.6 Selecting drawings in the Drawing List

The Drawing List allows you to select one or several drawings at a time. Selecting several
drawings is useful, for example, if you want to lock or freeze several drawings at a time.
To select drawings in the Drawing List:

To Do this
Select one drawing Click the drawing in the list.
Select several consecutive drawings Click the first drawing, then hold down the Shift key
and click the last drawing.
Select several non-consecutive Click the first drawing, then hold down the Ctrl key and
drawings click the other drawings you want to select.
Select all drawings in the list Press Ctrl+A.

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
Finding and opening drawings on page 105

3.7 Checking whether parts have drawings

You can use the Drawing List to identify parts in the model that have associated drawings.

TIP Before you start, ensure that you have only the Select parts selection switch active on
the Selection toolbar. Otherwise selecting objects can take a long time in large models.

1. Open a model view where all parts are clearly visible.

2. In the Drawing List, press Ctrl + A to select all drawings.

Finding and opening drawings 112 Selecting drawings in the Drawing List
 3. To highlight the parts that have drawings, click Select objects.
To see the found parts easier, right-click the model and select Show only selected to
show only the parts that Select objects has found and hide the others.
4. After completing the previous step you can highlight the parts that do not have
drawings by holding down the Ctrl key and selecting the entire model (hold down the
left mouse button and drag all the way from left to right).

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
Finding and opening drawings on page 105

3.8 Opening drawings from the model

You can open drawings from the Drawing List. You can only have one drawing open at a
time.
To open a drawing:

1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing List... or the button on the toolbar.
2. Double-click the drawing to open it.

TIP • To always open the drawings maximized, set the advanced option
XS_OPEN_DRAWINGS_MAXIMIZED to TRUE.
• Shortcut for opening the Drawing List: Ctrl + L.

See also
Finding and opening drawings on page 105
Working with drawings on page 282

3.9 Opening a new drawing when a drawing is already open

You can also open another drawing when you already have a drawing open. If you have made
some changes in the open drawing, Tekla Structures asks you if you want to save the changes
before opening another drawing.
Do one of the following:

Finding and opening drawings 113 Opening drawings from the model
 To Do this
Open a drawing using the Drawing 1. Click Drawing File --> Open... or the button on the
List. toolbar.
2. Double-click the drawing in the list.
Open the next drawing in the Press Ctrl + Page Down.
Drawing List.
Open the previous drawing in the Press Ctrl + Page Up.
Drawing List.

TIP Shortcut for opening the Drawing List when a drawing is open: Ctrl + O.

See also
Finding and opening drawings on page 105
Working with drawings on page 282
Opening drawings from the model on page 113

3.10 Creating and viewing drawing snapshots

With snapshots you can take a quick look at any drawings without opening the drawing. Use
this tool when you just want to check but not edit a drawing, or take a look at several
drawings while trying to find the one you are looking for, for example, a certain drawing
revision. You can take snapshots of all types of drawings.

A snapshot is automatically taken when you open and save a drawing. The snapshot
represents the situation when the drawing was last saved, so any newer changes to the
model are not reflected in the snapshot.
If you have made changes in the drawing and close it by selecting the Close button in the
upper-right corner, a message box is displayed where you can select if you want to save the
drawing and also if you want to create a snapshot of the drawing when the drawing is saved.
1. Select a drawing and open it from the Drawing List.
2. Save the drawing by selecting Drawing File --> Save .
The snapshot is saved in the ..\<model>\drawings\Snapshots folder.
3. Select the drawing from the Drawing List.
4. Click the Snapshot at the bottom of the Drawing List to display the snapshot.

Finding and opening drawings 114 Creating and viewing drawing snapshots
 Below is an example of a snapshot.

If you have selected from the Drawing List a drawing that does not have a snapshot and
click Snapshots, an instructional view is displayed prompting you to open the drawing and
save it to create the snapshot.

3.11 Taking screenshots in drawings

A drawing screenshot is an image of a dialog box, view, or the entire Tekla Structures main
software window. By default, the screenshots are saved in the \screenshots folder under
the current model folder with the name snap_xx.png.

NOTE To print the screenshot after taking it, switch on Tools --> Screenshot --> Print
Screenshot . This works for all screenshot commands.

To take a screenshot, do any of the following:

Finding and opening drawings 115 Taking screenshots in drawings

 To Do this
Take a screenshot of the Tekla Structures In an open drawing, click Tools --> Screenshot -->
main software window containing Main Frame or press F9.
everything shown in the window
If you wish show more of the drawing and less of
the other window parts, enlarge the drawing
window before taking the screenshot.
Take a screenshot of an active dialog box Click a drawing dialog box and click Tools -->
Screenshot --> Dialog or press F10.
Take a screenshot of an open drawing with In an open drawing, click Tools --> Screenshot -->
window borders View or press F11.
Take a screenshot of an open drawing In an open drawing, click Tools --> Screenshot -->
without window borders View without Borders or press F12.
Take a screenshot of a drawing with file 1. In an open drawing, click Tools --> Screenshot
name that you specify, in the location that --> Custom .
you specify, and show the screenshot with
2. Do one of the following:
an associated viewer
• Select View to take a screenshot of the
active drawing with window borders
• Select View without borders to take a
screenshot of the open drawing without
window borders.
3. Under the preselected Print to file option enter
a descriptive name for the screenshot in the File
name box.
You can also change the whole path. If you do
not want to do this, you can keep the default
values for the path and file name..
4. Click Show with associated viewer to show the
screenshot in an application that is by default
associated with this file type.
5. Click Capture.

Finding and opening drawings 116 Taking screenshots in drawings

4 Editing drawings

This section explains how to edit the drawings that you have created.

After you have created a drawing, you can modify properties of the layout and the views,
building objects, and associative annotation objects already included in the drawing. You can
also add more views, associative and independent annotation objects, and shapes. You can
also change drawing colors.
Click the links below to find out more:
• Renaming drawings on page 118
• Giving titles to drawings on page 118
• Drawing views on page 119
• Dimensions on page 145
• Associative annotation objects on page 180
• Independent annotation objects on page 192
• Drawing shapes on page 201
• Building objects in drawings on page 203
• Custom presentations in drawings on page 208
• Exploding drawing plug-ins on page 210
• Welds in drawings on page 210
• Edge chamfers in drawings on page 228
• Pours in drawings on page 236
• Reference models in drawings on page 233
• Grids in drawings on page 241
• Symbols in drawings on page 243
• Changing drawing objects on page 252
• Colors in drawings on page 271
• User coordinate system (UCS) on page 275
• Saving drawings on page 278

Editing drawings 117 Taking screenshots in drawings

 • Deleting unnecessary drawing files in single-user mode on page 278
• Closing drawings on page 279
• Keyboard shortcuts for drawings on page 280

4.1 Renaming drawings

Tekla Structures names the drawings according to the name given in the drawing properties.
The drawing name is displayed in the Drawing List and in drawing templates.
To rename a drawing:
1. In the Drawing List, right-click the drawing and select Properties.

2. Switch all the check boxes off in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch
at the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select the check box next to the Name box.
4. Enter the new name in the Name box.
5. Click Modify.

See also
Editing drawings on page 117
Modifying drawing settings on page 320

4.2 Giving titles to drawings

In addition to the drawing name, you can give titles for your drawings. Tekla Structures
shows the title in the Drawing List and in drawing and report templates. You can define up
to three titles to use in drawing templates.
To give a title to a drawing:
1. In the Drawing List, right-click the drawing and select Properties.

2. Switch all the check boxes off in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch
at the bottom of the dialog box.
Select the check boxes next to the Title boxes you want to use.
3. Enter the titles.
4. Click Modify.

Editing drawings 118 Renaming drawings

 TIP If you want to customize your print file names and use title values instead of drawing names in
them , you can define that the title entered in this dialog box is used in the print file name. To
do this, enter the value %TPL:TITLE1% (or %TPL:TITLE2% or %TPL:TITLE3%) for an
advanced option XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_G (or _W, _A, _M or _C depending on
the drawing type) through Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options --> Printing .

See also
Editing drawings on page 117
Modifying drawing settings on page 320
Customizing print file names on page 305

4.3 Drawing views

Drawing views contain the selected parts of Tekla Structures objects, and marks, dimensions
and other objects that have selected to add. The drawing view is another way of looking at
the model. Drawings may include several views.
You can have different types of views in Tekla Structures drawings:
• Main views: front, top, back and bottom views
• Section views
• End views
• Single-part views
• 3D views
• Detail views
• Key plan views
• Views along grid lines
• Elevation views
• Plan views
In addition to the views Tekla Structures creates automatically in a drawing based on the
drawing properties, you can also add new ones in the open drawing.

See also
Editing drawings on page 117
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120
Copying drawing views from another drawing on page 133
Linking views from another drawing on page 136
Moving views to another drawing on page 133

Editing drawings 119 Drawing views

Modifying drawing views on page 136
Automatic drawing views on page 364
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555
Key plans on page 349

Adding views in drawings manually

Once you have created drawings, you can add more views to them manually. You can create
drawing views of:
• Entire model
• Selected areas in a model
• Views in the same drawing
• Single parts in an assembly
• Objects in 3D
• Sections in a drawing
• Details in a drawing
• Reinforcement meshes

See also
Creating a section view on page 120
Creating a detail view on page 124
Creating a curved section view on page 123
Creating additional views of parts on page 126
Creating a drawing view of an entire model view on page 127
Creating a drawing view of a selected area in a model view on page 128
Creating a drawing view of a selected area in a drawing view on page 129
Adding single-part views in assembly drawings on page 132
Creating a drawing view for a reinforcement mesh (RebarMeshViewCreator) on page 129

Creating a section view

You can create section views of the parts in a drawing view in an open drawing that contains
at least one view.
To modify the properties and create the section view:

Editing drawings 120 Drawing views

1. Click Annotating --> Properties --> Section Mark .
2. Modify the cutting line, section mark, and section view label properties in the Section
symbol properties dialog box.
3. Click OK or Apply.
4. Hold down Shift and click View --> Create Drawing View --> Section View .
5. Modify the view properties as required.
6. Click OK or Apply.
7. Pick two points to define the position of the section plane.
It is easier to pick the points if you activate orthogonal snapping by clicking Tools -->
Ortho or pressing O.
For beams, you can also try picking the top line of the beam and then the bottom line of
the beam using the snap switch Snap to perpendicular points.
8. Pick two points to define the direction of the cut box and the section view depth.
When you pick the cut box, exaggerate a little. You ca adjust the view depth and the
view boundary also later on.
The direction of the section is the direction where the section mark arrows are pointing.
9. Pick the position for the section view.
A view symbol follows the mouse pointer allowing you to see where you are about to
place the section view.
The depth to the opposite direction is zero (0).
Tekla Structures creates the section view using the current properties in the View
Properties and Section Symbol Properties dialog boxes and adds a section mark in the
original view. You can change the properties after creating the view.

TIP • The view boundary of the created section view remains selected, and you
can adjust the depth and the height of the view boundary by dragging it.
• If necessary, change the view scale of the section view: Double-click the
view frame, clear all other selections using the toggle switch at the
bottom, select only the Scale option, and adjust the scale.
• If you want to create another view, start the Section View command
again.

Editing drawings 121 Drawing views

1. The first two picked points indicate the position of the section plane.
2. The third picked point indicates the direction of the cut box and the depth of the section
view. Here you can exaggerate a little.

Editing drawings 122 Drawing views

3. The fourth pick finalizes the cut box.
4. A view symbol follows the mouse pointer while you are placing the section view. The
section view is placed in the selected location. The section view remains selected and the
view boundary highlighted right after the view creation.
The section mark is drawn in the original view. The view boundary of the section view is
also highlighted in the original view right after the view creation.

See also
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120
Modifying section properties on page 142
Defining view labels and view label marks on page 367
Section view properties on page 555
View properties in drawings on page 551
Modifying drawing view properties on page 142

Creating a curved section view

You can create a curved section view of an existing drawing view. This tool is useful when
you want to visualize an unfolded face of a building or to manage cladding.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click Annotating --> Properties --> Section Mark .
3. Modify the cutting line, section mark, and section view label properties.
4. Click OK or Apply.
5. Hold down Shift and click View --> Create Drawing View --> Curved Section View .
6. Modify the view properties as required.
7. Click OK or Apply.
8. Pick three points on the cut plane.
9. Pick two points to indicate the cut box.
10. Pick a point to indicate the location of the curved section view.
A symbol follows the cursor allowing you to see where you are about to place the curved
section view.

Tekla Structures creates the curved section view using the current properties in the View
Properties and Section Symbol Properties dialog boxes and adds a section mark in the
original view. You can change the properties after creating the view.

See also
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120

Editing drawings 123 Drawing views

Modifying section properties on page 142
Defining view labels and view label marks on page 367
Section view properties on page 555
Modifying drawing view properties on page 142
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555

Creating a detail view

You can create a detail view from a selected area in an existing drawing view in another
view. The scale of the detail view is by default the same as that of the main view, but in some
environments the detail view is scaled up. The direction of the detail view is the same as that
of the original view.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click Annotating --> Properties --> Detail Mark .
3. Enter a name for the detail, and modify the detail view lable, detail boundary and detail
mark 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. Hold down Shift and click View --> Create Drawing View --> Detail View .
6. Modify the view properties as required.
7. Click OK or Apply.
8. 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.
9. Pick a position for the detail mark.
10. Pick a position for the detail view.

Tekla Structures creates the detail view using the current properties in the View Properties
dialog box and Detail Symbol Properties dialog box. However, the detail view takes the view

Editing drawings 124 Drawing views

depth from the original view even if you try to change it.You can change the properties after
creating the view.

Detail boundary is set to Circle

Detail mark

Detail view
Detail view label

TIP You can change the detail symbol size using the handle on the detail boundary.

See also
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120

Editing drawings 125 Drawing views

Modifying detail properties on page 144
Modifying drawing view properties on page 142
View properties in drawings on page 551
Defining start number or letter for detail view label and mark on page 126

Defining start number or letter for detail view label and mark

Before creating the detail view label and detail mark define a start number or letter in the
drawing properties.
To define the start number or letter:
1. Double-click an open drawing.
2. Click the check box toggle selection button at the bottom of the dialog box, and select
only the check box next to the Detail view button.
3. Click Detail View.
4. Enter the start number or letter.
5. Click Modify.

See also
Creating a detail view on page 124

Creating additional views of parts

You can create additional views of a part within a single-part, cast unit or assembly drawing.
You can select the part plane (front, top, back, bottom) to use or create a 3 D view.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click View --> Create Drawing View --> Of Parts in Drawing and select one of the
commands Front, Top, Back, Bottom, 3D.
Tekla Structures creates the view using the current properties in the View Properties
dialog box.
Tekla Structures will not create views on planes that already have a view in the drawing.
3. Double-click the view frame to open the View Properties dialog box and modify the
properties as required.

TIP For 3D views, you may want to modify the view angle.

4. Click Modify.

Editing drawings 126 Drawing views

Example
In the example below, the drawing originally contained only the front view. A 3D view and a
top view were added. The angle of the 3D view was modified in the View Properties dialog
box.

See also
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120
Modifying drawing view properties on page 142
View properties in drawings on page 551

Creating a drawing view of an entire model view

You can create a drawing view of an entire model view and add it in the drawing.
To create a view of the entire model view:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Open a model view list by clicking Views --> Model Views --> Model View List... .
3. Hold down Shift and click View --> Create Drawing View --> Of Entire Model View .
4. Modify the view properties, for example the view scale, and click OK or Apply
5. Open a model view from the model view list.
6. Click the open model view.

Editing drawings 127 Drawing views

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.

TIP Change the view scale in the view properties if the view is too big.

See also
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120
Modifying drawing view properties on page 142
View properties in drawings on page 551

Creating a drawing view of a selected area in a model view

You can create a drawing view of a selected area in the model and add it in the drawing.
To create a drawing view of a selected area in the model and add it in your drawing:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Open a model view list by clicking Views --> Model Views --> Model View List... .
3. Hold down Shift and click View --> Create Drawing View --> Of Selected Area in
Model .
4. Modify the view properties as required and click OK or Apply.
5. Open a model view from the model view list.

Editing drawings 128 Drawing views

6. Pick two corners in the model to define the x and y dimensions of the drawing view. The
x and y directions use the coordinate system of the model view. The view depth of the
drawing view is the same as the depth of the model view.

Tekla Structures creates the drawing view using the current properties in the View Properties
dialog box. Tekla Structures places the view in the lower left corner of the drawing.

See also
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120
Modifying drawing view properties on page 142
View properties in drawings on page 551

Creating a drawing view of a selected area in a drawing view

You can create a new drawing view of an area in an existing drawing view.
To create a new drawing view of an area in the existing drawing view:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Hold down Shift and click View --> Create Drawing View --> Of Selected Area in
Drawing View .
3. Modify the view label color.
Other view properties are inherited from the original drawing view.
4. Click OK or Apply.
5. Select the area in the drawing view of which you want to make a new view.
6. Select a position for the new view.
A symbol representing the view that you are about to place follows the mouse pointer, so
it is easier for you to see where to place the view.

Tekla Structures creates the drawing view using the view properties of the original view.

See also
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120
Modifying drawing view properties on page 142
View properties in drawings on page 551

Creating a drawing view for a reinforcement mesh (RebarMeshViewCreator)

You can create drawing views each containing one reinforcement mesh by using the
RebarMeshViewCreator macro. You can create mesh views in general arrangement
and cast unit drawings.

Editing drawings 129 Drawing views

The mesh view contains the overall mesh length and width dimensions, and dimension lines
for wire spacing in horizontal and vertical directions. Also the wire sizes are displayed.
To create a reinforcement mesh view:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Select the meshes.
If you want to create views for all meshes in the drawing, you do not need to select
separately.

3. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
4. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
5. Double-click RebarMeshViewCreator.

6. You have the following options for creating mesh views:

• If you want to create a mesh view for each separate mesh in the current drawing,
select Create mesh view for all meshes in the drawing.
• If you want to create a view for the selected meshes only, select Create view for
selected meshes. Here you must select the meshes before running the macro.
• If you have already created the mesh views and just want to add dimension lines and
diameters in the views, select Create annotations for selected meshes. Here you
must select the meshes before running the macro.

Editing drawings 130 Drawing views

7. Select the view, dimension, text, line, and unbent wire line property files that you want to
use in the new the mesh view.
8. Select the wire annotation type inText content type .

The choices are and .

9. Click Create.
Tekla Structures creates or updates the views based on your selections and the property
files.

Example
Below is an example of a mesh view.

The drawing below contains a 3D view of a wall with two bent meshes, and a separate
unbent mesh view of both of the meshes.

Editing drawings 131 Drawing views

Adding views in drawings manually on page 120

See also
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120

Adding single-part views in assembly drawings

In addition to automatically including single-part views in assembly drawings, you can also
add single-part drawing views in a final assembly drawing.
1. Open the assembly drawing.
2. In the drawing view, select the parts of which you want to create a single-part view.

Editing drawings 132 Drawing views

3. Right-click and select Create single-part views.

Tekla Structures adds the single-part views to the assembly drawing using the current
properties in the Assembly Drawing Properties dialog box ( Assembly Drawing Properties --
> Layout --> Other --> Single-part attributes ).

See also
XS_NO_END_VIEWS_TO_INCLUDED_SINGLE_DRAWINGS
Including single-part drawings in assembly drawings on page 370

Copying drawing views from another drawing

You can copy drawing views from other drawings.
To copy a drawing view from another drawing:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Open the Drawing List by pressing Ctrl + O.
3. Select the drawing containing the view you want to copy. You can select several
drawings.
4. Click View --> Add Views from Other Drawing and select Copy or Copy with Layout:
• Copy copies the views from the selected drawings as such to the open drawing. Tekla
Structures does not copy the drawing layout.
• Copy with Layout copies the views and layout from the selected drawings as such to
the open drawing.

NOTE Copied drawing views do not update when the original views change.

See also
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120
View properties in drawings on page 551

Editing drawings 133 Drawing views

Moving views to another drawing
You can move section and detail views to another drawing through the drawing list. When
you move views to another drawing, the source drawing and the target drawing will contain
references to each other.

TIP General arrangement drawings are often quite full of information. You may want to
create empty general arrangement drawings and move detail or section views from the
original general arrangement drawings to an empty drawing.

To move a drawing view to another drawing:

1. In an open drawing, select the frame of the drawing view you want to move.
2. Right-click and select Move to drawing from the pop-up menu.
3. Select the target drawing from the Drawing List.
4. Click Move in the Move view to drawing dialog box.
5. Close and save the source drawing.
Tekla Structures moves the selected view to the target drawing and creates references
between the source and target drawings.
6. Open the target drawing from the Drawing List.
The Drawing List indicates that the drawing has been updated.
7. Arrange the drawing views, if necessary.
8. Save the target drawing.

TIP You can select additional drawing views after you have started the Move to drawing command
and move multiple drawing views in one go. If you have multiple drawing views selected before
starting the Move to drawing command, the command will not be available.

Example
In this example, we have two drawings on the Drawing List: BEAM1 and BEAM2.

We move section view C-C from drawing BEAM1 to BEAM2. Below is the original section
view in the source drawing BEAM1.

Editing drawings 134 Drawing views

We move this view to drawing BEAM2 according to the instructions above. Below is the
moved section view in the target drawing BEAM2. The view label name contains the name of
the source drawing BEAM1.

In the source drawing BEAM1, the section mark of the moved section view contains a
reference to the target drawing BEAM2.

Editing drawings 135 Drawing views

See also
Defining automatic free or fixed placement of drawing views on page 363
Arranging drawing views on page 141
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120
Modifying drawing views on page 136
XS_SECTION_VIEW_REFERENCE
XS_SECTION_SYMBOL_REFERENCE
XS_DETAIL_VIEW_REFERENCE
XS_DETAIL_SYMBOL_REFERENCE

Linking views from another drawing

You can link drawing views from other drawings.
Linked drawing views update when the original views change.
To link drawing views:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Open the Drawing List by pressing Ctrl + O.
3. Select the drawing containing the view you want to link. You can select several drawings.
4. Click View --> Add Views from Other Drawing and select Link or Link with Layout:
• Link displays the views of the selected drawings in the open drawing. Tekla
Structures does not copy the drawing layout.
• Link with Layout displays the views and the layout of the selected drawings in the
open drawing.

See also
Adding views in drawings manually on page 120

Modifying drawing views

Once you have added the necessary views in your drawing, you may want to modify the view
contents, appearance, size, location and rotation.

See also
Drawing views on page 119
Resizing the drawing view boundary on page 137
Moving drawing views on page 139

Editing drawings 136 Drawing views

Aligning drawing views on page 140
Rotating drawing views on page 141
Arranging drawing views on page 141
Modifying drawing view properties on page 142
Modifying detail properties on page 144
Modifying section properties on page 142

Resizing the drawing view boundary

The view boundary or view restriction box is the dashed frame around the contents of a
drawing view, which becomes visible when you click the view frame. You can resize the view
boundary, for example, to show just a specific part of the view contents.
When you select a view, the view boundary is highlighted also in other views. When you
change the selected view's boundary in the other views using view boundary handles, the
change can be seen in the view boundary of the selected view. This way you can easily adjust
the section view plane and view depth, and you do not need to go to the view properties
dialog box to do this.
To resize the view boundary:
1. Click the view frame.
2. Click one of the handles on the view boundary.
3. Drag the handles along the x or y axis of the view.
When the view boundary changes size, the view frame adjusts with the new boundary
size.

Editing drawings 137 Drawing views

 View boundary handle

View boundary

View frame

Resized view boundary and view

Example
In the example below, the section view in the bottom-left corner has been selected, and the
view boundary is highlighted in two other views. You can change the view boundary of the
selected view in the other views by dragging the view boundary handles, to change the
section view depth, for example.

Editing drawings 138 Drawing views

See also
Modifying drawing views on page 136

Moving drawing views

You can move drawing views by dragging.

1. Click the view frame.

Editing drawings 139 Drawing views

2. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the view to a new location.
The view follows the cursor while you drag the view, which makes it easier to follow the
view movement.

NOTE When you drag a view, its placing setting may change to fixed depending on what is set for
the advanced option XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_VIEWS_TO_FIXED. This advanced option
is by default set to TRUE, which means that the placing setting changes to fixed when the
view is dragged.

See also
Modifying drawing views on page 136
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_VIEWS_TO_FIXED

Aligning drawing views

You can align views vertically or horizontally.

To align views vertically:
1. Select a drawing view in an open drawing, then right-click to display the pop-up menu.
2. Select Align vertically from the pop-up menu.
3. Pick a point in the selected view.
4. Pick a point in the view with which you want to align the selected view.

Editing drawings 140 Drawing views

 Tekla Structures moves the views so that the picked points line up vertically.

See also
Modifying drawing views on page 136

Rotating drawing views

You can rotate the views in drawings.

1. Click the frame of the view you want to rotate.
2. Click View --> Rotate Drawing View... .
3. Enter the angle in degrees, for example, 90 or -90, in the displayed dialog box and click
Rotate.

See also
Modifying drawing views on page 136

Arranging drawing views

You can fit the drawing views so that they include all the connected objects, and rearrange
the drawing views using the current properties in the Layout Properties properties dialog
box.
To fit and arrange drawing views:

• Click View --> Arrange Drawing Views .

Editing drawings 141 Drawing views

NOTE • Arrange Drawing Views only affects views where the Place is set to Free in the
view properties. Fixed views are not moved.
• If you have set XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_VIEWS_TO_FIXED to TRUE
(default) and drag a view in a drawing, the view becomes fixed, and the Arrange
Drawing Views command does not work
• Arrange Drawing Views may change the drawing size if you have used
automatic scaling of drawing views.

See also
Modifying drawing views on page 136

Modifying drawing view properties

You can modify view properties in the final drawing view by view or in selected views.
To modify view properties:
1. Do one of the following:
• If you want to modify the properties in several views, hold down Ctrl and click the
view frames of the views you want to modify and click View --> Drawing View
Properties .
• To modify the properties of one view, double-click the view frame.

2. Clear all the check boxes in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch at the
bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select the check boxes next to the properties you want to modify.
4. Modify the view properties as required.
For example, change the view Scale.
5. Click Modify in each of the subdialog boxes where you change the properties.
6. If there are some object level settings that you want to apply, click the Edit settings
button and load the object settings that you want to use. Click Modify.

See also
View properties in drawings on page 551
Modifying drawing views on page 136
Modifying view-level drawing properties on page 327

Editing drawings 142 Drawing views

Modifying section properties

You can modify the section mark, section view label and section view cutting line properties
in an open drawing.
To modify section properties:
1. Double-click the section mark.

2. Clear all the check boxes in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch at
the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select only the check boxes next to the properties you want to modify.
4. On the Cutting line tab, set the section mark line length and offset (distance between
the mark and the section).
5. On the Section mark tab, click the ... button next to A1 - A5 to open the Mark
Contents dialog box and select the elements to be included in the section mark.
6. If needed, select an element from the list, click Add frame and select the frame Type and
Color. You can set these individually for each element.
7. If needed, select an element from the list and select the text Color, Font and Height. You
can set these individually for each element.
8. On the Position tab of the Mark Contents dialog box, set the side to show the text, the
text position, the horizontal and vertical offset, and the text rotation. Text positioning
depends on whether you use a symbol or not.
9. Click Modify.
10. In the Symbol area, define the section mark symbols. You can select from a list of
predefined arrow symbols or use your own custom symbol. The symbol properties can be
given separately for both the left and the right section mark symbols. Also set the color,
size and position of section mark symbols.
11. On the View label tab, click the ... button next to A1 - A5 to open the Mark Contents
dialog box, and select the elements to be included in the section view label.
12. Modify the element appearance and mark position as described above.
13. Click Modify.

Editing drawings 143 Drawing views

14. Select the view label Symbol to be used in the label. You can also set the color, size, and
the line length of the section view label line and symbol.
15. Set the label position and whether you wan to center it according to the view frame or
view boundary (view restriction box)
16. Click Modify.

See also
View, section view and detail view label mark elements on page 591
Section and detail mark elements on page 591
Positioning properties of view label, section and detail marks on page 577
Modifying drawing views on page 136
Section view properties on page 555

Modifying detail properties

You can modify the properties of detail marks, detail view labels and detail mark boundaries
in an open drawing.
To modify detail properties:
1. Double-click a detail mark to display the Detail Symbol Properties dialog box.

2. Switch all the check boxes off in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch
at the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select only the check boxes next to the properties you want to modify.
4. Modify the detail name in the Detail name box.
5. On the View Label tab, click the ... button next to A1 - A5 to open the Mark Contents
dialog box, and select the elements to be included in the detail view label.
6. If needed, select an element from the list, click Add frame and select the frame Type and
Color. You can set these individually for each element.
7. If needed, select an element from the list and select the text Color, Font and Height. You
can set these individually for each element.
8. On the Position tab of the Mark Contents dialog box, set the text position, horizontal
and vertical offset, and the text alignment. Text positioning depends on whether you use
a symbol or not.
9. Click Modify.
10. Select the view label Symbol to be used in the label. You can also set the color, size, and
the line length of the view label line and symbol.
11. Select the Vertical (Above or Below) and Horizontal (Center by view frame or Center
by view restriction box) position of the view label.

Editing drawings 144 Drawing views

 12. Go to the Detail boundary tab and define the shape of the boundary and the color and
type of the bounding line.
Use the advanced option XS_DETAIL_BOUNDARY_RADIUS for setting a fixed size
for the detail boundary.
13. On to the Detail mark tab, click the ... button next to A1 - A5 to open the Mark
Contents dialog box and select the elements to be included in the detail mark.
14. Modify the element appearance and mark position as described above.
15. Click Modify.
16. Select the detail mark Symbol to be used in the mark. You can also change the color and
size of the symbol.
17. Click modify in the Detail Symbol Properties dialog box.

See also

View, section view and detail view label mark elements on page 591
Section and detail mark elements on page 591

4.4 Dimensions
In addition to the automatically created dimensions defined in the drawing properties of the
created drawings, Tekla Structures contains several tools for modifying the automatically
created dimensions and for adding new dimensions in the final drawing.

See also
Example: Manual dimensions on page 147
Adding manual dimensions using User Coordinate System on page 152
Adding tags to dimensions on page 154
Example: Filtering out dimension tag content on page 156
Adding dual dimensions manually on page 158
Recreating dimensions for all parts on page 159
Adding manual dimensions on page 146
Adding manual dimensions to general arrangement drawings on page 152
Adding predefined reinforcement dimensions on page 160
Adding dimension (distribution) lines to reinforcing bars on page 161
Dimensioning reinforcing bar groups on page 163
Modifying dimension properties on page 171
Automatic dimension settings on page 396

Editing drawings 145 Dimensions

Creating exaggerated dimensions on page 456
Dimensioning center of gravity on page 167
Dimension mark and dimension tag properties on page 560
Dimension and dimensioning properties on page 556

Adding manual dimensions

To add dimensions:
1. Hold down Shift, click Dimensioning and select one of the dimensioning commands
depending on the type of dimension you want to create:
• Add Horizontal Dimension: Create a dimension in the x direction by picking the
points to be dimensioned. X depends on the current UCS.
• Add Vertical Dimension: Create a dimension in the y direction by picking the points
to be dimensioned. Y depends on the current UCS.
• Add Orthogonal Dimension: Create a dimension in either the x or y direction by
picking the points to be dimensioned. Tekla Structures uses the direction of the larger
overall distance. X and y depend on the current UCS.
• Add Parallel Dimension: Create a dimension parallel to a line you define. First pick
two points to define the direction of the dimension line and then pick the points to
be dimensioned.
• Add Perpendicular Dimension: Create a dimension perpendicular to a line you
define. First pick two points to set the direction of the dimension line, then pick the
points to be dimensioned.
• Add Free Dimension: Create a dimension parallel to a line between any two points
you pick.
• Add Curved Dimension With Orthogonal Reference Lines: Create curved dimension
with orthogonal reference lines: Pick three points to define the arc and pick the
points to be dimensioned. The dimension text on the line can be either a distance or
an angle value.
• Add Curved Dimension With Radial Reference Lines: Create curved dimension with
radial reference lines. Pick three points to define the arc and pick the points to be
dimensioned. The dimension text on the line can be either a distance or an angle
value.
• Add Radial Dimension: Create radial dimension. Pick three points to define the arc
and pick a position for the dimension.
• Add Angular Dimension: Create angular dimension. Pick the vertex point and two
points to define the angle. Pick the side to place the dimension.
2. Modify the dimension properties in the properties dialog box.
3. Add the desired elements in dimension marks and modify their properties.

Editing drawings 146 Dimensions

4. Add dimension tags with the desired elements as required and set the dimension tag
rotation.
Here you can also select to include part count to dimension tags and select a filter that
removes the desired default content from the tag.
The available dimension mark and dimension tag mark elements are the same as those
for the part, bolt, reinforcement and surface treatment marks.
5. Click OK or Apply.
6. Add the dimensions by following the instructions on the status bar.
7. Drag the dimensions to the desired locations.
When you drag the dimensions, the Placing setting changes to fixed by default.

NOTE • It is very important to use correct snap switches to get the dimensions correct.
You can change the switch temporarily by right-clicking and selecting the switch
that suits the best for your purpose.
• In dimension types where you click the middle mouse button to place the
dimension line, the placement setting affects the result. If you have set Placing
to fixed, the position you click will be the location of the dimension line. If you
have set Placing to free, the middle mouse button click defines which side of
the object the dimension line is located on, and Tekla Structures places the
dimension line.
• You can also pick outside the view when you place the dimensions. The view
frame is resized automatically.

See also
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_DIMENSIONS_TO_FIXED
Modifying dimension properties on page 171
Dimension and dimensioning properties on page 556
Changing the prefix in radial dimensions on page 458
Adding tags to dimensions on page 154
Mark elements on page 583

Editing drawings 147 Dimensions

Example: Manual dimensions
Here are some examples of manual dimensions.

Command Example
Add Parallel Dimension

Shows the edge points picked for

defining the direction for the parallel
dimension line.

Shows the dimension points picked.

Same part as before, now dimensioned with

Add Perpendicular Dimension

Shows the edge points picked for

defining the direction for the perpendicular
dimension line.

Shows the dimension points picked.

Editing drawings 148 Dimensions

 Command Example
Add Curved Dimension --> With
Orthogonal Reference Lines
The dimension text on the line is a distance
value.

If the ends of a curved beam or polybeam

have been cut or fitted, the points at the
ends of the beam do not necessarily lie on
the true curve of the beam. This is because
curved beams are created with straight
segments. The points are indicated with

To avoid creating incorrect curved

dimensions, pick the three points defining
the arc using three of the points indicated

with
Use end point snap.

Editing drawings 149 Dimensions

 Command Example
Add Curved Dimension --> With Radial
Reference Lines
Curved set to Distance.
The dimension text on the line is a distance
value.

Add Curved Dimension --> With Radial

Reference Lines
Curved set to Angle.
The dimension text on the line is an angle
value.

Editing drawings 150 Dimensions

 Command Example
Add Angular Dimension
Angle set to Degrees at angle vertex

Add Angular Dimension

Angle set to Degrees on side

Add Angular Dimension

Angle set to Triangle.

Triangle base length set to 100

Add Radial Dimension

Editing drawings 151 Dimensions

See also
Dimensions on page 145
Adding manual dimensions on page 146

Adding manual dimensions to general arrangement drawings

You can dimension parts to grids along their X, Y, or X and Y axis and along grid lines in
general arrangement drawing plan views.
Limitations: Parts like beams that are not located along the grids are not dimensioned.
To add part dimensions in an open general arrangement drawing plan view:
1. Open the general arrangement drawing.
2. To check and change the dimension properties, click Dimensioning --> Dimension
Properties , make the necessary changes and click Apply or OK.
3. To dimension, click Dimensioning --> Add GA Drawing Dimensions and do one of the
following:
• To dimension along grid lines, select Along Grid Lines and pick the view in the
location where you want to create the dimensions.
• To dimension along part X or Y axis or both, select the part, and select Along Part X
Axis, Along Part Y Axis or Along Part X and Y Axis. The parts are dimensionded to
the two nearest grids.
Tekla Structures creates the dimensions according to the dimension properties you
defined in the Dimension Properties dialog box.

See also
Modifying dimension properties on page 171

Adding manual dimensions using User Coordinate System

You can pick UCS (user coordinate system) points to define the current coordinate system in
the drawing view. If you do this, the dimensioning commands Add Horizontal Dimension,
Add Vertical Dimension and Add Orthogonal Dimension follow the defined coordinate
system.
To create dimensions in the horizontal direction using UCS:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Right-click the desired view, select Tools --> User Coordinate System (UCS) --> Set by
Two Points .
3. Pick the UCS origin and the UCS X direction.

Editing drawings 152 Dimensions

4. Click Dimensioning --> Add Horizontal Dimension .
5. Pick the start and end point for the dimension.

6. Point to the location where you want to add the dimension line and click the middle
mouse button.

NOTE When you use the Add Orthogonal Dimension command, it automatically finds out whether
the dimension line is in the X or Y direction depending on which one is the closest.

See also
User coordinate system (UCS) on page 275
Adding manual dimensions on page 146

Editing drawings 153 Dimensions

Adding tags to dimensions
You can add dimension tags to dimensions in an open drawing. You can add dimension tags
to single and combined dimensions.
Limitations:
• Rotation is not available for the middle dimension tags.
• The dimension tags are automatically updated according to model changes, when you
update the drawing. If you want to disable the automatic update, you can freeze the
drawing or set the advanced option XS_INTELLIGENT_DRAWING_ALLOWED to
FALSE. This advanced option affects all drawings.
To add dimension tags to a dimension:
1. Double-click the dimension.
2. Go to the Tags tab and select the locations where you want to add dimension tags.
You can add dimension tags above and below the dimension line to the left and right end
of the line, to the dimension line ends, and in the middle of the dimension line below the
line.

3. Click the ... buttons to go to the Tag Mark Properties dialog box.
You can also enter text directly in the A - G boxes.
4. Select the tag rotation. Each tag has an independent rotation setting, so you can rotate
some tags and leave others unrotated.
• Parallel to dimension line does not rotate the tag. This is the default value.
• Perpendicular to dimension line rotates the tag.
5. Include the elements that you want in the dimension tag.
The available elements are the same as those of the part, bolt, reinforcement and surface
treatment marks.
6. Select the element frame type and color and the text color, font, and height.
7. Click OK.
8. If you want to show the part count in the tag, set Include part count in the tag to Yes.

Editing drawings 154 Dimensions

9. Use Exclude parts according to filter and select a predefined filter to remove some of
the automatically created tag content.
In addition to the user-selectable elements, some of the dimension tag content is
automatically created based on the dimension end point locations. If you want to exclude
unnecessary tag content for parts that are located in the same location as the
dimensioning point, create suitable drawing view filter.
10. Click Modify.

Limitations

Below is an example of dimension tags.

Below is an example of an unrotated and a rotated dimension tag.

See also
Part mark elements on page 584
Bolt mark elements on page 586
Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mark elements on page 587
Surface treatment mark elements on page 590
Using superscript in text on page 194
Dimensions on page 145
Modifying dimension properties on page 171

Dimension and dimensioning properties on page 556

Example: Filtering out dimension tag content on page 156

Editing drawings 155 Dimensions

Example: Filtering out dimension tag content
In this example, you will remove from a dimension tag some content that is added in the tag
automatically based on the dimension end point locations. First you will create a drawing
view filter that you will use for removing the content.
The example below shows a tag that automatically contains the text "CORBEL". You will
remove this text.

To create the filter and remove the desired content:

1. Open a drawing.
2. Double-click the view frame to open the View Properties dialog box.
3. Double-click Filter... to open the View Filter Properties dialog box.
4. Click Add row and create a filter according to the example below.

Editing drawings 156 Dimensions

5. Enter concrete as the name of the filter in the box next to the Save as button and
click the button to save the filter.
6. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
7. In the drawing, double-click the dimension that contains the content that you want to
remove.
The Dimension Properties dialog box is displayed.
8. Go to the Tags page.
9. In Exclude parts according to filter, select the concrete filter.
10. Click Modify.
Tekla Structures removes the text "CORBEL" from the dimension tag. The material type of
corbel is concrete, and the concrete filter removes all concrete parts from the tag.

Editing drawings 157 Dimensions

See also
Adding tags to dimensions on page 154

Adding dual dimensions manually

You can add dual dimensions manually in an existing drawing.
To add dual dimensions manually:
1. Click Tools --> Options --> Options , go to the Drawing dimensions page and set the
unit, formats and precision, and activate the dual dimensions for the drawing types you
want in Dimensions in tags.
2. Click OK.
3. Double-click a dimension in your drawing.
4. Go to the Tags tab, and enter the text DIMENSION in the middle dimension tag.

5. Click Modify.
6. If you do not want to show dual dimensions in all dimensions, you can manually delete
the text DIMENSION from the tag.

Example
Below is an example of dual dimensions that use the unit mm and format ###.

Editing drawings 158 Dimensions

See also
Modifying dimension properties on page 171
Dimension mark and dimension tag properties on page 560
Adding automatic dual dimensions on page 449

Recreating dimensions for all parts

You can recreate the same dimensions that were originally created for the parts in the
drawing.
To recreate dimensions for all parts:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Check that you have set Dimension creation method in this view to Automatically in
the view properties.
Tekla Structures dimensions parts only in views where this setting is set to
Automatically.
3. Click Dimensioning --> Recreate Dimensions for All Parts .
Tekla Structures re-dimensions all views except linked, 3D and key plan views, and
removes all manually created dimensions.

See also
Adding manual dimensions on page 146
View properties in drawings on page 551

Editing drawings 159 Dimensions

Adding predefined reinforcement dimensions
You can add dimensions to reinforcing bar groups in an open cast unit drawing.
Each reinforcing bar group with identical spacing has a mark and dimension line. You can
define the contents of the dimension marks and tagged dimension marks case by case or use
predefined dimension property files.
To add reinforcement dimensions using predefined dimension property files:
1. Click Dimensioning --> Dimension Properties .
2. Modify the dimension properties:
• For dimension marks, adjust the type, format, and appearance of the dimension and
the contents of the dimension mark.
• If you want to have dimension tags in your dimension, select where to add dimension
tags and adjust the contents of the tags on the Tags tab.
3. Save the modified dimension properties by entering a name in the Save as box and
clicking Save as.
Save separate files for dimension marks and tagged dimension marks.
4. Click Tools --> Options --> Options... and go to the Drawing dimensions page.
5. Under Add mark to reinforcement, select the property files you just saved in the
Dimension Mark settings and Tagged Dimension Mark settings lists.
6. Click OK in the Options dialog box.
7. Go back to the drawing, right-click the reinforcing bar group and select Add Mark -->
Dimension Mark or Tagged Dimension Mark from the pop-up menu.

Example
Below is an example of a reinforcement dimension with dimension marks.

Editing drawings 160 Dimensions

Below is an example of a reinforcement dimension that contains dimension marks and a
dimension tag.

See also
Dimensions on page 145
Adding manual dimensions on page 146
Dimension and dimensioning properties on page 556
Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mark elements on page 587

Adding dimension (distribution) lines to reinforcing bars

You can add dimension lines, or distribution lines, to reinforcing bar groups. They show the
distribution of the reinforcing bars in the group.
1. Open a cast unit drawing.
2. Right-click a reinforcing bar group and select Create dimension line from the pop-up
menu. Tekla Structures creates the dimension line.
3. If needed, double-click the dimension line to display the Dimension Properties dialog
box.
Modify the properties as required. Click Modify to apply the changes.
4. If needed, you can drag a reinforcement dimension line out of the reinforcement bar
group.
When you do this, Tekla Structures draws a dashed line from the reinforcing bar to the
dimension line. If the new location is in the reinforcement area, the reinforcing bar mark
follows the intersection of the reinforcement bar and reinforcement dimension line.

Example
Below is an example of a dimension line.

Editing drawings 161 Dimensions

Below is an example of the dimension line when it has been dragged outside the reinforcing
bar group.

Below is an example of curved orthogonal dimensions of a tapered curved reinforcing bar

group.

Editing drawings 162 Dimensions

Below is an example of curved dimensions of a radial reincofing bar group.

See also
Dimensions on page 145
Adding manual dimensions on page 146
Dimension and dimensioning properties on page 556

Dimensioning reinforcing bar groups

You can add dimensions to reinforcing bar groups using the RebarGroupDimensionPlugin
application.
Before you start using this feature, add the RebarGroupDimensionPlugin command to a
toolbar through Tools --> Customize . Always add commands to the User menu and to
toolbars in the modeling mode, otherwise they are not saved.
To add dimensions to reinforcing bar groups:
1. Select the reinforcing bar groups.
2. Press down Shift and click the Create RebarGroupDimensionPlugin command that you
added on a toolbar.
If you do not want to adjust any properties, just click the command.
3. Select the Annotation type.

Editing drawings 163 Dimensions

 The first option is meant for cases where two or more groups are not overlapping. The
second and third options are meant for cases where the groups are overlapping. The third
option is otherwise similar to the second one, except that the dimension text is in 90
degrees angle in relation to the actual dimension line.
4. In Prefix for spacing value, enter the letters or text to be placed before the spacing
value.

5. In the Settings for distribution line, select the properties file that you want to use for
the distribution line.
You can control these properties by opening and modifying the properties file in the
Dimension Properties dialog box.
6. In Settings for note text, select the properties file that you want to use for the
annotation text part other than the position text.
You can control these properties by opening and modifying the properties file in the Text
Properties dialog box.
7. In Show position in text, select whether you want to show or hide the position text

Editing drawings 164 Dimensions

8. If you set Close dimension line to part ends to Default, the first annotation type is
closed, and the other types are not. You can change this default behavior by selecting Yes
or No.
9. In Settings for position text, select the properties file that you want to use for the
position text in the annotation.

10. Go to the Advanced settings tab to control the relative locations and placing of various
elements of the annotation.
11. In First line spacing, enter a millimeter value to indicate the space between the
dimension line and the first line of dimension text.

12. In Next line spacing, enter a millimeter value to indicate the space between several lines
of dimension text.

Editing drawings 165 Dimensions

13. Select Free text below text and enter a millimeter value to indicate the space between
the last line of dimension text and the next dimension line.

14. Select Dimension line spacing and enter a millimeter value to indicate the space
between two or more dimension lines.

15. In Tolerance for group width, enter a decimal value to override the default tolerance
value of 50 mm.
The idea is to have a common dimension line and multiple texts whenever the reinforcing
bar groups have equal widths, which means that the difference in width is smaller than
the tolerance.
16. Click OK.
17. Click the location on the reinforcing bar group where you want to place the dimensions.

Editing drawings 166 Dimensions

Example

See also
Creating your own menu
Creating your own toolbar
Adding manual dimensions on page 146

Dimensioning center of gravity

You can indicate the location of the center of gravity (COG) in single-part, assembly, and cast
unit drawings by creating COG dimensions and a COG symbol at the center of gravity. You
can also create COG dimensions in section views. COG dimensions will be automatically
updated if the single part, assembly, or cast unit changes. The COG dimensions can also be
cloned.
Limitations:
• If you copy or link a drawing containing COG dimensions to another drawing, such as a
multidrawing, the COG dimensions will not be copied.
• You cannot create COG dimensions in general arrangement drawings or multidrawings.
To create COG dimensions:

1. Double-click the Create COG Dimension toolbar command .

2. Modify the options as required:

Editing drawings 167 Dimensions

• In Create, select Symbol to see only the COG symbol, or Dimensions to see only COG
dimensions. To see both, select Both.

• In Dimensioning, select to create Horizontal or Vertical dimensions, or Both.

• In Dimension attributes, you can load predefined dimension properties.
The appearance settings (size, color, etc.) of the COG dimensions are read from the
dimension property file you load in Dimension attributes. You can create and save
dimension property files through Dimensioning --> Dimension Properties . For
example, you may create a special COG dimension property file to change the color or
arrow type, and load the saved properties in Dimension attributes.

Editing drawings 168 Dimensions

 • In Symbol Options, you can change the Symbol file in use and the symbol you want
to use for COG, and load predefined symbol properties.
You can access the symbol options only if you have selected Both or Symbol for
Create. The appearance settings (height, color, etc.) of the symbol are read from the
symbol properties file you load in Symbol attributes.
You can create and save symbol property files through Annotating --> Properties --
> Symbols… . For example, you may create a special COG symbol properties file to
change the color and height of the symbol, and load the saved properties in Symbol
attributes.

3. Click OK.
4. Pick the first point to specify the origin of the dimensions. The origin is the point from
which you want to measure the location of the center of gravity. This point must be
located within the view frame.

5. Pick the second point to place the dimensions. This point may fall outside the view frame.

Editing drawings 169 Dimensions

 The example below shows the created dimensions.

6. When the dimension is selected, handles are shown at the dimension origin and the
dimension location. You can drag these handles to adjust the origin or the location, or
move them using the standard editing commands.

Editing drawings 170 Dimensions

See also

Exaggerating selected dimensions in drawings

(ExaggerateSelectedDimensions)
You can exaggerate narrow dimensions to make them easier to read. When exaggerated, a
dimension that is narrower than the limit defined in the Options dialog box is enlarged using
the defined scale. If there are many exaggerated dimensions, Tekla Structures arranges them
automatically.

To exaggerate dimensions:
1. Go to Click Tools --> Options --> Options and go to the Drawing dimensions page.
2. Set the Exaggeration limit and Exaggeration scale.
Exaggeration scaling defines whether you are using Paper or Model as the exaggeration
scaling method. If you select Paper, the exaggeration limit is multiplied by the view scale.
If you select Model, and the scale is 1:10, all the dimensions smaller than 10 mm are
exaggerated regardless of the drawing scale.
3. Click OK to save the settings and close the Options dialog box.
4. In an open drawing, click the dimension that you want to exaggerate.

5. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
6. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
7. Double-click ExaggerateSelectedDimensions.

Editing drawings 171 Dimensions

Modifying dimension properties
You can modify the properties of the dimensions in an open drawing.
To modify dimensions:
1. Double-click a dimension.

2. Switch all the check boxes off in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch
at the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select only the check boxes next to the properties that you want to modify.
4. On the General tab, modify the dimension type, format, and placing settings.
For example, here you can set the dimension to be free or fixed. Free lets Tekla Structures
to decide the location and direction of the dimension. Fixed allows you to place the
dimension at any point. For more information click the link in the See also section.
5. On the Appearance tab, modify the text, line and arrow settings.
For more information, click the link in the See also section.
6. On the Marks tab, modify the dimension mark contents and exaggeration settings.
Here you can also select whether you want to show plate side marks. for more
information, click the link in the See also section.
7. On the Marks tab, click the ... button next to Prefix or Posfix to add elements in the
dimension mark and modify element appearance.
8. On the Tags tab, add dimension tags as required, and set the dimension tag rotation.
Here you can also select to include part count to dimension tags and select a filter that
removes the desired default content from the tag. For more information, click the link in
the See also section.
9. Click Modify.

See also
General dimension properties on page 556
Dimension appearance properties on page 560
Dimension mark and dimension tag properties on page 560
Adding tags to dimensions on page 154
Dimension and dimensioning properties on page 556
Adding manual dimensions on page 146

Editing drawings 172 Dimensions

Adding dimension points in anchor bolt plans
You can add dimension points to dimensions inside the enlarged views in an open anchor bolt
plan.
Limitations: You cannot create new dimension lines that have dimension points inside both
the enlarged views and the plan view.
To add dimension points to the dimensions inside the enlarged views:
1. Select the enlarged view frame.
2. Select the dimension to modify.
3. Right-click and select Add dimension point.

See also
Creating anchor bolt plans using saved settings on page 60
Example: Dimensions in anchor bolt plans on page 476

Showing plate side marks

You can show plate side marks on dimension leader lines. The plate side marks indicate
whether the dimension point is to the face or center of the part, for example, a plate, web, or
flange.
To create plate side marks:
1. Select Dimensioning --> Dimension Properties .
2. In the Dimension Properties dialog box, go to the Marks tab, set Type in Plate side
marks to Specified to manually control the symbol and insert plate side mark symbols in
the drawing.
The option Automatic is available only in intelligent drawings, that is when the advanced
option XS_INTELLIGENT_DRAWING_ALLOWED is set to TRUE.
3. Modify the other properties of the plate side marks as required:
• You can select the left and right plate side mark.
• You can set the mark size.
• You can adjust the mark color.
• You can set the offset of the mark from the dimension line.
4. Click Modify.

Editing drawings 173 Dimensions

See also
XS_DIMENSION_PLATE_SIDE_MARK_SYMBOL_LEFT
XS_DIMENSION_PLATE_SIDE_MARK_SYMBOL_CENTER
XS_DIMENSION_PLATE_SIDE_MARK_SYMBOL_RIGHT
Modifying dimension properties on page 171
XS_INTELLIGENT_DRAWING_ALLOWED
Dimension mark and dimension tag properties on page 560

Changing the location of short outside dimension texts

If you have selected to place texts of short dimensions outside the dimensions by setting
Short dimensions to Outside on the General tab of the Dimension Properties, you can
select on which side of the extension line the dimension text is placed.
Limitations: You can flip only start or end dimensions in a dimension set.
To change the location of the dimension text:
1. Click Dimensioning --> Edit Dimensions --> Flip Outside Dimension .
2. Click the dimension whose location you want to change.
You can place the dimension text outside the dimensions if there is enough space for the
dimension text.

Editing drawings 174 Dimensions

See also
Modifying dimension properties on page 171

Setting new dimension start point

You can select a new start point for running dimensions (dimensions that start from a
common start point).
To select a new start point:
1. Select an existing dimension in the drawing.
2. Click Dimensioning --> Edit Dimensions --> Set Dimension Start Point .
3. Select the new start point. Tekla Structures automatically updates the dimensions.

Example
You can use this command to swap the running dimensions start point to the opposite end of
the member. This is useful when running dimensions start from the opposite end of a
member.

When you use the US absolute dimension type, Tekla Structures draws a new RD symbol
(Running Dimension) at the new zero point and updates the dimensions according to the new
start point.

Editing drawings 175 Dimensions

See also
Modifying dimension properties on page 171

Adding closing dimensions

In a drawing containing a reinforcing bar group, you can manually add closing dimensions to
the edge of the part using the Add Dimension Point command.
To add closing dimensions:
1. Open a cast unit drawing.
2. Select the reinforcing bar group dimension line.
3. Click Dimensioning --> Add Dimension Point .
4. Select the points where you want to add the closing dimensions.

Tekla Structures creates the closing dimensions.

Editing drawings 176 Dimensions

See also
XS_REBAR_DIMENSION_MARK_MANUAL_CLOSE_TO_GEOMETRY
Adding dimension points on page 177

Adding dimension points

To add dimension points on a dimension line:
1. Select the dimension line.
You can only add points to one dimension line at a time.
2. Click Dimensioning --> Edit Dimensions --> Add Dimension Point .
3. Click a position on the part where you want to add the dimension point.
You can add several points.
4. If needed, you can remove a point by clicking Dimensioning --> Edit Dimensions -->
Remove Dimension Point and clicking the point you want to remove.
You can remove several points in a row.

TIP A quick way to add and remove dimension points is to first click a positions on the parts where
you want to add the dimension points and, if some of them seem unnecessary, remove those by
holding down Shift and then clicking the points you want to remove.
A quick way to add or remove dimension points is to use the pop-up menu commands Add
Dimension Point and Remove Dimension Points.

See also
Modifying dimension properties on page 171
Adding closing dimensions on page 176

Editing drawings 177 Dimensions

Linking perpendicular dimension lines
You can connect two perpendicular dimension lines. Connecting dimension lines makes your
drawings clearer and easier to read. For example, you might want to link dimension lines of
embedded objects in a cast unit, floor beams in a floor plan, or anchor bolts in an anchor bolt
plan.
To connect two dimension lines:
1. Hold down Ctrl and select two perpendicular dimension lines to connect.
2. Click Dimensioning --> Edit Dimensions --> Link Dimension Lines .
3. If you want to unlink the dimension lines you linked, select the linked dimension line and
click Dimensioning --> Edit Dimensions --> Unlink Dimension Lines .

Example
Below is an example of linked dimension lines.

TIP The commands Link Dimension Lines and Unlink Dimension Lines are also available in the pop-
up menu for dimensions.

See also
Modifying dimension properties on page 171

Combining dimension lines

You can manually combine a group of two or more parallel dimension lines into one line.
To combine parallel dimension lines:
1. Hold down Ctrl and click the dimension lines you want to combine.
2. Click Dimensioning --> Edit Dimensions --> Combine Dimension Lines .

Editing drawings 178 Dimensions

TIP You can also select Combine Dimension Lines from the pop-up menu.

See also
Modifying dimension properties on page 171

Dragging dimension marks

Dimension marks can be freely dragged to avoid overlapping dimensions and marks.
Ensure, that you have switched Smart Select on in Tools --> Options .
To drag dimension marks:
1. Select the dimension line.
If you do not select the dimension line first, dragging will move the whole dimension, not
just the dimension mark.
When you select the line, the dimension mark handle becomes visible.

Editing drawings 179 Dimensions

2. Point the handle, press down the left mouse button, and drag the dimension mark to the
desired location.

See also
Modifying dimension properties on page 171

Moving the end of the dimension line

You can move the end of the dimension line orthogonal to itself outside the part. The
dimension tags are moved together with the end of the line. This is useful when the tags
would otherwise cover part geometry or other objects, such as dimensions or marks.
Limitations: You can move the end of the dimension line in all straight dimensions, except
elevation dimensions.
To move the end of the dimension line:
1. In an open drawing, click the dimension.
The dimension line handle becomes visible.
2. Select the handle and drag the end of the line to the desired position.
It is easier to select the handle when your hold down Alt and then click the handle.
If the dimension contains dimension tags, the tags are visible while you drag.

See also
Modifying dimension properties on page 171

Editing drawings 180 Associative annotation objects

4.5 Associative annotation objects
Marks, dimensions, and associative notes are associative annotation objects. An associative
annotation object updates according to the changes made in a model object in the model.
Other objects are also associative if they have associativity points.
Other objects will also become associative if snap to a model object when you create them.
For example, in texts, the content does not change when the model changes but the
associativity point may change. Another example is a line: if you snap to a part edge when
you create a line, the line will get an associativity point and move with the part if the part
changes.
In addition to the annotation objects created in a drawing based on the drawing properties
at drawing creation, you can also add new ones in an open drawing.

See also
Drawing objects on page 17
Dimensions on page 145
Adding part marks on page 181
Adding weld marks on page 223
Adding level marks on page 182
Adding associative notes on page 183
Modifying associative annotation object properties on page 184
Updating marks on page 185
Change symbols in drawings on page 186
Merging marks on page 189
Dragging the mark and associative note leader line base point on page 190

Adding part marks

In an open drawing, you can add part marks for all building objects, surface treatment and
connections, or for the 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:

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 1. Select the parts.
parts

Editing drawings 181 Associative annotation objects

 To Do this
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.

TIP Alternatively, you can right-click the parts and select the appropriate mark creation
command from the pop-up menu.

TIP Use orthogonal snapping in marks and associative notes with leader lines. For example,
you can use it for placing your marks and notes in a more consistent way in exact
locations. When you start dragging a mark or note from a leader line end handle and
you have orthogonal snapping on (O or Tools --> Ortho ), the leader line end handle
locks to the closes orthogonal point in the drawing (0, 45, 90, 135, 180 degrees).

See also
Associative annotation objects on page 180
Modifying view-level drawing properties on page 327
Modifying drawing properties of an existing drawing on page 326
Modifying associative annotation object properties on page 184
Mark elements on page 583
Drawing settings on page 544

Adding level marks

A level mark is an associative annotation object that represents the elevation of a point. In
addition to the automatic elevation dimensions that you can define in the drawing properties
before creating the drawing, and the elevation information in the grid labels added in the
model, you can also add level marks in your drawing to ensure that the dimensions are
correct.
To add level marks:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Hold down Shift and click Annotating --> Add Level Mark to open the Level Mark
Properties dialog box.
3. Enter or modify the content and the appearance of the level mark.
4. Click Apply or OK to save the properties.

Editing drawings 182 Associative annotation objects

5. Pick a start point for the leader line and a position for the mark.

1. Elevation dimension in the grid label

2. Elevation dimension created with Add Level Mark in the drawing

NOTE Shortening value added in the user-defined properties of a part also affects level marks.

See also
Level mark properties on page 582
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573

Adding associative notes

An associative note is an extra mark that contains additional information of the object it is
attached to. Associative notes are updated according to the changes made in the object it is
added to.You can add associative notes to building objects, such as parts and reinforcement,
surface treatments, edge chamfers, pour breaks and pour objects. You can add multiple notes
to one object.
To add an associative note:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Hold down Shift and click Annotating --> Add Associative Note and select one of the
following commands:
• With Leader Line: Add an associative note with a leader line at the position you
specify.
• Without Leader Line: Create an associative note without a leader line at the
position you specify.
• Along Line: Add an associative note along a line at the position you specify.
3. Select what kind of an object you want to attach the note to in the Content list.
4. Select the elements you want to show in the note, and modify the appearance of the
note.

Editing drawings 183 Associative annotation objects

 Associative notes may contain the same elements as part marks.
Associative note appearance properties are the same as the ones for part marks.
Additionally, you can adjust the leader line arrow height and length.
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.
5. Click Apply or OK to save the properties.
6. Select the object.
7. Follow the instructions on the status bar. Continue picking to add the same note in
another location.

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.

TIP 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.

See also
Mark elements on page 583
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
Associative annotation objects on page 180

Modifying associative annotation object properties

You can modify the properties of the associative annotation objects in an open drawing. By
associative annotation objects we mean associative notes and marks for parts, bolts,
reinforcement, surface treatments, welds, levels, and connections.
To modify the properties of associative annotation objects:
1. Double-click a mark or a note.

2. Switch all the check boxes off in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch
at the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select only the check boxes next to the properties that you want to modify.

Editing drawings 184 Associative annotation objects

4. Add missing elements in the mark on the Content tab and change the element
properties. For more information about the mark elements and mark properties, click the
links in the See also section.
5. Adjust the mark frame and leader line settings.
For more information about mark appearance properties, click the link in the See also
section.
6. To exactly place the mark in the position you pick and keep it there, click the Place...
button and select fixed in the Placing list.
For more information about the placement settings, click the link in the See also section.
7. Leave the dialog box open, select all the marks that you want to change, and click
Modify to apply the changes in all the selected marks.

TIP To modify the properties of the weld marks of welds that you added in the model, you need to
modify the weld in the model. When you number the model, the weld marks are updated in the
drawings.

See also
Associative annotation objects on page 180
Mark properties on page 573
Mark elements on page 583
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
Defining placement settings for annotation objects on page 362

Updating marks
You can update part marks and weld marks in an open drawing. Normally part marks and
weld marks are up to date when you open the drawing. Updating is needed in frozen
drawings.
To update marks, do one of the following:

To Do this
Update all part marks Click Annotating --> Update Marks --> All Part Marks .
Update selected part marks 1. Select the part marks you want to update.
2. Click Annotating --> Update Marks --> Selected Part
Marks .

Editing drawings 185 Associative annotation objects

 To Do this
Update all weld marks Click Annotating --> Update Marks --> All Weld Marks .

Tekla Structures updates the marks according to your selection.

See also
Associative annotation objects on page 180
Freezing and unfreezing general arrangement drawings on page 284

Change symbols in drawings

Tekla Structures highlights the marks and dimension marks that have changed due to
changes in the model, and dimension points that have been moved. Tekla Structures also
highlights the changed angle dimensions, level marks, and associative notes.

Tekla Structures highlights the changes in the following way:

• 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 or note.
• An arrow is drawn from the old dimension point to the new one.

There are some advanced options related to change symbols that you may want to use:
• XS_HIGHLIGHT_ASSOCIATIVE_DIMENSION_CHANGES
• XS_HIGHLIGHT_MARK_CONTENT_CHANGES
• XS_ASSOCIATIVE_CHANGE_HIGHLIGHT_SYMBOL
• XS_ASSOCIATIVE_CHANGE_HIGHLIGHT_SIZE

See also
Removing change symbols on page 187
Removing all change symbols from a drawing (RemoveChangeClouds) on page 187

Editing drawings 186 Associative annotation objects

Removing change symbols

After you have checked all the change symbols that Tekla Structures has created, you can
remove all of them or just the selected ones.
To remove change symbols, do one of the following:

To Do this
Remove all dimension change symbols Click Dimensioning --> Review Dimensions --> Remove
Dimension Change Symbol --> All .
Remove the selected dimension 1. Select the change symbols you want to remove.
change symbols
2. Click Dimensioning --> Review Dimensions -->
Remove Dimension Change Symbol --> Single .
Remove all mark change symbols Click Annotating --> Review Marks --> Remove Mark
Change Symbol --> All .
Remove the selected mark change 1. Select the change symbols you want to remove.
symbols
2. Click Annotating --> Review Marks --> Remove
Mark Change Symbol --> Single .
Remove all associative note change Click Annotating --> Review Marks --> Remove
symbols Associative Note Change Symbol --> All .
Remove the selected associative note 1. Select the change symbols you want to remove.
change symbols
2. Click Annotating --> Review Marks --> Remove
Associative Note Change Symbol --> Single .

See also
Change symbols in drawings on page 186

Removing all change symbols from a drawing (RemoveChangeClouds)

You can remove dimension change symbols, mark change symbols and associative note
change symbols in one go from an open drawing using the RemoveChangeClouds
macro.

To remove all change symbols from a drawing that has a lot of different kinds of change
symbols:
1. Open the drawing.

2. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.

Editing drawings 187 Associative annotation objects

4. Double-click RemoveChangeClouds.
Tekla Structures removes all change symbols.

Example
The first image shows an example of a mark change symbol after a material change, and of a
dimension change symbol after a change in the size of the part.

The second image shows the dimension text and the mark after running the macro.

Editing drawings 188 Associative annotation objects

See also
Change symbols in drawings on page 186

Merging marks
You can merge marks to reduce the number of marks in the drawing and to make the
drawing clearer. A merged mark has a single leader line. You can merge marks automatically
and also manually in the final drawing.
In a final drawing, you can merge reinforcement marks and weld marks.

See also
Merging reinforcement marks manually on page 189
Merging weld marks on page 226
Merging marks automatically on page 490

Editing drawings 189 Associative annotation objects

Merging reinforcement marks manually

To manually merge reinforcement marks in a drawing:

1. Click Annotating --> Properties --> Merged Reinforcement Mark... .
2. Modify mark properties as required.
3. Select the marks to merge in the drawing.
4. Right-click and select Merge marks from the pop-up menu.
5. If needed, you can split the merged marks by selecting the marks to split, right-clicking
and selecting Split marks.

See also
Merging reinforcement marks automatically on page 493

Dragging the mark and associative note leader line base point
You can change the place of the mark and associative note leader line base point.
Ensure that you have switched Smart Select on in Tools --> Options to drag and drop by
handles without selecting them first.
Limitations:
• If the base point is originally on a line, you can drag it along that line.
• If the base point is originally inside a part, you can drag the base point inside that part.
To drag the leader line base point:
1. Click the leader line.
2. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the base point to a new location.

Limitations

See also
Associative annotation objects on page 180
Leader line types on page 576

Creating and using customized leader line arrows

If you do not find a suitable leader line arrow in the Arrow list in the Mark Properties dialog
box, you can add an arrow of your own.
First you will create the arrow symbol in the Symbol Editor, and save the created symbol in
the arrow.sym file. Then you need to add the position of the new symbol in the

Editing drawings 190 Associative annotation objects

arrow.sym to the configuration file arrow.txt file, which tells which arrows are
available for use in your environment.
To create a new arrow symbol and take it into use:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Symbol Editor to open the Symbol Editor.
If you have a drawing open, click Tools --> Symbol Editor instead.
2. Open the arrow.sym file located in common environment or in your environment
under symbols folder.
3. Click an empty symbol slot and sketch your symbol with drawing tools.
You can also import AutoCAD or MicroStation files through File --> Import .
4. When the symbol is completed, point the symbol slot to check the number of the new
symbol at the bottom of the window.

5. Save the arrow.sym file by clicking File --> Save .

6. Click File --> Exit to close the Symbol Editor.
7. Open the arrow.txt file located in the same symbols folder as the arrow.sym file.
The file contains a list of symbol numbers.
8. Add the number of your symbol preceded by zero (0) in the correct position and separate
it with a comma:
016,017,018,019,020,021,022,023,024,032,048,049,101,102,110,200
9. Click File --> Save to save your change.

Editing drawings 191 Associative annotation objects

 10. Add a bitmap of the created arrow in the ..\ProgramData\Tekla Structures
\<version>\Bitmaps folder on your computer.
Use the following format in the file name: dr_dialog_arrow_type_024.bmp.
11. Double-click a mark in a drawing to open the Mark Properties dialog box.
12. Open the Arrow list, and you should see that the new arrow symbol is now available for
use.

NOTE We recommend you define a firm folder for symbols, because the default folders are
overwritten when you upgrade to a newer version of Tekla Structures. Add the firm folder to
the advanced option DXK_SYMBOLPATH.

See also
Defining a firm folder for images and symbols on page 541

4.6 Independent annotation objects

Independent annotation objects are not linked or connected to the Tekla Structures model in
any way. Texts, text files, DWG/DXF files, symbols, revision marks, links and hyperlinks are all
independent annotation objects. These objects may be associative if they get associativity
points, i.e. they are associated to building objects.

See also
Drawing objects on page 17
Adding text on page 193
Adding links to text files on page 195
Adding links to other drawings on page 197
Adding hyperlinks on page 198
Adding links to DWG and DXF files on page 199

Editing drawings 192 Independent annotation objects

Adding revision marks on page 200
Adding symbols in drawings on page 246
Modifying the properties of independent annotation objects on page 201

Adding text
You can add text in the drawings.
To add text:
1. Hold down Shift and click Annotating --> Add Text and then select one of the
following commands to create a single line or multiple lines of text:
• Text: Add text without a leader line at the position you pick.
• Text with Leader Line: Add text with a leader line at the position you pick.
• Text along Line: Add text along a line at the position you pick.
• Along Line, Arrow at End Point: Add text along a line at the position you pick. An
arrow is inserted at the second position you pick.
• Along Line, Arrow at Start Point: Add text along a line at the position you pick. An
arrow is inserted at the first position you pick.
2. Enter the text in the Text box.
Press Enter to make a line break.
3. Modify the text color, height, font, angle and alignment as required.
4. Select a frame type, leader line and color.
5. Select the leader line arrow type and size.
6. To exactly place the text in the position you pick, and keep it there, click the Place...
button and select fixed in the Placing list.
7. Click OK or Apply.
8. Pick the point where you want to place the text. Depending on the command, you have
to pick one to three times.
Text is aligned to left by default. Line spacing is automatically adjusted by the font size
you select.
You can continue picking to add the same line of text in another location.

See below for examples of the different text options. From left: Text; Text with Leader Line;
Text along Line; Along Line, Arrow at End Point; and Along Line, Arrow at Start Point.

Editing drawings 193 Independent annotation objects

TIP You can drag the base point of the text leader line freely after adding the text.

See also
Independent annotation objects on page 192

Using superscript in text

You can use superscript in texts in all your text objects, dimension marks, other marks and
associative notes.
Before you can use superscript, set the advanced option
XS_SUPERSCRIPT_USED_IN_DRAWING_TEXTS to TRUE.
To use superscript text:
1. Open the properties dialog box of the text object, mark or associative note.
2. Do one of the following:
• For text objects, enter the desired text in the Text box.
• For marks and associative notes, open the Mark Content - text dialog box by
double-clicking Text in the Available elements list and enter the desired text in the
Text box.
3. Enter circumflexes (^) around the characters that you want to have in superscript.
4. Click Modify or OK and Modify as required.

Example
This example shows how the superscript is entered in the Text box and what it looks like in
the text.

See also
Adding text on page 193

Editing drawings 194 Independent annotation objects

Associative annotation objects on page 180
Dimensions on page 145
XS_SUPERSCRIPT_USED_IN_DRAWING_TEXTS

Adding links to text files

You can insert text inside a frame in a drawing by creating a link to a .txt or .rtf file.
Tekla Structures adds the text using some basic formatting settings you can set in the file
itself and some of the properties in the Text File Properties dialog box. If you change the
text in the file, it will change in all drawings containing a link to the text file.

To add a link to a text file:

1. Create the text file.
You can add basic formatting to the file, such as bold and italics, and set a specific font.
You can also use bulleted lists with hyphens and circular bullets, and numbered lists.
When you add the text link, Tekla Structures preserves the formatting settings.
Tekla Structures colors will always be shown correctly. If you use in the .rft file a color
that is not supported in Tekla Structures, then the closest Tekla Structures color will be
used.
Nested lists are not supported.
2. Open the drawing where you want to add the text file.
3. Click Annotating --> Add Text --> From Text File .
4. Set the text height.
Other text settings are taken from the text file.
5. Set the frame line type and color.
6. Select if you want to scale the text:
• Scale to fit: You only need to pick the upper left corner of the frame when placing
the text. Tekla Structures inserts the object in its original size. In this case, when you
change the text frame size by dragging from the handles, the text does not wrap, and
the font scales automatically.
• No scaling: You need to pick two points to define the frame when placing the text.
Tekla Structures adjusts the object size to fit the frame. The text wraps when you
change the size of the frame by dragging the handles. The minimum width of the box
is defined by the longest word.
7. Browse for the file.
8. Click OK or Apply.
9. Pick one or two points in the drawing to indicate the corners of the text file frame.
Tekla Structures adds the link to the text file.

Editing drawings 195 Independent annotation objects

10. You can edit the text and modify the text file properties:
• To edit the text file, double-click the text inside the frame. Tekla Structures opens the
original text file.
• To modify the text file properties, double-click the frame around the text. For .rft
files, you cannot modify the text color or font here, you need to changes these in
the .rft file itself. For plain text files, you can also change the font color.

Examples
In the following example you can see that the text file may contain bulleted lists, numbered
lists, colors, italics, and bold, and you can change the font of the desired text parts.

In the following example, the scaling type is No scaling. The text wraps when you change
the size of the frame by dragging the handles, so that the text always fits the frame. The font
size does not change.

In the following example, the scaling type is Scale to fit. If you change the text frame size
by dragging from the handles, the text does not wrap, and the font size changes
automatically so that the text fits the frame.

See also
Independent annotation objects on page 192

Editing drawings 196 Independent annotation objects

Adding links to other drawings
You can insert a link to a drawing in a frame in a drawing. Tekla Structures adds the link to
the drawing using the properties in the Drawing Link Properties dialog box.
To add a link to another drawing:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Click Annotating --> Add Link --> To Other Drawing... .
3. Modify the text color, height, font and effect.
4. Modify the frame line type and color.
5. Select if you want to scale the link. If you select No scaling, Tekla Structures inserts the
link in its original size.
If you select Scale to fit, Tekla Structures adjusts the object size to fit the frame.
6. In the Drawing list, select the drawing to link to.
The drawings in the list are the drawings in the current model.
7. If you want to display text for the link instead of the drawing name, enter the text in the
Text box.
8. Pick two points to define the frame and add the link.
9. Click OK or Apply.

TIP You can open the linked drawing by double-clicking the link.

Example
In the example below, Scale to fit has been selected, and the link contains the name of the
drawing.

Editing drawings 197 Independent annotation objects

See also
Independent annotation objects on page 192

Adding hyperlinks
You can add links to Internet addresses (URLs) within a frame in a drawing.
To add a hyperlink:
1. Open a drawing where you want to add a hyperlink.
2. Click Annotating --> Add Link --> Hyperlink...
3. Modify the text color, height, font and effect.
4. Modify the frame line type and color.
5. Select if you want to scale the link.
If you select No scaling, you only need pick the upper left corner of the frame when you
insert the link. Tekla Structures inserts the link in its original size. If you select Scale to
fit, you need to pick two points to define the frame. Tekla Structures adjusts the link size
to fit the frame.
6. In the File or URL text box, enter an Internet address or filename and path.
If you need to locate the file, click Browse.... Tekla Structures inserts an active hyperlink
to the location you specify.
7. If you want to display text for the hyperlink instead of the hyperlink, enter the text in the
Text box.
8. Click OK or Apply.
9. Pick one or two points in the drawing to indicate the corners of the hyperlink frame.

Example
In the example below, Scale to fit has been selected. The Internet address for the hyperlink is
shown.

TIP Double-click the hyperlink text in the drawing to jump to the Internet address.

Editing drawings 198 Independent annotation objects

See also
Independent annotation objects on page 192

Adding links to DWG and 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.
In DWG/DXF links, Tekla Structures supports Autocad version 2010 and earlier.
To add a link to a DWG or DXF file:
1. Open the drawing where you want to insert a link to a DWG/DXF file.
2. Click View --> Add DWG / DXF File .
3. Select the scaling options:
• Scaling type:
• X: Pick the left upper corner of the frame to insert the file. You can only set the
drawing scale in the x direction.
• XY: Pick the left upper corner of the frame to insert the file. You can set the
drawing scale in both the x and y direction.
• Scale to fit: Pick the left upper and bottom right corners of the frame to size and
create the frame. Tekla Structures scales the file to fit the frame.
• Best fit: Pick the left upper and bottom right corners of the frame to size and
create the frame. Tekla Structures scales the file to fit, maintaining its original
aspect ratio.
• Scale in X:
• Scales the file in the x direction. Enter a coefficient to indicate the scale, for
example, 1.0 for 100%, 1.5 for 150%, etc. The scaling type must be set to X or
XY.
• Scale in Y:
• Scales the file in the y direction. Enter a coefficient to indicate the scale, for
example, 1.0 for 100%, 1.5 for 150%, etc. The scaling type must be set to XY.
4. Select the link frame line type and color.
5. In Name, browse for the DWG or DXF file you want to use.
6. Pick one or two points in the drawing to place the frame.
7. Click OK or Apply.
Tekla Structures adds the DWG or DXF drawing inside a frame in the drawing.

Editing drawings 199 Independent annotation objects

See also
Independent annotation objects on page 192

Adding revision marks

Revision marks are symbols that you can add in the drawing when you want to indicate a
change in the Tekla Structures model or drawing.Tekla Structures creates the revision mark
using the properties in the Revision Mark Properties dialog box. If you create revisions
through the Drawing List, Tekla Structures will not create any marks inside the drawing.
Using revision marks you can indicate the objects that have changed.

1. Open the drawing.

2. Click Annotating --> Add Revision Mark and select Without Arrow Arrow on Left,
Arrow on Right, Along Line, Arrow on Left or Along Line, Arrow on Right.
3. Enter the mark, date, and information on the changes.
Tekla Structures shows these in the revision table of the drawing.
4. To place the revision mark exactly in the position you pick and keep it there, click the
Place button and select fixed in the Placing list.
5. Go to the Appearance tab and set the text color, height, font and angle, the frame color,
leader line and type, and the leader line arrow type and size.
6. Click OK or Apply.
7. Pick a point or points to place the mark.
Tekla Structures creates the revisions and revision marks. You can also see the new
revisions on the Drawing List.

See below for examples of revision marks.

See also
Independent annotation objects on page 192

Editing drawings 200 Independent annotation objects

 Leader line types on page 576
Revising drawings on page 287

Modifying the properties of independent annotation objects

You can modify the properties of texts, symbols, links, hyperlinks, links to DWG and DXF files,
and revision marks in an open drawing.
To modify the properties of the independent annotation objects:
1. Double-click the object.

2. Switch all the check boxes off in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch
at the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select only the check boxes next to the properties that you want to modify.
4. Modify the properties.
5. Click Modify.

See also
Independent annotation objects on page 192

4.7 Drawing shapes

Drawing shapes are objects that you add in a drawing mostly to highlight information
existing in the Tekla Structures model.
In Tekla Structures drawings, the additional drawing objects can be clouds, lines, circles,
rectangles, arcs, polylines, polygons and cover-up areas and cover-up lines.
Drawing shapes are associative if the have associativity points, i.e. they are associated to a
building object.

See also
Drawing objects on page 17
Creating a shape in a drawing on page 201
Hiding building object outlines using cover-up tools on page 205
Drawing shape properties on page 613
Hiding building object outlines using cover-up tools on page 205

Editing drawings 201 Drawing shapes

Creating a shape in a drawing
You can create lines, rectangles, circles, arcs, polygons, polylines, clouds and cover-up areas
and lines in an open drawing.
To create a shape:
1. Hold down Shift, click Shapes and select one of the commands.
• Draw Line: Draw a line between two points you pick.
• Draw Rectangle: Draw a rectangle between points you pick. You can create
rectangles with horizontal and vertical sides. To rotate the rectangle, use Edit >
Move > Rotate.
• Draw Circle > By Center and Radius: Draw a circle by picking the center point first
and then a point on the circle that specifies the radius.
• Draw Circle > By Three Points: Draw a circle that traverses the three points you
pick, either clockwise or counter-clockwise.
• Draw Arc > By Endpoints and Center: Draw an arc by specifying two end points
first and then a center point. The center point specifies the center of the circle of
which the arc is a part.
• Draw Arc > By Three Points: Draw an arc that traverses the three points you pick,
either clockwise or counter-clockwise.
• Draw Polyline: Draw a line with straight or curved segments. Bulge factor for all
lines is useful when you are creating curved polylines.
• Draw Polygon: Draw a polygon by picking the corner points. To close the polygon,
pick the starting corner point again or click the middle mouse button. Use this
command to create closed polylines, which you cannot with Draw Polyline.
• Draw Cloud: Create a cloud that traverses the points you pick. Close the cloud by
clicking the middle mouse button. Set the Bulge factor for all lines for clouds in the
properties dialog box.
• Draw Cover-up Area: Quickly hide model object outlines in drawings. To use, select
the command and draw a non-transparent rectangular area over the model object
outline that you want to hide.
• Draw Cover-up Line: Quickly hide model object outlines in drawings. To use, select
the command and draw a non-transparent line over the model object outline that
you want to hide.
2. Modify the properties as required.
3. Click OK or Apply.
4. Create the drawing shape by following the instructions on the status bar.

See also
Drawing shapes on page 201
Drawing shape properties on page 613

Editing drawings 202 Drawing shapes

 Defining customized line types on page 542
Hiding building object outlines using cover-up tools on page 205

4.8 Building objects in drawings

Building objects are 2D representations of the 3D parts that you have created in the model.
After making the drawing, you can change the appearance and representation of the building
objects in an open drawing.

NOTE If you want to change the model weld properties, go back to the model, and make
the changes there. In the drawing, you can only change visibility settings and
appearance of the model welds. For manually added drawing weld marks the
properties can be changed in the drawings.

See also
Editing drawings on page 117
Modifying building objects on page 203
Shortening parts view by view on page 204
Hiding building object outlines using cover-up tools on page 205
Edge chamfers in drawings on page 228
Showing a single reinforcing bar in a group on page 206
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
Showing layer information on reinforcing bars in drawings (RebarLayeringMarker) on page
207
Drawing objects on page 17

Modifying building objects

You can modify the drawing properties of the building objects (parts, bolts, reinforcement,
surface treatment) in an open drawing.
Limitations: The color of the center lines can be changed only on the drawing and view level,
not on the object level. For center lines, you can adjust only the color in the properties dialog
box, not the type. You can adjust the line type of part center lines with the advanced option
XS_CENTER_LINE_TYPE.
To modify the properties of a building object in a drawing:
1. Double-click a building object, for example a part, reinforcement, surface treatment, or
bolt.

Editing drawings 203 Building objects in drawings

2. Switch all the check boxes off in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch
at the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select the check boxes of only those properties that you want to modify.
4. On the Contents tab, select the part representation, whether to show hidden lines, center
lines and reference lines, and which additional markings to show.
5. On the Appearance tab, select the color and type of the lines.
It is easier to adjust the center line color, if you hide the hidden lines on the Contents
tab first.
6. On the Fill tab, set the part and section fill options.
7. Click Modify.

See also
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
Bolt content and appearance properties in drawings on page 595
Surface treatment visibility and content properties in drawings on page 596
Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh properties in drawings on page 601
XS_DRAWING_PART_REFERENCE_LINE_TYPE
XS_CENTER_LINE_TYPE
XS_DRAWING_POINT_SCALE
Example: Part representations on page 513
Adding automatic hatch patterns on drawing objects on page 526

Shortening parts view by view

You can shorten parts in the selected view in an open drawing.
To shorten parts view by view:
1. Double-click the view frame.
2. In the View Properties dialog box, go to the Attributes2 tab.
3. In Cut parts, select Yes, Only in x direction or Only in y direction.
4. In Cut skew parts, select if you want to cut skewed parts.
5. In Minimum cut part length, set the minimum length of the shortened part.
This option defines how long the part must at least be to get shortened. The length of the
part must be at least twice the entered value.
6. In Space between cut parts, enter the distance between the cut parts on paper.
7. Click Modify.

Editing drawings 204 Building objects in drawings

TIP To use a view shortening symbol instead of the empty area, set the advanced options
XS_DRAW_VERTICAL_VIEW_SHORTENING_SYMBOLS_TO_PARTS and
XS_DRAW_HORIZONTAL_VIEW_SHORTENING_SYMBOLS_TO_PARTS to TRUE. You can
control the appearance of the view shortening symbol with the advanced options
XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_COLOR, XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_LINE_TYPE, and
XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_WITH_ZIGZAG.

Example
Below is an example of how the view shortening symbol is displayed.

See also
Shortening parts in drawing views on page 382
Shortening and lengthening parts on page 380
Building objects in drawings on page 203
View properties in drawings on page 551
XS_DRAW_VERTICAL_VIEW_SHORTENING_SYMBOLS_TO_PARTS
XS_DRAW_HORIZONTAL_VIEW_SHORTENING_SYMBOLS_TO_PARTS
XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_WITH_ZIGZAG
XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_LINE_TYPE
XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_COLOR

Hiding building object outlines using cover-up tools

Use cover-up line and cover-up area tools for quickly hiding building object outlines in
drawings:

Editing drawings 205 Building objects in drawings

1. Click Shapes --> Draw Cover-up Area or Draw Cover-up Line .
2. Draw a non-transparent rectangular area or line over the model object outline that you
want to hide. You can drag the cover-up objects to another location, and resize the
objects by dragging the handles.

See also
Drawing shapes on page 201

Showing a single reinforcing bar in a group

To have Tekla Structures show only a single reinforcing bar from a group or mesh:
1. Select the reinforcing bar group or mesh.
2. Click Edit --> Adjust Reinforcing Bars .
3. Click the bar you want to remain visible.
4. If needed, change the number of visible bars again by double-clicking the bar and
changing the Visibility of reinforcing bars setting.

NOTE When you use the Adjust Reinforcing Bars command to select the visible reinforcing bar,
also the customized setting becomes available for the Visibility of reinforcing bars option in
the Drawing Reinforcement Properties dialog box. You can use this setting only after you
have used the Adjust Reinforcing Bars command and not, for example, when you create the
drawing.

Editing drawings 206 Building objects in drawings

Example

See also
Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh properties in drawings on page 601
Building objects in drawings on page 203
Adjusting the location of a single reinforcing bar on page 207

Adjusting the location of a single reinforcing bar

To adjust a location of a single visible bar in a reinforcing bar group:

1. Right-click the reinforcing bar.
2. Select Adjust location from the pop-up menu.
3. Click the location where you want to place the bar.

NOTE If you have the whole reinforcing bar group visible, Tekla Structures deletes all bars except
one from the group when you select the command.

Showing layer information on reinforcing bars in drawings

(RebarLayeringMarker)
You can mark reinforcing bar layers with different marking styles and line types in a drawing
using the RebarLayeringMarker macro.

Before you can show layer information in a drawing, you must run the
RebarClassificator macro in the model. The RebarClassificator classifies
the meshes and reinforcing bars in the selected walls or slabs by their position. All reinforcing
bars and meshes get an attribute indicating the layer where they are placed inside the
concrete element.
To show reinforcing bar layer information in a drawing:
1. Open the drawing.

Editing drawings 207 Building objects in drawings

2. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
4. Double-click RebarLayeringMarker to display the Rebar Layering marker dialog
box.
5. On the Marking style tab, select the marking style you want to use (symbol style or level
prefix style).
6. On the Marking settings tab, select the marker line type.
7. On the Marking settings tab, do one of the following depending on the selected marking
style:
• For symbol style markers, select the symbol you want to use, and the symbol height.
• For level prefix style markers, select the level prefix.
8. Click All objects to show layering markers on all reinforcing bars, or select the individual
reinforcing bars and click Selected objects to show the markers on the selected bars
only.

1. Level prefix style layering marker. The number, for example number 1 in T1, indicates the
layer number. The letter, for example T in T1, indicates whether the reinforcing bar is on
the top, bottom, near side or far side layer.
2. Symbol style layering marker. The number of triangles indicates the layer number from
the face. Triangle orientation indicates whether the reinforcing bar is on the top, bottom,
near side or far side layer. For example for top bars, the triangle head points downwards,
and for bottom bars upwards.

Editing drawings 208 Custom presentations in drawings

4.9 Custom presentations in drawings
You can modify the appearance of many of the objects in drawings using custom
presentations. Custom presentations are delivered in Tekla Warehouse as extensions. The
presentations can be controlled on the view level and object level.
When you have downloaded a custom presentation for an object type, the Custom
presentation tab will become available in the drawing property dialog for that object. The
list will only show custom presentations that are available for that specific object type – part,
weld, mark, etc.

The following object types support custom presentations:

• welds and weld marks
• parts and part marks
• neighbor parts and part marks
• grid lines
• texts
• associative notes

Examples
In the example below, the Weld solid custom presentation is used for drawing the weld
solids.

Editing drawings 209 Custom presentations in drawings

 In the following example, Corners Only custom presentation is used for laser layout
projection. Drawing all the lines of a part slows down the laser and makes it too dim to see
on the layout table.

See also
Editing drawings on page 117

4.10 Exploding drawing plug-ins

You can explode drawing plug-ins into base objects, and then edit and use them as any other
drawing objects. For example, if you want to modify COG dimension in a way that is not
available for the plug-in, you can explode the COG dimension and then modify its properties
in the Dimension Properties dialog box.
To explode a drawing plug-in:
1. Click a drawing object that is made using a plug-in.
2. Right-click and select Explode.

Tekla Structures explodes the plug-in into base objects that are added to the view. Now you
can edit and use the exploded objects as any other drawing objects through the properties
dialog box.

4.11 Welds in drawings

Tekla Structures shows the welds that you have added in a model as weld seams and weld
marks in drawings. You can also add manual weld marks separately in an open drawing.
To change model welds in the drawing, you need to modify the weld in the model. When you
update the model, the weld objects and weld marks are updated in the drawings. In drawings,
you can modify the visibility and appearance of model weld objects and marks.

See also
Weld concepts on page 211
Examples: Model welds in drawings on page 212
Adding weld marks on page 223
Merging weld marks on page 226

Editing drawings 210 Exploding drawing plug-ins

Weld concepts
Model welds are displayed as weld marks and welds or weld seams in drawings. Welds and
weld marks can be controlled separately. For example, you may want to show the welds in
one drawing view and the weld marks in another.
You can also add weld marks in an open drawing using the Add Weld Mark command.
The weld symbols inside the weld marks indicate the weld properties defined for the model
weld in the model or for the drawing weld mark in the drawing. Below is an example of a
model weld seam (in red) and a model weld mark (in green) in a drawing.

In addition to the weld symbols, the weld mark contains a reference line and an arrow. The
arrow connects the reference line to the arrow side of a connection. The welds on the arrow
and other sides of a part can have different weld properties.
When parts are welded together, you can place welds on:
• The arrow sides only
• The other sides only
• Both the arrow and other sides
The following images describe the basic placement principles of welds.

Editing drawings 211 Welds in drawings

1. Above line
2. Below line
3. Arrow side for weld
4. Other side for weld

By default Tekla Structures places the welds above line according to the ISO standard. You
can change this to below line to comply with the AISC standard with the advanced option
XS_AISC_WELD_MARK.

See also
Welds in drawings on page 210
Model weld mark visibility and appearance properties in drawings on page 580
Drawing weld mark properties on page 578
Examples: Model welds in drawings on page 212

Examples: Model welds in drawings

Example 1
In this example, the first image below shows an example of the Weld Properties dialog box
in the model. You can add welds in the model by selecting one of the welding commands
from Detailing --> Welds . Some of the weld properties are numbered in the dialog box, and
the second image shows how these properties are shown in a weld mark in a drawing. The
same numbers as in the dialog box are used in the weld mark to indicate the position and
appearance of the property information in the weld.

Editing drawings 212 Welds in drawings

Editing drawings 213 Welds in drawings
1. Weld prefix
2. Weld size
3. Weld type
4. Weld angle
5. Weld contour symbol
6. Weld finishing symbol
7. Effective throat
8. Root opening
9. Edge/Around, weld around symbol is used
10. Workshop/Site, site weld symbol is used

Example 2
The example below shows a staggered, intermittent weld. The length is set to 50 and the
pitch to 100.

Editing drawings 214 Welds in drawings

1. Staggered, intermittent weld
2. Length of weld segment
3. Pitch (center-to-center spacing) of weld segments

Example 3
The example below shows a non-staggered, intermittent weld. The length is set to 50 and the
pitch to 100. The pitch is shown in the weld mark, if the pitch value is greater than 0.0.

Editing drawings 215 Welds in drawings

Example 4
Below is an example of a continuous weld.

Editing drawings 216 Welds in drawings

Example 5
In this example, the staggered, intermittent weld is selected, and the advanced option
XS_AISC_WELD_MARK is set to FALSE to produce an ISO-compliant weld mark.

Example 6
In this example, the staggered, intermittent weld is selected like in the previous example, but
the advanced option XS_AISC_WELD_MARK is set to TRUE to produce an AISC-compliant
weld mark.

Editing drawings 217 Welds in drawings

TIP For instructions on how to customize weld symbols, see User-defined weld symbols in Tekla
Discussion forum.

See also
Welds in drawings on page 210
Model weld mark visibility and appearance properties in drawings on page 580
Welding properties on page 612

Modifying model weld mark visibility and appearance in a drawing

You can select the welding properties that you want to show in model weld marks in
drawings and adjust the appearance of model weld marks in the Welding Mark Properties
dialog box.
To select which model weld properties to show and to modify the weld mark properties on
drawing view level:
1. In an open drawing, double-click a view frame to open the View Properties dialog box.
2. Click Weld mark to go to weld mark properties.
3. Select whether to show the weld number in Weld number (No/Yes).
4. Under Visibility:
• In Welds and Welds in assemblies, select what kind of welds to show, or whether to
hide all welds (None, Site, Workshop, Both).
• In Weld size limit, enter a weld size limit to filter welds of that size out of the
drawing.
Even though you set the weld size limit, welds are always shown if they have
reference texts.

Editing drawings 218 Welds in drawings

5. Under Above line, Below line and Other, delete the check mark from the Visibility check
box next to a weld mark property that you want to hide.
Remember that if you hide Size, also Prefix is hidden, and when you hide Length, also
Pitch is hidden.
6. To adjust the placing properties, click Place.
7. Click Modify.
8. Go to the Appearance tab and modify the weld mark text and line appearance.
9. Click Modify.
You can modify the properties of individual model weld marks in an open drawing by
double-clicking the mark to open the Welding Mark Properties dialog box.

Example
The first example shows the original weld mark where a lot of properties are visible.

In the second example, all other welding mark properties are hidden, except Type from Above
line and Below line, and Reference text from Other.

Editing drawings 219 Welds in drawings

TIP You can also omit welds from drawings by weld type using the advanced option
XS_OMITTED_WELD_TYPE
For instructions on how to customize weld symbols, see User-defined weld symbols in Tekla
Discussion forum.

See also
Model weld mark visibility and appearance properties in drawings on page 580

Modifying model weld appearance

You can modify the model weld object appearance on drawing level, drawing view level and
drawing object level.
To modify the model weld object appearance on object level:
1. In an open drawing, double-click the model weld seam.

Editing drawings 220 Welds in drawings

 It is easier to select the model weld, if you have only the Select drawing welds selection

switch selected.
2. Modify the color of the weld.
3. Modify the weld line type.
4. Click Modify.

TIP You can modify the properties of model weld objects on view level by double-clicking frame of
the drawing view containing the weld objects and selecting Welds.

See also
Welding properties on page 612
Welds in drawings on page 210

Dragging weld marks

You can drag the model welds by the base point of the weld mark leader line along the weld
seam. This way you can position the weld marks more optimally for increased clarity in the
drawings.

TIP Turn on Smart Select ( Tools --> Options --> Smart Select ), this makes selecting the
leader line base point much easier.

To drag model weld marks:

1. Click the weld mark near the leader line base point.
2. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the base point to a new location by the leader
line base point handle located in the tip of the arrow.

Limitations
You cannot drag the leader base point to the back-side of a double-sided weld.

Editing drawings 221 Welds in drawings

Example
The first image below shows the welds in the model.

The second image shows the model weld marks in a drawing. The area within which the weld
mark leader line base point can be dragged is indicated with dark green.

Editing drawings 222 Welds in drawings

See also
Welds in drawings on page 210

Adding weld marks

A weld mark is an associative annotation object that contains a set of weld properties. You
can define automatic weld marks when you create the drawing, and also add additional weld
marks in the drawing. Tekla Structures creates manual weld marks using the properties in the
Weld Mark Properties dialog box.
To add weld marks:
1. Hold down Shift and click Annotating --> Add Weld Mark to open the Weld Mark
Properties dialog box.

Editing drawings 223 Welds in drawings

2. Enter or modify the content and the appearance of the weld mark.
To exactly place the weld mark in the position you pick and keep it there, click the
Place... button and select fixed in the Placing list.
3. Click Apply or OK to save the properties.
4. Pick a position for the weld mark.
You can drag the drawing weld mark freely to a more suitable location by the leader base
point handle.

See also
Welds in drawings on page 210
Drawing weld mark properties on page 578
Defining placement settings for annotation objects on page 362

Example: Weld marks added in drawings

In this example, the first image below is the Weld Mark Properties dialog box in a drawing.
The weld mark properties are numbered in the dialog box. The second image shows how the
weld mark properties are displayed in a weld mark in a drawing. The same numbers are used

Editing drawings 224 Welds in drawings

in the weld mark as in the dialog box to indicate the weld mark property in the weld. Under
the images the meaning of different numbers is explained.

Editing drawings 225 Welds in drawings

1. Weld prefix
2. Weld size
3. Weld type
4. Weld angle
5. Weld contour symbol
6. Weld finishing symbol
7. Effective throat
8. Root opening
9. Reference text. A weld mark added in a drawing does not have a weld number.
10. Edge/Around, here a weld around symbol
11. Workshop/Site, here a site weld symbol

See also
Drawing weld mark properties on page 578
Adding weld marks on page 223

Merging weld marks

You can force Tekla Structures to use the same mark and symbol for identical welds in a
drawing.
To merge weld marks:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Hold down Ctrl and select the weld marks to merge.

Editing drawings 226 Welds in drawings

3. Right-click and select Merge from the pop-up menu.
Tekla Structures combines the marks.
4. If needed, you can split merged weld marks by right-clicking the mark and selecting Split
from the pop-up menu.

Description Example
Original drawing

Merged weld marks.

Editing drawings 227 Welds in drawings

 See also
Merging marks automatically on page 490
Associative annotation objects on page 180

4.12 Edge chamfers in drawings

You can show edge chamfers in drawings, and control the way they are shown by modifying
the part properties and the edge chamfer properties. You can also add chamfer marks as
associative notes.

See also
Building objects in drawings on page 203
Displaying edge chamfers in a drawing on page 228
Defining default line color and type for edge chamfers on page 229
Changing edge chamfer line color and type manually on page 230
Creating edge chamfer marks on page 230
Example: Edge chamfers on page 231

Displaying edge chamfers in a drawing

You can select whether you show edge chamfers in your drawing and the way they are
shown.

To select whether the edge chamfers are shown and how:

1. Open a drawing containing edge chamfers.
2. Depending on the level where you want to make the changes, do one of the following:
• Double-click the drawing and click Part...
• Double-click a view frame and click Part...
• Double-click the part containing edge chamfers

3. Switch all the check boxes off in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch
at the bottom of the dialog box.
4. Select the check boxes next to only the properties that you want to modify.
5. In the part properties dialog box, select Edge chamfers on in Additional marks.
6. Select Outline or Exact in Part representation list depending on the desired result.

Editing drawings 228 Edge chamfers in drawings

Exact Outline

7. Click Modify.
8. If needed, double-click an edge chamfer and modify the line color and type in the
drawing.

TIP If you know that you are going to use the same part representation settings for several
drawings, save your settings in a properties file for later use.

See also
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
Edge chamfers in drawings on page 228

Defining default line color and type for edge chamfers

You can define a default color and line type for edge chamfers.
1. Click Tools --> Options --> Options... and select Drawing objects.
2. Define the default line color.
3. Define the default line type.
4. Click OK to save and close the dialog box.

TIP You can override the default settings manually in a drawing by changing the edge chamfer line
color and type in the Edge Chamfer Properties dialog box.

Editing drawings 229 Edge chamfers in drawings

See also
Edge chamfers in drawings on page 228

Changing edge chamfer line color and type manually

You can manually modify the line type and color of the edge chamfers in drawings. This
overrides the default color and type defined in the Options dialog box.
1. In the drawing, double-click an edge chamfer to display the Edge Chamfer Properties
dialog box.
2. Select the desired color and line type.
Background color is often used for edge chamfer lines for the reason that you
may not want to print edge chamfers, or see them in small scale drawings, but you want
to be able select them, for example, to add chamfer marks.

Example
The following examples show how the edge chamfers are displayed with different part
representation settings:

Part representation Exact.

Part representation Outline, edge

chamfer not selected.

Part representation Outline, edge

chamfer selected.

See also
Defining default line color and type for edge chamfers on page 229
Edge chamfers in drawings on page 228

Editing drawings 230 Edge chamfers in drawings

Creating edge chamfer marks
You can add associative notes to edge chamfers and use them as part marks.

To add a chamfer mark:

1. Modify the part properties and edge chamfer properties so that edge chamfers are visible
and you can easily select them.
2. Hold down Shift and click Annotating --> Add Associative Note and select the type of
note you want to create.
3. In the Associative Note Properties dialog box, modify the note properties as required.
4. Select Edge chamfer from the Content list.
5. Add the elements that you want to have in the edge chamfer mark.
6. Click the edge chamfer.
If you use a leader line, you need to pick a position for the note.

See also
Edge chamfers in drawings on page 228
Adding associative notes on page 183

Example: Edge chamfers

See below for typical examples of the ways showing edge chamfers.
In this example, Part representation is Exact and Edge chamfers are on. Background color
is used in edge chamfer lines, because you usually do not want to show edge chamfers in
printouts, but may want to see and select them in the drawing, for example, to add
associative notes.

Editing drawings 231 Edge chamfers in drawings

In this second example, Part representation is Outline and Edge chamfers are on.
Background color is used in edge chamfer lines, because you may want to see and select
chamfers in the drawing, for example, to add associative notes.This representation is often
used when the scale is small and you do not need to see the small chamfers clearly. The edge
chamfer presented in the bottom right corner of the image shows what the edge chamfer
looks like when it is selected.

Editing drawings 232 Edge chamfers in drawings

 See also
Edge chamfers in drawings on page 228
Displaying edge chamfers in a drawing on page 228

4.13 Reference models in drawings

Reference models can be shown in general arrangement, assembly and cast unit drawings.
For example, you may want to use 3D plant models or architectural drawings as reference
models.

See also
Reference models
Setting automatic reference model properties in drawings on page 234
Modifying properties of hidden lines in reference models using advanced options on page
234

Editing drawings 233 Reference models in drawings

Setting automatic reference model properties in drawings
To show or hide reference models in cast unit, assembly or general arrangement drawings,
and change their visibility setting before creating a drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Cast unit and assembly drawings: Click View creation, select the view and the properties
that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Reference objects.
The Content tab lists all the reference models included in the model.
5. In the Visibility column, select Visible from the list to show the selected reference
models in the drawing.
6. Go to the Appearance tab and select the line color and type for all visible reference
models.
7. Cast unit and assembly drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

TIP You can control the visibility and line type of hidden lines in reference models in drawings using
advanced options XS_SHOW_REFERENCE_MODEL_HIDDEN_LINES,
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_ITSELF,
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_OTHER_REFERENCE_MODELS,
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_PARTS,
XS_REFERENCE_MODELS_HIDE_PART_LINES, and
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_HIDDEN_LINE_TYPE.

See also
Modifying properties of hidden lines in reference models using advanced options on page
234
Reference models in drawings on page 233

Modifying properties of hidden lines in reference models using

advanced options
You can control the visibility and line type of hidden lines of reference models in drawings
using advanced options.
To set the visibility and line type of hidden lines:
1. Click Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options

Editing drawings 234 Reference models in drawings

2. Go to the Drawing Properties page.
3. Adjust the advanced options XS_SHOW_REFERENCE_MODEL_HIDDEN_LINES,
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_ITSELF,
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_OTHER_REFERENCE_MODELS,
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_PARTS, and
XS_REFERENCE_MODELS_HIDE_PART_LINES.
Showing the hidden lines might slow down the system when you have large or several
reference models in the drawing, especially if the advanced options
XS_REFERENCE_MODELS_HIDE_PART_LINES or
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_OTHER_REFERENCE_MODELS
have been set to TRUE.
If you set XS_SHOW_REFERENCE_MODEL_HIDDEN_LINES to TRUE, the other
advanced options have no effect.
4. On the same page, set the line type used to display the hidden lines using the advanced
option XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_HIDDEN_LINE_TYPE.
If you do not want to show hidden lines, set this advanced option to 0.

Example
In the example below, the lines are not hidden.

In the example below the following settings have been used:

• XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_PARTS=TRUE: Some of the
foreground parts are hiding the reference model lines.

Editing drawings 235 Reference models in drawings

• XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_ITSELF=TRUE: The reference
model is internally hiding its own lines.
• XS_REFERENCE_MODELS_HIDE_PART_LINES=TRUE: The reference model is
hiding some of the part lines behind it.
• XS_SHOW_REFERENCE_MODEL_HIDDEN_LINES=FALSE: Allows the hidden lines
to be hidden according to the above advanced options. If it is set to TRUE, the above
advanced options have no effect.
• XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_HIDDEN_LINE_TYPE is set to 0: No hidden lines are
shown.

See also
XS_SHOW_REFERENCE_MODEL_HIDDEN_LINES
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_HIDDEN_LINE_TYPE
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_ITSELF
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_OTHER_REFERENCE_MODELS
XS_REFERENCE_MODEL_LINES_HIDDEN_BY_PARTS
XS_REFERENCE_MODELS_HIDE_PART_LINES
Reference models in drawings on page 233

Editing drawings 236 Pours in drawings

4.14 Pours in drawings
Tekla Structures general arrangement drawings are able to present pour object geometry, and
pour breaks. Pour drawings can be used for communicating the sequencing of the pours, and
the properties of the pours and pour breaks. Tekla Structures allows you to use different
colors and fills in the different pour objects and pour breaks, and add marks and associative
notes to pour objects, and associative notes to pour breaks. You can select and inquire the
pour objects, and produce pour reports.

Pours can be enabled in a model by setting the XS_ENABLE_POUR_MANAGEMENT advanced

option to TRUE. In the default environment, pours are only enabled in the Concrete
Contractor role.

WARNING All users in a project must have the same settings when sharing a model with
other users in multi-user mode or through Tekla model sharing. If the pours are
enabled in the model, do not disable the pours using
XS_ENABLE_POUR_MANAGEMENT, especially in the middle of the project.
This may cause problems if you have drawings containing pours, and if you are
sharing your model. The pours and pour breaks in the model and in the
drawings may get invalid, and you may lose all pour-related modeling work.

Pour objects
The geometry of the pour objects is presented as monolithic concrete. The pour objects can
be presented in plan, section and 3D drawings. Tekla Structures shows the pour object
geometry in general arrangement drawings exactly like it has been modeled: overlaps and
extra outlines vanish if the parts collide, have the same concrete material grade, have Cast in
place as the Cast unit type, and have the same pour phase.
You can select whether you want to show pour objects or not. You can use different colors,
line types and fills in different pour objects. You can also modify the pour object properties in
an open drawing on object, view and drawing level. For more information about showing the
pour objects, see Showing pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in drawings on page
238.

Pour object marks

Using pour object marks, you can show information related to pour objects, for example, pour
number, pour type, material grade, planned pour start date and the name of the pour team.
You can add automatic pour marks before creating the pour drawing, and add and modify
pour object marks also in an open drawing.

Pour breaks
Pour breaks are shown in general arrangement drawings as they have been modeled. The
pour breaks are represented by a symbol. You can change the symbol using the advanced
option XS_POUR_BREAK_SYMBOL. The symbol scale and the spacing between the symbols
follows the drawing view scale automatically.
You can show pour breaks automatically, and modify the pour break properties and add
associative notes to the pour breaks in an open drawing.

Editing drawings 237 Pours in drawings

Predefined pour drawing properties and templates
In the default environment, the Concrete Contractor role contains some predefined drawing
properties, a couple of traditional report templates, and an organizer report template for
pours. Your own environment may also contain some predefined drawing properties, and
templates for pours. For examples of pour drawings and pour reports, see Examples of pour
drawings and pour reports on page 240.

Examples
In the image below, you can see two pour objects colored differently, each having a pour
object mark. The pour break can be seen between the pour objects, it is represented by a
symbol. The pour break is marked with an associative note.

See also
Showing pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in drawings on page 238
Changing the pour break symbol on page 239
Adding associative notes on page 183
Pour object and pour break properties in drawings on page 610

Showing pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in drawings

You can show pour objects and pour breaks in general arrangement drawings showing pours.
You can also include automatic pour object marks. Pour objects and pour breaks can be
shown in the drawing if the pour management is enabled, and the pours and pour breaks
have been set visible.

Editing drawings 238 Pours in drawings

Ensure that you have enabled pour management (set the advanced option
XS_ENABLE_POUR_MANAGEMENT to TRUE.)
To show pour objects and pour breaks automatically, modify their appearance and add pour
object marks:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> General Arrangement Drawing .
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click the View button and set Show pours in drawings to Yes, and click OK.
4. Click the Pour object button to display the pour object properties and modify the
properties:
• Content tab: Select whether you want to see the hidden lines and own hidden lines,
and the edge chamfers by clicking on or off.
• Appearance tab: Set the color and type for visible lines and hidden lines.
• Fill tab: Select the fill for the pour object face and/or pour object section face.
5. Click OK.
6. Click the Pour object mark button, select the contents and appearance of the mark, and
click OK.
7. Click the Pour breaks button and set the Visibility to Visible and click OK.
You can also select to display pour break hidden lines on the Visibility tab. On the
Appearance tab you can change the color and type of the visible and hidden lines in
pour breaks.
8. Modify the other properties as required. For example, click Reinforcement and set the
Visibility of all reinforcing bars to Visible to show the reinforcement in the pour
drawing. .
9. Save the changed properties and click OK.
Now you can create the general arrangement drawing using the modified properties. The
pour objects, pour object marks and pour breaks are shown accordingly.
You can also open the pour drawing and modify the properties further on drawing, view
and object level.

See also
Pours in drawings on page 236
Pour object and pour break properties in drawings on page 610
Adding automatic hatch patterns on drawing objects on page 526
Examples of pour drawings and pour reports on page 240

Editing drawings 239 Pours in drawings

Changing the pour break symbol
To change the pour break symbol:
1. Click Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options and select Drawing Properties.
2. Set a new value for the advanced option XS_POUR_BREAK_SYMBOL.
The default value is PourBreaks@0. The value refers to the PourBreaks.sym file
where the symbol is defined. The symbol value starts with the symbol library file name
and ends with the number of the symbol. The default symbol file is located in ..
\ProgramData\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments
\common\symbols.
You can also create a new symbol file containing a new symbol, and save it. Then define
the new .sym file for XS_POUR_BREAK_SYMBOL. If you wish to use a symbol file
that is not located under your environment folders, enter the complete path to the
symbol file location, the symbol file name and symbol number as the value for this
advanced option.
3. Click Apply and OK.

Example

See also
Pours in drawings on page 236

Examples of pour drawings and pour reports

The Concrete Contractor role in the default environment contains some predefined templates
and settings for pour drawings and reports.

Examples of drawing properties predefined for pours

The Concrete Contractor role in the default environment contains predefined general
arrangement drawing properties CIP_Pour_3D, CIP_Pour_Plan, and
CIP_Pour_Plan_with_Pour_List. These drawing properties use detailed object
level settings to color pour objects with different colors based on pour number. In addition,
the drawing properties file CIP_Pour_3D does not render hidden lines, and
CIP_Pour_Plan_with_Pour_List adds a pour list to the drawing.

Editing drawings 240 Pours in drawings

 The following example drawing is created by using the
CIP_Pour_Plan_with_Pour_List drawing properties, and applying
CIP_Pour_3D view level properties to 3D views. Click the following link to open the
drawing:
Pour Drawing

Examples of reports predefined for pours

The Concrete Contractor role in the default environment contains predefined report
templates for pour information:
• There are two traditional types or report templates that can be created using the Create
reports command: Pour_List and Pour_Schedule.csv.
• The Pour Organizer report can be exported to excel format.
Click the links below to see example reports created using these report templates:
Pour list
Pour schedule
Pour Organizer report exported to Excel

4.15 Grids in drawings

You can show grids and grid line labels in single-part, cast unit, assembly, and general
arrangement drawings.
You can set automatic grid properties and also manually modify properties in an open
drawing.

To Click below
Modify grid properties and the properties of Modifying grid and grid line properties on
individual grid lines page 242
Drawing grid properties on page 615
Hide grids and individual grid lines Hiding grids or grid lines on page 243
Drag grid labels if the label is covering an Dragging grid labels on page 242
important area in a drawing

Editing drawings 241 Grids in drawings

 To Click below
Set automatic grid properties before you Setting automatic grid properties on page
create the drawing 512

Modifying grid and grid line properties

You can modify grid properties on the drawing and view levels, and properties of individual
grids or grid lines in an open drawing.
To modify grid properties in an open drawing:
1. Ensure that you have the correct selection switch selected.

To modify grids, use the selection switch and to modify grid lines, use .
2. Double-click the grid or the grid line. Tekla Structures opens the Grid Properties or Grid
Line Properties dialog box.
3. Visible shows the grid lines in the drawing. If you want to see the labels only, select Only
grid labels visible.
4. Modify the label text placing, grid line and text settings as required.
5. Click Modify.

TIP To modify grid properties on drawing level, double-click the drawing background and select
Grids.... To modify grid properties on view level, double-click the view frame and select Grids....

See also
Grids in drawings on page 241
Drawing grid properties on page 615

Dragging grid labels

You can move single grid labels. This is useful, for example, if the label is covering an
important area in a drawing.
Ensure, that you have switched Smart Select on in Tools --> Options to drag and drop by
handles without selecting them first.
To move a grid label:

1. Ensure that you have the grid line selection switch selected .
2. Click a grid.

Editing drawings 242 Grids in drawings

 3. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the label by the handle to a new location.

See also
Grids in drawings on page 241

Hiding grids or grid lines

You can hide grids and grid lines.
To hide a grid or a grid line:
1. Ensure that you have the correct selection switch selected.

To hide grids, use the selection switch and to hide grid lines, use .
2. Click a grid or a grid line.
3. Right-click the grid or the grid line and select Hide/Show --> Hide from drawing view
from the pop-up menu.

TIP If you want to show the grids or grid lines, press B until the color mode is Color, right-click the
grid or the grid line, and select Hide/Show --> Show in drawing view . You can see and select
the hidden grids and grid lines only in Color mode.

See also
Grids in drawings on page 241

4.16 Symbols in drawings

You can use symbols in drawings in various places, for example, as separate objects, in marks,
object representation, arrows etc. We recommended you get familiar with the Symbol Editor,
so that you can create new symbols and modify the existing ones.
With the Symbol Files browser you can easily change the symbol file in use and access
Symbol Editor.
Tekla Structures searches the symbol files from folders listed in DXK_SYMBOLPATH
(defined in the environment initialization file <your_environment>.ini and in the
Tekla Structures initialization file teklastructures.ini). Alternatively, you can add
your own DXK_SYMBOLPATH in options.ini under the model folder and define your
own symbol folder paths there. Note, that also the path settings in the
<your_environment>.ini file need to be added there. The last read .ini file
settings are used. At startup of Tekla Structures, the reading order of the .ini files
containing DXK_SYMBOLPATH is:
• teklastructures.ini

Editing drawings 243 Symbols in drawings

• <your_environment>.ini
• options.ini
All symbol files that are found are available to be used in Tekla Structures. If there are symbol
files with the same name, the one that is read last is used.
In addition to the symbols mentioned above, there are moment connection symbols that you
can manage with drawing tools.

See also
Creating and modifying symbol files on page 244
Adding symbols in drawings on page 246
Modifying symbol properties on page 246
Moment connection symbols in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools) on page 247
Adding surface treatment symbols in drawings (AddSurfaceSymbols) on page 251
Adding symbols in marks on page 505
DXK_SYMBOLPATH
Defining a firm folder for images and symbols on page 541
Creating and using customized leader line arrows on page 190

Creating and modifying symbol files

The Symbol Files browser allows you to change the symbol file in use. It also provides access
to Symbol Editor, where you can create new symbol files, and create and modify symbols.

WARNING We strongly recommend that you do not modify the original symbol files
delivered with your Tekla Structures application. If you need to modify any
symbols, copy the original symbol file and work on the copy, keeping the
original symbol file intact.

See also
Viewing and modifying symbol file contents on page 244
Creating a new symbol file on page 245
Changing the symbol file in use on page 245
Adding symbols in marks on page 505

Viewing and modifying symbol file contents

You can view and modify the contents of a symbol file.

To view or modify the contents of a symbol file:

Editing drawings 244 Symbols in drawings

1. Open the Mark content - symbol dialog box by selecting Symbol from the available
mark elements list in the mark properties dialog box, or open the Symbol properties
dialog box by selecting Annotating --> Properties --> Symbol .
2. Click Select... next to the File box.
3. Select a file from the Symbol Files list and click Edit.
This opens the selected symbol file in Symbol Editor.
4. If you modify the file in the Symbol Editor, save the file : Click File --> Save or File -->
Save As and give a new name.
5. Click OK.

TIP In Symbol Editor, you can copy symbols between symbol files (*.sym). Press Ctrl + C and select
the symbol you would like to copy, then open the symbol file you want to copy to (or a new
symbol file), select the location for the symbol and press Ctrl + V.

See also
Creating and modifying symbol files on page 244

Creating a new symbol file

You can create new symbol files to be used in drawings.

To create a new symbol file:
1. Open the Mark content - symbol dialog box by selecting Symbol from the available
mark elements list in the mark properties dialog box or the Symbol properties dialog box
by selecting Annotating --> Properties --> Symbol .
2. Click Select... next to the File box.
3. In the Symbol Files dialog box, click Create new....
4. Create the symbol in the Symbol Editor.
5. Click File --> Save and save the symbol file in the folder that you use for keeping the
symbols.
6. Click Refresh in the Symbol Files browser.

See also
Creating and modifying symbol files on page 244

Changing the symbol file in use

You can change the currently used symbol file.

To change the symbol file in use:

Editing drawings 245 Symbols in drawings

1. Open the Mark content - symbol dialog box by selecting Symbol from the available
mark elements list in the mark properties dialog box, or the Symbol properties dialog
box by selecting Annotating --> Properties --> Symbol .
2. Click Select... next to the File box.
3. Select a new file from the Symbol Files list and click OK or double-click the file.

See also
Symbols in drawings on page 243
Creating and modifying symbol files on page 244

Adding symbols in drawings

Symbols added as separate objects are independent annotation objects. They can be
represented in three different ways: without leader lines, with leader lines and along lines.
Tekla Structures adds symbols using the properties defined in the Symbol Properties dialog
box.
To add a symbol in a drawing:
1. In the drawing, hold down Shift and select Annotating --> Add Symbol and one of the
three symbol commands:
• Symbol: Add a symbol in the current drawing without a leader line.
• Symbol along Line: Create a symbol along the line you define by picking two points.
Then pick an insertion point for the symbol.
• Symbol with Leader Line: Add a symbol with a leader line pointing to the point you
pick first.
2. Modify other symbol properties.
3. Click OK.
4. Pick one to three points in the drawing to place the symbol. The symbol command you
selected affects the number of points to pick.

See also
Symbols in drawings on page 243

Modifying symbol properties

You can modify the properties of symbols in an open drawing.
To modify the symbol properties:
1. Double-click a symbol.

Editing drawings 246 Symbols in drawings

2. Switch all the check boxes off in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch
at the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select only the check boxes next to the properties that you want to modify.
4. If necessary, change the symbol file in use and select the symbol to use.
5. To modify symbol placement settings, click Place.
Here you can set the placing to free or fixed, specify the search margin, minimal distance
and select the desired quarter to place the symbol.
6. Go to the Appearance tab and set the symbol color, height and angle, and the frame
type, leader line and color.
7. Click Modify.

See also
Symbols in drawings on page 243
Placement properties for annotation objects on page 612
Leader line types on page 576

Moment connection symbols in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing

tools)
Moment connections show the beams that are connected to columns with rigid connections.
You can create, update and delete moment connection symbols using drawing tools.
To display the moment connection symbols for a part in drawings, you need to set the
Moment connection to Yes on the End Condition tab in the user-defined attributes of the
part in the model.

See also
Creating moment connection symbols (Drawing tools) on page 247
Updating moment connection symbols (Drawing tools) on page 249
Deleting moment connection symbols (Drawing tools) on page 250

Creating moment connection symbols (Drawing tools)

In general arrangement drawings, you can create moment connection symbols to show the
beams that are connected to columns with rigid connections. The symbols are created
according to part end releases. You can create moment connection symbols automatically for
all parts in a drawing view, or for selected parts.

To create moment connection symbols in a general arrangement drawing:

1. Open the drawing.

Editing drawings 247 Symbols in drawings

2. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
4. Double-click Drawing tools to display the Drawing tools toolbar.

5. Click Create moment connection symbols .

6. In the Create moment connection symbols dialog box, select the color for the symbols
from the color list.
7. Enter a scale for the symbols in the box next to the color list.
8. Do one of the following:
• To create moment connection symbols for all parts in a drawing view, select the view.
• To create moment connection symbols for selected parts, select the parts.
9. Click Create.

The moment connection symbols are created according to analysis part and connection
release properties:
• If a connection exists, start and end release information is read from the Start releases
and End releases tabs in the analysis part properties dialog box.
• If a connection does not exist, release information is read from the End conditions tab in
the user-defined attributes dialog box of the part.

Limitations
• Moment connection symbols are created to reference lines. This means that offsets are
not taken into use.

Editing drawings 248 Symbols in drawings

Example

TIP The moment connection symbol that is used depends on if it points to right, left, down, or up.
The symbols are retrieved by default from the xsteel.sym symbol file. If you want to use
another symbol, you can modify the symbols in Symbol Editor by opening the xsteel.sym
symbol file and modifying the symbols 87 (right symbol), 86 (left symbol), 85 (down symbol), or
84 (symbol up) and saving the changes.

See also
Moment connection symbols in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools) on page 247

Editing drawings 249 Symbols in drawings

Updating moment connection symbols (Drawing tools)

To update moment connection symbols:

1. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
2. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
3. Double-click Drawing tools to display the Drawing tools toolbar.

4. Click Create moment connection symbols in the Drawing tools toolbar.

5. Do one of the following:
• To update the moment connection symbols of all parts in the view, select the view.
• To update the moment connection symbols of selected parts, select the parts.
6. Click Create.

When you do this, Tekla Structures removes all previously created symbols, and creates new
ones that are up-to-date.

See also
Moment connection symbols in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools) on page 247

Deleting moment connection symbols (Drawing tools)

To delete moment connection symbols:

1. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
2. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
3. Double-click Drawing tools to display the Drawing tools toolbar.

4. Click Create moment connection symbols .

5. Do one of the following:
• To delete the moment connection symbols of all parts in the view, select the view.
• To delete the moment connection symbols of selected parts, select the parts.
6. Click Delete.

See also
Moment connection symbols in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools) on page 247

Editing drawings 250 Symbols in drawings

Adding surface treatment symbols in drawings (AddSurfaceSymbols)
You can add surface treatment symbols in cast unit drawings using the
AddSurfaceSymbols macro.
Before you start, ensure that you have an object that has surface treatment in the model,
and that you have created a cast unit drawing of that object. Also check in the surface
treatment drawing properties that the surface treatment is set to Visible.

To add surface treatment symbols in a part in a drawing:

1. Open a drawing that has a part containing surface treatment.

2. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
4. Double-click AddSurfaceSymbols.

5. In the Create surface symbols dialog box, select the texts that you want to include in
the surface treatment symbol from the Available Elements list and add the texts to the
Elements in mark by clicking Add.
6. Select All views to include the symbols in all drawing views, or Selected views to include
the symbols only in the views you select.
7. Change the font settings, if necessary.
8. If you selected Selected views, select the views where you wish to have surface
treatment symbols.
9. Click Create.

Editing drawings 251 Symbols in drawings

 Tekla Structures creates the surface treatment symbols according to the defined settings. You
can change the symbol properties and the text afterwards in the Text properties dialog box,
which is opened when you double-click the symbol.

4.17 Changing drawing objects

You can move, copy, reshape, resize, trim, split and divide drawing objects added in the
drawing. For objects that have leader lines, you can modify the shape of the leader line. You
can also use drawing tools and align objects, create chamfers, and create fillets. What you
can do to an object depends on the object type.

See also
Editing drawings on page 117
Dragging, reshaping and resizing drawing objects on page 253
Copying with offsets (Drawing tools) on page 255
Arranging drawing objects on page 256
Hiding and showing objects in drawings and drawing views on page 257
Trimming on page 260
Splitting on page 262
Dividing on page 263
Modifying the shape of leader lines on page 263
Aligning drawing objects on page 264
Creating fillets in drawings (Drawing tools) on page 265

Editing drawings 252 Changing drawing objects

Creating chamfers in drawings (Drawing tools) on page 266
Cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools) on page 268
Copying and moving objects

Dragging, reshaping and resizing drawing objects

Many drawing objects, dimension lines and leader lines of many drawing objects have
handles. You use these handles to reshape, and resize objects. You can also drag the objects.
Before you start, click a drawing object or and object frame to activate it and show the
handles. Switch Smart Select on in Tools --> Options to drag by the object handles without
selecting the handle first.
Do any of the following:

To Do this
Drag the object • Point the handle, 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
all the time see what the end result will be.
With circles, you can also use the middle handle for dragging.
Resize the object 1. Click one of the objects or object frame handles.
2. Drag the handle to resize the object or object frame.
To enlarge the rectangle in all directions, drag from a corner handle.

Editing drawings 253 Changing drawing objects

 To Do this

Reshape the object 1. Click the middle handle of a line or a handle on the cloud, polyline
or polygon.
2. Drag the handle to reshape the object.

NOTE If you drag an annotation object, its placing setting may be set to fixed depending
what its set for the advanced options
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_DIMENSIONS_TO_FIXED,
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_MARKS_TO_FIXED,
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_NOTES_TO_FIXED, and

Editing drawings 254 Changing drawing objects

 XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_TEXTS_TO_FIXED. This means that the annotation
object stays where it is even though you update the drawing.

See also
Changing drawing objects on page 252
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_DIMENSIONS_TO_FIXED
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_MARKS_TO_FIXED
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_NOTES_TO_FIXED
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_TEXTS_TO_FIXED

Copying with offsets (Drawing tools)

You can copy lines, circles, polylines, polygons and rectangles with offsets. You can copy lines
to a new location in the direction you point using the offset that you specify. You can also
create new circles centered in the same location as the original circle and adjust the radius
by the offset that you specify.

To copy with offset:

1. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
2. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
3. Double-click Drawing tools.
4. Select the object that you want to copy.

5. Click Copy with Offset in the Drawing tools toolbar.

6. Enter the offset in the dialog box that is displayed.
7. Click the view in the direction where you want to copy the object. For example, if you are
copying a line, Tekla Structures makes a new copy of the line in the specified location.
And if you are copying a circle, Tekla Structures creates a new circle that is centered in
the same location as the original circle, and adjusts the radius by the offset that you
specified.

Example
Example of a copied line:

Editing drawings 255 Changing drawing objects

Example of a copied circle:

Arranging drawing objects

You can use the Arrange Drawing Objects (Freeplace) command to position drawing
objects. Tekla Structures positions the objects using the protection properties set for the
drawing and the placing properties of each object type.
To arrange drawing objects:
1. Double-click the open drawing, click Protection..., check the drawing protection
properties and modify them as required.
2. Click Modify.
3. Double-click drawing objects, and then click Place... to check and modify the placing
settings.
If the object is set to Fixed, the Arrange Drawing Objects command has no effect.
4. Click Modify.
5. In the drawing, select the drawing objects you want to arrange.
6. Do one of the following:

Editing drawings 256 Changing drawing objects

 • Click View --> Arrange Drawing Objects (Freeplace) --> Near Current Locations .
Tekla Structures positions the selected drawing objects so that they do not overlap
other objects. Objects located in a free location are not moved, and overlapping
objects are moved as close to the current location as possible.
• Click View --> Arrange Drawing Objects (Freeplace) --> Ignore Current
Locations .
Tekla Structures positions the selected drawing objects so that they do not overlap
with other objects without checking the current location of the objects.

See also
Changing drawing objects on page 252
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357

Hiding and showing objects in drawings and drawing views

You can hide selected drawing objects in drawings and drawing views. When you hide a part,
Tekla Structures will hide all its related objects. Note that if an object is hidden in drawing
views it will not be printed.

To hide drawing objects:

1. Check that the ghost outline selection is the one that you need in Tools --> Options -->
Ghost Outline . In colored drawings, hidden objects are shown as ghost outlines, if this
setting is selected. In grayscale and black and white drawings, hidden objects are not
shown even if Ghost Outline is selected.
2. Select the desired color mode by pressing B.
3. Select the objects you want to hide.
4. Click View --> Hide/Show Object and one of the following options:
• Hide from Drawing View. Tekla Structures hides the selected object in the view you
select it.
• Hide from Drawing. Tekla Structures hides the selected object in all views.

Example
Below are some examples of the results with different combinations of selections.

Editing drawings 257 Changing drawing objects

 Setting Example
Color mode is set to Color. No objects are hidden.
Part marks are shown.

Color mode is set to Color. Ghost Outline is not

selected. Parts are hidden and related part marks
are not shown.

Editing drawings 258 Changing drawing objects

 Setting Example
Color mode is set to Color. Ghost Outline is
selected. Hidden parts are shown as ghost outlines
and related part marks are not shown.

Color mode is set to Black and White. Ghost

Outline is selected, but it has no effect on black
and white drawings. Parts are hidden and related
part marks are not shown.

Editing drawings 259 Changing drawing objects

See also
Changing drawing objects on page 252

Listing hidden parts in drawings

You can select whether to list the hidden parts in drawings, for example, in the material list.
1. Open a drawing containing hidden parts.
2. Double-click the drawing to open the drawing properties dialog box.
3. Click Layout....
4. On the Drawing size tab, select whether you want to list the hidden parts in List hidden
objects in templates. No removes all information about the hidden parts, also from the
total weight.
5. Click Modify.

In the example below, the hidden reinforcing bars are listed.

In the example below, the hidden reinforcing bars are not listed.

Limitations
Listing hidden objects does not work in all templates. It works in templates containing PART
rows, but not in hierarchical templates. For example, if the template is of type ASSEMBLY -
PART, and the Assembly is included in the drawing, all of its parts will also be included.

See also
Hiding and showing objects in drawings and drawing views on page 257

Editing drawings 260 Changing drawing objects

Trimming
You can shorten or extend a line relative to the boundary you select in an open drawing. The
boundary can be a line, part, arc, or rectangle, for example.
To trim a line:
1. Click Edit --> Trim .
2. Select the object to be used as a boundary.
3. Click the middle mouse button.
4. Do one of the following:

To Do this
Extend the line Click the end of the line to extend it to the boundary line.
Original lines:

The extended line:

Shorten the line from Click the line at the end from which you want to shorten it.
the left or right end
Original line:

Line clicked at the left end:

Editing drawings 261 Changing drawing objects

 To Do this

Line clicked at the right end:

See also
Drawing shapes on page 201
Changing drawing objects on page 252

Splitting
You can cut an object into two pieces at a point you select in an open drawing. You can split
lines, polylines, circles, and arcs.
To split a line:
1. Select the line.

2. Click Edit --> Split.

3. Pick a point on the line to indicate the location for splitting.

4. Tekla Structures splits the line into two.

Editing drawings 262 Changing drawing objects

See also
Drawing shapes on page 201
Changing drawing objects on page 252

Dividing
You can divide an object into a number of segments that you specify in an open drawing. You
can divide lines and arcs.
To divide a single line into four lines of equal length:
1. Select the line.

2. Click Edit --> Divide .

3. In the displayed Segments dialog box, enter the number of segments, for example 4, and
click OK.

Tekla Structures divides the line into four lines.

See also
Drawing shapes on page 201
Changing drawing objects on page 252

Modifying the shape of leader lines

You can modify the shape of the leader line for any independent and associative annotation
objects that have leader lines.
To modify the leader line shape:
1. Select the leader line you want to modify
2. Drag from the middle point of the line.
3. Drag further from the created handle points and new middle points.

Editing drawings 263 Changing drawing objects

See also
Additional ways for modifying part mark leader lines on page 484
Dragging the mark and associative note leader line base point on page 190
Changing drawing objects on page 252
Placing the base point of the reinforcement mark leader line automatically on page 485
Changing drawing objects on page 252

Aligning drawing objects

You can align objects to the bottom, to the vertical center, to the left, to the horizontal
center, to the right, and to the top. You can also position objects horizontally or vertically at
equal distances from each other.
1. Open the Alignment toolbar from Tools --> Toolbars
2. Select the objects that you want to align.
3. Select the aligning command from the toolbar.

4. If you selected one of the two commands that position objects at equal distance, type
the distance in the displayed dialog box.

TIP To create a row of objects, align them first to the top and then position them horizontally at
equal distances from each other. You do not need to reselect the objects between the two
commands.

Example
Below is an example where marks have been aligned to left.

Editing drawings 264 Changing drawing objects

Creating fillets in drawings (Drawing tools)
With the Create Fillet macro you can connect two intersecting lines by extending the two
selected lines to their intersection point. If no intersection point is found or if it is outside
the drawing, nothing will be done.

To create a fillet:
1. Open a drawing.

2. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
4. Double-click Drawing tools to display the Drawing tools toolbar.
5. Select two intersecting lines.

6. Click the Create Fillet icon in the Drawing tools toolbar.

Editing drawings 265 Changing drawing objects

Creating chamfers in drawings (Drawing tools)
You can create chamfers between two lines using the distance that you specify. You can
create both straight and round chamfers.

To create a chamfer:

1. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
2. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
3. Double-click Drawing tools to display the Drawing tools toolbar.
4. Select two intersecting lines.
5. Do one of the following:

Editing drawings 266 Changing drawing objects

 a. To create a straight chamfer, click the Create Straight Chamfer icon .
Enter the distance that you want to have between the two lines (the length of the
chamfer line) in the displayed dialog box.

b. To create a round chamfer, click the Create Round Chamfer icon .

Enter the desired radius in the displayed dialog box.

Example
Example of a straight chamfer:

Example of a round chamfer:

Editing drawings 267 Changing drawing objects

Cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools)
Cut lines in Drawing tools are lines that are displayed with a zigzag or a dash-and-dot in
different colors to show that the line is partially outside the view border.

See also
With drawing tools you can create, update and delete cut lines. To find out more, click the
link below:
Creating cut lines (Drawing tools) on page 269

Editing drawings 268 Changing drawing objects

Updating cut lines (Drawing tools) on page 270
Deleting cut lines (Drawing tools) on page 270

Creating cut lines (Drawing tools)

You can create cut lines to show the lines that are partially outside the view border using
drawing tools. You can create cut lines automatically for all parts in the view, or for selected
parts.

To create cut lines:

1. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
2. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
3. Double-click Drawing tools to display the Drawing tools toolbar.

4. Click Create cut lines .

5. Do any of the following:
• Select the type (zigzag or dash-and-dot) for the line from the list of types.
• Select the color for the line from the color list.
• Enter a scale for the line in the box next to the list of types.
6. Do one of the following:
• To create cut lines for all parts in the view, select the view.
• To create cut lines for selected parts, select the parts.
7. Click Create.

Limitations
• Cut lines cannot be created for polybeams.
• View extension for neighbor parts setting is not taken into account.

Example

Editing drawings 269 Changing drawing objects

See also
Cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools) on page 268

Updating cut lines (Drawing tools)

To update cut lines:

1. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
2. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
3. Double-click Drawing tools to display the Drawing tools toolbar.

4. Click Create cut lines .

5. Do one of the following:
• To update the cut lines of all parts in the view, select the view.
• To update the cut lines of selected parts, select the parts.
6. Click Create.

Tekla Structures removes all previously created cut lines, and creates new ones that are up-
to-date.

See also
Cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools) on page 268

Deleting cut lines (Drawing tools)

To delete cut lines:

1. Click the Applications and Components button in the upper-right corner of the
Tekla Structures main window to open the Applications and Components catalog.
2. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
3. Double-click Drawing tools to display the Drawing tools toolbar.

4. Click Create cut lines .

5. Do one of the following:
• To delete the cut lines of all parts in the view, select the view.
• To delete the cut lines of selected parts, select the parts.
6. Click Delete.

Editing drawings 270 Changing drawing objects

 See also
Cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings (Drawing tools) on page 268

4.18 Colors in drawings

You have three basic color modes for line colors in drawings. The color modes are Black and
White, Gray Scale, and Color. By default, drawings are black and white.
In addition to the three basic color modes, you can have a black background and colored
lines in drawings (advanced option XS_BLACK_DRAWING_BACKGROUND).

Colors and gray shades

The table below shows the colors available in Tekla Structures, and how the different colors
are shown in black and white drawings and in grayscale drawings. The corresponding pen
numbers referring to the line weights used in the printed drawings are also listed.

Name Pen Tekla Structures color Black and white Gray scale Lightness
Invisible 9 Invisible
Black 7 0%
Red 1 0%
Green 3 0%
Blue 5 0%
Cyan 4 0%
Yellow 2 0%
Magenta 6 0%
Brown 15 30%
Dark green 110 50%
Dark blue 141 70%
Blue-green 111 90%
Orange 31 100% white
Gray 8 60%
Special - -

See also
Changing drawing color on page 272
Specifying and using special color on page 273
Pen numbers in Color Table on page 274
Colors and line weights in printing on page 316

Editing drawings 271 Colors in drawings

Changing drawing color
You can change the color of the drawings.
To change the drawing color:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click Tools --> Options --> Drawing Color Mode , and select Black and White, Gray
Scale or Color.
You can toggle between the color modes by pressing B on the keyboard.

TIP You can change the background color to black using the advanced option
XS_BLACK_DRAWING_BACKGROUND. If the background is black, use Color as
color mode.

Example
Below is an example of a color drawing.

In grayscale mode, the colors from 1 to 7 (black, red, green, blue, cyan, yellow, magenta) are
shown in black, and the colors from 8 to 14 (brown, dark green, dark blue, blue-green,
orange, gray) are shown in different shades of gray. Below is an example of a gray scale
drawing.

Editing drawings 272 Colors in drawings

Below is an example of a black-and-white drawing.

See also
XS_BLACK_DRAWING_BACKGROUND
Colors in drawings on page 271

Editing drawings 273 Colors in drawings

Specifying and using special color
You can define a special color that is not converted to black when printed. This color will be
printed as color or grayscale, depending on the selected printer settings. The special color is
defined using RGB (Red Green Blue) values in a scale of 0 to 255. The special color is applied
on parts as a hatch.
You can specify a special color for a building object before creating a drawing, and use it in
the final drawing for shape or a building object.
To define and use a special color in a final drawing:
1. Click Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options... --> Hatching .
2. Define the color using the following advanced options:
• XS_HATCH_SPECIAL_COLOR_R
• XS_HATCH_SPECIAL_COLOR_G
• XS_HATCH_SPECIAL_COLOR_B
The default value for all of the above advanced options is 230.
The smaller the values are, the darker the shade.
3. Click OK or Apply.
4. Open a drawing.
5. Double-click a drawing object to open the properties dialog box. For example, click a
building object or a rectangle.
6. Select a fill type.
7. Select the Special fill color.
8. Click Modify.

See also

Colors in drawings on page 271

Colors and line weights in printing on page 316

Pen numbers in Color Table

Pen numbers in the Color Table dialog box refer to the line weights used in the printed
drawing. By default, pen number 0 corresponds to a line weight of 0.1 mm. The final line
weight in a printed drawing is the default pen thickness multiplied by the pen number. For
example, pen number 25 will give a line weight of 2.5 mm.
• The line thicknesses displayed on the screen are taken from the first printer instance on
the Printer instances list in the Printer Catalog. When you print a drawing, the line
thickness is taken from the printer instance you use for printing.

Editing drawings 274 Colors in drawings

• In color drawings, the lines are shown with different thicknesses if the setting Tools -->
Options --> Use Printer Linewidths is selected.
• In black and white drawings, Tekla Structures shows the black lines on the screen using
pen number thickness defined for the color in the Color Table.
• You can change the default pen thickness using the advanced option
XS_BASE_LINE_WIDTH.

See also
XS_BASE_LINE_WIDTH
Changing the pen numbers for colors (line weight) on page 275
Colors in drawings on page 271

Changing the pen numbers for colors (line weight)

You can change the pen numbers for the colors to show and print lines with different
thicknesses.
To change the pen numbers:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click Drawing File --> Print Drawings and go to the Line thickness tab.
3. Enter or change a pen number.
For example, to get line weight of 2.5 mm, enter 25. The preview shows the changed line
thickness.
4. Click Close.
5. In a color drawing, click Tools --> Options and select Use Printer Linewidths, otherwise
you cannot see the changes on the screen.

See also
Changing drawing color on page 272
Colors in drawings on page 271
Pen numbers in Color Table on page 274
XS_BASE_LINE_WIDTH

Editing drawings 275 User coordinate system (UCS)

4.19 User coordinate system (UCS)
The UCS is a local user coordinate system you can use in a drawing view. It is easier to
position drawing objects in view, when you place objects relative to a user-defined point of
origin, or base point in the drawing view.
Tekla Structures shows the UCS symbol in the current drawing view, when you create, copy,
move, or modify graphical objects.

You can define a different point of origin for the UCS for each drawing view, and change the
UCS point of origin as often as you like.
The following example shows several views, each with their own UCS.

NOTE To position an object using the global coordinate system, you need to calculate the
coordinates of the object from the point of origin of the drawing.

See also
Adding manual dimensions using User Coordinate System on page 152
Setting a new UCS on page 277
Toggling between two user coordinate systems on page 277

Editing drawings 276 User coordinate system (UCS)

Resetting UCS on page 277
Keyboard shortcuts for UCS on page 278

Setting a new UCS

You can set a new UCS using one point or two points.
To set a new UCS:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click Tools --> User Coordinate System (UCS) and select one of the following
commands:
• Select Set Origin to set the new UCS using one point.
• Select Set by Two Points to set the new UCS using two points.
Tekla Structures displays the UCS symbol with a crosshair marking the center point.
3. Click the view where you want to place the origin.
4. If you are using two points, pick a point to define the direction of the x axis.

See also
User coordinate system (UCS) on page 275
Adding manual dimensions using User Coordinate System on page 152

Toggling between two user coordinate systems

You can toggle between two user coordinate systems that have the same point of origin: the
UCS following the axes of the drawing view and the oriented UCS you have created.
• To toggle between the coordinate systems, select Tools --> User Coordinate System
(UCS) --> Toggle Orientation (Ctrl + T).

See also
User coordinate system (UCS) on page 275

Resetting UCS
You can reset the UCS to its original position in the current view or in all views.
Do one of the following:

Editing drawings 277 User coordinate system (UCS)

 To Do this
Reset the UCS in the current view Click Tools --> User Coordinate System (UCS) --> Reset
Current (Ctrl + 1).
Reset the UCS in all drawing views Click Tools --> User Coordinate System (UCS) --> Reset
All (Ctrl + 0).

See also
User coordinate system (UCS) on page 275

Keyboard shortcuts for UCS

Command Keyboard shortcut
Set UCS origin U
Set UCS by two points Shift+U
Toggle orientation Ctrl+T
Reset current Ctrl+1
Reset all Ctrl+0

See also
User coordinate system (UCS) on page 275

4.20 Saving drawings

Tekla Structures automatically saves drawings at set intervals. You can also save your
drawing when ever you want to.
To save a drawing:
• In the open drawing, click Drawing File --> Save .
Both the drawing *.dg and the model *.db1 and *.db2 are saved. The drawings are
saved in the \drawings folder under the model folder.

See also
Finding and opening drawings on page 105
Closing drawings on page 279

Editing drawings 278 Saving drawings

4.21 Deleting unnecessary drawing files in single-user mode
You can remove all your unneccessary drawing files in the single user mode without waiting
for Tekla Structures to automatically remove them. By default all unnecessary drawing files
are deleted automatically after seven days. To remove the files, you need to have full
privileges. By default, the privileges are full. If you want to restrict the command usage, you
need to modify the privileges.inp file. Add the command Remove unnecessary
drawing files to a toolbar or User menu through the Customize dialog box.

NOTE Always create and modify the User menu or toolbars in the modeling mode. If you
create or modify the User menu or toolbars in the drawing mode, the new User
menu, a new toolbar, or User menu or toolbar changes are not saved.

To add the command in the User menu and to remove the unnecessary drawing files:
1. Select Tools --> Customize...
2. Search for the command Remove unnecessary drawing files in the list of commands on
the left.
3. Select the Menu tab on the right.
4. Select the command and add it in the User menu by clicking the right arrow.
5. Click Close.
6. Restart Tekla Structures to activate the new command.
7. Click the command Remove unnecessary drawing files on the menu when you want to
remove the unnecessary drawing files from the \drawings folder under the model
folder.

TIP If you want to restrict the command usage, add the following line in the privileges.inp
file:
action:RemoveUnnecessaryDrawingFiles [who] [access]
[who] is everyone or <Windows_logon_name>, or <domain_name>
[access] can be none/view/full.
In the following example, only the administrator can use the Remove unnecessary drawing
files command:
action:RemoveUnnecessaryDrawingFiles everyone none
action:RemoveUnnecessaryDrawingFiles ORGANIZATION\admin full

See also

Editing drawings 279 Closing drawings

4.22 Closing drawings
You can only have one drawing open at a time. Tekla Structures always has to close an open
drawing before you can open another one.
To close a drawing:
1. Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the drawing window.
2. If you have made changes in the drawing, Tekla Structures asks you to confirm if you
want to save your changes.
You can also select to freeze the drawing, and create a snapshot.

See also
Finding and opening drawings on page 105
Freezing drawings on page 284
Creating and viewing drawing snapshots on page 114

4.23 Keyboard shortcuts for drawings

Command Keyboard shortcut
Open Drawing list when a drawing is open Ctrl+O
Open Drawing list in model mode Ctrl+L
Open previous drawing Ctrl+Page Up
Open next drawing Ctrl+Page Down
Open any drawing after creating the drawing Ctrl+Shift
Associativity symbol Shift+A
Set next drawing color mode B
Ghost outline Shift+G
Add an orthogonal dimension G
Add free dimension F
In Drawing list: Open user-defined attributes Alt+U
In Drawing list: Add to Master Drawing Catalog Ctrl+M
In Drawing list: Revision Ctrl+R
In Master Drawing Catalog: Select all Ctrl+A
In Master Drawing Catalog: Create drawings for all Alt+A
parts
In Master Drawing Catalog: Create drawings Alt+C

Editing drawings 280 Keyboard shortcuts for drawings

See also
Editing drawings on page 117
Assigning a keyboard shortcut for a command

Editing drawings 281 Keyboard shortcuts for drawings

5 Working with drawings

There are many ways you can control and manage the drawings you have created.
Click the links below to find out more:
• Updating drawings when the model changes on page 282
• Locking and unlocking drawings on page 283
• Freezing and unfreezing general arrangement drawings on page 284
• Issuing drawings on page 286
• Deleting drawings on page 286
• Revising drawings on page 287

5.1 Updating drawings when the model changes

Saved drawings need updating because of model changes. Cast-unit, assembly, single part
and multidrawings use position numbers as identifiers. Many changes affect numbering, so
many times the parts need to be renumbered. When such changes have been made, the
drawings cannot be updated before the parts are renumbered. The drawings needing updates
are indicated by flags in the Drawing List. Renumbering model objects after creating
drawings may also generate flags.

NOTE • General arrangement drawings do not need model numbering to be updated. If

you use part position numbers in part marks, you must number the model to get
updated marks, because old and not updated marks have question marks in
them. If you do not use numbering, you can modify general arrangement
drawings without numbering. Then, for example, profile changes are highlighted
with revision clouds.
• When you update multidrawings, also the linked drawings are updated.

Do the following after changing the model:

1. Check the numbering settings by clicking Drawings & Reports --> Numbering -->
Numbering Settings .

Working with drawings 282 Updating drawings when the model changes
 2. Select Compare to old for both the new and modified parts.
3. Number all model objects that have same numbering series settings by clicking Drawings
& Reports --> Numbering --> Number Series of Selected Objects , or number only
new or modified model objects by clicking Drawings & Reports --> Numbering -->
Number Modified Objects .
4. Check the drawing list for status flags.

5. To find the parts that have been affected, select each drawing marked with the flag
in the Drawing List and click the Select objects button.
Tekla Structures highlights the affected parts in the model. Do the following:
a. Check the numbering history log for renumbered parts by clicking Tools --> Display
Log File --> Numbering History .
Part or Assembly at the beginning of a line in the numbering history log
indicates that Tekla Structures has renumbered parts or assemblies, as in the
following example:

b. To find the renumbered parts in the model, select the relevant entries from the
numbering history log. Tekla Structures highlights the corresponding parts in the
model.
6. Select the affected drawings from the Drawing List and click Update.
7. If you have new parts in the model, create drawings for them.

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
Settings affecting the recreation of drawings on page 328

5.2 Locking and unlocking drawings

You can indicate that a drawing is not available for editing by locking it. When a drawing is
locked, it cannot be accidentally modified. Locking prevents the drawings from being opened,
updated, cloned, deleted, or modified, even if the model changes. The geometry of the locked

Working with drawings 283 Locking and unlocking drawings

 drawing still changes when the model changes.Tekla Structures flags locked drawings for
update if the model changes.
To lock and unlock drawings:
1. In the Drawing List, select the drawing(s) you want to lock.
2. Click Lock --> On .
The Locked by column in the Drawing List shows who has locked the drawing. If you
have logged in to your Tekla account, the account name is shown. Otherwise the user
name is shown.
3. To unlock the drawings, select the drawings and click Lock --> Off .

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
Selecting drawings in the Drawing List on page 112

5.3 Freezing drawings

You can select whether to allow Tekla Structures to update all associative objects on top of
the drawing views. The geometry of the model is always updated, but freezing 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, marks,
views, and shapes are not.

See also
Freezing and unfreezing general arrangement drawings on page 284
Freezing and unfreezing single part, cast unit and assembly drawings on page 285
How freezing affects drawings on page 285
Working with drawings on page 282
Selecting drawings in the Drawing List on page 112
Updating marks on page 185

Freezing and unfreezing general arrangement drawings

To freeze a general arrangement drawing:
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 .

Working with drawings 284 Freezing drawings

4. When freezing is no longer necessary, select the frozen drawings and click Freeze -->
Off .

See also
Freezing drawings on page 284

Freezing and unfreezing single part, cast unit and assembly drawings
To freeze and unfreeze single part, cast unit and assembly drawings:
1. Save the model.
2. Open a drawing.
3. If the drawing does not look the way you want, close it without saving it.
4. Reopen the model. Do not save it.
5. In the Drawing List, select the drawing you want to freeze.
6. Click Freeze --> On .
7. Open the drawing.
8. When freezing is no longer necessary, select the frozen drawings and click Freeze -->
Off .

See also
Freezing drawings on page 284
How freezing affects drawings on page 285

How freezing affects drawings

Freezing affects drawings in the following way:
• The associativity does not disappear from a frozen drawing. When you unfreeze the
drawing, the associativity works again.
• Freezing does not have any effect on the cloning result. If you edit the drawing, it does
not matter whether you freeze the drawing before or after editing it.
• If a drawing is frozen, the associative drawing objects are not updated when the drawing
is updated. This means that the dimensions and views are not updated, and the marks do
not follow the parts if the parts have been moved.
• If a drawing is frozen, and the part changes in the model, the geometry of the part is
updated in the frozen drawing when the drawing is updated.

Working with drawings 285 Freezing drawings

 • Unfreezing the drawing before cloning does not have any effect on the cloning result.
This means, for example, that it does not matter whether you keep the drawing frozen all
the time or temporarily unfreeze it before cloning.
• If you unfreeze a drawing before update, the drawing is updated normally.

See also
Freezing drawings on page 284

5.4 Issuing drawings

When a drawing is released for fabrication, it should be marked as issued in the Drawing
List. The geometry of the issued drawings is updated when the model changes. Issuing only
prevents the recreation of the drawing during update. The issuing information can be used to
filter the Drawing List and in templates.

To issue drawings:
1. In the Drawing List, select the drawings to be issued.
2. Select Issue --> On .

Tekla Structures marks the issued drawings with a flag

When an issued drawing has been edited or otherwise changed, the color of the flag
changes and the text Issued drawing changed is displayed.

TIP To show the issue date in a report, add the template field DATE_ISSUE in the appropriate
report template.

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
DATE_ISSUE

5.5 Deleting drawings

You can delete drawings in the Drawing List.
1. In the Drawing List, select the drawings you want to delete.
2. Click Delete.
3. When Tekla Structures asks you to confirm the deletion, select Yes.

Working with drawings 286 Issuing drawings

 TIP If you press down Shift, Tekla Structures will not ask you to confirm the deletion.

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
Selecting drawings in the Drawing List on page 112

5.6 Revising drawings

When you revise drawings, you can attach information to them about the changes you have
made. Tekla Structures displays this information alongside the revision number or mark. The
revision date also appears in the revision table within drawings. The revision number or mark
is also shown in the Drawing List by default. Revision information can also be used in
reports.
You can revise drawings through the Drawing List or when the drawing is open. When you
revise the drawings using Add Revision Mark in an open drawing, Tekla Structures creates
marks in the drawing indicating the places where the changes have been made.
The report drawing_issue_rev.xsr shows the most recent revision dates of drawings.

TIP To show the revision mark instead of the revision number in the Drawing List, set the advanced
option XS_SHOW_REVISION_MARK_ON_DRAWING_LIST to TRUE.

See also
XS_SHOW_REVISION_MARK_ON_DRAWING_LIST
Adding revision marks on page 200
Creating revisions on page 287
Changing revisions on page 288
Deleting revisions on page 289

Creating revisions
You can create revisions to follow the changes in the drawing.
To create a revision:
1. In the Drawing List, select the drawings to revise.
2. Click Revision....
The Revision Handling dialog box is displayed.

Working with drawings 287 Revising drawings

3. Enter a mark in the Mark box.
Marks can be numerical or alphabetical such as 1, 2, 3… or A, B, C…
4. Fill in the Created by information and select the creation date from the calendar that is
displayed when you click the down-arrow next to the Date option.
5. If you need to give information about who checked and approved the drawing, enter the
information in the corresponding boxes and select the appropriate dates.
6. Enter a revision description in the Description box.
7. Enter delivery information in the Delivery box.
8. Enter any additional information in the Info 1 and Info 2 boxes.
9. Click Create.

The revision number or mark is now displayed in the Drawing List. When you open the
drawing, you can see the revision information in the revision table if there is one in the
drawing.

TIP Each drawing has its own unique revision number, but several drawings can share the same
revision mark, date, and other information. To attach the same revision information to several
drawings simultaneously, select multiple drawings from the drawing list.

See also
Revising drawings on page 287
Revision handling attributes on page 289

Changing revisions
You can change revision information afterwards.
To change a revision:
1. Select a revised drawing from the Drawing List.
2. Click Revision....
3. In the Revision Handling dialog box, select the number of the revision that you want to
change from the Rev. No. list.
4. Change the revision information.
5. Click Modify.
6. Close the Revision Handling dialog box.

See also
Working with drawings on page 282
Revision handling attributes on page 289

Working with drawings 288 Revising drawings

Deleting revisions
You can delete unnecessary revisions.
To delete a revision:
1. Select a revised drawing from the Drawing List.
2. Click Revision....
3. In the Revision Handling dialog box, select the revision number from the list next to the
Mark box.
4. Click Delete.
When you delete a revision, Tekla Structures automatically adjusts the remaining revision
numbers for that drawing. The revision marks do not change.

See also
Working with drawings on page 282

Revision handling attributes

The revision handling attributes can be included in drawing templates and report templates.
All revision handling attributes and the corresponding options in the Revision Handling
dialog box are listed below.

Revision handling attribute Option in the Revision Handling dialog box

MARK The revision mark in the Mark box.
NUMBER The revision number in Rev. No.
CREATED_BY The Created by information of the revision.
DATE_CREATE Date next to Created by.
CHECKED_BY The Checked by information of the revision.
DATE_CHECKED Date next to Checked by.
APPROVED_BY The Approved by information of the revision.
DELIVERY The Delivery information of the revision.
DESCRIPTION The revision Description.
DATE_APPROVED Date next to Approved by.
INFO1 The Info 1 text of the revision.
INFO2 The Info 2 text of the revision.
LAST The revision number of the latest revision in Rev. No..
LAST_CREATED_BY The Created by information of the latest revision.
LAST_CHECKED_BY The Checked by information of the latest revision.

Working with drawings 289 Revising drawings

 Revision handling attribute Option in the Revision Handling dialog box
LAST_DATE_CHECKED The Checked by Date of the latest revision.
LAST_DATE_APPROVED The approval Date of the latest revision.
LAST_DELIVERY The Delivery information of the latest revision
LAST_MARK The revision mark of the latest revision in the Mark box.
LAST_DESCRIPTION The Description of the latest revision.
LAST_DATE_CREATE The Created by date of the latest revision
LAST_APPROVED_BY The Approved by information of the latest delivery.
LAST_INFO1 The Info 1 text of the latest revision.
LAST_INFO2 The Info 2 text of the latest revision.

See also
Creating revisions on page 287

Working with drawings 290 Revising drawings

6 Printing drawings

Tekla Structures provides a real-time preview of drawings. You can print the previewed
drawings as PDF files, save them as plot files and print them on a selected printer. You can
also map drawing colors to line thicknesses.

Limitations in printing
• There is only one set of color line thickness settings, which means that you cannot save
different settings for each printer.
• You cannot print to several paper sizes at the same time.
• You can only save one set of dialog settings in the settings file <user>_
PdfPrintOptions.xml. Some initial default settings can be set by environment in
PdfPrintOptions.xml. For more information about these settings, see Printing
settings and search order on page 296.
• The hardware_BRICKS, hardware_CHESS and hardware_LINES hatches are
not supported.
• Images in drawings are previewed in color even if you select Grayscale or Black and
white.
• The advanced option XS_PLOT_VIEW_FRAMES is not supported.

Printing drawings 291 Revising drawings

 • When you have open a drawing in Tekla Structures, you can only preview and print that
drawing. Also, when you open another drawing (for example, by double-clicking on
another drawing in the Drawing List), the preview may not update. Select the drawing
again (single-click) in the Drawing List and the preview is then updated to match the
selection.

See also
Printing to a .pdf file, plot file or printer on page 292
Printing configuration files on page 296

6.1 Printing to a .pdf file, plot file or printer

To print to a .pdf file, plot file or printer:
1. Open the Drawing List and select the drawings that you want to print.
2. Click File --> Print --> Print Drawings .
3. Select the desired drawing from the list of Drawings on the top.
The drawings are shown one by one in a preview. The preview shows the drawings always
up to date.

4. Use Next and Previous to scroll through the set of selected drawings.
5. Select the printing option:

Printing drawings 292 Printing to a .pdf file, plot file or printer

 • PDF file: Converts drawings to PDF format.
• Printer: Sends the drawings to the selected printer.
• Plot file: Converts drawings to print files in a format suitable for the selected printer
and saves them in a specified location.
6. If you need to change Windows printing settings for a printer or for a plot file, click the
Properties button.
7. Define the printing settings. The available settings depend on which printing option you
have selected:
• File location: Enter the location for the .pdf or plot file, or use Browse to browse
for the folder.
The \Plotfiles folder under the model folder is the default value.
• Open folder when finished: Opens the .pdf or plot file folder in Windows Explorer
after the printouts have been created.
• Open file when finished: Opens the .pdf file after it has been created.
• Output to single file: Prints the selected drawings to a single .pdf file.
If you do not select this option, each drawing will be printed in a .pdf file of its
own.
• File extension: Allows you to specify a file name extension for the plot file. The
default is plt.
• File prefix: Allows you to enter a specific prefix in the file name.
• File suffix: Allows you to enter a specific suffix in the file name.
When you enter a prefix or suffix, the file name preview displayed under the File
prefix and File suffix boxes will reflect the change immediately.
The file name can be controlled by a couple of advanced option switches for
customizing print file names, except when you generate a single combined multiple
drawings .pdf file.
• Fit to paper: Fits the drawing to a specific paper size.
• Scale: Defines the scale to force the printout to a specific scale.
The Scale value will turn red if the drawing cannot fit on the specified sheet.
• Center drawing on paper: Centers the drawing on the sheet (or sheets).
• Print on multiple sheets: Allows you to print on multiple sheets and specifies the
direction of printing the sheets. Select either Left to right, top to bottom or
Bottom to top, right to left.
When you use Print on multiple sheets, select a particular paper size.
• Paper size: Defines the paper size or use automatic size.
With the Auto setting Tekla Structures selects the paper size that has the least
wasted area when the scaled print is fitted to the printable area on the sheet.

Printing drawings 293 Printing to a .pdf file, plot file or printer

 Printers are often unable to print on the full area of a sheet, and leave borders. The
printable area is determined for the selected printer when the option Printer or Plot
file is selected. In the case of creating a .pdf file, the printer is not known so the
output is sized to the full sheet. However, when printing a .pdf, the same problem
exists and the drawing content is fitted to the printable area of whatever printer is
being used. The printable area is show with white background and the non-printable
border is shaded gray in the preview image below.

• Orientation: Defines the orientation or use automatic orientation.

The Auto setting means that the orientation that wastes least space is selected
automatically.
• Color: Select if the output is to be Color, Black and white or Grayscale.
• Number of copies: Defines the number of plot file or printout copies to be printed.
• Embed fonts: If selected, the fonts will be embedded in the .pdf file.
This ensures that fonts may be reproduced on a system that does not have them
installed, but increases the file size. In certain cases fonts may automatically be
embedded. When using non-Latin fonts it is recommended that embedding is
selected, otherwise the .pdf may not be displayed correctly. When fonts are
embedded, in order to keep the file as small as possible, embed only the subset used
in the document, not the full range.
8. Go to the Line thickness tab and map drawing colors to line thicknesses.
Line thicknesses are expressed as a multiple of the advanced option
XS_BASE_LINE_WIDTH value. The default value is typically 0.1 mm. This means that
the line thickness value 5 would result in a line width of 0.5 mm.
9. Click Print to print the drawings in .pdf format or as plot files, or send them to a
printer according to the settings you defined in the dialog box.

Example
Below is an example of printing to multiple sheets. The option Bottom to top, right to left
is selected. The numbers indicate the printing order of sheets.

Printing drawings 294 Printing to a .pdf file, plot file or printer

In the next example, the option Left to right, top to bottom is selected.

Printing drawings 295 Printing to a .pdf file, plot file or printer

 See also
Printing drawings on page 291
Customizing print output file names on page 297
Printing configuration files on page 296

6.2 Printing settings and search order

Tekla Structures printing settings in the Print Drawings dialog box are stored in two files:
<user>_ PdfPrintOptions.xml and PdfPrintOptions.xml. When you open
a new model, the PdfPrintOptions.xml file is loaded. The changes that you make in
printing settings are automatically saved in <user>_ PdfPrintOptions.xml, and
settings in this file are loaded when you re-open the model.

When you open the Print Drawings dialog box, change printing settings, and re-open the
dialog box, the following happens:
• If the model is new, Tekla Structures searches for the printing settings from the
PdfPrintOptions.xml file in the XS_PROJECT, XS_FIRM, and XS_SYSTEM
folders, in that order, and uses the settings in the first PdfPrintOptions.xml that
it finds. This makes it possible for organizations to set up the default dialog box settings
including the line color thicknesses. If Tekla Structures does not find a file, it uses
internal hard coded defaults.
• When you close the dialog box, Tekla Structures saves the dialog box settings
automatically to <model>\attributes\<user>_ PdfPrintOptions.xml.
• When you re-open the Print Drawings dialog box in the same model, Tekla Structures
will again search for the printing settings file, and first find <user>_
PdfPrintOptions.xml in the <model>\attributes folder, because that is
the first one in the search sequence.
• At the model level, Tekla Structures looks for and saves to <user>_
PdfPrintOptions.xml, but in all other locations it looks for
PdfPrintOptions.xml. This ensures with shared models in multiuser mode or in
Tekla model staring that the users dialog settings are kept separate from other users of
the model.

See also
Printing drawings on page 291

6.3 Printing configuration files

In printing, two configuration files are used related to paper sizes and drawing sizes:
PaperSizesForDrawings.dat and DrawingSizes.dat.

Printing drawings 296 Printing settings and search order

 • PaperSizesForDrawings.dat defines a list of paper size names allowed to be
used, and their dimensions.
• DrawingSizes.dat provides a list of properties that should be set up to match the
drawing sizes configured in the Tekla Structures drawing layout definitions. It is used to
link those drawings to the paper size name that each drawing was set up for, and
provides information about the drawing sizes and the margins around them.
The PaperSizesForDrawings.dat file is by default located in the ..
\ProgramData\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments\common
\system folder. The DrawingSizes.dat file is located in the \system folder in the
common, UK, Germany, US imperial and US metric environments. Default values are provided
in the files installed with the printing functionality and should be appropriate in most cases.
However, the optimum values are dependent on the details of the existing drawing layout
definitions. If the printed area of the drawing needs to be moved, or if inappropriate paper
sizes are being selected, full instructions about how to make adjustments are detailed in
these two files.
Make copies of the original configuration files if you want to modify the settings, and place
the copies in appropriate folders. This means that you may have several copies of the
configuration files on your computer. When needed, these files are searched for and the first
one found is used in the following search order:
• model folder
• project folder as defined by the XS_PROJECT advanced option
• firm folder as defined by the XS_FIRM advanced option
• folders as defined by the XS_SYSTEM advanced option
If no files are found default values will be used.

TIP When making copies of the files, keep them first in a test model folder. Validate the
results before using them through the project, firm or environment folders. Also, keep
backup copies of the configuration files in a safe location as re-installing later versions
of Tekla Structures may overwrite your own settings.

See also
Printing drawings on page 291
Printing to a .pdf file, plot file or printer on page 292

6.4 Customizing print output file names

You can affect the way Tekla Structures automatically names the .pdf files and plot files by
using certain drawing-type-specific advanced options.
To customize the print output file names:
1. In Tekla Structures, go to Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options --> Printing .

Printing drawings 297 Customizing print output file names

2. Enter values for any or all of the advanced options
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_A, XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_W,
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_G, XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_M, or
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_C.
The letter at the end indicates the drawing type. You can also combine several values. The
values are not case sensitive.
3. Click OK.

Example
Use single % around the values. The example below results in the following assembly
drawing .pdf name: E_P1_PLATE_Revision=2.pdf:
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_A=E_%NAME.%_%TITLE%%REV?_Revision=%
%REV%.pdf

Possible values

Value Example of the Description

result
%NAME% P_1 Part, assembly, or cast unit position, using
%DRAWING_NAME% the file name format prefix_number.

%NAME.-% P-1 Part, assembly, or cast unit position, using

%DRAWING_NAME.-% the file name format prefix-number.

%NAME.% P1 Part, assembly, or cast unit position, using

%DRAWING_NAME.% the file name format prefixnumber.

%REV% 2 Drawing revision number.

%REVISION%
%DRAWING_REVISION%
%REV_MARK% B Drawing revision mark.
%REVISION_MARK%
%DRAWING_REVISION_M
ARK%
%TITLE% PLATE Drawing name from the drawing
%DRAWING_TITLE% properties dialog box.

%UDA:<drawing user- Painted Value of a user-defined drawing attribute.

defined attribute>% The user-defined drawing attributes are
defined in objects.inp. The actual
values for the user-defined attributes are
entered in the drawing-specific user-
defined attributes dialog box.

Printing drawings 298 Customizing print output file names

 Value Example of the Description
result
%REV? - <text>% 2 - Rev Adds conditional prefixes. In this example,
if REV exists, Tekla Structures adds the
text between ? and % to the filename.
%TPL:<template Base plate You can use template attributes that can
attribute>% be found in Template Editor. The actual
values for these attributes are entered in
the drawing properties dialog box.
Examples:
• %TPL:TITLE1%
• %TPL:TITLE2%
• %TPL:TITLE3%
• %TPL:DR_DEFAULT_HOLE_SIZE
%
• %TPL:DATE%
• %TPL:TIME%
• %TPL:DR_DEFAULT_WELD_SIZE
%

NOTE The print output file name switches %DRAWING_NAME% and %NAME% that should produce
an underscore in the print file name (P_1) do not work if
XS_ASSEMBLY_POSITION_NUMBER_FORMAT_STRING does not use a separator
between the values (for example, %ASSEMBLY_PREFIX%%ASSEMBLY_POS%), or if
XS_USE_ASSEMBLY_NUMBER_FOR is set.
To make the switches work, do the following:
• If you want to use
XS_ASSEMBLY_POSITION_NUMBER_FORMAT_STRING, use a dot (.)
slash (/) or hyphen (-) between the values, for example, %ASSEMBLY_PREFIX
%.%ASSEMBLY_POS%, or similar.
• Leave XS_USE_ASSEMBLY_NUMBER_FOR empty.

See also
Printing to a .pdf file, plot file or printer on page 292

Printing drawings 299 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
6.5 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
You can also use Tekla Structures own printer instances for printing drawings. To do this, you
need to set XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE. Using this advanced option takes the
Printer Catalog dialog box in use, and requires printer instances to be set in Tekla Structures.
Setting up printers in the Microsoft Windows environment is not covered in this
documentation. It is assumed that printers are set up and tested in your environment. For
further information about on setting up printers, contact your system administrator.
Click the links below to find out more:
• Printing single drawings on page 300
• Printing multiple drawings with different sizes in one go on page 303
• Creating PDF files on page 304
• Printing to file on page 304
• Printing to multiple sheets on page 308
• Adding frames and foldmarks in drawings on page 309
• Setting up printer instances in Printer Catalog on page 312
• Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog box on page 317
• Printing tips on page 318

Printing single drawings

There are many ways you can start printing single drawings: you can use menu commands,
icons, and pop-up menu commands.
Before you print the drawing, check that the printer instance settings are correct and the
layout contains the correct drawing size settings.
To print single drawings using menu commands in an open drawing:
1. In the drawing, click Drawing File --> Print Drawings... .
2. In the Print Drawings dialog box, select the printer instance you want to use.
3. If needed, modify the printing settings and add frames and foldmarks in the printout.
4. Click Print.

TIP Shortcut for opening the Print Drawings dialog box: Shift+P.

See also
Adding frames and foldmarks in drawings on page 309
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299
Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog box on page 317

Printing drawings 300 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Setting up printer instances in Printer Catalog on page 312
Example: Printing on A4 in landscape on page 301
Example: Printing on A3 in portrait on page 301

Example: Printing on A4 in landscape

This example describes how you can print on A4 paper in landscape style in black and white.

NOTE In this example, it is assumed that the print area h*b is defined h being along the
longer side of the paper and b being along the shorter side of the paper. When using
some other printer driver you might have to change h*b values if you find out that
the printer driver uses h along the short side of the paper.

To print on A4 in landscape in black and white when a drawing is open:

1. In drawing properties dialog box, click Layout.
2. Set Size definition mode to Specified size and set Drawing size to 287 * 200.
You can also use Autosize. Then you need to make sure that you have defined
appropriate Fixed sizes or Calculated sizes.
3. Click Modify and OK.
4. Select Drawing File --> Print Drawings... .
5. In the Print Drawings dialog box, click the printer instance you want to use.
6. Click Add/Edit and check that the printer settings are correct:
• Paper size: A4 210 x 297 mm
• Print area h*b: 287 x 200
• Color: Black/white
7. Click Update.
8. Click OK.
9. Set Scaling to Scale and enter 1.
In this case also Scaling setting Auto would produce a similar printout because drawing
size and h*b are the same.
10. Set Orientation to Landscape (or Auto).
11. Set Print area to Entire Drawing.
12. Click Print.

See also
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299

Printing drawings 301 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Example: Printing on A3 in portrait

This example describes how you can print on A3 paper in portrait style in black and white.
You can print from the Drawing List or when a drawing is open.
To print on A3 in portrait in black and white when a drawing is open:
1. In drawing properties dialog box, click Layout.
2. Set Size definition mode to Specified size and set Drawing size to 287 * 410.
You can also use Autosize. Then you need to make sure that you have defined
appropriate Fixed sizes or Calculated sizes.
3. Click Modify and OK.
4. Select Drawing File --> Print Drawings... .
5. In the Print Drawings dialog box, click the printer instance you want to use.
6. Click Add/Edit and check that the printer settings are correct:
• Paper size: A3 297 x 420 mm.
• Print area h*b: 410 x 287
• Color: Black/white
7. Click Update.
8. Click OK.
9. Set Scaling to Scale and enter 1.
10. Set Orientation to Portrait (or Auto).
11. Set Print area to Entire Drawing.
12. Click Print.

See also
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299

Example: Printing A3 drawing on A4 paper

This example describes how you can print an A3 drawing on A4 paper. This is useful, for
example, when you need draft drawings that do not have to show the correct scale.
To print an A3 drawing on A4:
1. Open the A3 drawing.
2. Select Drawing File --> Print Drawings... .
3. In the Print Drawings dialog box, click the printer instance that you want to use.

Printing drawings 302 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
4. Click Add/Edit, click the printer instance that you are going to use and ensure that it
prints to A4 paper.
Also ensure that the Print area h*b value takes into account the printer hard margins. In
this case, the Print area h*b could be 287*200.
5. If you changed any settings, click Update and OK.
If you did not change any settings in the Printer Catalog, click OK to return to the Print
Drawings dialog box.
6. Set Scaling to Auto.
When you use Auto, and the drawing is bigger than the paper, the drawing is scaled
down to fit the paper.
7. Click Print.

See also
Printing single drawings on page 300

Printing multiple drawings with different sizes in one go

You can print multiple drawings from the Drawing List. You can print drawings of different
sizes at the same time.
To print multiple drawings even of different sizes:
1. In the Drawing List, select the drawings you want to print.

2. Click the Print drawings button on the toolbar.

3. In the Print Drawings dialog box, indicate the printers you want to use.
To select several printers, hold down Ctrl and select the printers.
When you select drawings of several sizes and several printers, Tekla Structures sends
each drawing to the printer that is using the smallest paper size on which the drawing
will fit. For example, if you have two printers selected, one A4 and one A3, Tekla
Structures will send A4 drawings to the A4 printer and A3 to the A3 printer.
4. Set Scale to 1.
This makes it possible for Tekla Structures to select and use the printer instance that is
using the correct paper size.
5. If necessary, modify other printing settings and add frames and foldmarks in the printout.
6. Click Print.

See also
Adding frames and foldmarks in drawings on page 309

Printing drawings 303 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299
Printing single drawings on page 300

Creating PDF files

You can use any standard PDF printer to create PDF files in Tekla Structures, such as
pdfFactory, Win2PDF or Adobe Acrobat.
Before you start creating PDF files using Adobe Acrobat, ensure that you have Adobe Acrobat
and Adobe Distiller installed and configured with the Adobe Postscript Printer Driver set up to
print to file. Consult your Adobe documentation for more information.
Also ensure that you have an Adobe postscript printer instance in the Tekla Structures printer
catalog.
To create PDF files:
1. In the Drawing List, select the drawings of which you want to make PDF files.

2. Click the Print drawings button .

3. In the Print Drawings dialog box, select the PDF printer instances you want to use.
If you select several printer instances, Tekla Structures sends each drawing to the printer
instance that is using the smallest paper size on which the drawing will fit. For example,
if you have two printer instances selected, one A4 and one A3, Tekla Structures will send
A4 drawings to the A4 printer and A3 to the A3 printer.
4. If needed, modify the printing settings and add frames and foldmarks in the PDF.
5. Click Print.
Tekla Structures creates the PDF files and saves them in the folder that you specified
when you defined the printer instance. The file will have the name shown in the Drawing
List with the extension ps.

Limitations
Do not use the Print to file option when you create PDF files.

See also
Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog box on page 317
Adding an Adobe postscript printer instance on page 314
Adding frames and foldmarks in drawings on page 309
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299

Printing drawings 304 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Printing to file
Before you start, make sure you have a printer instance set up to print to file.
To print to a file:
1. In the Drawing List, select all the drawings that you want to print.

2. Click the Print drawings button on the toolbar.

3. Click a printer instance that is set up to print to file.
4. Select the Print to file check box.
Specify the folder. You can use the folder specified during printer instance setup or click
Browse... to locate the destination folder in the Browse For Folder dialog box.
If you do not enter a folder, Tekla Structures creates the files in the current model folder
or in the folder defined by the advanced option
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_DIRECTORY.
5. If needed, modify other printing settings and add frames and foldmarks in the printout.
6. Click Print.

Tekla Structures prints the selected drawings to files in the specified folder using the drawing
names.

See also
Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog box on page 317
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299
Adding a print-to-file instance on page 313

Customizing print file names

By default, Tekla Structures uses the drawing names as print file names. You can customize
these file names using an advanced option indicating the drawing type, and entering
switches defining the format of the print file name as a value.
To customize the filenames:
1. Go to Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options... --> Printing .
2. Enter switches for the advanced options XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_A,
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_W, XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_G,
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_M, and XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_C
You can also combine several switches. The switches are not case sensitive.
3. Click OK.

Printing drawings 305 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Example
The example below results in the filename E_P1_PLATE_Revision=2.dxf:
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_A=E_%NAME.%_%TITLE%%REV?_Revision=%
%REV%.dxf

See also
Switches for customizing print file names on page 306
Printing to file on page 304

Switches for customizing print file names

Use the following switches when you want to customize the print file name format. If you
are defining these in an .ini file, use double %%. Use single % in the Advanced Options
dialog box.

Switch Example of the Description

result
%NAME% P_1 Part, assembly, or cast unit position, using
%DRAWING_NAME% the filename format prefix_number.

%NAME.-% P-1 Part, assembly, or cast unit position, using

%DRAWING_NAME.-% the filename format prefix-number.

%NAME.% P1 Part, assembly, or cast unit position, using

%DRAWING_NAME.% the filename format prefixnumber.

%REV% 2 Drawing revision number, if Include revision

%REVISION% mark to filename is checked in the Print
Drawings dialog box.
%DRAWING_REVISION%
%REV_MARK% B Drawing revision mark, if Include revision
%REVISION_MARK% mark to filename is checked in the Print
Drawings dialog box.
%DRAWING_REVISION_
MARK%
%TITLE% PLATE Drawing name from the drawing properties
%DRAWING_TITLE% dialog box.

%UDA:<drawing Painted Value of a drawing user-defined attribute.

user-defined The drawing user-defined attributes are
attribute>% defined in objects.inp. The actual
values for the user-defined attributes are
entered in the drawing-specific user-defined
attributes dialog box.

Printing drawings 306 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
 Switch Example of the Description
result
%REV? - <text>% 2 - Rev Adds conditional prefixes. In this example, if
REV exists, Tekla Structures adds the text
between ? and % to the filename.
%TPL:<template Base plate You can use here template attributes that
attribute>% can be found in Template Editor. The actual
values for these attributes are entered in
the drawing properties dialog box.
Examples:
• %TPL:TITLE1%
• %TPL:TITLE2%
• %TPL:TITLE3%
• %TPL:DR_DEFAULT_HOLE_SIZE%
• %TPL:DATE%
• %TPL:TIME%
• %TPL:DR_DEFAULT_WELD_SIZE%

NOTE The print output file name switches %DRAWING_NAME% and %NAME% that should
produce an underscore in the print file name (P_1) do not work if
XS_ASSEMBLY_POSITION_NUMBER_FORMAT_STRING does not use a
separator between the values (for example, %ASSEMBLY_PREFIX%
%ASSEMBLY_POS%), or if XS_USE_ASSEMBLY_NUMBER_FOR is set.
To make the switches work, do the following:
• If you want to use
XS_ASSEMBLY_POSITION_NUMBER_FORMAT_STRING, use a dot (.)
slash (/) or hyphen (-) between the values, for example, %ASSEMBLY_PREFIX
%.%ASSEMBLY_POS%, or similar.
• Leave XS_USE_ASSEMBLY_NUMBER_FOR empty.

See also
Customizing print file names on page 305
Objects.inp properties
Template Attributes Reference Guide
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_A
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_C
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_W

Printing drawings 307 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_M
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_G

Printing to multiple sheets

Before printing to multiple sheets, make sure that the layout of the drawing supports
printing on several smaller sheets. Remember that Tekla Structures automatically adds a 5
mm margin to the printouts.
Also ensure that you have set up the printer instance correctly for printing to multiple sheets.
To print on several smaller sheets:
1. In the drawing, click Drawing File --> Print Drawings... .
2. In the Print Drawings dialog box, select the printer instance you want to use.
3. Select the Print on multiple sheets option.
4. In Scaling, set Scale = 1. This preserves the scale. The number of sheets is rounded up.
Do not use Auto when you print to multiple sheets.
Tekla Structures calculates the required amount of sheets needed to print the drawing.
5. If needed, modify other printing settings and add frames and foldmarks in the printout.
If you set Orientation to Auto, Tekla Structures selects an orientation that results in the
smallest number of printed sheets.

Tekla Structures prints the drawing to multiple sheets so that it prints the lower right corner
the first, and the upper left corner the last (see the numbered sheets in the example below).
If you want to have drawing frames and/or the title blocks for each smaller size sheet, you
need to use proper table layout as shown in the example below.

Printing drawings 308 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
TIP Use the advanced option XS_PRINT_MULTISHEET_BORDER to set borders that are left out
from the smaller sheets.

See also

Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog box on page 317

Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299

Adding frames and foldmarks in drawings

You can have a frame around drawing contents, or two drawing frames inside each other.
You can add default Tekla Structures frames around the drawing contents, or use DWG/DXF
files in the table layouts as drawing frames.
You can create foldmarks as guides for folding printed drawings. They are small lines between
and perpendicular to the drawing frames.

Printing drawings 309 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
 Frames

Foldmark

See also
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299
Adding frames and foldmarks in printouts on page 310
Adding a DWG/DXF file frame on page 311
XS_PLOT_VIEW_FRAMES

Adding frames and foldmarks in printouts

Drawing frames to be printed are controlled in the standard.fms file under the system
folder. There is no saving option in the Drawing Frame Properties dialog box, which is why
the default values are located in a standard file.
To add frames and foldmarks:
1. In the Print Drawings dialog box, click Frames....
2. In the Drawing Frame Properties dialog box, select the check boxes of the frames you
want to print.
3. In Margins, enter in millimeters the distance between each frame and the left, right,
bottom, and top edge of the paper.
4. Select a color for each frame.
5. To print the foldmarks, select the Foldmarks check box.
6. Enter in millimeters the horizontal and vertical distances of the first foldmarks from the
lower right corner of the outer frame, and between the other foldmark.
7. Select a color for the foldmarks.
8. Click OK.

Printing drawings 310 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Below is an example of the properties dialog box contents and the standard file.

NOTE There is a fixed distance value of 5 mm in drawing frame margins. Thus, if you want to use a
drawing frame margin with a drawing title that sticks to the frame corner, you need to
change not only the drawing frame margin in the Drawing Frame properties dialog box in
Print Drawings, but also the Vector between corners in the Tables dialog box ( Drawing
Layout --> Table layouts --> Tables ).

See also
Adding frames and foldmarks in drawings on page 309
Table layouts on page 340

Printing drawings 311 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Adding a DWG/DXF file frame

DWG/DXF files can be used as drawing frames. You can do this by adding the DWG/DXF file in
the table layout of the drawing.
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Drawing Layout... .
2. Select a layout and click Table layout....
3. Select a table layout and click Tables....
4. Double-click DWG/DXF in the Available tables list.
5. Select the file and click OK.
6. Click Update.
7. Set the Scale.
8. Select Transparent.
9. Click OK.

See also
Adding frames and foldmarks in drawings on page 309
Table layouts on page 340

Setting up printer instances in Printer Catalog

Tekla Structures uses Microsoft Windows printer drivers to write the printed data directly to
a printer, print file or PDF file.
There are two stages in setting up printer instances in Tekla Structures:
• First, you need to add a printer instance in the Printer Catalog. By default, several
printer instances are already defined.
• Next, you need connect the printer instances to printer drivers and adjust the printer
instance settings. You can also connect one printer driver to several printer instances, for
example, to print in different sizes on the same printer.

See also
Adding a printer instance on page 312
Adding a print-to-file instance on page 313
Adding an Adobe postscript printer instance on page 314
Defining paper size on page 315
Defining print area h*b on page 316
Colors and line weights in printing on page 316

Printing drawings 312 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Adding a printer instance

To add a printer instance in Tekla Structures Printer Catalog:

1. In the model, click File --> Print --> Printer Catalog....
2. In the Printer Catalog dialog box, click an existing printer instance that has similar
settings to the one you want to add.
3. Enter a name for the new printer instance in the box under the Printer instances list.
4. Click Add.
5. Click Browse... to access the Select Printer dialog box, which shows a list of Microsoft
Windows printer drivers currently configured in your system.
6. Click a printer driver and then OK.
7. Select the paper size.
8. Enter the print area in Print area h*b (height and width).
9. If necessary, use Offset for print origin to move the drawing print origin.
10. Select Black/white, Gray Scale or Color.
If you select Color, Tekla Structures prints lines with the colors defined in the drawing
properties.
11. Click Color table to map pen size to the on-screen line color. The background color is not
printed.
12. Click Update.
13. Click OK.
14. Confirm that you want to save changes to the model folder.

See also
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299
Defining paper size on page 315
Defining print area h*b on page 316
Colors and line weights in printing on page 316

Adding a print-to-file instance

To add a print-to-file instance in the Printer Catalog:

1. In Printer Catalog, click Add.
2. Enter a printer instance name for the printer driver, followed immediately (no spaces) by
@path\folder\. The folder must already exist. For example, 11X17@d:\small\

Printing drawings 313 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
 You can also leave the folder out. If you do this, Tekla Structures prints the file in the
current model folder or in the folder specified for the advanced option
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_DIRECTORY.

WARNING XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_DIRECTORY overrides the folder defined

in the Printer Catalog.

3. Click Add.
4. Click Browse... to access the Select Printer dialog box and click a printer driver that is
configured to print to file and then click OK.
5. In Paper size, select By print area.
6. Enter the print area in Print area h*b.
7. Enter a file name extension, for example, plt for a print file.
8. Select Color, Gray Scale or Black/white as the color.
9. Click Color table... to map pen size to the on-screen line color.
10. Click Update.
11. Click OK.
12. Confirm that you want to save changes to the model folder.

TIP One way to send different drawing sizes to different folders is to set up a Microsoft Windows
printer to print to file for each paper size you will use. Enter a different destination folder for
each paper size in the Printer instances in Tekla Structures.

See also
Setting up printer instances in Printer Catalog on page 312
Adding a printer instance on page 312
Printing to file on page 304
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299

Adding an Adobe postscript printer instance

To add a Adobe postscript printer instance to the Printer Catalog:

1. In Printer Catalog, click Add.
2. Enter a new printer instance name followed immediately (no spaces) by @ and the folder
where Adobe Distiller should look for files. For example, A4_PDF@c:\plots\pdf
\in\ .
3. Click Add.

Printing drawings 314 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
4. Click Browse... to access the Select Printer dialog box. Click the Adobe postscript printer
driver and then OK.
5. Set Paper size to By print area.
6. Enter the print area in Print area h*b.
7. Enter the file name extension ps.
8. Select Black/white, Gray Scale or Color as the color.
9. Click Color table to map pen size to the on-screen line color.
10. Click Update.
11. Click OK.
12. Confirm that you want to save the changes to the model folder.

See also
Defining print area h*b on page 316
Adding a printer instance on page 312
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299

Defining paper size

Use the Paper size setting in Printer Catalog to select the paper size used in printing.

Setting Description
Named paper size Tekla Structures lists a named paper sizes for most sizes A3
and smaller. Selecting one of the listed sizes is recommended
for A3 printers and smaller.
By print area The printer selects the paper size based on the print area.
This option is recommended for A2 printers and larger. If you
use a named paper size with a larger printer than A3,
drawings larger than the print area are cropped to the size
of the print area.
None Sends no size information to the printer. This option provides
legacy support for Xsteel 5.0 and is not recommended for
use in other circumstances.

TIP To print to different paper sizes, you can define several printer instances, each using a
different paper size, but all connected to the same physical printer. For more
information about setting up print devices in Microsoft Windows, see your operating
system documentation.

Printing drawings 315 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
See also
Adding a printer instance on page 312
Printing tips on page 318

Defining print area h*b

When defining the print area, keep in mind the following facts:
• Tekla Structures uses the print area values to position the printout on the paper. Ensure
that the values for h and b relate to the paper size required.
Usually the value is the paper size less the hard clip margins of the printer. For example,
if the paper size is 297*420, the print area could be 407 * 284. See your printer
documentation for the hard clip margins of your printer.
• Usually for roll feed printers, h defines the roll width direction and b defines the roll feed
direction. Usually for tray feed printers, h defines the tray feed direction, and b defines
the tray width direction. Enter the values, and test how the printing works. If you can
see, that the direction is wrong, switch the h and b values.
• When you are printing from Tekla Structures, it uses the values set for the printer in the
Tekla Structures printer instance settings in the Printer Catalog, and overrides for these
settings the Windows printer settings.

See also
Setting up printer instances in Printer Catalog on page 312
Adding a printer instance on page 312

Colors and line weights in printing

Different screen colors can be mapped to different line weights in the Color Table dialog box
that can be opened from the Printer Catalog. The pen numbers in Color Table correspond to
the line weights used in the printed drawing. Pen number settings are printer instance
specific.
The line weight displayed on the screen in drawings is taken from the first printer on the
printer list.

See also
XS_BASE_LINE_WIDTH
Setting up printer instances in Printer Catalog on page 312
Colors in drawings on page 271
Pen numbers in Color Table on page 274
Changing the pen numbers for colors (line weight) on page 275

Printing drawings 316 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog box
When you have activated the Print drawings command, for example, from the toolbar, the
Print Drawings dialog box is displayed. It contains options for setting up printing.

Setting Description
Print to file Prints the drawing to a file.
Include revision mark to file name Adds the latest revision of the printed drawing to the
filename.
Revision number is used by default. However, if you set
the advanced option
XS_SHOW_REVISION_MARK_ON_DRAWING_LIST
to TRUE, the revision mark is used.
Scaling Auto fits the drawing to the Print area h*b size, i.e. fits it
to the paper. This is useful, for example, when you are
printing draft drawings on A4. With this option you can
include everything in the printout, but the scale of the
drawing may be affected as drawing size is fitted to the
Print area h*b.
With Auto, if the drawing size is smaller than the paper,
the drawing is scaled up to fill the defined Print area h*b,
keeping the aspect ratio.
Entering an exact scale in the Scale box scales the
drawing manually to the defined scale.
Examples on Scale: 1.0 = 100%, 0.9 = 90%
Print on multiple sheets Prints the drawing on multiple small sheets.
Number of copies Defines the number of copies.
Orientation Auto orientates the drawing to suit the paper.
Landscape prints the drawing horizontally - as it is
displayed on the screen.
Portrait prints the drawing vertically.
Print area Entire drawing prints the entire drawing.
Visible area prints the area visible in the current drawing
window.
Add/Edit Add or delete printer instances, or modify their settings.
Frames Opens a dialog box where you can select to print frames
and foldmarks.
Printer setup Opens the Windows print setup dialog box where you can
change the printing settings for the current Tekla
Structures session only. The changes that you make are
not saved for the printer permanently.

Printing drawings 317 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
See also
Printing to multiple sheets on page 308
Printing single drawings on page 300
Printing multiple drawings with different sizes in one go on page 303
Adding frames and foldmarks in drawings on page 309
Setting up printer instances in Printer Catalog on page 312
Defining print area h*b on page 316
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299
XS_SHOW_REVISION_MARK_ON_DRAWING_LIST
XS_PLOT_VIEW_FRAMES

Printing tips
Here are some tips that help you print drawings the way you want.
• If you are printing a drawing to a smaller paper, the line weights are scaled accordingly.
This means that no lines are drawn too thickly and the drawings are more readable.
• You can force a drawing to use a different size paper: Open the drawing and go to
Drawing Properties --> Layout . In Size definition mode, select Specified size. Insert
the required sheet size into Drawing size.
• If a drawing does not fit to the paper or is printed to a wrong location, use the Offset for
print origin option in the Printer Catalog to move the drawing print origin for the
selected printer instance.
The advanced options XS_PLOT_ORIGIN_MOVE_X and
XS_PLOT_ORIGIN_MOVE_Y move the print origin in the x or y direction for all
printer instances. If you set values for the advanced options, they are used instead of the
Offset for print origin value.
• You can disable the print date information to prevent the loss of information when
working with multi-user models. This is useful in cases where a user modifies drawings
while another user prints the same drawings. Use the
XS_DISABLE_DRAWING_PLOT_DATE to disable the print date.
• You can add several Windows printer drivers for the same physical printer, and define an
exact paper size for each printer driver in Windows printer driver printing preferences or
printing defaults. Then in Tekla Structures, you can set printer instances so that you
select the printer driver that matches the desired paper size. See the table at the end.
• If you only have one Windows printer driver for one physical printer, define the largest
paper size you are going to use for that printer driver in Windows printer driver printing
preferences or printing defaults, for example, A0. Then in Tekla Structures, you can use
that one printer driver, and set several printer instances for it, each using the necessary
paper size. See the table below.

Printing drawings 318 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
 Physical printer Windows printer drivers Tekla Structures printer instances
One printer. Separate Windows printer Separate Tekla Structures printer
drivers for each needed size. instances are defined for each needed
size, each printer instance is using the
printer driver with a matching paper
size.

One printer. One Windows printer driver. Separate Tekla Structures printer
The printer driver is set to the instances are defined for each needed
biggest needed paper size. size, the same printer driver is used for
each printer instance.

See also
Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances on page 299
Setting up printer instances in Printer Catalog on page 312

Printing drawings 319 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
7 Modifying drawing settings

Drawing settings tell Tekla Structures what the drawing should look like and what it should
include.

Automatic drawing settings

Automatic drawing settings are settings that are defined through:
• Drawing, view and object properties in various drawing types. The properties are stored in
properties files. Properties can be defined separately for each drawing that you create,
but it is advisable to save the most commonly used settings in properties files for future
use, for example, in Master Drawing Catalog. When creating a new drawing, always
start by loading automatic drawing properties that you think contain the best settings for
the drawing you are creating, and then adjust them as required before creating the
drawing. Properties can be adjusted also after you have created the drawing.
You can open the drawing properties dialog boxes for setting the automatic drawing
properties by selecting Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and then selecting
the drawing type.
• Drawing settings that are defined through various options and advanced options in
Options and Advanced Options.
• Additional settings files, such as rebar_config.inp for setting reinforcement, and
hatch_types1.pat for setting hatch patterns.

Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties

These drawings contain two types of automatic properties: drawing-specific and view-
specific. Drawing-specific properties apply to the whole drawing: drawing titles, drawing
layout, user-defined properties, protection settings, and some detail and section view
properties.

Modifying drawing settings 320 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
View-specific properties are defined separately for each view that you select to create. For
example, you might want to show marks in one view, dimensions in another, and surface
treatment in the third one. You can create as many views as you need.
To specify the drawing views to create and the properties to use, follow the path shown in
the image below. First select the views to create and select view properties to be used for the
views. If you need to adjust view properties or create new ones, click View properties and
adjust the view properties, including the properties for dimensions, filters, marks and objects.
Always use Save to save the view properties, otherwise your changes are not saved.

Modifying drawing settings 321 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Drawing-specific and view-specific properties in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings
can be modified in an open drawing by double-clicking the drawing background or the view
frame, respectively. The available properties are the same as in the dialog boxes shown above.

General arrangement drawing properties

Automatic drawing properties for general arrangement drawings can be defined on drawing
level before creating the drawing. You can modify the drawing level properties in an open
drawing by double-clicking the drawing background.

Modifying drawing settings 322 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
You select the views that you want to create after activating the creation of a general
arrangement drawing. You can adjust the view-level properties in an open drawing by
double-clicking a view frame.

Modifying drawing settings 323 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
Individual dimension, mark and object properties
You can modify the dimension, mark and object properties manually in an open drawing and
save the changed properties in properties files to be use later on for different purposes.

Modifying drawing settings 324 Printing drawings using Tekla Structures printer instances
 See also
Modifying and saving automatic drawing properties before creating drawings on page 325
Modifying drawing properties of an existing drawing on page 326
Modifying view-level drawing properties on page 327
Modifying and saving drawing object properties on page 330
Detailed object level settings on page 331
How Tekla Structures applies drawing properties on page 339

7.1 Modifying and saving automatic drawing properties before

creating drawings
Tekla Structures creates drawings using the automatic drawing properties defined separately
for each type of drawing.
Ensure that the drawing properties are set and the necessary drawing properties files or
master drawings are available before creating drawings.
To modify and save automatic drawing properties:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. If possible, load drawing properties closest to the ones you need by selecting a properties
file from the list at the top.
In general arrangement drawing properties, you need to click Load.
3. Do one the following, depending on the type of the drawing:

Modifying drawing settings 325 Modifying and saving automatic drawing properties before
creating drawings
 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings:
a. Go through the various properties in the options tree and adjust the values as
requires.
The check boxes next to the options are automatically selected when you change
something for that particular option.
b. To adjust view-level settings (views, dimensions, marks and objects), click View
creation, select the desired view and view properties file and click View properties.
c. Adjust the settings as required.
d. Click Save in View Properties to save the properties in the view properties file, when
you are done.
e. Click OK in View Properties to return to the drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings:
a. Switch off the all the check boxes by clicking the on/off switch at the bottom

.
b. Select the check boxes for only the options that you wish to change.
c. Go through the various properties in the drawing properties dialog box, and make the
necessary changes.
d. Click OK in each subdialog box where you changed the properties to save the
changes and to return to drawing properties.
4. Click Save to save the properties.
If you want to save the changes in another drawing properties file, enter the new name.
In general arrangement drawing properties, click Save as.

Now you can create a drawing using the modified drawing properties file.

7.2 Modifying drawing properties of an existing drawing

If you are not satisfied with the drawing settings after creating the drawing and checking it,
you can modify the automatic drawing properties in the created drawing.
To modify the drawing properties of an existing drawing:
1. Open the drawing
2. Double-click the drawing background.
3. Do one the following, depending on the type of the drawing:

Modifying drawing settings 326 Modifying drawing properties of an existing drawing

 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings:
a. Go through the various options in the options tree and adjust the values as required.
The check boxes next to the options are automatically selected when you change
something for that particular option.
b. To adjust view-level settings (views, dimensions, marks and objects), click View
creation, select the desired view and view properties file and click View properties.
c. Adjust the view properties as required.
d. Click Save in View Properties to save the properties in the view properties file, when
you are done.
e. Click OK in View Properties to return to the drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings:

a. Switch all the check boxes off by clicking the on/off switch at the
bottom of the dialog box.
b. Select the check boxes for only the options that you wish to change.
c. Go through the various options in the drawing properties dialog box, and make the
necessary changes.
d. Click OK in each subdialog box where you changed the properties to save the
changes and to return to drawing properties.
4. Click Modify.
The drawing is changed according to the changes that you made in the drawing
properties.

NOTE Some of the changes in you make require a drawing recreation. For more information, see
Settings affecting the recreation of drawings on page 328.

TIP You can also modify the properties of several drawings by selecting them from the Drawing List,
right-clicking and selecting Properties.

See also
Modifying view-level drawing properties on page 327

Modifying drawing settings 327 Modifying view-level drawing properties

7.3 Modifying view-level drawing properties
Most of the properties that a single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing has are specified
for each of the drawing views separately in the automatic drawing properties.
You can modify the view-level drawing properties after you have created the drawing. The
changes you make apply only to the view that you have selected to modify.
To modify drawing properties on the view level after you have created a drawing:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Double-click a drawing view frame to open the drawing view properties dialog box.
3. The check boxes are off by default. When you touch a property, for example, select an
option, Tekla Structures adds a check mark to the check box next to the option in the
option tree.
4. Make the necessary changes.
5. Click Modify when you are ready with the changes.

The view changes according to the changes that you made in the drawing view properties.

NOTE Some of the changes in you make require a drawing recreation. For more information, see
Settings affecting the recreation of drawings on page 328.

See also
Modifying drawing properties of an existing drawing on page 326

7.4 Settings affecting the recreation of drawings

Changing the following settings requires the drawing to be recreated. The changes will be
applied, and the drawing will be recreated only if and when you click Modify.

In the View creation panel:

• Coordinate system
• Around X
• Around Y
• Around Z
• Undeformed
• Unfolded
• New views added into the Views list.
If at least one of the above mentioned settings is changed, the Recreate the drawing option
is automatically set to Yes and the drawing will be recreated when you click Modify. If you

Modifying drawing settings 328 Settings affecting the recreation of drawings

 manually set Recreate the drawing to Yes, the drawing will also be recreated. When View
creation settings have changed and drawings will be recreated, you will get a warning
message.
In the Section view panel:
• Section depth
• Distance for combining cuts
• Left section
• Middle section
• Right section
If at least one of the above mentioned settings is changed, Tekla Structures automatically
recreates the drawing without giving a warning message when you click Modify.
If you only want to modify the view properties for one of the created views:
• If the changed properties are saved in the same file for all created views, the only way to
modify the properties for one view is to set Recreate the drawing to Yes.
• If the changed properties are saved in a separate file not used for other created views,
and that file is selected for the changed view in the Views list, then drawing will only be
updated on Modify, not recreated.

See also
Preventing automatic drawing updates and recreation on page 329
Updating drawings when the model changes on page 282

7.5 Preventing automatic drawing updates and recreation

Below there are some tips that help you to prevent automatic drawing updates and
recreation:
• Freeze the drawings where you do not want to update all associative objects on top of
the drawing views. The building objects (parts, bolts, welds, etc.) are always updated in
frozen drawings.
• Lock the drawings that you do not want to update.
• If you update a drawing that has not been modified, the drawing is recreated. Drawings
are automatically recreated unless the drawing has been edited and then saved, or the
drawing has been issued using the Issue functionality in the Drawing List. Use the
advanced XS_RECREATE_UNMODIFIED_DRAWINGS to control the recreation of
unmodified drawings.
• To prevent Tekla Structures from automatically updating drawings if the model changes,
clear the value field of the advanced option
XS_INTELLIGENT_DRAWING_ALLOWED.

Modifying drawing settings 329 Preventing automatic drawing updates and recreation
 See also
Settings affecting the recreation of drawings on page 328
XS_INTELLIGENT_DRAWING_ALLOWED
XS_RECREATE_UNMODIFIED_DRAWINGS
Freezing drawings on page 284

7.6 Modifying and saving drawing object properties

You can change the properties of the objects in the drawings such as parts, marks, bolts, and
welds, and save the object properties files for later use.
To modify and save object properties in an open drawing:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Double-click the object that you want to modify.
For example, double-click a part.
3. Change the desired settings in the property dialog box.
For example, go to the Appearance tab and change the part color.
4. In the box next to the Save as button, enter the name for the properties file and click
Save as.
5. Click Cancel to close the object properties dialog box.

Now you have a new object properties file. You can load the properties in this file in other
drawing objects, in this case, parts. You can also use the object properties files with filters to
apply detailed object level settings.

See also
Loading saved drawing object properties in an existing drawing on page 330

Loading saved drawing object properties in an existing drawing

You can change the object properties in an existing drawing by loading saved object
properties.
To load saved object properties:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Double-click the drawing object you want to change to open the object properties dialog
box. For example, double-click a part.

Modifying drawing settings 330 Modifying and saving drawing object properties
 3. Select the desired object properties file from the list next to the Load button and click
Load.

4. Click Modify.

Tekla Structures changes the drawing object according to the settings in the loaded object
properties file.

See also
Modifying and saving drawing object properties on page 330

7.7 Detailed object level settings

In addition to defining automatic drawing mark and object properties, you can also set up a
special representation for marks and building objects in drawings and use these detailed
object level settings for specific purposes. For example, you may want to define that all
columns in a specific general arrangement drawing are shown in a specific color, and in all
other general arrangement drawings in the default part color.
In general arrangement drawings, you can use detailed object level settings on both drawing
and view level. In other drawing types, this setting is view specific.
In order to create detailed objects settings, you need to have:
• A filter that selects the objects that you want to be affected
• Object properties that you want to apply on the objects

See also
Creating detailed object level settings in a general arrangement drawing on page 331

Creating detailed object level settings in a general arrangement

drawing
Before creating the detailed object level settings, create the object properties that you want
to use, and save the properties in a properties file. For example, in part properties, set the
part color to blue and save the properties.
To create detailed object level settings on drawing level in general arrangement drawings:
1. Select Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> General Arrangement Drawing
2. Click Filter and create a drawing filter that selects the objects that you want to have
special representation.

Modifying drawing settings 331 Detailed object level settings

 For example, create a filter that selects columns.

3. Save the filter by entering a name for it and click Save as.
4. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
5. In the drawing properties dialog box, click Edit settings.
6. In the Object level settings for drawing/for view dialog box, click Add row and select
the filters to be used, the drawing object types and the drawing object properties to be
used.
By doing this, you are combining the filter, object type, and object property settings into
detailed object level settings.

You can add several rows in detailed object level settings.

7. Give the object level settings a name and save using Save as.

Now you have new detailed object level settings to be applied on a drawing.

See also
Modifying and saving drawing object properties on page 330
Example: Applying detailed object level settings on drawing level on page 332

Example: Applying detailed object level settings on drawing level

In this example, different detailed object level settings will be set up for various types of
building objects, such as beams, columns and braces, in a general arrangement drawing.
Before doing this, drawing object properties for beams, columns and braces have been

Modifying drawing settings 332 Detailed object level settings

created so that these parts have different colors. For more information about creating
drawing object properties, see Modifying and saving drawing object properties on page 330.
First you will make a general arrangement drawing filter, then save detailed object level
settings in a settings file and finally, apply the new detailed object level settings on drawing
level.
In this example, the filter uses part names defined in the model, similarly as in modeling
filters.
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> General Arrangement Drawing .
2. Click Filter in the drawing properties dialog box.
3. Create filters by Part - Name for column, beam, and brace and save the settings using
Save as with different names, such as ts_column, ts_beam and ts_brace.

4. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.

Now you have created the required filters needed for selecting the desired parts.
5. In the General Arrangement Drawing Properties dialog box, click Edit settings.

6. In the Object level settings for drawing dialog box, select the filters to be used, the
drawing object types and the drawing object properties to be used:

Modifying drawing settings 333 Detailed object level settings

 a. Click Add row and select ts_column as Model object (Drawing filter), Part as
Drawing object type and column as Settings used.
b. Click Add row and select ts_beam as Model object (Drawing filter), Part as
Drawing object type and beam as Settings used.
c. Click Add row and select ts_brace as Model object (Drawing filter), Part as
Drawing object type and brace as Settings used.
7. Save the detailed object level settings as gatype1 using Save as.

The same detailed object level settings can be used in other general arrangement
properties, you do not need to create new ones.
8. Click Cancel to exit the dialog box.
9. Create a general arrangement drawing.
10. Open the created general arrangement drawing and double-click the drawing background
to open the drawing properties.
11. Click Edit settings.
12. Load object level settings you created, in this example gatype1, and click Load.
13. Click OK.
14. Click Modify to apply the changes in the drawing.
15. Confirm the detailed object level changes by clicking Yes in the on Object level settings
changed! confirmation message box.

Modifying drawing settings 334 Detailed object level settings

NOTE If a row in the Object level settings dialog box is shown in red, either the object properties
file defined in the Settings used box, or the filter file defined in the Model object (Drawing
filter) box is missing from the \attributes folder in the current model folder. See an
example below:

See also
Modifying and saving drawing object properties on page 330
Creating detailed object level settings in a general arrangement drawing on page 331

Creating detailed object level settings in cast unit drawings

Before creating the detailed object level settings, create the object properties that you want
to use, and save the properties in a properties file. For example, in reinforcement properties,
set color to red and save the properties. You create detailed object level settings in the same
way in single-part drawings and assembly drawings.
To create detailed object level settings on view level:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
For example, select Cast Unit Drawing.
2. Click View creation, and click View properties.
3. Click Filter and create a view filter that selects the objects that you want to have special
representation.

Modifying drawing settings 335 Detailed object level settings

 For example, create a filter that selects reinforcing bars in class 100 and 101.

4. Save the filter by entering a name for in the box at the top and clicking Save.
5. Click View properties in the options tree and click Edit settings.
6. In the Object level settings for view dialog box, click Add row and select the filters to
be used, the drawing object types and the drawing object properties to be used.
By doing this, you are combining the filter, object type, and object property settings into
detailed object level settings.

You can add several rows.

7. Give the detailed object level settings a name (here class_100) and save using Save
as.

Now you have new detailed object level settings to be applied on a drawing.

Modifying drawing settings 336 Detailed object level settings

Example: Applying detailed object level settings on view level in a cast
unit drawing
In this example, detailed object level settings will be set up for lifting anchors in a cast unit
drawing. Before doing this, drawing object properties for lifting anchors have been created so
that they use different color. For more information about creating drawing object properties,
see Modifying and saving drawing object properties on page 330.
First you will make a cast unit drawing view filter, then save detailed object level settings in
a settings file and finally, apply the new detailed object level settings in a view.
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Cast Unit Drawing .
2. Click View creation --> View properties .
3. Click Filter in the drawing properties dialog box.

4. Create a filter by Reinforcing bar - Class and enter value 100 101.

5. Save the filter as class100filter and click Save.

Now you have the filter needed for selecting the reinforcing bar.
6. Click View properties in the options tree and click Edit settings.

7. In the Object level settings for view dialog box, select the filter to be used, the drawing
object type and the drawing object properties to be used:
a. Click Add row and select class100filter as Model object (Drawing filter),
Reinforcing bar as Drawing object type and class100 as Settings used.
8. Save the detailed object level settings as class_100 using Save as.

Modifying drawing settings 337 Detailed object level settings

 The same detailed object level settings can be used in other cast unit drawing properties,
you do not need to create new ones.
9. Click Cancel to exit the dialog box.
10. Create a cast unit drawing containing lifting anchors and open the drawing.
11. Double-click the view frame to open the View properties dialog box.
12. Click Edit settings.
13. Load object level settings you created, in this example class_100, and click Load.
14. Click OK.
15. Ensure that Use detailed object level settings is set to Yes.
16. Click Modify to apply the changes in the view.
17. Confirm the detailed object level changes by clicking Yes in the on Object level settings
changed! confirmation message box.
The lifting anchors now have a different color, they are red.

NOTE If a row in the Object level settings dialog box is shown in red, either the object properties
file defined in the Settings used box, or the filter file defined in the Model object (Drawing

Modifying drawing settings 338 Detailed object level settings

 filter) box is missing from the \attributes folder in the current model folder. See an
example below:

See also
Modifying and saving drawing object properties on page 330
Creating detailed object level settings in a general arrangement drawing on page 331

7.8 How Tekla Structures applies drawing properties

Tekla Structures generates drawings according to the properties defined for each drawing
type. You define the desired properties before you create the drawings. The way Tekla
Structures connects the properties to the drawing you create depends on the method you
select for creating the drawing:
• If you create the drawings in the Master Drawing Catalog using saved settings, Tekla
Structures uses the properties defined in the saved settings file you select. Saved settings
file in the Master Drawing Catalog is the same thing as the drawing properties file you
save in various drawing properties dialog boxes.
• If you create the drawings in the Master Drawing Catalog using a rule set, Tekla
Structures creates the drawing according to the properties defined in the saved settings
file or cloning template file used in the rule set.
• If you create the drawings in the Master Drawing Catalog using cloning templates, Tekla
Structures creates the drawing using the properties that you have defined for the
drawing used as a cloning template together with the manual modifications that you
have made in the drawing.
• If you create drawings through Drawings & Reports menu commands, pop-up menu
commands or toolbar commandsTekla Structures uses the current drawing properties.

See also
Modifying drawing settings on page 320
Master Drawing Catalog on page 52
Creating drawings on page 25
Creating general arrangement drawings on page 47
Creating single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings on page 48

Modifying drawing settings 339 How Tekla Structures applies drawing properties
7.9 Drawing layout
A drawing layout defines which drawing tables to include in the drawing and the set of rules
for increasing the drawing size when necessary. The layout connects a set of drawing table
layouts and drawing sizes. Tekla Structures selects the smallest defined drawing size that will
fit the drawing views and the connected table layout. This tells Tekla Structures which
elements to include in the drawing automatically. Each drawing layout has its own:
• Table layouts
• Fixed drawing sizes
• Calculated drawing sizes
Tekla Structures has several predefined drawing layouts. Each drawing type; assembly, single-
part, cast unit, general arrangement, and multidrawing, has its own layouts. You can also
create customized layouts.

Using different layouts you can, for example, set assembly drawings to use A1 and A2 size
drawing sheets, and single-part drawings to use A3 and A4 sheets. Another example is that
you may want to include a material list in assembly drawings, but not in general
arrangement drawings.
Tekla Structures saves the new layouts you create in separate files with the file name
extension .lay. The layout files are located in the \attributes folder in the model folder.
You can copy them to project or firm folders defined by advanced options XS_FIRM and
XS_PROJECT.

See also
Table layouts on page 340
Tables on page 342
Creating a new layout on page 343
Setting margins and spaces for drawing views on page 346
Creating and adding a new table layout on page 345
Adding tables in a table layout on page 346
Replacing a table with another one on page 347
Setting the properties of tables in a table layout on page 348
Key plans on page 349
Adding a DXG/DXF file in a table layout on page 351
Modifying tables in Template Editor on page 353
Selecting a new layout on page 352

Modifying drawing settings 340 Drawing layout

Table layouts
A table layout is a group of tables or templates included in a drawing of a certain type and
size. The layout defines:
• Which tables are included in the drawing
• Where the tables are located in the drawing
• How much space Tekla Structures leaves between the drawing frame and views and
between the drawing views

Table layouts define the background of the drawing, not the number or location of the
drawing views to include. You can use the same table layout with different drawing sizes, or
give each drawing size its own table layout. For example, if the number of views changes in a
drawing and Tekla Structures chooses a new drawing size, Tekla Structures may also choose
another table layout.
The examples below illustrate the relationship between the table layout and drawing views.
The drawing views are blue, and the elements of the table layout are green.
Below is an example of a GA drawing layout.

1. General arrangement drawing view

2. Part list on assembly or cast unit level
3. Revision table and title block
Below is an example of an assembly drawing.

Modifying drawing settings 341 Drawing layout

1. Margins between the drawing frame and the outermost views
2. Spaces between the views
3. Top view
4. Front view
5. Section views A-A and B-B
6. Drawing frame
7. Key plan
8. Revision table
9. Material list
10. Drawing title block
11. Table layout consists of several elements
12. Fold marks

See also
Adding frames and foldmarks in drawings on page 309
Creating and adding a new table layout on page 345
Adding tables in a table layout on page 346
Replacing a table with another one on page 347
Setting the properties of tables in a table layout on page 348
Drawing layout on page 339

Modifying drawing settings 342 Drawing layout

Tables
The term table refers to various elements of the drawing layout, such as:
• Tables (such as revision tables)
• Title blocks
• Lists (such as part and bolt lists)
• General notes
• Key plans
• DWG/DXF files
Tables contain information on model objects. If you change the model, Tekla Structures
updates the contents of the affected drawings and tables. The contents of the tables are
filled in by Tekla Structures at run time. You can create tables in Template Editor. In Template
Editor, the tables are referred to as templates.
The available graphical templates are read from the following folders in the following order,
and shown in the Available tables list in the Tables dialog box:
• Template directory (XS_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY)
• Current model folder
• Project folder (XS_PROJECT)
• Firm folder (XS_FIRM)
• Environment-specific system templates folder
(XS_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY_SYSTEM)
• System folder (XS_SYSTEM)

See also
Modifying tables in Template Editor on page 353
Setting the properties of tables in a table layout on page 348
Adding tables in a table layout on page 346
Replacing a table with another one on page 347

Creating a new layout

If none of the layouts meet your needs, you can create a new one from scratch or on the
basis of an existing layout.
To create a layout:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Drawing Layout .
2. Do one of the following:

Modifying drawing settings 343 Drawing layout

 • To create a new layout from scratch, enter the name of the new layout in the box
under the list of layouts and click Add.
The new layout is empty.
• To create a new layout on the basis of an existing layout, select a layout from the list
and enter a new name for the new layout in the box under the list of layouts and
click Add.
The contents of the new layout are the same as those of the layout you selected from
the list.
3. Define and add table layouts and fixed and calculated sizes in the empty layout or modify
the table layouts and fixed and calculated sizes in the layout you created on the basis of
an existing layout.
4. Close the dialog box.

Now you can use the new layout in your drawings.

See also
Defining fixed sizes on page 344
Defining calculated sizes on page 345
Drawing layout on page 339

Defining fixed sizes

Fixed drawing sizes have a specific size (width and height), and table layout. You can use
fixed sizes in autosizing.
To define the fixed drawing sizes in a layout:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Drawing Layout .
2. Select the layout and click Fixed sizes.
3. Select a fixed size from the list.
To create a new size, enter its name and click Add.
4. Enter the width and height.
5. Select the table layout.
6. Click Update.
7. Repeat steps 3–6 for each fixed size.
8. Click Apply or OK.

TIP Use fixed sizes when you print drawings to small (A4 and A3) printing devices.
Single-part and assembly drawings also typically use fixed drawing sizes.

Modifying drawing settings 344 Drawing layout

See also
Creating a new layout on page 343
Drawing size and drawing view scale on page 354

Defining calculated sizes

You can use calculated drawing sizes to define the rules Tekla Structures follows when it
automatically adjusts drawing size. You can also connect layouts to drawing sizes that meet
certain criteria.
To set the rules and connect layouts:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Drawing Layout .
2. Select the layout and click Calculated sizes.
3. Use Increasing step to define the interval by which Tekla Structures increases the
drawing size when it needs to.
This can be set individually for drawing width and height. You can also define the
maximum size of the drawing. If the drawing exceeds the width or height limit you set
here, Tekla Structures uses an oversize sheet with no table layout.
4. You can connect a layout to drawings that meet one of the following size criteria:
• Size A4 for drawings exactly this size
• Size A3 for drawings exactly this size
• Height = A3 for drawings having the same height as an A3 sheet (=297 mm)
• Height > A3 for drawings with a larger height than A3.
For each size, Tekla Structures makes the table layouts available depending on the
layout you select.
5. Click OK or Apply.

See also
Creating a new layout on page 343
Drawing size and drawing view scale on page 354

Creating and adding a new table layout

To create a new table layout and add in a layout:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Drawing Layout .
2. Select a layout from the list of layouts.
3. Click Table layouts to display the Table Layouts dialog box.

Modifying drawing settings 345 Drawing layout

4. Enter the name of the new table layout in the box under the list of table layouts and
click Add.
5. Enter the margins between the drawing views and frame, and the spaces between two
drawing views in Margins and Spaces.
6. Click Tables to display the Tables dialog box.
7. Add tables in your table layout, define the location, scale and transparency settings for
each table.
8. After each table you add, click Update.
9. Click OK or Apply to save the table layout.

See also
Table layouts on page 340
Setting margins and spaces for drawing views on page 346
Setting the properties of tables in a table layout on page 348

Setting margins and spaces for drawing views

Table layouts define the margins between the drawing views and the frame, and the space
between two drawing views.
A margin is the width or height from the outermost drawing views to the drawing frame. A
space is the horizontal or vertical distance between two drawing views.
To set the margins and spaces:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Drawing Layout .
2. Select a layout and click Table layout.
3. Select the table layout on the list.
4. Enter margins and spaces.
5. Click Update.
6. Repeat step 3–5 for each table layout.
7. Click OK or Apply.

See also
Table layouts on page 340
Creating and adding a new table layout on page 345

Modifying drawing settings 346 Drawing layout

Adding tables in a table layout
To add tables (Template Editor templates, key plans, DWG/DXF files) in a table layout:
1. Open the Tables dialog box by clicking Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings -->
Drawing Layout .
2. Select a drawing layout and click Table Layout .
3. Select a table layout and click Tables.
4. On the Available tables list, double-click each table you want to include in the table
layout.
You can also use the arrow buttons to add and remove tables.
5. Set the table properties as required for each table you add.
6. Click Update.
7. Click OK or Apply.

See also
Setting the properties of tables in a table layout on page 348
Table layouts on page 340
Modifying tables in Template Editor on page 353

Replacing a table with another one

Be careful when you delete tables from table layouts. Other tables may use the table as a
reference object. Also, when you replace tables with new ones, the new ones do not inherit
the location of the deleted tables.
To delete a table from a table layout and replace it with a new one:
1. Select Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Drawing Layout to display the
Layout dialog box.
2. Select a drawing layout and click Table Layouts.
3. Select a table layout and click Tables.
4. Check if the table you are going to delete is used as a reference the table for another
table. If it does, and you delete the table, you cannot see any tables at all in the layout.
5. Delete the table that you wish to replace by selecting the table from the Chosen tables
list and clicking the left arrow.
6. Select a new table from the Available tables list and add it to the Chosen tables list by
clicking the right arrow.
7. Define the binding point of the new table and its location relative to the reference object.
8. Set the transparency, scale and the distance from the reference object, if necessary.

Modifying drawing settings 347 Drawing layout

9. Click Update and OK.
10. Click Update and OK in the Table Layouts dialog box.
11. Click OK in the Layout dialog box.

See also
Table layouts on page 340
Adding tables in a table layout on page 346

Setting the properties of tables in a table layout

You can define the location of each individual table in a table layout by binding it to the
drawing frame or to another table.
In the illustration below, the lower right corner of the drawing title (table) is bound to the
lower right corner of the drawing frame (reference).

To set the properties of a table in a table layout:

1. Open the Tables dialog box by clicking Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings -->
Drawing Layout .
2. Select a layout and click Table Layout .
3. Select a table layout and click Tables.
4. Select a table from the Chosen tables list.
5. Choose one of the table corners as its reference point, and select the check box in that
corner.
6. In the Reference box, select the reference object, which can be another table included in
the table layout, or the drawing frame.
7. Choose the reference point of the reference object, and select the check box in the
appropriate corner.

Modifying drawing settings 348 Drawing layout

8. In the Vector between corners boxes, define the horizontal and vertical distance of the
table from the reference object.
By default, Tekla Structures places tables side by side.
9. In Scale, set the size of the table relative to its original size.
Each table can have its own scale.
10. If you want the table to be transparent, select the Transparent check box.
A transparent table can overlap with another table, view or drawing object.
11. Click Update.
12. Repeat steps 2–11 for all the tables on the Chosen tables list.
13. Click OK or Apply to save the table layout.

TIP You can also position a table in the midpoint of a frame or table boundary by selecting
two reference points, for example, the lower left and right corners.

NOTE If you do not use the right combinations of reference points for tables and binding
objects, Tekla Structures may position drawing tables outside the drawing.

See also
Table layouts on page 340
Tables on page 342
Adding tables in a table layout on page 346

Modifying drawing settings 349 Drawing layout

Key plans
A key plan or a key plan view 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.

See also
Adding a key plan in a table layout on page 350
Setting up a drawing view to be used as a key plan on page 351
Table layouts on page 340

Adding a key plan in a table layout

Before you start, create a drawing that you want to use as a key plan.
To add a key plan in a layout:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Drawing Layout .
2. Select the layout you want to modify and click Table layout.
3. Select the table layout you want to modify and click Tables.
4. From the Available tables list, double-click Key plan. The Drawing List is displayed.

Modifying drawing settings 350 Drawing layout

5. Select the drawing that you want to use as a key plan drawing and click OK.
6. From the Chosen tables list, select Key plan and set the key plan properties.
7. Click Update.
8. Click OK.

Now you can create a drawing using the layout containing the key plan.Check the drawing
properties before creating a drawing to ensure that you are using the correct layout.

See also
Setting the properties of tables in a table layout on page 348

Setting up a drawing view to be used as a key plan

Tekla Structures automatically includes the correct part in the key plan. Drawings that
contain only one view of the correct scale can be used as a key plan. Tekla Structures only
uses the view from the drawing, and the view position, drawing size, and templates are not
relevant to a key plan drawing.
Set the view properties for the key plan as follows:
1. Open the drawing and double-click the view boundary to open the View Properties
dialog box.
2. Set the desired drawing scale.
Tekla Structures uses the scale of the key plan view in every drawing using it. You cannot
change the scale in the layout properties.
3. Set the drawing view boundaries so that all parts are visible. To do this, change the x
min, x max, y min, and y max, or select the view and drag the boundary using the
handles on the x and y axes of the view.
4. Set other view properties.
All the changes you make in the properties affect the key plan. For example, if you set
part and bolt marks to be visible, they will also be visible in the key plan.
5. Click Modify.

NOTE Do not filter out anything indicated with not in drawings that will be used as key plans . Tekla
Structures clears the not check boxes in the filter automatically when the key plan is inserted
in another drawing.

See also
Key plans on page 349

Modifying drawing settings 351 Drawing layout

Adding a DXG/DXF file in a table layout
You can add DWG and DXF files in table layouts. For example, you might have some details in
a DWG or DXF file that you want to show in certain types of drawings and therefore add the
file in the layout.
To add a DWG or a DXF file in a table layout:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Drawing Layout .
2. Select the layout you want to modify and click Table layout.
3. Select the table layout you want to modify and click Tables.
4. From the Available tables list, double-click DWG/DXF.
5. Select the DWG/DXF file that you want to add.
6. Click OK.
7. From the Chosen tables list, click the selected DWG/DXF file and set the properties as
required.
For example, set the required scale and define the location for the DWG/DXF file in the
drawing. Test the layout before using it to ensure, that the settings are as you wish.
8. Click Update.
9. Click OK.

Now you can create a drawing using the layout containing the DWG/DXF file. Check the
drawing properties before creating a drawing to ensure that you are using the correct layout.

See also
Setting the properties of tables in a table layout on page 348
Adding links to DWG and DXF files on page 199

Selecting a new layout

You can define which layout to use in a drawing in drawing properties. The layout
information is stored in the drawing property files. We recommend that you create as many
property files as you need different layouts for the different drawing types.
To select a new layout and save the layout information in a drawing property file:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click Layout.
4. Select a new layout from the Layout list.
5. General arrangement drawings: Click OK.

Modifying drawing settings 352 Drawing layout

6. Click Save to save the changed properties and OK to close the drawing properties dialog
box.

Now you can create a drawing using the drawing property file that contains the changed
layout information.

See also
Drawing layout on page 339

Modifying tables in Template Editor

If you need to modify the tables in the drawing, open them in Template Editor (TplEd). In the
Template Editor, tables are called templates. You can only open tables with templates created
or saved in Template Editor version 3.2. or later.
If your templates are located in a protected folder, the templates are read-only. You cannot
save a modified template in a protected folder if you are not an administrator. You may save
the modified in the model folder, firm folder or project folder, for example.
To modify a table:
1. In a drawing, double-click the table you want to modify.
2. Tekla Structures shows the following message:

3. Click OK. Tekla Structures starts the Template Editor, and the selected table is displayed.
4. Modify the template an save the changes by selecting File --> Save .

For more information about the Template Editor, see the TplEd help, which is also available in
PDF format on the Tekla Structures installation DVD.

See also

Tables on page 342

Modifying drawing settings 353 Drawing layout

7.10 Drawing size and drawing view scale
Tekla Structures offers you several combinations of settings that you can use for defining the
drawing size and the drawing view scale. Which one you use, depends on your needs:
• If you always want to use a certain scale, then you would set the exact scale to be used
and let Tekla Structures automatically select the drawing size that suits the selected
scale. This is called autosizing. You can define different scales for main views and section
views. All main views in a drawing automatically use the same scale unless you fine-tune
individual views manually.
• If you always need to use a certain drawing size, for example, A3, A4 or A1, then you
would set the size and let Tekla Structures automatically select the drawing view scale
that suits the selected size. This is called autoscaling.
• If you are not bound to any specific drawing sizes or drawing view scales, you might
want to let Tekla Structures take care of both.

See also
Modifying and saving automatic drawing properties before creating drawings on page 325
Using exact drawing size and automatic drawing view scale on page 355
Using exact drawing view scale and automatic drawing size on page 354
Autoscaling and autosizing drawings on page 356

Using exact drawing view scale and automatic drawing size

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.
To define exact drawing view scale and let Tekla Structures automatically select the suitable
drawing size:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click Layout.
4. Set Size definition mode to Autosize.
5. Select the set of drawing sizes for Tekla Structures to use. You have the 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.

Modifying drawing settings 354 Drawing size and drawing view scale
 • Calculated/fixed sizes: Use this when you want Tekla Structures to select the
smallest of the suitable sizes.
6. Go to the Scale tab and set Autoscale to No.
This way Tekla Structures uses the exact scale that you have set for the main views and
section views.
7. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
8. On the Attributes 1 tab, set the desired Scale.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.
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.

See also
Drawing size and drawing view scale on page 354
Drawing layout on page 339
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555

Using exact drawing size and automatic drawing view scale

If you need to use a specific size in your drawings, for example, A3, A2, or A1, you can specify
the exact size, and let Tekla Structures automatically select the suitable drawing view scale.
The drawing size should always be smaller than the actual paper size to accommodate printer
margins.

To use exact size and automatically scale the view:

1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click Layout.
4. On the Drawing size tab, set Size definition mode to Specified size and enter the
drawing size.
5. Select the table layout from the Table layout list.
6. On the Scale tab, set Autoscale to Yes.
7. Set the main view and section view scales.
Enter the denominators of scales and separate them with spaces. For example, enter "5
10 15 20" for the scales 1/5, 1/10, 1/15, and 1/20.

Modifying drawing settings 355 Drawing size and drawing view scale
8. Select the Scale change mode, which defines the relationship between the scales of
main and section views within a drawing.
The options are:
• main = section: The scales of the main and section view are equal.
• main < section: Main view scales are smaller than section view scales.
• main <= section: Main view scales are smaller than or equal to section view scales.
9. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
10. Enter the preferred scale.
Do the same for each view that you create.
11. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

Tekla Structures creates the drawing using the specified size. Tekla Structures first tries to
use the preferred scale for the drawing views, then the alternative scales, and selects the
largest possible scale.

See also
Drawing size and drawing view scale on page 354
Drawing layout on page 339
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555

Autoscaling and autosizing drawings

If you are not bound to any specific drawing sizes or drawing view scales, you can let Tekla
Structures take care of both.
To use both autoscaling and autosizing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
4. On the Attributes 1 tab, set the preferred drawing view scale.
Do the same for all of the views you plan to create.
5. Click Save to save the view properties.
6. Click OK to return to drawing properties.
7. Click Layout, go to the Scale tab and set Autoscale to Yes.

Modifying drawing settings 356 Drawing size and drawing view scale
 8. Set the alternative main view and section view scales.
9. Select the Scale change mode.
10. Enter the Preferred size.
11. On the Drawing size tab, set Size definition mode to Autosize.
12. Select the set of drawing sizes (Calculated sizes, Fixed sizes or Calculated/Fixed sizes).
13. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

When you use both autoscaling and autosizing at the same time, Tekla Structures follows the
steps below:
• First Tekla Structures tries to find a drawing size where the drawing contents fit by first
trying to use the exact scale defined in View properties --> Attributes 1 and the
smallest drawing size defined in the current layout ( Drawings & Reports --> Drawing
Settings --> Layout --> Calculated/Fixed sizes ).
• Then Tekla Structures increases the drawing size until it reaches the Preferred size
defined in Layout --> Scale .
• If the drawing fits with the original scale, Tekla Structures tries to increase the scale
using the alternative main and section view scales you defined in Layout >Scale.
• If the drawing does not fit to any of the defined scales, Tekla Structures starts to increase
the drawing size until the contents fit, using the fixed or calculated sizes or both. When
necessary, Tekla Structures changes to another appropriate table layout within the
current layout.
• When the views fit, Tekla Structures begin to increase the scale again so that the final
drawing uses the largest possible scale.

See also
Drawing size and drawing view scale on page 354
Drawing layout on page 339
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555

7.11 Object protection and placement settings in drawings

When you create a drawing, Tekla Structures uses predefined rules for positioning annotation
objects such as marks and dimensions. The annotation objects are automatically placed in the
first suitable position considering the following settings:
• The protected areas defined in drawing properties. How the protection settings are
applied depends on the drawing order of the objects in the drawing: the parts are drawn
first, then the marks and then the dimensions.

Modifying drawing settings 357 Object protection and placement settings in drawings
• The placing and leader line type settings of the annotation objects defined in the
annotation object properties. Marks are usually drawn before dimensions, but if the
marks have leader lines, they are drawn after the dimensions.
• The predefined mark location and part orientation settings for some marks.
• The modeling direction of parts.
You can modify the placement settings and select the leader line type in the object level
dialog boxes of texts, notes, marks and dimensions. On the object level, you can select if you
want to use fixed or free placement. The protection settings for the whole drawing are also
considered when you add annotation objects manually.
You can access the Protection Properties through the drawing properties dialog box:
When you create a drawing, Tekla Structures places the views in the drawing according the
settings in the drawing layout and view properties. In final drawings, you can select whether
to use fixed or free view placement of views.

See also
Protected areas on page 358
Protecting areas in drawings on page 360
Defining placement settings for annotation objects on page 362
Defining automatic free or fixed placement of drawing views on page 363
Defining placement settings for dimensions on page 362
Placement properties for annotation objects on page 612

Protected areas
You can define protected areas in drawings to prevent text, marks or dimensions from being
placed in the area. When Tekla Structures places text, marks, dimensions or other annotation
objects in a drawing, it first checks the protection settings.
The drawing properties files contain predefined protection properties, which you may change.
When you load the drawing properties, the protection settings in the loaded file are applied
in your drawing.
Below is an example of the protection properties dialog with explanations of the selections.

Modifying drawing settings 358 Object protection and placement settings in drawings
1. With a selection like this, text and marks may overlap with part corners and edges, but
not with part content.
2. With a selection like this, dimension values may not overlap with other dimension
arrowheads, lines or values.

The objects on the top define the areas to be protected, see descriptions below:

Column Description

Part corners

Part edges

Part content

Text, mark or weld mark

Dimension arrowhead

Dimension line

Dimension value

Modifying drawing settings 359 Object protection and placement settings in drawings
 Column Description

Cutting line

Section mark

Weld arrow

Weld mark content

The objects on the left define which objects, or object elements, Tekla Structures cannot
place in the protected areas. See the descriptions below:

Row Description
Text, mark or weld mark

Dimension arrowhead

Dimension line

Dimension value

You can check which areas are protected by using the Draw Protect command. This
command is available in the Customize dialog box, and you can add it on a toolbar.

When you click the Draw Protect button, the protected areas are shown with colors.

See also
Protecting areas in drawings on page 360
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357

Modifying drawing settings 360 Object protection and placement settings in drawings
Protecting areas in drawings
To protect areas in the drawings:

To protect areas in drawings:

1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click Protection.
4. Select check boxes to indicate the areas that you want to protect from text, marks, weld
marks, associative notes, dimension arrowheads, dimension lines or dimension values.
• For example, to prevent text, marks, dimensions or other annotation objects from
being placed over the inside area of parts, select the third check box on the first row.
The first row defines the placement of annotation objects, and the icon above the
third check box indicates the inside area of parts. With this setting, Tekla Structures
may place annotation objects on the corners and edges of parts.

• If you clear the first two columns of check boxes, Tekla Structures does not protect
part corners and edges. This increases drawing speed and decreases the memory
requirements. You can still protect these areas by using the third column of check
boxes for part protection.

5. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357
Protected areas on page 358
XS_USE_CONVEX_PROTECT_AREA

Modifying drawing settings 361 Object protection and placement settings in drawings
Defining placement settings for annotation objects
You can define automatic placement settings for the annotation objects before creating a
drawing. You can modify the settings in an open drawing.
To define placement settings for annotation objects before you create a drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click an object that you want to adjust, for example Part Mark.
5. On the appropriate tab, click the Place button to open the Placing dialog box.
6. Adjust the placement settings. The options available in the dialog box vary depending on
the annotation object type.
• In Minimum distance, enter the closest distance Tekla Structures should use to place
the drawing object.
• In Maximum distance, enter the farthest distance Tekla Structures should use to
place the drawing object, for example, a mark. If no place for mark is found within
the specified distance, Tekla Structures will force the mark to that distance. If you set
this option to 0, the maximum distance behaves like infinity.
• In Search margin, enter the minimum distance within which Tekla Structuress
searches for a space to place the object.
• To move marks away from each other, use Search margin, not Minimum distance.
Keep the minimum distance setting as small as possible to reduce the possibility of
marks overlapping.
• Select the Quarter to define the areas Tekla Structures searches for a space to place
the object.
7. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357
Placement properties for annotation objects on page 612

Modifying drawing settings 362 Object protection and placement settings in drawings
Defining placement settings for dimensions
You can control the space between parallel dimension lines and the location of the
dimension in relation to the object it is dimensioning. You can also select whether to place
short dimension text inside or outside the dimension.
In single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings, these settings can be defined only on object
level in an open drawing, saved into a dimension properties file and taken into use in
Dimensioning Rule Properties dialog box. In general arrangement drawings the settings can
be defined on drawing, view and object level.
To adjust dimension placement:
1. Go to the General tab of the Dimensions dialog box.
2. In Dimension lines spacing, enter the desired space between two parallel dimension
lines.
3. Select whether to place short dimension text inside or outside of the dimensions from
the Short dimension list.
4. Click Place.
5. In Minimum distance, enter the closest distance Tekla Structures should use to place the
dimension.
6. If Tekla Structures cannot place the dimension at the minimum distance, it moves the
dimension by the value you enter in the Search margin box. Tekla Structures tries to
place the dimension using the Search margin value until it finds a place for the
dimension.
7. Click OK to close the dimension placing dialog box.
8. Click OK.

NOTE Remember that in addition to dimension placement settings, the placement is also affected
by Protection properties.Tekla Structures uses the protection properties to prevent marks and
dimensions from being placed in protected areas.

See also
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357
Protecting areas in drawings on page 360
General dimension properties on page 556
Dimension appearance properties on page 560

Modifying drawing settings 363 Object protection and placement settings in drawings
 Defining automatic free or fixed placement of drawing views
You can always maintain the views in the same location or let Tekla Structures find a suitable
place for the view during drawing updates using the Fixed or Free placement setting.
In general arrangement drawings, this setting can only be defined on view level in an open
drawing.
To define automatic free or fixed placement of in single-part, assembly and cast unit
drawings:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
4. On the Attributes 1 tab, select one of the following options:
• Set Place to Fixed to always keep the view in the same location when you update
the drawing.
• Set Place to Free to let Tekla Structures find a suitable place for the view when you
update the drawing.
5. Click Save to save the view properties.
6. Click OK to return to drawing properties.
7. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

NOTE Arrange Drawing Views only affects views where the Place is set to Free. Fixed views are
not moved.

See also
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357

7.12 Automatic drawing views

Automatic drawing views are views that you select to create in View creation before
creating a single-part, assembly or cast unit drawing. You can define the desired drawing
view properties before you create the drawings separately for each view.
When you create general arrangement drawings, you cannot select the views to be created in
the general arrangement properties dialog box, but you select them when you activate the
drawing creation. However, you can define automatic settings that apply to all the views you
create in a general arrangement drawing.

See also
Defining the views to create in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings on page 365

Modifying drawing settings 364 Automatic drawing views

Defining automatic view settings for general arrangement drawings on page 366
Defining view labels and view label marks on page 367
Setting the view projection type on page 369
Including single-part drawings in assembly drawings on page 370
Part orientation in drawing views on page 371
Showing neighbor parts in views on page 379
Shortening and lengthening parts on page 380
Unfolding polybeams in drawings on page 385
Undeforming deformed parts in drawings on page 386
Showing part openings and recesses in drawings on page 387
Setting automatic section view properties on page 389

Defining the views to create in single-part, assembly and cast unit

drawings
Before you create single-part, assembly or cast unit drawings, select the views that you want
to include automatically in View creation. At the same time, set the view properties.
To select the drawing views to be created and set the view properties:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the drawing properties file that you want to modify from the list at the top.
3. Click View creation.
4. Click the Attributes tab and change the settings as required.
5. Select the views you want to create. You can create as many views as you like.
• If you select off, Tekla Structures does not create the view, but dimensions the parts
in the available views. If you set all four main views off, Tekla Structures will still
create one front view.
• If you select on, Tekla Structures always creates the view, even if it was not necessary
in order to show the dimensions. For section views, Tekla Structures creates one
additional section view showing the middle of the main part. For end views, Tekla
Structures creates an end view from one end of the main part.
• If you select auto, Tekla Structures creates the view if it is necessary in order to show
the dimensions. For section views, Tekla Structures creates the necessary number of
views to show all the dimensions. For end views, Tekla Structures also creates another
end view from the other end of the main part, if there are dimensions at that end.

Modifying drawing settings 365 Automatic drawing views

6. For each of the views that you create, select the view properties that you want to use in
the View properties column.
The lists contain predefined properties for different types of drawings, and also the view
properties that you save on the View Properties panel.
7. Check the view properties for each view by selecting the view from the list and clicking
View properties.
8. Check the settings on the Attributes 1, Attributes 2, and Label tabs and change them
as required.
9. Modify dimensioning, mark and object settings as required.
10. Save the view properties by clicking Save.
11. Click OK.
12. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555
Automatic drawing views on page 364
Modifying and saving automatic drawing properties before creating drawings on page 325

Defining automatic view settings for general arrangement drawings

Before you create general arrangement drawings, define the automatic view properties that
you want to use.
To define the automatic view settings for general arrangement drawings:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> General Arrangement Drawing .
2. Load the drawing properties file that you want to modify from the list at the top.
3. On the Attributes tab, change the settings as required.
4. Go to the Shortening tab and define the part shortening settings.
5. Go to the Label tab and define the view label text, symbol and position.
6. If you want to create an anchor bolt plan drawing, go to the Anchor bolt plan tab and
set Show as anchor bolt plan to Yes.
Change the other related settings as required.
7. Click OK to return to drawing properties.
8. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

Modifying drawing settings 366 Automatic drawing views

See also
View properties in drawings on page 551
Automatic drawing views on page 364
Creating anchor bolt plans using saved settings on page 60
Modifying and saving automatic drawing properties before creating drawings on page 325

Defining view labels and view label marks

All drawing views can have view labels, which may contain text and symbols. You can set the
contents of the main view labels and section view labels before you create the drawing, and
adjust them after you have created the drawing.
To define the view label mark contents and position:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click View.
4. Click Attributes and go to the Label tab.
5. Click the ... button next to A1 - A5 to open the Mark Contents dialog box
The illustration in the view properties dialog box is only one way to position the label
text. When you modify the positioning, the illustration in the dialog box does not change.

6. On the Content tab, select the elements that you want to include in the view label mark.
7. If needed, select an element from the list and click Add frame and select the frame Type
and Color.
8. If needed, select an element from the list and select the text Color, Font and Height.
9. Go to the Position tab and set the text position, horizontal and vertical offset, and the
text alignment.
Text positioning depends on whether you use a symbol or not.
10. Click OK.
11. Select the view label Symbol you want to use in the label.
You can simply use only a label or add a symbol in it. You can also set the color, size, line
length and the position of the view label.

Modifying drawing settings 367 Automatic drawing views

12. Select the position for the view label: Vertical (Above or Below) and Horizontal (Center
by view frame or Center by view restriction box).
13. To save the changes, click Save.
14. Click OK.
15. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing. .

See below for examples of view labels:

Drag the view label to the desired page in an open drawing.

The view frame is resized automatically, if necessary.

See also
View, section view and detail view label mark elements on page 591
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
Positioning properties of view label, section and detail marks on page 577
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555
Setting automatic section view properties on page 389
Defining the views to create in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings on page 365
Automatic drawing views on page 364

Modifying drawing settings 368 Automatic drawing views

Setting the view projection type
Projection type defines how Tekla Structures places the projections of a part in cast unit,
single-part, and assembly drawings. Projection type affects the order of the views in the
drawing.
To set the projection type:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties you want to change.
3. Click Layout and go to the Other tab.
4. Select one of the following:
• First angle (also referred to as European projection).
• Third angle (also referred to as American projection).
5. To save the properties in the properties file, click Save.
6. Click OK and create the drawing.

First-angle projection:

Third-angle projection:

Modifying drawing settings 369 Automatic drawing views

See also
Automatic drawing views on page 364
View properties in drawings on page 551
Layout properties on page 549
Drawing layout on page 339

Including single-part drawings in assembly drawings

You can include single-part drawings of the individual parts that make the assembly in
assembly drawings. You can use existing single-part drawings on the Drawing List or create
new drawing views.
To include single-part drawings:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Assembly Drawing .
2. Click Layout and go to the Other tab.
3. Set Include single-parts to Yes.
This activates the Single-part attributes list.
4. In the Single-part attributes list, select the desired drawing properties to be used in the
single-part view. The properties file standard is the default.
5. Click Save to save the drawing properties in the desired properties file.

Modifying drawing settings 370 Automatic drawing views

6. Click OK and create the drawing.

The value of the advanced option

XS_USE_EXISTING_SINGLE_PART_DRAWINGS_IN_ASSEMBLY_DRAWINGS
affects how Tekla Structures creates the single-part views. If the option is set to TRUE, Tekla
Structures will use single-part drawings in the Drawing List. If it is set to FALSE, or if there
is no existing single-part drawing for a given part, a new view will be created according to
the Include single parts setting. The default value is FALSE.

See also
XS_USE_EXISTING_SINGLE_PART_DRAWINGS_IN_ASSEMBLY_DRAWINGS
XS_SINGLE_CENTERED_SCREW
XS_SINGLE_CLOSE_DIMENSIONS
XS_SINGLE_CLOSE_SHORT_DIMENSIONS
XS_SINGLE_COMBINE_DISTANCE
XS_SINGLE_COMBINE_MIN_DISTANCE
XS_SINGLE_COMBINE_WAY
XS_SINGLE_DIMENSION_TYPE
XS_SINGLE_DRAW_PART_AS
XS_SINGLE_EXCLUDE
XS_SINGLE_FORWARD_OFFSET
XS_SINGLE_NO_SHORTEN
XS_SINGLE_ORIENTATION_MARK
XS_SINGLE_PART_EXTREMA
XS_SINGLE_PART_SHAPE
XS_SINGLE_SCALE
XS_SINGLE_SCREW_INTERNAL
XS_SINGLE_SCREW_POSITIONS
XS_SINGLE_USE_WORKING_POINTS
XS_SINGLE_X_DIMENSION_TYPE
XS_NO_END_VIEWS_TO_INCLUDED_SINGLE_DRAWINGS
Adding single-part views in assembly drawings on page 132
Automatic drawing views on page 364

Modifying drawing settings 371 Automatic drawing views

Part orientation in drawing views
In single-part, assembly, and cast unit drawings, you can adjust the orientation of the parts
in the drawing views by selecting an appropriate coordinate system and by rotating the parts.
You can also separately set the viewing direction of columns, beams and bracings in assembly
drawings. The project north setting also affects part orientation.

See also

Changing the coordinate system on page 372

Rotating parts in drawing views on page 374
Defining plate orientation in drawings on page 376
Setting viewing direction for columns in assembly drawings on page 378
Setting viewing direction for beams and bracings in assembly drawings on page 378
Orientation settings on page 616

Changing the coordinate system

The coordinate system defines:

• The angle from which the part, assembly, or cast unit is viewed.
• How the part, assembly, or cast unit is rotated.
• The orientation of the dimensions in the drawing view.
To change the coordinate system:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the drawing properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation and go to the Attributes tab.
4. In Coordinate system, select one of the available coordinate systems. The options are
local, model, oriented, horizontal brace, vertical brace, Fixed.
5. To save the changes, click Save.
6. Click OK and create the drawing.

Options
• local
Tekla Structures uses the local coordinate system of the main part. The x axis of the part
is parallel to the x axis of the drawing, and the start point (the end point created first) of
the part is on the left. The start point is marked with yellow, and the end point created
second is marked with pink.

Modifying drawing settings 372 Automatic drawing views

• model
Tekla Structures uses the global coordinate system. The part has the same position in the
drawing as it has in the model. This is one option when you want to show columns
vertically. You can also use this option to display sloping parts in position. Tekla
Structures cannot display horizontally skewed parts.

• oriented
Tekla Structures uses the local coordinate system of the main part, but the coordinate
system is oriented so that the x axis of the part points to the right even if the part was
created from right to left.

• horizontal brace
Tekla Structures automatically rotates the drawing views so that the front view is from
the top of the model. This is used for skewed braces. It automatically rotates the front
view around the x axis.
• vertical brace
Tekla Structures automatically rotates the drawing views so that the front view is in the
same plane as the brace in the model. This is used for skewed braces. It automatically
rotates the front view around the x axis.

Modifying drawing settings 373 Automatic drawing views

• For concrete parts, the option Fixed rotates the front view so that it shows the casting
direction (the face that is top in form) of the concrete part, if it is defined in the model.

See also
Casting direction
Part orientation in drawing views on page 371

Rotating parts in drawing views

In addition to setting the coordinate system, you can also rotate a part, assembly, or cast unit
in a drawing view around its local axes.
To rotate a part in a drawing view:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the drawing properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation and go to the Attributes tab.
4. In Rotate coordinate system, specify the angle:
• With the X axis, you can rotate in steps of 90 degrees (0, 90, 180, 270).
• With the Y axis, you can rotate in steps of 180 degrees (0, 180).
• With the Z axis, you can specify any angle.
5. To save the properties, click Save.
6. Click OK and create the drawing.

Modifying drawing settings 374 Automatic drawing views

See examples of rotating around the x axis below:

1. 0 degrees
2. 90 degrees
3. 180 degrees
4. 270 degrees

See an example of rotating the same part 180 degrees around the y axis below.

See an example of rotating the same part 30 degrees around the z axis below.

Modifying drawing settings 375 Automatic drawing views

See also
View properties in drawings on page 551
Part orientation in drawing views on page 371

Defining plate orientation in drawings

Plates created with the Contour plate command are automatically oriented in drawings. The
longest side of the plate always faces downwards in the drawing. You can affect this
orientation by using the advanced options
XS_POLYGON_SQUARE_CORNER_PREFERENCE_FACTOR and
XS_POLYGON_PERPENDICULAR_EDGE_PREFERENCE_FACTOR.

Example Description
Contour plate in the model view.
1. First creation point
2. Second creation point

Single-part drawing of the contour plate.

Modifying drawing settings 376 Automatic drawing views

Instead of using automatic plate orientation, you can set the plate main axis to follow the
line created by the first and second points you pick, regardless of the plate dimensions. This
enables you to define the plate orientation in drawings or reports.
To define the contour plate orientation with first and second picked points:
1. Create the contour plate.
The first and second points you pick also define the plate’s main axis.
2. Double-click the plate to open the Contour plate properties dialog box.
3. Click User-defined attributes, and click the Orientation tab.

4. Select From 1st to 2nd creation point in the Main axis direction list.
5. Click Modify, and close the dialog box.
6. Click Drawings & Reports --> Numbering --> Number Modified Objects to update
numbering.
7. To view the orientation of the plate, create a single-part drawing of the plate.

Example Description
Contour plate in the model view.
1. First creation point
2. Second creation point

Single-part drawing of the plate. The user-

defined attribute Main axis direction is
set to From 1st to 2nd creation point.

Modifying drawing settings 377 Automatic drawing views

Setting viewing direction for columns in assembly drawings
In assembly drawings, you can define the front view direction separately for columns. The
default value for the front view direction for columns is As beam and bracing.

To define the direction of the front view for columns in assembly drawings:
1. Click Tools --> Options --> Options and go to the Orientation marks tab.
2. Use the Columns in assembly drawing options to set the front view direction of
columns:
• If you have set the coordinate system to local in View creation properties, Tekla
Structures uses the coordinate system of the column when setting the direction of
the front view.
• If you have set the coordinate system to oriented, the column is in a horizontal
position, and the direction of the front view is the option you select (North, East,
South or West).
• If you have set the coordinate system to model, the column is in a vertical position,
and the direction of the front view is the option you select (North, East, South or
West).
3. Click OK.

See also
Orientation settings on page 616
Part orientation in drawing views on page 371

Setting viewing direction for beams and bracings in assembly drawings

In assembly drawings, you can define the front view direction separately for beams and
bracings.

To define the viewing direction for beams and bracings:

1. Click Tools --> Options --> Options and go to the Orientation marks tab.
2. Use the Beams and bracings in assembly drawing options to set the front view
direction. The default value is North or east.
• If the beam or bracing is parallel to the X axis of the model, it is also parallel to the X
axis in the drawing.
• If you have set the coordinate system to model, and the beam or bracing is sloped, it
is also sloped in the drawing.
3. Click OK.

Modifying drawing settings 378 Automatic drawing views

See also
Orientation settings on page 616
Part orientation in drawing views on page 371

Showing neighbor parts in views

Neighbor parts refer to (optionally shown) parts that are close to the part that is depicted in
a drawing. Depending on settings, the neighbor parts may be parts somehow connected to
the part in question, or just parts that happen to be close by. You can select which neighbor
parts to show in views and also automatically extend the view boundary if necessary.
To control which neighbor parts to show and extend the view boundary automatically:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Neighbor part.
5. On the Visibility tab, select the parts and that you want to show using the following
options:
• None does not show neighbor parts.
• Connected parts shows all parts connected to the model object.
• Connecting parts shows only the parts the model object is connected to.
• All components combines the Connected parts and the Connecting parts options.
• By extreme show all parts within the boundaries of the main and secondary part.
This setting is affected by the value entered for View extension for neighbor parts
on the Attributes (1) tab.
• Main/Secondary parts: Main parts shows only neighbor parts that make the main
part of an assembly or a cast unit.
• Main/Secondary parts: Secondary parts shows only neighbor parts that are
secondary parts of an assembly or a cast unit.
• Main/Secondary parts: Both shows both main and secondary parts.
• Skew parts: Yes shows skew parts as neighbor parts in the drawing, No does not
show skew parts as neighbor parts.
• Bolts: Yes shows the bolts in the neighbor parts, whereas No does not show the
neighbor part bolts.
6. Click Attributes.

Modifying drawing settings 379 Automatic drawing views

7. Enter a value by which to extend the view in the View extension for neighbor parts
box.
Try different values and check which one suits your needs. Often too big values do not
work very well. If you set the value to 0, neighbor part extension is not shown.
8. To save the changes, click Save.
9. Click OK to return to the drawing properties.
10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

TIP If you do not want to see neighbor part extensions in drawing views, set the advanced option
XS_VISUALIZE_VIEW_NEIGHBOR_PART_EXTENSION to FALSE.

Example
In the following example, View extension for neighbor parts is set to 100. No neighbor
parts are located in this area.

See also
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555
Automatic drawing views on page 364

Shortening and lengthening parts

Use the shortening functionality in the model to make the part longer or shorter in the
drawing than in the model. This can be useful for adding length to concrete precast parts in
the cast condition while the model stays in the erected state. The most common use for this
is to account for prestressing elastic shortening, where the part actually shrinks a fraction of
an inch after casting and after the strands are cut.
You can shorten and lengthen parts also in drawing views.

Modifying drawing settings 380 Automatic drawing views

See also
Shortening a part in the model on page 381
Lengthening a part in the model on page 381
Shortening parts in drawing views on page 382
Lengthening shortened parts in drawing views on page 384
Shortening parts view by view on page 204

Shortening a part in the model

To shorten a part in the model:

1. Double-click a part to open the part properties dialog box.
2. Go to the Deforming tab.
3. In the Shortening box, define the degree of shortening.
4. Click Modify.

When drawings are created, Tekla Structures decreases the true length of the part by the
value defined in the Shortening box. Shortening is applied linearly along the length in
drawings.

TIP To show the dimensions of the shortened part correctly in the drawings, set the setting
Undeformed to Yes in drawing properties on the Attributes tab of the View creation
properties.

See also
Shortening and lengthening parts on page 380
Undeforming deformed parts in drawings on page 386

Lengthening a part in the model

To have a concrete part lengthened in cast unit drawings, you must enter a negative value for
shortening in the part properties dialog box.

To lengthen a part in drawings:

1. Double-click a part to open the part properties dialog box.
2. Go to the Deforming tab.
3. In the Shortening box, enter a negative value.
For example, -20 would result in a part that is cast 20 units longer than the part in the
model.
4. Click Modify.

Modifying drawing settings 381 Automatic drawing views

See also
Shortening and lengthening parts on page 380

Shortening parts in drawing views

If parts are quite large and do not include any important details, you can shorten them in
drawing views. Parts are only cut in empty areas. If there is something important, for
example, a stiffener in the part, the part is not cut in that area, because that area is not
considered empty.
To shorten parts:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
4. Go to the Attributes 2 tab.
5. In Cut parts, select one of the following:
• Yes to cut in both X and Y direction.
• Only in X direction
• Only in Y direction
6. In Minimum cut part length and Space between cut parts, select how to cut the
middle regions of the parts in drawing views.
The Minimum cut part length defines how long the part must at least be to get
shortened. The length of the part must be at least twice the entered value.
The Space between cut parts defines the distance between cut parts on paper. For
example, try 3.0 mm.
7. Set Cut skew parts to Yes to also cut skew parts in views.
8. To save the changes, click Save.
9. Click OK.
10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

Related advanced options

• You can show view shortening symbols in drawings by setting the advanced options
XS_DRAW_VERTICAL_VIEW_SHORTENING_SYMBOLS_TO_PARTS and
XS_DRAW_HORIZONTAL_VIEW_SHORTENING_SYMBOLS_TO_PARTS to TRUE
through Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options --> Drawing Properties .
• You can also control the appearance of the view shortening symbol with the advanced
options XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_COLOR,

Modifying drawing settings 382 Automatic drawing views

 XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_LINE_TYPE, and
XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_WITH_ZIGZAG.

Examples
Below is an example of a part before and after cutting. Note that the width is the same in
the non-cut and cut part. Minimum cut part length is 1' 4" and cut length is 3/8".

The following example describes the meaning of Minimum cut part length, Space between
cut parts, and an area that is not considered to be empty in the part, and therefore the part
is not cut. Minimum cut part length is set to 650, which means that the part is shortened in
the view at 650.

1. Space between cut parts is set to 1. This means the distance between cut parts on paper
(not in model).

Modifying drawing settings 383 Automatic drawing views

2. There is not enough empty area between the stiffeners, and that is why the part is not
shortened at Minimum cut part length.
Below is an example of using the advanced options
XS_DRAW_VERTICAL_VIEW_SHORTENING_SYMBOLS_TO_PARTS and
XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_WITH_ZIGZAG.

See also
Shortening and lengthening parts on page 380
Shortening parts view by view on page 204
Automatic drawing views on page 364
View properties in drawings on page 551

Lengthening shortened parts in drawing views

After Tekla Structures has scaled drawing views and selected the drawing size, it may stretch
shortened views to fill up empty areas of the drawing.
To lengthen shortened parts:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click Layout and go to the Other tab.
4. Set Expand shortened parts to fit to Yes.
5. To save the changes, click Save.
6. Click OK and create the drawing.

Modifying drawing settings 384 Automatic drawing views

See also
Shortening and lengthening parts on page 380
Shortening parts in drawing views on page 382

Unfolding polybeams in drawings

When you create a drawing, you can automatically unfold polybeams. You can unfold
polybeams and bent plates in single-part drawings. Tekla Structures unfolds the polybeams
according to unfolding parameters, which define the location of the neutral axis when a
profile is unfolded.
Limitations:
• You can unfold only beams that have been created with the Polybeam command. You
cannot unfold beams created with the Curved beam command, for example.
• You can unfold a polybeam only on one plane.

To unfold a polybeam in a single-part drawing:

1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Single-Part Drawing .
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation in the options tree and go to the Attributes tab.
4. Set Unfolded to Yes.
5. To save the changes, click Save.
6. Click OK and create the drawing.
Tekla Structures unfolds the polybeam in the single-part drawing.

NOTE The Unfolded setting in the View Properties properties dialog box on the
Attributes 2 tab is ignored in drawing creation.

Modifying drawing settings 385 Automatic drawing views

See also
View properties in drawings on page 551

Undeforming deformed parts in drawings

Deformed parts are parts that have been warped or cambered in the model. You can
undeform these parts and show the developed (undeformed) shape of deformed parts in
drawings. You may want to do this, for example, if you want a concrete part to have two
states: as erected (in the model view) and as cast (in the drawing view).
You can automatically undeform parts when you create a drawing.

NOTE Shortenings are hidden if you set Undeformed to No.

To create drawings that show the developed shape of parts and hide the part deformations:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation and go to the Attributes tab.
4. To hide deforming angles and cambering, set Undeformed to Yes.
5. To save the changes, click Save.
6. Click OK and create the drawing.

The created drawing shows the developed shape and dimensions of the part.
See below for an example of a undeformed part in a drawing.

See below for an example of a warped part in a drawing.

Modifying drawing settings 386 Automatic drawing views

NOTE The Undeformed setting in the View Properties properties dialog box on the Attributes 2
tab is ignored in drawing creation.

See also
View properties in drawings on page 551

Showing part openings and recesses in drawings

You can select if you want to show symbols for part openings and recesses (blind holes) in
drawing views.
To show openings and recesses in parts in a drawing views:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
4. Go to the Attributes 2 tab.
5. Set Show openings/recess symbol to Yes.
6. To save your changes, click Save.
7. Click OK to return to the drawing properties.
8. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

By default, Tekla Structures displays openings and recesses in the following way:

Type of opening Shown as Examples

Hole through a part Hole symbol

Modifying drawing settings 387 Automatic drawing views

 Type of opening Shown as Examples
Recess in the front face of a Recess symbol and bounding
part lines shown as unbroken lines

Recess in the back face of a Recess symbol and bounding

part lines shown as dashed lines
Remember to switch hidden lines
on for parts.

See also
View properties in drawings on page 551
Automatic drawing views on page 364
Additional ways for showing symbols in openings and recesses on page 388

Additional ways for showing symbols in openings and recesses

Tekla Structures contains some advanced options that give you more variety for showing the
openings and recesses in your drawings.
To use other types of symbols in openings and recesses, and to show symbols in openings
located at part borders and in part corners:
1. Click Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options and go to Drawing Properties.
2. Set the advanced option XS_USE_CROSS_FOR_OPENING_SYMBOL to FALSE to
show the openings and recesses as follows:

3. Set XS_USE_OPENING_SYMBOL_IN_BORDER_HOLES to TRUE to show opening/

recess symbols in openings located at part borders. This advanced option is by default set
to FALSE. The symbol used depends on the setting of the advanced option
XS_USE_CROSS_FOR_OPENING_SYMBOL.

Modifying drawing settings 388 Automatic drawing views

4. Set XS_USE_OPENING_SYMBOL_IN_CORNER_HOLES to TRUE to show opening/
recess symbols in openings located in part corners. This advanced option is by default set
to FALSE. The symbol used depends on the setting of the advanced option
XS_USE_CROSS_FOR_OPENING_SYMBOL.

See also
Showing part openings and recesses in drawings on page 387

Modifying drawing settings 389 Automatic drawing views

Setting automatic section view properties
Properties for automatic section views need to be set in two places in drawing properties: in
Section view, and in View creation --> View properties .
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click Section view.
4. On the Attributes tab, set values for options Section depth and Distance for combining
cuts:
• Section depth defines the positive and negative depth of the section view when
sections are not combined. In an open drawing, you can adjust the section view
depth also by dragging the view boundary.
• Distance for combining cuts defines the distance range for combining cut views.
• You can additionally control which section views get combined using the advanced
option XS_DRAWING_CUT_VIEW_COMPARISON_CRITERIA.
5. Still on the Attributes tab, set the direction of the Left section, Middle section and
Right section to left or right.
6. Go to the Cutting line tab and set the section mark line length and offset (distance
between the section mark and the section).
7. Go to the Section mark tab and modify the section mark settings:
a. Click the ... button next to A1 - A5 to open the Mark Contents dialog box.
b. Select the elements that you want to include in the mark.
c. If needed, select an element from the list and click Add frame and select the frame
Type and Color.
d. If needed, select an element from the list and select the text Color, Font and Height.
e. Go to the Position tab and select the side to show the text, the text position, the
horizontal and vertical offset, and the text rotation options.
f. Click OK to return to drawing properties.
8. Click View creation and add the section and end views you want to create.
9. In the View creation panel, select the view and the properties that you want to change
and click View Properties.
10. Adjust the scale, view label and view direction marks as required.
11. Click Save to save the view properties.
12. Click OK.
13. Repeat steps 9 - 12 for all the section and end views you create.
14. To save the changes, click Save.

Modifying drawing settings 390 Automatic drawing views

Now you can create drawings with automatic section and end view properties that you just
modified and saved.

See also
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555
Examples of section view and mark settings on page 391

Examples of section view and mark settings

Combining section views

1. Distance for combining cuts = 1’- 4"

2. Section depth = 4"
3. Combined sections

Section view direction

The arrow in the section view symbol indicates the direction of the section view, as shown
below:

1. Left section, right direction

2. Middle section, right direction
3. Right section, left direction

Modifying drawing settings 391 Automatic drawing views

Section marks
See below for examples of section marks:

See also
Setting automatic section view properties on page 389
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555

Showing section and end view direction marks

You can display view direction marks in section views and end views.
To show view direction marks:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
In this case, select a section view or an end view.
4. Go to the Label tab in View Properties.
5. Select one of the options in View direction marks: Show marks:
• Symbol only
• Label only
• Symbol and label
• None does not show any marks.

Modifying drawing settings 392 Automatic drawing views

6. Define the height of the symbol and text label in Height.
7. To save the changes, click Save.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

The view direction mark is shown with a small symbol (optionally with a text label) around
the end or section view.

The view orientation mark position follows the label position setting. In the image below,
Center by view restriction box has been selected for the label.

Modifying drawing settings 393 Automatic drawing views

Tips
• You can drag view direction marks to a better place in a drawing view: click the view
frame to activate the handles, point the handle, press and hold down the left mouse
button and drag. The view frame is resized automatically, if necessary.

• You can define the view direction mark symbol in Tools --> Options --> Advanced
Options --> Drawing Properties by using the following advanced options:
• XS_DRAWING_VIEW_DIRECTION_MARK_SYMBOL_BACK
• XS_DRAWING_VIEW_DIRECTION_MARK_SYMBOL_BOTTOM
• XS_DRAWING_VIEW_DIRECTION_MARK_SYMBOL_FRONT
• XS_DRAWING_VIEW_DIRECTION_MARK_SYMBOL_TOP
The default symbol is xsteel@66.

See also
XS_DRAWING_VIEW_DIRECTION_MARK_SYMBOL_BACK
XS_DRAWING_VIEW_DIRECTION_MARK_SYMBOL_BOTTOM
XS_DRAWING_VIEW_DIRECTION_MARK_SYMBOL_FRONT
XS_DRAWING_VIEW_DIRECTION_MARK_SYMBOL_TOP
Section view properties on page 555

Setting the location of end views and section views

You can select to always place section views and end views next to the main view or in any
empty location in a single-part, assembly, and cast unit drawing
To set the location of section views and end views:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.

Modifying drawing settings 394 Automatic drawing views

3. Click Layout and go to the Other tab.
4. Set Align end views with main view to Yes to place the views next to the main view.
5. Set Align section views with main view to Yes to place the views next to the main view.
6. To save the changes in a drawing properties file, click Save at the top.
7. Click OK and create the drawing.
If you select No, Tekla Structures places the section and end views in any available
location.

Example
End and section views in any location (No selected).

End and section views beside the main view (Yes selected).

Modifying drawing settings 395 Automatic drawing views

 See also
Automatic drawing views on page 364
View properties in drawings on page 551
Section view properties on page 555
Layout properties on page 549
Setting automatic section view properties on page 389

7.13 Automatic dimension settings

Dimensions are associative annotation objects that represent building object measurements.
Dimensions are more than lines or vectors; they are interactive callouts of geometry. In
automatic dimensioning Tekla Structures creates dimensions in the whole drawing or in the
created drawing views based on dimensioning settings you define before creating the
drawing.
In single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings automatic dimensions are set view by view.
In general arrangement drawings, automatic dimensions are set for the whole drawing.
You can define automatic dimensions settings before you create a drawing and you can also
modify the settings after you have created the drawing.

Modifying drawing settings 396 Automatic dimension settings

See also
Automatic view-level dimensions on page 397
Dimensioning rule properties on page 409
Creating a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning on page 422
Adding automatic dual dimensions on page 449
Creating dimension line extensions on page 452
Creating exaggerated dimensions on page 456
Changing the prefix in radial dimensions on page 458
Sloped dimension texts on page 462
Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings on page 462

Automatic view-level dimensions

Automatic view-level dimensioning gives you full control on the dimensions in each drawing
view you create, with a lot of dimensioning options. Automatic view-level dimensioning can
be used in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings.
In view-level dimensioning, the dimensions are created based on the rules you define. You
can define what you want to dimension, where the dimensions are placed, in which order
they are created, and which settings you want to use for each dimension. You can dimension
shapes and holes, for example.
Below you can find short description on how to proceed in dimensioning.
1. When you click the View creation option in the options tree in drawing properties, you
are able to select the views to be created and the view properties to be used.

2. Click View properties.

3. Click Dimensioning in the options tree.

Modifying drawing settings 397 Automatic dimension settings

 In the Dimensioning panel, you can add rules by clicking Add rule. Then select which
dimensioning rules you want to use in the Dimensioning type column and the desired
dimensioning rule properties file.

4. You can modify the selected rule by clicking Edit Rule.

In the Dimensioning Rule Properties dialog box, you can select what to dimension, how
to dimension, which objects to measure from, where to place the dimensions, and select
the dimension properties. The Dimension properties list contains properties files that you
have saved in the object level Dimension Properties dialog box in an open drawing. For
example, you may want to use some special font or color in the dimensions. To do this,
double-click a dimension in a drawing, make the necessary changes and save the
properties file. Then you can load the properties here.

Modifying drawing settings 398 Automatic dimension settings

If you select Intergrated dimensions, the Dimensioning Properties dialog box is
displayed. Make your changes to the settings on the tabs and save the properties file
with a unique name using Save as. You can also load dimension properties here as well.

Modifying drawing settings 399 Automatic dimension settings

5. When you have set the rule properties, give a name to the rules file and click Save as.
6. Click Close to return to the Dimensioning panel.
7. Ensure that you have selected correct dimensioning properties files for the dimensioning
rules.

Modifying drawing settings 400 Automatic dimension settings

8. Enter a unique name for the view properties in the box at the top of the View Properties
dialog box and click Save.
Now you can select the saved view properties for a view in the View creation panel. These
view properties contain the saved dimensioning properties.

See also
Dimensioning rule properties on page 409
on page 0
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Example: Creating automatic overall and hole dimensions on view level

In this example, you will create a cast unit wall panel drawing that contains
• one front view with automatic overall and hole dimensions
• one section view with overall dimensions
In overall and hole dimension rules you will apply the dimension properties that you have
earlier created and saved manually in a cast unit drawing. You will save the created
dimensioning rule properties in view properties. Finally, you will save the created view
properties in drawing properties and create a cast unit drawing.
Before starting, create manually in the object-level Dimension Properties dialog box in an
open cast unit drawing a dimension properties file dim_font_5, where the dimension text
font size is 5.00, and a dimension properties file dim_red, where the dimension color is
red.
In this example, we are going to dimension the following cast unit wall panel in the model:

Defining views to be created

To create the desired drawing views:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> Cast Unit Drawing .

Modifying drawing settings 401 Automatic dimension settings

2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click View Creation.
4. In the View Creation panel, click Add row to add new views in your drawing.
In this example, you want to add two views, one front view and one section view.

5. Set the on/off setting to On for the views that you want to create.
If the list contains extra views, set them to Off or use the Delete row button to delete them.
Now you have defined the views that you want to create. Next, you need to define the
dimensions that you want to have in the front view and section view.

Defining front view dimensions

To define the dimensions for the front view:
1. Select a view in the View Creation panel.
In this example, select one Front view.
2. Click View properties and then click Dimensioning in the option tree to define the
dimensions to be created in the front view.
3. In the Dimensioning panel, use Add row to add two new dimension rules in the
dimensioning rules list.
4. Select Overall dimensions for the first rule and Hole dimensions for the second.
The order of the rules in the list defines the order of the dimension lines in the drawing:
the dimension created by the first rule is placed closest to the dimensioned part.
Leave Current assembly in the Filter column for both rules.

Modifying drawing settings 402 Automatic dimension settings

5. To define what kind of overall dimensions to create, click the Overall dimensions row,
and click Edit Rule.
6. In the Dimensioning Rule Properties dialog box, define what to dimension, where and
how to place the dimensions, and which dimension properties to use.
• Select the check boxes above and on left side of the object, and also the check box in
the upper-left corner to link the dimensions together.
• Use default values in the Start point lists. The default values are left for the
Horizontal and bottom for the Vertical dimension.
• From the Dimension properties list, select a suitable set of saved dimension
properties. In this example, select the dimension properties file dim_font_5,
which contains a definition for a larger font.
• Give the dimensioning rule a unique name and click Save as.
In this example, the name overall is used.

Modifying drawing settings 403 Automatic dimension settings

7. Click Close.
8. Next, define the hole dimensions. In the Dimensioning panel, select Hole dimensions
from the dimensioning rules list and click Edit Rule.
9. Create dimensioning rules for hole dimensions:
• Select the check boxes above and on left side of the object, and also the check box in
the upper-left corner to link the dimensions together.
• Use the default values in the Start point lists.
• In Close lines, select the setting that extends the dimension lines to the other end of
the cast unit.
• In Dimension to, select the setting that dimensions to both ends.
• From the Dimension properties list, select a suitable set of saved dimension
properties. In this example, select the dimension properties file dim_red containing
a definition for red dimensions.
• Give the hole dimensioning rule a unique name and click Save as.
In this example, the name hole is used.

Modifying drawing settings 404 Automatic dimension settings

10. Click Close.
11. For the Overall dimensions rule, select overall properties, and for the Hole
dimensions rule, select hole properties from the Properties column.

12. In the View Properties dialog box, give the front view properties a unique name and click
Save as.
In this example, the front view properties are saved with the name CU_Front.

Now you have saved the view properties for the front view containing overall and hole
dimensions. Leave the View Properties dialog box open for further modifications.

Modifying drawing settings 405 Automatic dimension settings

Defining section view dimensions
Also a section view is needed in the cast unit drawing, because you want to show the wall
thickness. Next, you will create overall dimensions for the section view.
1. In the View Creation panel, select the Section views row and click View properties.
2. Load the view properties file CU_Front.
You can start creating new view properties on the basis of already existing view
properties.
3. Click Dimensioning in the options tree.
4. In the Dimensioning panel, delete the unnecessary hole dimension rule by clicking the
Hole dimensions row and Delete row.
You will only need the overall dimensions in the section view.
5. Click the Overall dimensions row and click Edit Rule.
6. Create a dimensioning rule for the overall dimensions in the section view:
• Select the check box below the object only, because you only want to show the
thickness.
• Select the same dimension properties as for the overall dimensions in the front view,
because you want to show the dimension text with a little bit larger font:
dim_font_5.
• Give the rule a unique name and click Save as.
In this example, the name thickness is used.

Modifying drawing settings 406 Automatic dimension settings

7. Click Close.
8. In the Dimensioning panel, select thickness in the Properties column as the property
file for the overall dimensioning rule.
9. Give a unique name for the section view properties and click Save as.
In this example, the name CU_Section is used.
10. Click OK.
Now you have saved the view properties for the section view containing overall
dimensions.

Connecting view properties to views and saving drawing properties

1. In the View Creation panel, select CU_Front for the front view and CU_Section for
the section view.

2. In the Drawing Properties dialog box, give the drawing properties a unique name and
click Save as.
In this example, the name CU_Wall_panel is used.

Modifying drawing settings 407 Automatic dimension settings

3. Click OK and create the cast unit drawing.

Tekla Structures creates the cast unit drawing according your definitions in different
properties files. The cast unit drawing contains a front view and a section view. The overall
dimensions in both views have a little bit larger font, and the front view has red hole
dimensions. Only the wall thickness is dimensioned in the section view.
You can use the drawing properties file CU_Wall_panel later on when you need drawings
with similar settings.

Modifying drawing settings 408 Automatic dimension settings

TIP You can still change the dimensioning settings in the views after creating the cast unit
drawing:
1. Double click the drawing view frame to open the view properties dialog box.
2. Click Dimensioning in the options tree to open the Dimensioning panel where you
can select and then edit the dimensioning rules.

Dimensioning rule properties

The following table describes the options and their settings in the Dimensioning Rule
Properties dialog box. This dialog box can be opened by selecting View creation in a

Modifying drawing settings 409 Automatic dimension settings

Drawing Properties dialog box and then clicking View Properties --> Dimensioning -->
Edit Rule .

Option Description
What is dimensioned Sets the dimensioning type:
• Overall dimensions creates dimensions for the bounding box of
the objects you select in the Measure from list.
• Edge shape creates dimensions for the edge of the object selected
in the Measure from list.
For sandwich walls, the default setting Cast unit / Assembly may
not give the desired result with Edge shape. Then you can
dimension the internal and external layers separately according to
the part name.
• Secondary parts creates dimensions for the secondary parts of a
cast unit or an assembly.
• Holes creates dimensions for the holes of the objects selected in
the Measure from list. The hole dimensions are combined
according to the Combine on one line setting.
NOTE: The Holes dimensioning type does not dimension bolts, you
need to use the Integrated dimensions to get the bolt dimensions.
• Recesses creates dimensions for the recesses of the objects
selected in the Measure from list. The hole dimensions are
combined according to the Combine on one line setting.
• Distance to grid creates dimensions from the grid line to the
bounding box of the object selected in the Measure from list. This
setting works only when the grid lines are visible.
• Filter can be used to dimension anything that can be filtered. It is
often used when dimensioning embeds. For example, you can
dimension bolt locations after you have created a filter for bolts.
When you select Filter from the What is dimensioned list, a list is
displayed where you can select the filter. The filter is a drawing
view filter and you need to create it beforehand to be able to use
it here.
Dimension line location Controls on which sides of the cast unit the dimensions will be
and linking created.

Modifying drawing settings 410 Automatic dimension settings

 Option Description
• Dimension line locations are rotated together with the drawing
view if the view is manually rotated.
• When selecting both sides, top and bottom or left and right, the
objects will be dimensioned on the side that is closest to the
object.
• When only a part of the cast unit is selected for the rule, one of
the check boxes will be dimmed and you cannot select it.

• When you have selected one vertical and one horizontal

dimension line, the linking check boxes in the corners are
activated, and you can link the perpendicular dimension lines. The
check boxes are dimmed by default.

• You can select objects for dimensioning from the whole cast unit
or only from one half of the cast unit. If you do this, objects in the
other half will be ignored in dimension creation. The default value
is the whole cast unit.

Modifying drawing settings 411 Automatic dimension settings

 Option Description
Orientation Orients the dimensions along the sloped edge of a part. Another
possibility is to create horizontal or vertical dimensions.
• This option is visible only when the dimensioning type Filter or
Edge shape is selected.
• When Filter is selected, there are two settings available for
orientation.
The first setting places the dimensions along the sloped edge:

The second setting places the dimensions horizontally and

vertically:

• When Edge shape is selected, there are three settings available for
orientation. First two settings work in the same way as the first

Modifying drawing settings 412 Automatic dimension settings

 Option Description
two Filter settings. The first setting is the default value. The third
one creates both dimensions:

Minimum length for Defines the minimum length of skewed sections when dimensions are
skew section still created for skew sections. The default value is 300 mm. For
example, when you use the value 500 mm and the skew section is
shorter than 500 mm, the dimensions are not created along the skew
section, but horizontally and vertically instead.

Start point Defines where the origin points for the dimensions are:
• The default values are left for the Horizontal and bottom for the
Vertical dimension.

Modifying drawing settings 413 Automatic dimension settings

 Option Description

• The setting marked with symbol chooses the nearest edge as

the dimension origin, for every dimension separately. In the
example below, the object is closer to the right edge, and so the
horizontal dimension starts from there.

Vertical = Horizontal Often the settings are similar for both directions, and when this option
is used, only vertical settings need to be set.
Close lines Defines whether the dimension lines extend to the other end of the
cast unit or assembly or not . The dimension lines extend
to the other end by default.
Dimension to Defines which points of the selected objects are dimensioned:
• Both ends is the default.

• If you select the center point setting and the object is a custom
part (=embed), the Tekla Structures will use the component
insertion point, which is not always in the center. For other
objects, the actual center point will be used.
Round holes Defines whether the round holes will be dimensioned by center point

or diameter :
• This option is visible only when Holes or Recesses is selected.
• The diameter is the default value.
• Currently, round holes are identified only by cut part profile (prefix
D). If you create the round hole using round chamfers, for
example, the hole will not be dimensioned.
Dimension properties Attribute file takes into use the dimensions properties defined in the
dimension properties file that has been saved earlier on the object
level Dimension Properties dialog box in a drawing. The default value
is standard.

Modifying drawing settings 414 Automatic dimension settings

 Option Description
Measure from Defines the objects that will be used as the origin point for the
dimensions. The available settings are:
• Cast unit/Assembly: This is the default value. If you select this
setting, you have three more settings available:
• Only concrete/steel parts: For a cast unit, only concrete parts
are used, and for steel only steel parts.
• All parts
• All parts and rebars
• Main part: This setting uses cast unit or assembly main part.
• Part name: If you select Part name, you can define the part name.
• Filter: If you select Filter, you can use a predefined filter for
selecting the objects that you want to use as dimension origin
points.
• Current part: Select Current part when you are dimensioning a
single part.
Combine on one line Creates a rule based on a filter, for example, for embeds (EB_*), and
then groups the embeds according to the main part name, so that
embeds with different names will get their own dimension lines. The
filtered object can be a part, a reinforcing bar or an assembly. The
available settings are:
• All objects (default)
• By name
• By position number
• No
When Holes or Recesses is selected, the Combine on one line option
changes to display suitable settings for holes or recesses. The available
settings are:
• All holes (default)
• Any holes of the same size
• By cut part name
• No
Combine only objects Combines only the dimensions of objects that are on the same
that have the same X or horizontal or vertical line. By default, this options is not selected.
Y coordinate
Tolerance The tolerance is the maximum distance between objects when Tekla
Structures still considers the objects to be on the same line. 50 mm is
the default value.

Modifying drawing settings 415 Automatic dimension settings

 Option Description
Preferred combining Sets the preferred direction for combining dimensions if an object can
direction be combined both in horizontal and in vertical direction. X is the
default value.
Do not create Defines the minimum length of the dimensions for Tekla Structures to
dimensions shorter than create them. 0 is the default value, which means that all dimensions
are created.
Do not dimension holes Defines the minimum diameter for the holes for Tekla Structures to
smaller than create the dimensions.
With this option you can prevent the creation of dimensions for small
holes. The distance is the shortest dimension of a hole. If any
dimension of the hole is larger than the given value, the hole will be
dimensioned in all directions. For example, with value 40, a
rectangular hole of 80*30 will get both dimensions 80 and 30. Default
value is 0, which means that all dimensions are created.
Component objects Defines how component objects are dimensioned:
• By reference points (default) places the dimensioning point to
the first insertion point of the component. Only one dimension will
be created for each component regardless of the number of parts
inside the components.
• As secondary objects creates separate dimensions for each part
inside the component.

See also
on page 0
Creating a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning on page 422
Dimension and dimensioning properties on page 556

Examples: Dimensions created with view-level dimensioning

See below for examples of dimensions created with different settings in the Dimensioning
Rule Properties dialog box.
Overall dimensions

Modifying drawing settings 416 Automatic dimension settings

Edge shape

Secondary parts

Holes

Modifying drawing settings 417 Automatic dimension settings

Recesses

Distance to grid

Modifying drawing settings 418 Automatic dimension settings

Filter: Embeds

Filter: Surface treatment

Modifying drawing settings 419 Automatic dimension settings

Filter: Bolts
To get the location of every bolt in the bolt group dimensioned, set Dimension to to midpoint

Filter: Reinforcing bars and strands

Use the midpoint option to dimension each bar in a group:

Modifying drawing settings 420 Automatic dimension settings

Start point and end point option will dimension the first and the last reinforcing bar in
a group:

If you want to have separate dimension lines for reinforcing bars that are not of the same
size, set the Combine on one line to By position number:

To make the rule creation easier, the midpoint setting of the Dimension to option works so
that it will create dimensions to start point and end point of the reinforcing bars that are
parallel to the view plane:

Modifying drawing settings 421 Automatic dimension settings

If you want to get different size of reinforcing bars on separate dimension lines, set Combine
on one line to By position number:

See also
Dimensioning rule properties on page 409

Creating a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning

You need to create a drawing view filter to use the Filter option in dimension creation. It is
important that you create the filter on the drawing view level, not on the drawing level.
To create a drawing view filter:

Modifying drawing settings 422 Automatic dimension settings

1. In an open drawing, double-click the drawing view frame to open the View Properties
dialog box.
2. Click Filter.
3. Click Add row and define the filter properties.
• Add a row first to define the Object type object category. This needs to be defined
for all drawing view filters that are going to be used in dimensioning definitions. Set
the Value to Part or Reinforcing bar

4. Use Save as to save the filter with a unique name.

5. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
Now you can select the drawing view filter from the filter list in the Dimensioning Rule
Properties dialog box and use it for dimensioning. If the filter is not displayed immediately
after creation, refresh the list by closing and opening the dialog box.

See also
Dimensioning rule properties on page 409

Modifying drawing settings 423 Automatic dimension settings

Examples: Dimensions created with view-level dimensioning on page 416
Creating a filter for holes or recesses on page 424
Creating a filter for the main part of an assembly on page 425
Creating an exclude filter for dimension tag on page 426
Creating an exclude filter for stirrups in section views on page 426

Creating a filter for holes or recesses

You can create a filter for cut parts. The filter must be created in the modeling mode (not in
drawing mode).
1. Click Edit --> Selection Filter .
2. Add the first row:
• Select Object as category, Object type as property and Equals as condition.
• To fill 11 in the value, use Select from model, and select a cut part.
3. Add the second row:
• Select Template as category, enter NAME in uppercase as property and select Equals
as condition.
• Enter the name of the template as the value.
4. Select check boxes Selection filter and All drawing types.
5. Save the filter with a unique name using Save as.

Modifying drawing settings 424 Automatic dimension settings

See also
Creating a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning on page 422

Creating a filter for the main part of an assembly

When your subassembly consists of many objects, but you only want to select the main part
for dimensioning, you can create a filter like below:

Modifying drawing settings 425 Automatic dimension settings

See also
Creating a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning on page 422

Creating an exclude filter for dimension tag

Often several objects need to be excluded from dimension tag content. With the example
filter shown below it is possible to exclude everything else from the tag content, except cut
parts that have the name ‘HVAC’.

See also
Creating a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning on page 422

Creating an exclude filter for stirrups in section views

The view-based dimensioning currently dimensions reinforcing bar polygon points along the
center line of the reinforcing bar. Below is an example of a stirrup in section view. In some
cases, the resulting dimensions are created similarly regardless of the hook type.

Modifying drawing settings 426 Automatic dimension settings

To avoid this kind of results, you can use suitable filtering criteria. See below for an example
of a filter, where stirrups (shape 14) are excluded but all other reinforcing bars are
dimensioned.

See also
Creating a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning on page 422

Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated

In the Dimensioning dialog box, you can control what gets dimensioned and how in a
drawing. You can experiment with different combinations of options to achieve different
kinds of dimensioning effects.
To select the dimensions to create and modify the dimensioning settings:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
4. Click Dimensioning.
5. Select Integrated as the dimensioning type, select dimensioning rule properties and click
Edit Rule.
6. Select the dimensions to create and adjust the related settings.

Modifying drawing settings 427 Automatic dimension settings

 The available tabs and settings depend on the drawing type:
• On the Part dimensions tab, select the part dimensions to create and adjust the
related settings.
• On the General tab, adjust settings related to minimizing the number of views,
dimension type, combining dimensions, closing dimensions, limit for dimensioning
asymmetry in secondary parts, forward offset, grid dimensions, dimension position,
and part marks on dimension line.
• On the Position dimensions tab select the position dimensions to create. They
indicate the position of parts in relation to the main part or to work points.
• On the Bolt dimensions tab, select the bolt dimensions to create, combine bolt
dimensions and select the side for the dimension.
• On the Dimension grouping tab, group dimensions and adjust the related settings.
• On the Sub-assembly tab, create dimensions for parts in sub-assemblies and adjust
the related settings.
• On the Reinforcement dimensions tab, create dimensions for reinforcing bar groups
in cast unit drawings, add dimension marks and adjust the related settings.
7. Save the dimensioning settings by clicking Save and close the dialog box by clicking
Close.
8. Save the view properties by clicking Save and return to the drawing properties dialog box
by clicking OK.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Creating minimum and maximum position dimensions for bolts on page 452
Grouping identical objects to the same dimension line on page 429
Modifying dimensions for unfolded parts on page 450
Adding elevation dimensions on page 430
Dimensioning plates on page 458
Dimensioning profiles on page 460
Creating check dimensions on page 432
Example: Part dimensioning on page 434
Example: Position dimensioning on page 437
Example: Combining dimensions on page 443
Example: Closing dimension on page 442
Example: Forward offset on page 446
Example: Recognizable distance on page 447
Example: Combining bolt group dimensions on page 445

Modifying drawing settings 428 Automatic dimension settings

Example: Preferred dimension side on page 448
Example: Reinforcement dimension on page 448
Example: Bolt dimensioning on page 436
General dimensioning properties on page 562
Part dimensioning properties on page 566
Position dimensioning properties on page 565
Bolt dimensioning properties on page 568
Dimension grouping properties on page 569
Sub-assembly dimensioning properties on page 570
Reinforcement dimensioning properties on page 570

Grouping identical objects to the same dimension line

You can group identical parts, bolts, components and cuts or shapes to the same dimension
line. You also have the option to include automatic dimension tags to grouped dimensions.
To group identical objects to the same dimension line:
1. In the Dimensioning Properties dialog box, go to the Dimension Grouping tab.
2. In Activate dimension grouping, select the objects that you want to group.
3. Highlight a row (Parts, Bolts, Components or Cuts/Shapes in the Activate dimension
grouping list and select the elements by which you define the identical conditions in
grouping properties.
4. In Automatic tagging, select the appropriate options to include automatic dimension
tags.
5. If you want Tekla Structures to update dimension grouping automatically, set the option
Update grouping when model changes to Yes.
6. Click OK.

Modifying drawing settings 429 Automatic dimension settings

TIP You can change the dimension tag contents in the final drawing and include some other
elements in the tag.

See also
Dimension grouping properties on page 569
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Adding elevation dimensions

You can add elevation dimensions (level marks) in your drawings for the start and end points
of parts. Tekla Structures dimensions elevations relative to a reference point, which you can
change. For example, if the elevation is 5000 mm, and you set the reference point to 200, the
elevation changes to 4800 mm. You can also change the elevation dimension prefix, which in
the English version is EL by default.
To change the reference point and create elevation dimensions using another prefix:
1. Go to the Position dimensions tab, and set Elevation dimensions to On.
2. Click OK.
3. In the drawing properties dialog box, click View --> Attributes .
4. Do one of the following:
• To use a specific value, select Specified from the Datum point for elevations list
and enter a value in the Datum level box.
• To measure reference points relative to the view plane, select View plane from the
Datum point for elevations list.
5. Click OK.

Modifying drawing settings 430 Automatic dimension settings

6. To change the prefix, open the dim_operation.ail file in a text editor that
supports UTF-8 coding. Recommended editors are Visual Studio and Notepad++.
This file is located in the Tekla Structures/<version>/messages/ folder.
Replace EL with a new prefix on the following line in the file:
string dim_operation_dim_elevation_prefix{entry = ("enu",
"EL");};

NOTE Shortening value added in the user-defined properties of a part affects also elevation
dimensions.

Example

Limitations
Tekla Structures creates elevation dimensions for skew parts only if the parts are in the same
position in the drawing as they are in the model. This means that the coordinate system must
be set to model.
If you are using local, oriented, or brace coordinate systems, Tekla Structures does not draw
the elevation dimensions for skewed parts by default. If you want to create elevation
dimensions, set the advanced option XS_DRAW_SKEWED_ELEVATIONS to TRUE in Tools
--> Options --> Advanced Options --> Dimensioning: Parts . See below for an example of
an elevation dimension for a skew part.

See also
Part orientation in drawing views on page 371

Position dimensioning properties on page 565

Modifying drawing settings 431 Automatic dimension settings

Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427
Adding level marks on page 182

Check dimensions
Check dimensions are additional dimensions you can use for checking, usually in thinner text
than other dimensions. They are not required for fabrication or erection, and they are mainly
used for checking detailing, not for assembling parts.
Tekla Structures uses work points to create check dimensions. Work points can be either the
points between which the part was originally created, or the intersection point of the
reference lines of the parts. The reference line location depends on the part position depth
set in the part properties dialog box. If it is middle, the reference line is the center line, if it is
front, the line is located in the part front edge, etc.
Knock-off dimension is a special type of check dimension that dimensions the distance from
work points to the end of the part.

See also
Creating check dimensions on page 432

Creating check dimensions

You can create additional dimensions to check the accuracy of dimensions.

To create check dimensions, do any of the following:

To Do this Number in the

image
Create check dimensions between Click Dimensioning --> Part
outermost work points. dimensions and set Main part work
points to Yes.
Create check dimensions between Click Dimensioning --> Bolt
outermost bolts. dimensions and set Extreme bolts to
Assembly or Main part.
Create check dimensions from Click Dimensioning --> Bolt
outermost work point to first bolt. dimensions and set Extreme bolts to
Assembly or Main part and Extreme
bolts to work points to Yes.
Create horizontal and vertical check Click Dimensioning Position
dimensions between the work points in dimensions and set Main part skew
a skewed brace. position to Yes.
Create check dimensions between the Click Dimensioning --> Position
work points, such as the intersections dimensions and set Position bolts to
of main and neighbor part reference or Position parts to Working points
lines. or Both.

Modifying drawing settings 432 Automatic dimension settings

 To Do this Number in the
image
Create check dimensions to the bolt Click Dimensioning --> Position
hole locations in the main part. dimensions and set Main part bolt
position to On.
Create knock-off dimensions. Click Dimensioning --> Part
dimensions and set Knock-off
dimensions to On.

TIP To change the appearance of the check dimensions and the type of the knock-off
dimension to use, click Dimension in the drawing properties dialog box and go to the
Advanced tab.

Modifying drawing settings 433 Automatic dimension settings

See also
Check dimensions on page 432
Part dimensioning properties on page 566
Position dimensioning properties on page 565
Bolt dimensioning properties on page 568

Example: Part dimensioning

Here are some examples of what the part dimensions look like with different settings
selected on the Part dimensions tab.

Dimensioning setting Example

Internal dimensions set to None

Internal dimensions set to All.

Overall dimensions

Modifying drawing settings 434 Automatic dimension settings

 Dimensioning setting Example
Main part shape (Shape
dimensions) set to On.

Bevel dimensions set to On.

Bevel angle set to Angle of cut.

Modifying drawing settings 435 Automatic dimension settings

 Dimensioning setting Example
Bevel angle set to Angle of
beam.

See also
Part dimensioning properties on page 566
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Example: Bolt dimensioning

Here are a couple of examples of what the bolt dimensions look like with different settings.

Dimensioning setting Example

Main part bolt internal dimensions
is set to All on the Bolt dimensions
tab of the Dimensioning Properties
dialog box.

Modifying drawing settings 436 Automatic dimension settings

 Dimensioning setting Example
All bolt and hole dimensions are
shown in the front view of the main
assembly. The elements Gage of
outstanding leg (GOL) and Center-
to-center distance (C/C or Gage)
have been added in a bolt and hole
mark in Bolt mark... > Content.

See also

Bolt dimensioning properties on page 568

Bolt mark elements on page 586
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Example: Position dimensioning

Here are some examples of what the position dimensions look like with different settings
selected on the Position dimensions tab.

Dimensioning setting Example

Position parts to is set to None.

Modifying drawing settings 437 Automatic dimension settings

 Dimensioning setting Example
Position parts to is set to Main
part.

Position bolts to is set to

Working points.

Modifying drawing settings 438 Automatic dimension settings

 Dimensioning setting Example
Secondary part is dimensioned
By bolts.

Secondary part is dimensioned

By parts.

Secondary part is dimensioned

By both.

Secondary part is dimensioned

By bolts.
Secondary part dimension
direction is Neighbor part.
Position from is set to Work
points.

Running dimensions start from the intersection of the

main and secondary part (=work point)

Dimensions are aligned with the neighboring part

Modifying drawing settings 439 Automatic dimension settings

 Dimensioning setting Example
Main part bolt position is set
to Off.
(Main part bolt internal
dimensions is set to Internal on
the Bolt dimensions tab.)

Main part bolt position is set

to On.
(Main part bolt internal
dimensions is set to Internal on
the Bolt dimensions tab.)

By default, create minimum and maximum position dimensions

are not created for bolts. For information on how to create
these dimensions, see Creating minimum and maximum
position dimensions for bolts on page 452.
Main part skew position is set
to Yes.

Skew position is set to Angle.

Modifying drawing settings 440 Automatic dimension settings

 Dimensioning setting Example
Centered part is set to Internal.

Centered part is set to Position.

Center bolt is set to Internal.

Center bolt is set to Position.

See also
Position dimensioning properties on page 565
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Modifying drawing settings 441 Automatic dimension settings

Example: Closing dimension
Here are some examples of how Tekla Structures creates dimensions with different options
selected in the Close dimensions area on the General tab.

Closing option Example

Close dimensions is set to No.

Close dimensions is set to All.

Modifying drawing settings 442 Automatic dimension settings

 Closing option Example
Short dimensions is set to No.

See also
General dimensioning properties on page 562
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Example: Combining dimensions

Here are some examples of how Tekla Structures combines dimensions with different options
selected on the General tab.

Combining option Example

Option No prevents dimensions from
being combined.

Option 1 combines part position

dimensions with part internal
dimensions, and bolt group internal
dimensions with bolt edge distances.
Bolt position dimensions are not
combined with bolt internal
dimensions.

Modifying drawing settings 443 Automatic dimension settings

 Combining option Example
Option 2 combines the part position
dimension with part internal
dimensions and bolt group internal
dimensions. Bolt internal dimensions
are combined with bolt position
dimensions. Edge distances are shown
separately.

Option 3 combines bolt internal

dimensions and position dimensions in
the same dimension line.

Option 4 combines bolt group position

dimensions with part position
dimensions. Part and bolt internal
dimensions are not combined with this
option, but bolt internal dimensions
are combined with bolt edge distances.

Option 5 combines internal dimensions

and the position dimension of bolt
groups where there are several bolt
groups.

Modifying drawing settings 444 Automatic dimension settings

 Combining option Example
Option 4.5 uses a combination of option 5 for the main part and a combination of option 4 for
the secondary parts.
Distance 5’-0

Distance 1’-0

Min distance 5’-0

Min distance 5"

See also
General dimensioning properties on page 562
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Modifying drawing settings 445 Automatic dimension settings

Example: Combining bolt group dimensions
For dimensioning and marking purposes, Tekla Structures treats bolt groups located close
together as one group on the basis of the minimum number of dimensions to combine and
format selected on the Bolt dimensions tab. See an example below:

Bolt group 1

Bolt group 2

See also
Bolt dimensioning properties on page 568
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Example: Forward offset

Here are some examples of how Tekla Structures locates dimensions with different forward
offset values set on the General tab.

Forward offset setting Example

Forward offset greater than the 1’-8
dimension to the hole group.

Modifying drawing settings 446 Automatic dimension settings

 Forward offset setting Example
Forward offset set to a smaller value.

See also
General dimensioning properties on page 562
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Example: Recognizable distance

Here is an example of how Tekla Structures uses the Recognizable distance setting. If you
set value for Recognizable distance on the General tab, and the asymmetry of the parts is
smaller than the distance you entered, Tekla Structures represents it using a dimension.
This setting is used, when the Internal dimension is set to Necessary. Recognizable distance
dimension is not necessarily needed, if the part can be assembled correctly without it.
A typical example is a rectangle that is almost as long as it is wide.

See also
General dimensioning properties on page 562
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Modifying drawing settings 447 Automatic dimension settings

Example: Preferred dimension side
You can set the preferred dimension side for parts and bolts on the Part dimensions tab and
Bolt dimensions tab.The examples below show how the different settings for Preferred dim
side look like for part dimensions.

See also
Part dimensioning properties on page 566
Bolt dimensioning properties on page 568
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Modifying drawing settings 448 Automatic dimension settings

Example: Reinforcement dimension
Here are some examples of how Tekla Structures creates dimensions for reinforcing bar
groups with different options selected on the Reinforcement dimensions tab.

Settings Example
Dimensions for reinforcing bar
groups is set to On, no dimension
tags selected in Mark location.

Dimensions for reinforcing bar

groups is set to On, dimension tags
selected in Mark location.

Dimensions for reinforcing bar

groups is set to On, dimension tags
selected in Mark location, Close
dimensions to binding geometry is
set to Yes.

See also
Reinforcement dimensioning properties on page 570
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Adding automatic dual dimensions

You can create dual dimension tags automatically in all types of drawings.
Limitations:
Dual dimensions can only be shown in relative and US absolute dimensions, but not in
absolute dimensions.
To create dual dimensions:
1. Click Click Tools --> Options --> Options and select Drawing dimensions.
2. Set the units, format and precision.
3. Select the drawing types where you want to have the dual dimensions.
4. Click OK.

Modifying drawing settings 449 Automatic dimension settings

When Tekla Structures creates the drawing, it adds in the lower dimension tag in the selected
unit and format, and adds the text DIMENSION in the middle dimension tag in the
Dimension Properties dialog box.

Example
Below is an example of dual dimensions using the units mm and format ###.

See also
Automatic dimension settings on page 396

Modifying dimensions for unfolded parts

In single-part drawings, you can control the dimensions Tekla Structures adds for unfolded
parts that have been created using View --> Attributes --> Unfolded =Yes . Use the
advanced options in Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options --> Dimensioning:
Unfolding .
To control the dimensions:

Modifying drawing settings 450 Automatic dimension settings

 To Do this
Create bending line dimensions for Set the advanced option
unfolded parts. XS_DRAW_BENDING_LINE_DIMENSIONS_IN
_UNFOLDING=TRUE.
Create angle and radius dimensions for Set the advanced option
unfolded parts. XS_DRAW_ANGLE_AND_RADIUS_INFO_IN_U
NFOLDING=TRUE.
Set a prefix text for an angle dimension. Set the advanced option
XS_ANGLE_TEXT_IN_UNFOLDING_BENDING
_LINE_DIMENSIONING=A=.
Set a prefix text for a radius dimension. Set the advanced option
XS_RADIUS_TEXT_IN_UNFOLDING_BENDIN
G_LINE_DIMENSIONING=R=.
For angle text dimensions, show the Set the advanced option
interior angle instead of the exterior angle. XS_DRAW_INSIDE_ANGLE_IN_UNFOLDING=
TRUE.
Set the format for angle text. Set the advanced option
XS_UNFOLDING_ANGLE_DIM_FORMAT=1.
###= 0
###[.#]= 1
###.#=2
###[.##]= 3
###.##= 4
###[.###]=5
###.###= 6
### #/#= 7
###/##.###= 8
Set the accuracy of the angle text. Set the advanced option
XS_UNFOLDING_ANGLE_DIM_PRECISION=1
0.
0.00= 1
0.50= 2
0.33= 3
0.25= 4
1/8= 5
1/16= 6
1/32= 7
1/10= 8

Modifying drawing settings 451 Automatic dimension settings

 To Do this
1/100= 9
1/1000= 10

See also
Dimension format, precision and unit properties on page 558
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Creating minimum and maximum position dimensions for bolts

By default, Tekla Structures does not create minimum and maximum position dimensions for
bolts.
To create minimum and maximum position dimensions for bolts:
1. Go to Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options --> Dimensioning: Bolts
2. Set XS_BOLT_POSITION_TO_MIN_AND_MAX_POINT to TRUE .

The examples below show a maximum bolt dimension of 40:

Setting Example
Before setting the advanced option.

After setting the advanced option to TRUE.

Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Modifying drawing settings 452 Automatic dimension settings

Creating dimension line extensions
You can create line extensions for dimensions that have line arrows.
To create dimension line extensions:
1. Click Tools --> Options --> Options .
2. Go to the Drawing dimensions page.
3. Enter the length of the dimension line extension in the Dimension line extension length
for line arrow box.

Limitations
Line extensions cannot be applied to dimensions that have different arrows from line arrows,
or to knock-off dimensions of the following type:

Example

Line extensions on No line extensions

See also
Dimension appearance properties on page 560

Setting the dimension extension line length

You can adjust the length of the dimension extension lines.
To adjust the extension line settings:
1. Go to the General tab of the Dimensions dialog box.
2. Select an option from the Short extension line list:

Options Description

No

Modifying drawing settings 453 Automatic dimension settings

 Options Description
Yes Use this option to create extension lines all of the same
length:

On grid lines only Use this option to use the short extension line automatically
if a dimension line falls on a grid line. Elsewhere the
extension line will be as usual.

3. Click OK.
4. If you need to adjust the extension line lengths, go to Tools --> Options --> Advanced
Options --> Dimensioning: General and use the following advanced options:
• Use XS_DIMENSION_EXTENSION_LINE_TOWARD_FACTOR to adjust the
length of the dimension extension lines that are facing towards the dimension points.
• Use XS_DIMENSION_EXTENSION_LINE_AWAY_FACTOR to adjust the length
of the dimension extension lines that are facing away from the dimension points.

Modifying drawing settings 454 Automatic dimension settings

 Text height * 1.0 (default)

Text height * 1.5 (default)

See also
Creating dimension line extensions on page 452
XS_DIMENSION_EXTENSION_LINE_TOWARD_FACTOR
XS_DIMENSION_EXTENSION_LINE_AWAY_FACTOR
Dimension appearance properties on page 560
General dimension properties on page 556

Changing the appearance of absolute dimensions

You can select whether to show zero at the zero point of the absolute dimensions, and also
change the orientation of the absolute dimensions.

To change the appearance of absolute dimensions:

1. Click Tools > Options > Options, and go to the Drawing dimensions page.
2. Set Show zero in absolute dimensions to No if you do not want to show zero at the
zero points in absolute dimensions.
Yes is the default value.
3. Set Draw absolute dimension values parallel to dimension line to Yes to show
dimensions parallel to dimension lines in absolute dimensions.
No is the default value.
4. Click OK.

Example
In the following example, dimensions are parallel to the dimension line and zero is shown at
the zero point.

Modifying drawing settings 455 Automatic dimension settings

See also
Dimension appearance properties on page 560
Automatic view-level dimensions on page 397
Settings in the Options dialog box

Creating exaggerated dimensions

You can exaggerate narrow dimensions to make them easier to read.

When you enable the exaggeration of the dimensions, a dimension that is narrower than the
defined limit is enlarged. If there are many exaggerated dimensions, Tekla Structures arranges
them automatically. Setting exaggeration consists of selecting the exaggeration limit and the
exaggeration scale, enabling the exaggeration and setting the direction, origin, width,
position and height for the exaggerated dimensions.
For single-part , assembly and cast unit drawings, save the dimension exaggeration
properties on object level in an open drawing into a dimension properties file, which you can
take into use when you modify dimensioning rules.
Limitation: Exaggeration works only if the dimension extension lines are long. Set Short
extension line to No on the General tab of the Dimension Properties dialog box.
To set the exaggeration:
1. Go to Tools --> Options --> Options --> Drawing dimensions .
2. Enter the exaggeration limit in the Exaggeration limit box.
3. Select Paper or Model as the exaggeration scaling method.
If you select Paper, the exaggeration limit is multiplied by the view scale. For example, if
the scale is 1:10 and the limit is 10 mm, then all the dimensions smaller than 100 mm
are exaggerated.
If you select Model, and the scale is 1:10, all the dimensions smaller than 10 mm are
exaggerated regardless of the drawing scale.
4. Click OK.
5. Open a drawing and double-click a dimension.
6. Go to the Marks tab of the Dimensions dialog box.
7. Enable the exaggeration by setting Exaggeration to Specified.

Modifying drawing settings 456 Automatic dimension settings

8. Set the values for Direction, Origin, Width, Position and Height.
9. Enter a name for the dimension properties file at the top and click Save.
10. If you want to modify the current dimension, click Modify. Otherwise, close the dialog
box.
Now you have a dimension properties file that contains the exaggeration settings, which
you can load later on or use in dimensioning rules.

Example
See below for an example of exaggerated dimensions:

Modifying drawing settings 457 Automatic dimension settings

See also
Dimension appearance properties on page 560
Dimension mark and dimension tag properties on page 560

Changing the prefix in radial dimensions

By default, the prefix of radial dimensions is R, for example, R 200.
To change the dimension prefix to Radius 200, for example:
1. Open the file dim_operation.ail located in ..\Tekla Structures
\<version>\messages\.
2. Change the prefix R to Radius:
string dim_operation_dim_radius_prefix{ ... entry =
("enu", "R ");};
string dim_operation_dim_radius_prefix{ ... entry =
("enu", "Radius ");};

See also
Adding manual dimensions on page 146

Dimensioning plates
You can dimension plates using the advanced options in Tools --> Options --> Advanced
Options... --> Dimensioning: Parts .
To dimension plates:

To Do this
Dimension the plates to the edge Set the advanced option
that is nearest to the neighbor part XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_NE
IGHBOUR to TRUE.
Dimension the plates to the leading 1. Set the advanced option
edge of the beams XS_USE_PLATE_SIDE_POSITIONING to
FALSE.
2. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_
NEIGHBOUR to FALSE.
3. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE to
TRUE.

Modifying drawing settings 458 Automatic dimension settings

 To Do this
Dimension the plates to the leading 1. Set the advanced option
edge of the columns XS_USE_PLATE_SIDE_POSITIONING to
FALSE.
2. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_
NEIGHBOUR to FALSE.
3. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE_IN_
COLUMNS_ALSO to TRUE.
Dimension the plates to the trailing 1. Set the advanced option
edge XS_USE_PLATE_SIDE_POSITIONING to
FALSE.
2. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_
NEIGHBOUR to FALSE.
3. Set the advanced
optionXS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDG
E to FALSE.
4. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE_IN_
COLUMNS_ALSO to FALSE.
Dimension the plates using their 1. Set the advanced option
original reference points in the XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_
model NEIGHBOUR to FALSE.
2. Set the advance option
XS_USE_PLATE_SIDE_POSITIONING to TRUE.
Note: If you have created one plate from left to right and
another from right to left, Tekla Structures dimensions
them differently in drawings.

Modifying drawing settings 459 Automatic dimension settings

Below is an example of dimensioning all plates to the leading edge.

See also
XS_USE_PLATE_SIDE_POSITIONING
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_NEIGHBOUR
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE_IN_COLUMNS_ALSO
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Dimensioning profiles
You can affect the way Tekla Structures dimensions different profiles in drawings. For
example, you can have Tekla Structures always dimension round bars to the middle of the
profile and large I profiles to the top.
To define dimension settings for profiles, you need to edit the dimension planes table
dim_planes_table.txt.
To define dimensioning settings for profiles:
1. Go to Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options... --> Dimensioning: Parts .
2. Set the advanced option XS_PART_DIMENSION_PLANES_TABLE as follows:
XS_PART_DIMENSION_PLANES_TABLE=%XS_PROFDB%
\dim_planes_table.txt
This variable defines the path to the part dimension planes table.
3. Open the dim_planes_table.txt file in any text editor, for example, Microsoft
Notepad. The file is located in ..\Tekla Structures\<version>
\environments\<environment>\profile.
4. Edit the file contents.

Modifying drawing settings 460 Automatic dimension settings

5. To use the new settings in drawings, restart Tekla Structures and recreate the drawings.
Changing the file does not automatically update existing drawings.

Example
Here is an example of a dimension planes table:

dim_planes_table.txt
FLANGE WEB
ProfType,MaxSize, middle,right, left, middle, right, left
========================================================
1, 300.0, TRUE*, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, TRUE*, TRUE
7, -1.0, TRUE*, FALSE, FALSE, TRUE*, FALSE, FALSE

The line beginning with 1 means that Tekla Structures always dimensions I profiles (ProfType
= 1) smaller than 300 mm (MaxSize = 300) to the middle of the flange and to the right edge
of the web, no matter how the part was created.
The line beginning with 7 means that Tekla Structures always dimensions round tubes
(ProfType = 7) to the middle of the profile
The ProfType numbers run in the same order as the profiles in the Profile catalog:
• 1 = I profile
• 2 = L profile
• 3 = Z profile
• 4 = U profile
• 5 = plate
• 6 = round bar
• 7 = round tube
• 8 = square pipe
• 9 = C profile
• 10 = T profile
• 15 = ZZ profile
• 16 = CC profile
• 17 = CW profile
• 51 = polygon_plate etc.
The value -1.0 in the MaxSize indicates that there is no size limit for the profile.
The asterisk after TRUE indicates that it is the default value.

See also
XS_I_PROFILE_CENTER

Modifying drawing settings 461 Automatic dimension settings

XS_DO_NOT_CREATE_PROFILE_DIMENSIONS_FOR_CONCRETE
XS_PART_DIMENSION_PLANES_TABLE
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Sloped dimension texts

Tekla Structures aligns slightly sloped dimension text. If the dimension text is sloped more
than a certain degree, Tekla Structures flips the text.
Below is an example of a dimension text that is slightly sloped.

Below is an example of a flipped dimension text.

The default limit for aligning dimension text is 0.1 (5.74 degrees). When this limit is
exceeded, the dimension text gets flipped. To adjust this limit, use the advanced option
XS_TEXT_ORIENTATION_EPSILON.

See also
XS_TEXT_ORIENTATION_EPSILON

Modifying drawing settings 462 Automatic dimension settings

Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings
In the general arrangement drawing General - Dimensioning Properties dialog box, you can
create part, grid and overall dimensions, and control the way they are created. You can
experiment with different combinations of options to achieve different kinds of dimensioning
effects.
To select the dimensions to create and modify the dimensioning settings:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> General Arrangement Drawings .
2. Click Dimensioning.
3. Select the dimensions to create and modify the related settings.
4. On the Grids tab, adjust the grid dimension and overall dimension creation settings and
the positioning of the dimensions.
5. On the Parts tab, adjust part dimension creation settings and the positioning of the
dimensions.
6. Click OK.

See also
Object groups in dimensioning on page 463
Dimensioning object groups on different dimension lines on page 464
Example: Grid and overall dimensions on page 465
Example: Using maximum leader line length options on page 467
Example: Dimensioning parts partly outside the view on page 468
Example: Limiting the number of outside dimensions on page 469
Example: Part dimension positioning on page 470
Example: Dimensions in anchor bolt plans on page 476
Grid and overall dimensioning properties (GA drawings) on page 571
Part dimensioning properties (GA drawings) on page 572

Object groups in dimensioning

In dimensioning of general arrangement drawings, the term object group refers to objects
that have been grouped together for the purpose of dimensioning object groups on different
dimension lines.
You can use the object groups (selection filters) that you have created when modeling, or
create the necessary groups through the Parts tab in the General - Dimensioning Properties
dialog box. For example, you might want to create an object group for beams of a certain
size.

Modifying drawing settings 463 Automatic dimension settings

See also
Filtering objects
Dimensioning object groups on different dimension lines on page 464

Dimensioning object groups on different dimension lines

You can use object groups to specify different objects to be dimensioned on different
dimension lines.
To do this:
1. Go to the Parts tab of the General - Dimensioning Properties dialog box.
2. Add the desired object groups to dimensioning rules by clicking Add rule and selecting
the rule from the list in the Object group column.
3. If needed, you can create object groups of your own by clicking Object group. For
example, add object group rules for beams of different size.
4. For each object group, select the Positioning option, the Horizontal position option, and
the Vertical position option, depending on the type of the objects in the group. For
example, for beam groups, set Horizontal position to Left side to position the beam
dimensions to the left side of the grid.
5. If needed, in the Tag column, enter the text tags that you want to display for the
different object groups in the drawing. For example, enter the size of the beam.

Example
In this example, we created several beam groups, one for each beam size to be dimensioned,
then selected the position for the dimensions in different groups, and added tags to be
displayed for each group:

Modifying drawing settings 464 Automatic dimension settings

See also
Object groups in dimensioning on page 463
Example: Part dimension positioning on page 470
Part dimensioning properties (GA drawings) on page 572
Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings on page 462

Modifying drawing settings 465 Automatic dimension settings

Example: Grid and overall dimensions

Here are some examples of what the grid and overall dimensions look like with different
settings selected on the Grid tab.

Dimensioning setting Example

Grid line dimensions is set to On,
Overall dimension to On, Horizontal
to Left, and Vertical to above.

Grid line dimensions is set to On,

Overall dimension to Off, Horizontal
to Left, and Vertical to above.

Modifying drawing settings 466 Automatic dimension settings

See also
Grid and overall dimensioning properties (GA drawings) on page 571
Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings on page 462

Example: Using maximum leader line length options

Here are some examples of how the dimensions are positioned when you have set values for
the Maximum leader line length options on the Parts tab.

Dimensioning setting Example

A value has been set for Outside
dimensions.

Modifying drawing settings 467 Automatic dimension settings

 Dimensioning setting Example
A value has been set for Inside
dimensions.

See also
Part dimensioning properties (GA drawings) on page 572
Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings on page 462

Modifying drawing settings 468 Automatic dimension settings

Example: Dimensioning parts partly outside the view

Here is an example of how the parts are dimensioned if you set the option Include parts not
entirely in the view to On on the Parts tab.

See also
Part dimensioning properties (GA drawings) on page 572
Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings on page 462

Modifying drawing settings 469 Automatic dimension settings

Example: Limiting the number of outside dimensions

Here is an example of what the part dimensions look like when you have set 3 as the value
for the option Maximum number of outside dimensions on the Parts tab. Tekla Structures
has created three dimensions outside the grid and the fourth inside the grid.

See also
Part dimensioning properties (GA drawings) on page 572
Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings on page 462

Example: Part dimension positioning

Here are some examples of how the part dimensions are positioned in general arrangement
drawings with different positioning settings selected on the Parts tab.
In the example below, Positioning is set to Inside grid, which places all dimensions next to or
near the grid.

Modifying drawing settings 470 Automatic dimension settings

In the example below, Positioning is set to Outside grid, which places all dimensions outside
the grid.

Modifying drawing settings 471 Automatic dimension settings

In the example below, Horizontal position is set to Left side, which places all dimensions to
horizontal parts to the left of the grid.

In the example below, Horizontal position is set to Right side, which places all dimensions
to horizontal parts to the right of the grid.

Modifying drawing settings 472 Automatic dimension settings

In the example below, Horizontal position is set to Distributed to both sides, which places
all dimensions to horizontal parts to the side of the grid nearest the part they are
dimensioning.

Modifying drawing settings 473 Automatic dimension settings

In the example below, Vertical position is set to Above, which places all dimensions to
vertical parts above the grid.

In the example below, Vertical position is set to Below, which places all dimensions to
vertical parts under the grid.

Modifying drawing settings 474 Automatic dimension settings

In the example below, Vertical position is set to Distributed to both sides, which places all
dimensions to vertical parts to the side of the grid nearest the part they are dimensioning.

Modifying drawing settings 475 Automatic dimension settings

See also
Part dimensioning properties (GA drawings) on page 572
Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings on page 462

Example: Dimensions in anchor bolt plans

Below are examples of what the dimensions in anchor bolt plans look like in different
situations.
First an example of a typical situation, where all columns are located in grid line
intersections:

If the column reference point is not located on the grid line, Tekla Structures dimensions the
reference point automatically relative to the grid lines. See the example below.

Modifying drawing settings 476 Automatic dimension settings

If the column is rotated relative to the drawing, the rotation is also automatically
dimensioned. See the example below.

Modifying drawing settings 477 Automatic dimension settings

If you set the advanced option
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_USE_VIEW_COORDSYS_FOR_BOLT_DIMENSIONS to
FALSE and create the drawing, all dimensions are in the drawing coordinate system.

Modifying drawing settings 478 Automatic dimension settings

 See also
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_USE_VIEW_COORDSYS_FOR_BOLT_DIMENSIONS
Creating anchor bolt plans using saved settings on page 60

7.14 Automatic mark settings

Marks are associative annotation objects that are used for identifying individual building
objects in a drawing. A mark displays a set of user-selectable properties. Automatic marks are
marks that Tekla Structures creates in a drawing based on the mark properties defined
separately for each view before creating a drawing. You can modify the mark properties after
creating the drawing, and add marks manually in an open drawing.
The mark properties define what Tekla Structures shows marks and how the marks are shown.
In addition, Tekla Structures uses the contentattributes_global.lst attributes
file for setting the default unit settings for some mark elements. You can use
contentattributes_userdefined.lst when you want to configure settings of
your own.
Tekla Structures is able to create the following automatic marks:
• Part marks

Modifying drawing settings 479 Automatic mark settings

• Bolt marks
• Neighbor part marks
• Connection marks
• Weld marks
• Reinforcement marks
• Surface treatment marks
• Dimension marks
• View and section view label marks, and section marks

See also
Adding automatic marks on page 480
Setting the visibility of marks on page 482
Merging marks automatically on page 490
Defining contents of bolt mark Size element using advanced options on page 506
Adding level attributes in part marks on page 497
Adding user-defined attributes and template attributes in marks on page 499
Adding templates in marks on page 503
Adding symbols in marks on page 505
Adding pull-out pictures in reinforcement marks on page 509
Unit settings for marks on page 495
Mark location on page 486
Setting the appearance of mark text, frames and leader line on page 483
Mark properties on page 573
Mark elements on page 583
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357
Associative annotation objects on page 180

Adding automatic marks

You can set up marks for building objects (parts, neighbor parts, bolts, surface treatment,
connections, reinforcement, and neighbor reinforcement) in the view properties dialog box.
You can save mark settings in a view property file for later use. For general arrangement
drawings, automatic marks are defined on drawing level.
To add automatic marks:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.

Modifying drawing settings 480 Automatic mark settings

2. Load the drawing properties that you want to change by selecting the drawing property
file from the list at the top.
General arrangement drawings: You need to click Load.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings:Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click the mark type you want to modify, for example, Part mark.
5. For some marks, you need to select from a list the object that you are defining the marks
for.
For example, for part marks, you can define part mark settings independently for main
and secondary parts, and for sub-assembly main and secondary parts.

6. Add elements in the mark by double-clicking the elements in the Available elements list.
7. Modify the element appearance (frame and font).
For length, height, spacing and diameter elements, you can adjust also the unit and
format.
8. Use the Move up and Move down buttons to place the elements in the order you want.
9. Modify the appearance, placement and visibility settings on the Content and General
tabs.
10. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Save the view properties by entering a
properties file name in the box at the top and click Save.
General arrangement drawings: When you are ready, click OK in the subdialog to save
the changes and close the subdialog.
11. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

Example
This is an example of a part mark.

Modifying drawing settings 481 Automatic mark settings

1. Assembly position
2. Size
3. Mark frame
4. Profile
5. Mark element frame
6. Length

See also
Automatic mark settings on page 479
Merging marks automatically on page 490
Mark location on page 486
Dimension appearance properties on page 560
Defining placement settings for annotation objects on page 362
Mark properties on page 573
Mark elements on page 583
Adding symbols in marks on page 505
Adding templates in marks on page 503
Adding user-defined attributes and template attributes in marks on page 499
Defining contents of bolt mark Size element using advanced options on page 506
Adding pull-out pictures in reinforcement marks on page 509

Setting the visibility of marks

Using the visibility options in the mark properties you can indicate the views where the
marks are displayed.
To set the visibility of marks:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.

Modifying drawing settings 482 Automatic mark settings

2. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
3. Click a mark type. For example, click Part mark.
4. Go to the General (or Appearance) tab page in mark properties.
5. Select where you want to display the marks using the Visibility of marks or Visibility in
view options. The available options depend on the mark type.
6. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the change in view
properties.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
Mark properties on page 573

Setting the appearance of mark text, frames and leader line

You can add frames around single mark elements and around the mark itself. You can also
adjust the appearance of the mark text and leader line. For some elements, you can change
the unit and format.
To adjust the appearance of mark text, leader line and frames, and the unit and format for
length, height, spacing and diameter elements:
1. On the Content tab of the in mark properties, select one or several elements from the
Elements in mark list.
To select all elements to apply your changes in all of them, hold down Shift and click the
last element in the list.
2. Click Add frame.
3. Select a Type and Color for the frame.
You can select a different frame type and color for each element you add.
4. Select the element text Color, Font and Height.
You can select a different color, font and font height for each element you add.
5. If necessary, change the unit and the format of a length, height, spacing or diameter
element.
Before you can do this, you must first select the element from the Elements in mark list.
6. Go to the General (or the Appearance) tab and select the mark frame Type and Color.

Modifying drawing settings 483 Automatic mark settings

7. Select the Type for the leader line and the Arrow to use.
All marks do not have leader lines, in which case the leader line type selection is not
available.
8. If you want to hide leader lines of hidden parts, set Use hidden lines for hidden parts to
Yes.
This option is not available for all marks.
9. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
10. Click OK.
11. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Additional ways for modifying part mark leader lines on page 484
Placing the base point of the reinforcement mark leader line automatically on page 485
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
Mark properties on page 573

Additional ways for modifying part mark leader lines

You can modify part mark leader line settings using a couple of advanced options. Click Tools
--> Options --> Advanced Options and go to Marking: Parts.
To modify part mark leader line settings using advanced options:

To Do this
Define whether a leader line is drawn when Set
the leader line is shorter than defined with XS_DRAW_SHORT_LEADER_LINES_OF_PART
the advanced option _MARKS to TRUE (default) to always draw
XS_DRAW_SHORT_LEADER_LINES_OF leader lines in part marks. When you set this
_PART_MARKS_MINIMUM_LENGTH option to FALSE, the leader line is not
drawn if it would be shorter than the
minimum you set for the advanced option
XS_DRAW_SHORT_LEADER_LINES_OF_PART
_MARKS_MINIMUM_LENGTH.
Give a minimum length for the leader line. If Set a value in millimeters for the advanced
the length is less than this value, the leader option
line is not drawn. XS_DRAW_SHORT_LEADER_LINES_OF_PART
_MARKS_MINIMUM_LENGTH .
Define the leader line start position for a Set a value for the advanced option
leader line with a rectangular frame. XS_MARK_LEADER_LINE_POSITION_TYPE_FO
R_RECTANGULAR_FRAME .

Modifying drawing settings 484 Automatic mark settings

 To Do this
Define the leader line start position for a Set a value for the advanced option
leader line of a mark without a frame and for XS_MARK_LEADER_LINE_POSITION_TYPE_FO
a leader line of a mark with a mark element R_NO_FRAME .
frame.
Define the length of the leader line Set a value for the advanced option
extension. XS_MARK_LEADER_LINE_EXTENSION_LENGT
H.

See also
Setting the appearance of mark text, frames and leader line on page 483

Placing the base point of the reinforcement mark leader line automatically

Tekla Structures places the base point of reinforcement mark leader lines so that it points to
only one reinforcing bar. You can adjust how Tekla Structures searches for the place for the
base point. Click Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options and go to Concrete Detailing.
To place the reinforcement mark leader line base point automatically:

To Do this
Select an optimal place for the base point. Set
XS_ENABLE_REBAR_MARK_LEADER_LINE_
BASE_POINT_OPTIMIZATION to TRUE.
Define how far the other reinforcing bars Set a millimeter value for
must be from the base point in order for XS_REBAR_MARK_LEADER_LINE_BASE_PO
Tekla Structures to place the base point. INT_SEARCH_TOLERANCE.
Define the search step length while Set a millimeter value for
searching for an optimal place for the base XS_REBAR_MARK_LEADER_LINE_BASE_PO
point along the reinforcing bar. INT_SEARCH_STEP_LENGTH.

Example
An example showing optimized base points.

Modifying drawing settings 485 Automatic mark settings

See also
Setting the appearance of mark text, frames and leader line on page 483
XS_REBAR_MARK_LEADER_LINE_BASE_POINT_SEARCH_STEP_LENGTH
XS_REBAR_MARK_LEADER_LINE_BASE_POINT_SEARCH_TOLERANCE
XS_ENABLE_REBAR_MARK_LEADER_LINE_BASE_POINT_OPTIMIZATION

Mark location
The location of the mark is affected by:
• The placement settings in the mark properties
• The type of the selected leader line
• The predefined mark location and part orientation settings
• The modeling direction of parts
• Protection settings

See also
Setting a predefined location for beam, bracing and column marks on page 487
Protected areas on page 358
Defining placement settings for annotation objects on page 362
Using part mark as an orientation mark in general arrangement drawings on page 516
Orientation settings on page 616

Modifying drawing settings 486 Automatic mark settings

Part mark and surface treatment mark leader line types and mark location on page 487
Reinforcement leader line types and mark location on page 489
Leader line types and mark location for reinforcing bar group marks on page 488
Mark properties on page 573
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573

Setting a predefined location for beam, bracing and column marks

By default, part marks are placed at the end point of the part. You can change this by
adjusting the predefined location settings for beam, bracing and column marks.
1. Click Tools --> Options --> Options --> Orientation marks .
2. In Mark location: Preferred location for beams and bracings, select Left or Right to
place the mark to the left or right end of the part.
3. In Mark location: Mark always to center of column in GA drawings, select Yes to
place part marks in the center of columns in plan views, or No to place part marks on the
same flange in GA drawings and assembly drawings.
4. Click OK.

See also
Mark location on page 486
Mark properties on page 573
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573

Part mark and surface treatment mark leader line types and mark location
Part marks and surface treatment marks have several types of leader lines you can select. The
type of the leader line affects the location of the mark.

Leader line type Description

Always uses a leader line.
Tries to find a space along the part for the mark. If impossible,
Tekla Structures uses a leader line.
The mark is always along the part. Lack of space might cause the
mark to overlap other elements.
The mark is always inside the part.
The mark is always inside the part and parallel to the part axis.
Tries to find a space for the mark inside the part. If impossible,
Tekla Structures places the mark along the part with a leader line.

Modifying drawing settings 487 Automatic mark settings

 Leader line type Description
Tries to find a space inside the part for the mark and align it
parallel to the part axis. If impossible, Tekla Structures places the
mark along the part with a leader line.
Places the part mark along and in the middle of a part face.

See also
Mark location on page 486
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
Mark properties on page 573

Leader line types and mark location for reinforcing bar group marks

In reinforcing bar groups Tekla Structures first tries to place the mark on the middle bar if it
is visible. If that is not possible, Tekla Structures tries the next visible bar.
Here is a list of leader line options available for identical reinforcement marks and reinforcing
bar group marks:

Option Image Example

One leader line to group

One leader line per row

Modifying drawing settings 488 Automatic mark settings

 Option Image Example
Parallel leader lines

Leader lines to one point

See also
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
Mark location on page 486
Mark properties on page 573

Reinforcement leader line types and mark location

Reinforcement marks have several types of leader lines you can select. The type of the leader
line affects the location of the mark.
Tekla Structures tries to place the mark close to the midpoint on straight bars, or to the
midpoint of the longest bar segment.

Reinforcement leader line Description

type
Always creates a leader line.
Tries to find a space along the reinforcing bar for the mark. If
impossible, creates a leader line.
The mark is always along the reinforcing bar. The mark may
overlap other elements if there is not enough space.
The mark is parallel to the reinforcing bar.

The mark is parallel to the reinforcing bar on line. If there is not

enough space for the mark, a leader line is created.

Modifying drawing settings 489 Automatic mark settings

See also
Mark location on page 486
Setting the appearance of mark text, frames and leader line on page 483
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
Mark properties on page 573

Merging marks automatically

You can let Tekla Structures automatically merge marks.
You can automatically merge part marks, surface treatment marks and reinforcement marks.

See also
Merging part marks on page 492
Merged reinforcement marks on page 493
Merging reinforcement marks automatically on page 493
Merging marks on page 189

Merged part marks

A merged part mark means that only one part mark is used for similar parts in a drawing.
Merged part marks indicate the number of included parts, and contain the specified part
mark contents, and the near side and far side information. The marks are merged only in x
direction of the main part.
Tekla Structures merges marks for visible parts in drawings if:
• The secondary parts are welded or bolted to the same main part.
• The parts are on the same line.
• Distances between the parts are equal.
• The parts have the same part position.
• Distance between parts is not more than what is set for the advanced option
XS_PART_MERGE_MAX_DISTANCE.
• There are at least as many parts in the array as it has been set for the advanced option
XS_MIN_MERGE_PART_COUNT.

Limitations
• Part marks can be merged only on view and drawing level. It is not possible to merge or
split part marks manually.
• Tekla Structures does not merge neighbor part marks.

Modifying drawing settings 490 Automatic mark settings

Example
In the example below, the part marks are merged.

In the example below, the leftmost part marks are not merged, because they are too far from
each other.

In the example below, the marks in the y direction are not merged.

Modifying drawing settings 491 Automatic mark settings

See also
Merging part marks on page 492

Merging part marks

You can merge part marks automatically to reduce the number of marks in the drawing.
To merge part marks automatically:
1. On the General tab in the part mark properties, set Merge marks to On.
2. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the changes in view
properties and OK to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
3. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

This setting merges marks for identical secondary parts on both faces of main parts.

See also
Merged part marks on page 490
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573

Modifying drawing settings 492 Automatic mark settings

XS_MULTIPLIER_SEPARATOR_FOR_MERGED_PART_MARK
XS_NSFS_POSTFIX_FOR_MERGED_PART_MARK
XS_NS_POSTFIX_FOR_MERGED_PART_MARK
XS_FS_POSTFIX_FOR_MERGED_PART_MARK
XS_PART_MERGE_MAX_DISTANCE
XS_MIN_MERGE_PART_COUNT

Merged reinforcement marks

Tekla Structures can automatically merge similar reinforcement marks of bars. Merged marks
may include several blocks, and additional information. Blocks combine similar single marks.

NOTE To have Tekla Structures automatically merge reinforcement marks in drawings, the
reinforcement must be attached to a concrete part or cast unit in the model.

Tekla Structures automatically merges marks for visible reinforcing bars in drawings if:
• The bars belong to the same concrete part or cast unit.
• The direction of the bars is the same.
• The bar marks are identical.
• The bars are close to each other.
• A straight line can be drawn through all the bars.
You can also define the distance within which to automatically merge marks for visible
reinforcing bars using advanced options.

See also
Merging reinforcement marks manually on page 189
Merging reinforcement marks automatically on page 493

Merging reinforcement marks automatically

1. Go to the Merging tab of the Cast Unit - Reinforcement Marks dialog box.
2. Select an option from the Identical marks in same cast unit list to merge marks and
create leader lines.
3. If there are several possible merge directions, select the direction from Preferred
direction of merge.
4. Select the contents to be included in the merged reinforcement marks from the Available
elements list.

NOTE To ensure that merged reinforcement marks appear in the drawing, always
include Symbol separating blocks in mark as the last element in the

Modifying drawing settings 493 Automatic mark settings

 reinforcement mark. To omit the separating symbol, leave this box blank, but still
include the element in the mark.

5. If needed, add a frame around the single elements in the mark. You can define the frame
individually for each element.
6. Adjust the font, font height and the color of the mark text. You can adjust these settings
individually for each element.
7. Click OK.

Example
In this example, we merge three A φ12 L2000 marks to a block, and six V φ8 L650 marks to
another block, and then merge them in the following way:

Single mark content

Symbol separating the blocks

Block prefix

Distance between groups

Block 1

Block 2

See also
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573

Showing mark frames and leader lines for hidden parts

If a part is behind another part in the drawing so that it is hidden, you can select to show the
mark frame and leader line of the hidden part with a dashed or a solid line.
To set the mark frame and leader line appearance for the part marks of hidden parts:

Modifying drawing settings 494 Automatic mark settings

1. In part mark properties, go to the General tab.
2. Use one of the following options:

Setting Example
Use hidden lines for hidden parts: Yes Part mark frame and leader line are shown with
a dashed line.

Use hidden lines for hidden parts: No Part mark frame and leader line are shown with
a solid line.

3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save the save the view properties.
4. Click OK.

TIP The advanced option XS_OMIT_MARKS_OF_HIDDEN_PARTS_IN_GA_DRAWINGS affects

the displaying of marks of hidden objects in general arrangement drawings.

See also
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
XS_OMIT_MARKS_OF_HIDDEN_PARTS_IN_GA_DRAWINGS
Mark properties on page 573

Unit settings for marks

Tekla Structures uses the contentattributes_global.lst attributes file for
setting the default unit settings for various mark elements. This file defines, for example, the
unit used, and the number of decimals. You can change the unit and format for the length,
height, diameter, and spacing elements in the mark, associative note and dimension mark
properties dialog box. If you change the unit and format, save the changes for future usage
in a property file if necessary. One additional way to change the unit is to add individual
settings at the end of the contentattributes.lst file.
The contentattributes_global.lst file also defines default values for attributes
in templates created in Template Editor.

Modifying drawing settings 495 Automatic mark settings

WARNING Do not edit contentattributes_global.lst.

For user-defined attributes in mark elements, the default unit settings are taken from the
contentattributes_userdefined.lst file. You can use
contentattributes_userdefined.lst also when you want to configure settings
of your own. By default, this file is located in ..\Program Files\Tekla
Structures\<version>\nt\TplEd\settings, but often the location depends on
your environment.
The container file contentattributes.lst lists all the files that contain the actual
attribute definitions. The order of the files included in contentattributes.lst
defines the reading order of the files.

TIP You can add in the mark a template that changes the unit and number of decimals. This
affects all drawings that have marks containing the changed template.

Example
This first example shows how you can change the unit and format of a length element in the
part mark, save your changes in a property file and apply the changes in a part mark.

1. Double-click the background of an open drawing to open the Drawing Properties dialog
box.
2. Click Part mark.
3. And a Length element in the part mark.
4. Adjust the unit and format as required. For example, select mm and ###.##.
The unit and format settings become available when you select a length element in the
Elements in mark list.

5. Give a name to the property file next to the Save as button and click Save as.
Now you load this file later on when you need to use the same unit and format again.
6. Click Modify.
All the part marks in your drawing now have the new unit and format setting for the
length element.

Modifying drawing settings 496 Automatic mark settings

Example
This second example shows a situation when you want a certain project to have certain
individual settings. In this case, you can add contentattributes.lst under the
model folder, and add this individual setting at the end of the
contentattributes.lst. See the example below showing the included global
attributes and user attributes files, and the added DIAMETER setting.

See also
Mark elements on page 583
Template attribute files
Adding templates in marks on page 503
Location of certain files in hidden folders

Adding level attributes in part marks

You can add level attributes (TOP_LEVEL, BOTTOM_LEVEL, ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL,
ASSEMBLY_BOTTOM_LEVEL, and ASSEMBLY.MAIN_PART.TOP_LEVEL) in part
marks and associative notes as user-defined attributes. The level attributes take the
dimension format from the MarkDimensionFormat.dim file. You can change the
dimension format in the level attributes in an open drawing.
You can add level attributes in automatic and manual marks, and modify the settings later
on.
To add level attributes and change their dimension format in an open drawing:
1. In the open drawing, double-click the part mark where you want to add level attributes.
2. In part mark properties, double-click the User-defined attribute element to add it to the
mark.

Modifying drawing settings 497 Automatic mark settings

3. Enter a user-defined attribute name in the Mark content - user defined attribute
dialog box.
You can enter TOP_LEVEL, BOTTOM_LEVEL, ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL,
ASSEMBLY_BOTTOM_LEVEL, CAST_UNIT_TOP_LEVEL,
CAST_UNIT_BOTTOM_LEVEL, and/or ASSEMBLY.MAIN_PART.TOP_LEVEL.
4. Click Modify.
5. Repeat steps 1 - 4 to all marks where you want to add level attributes.
6. Click Dimensioning --> Dimension Properties .
7. Select MarkDimensionFormat from the Load list and click Load.
8. Change the unit, precision and format.

9. Click Save to save the changes in the MarkDimensionFormat file.

10. Right-click the drawing and select Update all marks.

Example
In the following example, TOP_LEVEL and ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL have been added in
the mark.

In the following example, the top level of the part itself (TOP_LEVEL), the top level of the
assembly (ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL), and the top level of the assembly main part
(ASSEMBLY.MAIN_PART.TOP_LEVEL) have been added in the mark.

Modifying drawing settings 498 Automatic mark settings

See also
TOP_LEVEL
BOTTOM_LEVEL
ASSEMBLY_BOTTOM_LEVEL
ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL
Adding user-defined attributes and template attributes in marks on page 499

Adding user-defined attributes and template attributes in marks

All types of building object marks allow you to add user-defined attributes and template
attributes. For example, you might want to add control numbers or specify the number of
characters in part numbers in assembly or part marks.
You can add user-defined attributes in automatic and manual marks.
To add a user-defined attribute in a building object mark:
1. In the mark properties dialog box, double-click the User-defined attribute element to
add it to the mark.
2. Enter the user-defined attribute name in the Mark content - user defined attribute
dialog box exactly as it appears in the objects.inp file.
You can also enter a template attribute.

Modifying drawing settings 499 Automatic mark settings

3. Click OK.
4. Save the properties and create the drawing.

Example
In the following example, the user-defined attribute OBJECT_LOCKED has been added in
the part mark after a text element Locked.

See also
Adding level attributes in part marks on page 497
Customizing user-defined attributes
Template Attributes Reference Guide
ASSEMBLY_BOTTOM_LEVEL
ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL
TOP_LEVEL
BOTTOM_LEVEL
Mark elements on page 583
Common elements in marks on page 584
Automatic mark settings on page 479

Example 1: Creating a mark template containing separate value fields and text
elements

You may want to use decimals instead of fractions in your part marks in the US Imperial
environment. In this example, you will create a part mark template and use separate value
fields and text elements in the template to change from fractions to decimals. You will also
set the desired number of decimals.
You can do this in automatic and manual marks.
To create a part mark template containing separate value fields and text elements in an
automatic part mark:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
Load the desired drawing properties.
2. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.

Modifying drawing settings 500 Automatic mark settings

3. Click Part mark.
4. Double-click Template in the Available elements list.
5. In the Mark content - template dialog box, click Create new....
This starts the Template Editor.
6. Click File --> New and create a new graphical template.
7. Click Insert --> Component --> Row .
8. Select PART as the content type.
9. Click Insert --> Text , enter L and place it inside the row you just added.
10. Click Insert --> Value field and place the value field on the right side of the L text.
11. In the displayed Select Attribute [Part] dialog box, scroll down to PROFILE - Profile,
open the profile tree, select the HEIGHT - height property and click OK.
12. Double-click the value field. In the Value Field Properties dialog box, change the
settings as follows:
• Unit: inch
• Decimals: 1
• Length: 8
13. Click OK.
14. Click Insert --> Text , enter X as text and place it on the right side of the value field.
15. Repeat steps 8–11 to add another value field for the width information (WIDTH - Width
profile property).
16. Click Insert --> Text and add the second X between the value fields.
17. Add the third value field for the profile flange thickness by selecting
FLANGE_THICKNESS_1 - Flange thickness 1 profile property and modify the settings
as follows:
• Unit: inch
• Decimals: 2
• Length: 4
18. Click Edit --> Properties... and minimize the height and the width of the row.
19. Click File --> Save to save the template.
The template is by default saved as a .tpl file in the \mark folder under the model
folder. You can copy this template to other models as required.
20. In Tekla Structures, click Refresh list in the Mark content - template dialog box to see
the template you created.
21. Select the template and click OK.

Modifying drawing settings 501 Automatic mark settings

22. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties and
click OK to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK to save the mark properties and return to
drawing properties.
23. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

Example
The first example below uses fractions and the second one decimals.

See also
Adding templates in marks on page 503

Example 2: Creating a mark template containing a formula in the value field

In the second example, you want to use decimals instead of fractions in US Imperial
environment and make the change by using a formula in the value field.
You can do this in automatic and manual marks.
To create a part mark template and define the content by using a formula in the value field in
an automatic part mark:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
Load the desired drawing properties.
2. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
3. Click Part mark.
4. Double-click Template in the Available elements list.

Modifying drawing settings 502 Automatic mark settings

5. In the Mark content - template dialog box, click Create new....
This starts the Template Editor.
6. Click File --> New and create a new graphical template.
7. Click Insert --> Component --> Row .
8. Select PART as the content type.
9. Click Insert --> Value field , and place the field.
10. In the displayed Select Attribute [Part] dialog box, click the Formula... button.
11. Add the following formula in the Formula box and click OK:
"L " + format(GetValue("HEIGHT"),"Length","inch",1) + " x
"+ format(GetValue("WIDTH"),"Length","inch",1) + " x " +
format(GetValue("PROFILE.FLANGE_THICKNESS_1"),"Length","in
ch",2)
12. Double-click the value field to open the Value Field Properties dialog box.
13. Set the Data type to text, enter a name for the field, for example, PART_MARK, and
ensure that the length value you give in the Length field is high enough to fit all the
characters and numbers included, for example, 20.
14. Click OK.
15. Click Edit --> Properties and minimize the height and the width of the row.
16. Click File --> Save to save the template.
The template is by default saved as a .tpl file in the \mark folder under the model
folder. You can copy this template to other models as required.
17. In Tekla Structures, click Refresh list in the Mark content - template dialog box to see
the template you created.
18. Select the template and click OK.
19. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties and
click OK to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK to save the mark properties and return to
drawing properties.
20. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Example 1: Creating a mark template containing separate value fields and text elements on
page 500
Adding templates in marks on page 503

Modifying drawing settings 503 Automatic mark settings

Adding templates in marks
You can create custom graphical templates (.tpl) with Template Editor and add them as
elements in all types of marks and associative notes. In the mark templates, you can include
detailed information of an embed or assembly, such as the submaterial used. Or you can use
a template that changes the unit and the number of decimals in measurement values in a
mark. You can also add graphical objects using the Template Editor tools in your mark
templates. You can use templates in marks and associative notes in all drawing types.

Before you add a template in a mark, ensure that the template you use does not contain any
margins.
The size of the templates in part marks is calculated according to the actual size of template
contents. Only lines and texts in the template are considered when calculating the exact size.
This means, for example, that circles or bitmaps in the template do not have any effect.
To add a template in a mark:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the drawing properties that you want to change.
General arrangement drawings: You need to click Load.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click the mark type that you want to change.
For example, click Part mark.
5. In the mark properties dialog box, double-click the Template element in the available
elements list to add it in the mark.
This will remove all other elements from the mark.
6. Select a template from the list in the Mark content - template dialog box. If you have
not created a template yet, or want to edit the template, you can do it from here.
Remember that if you edit the template here, the change affects all drawings that have
marks containing the changed template.
7. Click OK.
8. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Save the view properties by clicking Save
and click OK to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK to save the mark properties and return to
drawing properties.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.
10. When necessary, place the saved mark attribute files from the \attribute folder into
your firm folder.

TIP The mark templates are by default searched from the following folders in the following order:
%XS_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY%\mark

Modifying drawing settings 504 Automatic mark settings

 ModelDir\mark
%XS_PROJECT%\mark
%XS_FIRM%\mark
%XS_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY_SYSTEM%\mark
%XS_SYSTEM%\mark
The mark folder name can be changed using the advanced option
XS_TEMPLATE_MARK_SUB_DIRECTORY

Example

Limitations
Mark templates do not support image files like the other graphical drawing templates.

See also
XS_TEMPLATE_MARK_SUB_DIRECTORY
Adding automatic marks on page 480
Example 1: Creating a mark template containing separate value fields and text elements on
page 500
Example 2: Creating a mark template containing a formula in the value field on page 502
Unit settings for marks on page 495

Adding symbols in marks

All types of marks allow you to add symbols in them. You can select the symbol file to be
used and the symbol to be added in the mark.
To add a symbol in a mark in a cast unit or single-part drawing, for example:

Modifying drawing settings 505 Automatic mark settings

1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the drawing properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
4. In the options tree, click the mark type that you want to change.
For example, click Part mark.
5. In mark properties, double-click Symbol in the Available elements list.
6. In the Mark content - Symbol dialog box, click Select next to the File box to select the
symbol file you want to use.
7. When you have selected the file, click Select next to the Number box to select the
number of the symbol you want to use.
8. Click OK.
Tekla Structures adds the name of the symbol file and the number of the symbol in the
elements list.
9. Save the view properties by clicking Save and click OK to return to the drawing
properties panel.
10. Save the drawing properties by clicking Save, click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Symbols in drawings on page 243
Automatic mark settings on page 479

Defining contents of bolt mark Size element using advanced options

You can use a couple of advanced options to define the contents of the bolt mark Size
element in different types of drawings in Tools --> Options --> Advanced Options -->
Marking: Bolts .

NOTE • Note that general arrangement drawings have separate advanced options.
• Any changes made to the advanced options listed in the table below will take
place only in the new drawings you create and if you modify the affected bolt
marks.

To define the contents for a bolt mark size element:

Modifying drawing settings 506 Automatic mark settings

 To Do this
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in slotted hole marks or XS_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE.
longhole marks (general
Set a value for the advanced option
arrangement drawings).
XS_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA.
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in slotted hole marks or XS_SITE_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE.
longhole marks (general
Set a value for the advanced option
arrangement drawings) for site
XS_SITE_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE_I
bolts.
N_GA.
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in slotted hole marks or XS_SHOP_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE.
longhole marks (general
Set a value for the advanced option
arrangement drawings) for
XS_SHOP_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE_I
workshop bolts.
N_GA.
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in hole marks. XS_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE.
Set a value for the advanced option
XS_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA.
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in hole marks for site bolts. XS_SITE_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE
Set a value for the advanced option
XS_SITE_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in hole marks for workshop XS_SHOP_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE
bolts.
Set a value for the advanced option
XS_SHOP_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in bolt marks. XS_BOLT_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE
Set a value for the advanced option
XS_BOLT_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in bolt marks for site bolts. XS_SITE_BOLT_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE
Set a value for the advanced option
XS_SITE_BOLT_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in bolt marks for workshop XS_SHOP_BOLT_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE
bolts.
Set a value for the advanced option
XS_SHOP_BOLT_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA

Modifying drawing settings 507 Automatic mark settings

You can use any combination of text and the following options as the value for the above
advanced options. Enclose each option in % characters. To use special characters enter a
backslash (\) followed by an ASCII number. You can use the options in any order, and make
calculations.
• BOLT_NUMBER
• DIAMETER
• LENGTH
• HOLE.DIAMETER
• LONG_HOLE_X
• LONG_HOLE_Y
• LONGHOLE_MIN (the shorter of the slotted hole dimensions)
• LONGHOLE_MAX (the longer of the slotted hole dimensions)
• BOLT_STANDARD
• BOLT_MATERIAL
• BOLT_ASSEMBLY_TYPE
• BOLT_COUNTERSUNK
• BOLT_SHORT_NAME
• BOLT_FULL_NAME

Example
Example of using the advanced options:
XS_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE=D%HOLE.DIAMETER%
(%HOLE.DIAMETER+LONG_HOLE_X%x%HOLE.DIAMETER+LONG_HOLE_Y%)
XS_SITE_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE=D%HOLE.DIAMETER%
Please note that for calculations the operator (+, -, *, /) must not be outside the "%" marks:
Correct: %OPTION1*OPTION2%
Incorrect: %OPTION1%*%OPTION2%
For example, if OPTION1 = 5.0 and OPTION2 = 3.0, the results would be "15" and "5*3"

See also
Bolt mark elements on page 586

Modifying drawing settings 508 Automatic mark settings

Adding pull-out pictures in reinforcement marks
To illustrate the shape and dimensions of a reinforcing bar in a drawing, you can add a pull-
out picture of the bar in the reinforcement mark.
Pull-out pictures can be added in automatic and manually created marks.
To add pull-out picture in an automatic mark in a cast unit drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the drawing properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
4. Click Reinforcement mark.
5. In the Cast Unit - Reinforcement Mark Properties dialog box, double-click the Pullout
picture element in the Available elements list to add it to the reinforcement mark.
6. In the Pullout picture dialog box, select the scaling option in Scale by:
• Auto autoscales the pull-out.
• One factor and Two factors scale the pull-out according to the values that you
enter.
The scale of the pull-out is relative to the scale of the drawing view. For example, if
the drawing view scale is 1/10 and the pull-out scaling is 2, the actual scale of the
pull-out in the drawing view is 1/5.
7. In Rotation, select the rotation of the pull-out: Automatic, Plane or 3D. If the pull-out
is 3D, and you select Automatic, Tekla Structures automatically shows the pull-out in 3D.
8. In End marks, define the shape of bar ends in the pull-out.
9. Select Dimensions to show bar dimensions in the pull-out.
10. Select Exaggeration to show reinforcing bar hooks more clearly in the pull-out.
11. Select Bending radius to show the bending radius of the reinforcing bar.
12. Select Bending angle to show bar bending angles in the pull-out.
13. Click OK.
14. Click Save to save the view properties and OK to return to drawing properties.
15. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

Modifying drawing settings 509 Automatic mark settings

Example

A 3D pull-out showing the bending radius:

TIP To change the leader line length, color, line type, or representation of a pull-out, open the
rebar_config.inp file in ..\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments
\<environment>\system and edit the following lines:
PullOutLeaderLineMinLength, PulloutColor, PulloutVisibleLinetype
and PulloutRepresentation.

See also
Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mark elements on page 587
Adding automatic marks on page 480
Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp) on page 603

Modifying drawing settings 510 Automatic grid settings in drawings

7.15 Automatic grid settings in drawings
You can show grids in all types of drawings. You change the appearance and visibility of the
labels, label frames, and grid lines.

See also
Grids in drawings on page 241
Setting automatic grid properties on page 512
Drawing grid properties on page 615

Modifying drawing settings 511 Automatic grid settings in drawings

 Setting automatic grid properties
You can modify drawing grid properties of single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings
individually for each view. In general arrangement drawings, you can modify the grid
properties on both view and drawing level. You can also modify individual grid properties of
in an open drawing.
To set automatic grid properties:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings:Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Grid.
5. Modify the grid properties as required.
6. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

TIP The advanced options XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_FIXED_WIDTH and

XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_LINE_WIDTH_FACTOR allow you to adjust the
grid labels further.

See also
Automatic grid settings in drawings on page 510
Drawing grid properties on page 615
XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_FIXED_WIDTH
XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_LINE_WIDTH_FACTOR

7.16 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings

Parts and neighbor parts in drawings are building objects that will exist in the real structure
or which will be closely related to the structure.
Parts and neighbor parts have drawing properties that affect the way that the part is shown
in the drawing.

See also
Setting automatic drawing part properties on page 513
Setting automatic neighbor part properties on page 515

Modifying drawing settings 512 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings
Example: Part representations on page 513
Indicating part orientation on page 516
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592

Setting automatic drawing part properties

You can define what is shown in a part and how the 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. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click Part.
4. On the Contents tab, select the part representation, 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.
5. On the Appearance tab, select the color and type of the lines.
The color of the center lines can be changed only on the drawing and view level, not on
the object level. For center lines, you can only adjust the color in the properties dialog
box, not the type. You can adjust the line type of part center lines with the advanced
option XS_CENTER_LINE_TYPE.
6. On the Fill tab, set the part and section fill options.
7. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
8. Click OK to return to drawing properties.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings on page 512
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
Example: Part representations on page 513
XS_CENTER_LINE_TYPE
XS_DRAWING_PART_REFERENCE_LINE_TYPE
XS_DRAWING_POINT_SCALE

Modifying drawing settings 513 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings
Example: Part representations
Here are some examples of what parts look like with different settings defined in the Part
Properties dialog box.

Setting Example
Part representation is set to Outline.

Part representation is set to Exact.

The Edge chamfers check box is selected in
Additional marks.

Part representation is set to Symbol.

Part representation is set to Symbol with

partial profile.

Part representation is set to Bounding box.

Part representation is set to Base box.

Modifying drawing settings 514 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings
 Setting Example
The Hidden lines check box is not selected.

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.

See also
Setting automatic drawing part properties on page 513
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings on page 512

Setting automatic neighbor part properties

You can define what is shown of neighbor parts and how the neighbor parts are shown. You
can also control the visibility of the neighbor part bolts.
To set the neighbor part visibility, contents and appearance before creating a drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click Neighbor part.
4. Select the desired visibility options on the Visibility tab.
• For more information, see Showing neighbor parts in views on page 379
5. On the Contents tab, select the neighbor bolt representation, 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.
6. On the Appearance tab, select the color and type of the lines.
The color of the center lines can be changed only on the drawing and view level, not on
the object level. For center lines, you can only adjust the color in the properties dialog
box, not the type. You can adjust the line type of part center lines with the advanced
option XS_CENTER_LINE_TYPE.
7. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.

Modifying drawing settings 515 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings
8. Click OK.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings on page 512
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
Example: Part representations on page 513
XS_CENTER_LINE_TYPE
XS_DRAWING_PART_REFERENCE_LINE_TYPE
XS_DRAWING_POINT_SCALE

Indicating part orientation

Part orientation marks indicate the erection direction of assemblies and cast units. You can
indicate the part orientation by using part marks, by including compass direction in marks,
and showing orientation marks and connecting side marks.

See also
Mark location on page 486
Using part mark as an orientation mark in general arrangement drawings on page 516
Displaying compass direction in part marks on page 518
Displaying connecting side marks on page 520
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings on page 512

Using part mark as an orientation mark in general arrangement drawings

In general arrangement drawings, part marks appear at the same end as in assembly
drawings. Parts with the same assembly position are always marked at the same end.
To use the part marks as orientation marks in general arrangement drawings:
1. Select Drawings & Reports --> Drawings Settings --> Assembly Drawing .
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. In assembly drawing properties, click View creation --> Attributes and set the
Coordinate system to oriented or model.
You must use oriented or model if you want the Viewing direction settings in Tools -->
Options --> Options --> Orientation marks to have effect.
4. Click Save to save the properties and OK to close the dialog box.

Modifying drawing settings 516 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings
5. In the model, click Drawings & Reports --> Numbering --> Numbering Settings and
clear the Beam orientation and Column orientation check boxes.
When you do this, similar assemblies get the same number regardless of the part
orientation.
6. Go to Tools --> Options --> Options --> Orientation marks and set the following
options:
• Set the desired Viewing direction for beams, bracings and columns.
• Set Mark always to center of column in GA drawings to No.
• Set Preferred location for beams and bracings to Left or Right.
The preferred location determines the end where the mark is placed.
7. Click OK.
8. Check the leader line type through Drawings & Reports --> Drawings Settings -->
General Arrangement Drawing --> Part marks --> General .
Place the mark near the part end, not in the middle of the part using one of the following
settings:

9. Click Save to save the drawing properties and OK to close the dialog box.
10. Create assembly (and single-part) drawings using the settings you modified.
11. Create general arrangement drawings using the settings you modified.

NOTE In general arrangement drawings, the cast unit part marks behave in the same way as the
assembly part marks, except when Top in form face is set to Front or Back on the
Parameters tab of the part’s User-defined attributes dialog box. These settings tell the end
where the part mark is placed.
When you update an assembly drawing so that the mark is placed at the other end of the
part, remember to update the marks in the corresponding general arrangement drawing. Tekla
Structures does not do this automatically.

Example
The part mark is positioned at the stiffener side:

The marks are positioned at the same side irrespective of the orientation of the beams:

Modifying drawing settings 517 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings
See also
Mark location on page 486
Indicating part orientation on page 516

Displaying compass direction in part marks

You can include face direction information in part marks. No matter where you add or move
the mark, the face direction stays the same. The face direction indicates the compass
direction (North, East, South, West) of the face where the mark appears.
Limitation: Tekla Structures indicates the face direction only if it is the same for all
assemblies or cast units with the same assembly or cast unit position number.
To add face direction information for parts:
1. Check in which direction north is in the model by clicking Tools --> Options --> Options
--> Orientation marks and checking Project north.
2. In the model, click Drawings & Reports --> Numbering --> Numbering Settings and
select the Column orientation check box.
This forces Tekla Structures to show the face direction in the part mark for two similar
columns with different orientation.
3. In the desired assembly or cast unit drawing view properties, click Part mark and insert
the Face direction element in the part mark.

Modifying drawing settings 518 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings
Now the assembly or cast unit drawings show the face direction in the part marks.

See also
Indicating part orientation on page 516
Orientation settings on page 616

Displaying orientation marks (north marks)

You can use orientation marks or north marks to indicate the erection direction of
assemblies. The default orientation mark is a triangle inside a circle.
To display orientation marks for main parts:
1. In the assembly drawing properties, go to the desired view properties, click Part -->
Content and select the Orientation marks check box.
2. Save the view properties.
3. Click OK.
4. Save the assembly drawing properties and click OK.
5. If needed, define which parts Tekla Structures considers to be columns, braces or beams
by setting the skew limits through Tools --> Options --> Options --> Orientation
marks --> Skew limit .
6. Use the following advanced options to adjust orientation marks:
• XS_ORIENTATION_MARK_DIRECTION
• XS_ORIENTATION_MARK_MOVE_DIST_FOR_BEAMS
• XS_ORIENTATION_MARK_MOVE_DIST_FOR_COLUMNS
• XS_NORTH_MARK_SYMBOL
• XS_HIDDEN_NORTH_MARK_SYMBOL
• XS_NORTH_MARK_SCALE
• XS_GA_NORTH_MARK_SYMBOL (general arrangement drawings)

Modifying drawing settings 519 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings
 • XS_GA_HIDDEN_NORTH_MARK_SYMBOL (general arrangement drawings)
• XS_GA_NORTH_MARK_SCALE (general arrangement drawings)
7. Create the assembly drawing.

For different parts, Tekla Structures draws orientation marks in the following way:
• To the top flange of beams, at the end which points closest to the north or to the
direction defined in XS_ORIENTATION_MARK_DIRECTION (see part 1 and 2 in the
illustration below)
• To the lower end of columns, on the flange which points closest to the north or to the
direction defined in XS_ORIENTATION_MARK_DIRECTION (see part 4 in the
illustration below)
• To the flange of bracing, at the end which points closest to the north or to the direction
defined in XS_ORIENTATION_MARK_DIRECTION (see 3 A and B in the illustration
below)

TIP You can display orientation marks for single-part views included in assembly drawings by setting
the advanced option XS_SINGLE_ORIENTATION_MARK to TRUE.

See also
Indicating part orientation on page 516
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592

Displaying connecting side marks

You can use a symbol in assembly drawings to indicate the side of a part to which a
connecting part is attached.
To display connecting side marks:
1. Select Drawings & Reports --> Drawings Settings --> Assembly Drawing .
2. Load the properties that you want to change.

Modifying drawing settings 520 Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings
3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
4. Click Part.
5. On the Content tab, select the Connecting side marks check box.
6. Click Save to save the view properties.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

TIP If needed, you can change the connecting side mark symbol with the advanced option
XS_CONNECTING_SIDE_MARK_SYMBOL, and use
XS_MIN_DISTANCE_FOR_CONNECTING_SIDE_MARK to control whether the connecting
side mark is drawn or not.

See also
XS_CONNECTING_SIDE_MARK_SYMBOL
XS_MIN_DISTANCE_FOR_CONNECTING_SIDE_MARK
Indicating part orientation on page 516
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592

Modifying drawing settings 521 Automatic bolt settings in drawings

7.17 Automatic bolt settings in drawings
Bolts are connecting objects that fasten parts or assemblies or attach to them. There are
several ways to display bolts in drawings.

See also
Setting automatic bolt properties in drawings on page 522
Creating user-defined bolt symbols on page 522
Example: Bolt representations on page 523
Bolt content and appearance properties in drawings on page 595
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592

Setting automatic bolt properties in drawings

You can define what is shown in bolts and how the bolts are shown.
To define the automatic bolt content and appearance settings before creating the drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Bolts.
5. On the Content tab, select the bolt representation, bolt symbol content, and the visibility
of bolts in main parts.
For assembly and cast unit drawings, you can also set the visibility of bolts in secondary
parts and sub-assemblies.
6. On the Appearance tab, select the color of the bolts.
7. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Automatic bolt settings in drawings on page 521
Bolt content and appearance properties in drawings on page 595
Example: Bolt representations on page 523

Modifying drawing settings 522 Automatic bolt settings in drawings

Creating user-defined bolt symbols
You can create your own bolt symbols and use them in drawings. You only need to create
bolt symbols if you need different bolt symbols than the ones that you can find in Tekla
Structures.

To create bolt symbols in the Symbol Editor and take them into use in your drawing:
1. Save the symbol file ud_bolts.sym in the symbol folder (usually the folder..
\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments\common\symbols\).
2. Open Microsoft Notepad, or any text editor.
3. Create a text file consisting of lines in three columns:
• The first column contains the bolt assembly standard.
• The second contains the bolt diameter.
• The third column contains the name of the symbol file and the symbol number,
separated with the @ character.
Example of file contents:
7990 24 ud_bolts@1
7990 25 ud_bolts@2
Tekla Structures uses the user-defined symbol for bolts in drawings that have the
standard and diameter you define in this text file.
4. Save the file with the name bolt_symbol_table.txt.
5. Set the name of the file as a value for the advanced option
XS_USER_DEFINED_BOLT_SYMBOL_TABLE in Tools --> Options --> Advanced
Options --> Marking: Bolts as follows:
set
XS_USER_DEFINED_BOLT_SYMBOL_TABLE=bolt_symbol_table.txt
You can also enter a full path to the bolt definition file. Without the path Tekla
Structures searches for the file in the model, firm, project, and system directories.
6. To use your own bolt symbol, select Bolt --> Content --> Solid/Symbol --> User-
defined symbol in the drawing view properties dialog box.

See also
Automatic bolt settings in drawings on page 521

Modifying drawing settings 523 Automatic bolt settings in drawings

Example: Bolt representations
There are several representation options available for displaying bolts in drawings. You can
select the options from the Solid/symbol list. Here are some examples of different selections.

Setting Example
Solid

Exact Solid

Symbol

Symbol 2

Symbol 3

Modifying drawing settings 524 Automatic bolt settings in drawings

 See also
Automatic bolt settings in drawings on page 521
Bolt content and appearance properties in drawings on page 595

7.18 Automatic hatch patterns in drawings

Use hatching on part faces, sections or additional drawing objects, such as circles and
polygons, to show different materials. The hatch patterns are located in the
hatch_types1.pat file in the …\Tekla Structures\<version>
\environments\<environment>\inp folder. You can also use hatch patters on
surface treatment.
You can also add custom hatch patterns in the hatch_types1.pat file, see http://
teklastructures.support.tekla.com/en/support-articles/adding-custom-fill-patterns.

Modifying drawing settings 525 Automatic hatch patterns in drawings

See also
Adding automatic hatch patterns on drawing objects on page 526
Adding automatic surface treatment in drawings on page 530
Example: Insulation hatch patterns on page 528
Part and shape hatch pattern properties (.htc) on page 599
Surface treatment hatch pattern properties (surfacing.htc) on page 597
XS_HATCH_SPECIAL_COLOR_ACI

Adding automatic hatch patterns on drawing objects

You can add hatch patterns on parts, cross sections and shapes in a drawing.
There are some limitations in the hatch pattern background color usage:
• Background color does not work in conjunction with hardware hatches.
• The background color does not have any effect if there is an automatic hatch available.
The background color can only be changed if the automatic hatch is not defined for the
material type.
To add an automatic hatch pattern on a part before creating a drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Part and go to the Fill tab.
5. Select the hatch pattern from the Type list.
To preview the patterns, click the ... button next to the Type list.
You can also select the hatch pattern by double-clicking it in the Hatch window. If you
select Automatic, Tekla Structures uses the hatch patterns defined in the hatch pattern
schema (hatch pattern properties) file (.htc). Each drawing type has its own schema
file.
6. Define a color for the pattern in the Color box.
7. Define a background color for the hatch in the Background box.
You can define the background color only after selecting a hatch pattern first.
8. In Scale, select whether to use automatic or custom scaling and rotation for hatches.

Modifying drawing settings 526 Automatic hatch patterns in drawings

 If you select automatic scaling and rotation, Tekla Structures automatically scales the
hatch pattern to suit the profile size, and you do not need to edit each drawing manually.
If you select Custom scaling and rotation:
• Enter the scales in Scaling in direction x and Scaling in direction y, and select
whether to Keep the x and y ratio.
• Enter the angle of rotation in the Angle box. Angle 0.0 is for horizontal and 90.0
for vertical.
9. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
10. Click OK.
11. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

Limitations

Example
In the example below, the following hatch pattern options have been selected for sections:

Scale: Custom
Scaling in x direction: 0.25
Scaling in y direction: 0.50
Keep ratio of x and y is selected.
Angle: 10.00

Modifying drawing settings 527 Automatic hatch patterns in drawings

See also
Automatic part and neighbor part settings in drawings on page 512
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
Part and shape hatch pattern properties (.htc) on page 599
Automatic hatch patterns in drawings on page 525
XS_HATCH_SCALE_LIMIT
XS_HATCH_SPECIAL_COLOR_R
XS_HATCH_SEGMENT_BUFFER_SIZE
XS_HATCH_SPECIAL_COLOR_ACI

Example: Insulation hatch patterns

You can use the following fill types to represent insulation:
These hatch types can be scaled and rotated.

Modifying drawing settings 528 Automatic hatch patterns in drawings

 Hatch name Pattern
HARD_INS1

SOFT_INS

SOFT_INS2

Previewing patterns
To preview the scaled and rotated patterns, click the ... button next to the Type box.

See also
Automatic hatch patterns in drawings on page 525

Modifying drawing settings 529 Automatic surface treatment in drawings

7.19 Automatic surface treatment in drawings
You can add various types of surface treatment to steel and concrete parts in the Tekla
Structures model and display them in drawings.

The properties of the hatch patterns to use for each surface treatment type are defined in the
surfacing.htc file. Also the product_finishes.dat code file is needed listing all
surface treatment codes that are used in drawings and reports, for example, TS1 for Tile
Surface 1.

See also
Adding automatic surface treatment in drawings on page 530
Surface treatment visibility and content properties in drawings on page 596
Surface treatment hatch pattern properties (surfacing.htc) on page 597
Adding surface treatment

Adding automatic surface treatment in drawings

You can define what is shown in a surface treatment and how the surface treatment is
shown in drawings.
The hatch pattern Tekla Structures adds on the surface treatment depends on the type of the
surface treatment that you selected in the Surface Treatment Properties dialog box in the
model and the hatch properties defined in the surface treatment hatch pattern properties file
surfacing.htc.
To add the automatic surface treatment before you create a drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.

Modifying drawing settings 530 Automatic surface treatment in drawings

 3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Surface treatment.
5. On the Contents tab, select the surface treatment representation, and whether to show
the surface treatment pattern, hidden lines, and own hidden lines.
6. On the Appearance tab, select the color and type of visible and hidden lines.
7. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Automatic surface treatment in drawings on page 529
Surface treatment visibility and content properties in drawings on page 596
Surface treatment hatch pattern properties (surfacing.htc) on page 597
Automatic hatch patterns in drawings on page 525

7.20 Automatic weld settings in drawings

You can define automatic weld settings to be used in a drawing before you create a drawing.
You can modify the settings after you have created the drawing.

See also
Weld concepts on page 211
Examples: Model welds in drawings on page 212
Welding properties on page 612

Setting automatic weld properties in drawings

To set the automatic weld properties before creating a drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Single-part and assembly drawings: Click View creation, select the view and the
properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Weld.
5. On the Content page, define the visibility settings.

Modifying drawing settings 531 Automatic weld settings in drawings

 6. Enter a weld size to filter welds of that size out of the drawing.
This is useful when you only want to show non-typical welds in a drawing.
To set whether the weld size is an exact or minimum value, use the advanced option
XS_WELD_FILTER_TYPE.
To filter out a standard weld type, use the advanced option
XS_OMITTED_WELD_TYPE.
7. On the Appearance tab, modify the color and line as required.
8. Single-part and assembly drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
9. Click OK.
10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

See also
Welding properties on page 612
Model weld mark visibility and appearance properties in drawings on page 580

7.21 Automatic reinforcement and mesh settings in drawings

There are numerous ways of showing reinforcing bars and meshes in drawings. You can
define automatic reinforcement and mesh settings before you create the drawing, and adjust
the settings in an open drawing. In addition to modifying the properties available in the
properties dialog box, you can also modify the bending schedules, rounding of bar
dimensions, symbols in use, and reinforcement appearance in the rebar_config.inp
settings file.

See also
Setting automatic reinforcement and reinforcement mesh properties on page 532
Example: Hiding reinforcing bar lines in drawings on page 533
Example: Reinforcement representations on page 534
Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh properties in drawings on page 601
Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp) on page 603
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592

Setting automatic reinforcement and reinforcement mesh properties

You can define what is shown in reinforcing bars and meshes and how they are shown in cast
unit and general arrangement drawings. You can also do this for neighbor reinforcement.
To set automatic reinforcement and mesh properties before creating a drawing:

Modifying drawing settings 532 Automatic reinforcement and mesh settings in drawings
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Reinforcement (or Neighbor reinforcement).
5. On the Bar content tab, set the bar representation, bar end symbols, and the visibility of
bars and lines.
6. On the Bar appearance tab, select the color and type of the visible lines and hidden lines.
7. On the Mesh content tab, set the mesh representation, mesh symbols, and the visibility
of meshes, wires, bars and lines.
8. On the Mesh appearance tab, select the color and type of the visible lines and hidden
lines.
9. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
10. Click OK.
11. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

TIP The representation of reinforcing bars that point away from the drawing is changeable. You can
customize reinforcing bar bent symbols (cross, circle, filled circle) by editing the symbol file
bent.sym, which in the default environment is located in the folder ..\ProgramData
\Tekla Structures\<version>\\environments\common\symbols. Or, you
can create a new symbol file in the same folder, for example, my_new_symbols.sym, and
take it into use in the rebar_config.inp by entering the following string:
BentSymbolFile=my_new_symbols.sym in the file.

See also
Automatic reinforcement and mesh settings in drawings on page 532
Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh properties in drawings on page 601
Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp) on page 603

Modifying drawing settings 533 Automatic reinforcement and mesh settings in drawings
Example: Hiding reinforcing bar lines in drawings
You can hide reinforcement bar lines behind other reinforcing bars and behind parts in cast
unit drawings.

Here are some examples of what reinforcing bars look like with different settings selected on
the Bar content tab in Reinforcement or Neighbor Reinforcement properties.

Setting Description
Hide lines behind parts is
selected. The reinforcing bar
lines are hidden behind other
parts.

Hide lines behind other

rebars is selected. The
reinforcing bar lines are
hidden behind other
reinforcing bar lines.

See also
Setting automatic reinforcement and reinforcement mesh properties on page 532
Automatic reinforcement and mesh settings in drawings on page 532

Modifying drawing settings 534 Automatic reinforcement and mesh settings in drawings
Example: Reinforcement representations
Here are examples of how the reinforcement will look with the different representation
options selected on the Bar content tab in Reinforcement or Neighbor Reinforcement
properties.

Setting Example
single line

double line

double lines with filled ends

filled line

stick

outline

See also
Automatic reinforcement and mesh settings in drawings on page 532
Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh properties in drawings on page 601

Modifying drawing settings 535 Units and decimals in drawings, reports and templates
7.22 Units and decimals in drawings, reports and templates
Unit settings used in drawing objects, and reports and templates created in Template Editor
are taken from different places. These settings include, for example, the used unit and the
number of decimals.

In drawings, reports and templates, the units and decimals are defined in the following way:
• Unit settings for marks: Tekla Structures uses the
contentattributes_global.lst attributes file for setting the default unit
settings for various mark elements.

For more information about unit settings in marks, see Unit settings for marks on page
495.
For more information about the contentattributes_global.lst file, see
Template attribute files.
• Unit settings for drawing objects: Default unit settings for drawing objects (other than
marks) either come from the standard drawing properties files (standard.*) or are
hardcoded in Tekla Structures.
• Unit settings for dimensions in dimension tags: Default unit settings for dimension
tags are defined in the Options dialog box on the Drawing dimensions page.
• Unit settings for reports/templates created with Template Editor: Unit settings for
reports and templates created in Template Editor are defined in the Value Field
Properties dialog box or in format functions.

Modifying drawing settings 536 Units and decimals in drawings, reports and templates
7.23 User-defined attributes in drawings
Many Tekla Structures dialog boxes contain user-defined attributes for various objects. The
definitions of a user-defined attribute are unique, which means that a user-defined attribute
cannot have different definitions for different object types.
In drawings, the user-defined attributes can be used in templates, Drawing List, and marks,
for example. The user-defined attributes defined in the drawing are displayed when you click
User-defined attributes in the drawing properties dialog box. You can show up to 20 user-
defined attributes in the Drawing List. To check the ones that you have, click User-defined
attributes in a drawing properties dialog box.
To define new user-defined attributes, create your own objects.inp file in the company,
project or firm folder. After adding your own user-defined attributes, you need to use the
Diagnose & Change Attribute Definitions tool to update the definitions in the model. The
object.inp files are merged so that if there are user-defined attributes in any of the files,
they are displayed in the user interface. Tekla Structures merges the files in a way that
eliminates duplicate attributes. If Tekla Structures encounters the same attribute name in
different objects.inp files, the attribute from the first read objects.inp file will be
used.
Tekla Structures reads the objects.inp files from the following folders in the following
order:
1. model folder
2. company folder
3. project folder
4. firm folder
5. system folder
6. inp folder
In order to show the new user-defined attribute in Template Editor, you need to add it in a
customized contentattributes_userdefine.lst file and include the name of
the customized file in the contentattributes.lst file.
Make a copy of these modified files as the Tekla Structures installation always overwrites
these files.

See also
Modifying automatic user-defined drawing attributes on page 538
Creating new user-defined drawing attributes on page 539

Modifying drawing settings 537 User-defined attributes in drawings

Adding user-defined attributes and template attributes in marks on page 499
What is displayed in the Drawing List on page 106
Switches for customizing print file names on page 306
Objects.inp properties

Modifying automatic user-defined drawing attributes

To modify user-defined drawing attributes before creating a drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click User-defined attributes.
4. On the Workflow tab, enter project-specific information to be displayed in drawings and
in the Drawing List.
5. On the Parameters tab, enter a user-defined Comment for drawings, projects, assemblies,
parts, and so on.
6. Use the User field 1 to User field 8 on the Parameters tab to enter drawing-specific
information.
7. On the Title tab, select if you want to use project-specific or drawing-specific
information in the title block of the drawing.
When you click Use project settings, you cannot enter any information in the title block
fields.
8. If you selected Use drawing settings, the title block fields become available, and you can
enter the necessary data in the fields.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.

TIP • You can control whether the modifications in user-defined attributes affect all
selected drawings in the Drawing List at the same time, even if the drawings are
of different types by using the advanced option
XS_DRAWING_UDAS_MODIFY_ALL_DRAWING_TYPES.

See also
Customizing user-defined attributes
XS_DRAWING_UDAS_MODIFY_ALL_DRAWING_TYPES
Location of certain files in hidden folders
User-defined attributes in drawings on page 537
Creating new user-defined drawing attributes on page 539

Modifying drawing settings 538 User-defined attributes in drawings

Creating new user-defined drawing attributes
If you want to add a new line in the user-defined drawing attributes dialog box and a new
column in the Drawing List, you need to create your own objects.inp and add a new
user-defined attribute there. You also need to do this if you want the user-defined attribute
to be available in the Template Editor.
Before you start, close Tekla Structures.
To create a new user-defined attribute:
1. Open the objects.inp file located in ..\ProgramData\Tekla Structures
\<version>\environments\common\inp.
2. Save the objects.inp file in your model, project or firm folder.
3. Delete all user-defined attribute definitions from the objects.inp file, except the
property definitions in the beginning of the file that describe the properties, and the
sections that define the new tab to different drawing types. Also leave one property
definition in section User-defined attributes for objects that you can use as a template
for the new property.
4. Enter the name of the tab page where you want the new user-defined attributes to be
located and the attribute properties.
Do not enter the names of the tab pages that come with the installation, use a new one
instead.
5. To show the user-defined attribute in the Drawing List and in the user-defined attributes
dialog box, set status_flag to yes.

6. Define the drawing types where you want to use the new tab containing the new user-
defined attribute.

Modifying drawing settings 539 User-defined attributes in drawings

7. Save and close the file.
8. Update the definitions of the user-defined attributes:
a. Click Tools --> Diagnose & Repair Model --> Diagnose & Change Attribute
Definitions .
The Diagnose & Change Attribute Definitions dialog box is displayed.

b. If there are conflicts between your objects.inp and the default

objects.inp, select the definition in the area on the right and click Change
current settings to selected objects.inp settings.
The definition of the user-defined attribute is updated in the model.
9. Select Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and a drawing type.
In this example, select General Arrangement Drawing.
10. Click User-defined attributes.

Modifying drawing settings 540 User-defined attributes in drawings

 The user-defined drawing attributes dialog box of the general arrangement drawing
shows the new tab.

11. Use Save as to save the properties for future use.

12. Click OK and create a general arrangement drawing.
13. Right-click the created drawing in the Drawing List and select User-defined Attributes.
14. Go to My tab and enter the name of the designer in the Designed By box.
15. Click Modify and close the dialog box.
The Drawing List contains the new user-defined attribute, and the name of the designer
is displayed.

See also
User-defined attributes in drawings on page 537

7.24 Defining a firm folder for images and symbols

You can define a firm folder where Tekla Structures always searches for the images and
symbols. When you store the images and symbols in this folder, you do not have to move

Modifying drawing settings 541 Defining a firm folder for images and symbols
 them from folder to folder when you install a new version of Tekla Structures. Installing a
new version does not replace the files in the firm folder.
Define the firm folder in the options.ini file under the model folder or user.ini
using the advanced option XS_FIRM.
To define the firm folder for images and symbols in the options.ini file:
1. Modify the options.ini file to include the advanced option DXK_SYMBOLPATH
that points to the firm folder.
The advanced option DXK_SYMBOLPATH may contain multiple paths separated by
semicolons.
Since Tekla Structures version 19.0, the folder path definitions like %DATADIR% or
%XS_FIRM% in DXK_SYMBOLPATH have not converted the paths correctly when used
in options.ini located in the firm folder. However, these definitions work correctly if
used in user.ini. Currently you need to write the absolute paths for
DXK_SYMBOLPATH in options.ini in the firm folder, like in the example below:
DXK_SYMBOLPATH=C:\TeklaStructures\21.0\environments\common
\symbols\;C:\firm\Symbols\;
2. In Template Editor, click Options --> Preferences --> File Locations and enter the path
to the firm folder also for Symbols, pictures.

See also
Symbols in drawings on page 243
DXK_SYMBOLPATH

7.25 Defining customized line types

You can define your own line types, and use them wherever line type settings are available.
The customized line types are handled the same way as other line types. The customized line
types are defined in the TeklaStuctures.lin file in ..\ProgramData\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\inp. By default, the most
widely used line types are available in the file.
To define your own line types in the TeklaStuctures.lin file:
1. Start every line with the letter A to indicate the beginning of the line type pattern.
You can use three different objects: dashes, dots and spaces to form a line.
2. Define the length of a dash (-) using positive numbers.
3. Define the length of a a space ( ) using negative numbers.
4. Define dots (.) using the number zero (0).
The patterns must begin with a dash. They typically end with a space, although the space
in the end is not required.

Modifying drawing settings 542 Defining customized line types

5. After you have defined the line type pattern, press Enter.

The TeklaStructures.lin.id file contains the names of the line types visible in the
user interface and the unique IDs assigned for each line type. The value of the ID must be
greater than 10, for example:
CENTER, 1000
BORDER, 1002
DASHDOT, 1003
You can use TeklaStructures.lin also in mapping the exported line types.

Example
Line type definition for DASHDOT: A, 12.7, -6.35, 0, -6.35 means that the
pattern starts with a dash with the length of 12.7 units, followed by a space with the
length of 6.35 units, then a dot, and then again a space with the length of 6.35 units.
Then the first dash is drawn again.

NOTE If you add new customized line types, you need to add corresponding bitmaps to the ..
\ProgramData\Tekla Structures\<version>\bitmaps folder, and name
them dr_line_type_*.bmp, for example dr_line_type_CENTER.bmp.

See also

Drawing shape properties on page 613

Modifying drawing settings 543 Defining customized line types

8 Drawing settings

There are a lot of settings in Tekla Structures that you mainly control in the properties dialog
boxes. There are also some additional settings files that you need.
Click the links below to find out more:
• General arrangement drawing properties on page 544
• Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties on page 548
• Layout properties on page 549
• View properties in drawings on page 551
• Section view properties on page 555
• Dimension and dimensioning properties on page 556
• Mark properties on page 573
• Mark elements on page 583
• Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
• Bolt content and appearance properties in drawings on page 595
• Surface treatment visibility and content properties in drawings on page 596
• Surface treatment hatch pattern properties (surfacing.htc) on page 597
• Part and shape hatch pattern properties (.htc) on page 599
• Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh properties in drawings on page 601
• Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp) on page 603
• Placement properties for annotation objects on page 612
• Welding properties on page 612
• Drawing shape properties on page 613
• Drawing grid properties on page 615
• Orientation settings on page 616

Drawing settings 544 General arrangement drawing properties

8.1 General arrangement drawing properties
Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> General Arrangement Drawing . You
can modify the properties after creating the drawing by double-clicking the drawing
background.

The options in the general arrangement drawing properties dialog box are described below.

Option Description For more information

Name The name of the drawing. This
name is shown in the Drawing List,
and can be included in drawing and
report templates.
Title 1, Title 2, Titles are shown in the Drawing Giving titles to drawings on page
Title 3 List and in drawing and report 118
templates.
Use detailed Set to Yes to use the detailed Detailed object level settings on
object level object level settings created in the page 331
settings Object level settings for general
arrangement drawings dialog box.
Layout Select the drawing layout and Drawing layout on page 339
define drawing sizes. You can also
Drawing size and drawing view
select whether you want to list
scale on page 354
hidden objects in templates.
View Define view properties: scale, View properties in drawings on
neighbor part view extension, page 551
reflected view, opening and recess
symbol, datum point elevation, part
shortening, view label, and anchor
bolt plan settings.
Detail view Define detail view properties: view Modifying detail properties on page
label, detail boundary and detail 144
mark settings.
Dimension Define dimension properties: Dimension and dimensioning
dimension type, units, precision, properties on page 556
format, placing, and appearance.
Dimensioning Define dimensioning properties: Dimension and dimensioning
grid dimension and part dimension properties on page 556
settings.
Part dimensioning properties (GA
drawings) on page 572
Grid and overall dimensioning
properties (GA drawings) on page
571

Drawing settings 545 General arrangement drawing properties

 Option Description For more information
Part mark Define mark properties: included Mark properties on page 573
elements and element settings, and
Bolt mark Part and neighbor part properties in
mark visibility, mark frame, mark
drawings on page 592
Neighbor part leader line and placing settings.
mark Drawing weld mark properties on
page 578
Surface
treatment mark Mark appearance and merging
properties on page 573
Weld mark
Model weld mark visibility and
Reinforcement
appearance properties in drawings
marks
on page 580
Neighbor
Mark elements on page 583
reinforcement
marks Pours in drawings on page 236
Connection
mark
Pour object
mark
Part Define part properties: part Part and neighbor part properties in
representation, hidden line, center drawings on page 592
line and reference line visibility,
additional mark visibility, part
appearance, and fill settings.
Bolt Define bolt properties: bolt Bolt content and appearance
representation, bolt symbol properties in drawings on page
content, bolt visibility, and bolt 595
appearance settings.
Neighbor part Define neighbor part properties: Part and neighbor part properties in
visibility, part representation, drawings on page 592
hidden line, center line and
reference line visibility, additional
mark visibility, and part appearance
settings. You can also define bolt
representation and bolt symbol
content settings for neighbor parts.
Surface Define surface treatment Surface treatment visibility and
treatment properties: surface treatment content properties in drawings on
visibility, pattern visibility, hidden page 596
lines visibility and surface
treatment representation settings.
Weld Define welding properties: weld Welding properties on page 612
visibility, weld size limit and weld
appearance settings.

Drawing settings 546 General arrangement drawing properties

 Option Description For more information
Reinforcement Define reinforcement and mesh Reinforcement/Neighbor
properties: bar and mesh reinforcement and mesh properties
representation and visibility, bar in drawings on page 601
and mesh symbol, and bar and
mesh appearance settings.
Neighbor Define neighbor reinforcement and Reinforcement/Neighbor
reinforcement mesh properties: bar and mesh reinforcement and mesh properties
representation and visibility, bar in drawings on page 601
and mesh symbol, and bar and
mesh appearance settings.
Reference Define reference object visibility Setting automatic reference model
objects and appearance settings. properties in drawings on page 234
Grid Define grid visibility and Drawing grid properties on page
appearance settings. 615
Protection Define protected areas to prevent Protecting areas in drawings on
text, marks or dimensions from page 360
being placed there.
Filter and Create and modify part filters/ Creating drawing filters
Neighbor part neighbor part filters on drawing
filter level.
User-defined Add customized information to a User-defined attributes in drawings
attributes drawing, such as information on page 537
related to workflow, and comments.
This information can be displayed in
the Drawing List, and you can use
it in report and drawing templates,
marks, and as switches when
customizing print file names.
The user-defined attributes and
tabs shown in this dialog box are
defined in the objects.inp file.
The drawing user-defined attributes
dialog box in the default
environment contains three tabs:
Workflow, Parameters, and Title.
On the Title tab you can select if
you want to use project-specific or
drawing-specific information in the
title block of the drawing. When
you select Use project settings,
you cannot enter any information
in the title block fields.

Drawing settings 547 General arrangement drawing properties

8.2 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties
Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type. You can
modify the properties after creating the drawing by double-clicking the drawing background.

The options in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties dialog box are
described below.

Option Description For more information

Name Define the name of the drawing
that is shown in the Drawing List,
and can be included in drawing and
report templates.
Cast unit By cast unit position: A drawing
definition will be created from each cast unit.
method If there are identical cast units, one
of them will serve as the base cast
unit for the drawing. This is the
most common method for creating
cast unit drawings.
By cast unit ID: Each part in the
model includes a unique ID number.
You can create drawings by using
cast unit ID numbers. The ID
number determines the marking of
the drawing. You can create several
drawings from identical cast units.
Title 1, Title 2, Define titles that are shown in the Giving titles to drawings on page
Title 3 Drawing List and can be included 118
in drawing and report templates.
Sheet number Used for creating several drawings Creating multiple drawing sheets
of the same part as multiple using drawing properties on page
drawing sheets. The number of 77
sheets is not limited.
Layout Select the drawing layout, and Drawing layout on page 339
define drawing sizes, autoscale,
Drawing size and drawing view
projection type, view alignment and
scale on page 354
part expansion settings. You can
also select whether you want to list
hidden objects in templates.
View creation Define the drawing views to be View properties in drawings on
created. From here you can move page 551
on to modifying the view properties
for each view.

Drawing settings 548 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties
 Option Description For more information
Section view Define section view properties. Section view properties on page
555
Detail view Define the start number or letter of Modifying detail properties on page
the detail view and detail symbol 144
label.
Protection Define protected areas to prevent Protecting areas in drawings on
text, marks or dimensions from page 360
being placed there.
User-defined Add customized information to a User-defined attributes in drawings
attributes drawing, such as information on page 537
related to workflow, and comments.
This information can be displayed in
the Drawing List, and you can use
it in report and drawing templates,
marks, and as switches when
customizing print file names.
The user-defined attributes and
tabs shown in this dialog box are
defined in the objects.inp file.
The drawing user-defined attributes
dialog box in the default
environment contains three tabs:
Workflow, Parameters, and Title.
On the Title tab you can select if
you want to use project-specific or
drawing-specific information in the
title block of the drawing. When
you select Use project settings,
you cannot enter any information
in the title block fields.

8.3 Layout properties

Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type. Then click
Layout. You can modify the properties after creating the drawing by double-clicking the
drawing background.

All options in all layout property panels and dialog boxes are described below. All the
described options are not available for all drawing types.

Option Description
Drawing size tab

Drawing settings 549 Layout properties

 Option Description
Layout Define the layout that you want to use.
List hidden objects in Select Yes to list hidden objects in templates. No removes all
templates information about the hidden parts, also from the total
weight.
Size definition mode Select Autosize if you want to let Tekla Structures find
appropriate sizes and table layouts for drawings. Select
Specified size to specify the exact size for the drawing. The
drawing size should always be smaller than the actual paper
size to accommodate printer margins.
Autosize: Use The fixed sizes and calculated sizes are both defined in the
Drawing layout properties:
Fixed sizes: Use this when you want Tekla Structures to use
fixed drawing sizes A2, A3, A4, etc.
Calculated sizes: Use this when you want to define the rules
that Tekla Structures follows when it tries to adjust the
drawing size.
Calculated/fixed sizes: Use this when you want Tekla
Structures to select the smallest of the suitable sizes.
Drawing size If you selected Specified size, define the drawing size here.
Table layout If you selected Specified size, define the table layout to be
used.
Scale tab
Autoscale Set Autoscale to Yes to let Tekla Structures automatically
select the suitable scale for the drawing view.
Main view scales When you use autoscaling, enter the denominators of main
view and section view scales and separate them with spaces.
Section view scales
For example, enter "5 10 15 20" for the scales 1/5, 1/10,
1/15, and 1/20
Scale change mode When you use autoscaling, set the scale change mode which
defines the relationship between the scales of main and
section views within a drawing:
main = section: The scales of the main and section view are
equal.
main < section: Main view scales are smaller than section
view scales.
main <= section: Main view scales are smaller than or
equal to section view scales
Preferred size Enter the preferred size of the drawing, if you use both
autosizing and autoscaling. Tekla Structures tries to find a
drawing size where the drawing contents fit by first trying to
use the exact scale and the smallest drawing size. If the

Drawing settings 550 Layout properties

 Option Description
contents do not fit, Tekla Structures increases the drawing
size until it reaches the preferred size.
Other tab
Projection type Define how Tekla Structures places the projections of a part
in cast unit, single-part, and assembly drawings. Projection
type affects the order of the views in the drawing. The
options are:
First angle , also referred to as the European projection.
Third angle, also referred to as the American projection.
Align section views with Set to Yes to place the views next to the main view.
main view
If you select No, Tekla Structures places the section and end
Align end views with main views in any available location.
view.
Expand shortened parts to Set to Yes to stretch shortened views to fill up empty areas
fit of the drawing.
Include single parts Set to Yes to include in assembly drawings the single-part
drawings of the individual parts that make the assembly.
Setting this to Yes, activates the Single-part attributes
option.
Single-part attributes Define the desired single-part drawing properties to be used
in the single-part view. To do this, set Include single parts
to Yes.

See also
Drawing size and drawing view scale on page 354
Drawing layout on page 339
Setting the view projection type on page 369
Setting the location of end views and section views on page 394
Lengthening shortened parts in drawing views on page 384
Including single-part drawings in assembly drawings on page 370

8.4 View properties in drawings

Use the View Properties dialog box to view and modify the drawing view properties.
The table below describes all view level properties for all drawing types.

Option Description
Drawing Properties --> View creation panel: Views tab

Drawing settings 551 View properties in drawings

 Option Description
View type on/off Defines the main views, section views and 3D views that you want to
create.
• If you select off, Tekla Structures does not create the view, but
dimensions the parts in the available views. If you set all four main
views off, Tekla Structures will still create a front view.
• If you select on, Tekla Structures always creates the view, even if it
was not necessary in order to show the dimensions. For section views,
Tekla Structures creates one additional section view showing the
middle of the main part. For end views, Tekla Structures creates end
view from one end of the main part.
• If you select auto, Tekla Structures creates the view if it is necessary
in order to show the dimensions. For section views, Tekla Structures
creates the necessary number of views to show all the dimensions. For
end views, Tekla Structures also creates another end view from the
other end of the main part, if there are dimensions at that end.
View label Shows the view label set in view properties. If the label is defined in view
properties, you can change it here. You can always change the label of the
main views.
View properties Shows the current view properties for the view. You can select another
view properties file from the list and modify the view properties by
clicking View properties.
Drawing PropertiesView creation: Attributes tab
These settings are drawing-specific.
Coordinate system Sets the coordinate system of the drawing views. The options are: local,
model, oriented, horizontal brace, vertical brace, and fixed.
For more information, see Changing the coordinate system on page 372.
Rotate coordinate Rotates the view around the x, y, or z axis of the parts using the entered
system Around X, values.
Around Y and
For more information, see Rotating parts in drawing views on page 374.
Around Z
Unfolded Yes shows and dimensions the bend lines in the drawing.
For more information, see Unfolding polybeams in drawings on page 385.
Undeformed Yes undeforms deformed parts and shows the developed (undeformed)
shape of the deformed parts in drawings.
For more information, see Undeforming deformed parts in drawings on
page 386.
Recreate the Yes recreates the drawing.
drawing
View properties dialog box: Attributes 1 and Attributes 2 tabs (Attributes and Shortening tabs
in general arrangement drawings)
Scale Sets the view scale.

Drawing settings 552 View properties in drawings

 Option Description
Reflected view Displays load bearing structures, such as columns and beams on a lower
floor.
Yes displays structures with a continuous line, and No displays them with
a dashed line.
Rotation around (in Modify the view angle of 3D views. Enter the values for the angles in y
3D views) and x directions. Rotation in a drawing view is around the local axis.
Value 0.0 for both equals the front view.
Size Fit by parts: Tekla Structures fits the view contents in the drawing view
frame without leaving any unnecessary space.
Define as distances: The x and y boxes define the view size along the x
and y axes of the view. The depth boxes define the depth of the view
relative to, and perpendicular to the view plane.
View extension for Sets the distance from the drawing view to display neighboring parts.
neighbor parts
For more information, see Showing neighbor parts in views on page 379.
Use detailed object Allows you to create and apply object level settings.
level settings
For more information, see Detailed object level settings on page 331
Place Set the placing for the drawing view to be fixed or free:
• Fixed: Maintain the views in the same location during updates.
• Free: Let Tekla Structures find a suitable place for the view during
updates.
For more information, see Defining automatic free or fixed placement of
drawing views on page 363.
Undeformed Yes undeforms deformed parts and shows the developed (undeformed)
shape of the deformed parts in drawing views.
For more information, see Undeforming deformed parts in drawings on
page 386.
Shortening If parts are very long and do not include any details, you can shorten
them:
• Cut parts Yes activates shortening. You can also select to cut Only in
x direction or Only in y direction.
• Minimum cut part length defines the minimum length of the
shortened part to show.
• Space between cut parts defines the distance between cut parts.
• Cut skew parts: Yes cuts skew parts.
For more information, see Shortening parts in drawing views on page 382.
Show openings/ Yes shows symbols in openings and recesses.
recess symbol
For more information, see Showing part openings and recesses in
drawings on page 387.

Drawing settings 553 View properties in drawings

 Option Description
Datum point for Specified uses the entered value.
elevations
View plane measures reference points relative to the view plane.
For more information, see Adding elevation dimensions on page 430.
Show pours in Yes shows pours in drawings. For more information, see Showing pour
drawings objects, pour marks and pour breaks in drawings on page 238.
Dimension creation Clones the dimensions separately for the selected view only. Using this
method in this view option affects the creation of the dimensions during cloning and re-
dimensioning of existing drawings.
For more information, see View-specific dimension cloning on page 99.
Labels tab
Text Defines the view label text. Enter text in fields A1 - A5, or click the ...
buttons and select the label mark contents and appearance.
For more information about view labels, see Defining view labels and view
label marks on page 367
Symbol Defines a symbol to be used in the view label, and the color, size, and line
length of the symbol.
Label position Defines the vertical and horizontal position of the view label:
• Vertical: Select Above or Below.
• Horizontal: Select Center by view frame or Center by restriction
box.
View direction Shows or hides the view direction marks and defines the mark height.
marks
Anchor bolt plan (general arrangement drawings only)
Show as anchor bolt Yes shows the general arrangement drawing as an anchor bolt plan.
plan
For more information, see Creating anchor bolt plans using saved settings
on page 60
Enlarged part view Defines the scale used in the enlarged part views.
scale
Create detail views Yes creates separate detail views.
If you select No, Tekla Structures dimensions the anchor bolts in the
enlarged view. Tekla Structures groups similar detail views so that similar
details are drawn only once.
Detail view scale Defines the scale used in the anchor bolt plan detail views.

See also
Automatic drawing views on page 364
Drawing size and drawing view scale on page 354

Drawing settings 554 View properties in drawings

 Defining the views to create in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings on page 365
Defining automatic view settings for general arrangement drawings on page 366

8.5 Section view properties

When you create automatic section views, Tekla Structures creates section views and section
marks using the current properties.

Option Description
Attributes tab
Section depth Defines the positive and negative distances of
the section view when views are not combined.
Distance for combining cuts Defines the distance range for combining cut
views.
Direction Define the view direction of the section. The
options are:
• Right section
• Middle section
• Left section
The available values are left or right.
Cutting line
Line Length and offset of the cutting line.
Properties Color of the cutting line.
Section mark
Text Defines the text on the section mark. Click
the ... buttons next to the text boxes to open
the Mark Contents dialog box.
Symbol: Color Color of the section mark symbol.
Left symbol, Right symbol Left and right section mark symbol.
Size Size of the section mark symbol.
x/y Offset of the section mark symbol.

See also
View properties in drawings on page 551
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357
Automatic drawing views on page 364
Defining the views to create in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings on page 365

Drawing settings 555 Section view properties

 Creating a section view on page 120

8.6 Dimension and dimensioning properties

In single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings, automatic dimensioning properties are set
separately for each view you create in the Dimensioning Rule Properties dialog box. For
Integrated dimensioning type, they are set in the Dimensioning Properties dialog box. In
general arrangement drawings, dimensions can be set both on drawing and view level in the
Dimension Properties and Dimensioning Properties dialog boxes.

See also
• Dimensioning rule properties on page 409
• General dimension properties on page 556
• Dimension format, precision and unit properties on page 558
• Dimension appearance properties on page 560
• Dimension mark and dimension tag properties on page 560
• General dimensioning properties on page 562
• Part dimensioning properties on page 566
• Position dimensioning properties on page 565
• Bolt dimensioning properties on page 568
• Dimension grouping properties on page 569
• Sub-assembly dimensioning properties on page 570
• Reinforcement dimensioning properties on page 570
• Grid and overall dimensioning properties (GA drawings) on page 571
• Part dimensioning properties (GA drawings) on page 572

General dimension properties

Use the General tab in the Dimension Properties dialog box to view and modify the format,
type, unit, precision, extension line, grouping and placing settings of the dimensions.
The drawing level Dimension Properties dialog box and object level Dimension Properties
dialog box contents differ. The table below contains all options for both dialog boxes.

Option Description
Dimension types: Sets the dimension type for straight dimensions.
Straight

Drawing settings 556 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Description
Relative: Point to point dimensions.

Absolute: Dimensions from a common start point.

Relative and absolute: Combination of point to point and common

start point.
US absolute: Dimensions from a common start point, which include
a running dimension mark (RD).
US absolute 2: Similar to US absolute, but it changes short
dimensions to relative.
Absolute plus short relatives: Similar to Absolute, but it changes
short dimensions to relative. Also called internal absolute. This option
may show both dimensions, but it does not show relative dimensions
when dimensions are long. This option shows the absolute
dimensions inside the dimension lines.
Absolute plus all relatives above the absolutes: Similar to Relative
and absolute, but it places the relative dimensions above the
absolute.
Elevation: Creates an elevation dimension at a picked point. This
type is only available in the dimension properties of manual
dimensions in drawing mode.
Dimension types: In x As above, but overrides the straight setting for horizontal dimensions.
direction If you use the blank option, Tekla Structures uses the Straight option
settings. The x direction usually means dimensions parallel to the
drawing x axis.
Angle Defines the appearance of angle dimensions.
Shows the angle dimensions in degrees on side.

Shows the angle dimensions in degrees at angle vertex.

Shows the angle dimensions using a triangle.
You can also set the Triangle base length to control the base
dimension shown for bevel dimensions.
Shows the angle dimensions using a triangle with degrees.
Triangle base length The base length of a triangle.
Curved Defines whether to use angle units or length for curved dimensions.
This setting can only be adjusted in drawing mode.
Short extension line Defines whether Tekla Structures should create extension lines all of
the same length or use the short extension line automatically if the
dimension line falls on a grid line.
Units Defines the units used in dimensioning.
Precision Defines dimension precision: rounding, imperial units.

Drawing settings 557 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Description
Format Defines the number of decimals and their appearance.
Use grouping Defines the appearance of large dimension values.
Combine equal Combines equal dimensions. The choices are None, 3*60 or
dimensions 3*60=180.
The accuracy of combining equal dimensions is 0.1.
Minimum number to Defines the minimum number of dimensions to combine.
combine
Dimension line spacing Defines the space between parallel dimension lines.
In manually created dimensions, this setting works only if dimension
Placing is set to Free, see below.
Short dimensions Defines the text location of short dimensions: between or outside the
dimension lines.
Place Search margin is the farthest distance Tekla Structures uses when
searching for an empty space for the dimension.
Minimal distance is the closest distance Tekla Structures uses to
search for an empty space for a dimension.
Direction is the side on which Tekla Structures places dimensions
(relative to the object being dimensioned). This option is available
only for manual dimensions.
Placing is the method used to place dimension. This option is
available only for manual dimensions. The choices are:
• Free lets Tekla Structures to decide the location and direction of
the dimension based on the Direction settings.
• Fixed allows you to place the dimension at any point.

See also
Dimension format, precision and unit properties on page 558
XS_DIMENSION_DECIMAL_SEPARATOR
XS_ANGLE_DIMENSION_SYMBOL_SIZE_FACTOR

Dimension format, precision and unit properties

Use the General tab of the Dimensions dialog box to view and modify properties related to
dimension format.
The integer values are provided for situations like when you need to use the value in an
advanced option.

Drawing settings 558 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Integer Notes
value
Format
### 0
###[.#] 1
###.# 2
###[.##] 3
###.## 4
###[.###] 5
###.### 6
### #/# 7
## # /##.## # 8 This option is available only for
straight dimensions.
Precision
0.00 1 For defining precision with rounding.
0.50 2 For example, with precision 0.33 the
actual dimension 50.40 is shown as
0.33 3 50.33.
0.25 4
1/8 5 For imperial units
1/16 6
1/32 7
1/10 8 For defining precision without
1/100 9 rounding
1/1000 10
Units
automatic Uses the units defined in the model
mm millimeters
cm centimeters
m meters
foot - inch feet and inches
Inches are converted into integer feet,
and the remaining inches are shown in
inches.
cm / m centimeters and meters
Dimensions under 100 cm are shown in
centimeters, and dimensions above 100
cm are shown in meters. Millimeters
are shown as superscript.
inch inches

Drawing settings 559 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Integer Notes
value
feet feet

See also
Dimensioning rule properties on page 409
General dimension properties on page 556

Dimension appearance properties

Use the Appearance tab in the Dimension Properties dialog box to view and modify the
settings affecting the dimension appearance.

Option Description
Line, Arrow
Color The color of the dimension line. This controls the line weight in
printed drawings.
Arrow shape Controls the type of mark used with the dimension line.
US Absolute dimensions Controls the type of mark used with the dimension line in US
Absolute dimensions.
Level dimensions Controls the type of mark used with the dimension line in level
dimensions.
Sets the height and the length of the arrowhead.

Text
Color Controls the color of the mark text. The color controls the line
weight.
Height Controls the height of the text used in the dimension marks in the
drawing.
Font Controls which font is used in the dimension mark.
Frame Defines a frame for the dimension mark.
Place Defines how the dimension mark is placed relative to the dimension
line.

See also
Dimension and dimensioning properties on page 556

Drawing settings 560 Dimension and dimensioning properties

Dimension mark and dimension tag properties
Use the Marks and Tags tabs in the Dimension Properties dialog box to view and modify the
contents of dimension marks and tags in an open drawing.

Option Description
Marks tab
Prefix Displays the selected text before the numeric value of the
dimension.
The prefix value cannot be plain numbers, and the prefix
value cannot end with a number.
Visibility of numeric value Defines whether the numeric value of the dimension is
visible or hidden.
If you hide the numeric value of the dimension, the prefix
and postfix text will still be shown.
Postfix Displays the selected text after the numeric value of the
dimension.
The postfix value cannot be plain numbers, and the postfix
value cannot start with a number when the numeric value
of the dimension is visible.
... buttons Define dimension mark contents by adding elements. You
can also modify the mark appearance.
Frame around elements: Type and Color define the
element frame type and color individually for each element.
Add frame allows you to add frames around elements.
Font: Color, Height and Font define the font type, color,
and height used in element texts individually for each
element. Clicking Select gives more font choices.
Units: Unit and Format allow you to set the unit and
format for length elements. Unit settings can be modified
only when a length element is selected.
Plate side marks Specified creates plate side marks to plate dimension using
the specified color, size and offset. Offset means the
distance of the mark from the dimension line.
The option Automatic is available only in intelligent
drawings, that is when the advanced option
XS_INTELLIGENT_DRAWING_ALLOWED is set to
TRUE.
Exaggeration Specified exaggerates narrow dimensions.
Select the Direction: Left/ Down, Right/Up or Both.
Set the Origin, Width, Position and Height.
Tags tab

Drawing settings 561 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Description
Tags area Adds user-defined tags to dimension lines.
... buttons Define dimension tag contents by adding elements. You can
also modify the tag element appearance.
Rotation --> Perpendicular to dimension line rotates the
tag.
Rotation --> Parallel to dimension line does not rotate
the tag. This is the default value.
Frame around elements: Type and Color define the
element frame type and color individually for each element.
Add frame allows you to add frames around elements.
Font: Color, Height and Font define the font type, color,
and height used in element texts individually for each
element. Clicking Select gives more font choices.
Units: Unit and Format allow you to set the unit and
format for length elements. Unit settings can be modified
only when a length element is selected.
Include part count in the tag Yes includes part count in the tag.
Exclude parts according to filter Select a drawing view filter that removes desired content
from the tag.

See also
Adding manual dimensions on page 146
Showing plate side marks on page 173
Creating exaggerated dimensions on page 456
Adding tags to dimensions on page 154
Example: Filtering out dimension tag content on page 156

General dimensioning properties

Use the General tab in the Dimensioning Properties dialog box to view and modify the
general settings of the dimensions.

Option Description
Dimensioning type Standard is used for almost all dimensioning.
Truss meets the specific requirements needed to dimension truss
drawings. It dimensions the position and length of the diagonals. The
dimensioning is done only if the diagonals are secondary parts that are
welded to upper and lower chords, which are main parts and not welded

Drawing settings 562 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Description
to any parts. If the truss welding is done some other way, standard
dimensioning is used.
Number of views: Yes minimizes the number of views that Tekla Structures creates.
Minimize (or Minimize
Also check the settings in the drawing View properties dialog box.
number of views)
Combine dimensions Combines several single dimensions into one dimension line.
In Options, select the combination level. The larger the number, the
more Tekla Structures combines the dimensions.
Option 4.5 uses a combination of option 5 for main part and option 4
for secondary parts.
If the distance between two details is less than the defined Minimum
distance, Tekla Structures combines the dimensions.
The Distance means the distance within which Tekla Structures
combines internal dimensions.
Close dimensions Completes dimension lines to include the entire part.
No does not close dimensions
In X only closes dimensions in the x direction and leaves others open
All closes all dimensions
This setting is not relevant to profile shape dimensions.
Close dimensions: Yes closes short dimension(s).
Short dimensions
With No, the open dimension is the middle one rather than the short
end dimension.
When you leave short dimensions open, Tekla Structures leaves out the
longer dimension line in dimension lines that contain two dimensions. If
dimension lines contain three dimensions, Tekla Structures leaves out
the middle one. This option does not affect dimension lines with more
than three dimensions.
Placing: Forward Defines the distance Tekla Structures uses to search for the base point of
offset a dimension. If Tekla Structures does not find a base point (corner)
within the Forward offset search distance, it uses an edge point.
The Centered bolt setting affects on how the dimension is displayed.
Necessary internal Defines the limit for dimensioning asymmetry in secondary parts. In
dimensioning: some cases it is important to look at the asymmetrical relationship of
Recognizable distance parts, so that an asymmetric secondary part is correctly connected to a
main part. You can use Recognizable distance to have asymmetry
reflected in dimensioning. If the asymmetry is smaller than the distance
you enter here, Tekla Structures represents it using a dimension.

Drawing settings 563 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Description
Part mark on None creates no part mark on the dimension line.
dimension line
Assembly overall dimensions creates a part mark on the assembly
overall dimension line.
Extreme bolts creates a part mark on the dimension line between the
outermost bolts.
Main dimension Defines the side on which Tekla Structures places the Assembly overall,
position Main part work point, and Knock-off dimensions.
Auto treats the main dimensions in the same way as other dimensions.
Above places the main dimensions above the part (or to the left for
vertical parts).
Below places the main dimensions below the part.
Above places the skew position dimensions of the main part below the
part and Below places them above.
Grid dimensions Creates grid dimensions.The values are: None, Individual spans, Overall
or Individual spans and overall.
Grid dimension Sets the grid dimension position. The values are: Main view - above,
position Main view - below, Top view - above, Top view - bottom, Bottom
view - above, Bottom view - below, Back view - above, Back view -
below, All views - above, or All views - below.
Dimension properties (available in view-specific dimensioning)
Straight dimensions Sets the dimension type for straight dimensions using the settings in the
properties file you select.
In X direction Otherwise same settings as in straight dimensions but overrides the
straight setting for horizontal dimensions. If you use the blank option,
Tekla Structures uses the Straight dimensions option settings. The x
direction usually means dimensions parallel to the drawing x axis.
Arrow shape: US Controls the type of mark used with the dimension line in US Absolute
Absolute dimensions dimensions.
Arrow shape: Level Controls the type of mark used with the dimension line in level
dimensions dimensions.
Angle dimensions Sets the dimension type for angle dimensions using the settings in the
properties file you select.
Check dimensions Sets the dimension type for check dimensions using the settings in the
properties file you select.

See also
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427
Example: Combining dimensions on page 443
Example: Closing dimension on page 442

Drawing settings 564 Dimension and dimensioning properties

Example: Forward offset on page 446
Example: Recognizable distance on page 447

Position dimensioning properties

Use the Position dimensions tab in the Dimensioning Properties dialog box to view and
modify the settings for the position dimensions in single-part, assembly and cast unit
drawings. Note that the contents of the dialog box vary depending on the drawing type, and
all the options listed below are not available for all drawing types.

Option Description
Position bolts/parts to Controls from where Tekla Structures creates the part/bolt position
dimensions.
None creates no position dimensions.
Main part creates the dimensions from the main part reference line.
Working points creates the dimensions between the work points,
such as the intersections of main and neighbor part reference lines.
Embedded objects Creates position dimensions for locating embedded objects in cast
unit drawings. The embedded objects are custom components
attached to the cast unit.
As secondary objects dimensions embedded objects in cast unit
drawings the same way as secondary parts.
By reference points dimensions embedded objects to their reference
point, which is the origin of the custom component.
Secondary part Creates dimensions to bolt holes or edges of the secondary part.
None creates no position dimensions for secondary parts.
By bolts dimensions bolt hole locations in the secondary parts.
By parts dimensions edges of secondary parts.
By both dimensions bolt hole locations and edges of the secondary
part.
Secondary part Aligns dimensions with the main or neighboring part. Only for skewed
dimension direction clip angles or shear plates.
Position from Sets the start point for running dimensions. Only for skewed clip
angles or shear plates bolted to a neighboring part.
Reversed direction for Yes changes the direction of running dimensions. With this option,
running dimensions you can set the zero point to the end of a member rather than to the
start.
Main part bolt position On creates dimensions to the bolt hole locations in the main part.

Drawing settings 565 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Description
Main part skew position Yes creates horizontal and vertical check dimensions representing the
skew position of a brace. Created between the work points of the
main part.
Skew check dimensions are located in the front view. Their location
depends on the Main dimension side setting selected on the General
tab. When the main dimensions are above the part, the skew
dimensions are below, and vice versa.
Skew position Defines how Tekla Structures dimensions skewed secondary part
positions.
None creates no dimensions for skewed secondary part positions.
Angle creates an angle dimension for the secondary part.
Dimensions creates dimensions for the skewed position of the
secondary part.
Both creates both the angle and the dimensions.
Centered part Controls the dimensions of centrally-placed parts. These settings have
an effect only if position dimensions are created.
Internal dimensions the centered parts overall size.
Position dimensions the part to the main part center lines.
None creates no centered part dimensions.
Centered bolt Controls the dimensions of centrally-placed bolt groups.
Internal dimensions the centered bolts spread.
Position dimensions the bolts to the main part center-lines.
Centered bolt overrides the Secondary part bolt internal option for
centered bolts. This only applies to bolts located centrally on the part.
Elevation dimension On creates elevation dimensions.
Combine equal Combines equal dimensions. The choices are None, 3*60 or
dimensions 3*60=180.
The accuracy of combining equal dimensions is 0.1.
Minimum number to Defines the minimum number of dimensions to combine.
combine

See also

Part dimensioning properties

Use the options on the Part dimensioning tab of the Dimensioning Properties dialog box to
view and modify part dimensioning settings for single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings.

Drawing settings 566 Dimension and dimensioning properties

Note that the contents of the dialog box vary depending on the drawing type, and all the
options listed below are not available for all drawing types.

Option Description
Internal Creates internal dimensions for secondary parts connected to the main part.
None creates dimensions for secondary parts.
Necessary creates only the dimensions that are necessary for assembling the
parts.
All creates all dimensions for the secondary parts.
Main part Once creates one overall dimension for the main part.
overall
All creates overall dimensions for main parts in all views.
dimensions
None creates no overall dimensions for the main part.
The Assembly part overall dimension settings have some effect on these
options.
Assembly part Length only creates overall dimensions for an entire assembly or cast unit in
overall the x direction only.
dimensions
All creates overall dimensions for an assembly or cast unit in all directions.
Off creates no overall dimensions for an assembly or a cast unit.
Main part work On creates a check dimension between the outermost work points.
points
Main part shape On creates dimensions to show the shape of a main part.
(Shape
By default, Tekla Structures automatically draws shape dimensions on both
dimensions)
ends of a beam, even if the ends are symmetrical.
Main part radius On creates radius dimensions for curved chamfers and round holes in the
dimensions main part.
(Radius
This option is available only if you have set Main part shape dimensions to
dimensions)
On.
Note that this option does not create radius dimensions for curved beams or
polybeams with chamfers.
Bevel dimensions On creates linear dimensions of a bevel.
Bevel angle Creates an angle dimension and defines which side of the bevel to dimension.
The choices are None, Angle of cut and Angle of beam.
Knock off On creates check dimensions from the edge of the main part to the work
dimensions point.
Preferred dim Sets the preferred view (front or side) for part dimensions.
side

Drawing settings 567 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Description
From the On creates dimensions indicating the distance from the closest floor level to
nearest floor the bottom and/or top of the parts.
level to part
From grid to On creates dimensions showing the offset of a part from the grid to the part
part center line center line.
From grid to On creates dimensions showing the offset of a part from the grid to the near
part ends or far end of the part.

See also
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427
Example: Part dimensioning on page 434
XS_SINGLE_PART_SHAPE
XS_EQUAL_SHAPE_DIMENSIONS_TO_BOTH_ENDS_LIMIT
XS_CREATE_ROUND_HOLE_DIMENSIONS

Bolt dimensioning properties

Use the options on the Bolt dimensions tab of the Dimensioning Properties dialog box to
select which bolt dimensions to create and how in single-part, assembly and cast unit
drawings. The options include locating the bolts on the main and secondary parts, and in
relation to the work points.
Note that the contents of the dialog box vary depending on the drawing type, and all the
options listed below are not available for all drawing types.

Option Description
Main part bolt internal Creates internal dimensions for bolt groups in the main part.
dimensions
None creates none of the internal bolt dimensions.
Internal creates bolt group internal dimensions (distances between
bolts).
All creates edge distance and bolt group internal dimensions. Edge
distance is the dimension from the outermost bolt to the part edge.
Main part bolt internal Indicates whether the dimensions are parallel to the part or the bolt
dimensions: Skewed group.
bolt group
The choices are No dimensions, In part direction, and In bolt group
direction.
Secondary part bolt Creates internal dimensions for bolt groups in the secondary part.
internal dimensions
The choices are None, Necessary, Internal, and All.

Drawing settings 568 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Description
Secondary part bolt Aligns the bolt dimensions with the secondary part or bolt group.
internal dimensions:
The choices are In part direction, No dimensions, and In bolt group
Skewed bolt group
direction
Distance between Creates check dimension between the outermost bolts.
extreme bolts: Extreme
The choices are None, Main part, and Assembly.
bolts
Distance between Creates check dimensions from the outermost bolts to the work points.
extreme bolts: Extreme
Yes creates the check dimensions.
bolts to work points
Preferred dim side Sets the preferred view (front or side) for bolt dimensions.

Combine bolt Sets the format of the combined bolt group internal dimensions.
dimensions
You can combine bolt group internal dimensions and display them in
the format 3*60 or 3*60=180, or have single dimensions.
Minimum number to Defines the minimum number of dimensions to combine.
combine

See also
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427
Example: Combining bolt group dimensions on page 445

Dimension grouping properties

Use the Dimension grouping tab in Dimensioning Properties dialog box to view and modify
settings for dimension grouping in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings. Note that
the contents of the dialog box vary depending on the drawing type, and all the options listed
below are not available for all drawing types.

Option Description
Activate dimension Selects the objects for grouping.
grouping
Parts Groups according to parts.
Bolts Groups according to bolts.
Components Groups according to components.
Cuts/Shapes Groups according to cuts or shapes.
Automatic tagging Defines how to display information in a dimension line.
Display tags Displays tags.

Drawing settings 569 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Description
Include part count in Includes part count in the tag.
the tag
Do not display marks Does not display part marks for grouped items.
for the grouped items
Available elements Elements available to define identical conditions.
Add Adds items to Selected elements list.
Remove Removes items from Selected elements list.
Move up Moves the element higher in the list.
Move down Moves the element lower in the list.
Update grouping when Yes updates dimension grouping automatically when the model
model changes changes.

Sub-assembly dimensioning properties

Use the options on the Sub-assembly tab of the Assembly - Dimensioning Properties dialog
box to view and modify which dimensions to create and how for sub-assemblies.

Option Description
Dimension parts inside sub-assemblies Defines whether to dimension parts inside sub-
assemblies.
Yes creates internal dimensions for parts inside sub-
assemblies.
No does not create internal dimensions for parts inside
sub-assemblies.
Measure sub-assembly position from Defines the position from which the sub-assembly is
measured.
None does not measure the sub-assembly position.
Bolt measures the position of the sub-assembly from
the bolts. If bolts are not included in the sub-assembly,
or if it is not possible to measure the position from
bolts, Tekla Structures measures the sub-assembly
position from the reference point.
Extreme points measures the position of the sub-
assembly from the bounding box of the sub-assembly.
Reference point measures the position of the sub-
assembly from the reference point.

Drawing settings 570 Dimension and dimensioning properties

Reinforcement dimensioning properties
Use the Reinforcement dimensions tab in the Dimensioning Properties dialog box to view
and modify the setting affecting the creation of reinforcement dimensions and how they are
displayed.

Option Description
Dimensions for reinforcing On creates dimensions for reinforcing bar groups. This also activates
bar groups the other selections on this tab.
Mark location Sets the mark type and location.

Selecting the first choice in the list creates dimension marks.

Selecting one of the other options in the list creates

tagged dimension marks. The location of the tag is indicated by the
small rectangle in the option.
Edit mark contents Opens the Dimension mark content dialog box where you can
select what you want to include in the dimension mark.
Close dimension to Yes automatically adds closing dimensions to the edge of the part.
binding geometry

See also
Dimensioning using dimensioning type Integrated on page 427

Grid and overall dimensioning properties (GA drawings)

Use the Grid tab in the General - Dimensioning Properties dialog box to view and modify
settings for grid and overall dimensions in general arrangement drawings.

Option Description
Grid line dimensions On creates grid dimension lines.
Overall dimensions On creates the overall dimensions.
Dimension positioning: Positions the vertical grid and overall dimension lines to the Left or
Horizontal Right side of the drawing or on Both sides.
Dimension positioning: Positions the horizontal grid and overall dimension lines Above or
Vertical Below the drawing or Both.

See also
Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings on page 462

Drawing settings 571 Dimension and dimensioning properties

Part dimensioning properties (GA drawings)
Use the Parts tab in the General - Dimensioning Properties dialog box to view and modify
settings for part dimensions in general arrangement drawings.

Option Description
Maximum leader line Controls how close the dimension lines are positioned to the parts
length: Outside they are dimensioning. Defines that the outside dimension lines
dimensions take the maximum leader line length from the grid line.
Maximum leader line Controls how close the dimension lines are positioned to the parts
length: Inside dimensions they are dimensioning. Defines that the inside dimension lines take
the maximum leader line length from the part reference point.
Include parts not entirely On dimensions the parts partly outside the view. Off will not
in view dimension these parts.
Maximum number of Specifies the maximum number of dimension lines allowed outside
outside dimensions the grid. When you dimension different objects on different
dimension lines, using this setting helps you to create cleaner
drawings.
Once the desired maximum is reached, Tekla Structures creates the
dimensions inside the grid.
Object group Specifies different object groups to be dimensioned on different
dimensioning rules dimension lines.
Object group The object group to be dimensioned.
Positioning No dimensions does not create dimensions for the parts.
Inside grid creates dimensions next to or near the parts being
dimensioned. All part dimensions are placed inside the grid when
the parts are inside the grid. The dimension will still be outside,
even if you have selected Inside grid because of where the parts are
in the end bay and the end being dimensioned to is next to the
outside.
Outside grid creates dimensions to parts and positions them
outside the grid.
Either creates dimensions to parts and positions them either inside
or outside the grid depending on the part position and the setting
of the option Maximum number of outside dimensions.
You must use the Either option if you define the Maximum number
of outside dimensions, so that Tekla Structures can position
dimensions inside the grid when the maximum number of
dimensions is reached outside the grid.

Drawing settings 572 Dimension and dimensioning properties

 Option Description
Horizontal position Left side positions all dimensions to horizontal parts to the left of
the grid.
Right side positions all dimensions to horizontal parts to the right
of the grid.
Distributed to both sides positions all dimensions to horizontal
parts to the grid nearest the part they are dimensioning.
Vertical position Above positions all dimensions to vertical parts above the grid.
Below positions all dimensions to vertical parts below the grid.
Distributed to both sides positions all dimensions to vertical parts
to the grid nearest the part they are dimensioning.

See also

Automatic dimensioning of general arrangement drawings on page 462

Example: Part dimension positioning on page 470
Example: Limiting the number of outside dimensions on page 469
Example: Dimensioning parts partly outside the view on page 468
Example: Using maximum leader line length options on page 467

8.7 Mark properties

You can adjust the mark appearance and contents before creating a drawing and also in an
open drawing.
Click the links below to find out more:
• Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
• Leader line types on page 576
• Positioning properties of view label, section and detail marks on page 577
• Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
• Drawing weld mark properties on page 578
• Level mark properties on page 582

Drawing settings 573 Mark properties

Mark appearance and merging properties
Use the General and Contents tabs in the Mark properties of different types of marks to
view and modify the settings affecting the mark content and appearance. For reinforcement
marks, the corresponding settings are located on the Contents and Appearance tabs.
Note that all the listed settings are not available for all marks.

Option Description
Contents tab:
Frame around elements: Type and Color Defines the element frame type and color for
one or several elements element. To select all
elements in the list to apply the same
modification to all of them, hold down Shift
and click the last element in the list.
Add frame allows you to add frames around
elements.
Font: Color, Height and Font Defines the font type, color, and height used in
element texts in one or several elements. To
select all elements in the list to apply the same
modification to all of them, hold down Shift
and click the last element in the list.
Clicking Select gives more font choices.
Units: Unit and Format Change the unit and format for the length,
height, spacing or diameter element that you
have selected from the Elements in mark list.
General or Appearance tab:
Visible In one view creates marks in one view only.
In all views creates marks in all views.

In main parts These options are for bolt marks.

In secondary parts Visible displays bolt marks.
In sub-assembly main parts Not visible does not display bolt marks.
In sub-assembly secondary parts
Visibility in view distributed distributes the marks in the view.
Tekla Structures only creates marks that are not
visible in the other views.
always always creates marks in the view,
irrespective the settings in other views.
preferred acts as distributed, but the preferred
view has a higher priority.
Select preferred to one view only in a drawing.
If you set other views to distributed, the marks

Drawing settings 574 Mark properties

 Option Description
are located only in the view that has the setting
Visibility in view set to preferred.
none creates no marks.
Parts out of view plane This option is available only in view level
properties.
Visible displays marks outside of the view in the
drawing.
Not visible displays no marks outside the view.
Bolt size limit This option is for bolt marks.
Filters standard-sized bolt marks out of
drawings. Tekla Structures does not display bolt
marks of the size you enter here.
There are several variables that affect the Bolt
size limit, see the See also list below.
Merge marks This option is for part marks and surface
treatment marks.
On merges marks.
Frame around mark: Type and Color Define the frame to be used around marks, and
the color of the frame.
Leader line: Type, Arrow and Use hidden lines Define the leader line type and line arrow type,
for hidden parts. and select to hide leader lines for hidden parts.
Place Placing: free allowsTekla Structures to search
for the first suitable location for the mark.
Placing: fixed allows you to place the mark in
any location.
When you use the option fixed, the mark stays
where it is even though you update the
drawing, whereas with free, Tekla Structures
tries to find the optimal place for the
annotation object.
Search margin is the distance within which
Tekla Structures searches for a space to place a
mark.

Drawing settings 575 Mark properties

 Option Description
Minimal Distance is the minimum distance of
the mark from the part.
Quarter defines the areas Tekla Structures
searches for a space to place the mark.

Use the Merging tab in the Cast Unit - Reinforcement Mark Properties dialog box to view
and modify the settings affecting the merging of the reinforcement marks in cast unit
drawings.

Option Image Description

Identical marks in One leader line per row merges the marks and
same cast unit creates one leader line for a row of reinforcing bars.
Parallel leader lines merges the marks and creates
parallel leader lines.
Leader lines to one point merges the marks and
draws all leader lines to one point.
No merge does not merge marks. Tekla Structures
creates an individual leader line for each mark.
If you select No merge, you still need to define the
mark content for the marks that Tekla Structures
automatically merges on the Merging tab.
Preferred merge Merge vertically merges the marks in the vertical
direction direction of the drawing.
Merge horizontally merges the marks in the
horizontal direction of the drawing.

See also
Automatic mark settings on page 479
Adding automatic marks on page 480
Defining view labels and view label marks on page 367
Modifying section properties on page 142
XS_OMITTED_DIAMETER_TYPE
XS_OMITTED_BOLT_TYPE
XS_OMITTED_BOLT_ASSEMBLY_TYPE
Elements in merged reinforcement marks on page 589
Merging reinforcement marks automatically on page 493

Drawing settings 576 Mark properties

Leader line types
You can use leader lines with text, symbols, associative notes and marks to make it clearer to
which item it is related to.

Option Description
Texts

Symbols

Level marks

Revision marks

Part marks

Associative note

See also
Adding associative notes on page 183
Adding part marks on page 181
Adding revision marks on page 200
Adding symbols in drawings on page 246
Adding text on page 193

Drawing settings 577 Mark properties

Positioning properties of view label, section and detail marks
Use the Position tab in theMark Contents dialog box in view properties to set the
positioning options for view labels marks, section marks and detail marks.

Option Description
Show on For section marks.
Defines if the section marks are shown at both
ends of the cut line or at the left or right end.
Text position Defines the position of the mark text in relation
to the line or in relation to the symbol or
symbol center line.
Horizontal offset sets the horizontal offset of
the mark text from the line.
Vertical offset sets the vertical offset of the
mark text from the line.
Text rotation For section marks.
Defines the rotation of the mark text.
Alignment For view label marks.
Defines if the view label mark is aligned to the
center, right, or left.

See also
Defining view labels and view label marks on page 367
Modifying section properties on page 142

Drawing weld mark properties

In Weld Mark Properties dialog box you can view and modify the properties of a weld mark
that has been manually added in a drawing.

Option Description
Prefix a= design throat thickness, s= penetration throat thickness, or z= leg
length
Size The size of the weld.
Type The type of the weld.
Angle The angle of weld preparation, bevels, or groove.
Tekla Structures displays the angle between the weld type symbol and
the fill type contour symbol.

Drawing settings 578 Mark properties

 Option Description
Contour The fill type contour of a weld can be:
• None
• Flush
• Convex
• Concave
Finish Tekla Structures displays the finish symbol above the weld type symbol
in drawings. The options are:
• G (Grind)
• M (Machine)
• C (Chip)

• (Flush finished weld)

• (Smooth blended weld face)
Length The length of a regular weld depends on the length of the connection
between the welded parts. You can set the exact length of a polygon
weld by, for example, defining the start and end points of the weld.
Pitch The center-to-center spacing of welds for non-continuous welds. Pitch
is shown in the weld mark if the value is greater than 0.0.
To create a non-continuous weld, define the center-to-center spacing
and the pitch of the welds. Tekla Structures calculates the distance
between the welds as the pitch minus the length of the weld.
By default, Tekla Structures uses the – character to separate weld
length and pitch, for example, 50–100. To change the separator to @,
for example, set the advanced option
XS_WELD_LENGTH_CC_SEPARATOR_CHAR to @.
Effective throat The weld size used in weld strength calculation.
Root opening The space between the welded parts.
Reference text Additional information to appear in the weld symbol. For example,
information about the weld specification or process.
Edge/Around Indicates whether only one edge or the entire perimeter of a face
should be welded.
A circle in the weld symbol in drawings indicates the Around option
has been used.
Workshop/Site Indicates where the weld should be made.

Drawing settings 579 Mark properties

 Option Description
Stitch weld Set this option to Yes to create a staggered, intermittent weld.
Stitch welds are staggered on both sides of the welded part. Tekla
Structures shows the weld type symbols as staggered in weld symbols.
If you set this option to No, a non- staggered intermittent weld is
created. To show the pitch in a weld mark, set Pitch to a value greater
than 0.0.
Placing Search margin is the farthest distance Tekla Structures uses when
searching for an empty space for the weld mark.
Minimal distance is the closest distance Tekla Structures uses to
search for an empty space for a weld mark.
Quarter defines the areas Tekla StructuresTekla Structures searches for
a space to place the weld marks.
Placing is the method used to place welds marks:
• Free lets Tekla Structures decide the location and direction of the
dimension based on the Direction settings.
• Fixed allows you to place the weld at any point.

See also
Adding weld marks on page 223

Model weld mark visibility and appearance properties in drawings

You can select which model weld marks are visible in drawings,and the content that is
displayed in weld marks. In assembly drawings, you can define the visibility of welds in sub-
assemblies.
Use options in the Weld mark panel (or Welding Mark Properties dialog box in general
arrangement drawings) to set the visibility and contents of model weld marks.
Single-part and assembly drawings
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select a drawing type.
2. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
3. Then click Weld marks in the View Properties dialog box.
General arrangement drawing
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings --> General Arrangement Drawing .
2. Then click Weld marks.

Drawing settings 580 Mark properties

 Option Description
Weld number Yes shows the weld number.
Tekla Structures assigns a number to each weld as the weld is
created. You can select whether to show or hide the weld number.
Welds Not visible displays no welds in the drawing.
Welds in sub-assemblies Site weld visible displays only site welds in the drawing.
Workshop weld visible displays only workshop welds in the
drawing.
Both visible displays both site welds and workshop welds in the
drawing.
Weld size limit Enter a weld size to filter welds of that size out of the drawing.
This is useful when you only want to show non-typical welds in a
drawing.
To set whether the weld size is an exact or minimum value, use
the advanced option XS_WELD_FILTER_TYPE.
To filter out a standard weld type, use the advanced option
XS_OMITTED_WELD_TYPE.
Above line, Below line and If there is no check mark in the Visible column next to the
Other following properties, the properties are not displayed in the weld
mark:
Prefix
Size
Type
Angle
Contour
Finish
Length
Pitch
Effective throat
Root opening
Reference text
Edge/Around
Workshop/Site

Drawing settings 581 Mark properties

 Option Description
Place Search margin is the distance within which Tekla Structures
searches for a space to place a mark.
Quarter defines the areas Tekla Structures searches for a space for
placing the level mark.
Minimal Distance is the minimum distance of the mark from the
part.
Text: Color Sets the color of the text.
Text: Height Sets the height of the text.
Text: Font Sets the font of the text. Click Select to show more options.
Line: Type Sets the type of the line.
Line: Color Sets the color of the line.

See also
Welds in drawings on page 210
Examples: Model welds in drawings on page 212
Modifying model weld mark visibility and appearance in a drawing on page 218
XS_WELD_FILTER_TYPE
XS_OMITTED_WELD_TYPE

Level mark properties

Use the options on the Level mark properties dialog box to view and modify the level mark
contents. To open the dialog box, click Annotating --> Properties --> Level Mark .

Option Description
Prefix Displays text before the mark.
Prefix for positive level + displays a + character in front of the value.
Visibility of numeric value Defines if the numeric values are visible or
hidden.
Postfix Displays text after the mark.
Precision Defines the precision of the level mark
dimension.
Format Defines the format of the level mark
dimension.
Use grouping Defines whether to use different grouping
options to represent the level mark
dimensions.

Drawing settings 582 Mark properties

 Option Description
Units Defines the units used in level mark
dimensions. The available values are
automatic, mm, cm, m, foot - inch, inch
and feet.
Placing Search margin is the farthest distance Tekla
Structures uses when searching for an empty
space for the level mark.
Minimal distance is the closest distance
Tekla Structures uses to search for an empty
space for a level mark.
Quarter defines the areas Tekla Structures
searches for a space to place the level marks.
Placing is the method used to place level
marks:
• Free lets Tekla StructuresTekla Structures
decide the location of the level mark.
• Fixed allows you to place the level mark
at any point.

See also
Adding level marks on page 182

8.8 Mark elements

The elements and options selected on the mark properties Content tab define the contents of
the marks in drawings.
Click the links below to find out more:
• Common elements in marks on page 584
• Part mark elements on page 584
• Bolt mark elements on page 586
• Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mark elements on page 587
• Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mesh mark elements on page 588
• Elements in merged reinforcement marks on page 589
• Connection mark elements on page 589
• Surface treatment mark elements on page 590
• Section and detail mark elements on page 591

Drawing settings 583 Mark elements

• View, section view and detail view label mark elements on page 591

Common elements in marks

Here is a list of elements that are available for most of the marks.

Element Description
User-defined attributes Available for building object marks.
Adds a user-defined attribute to the mark. You can also use template
fields for user-defined attributes.
In marks, you cannot use template attributes such as MODEL_TOTAL
that refer to the whole model. Marks only check the information from
the object in the drawing and not from the whole model.
Text Opens a dialog box where you can enter text in the mark. The
maximum number of characters is 255.
Symbol Opens a dialog box where you can change the symbol file in use and
select a symbol from the Tekla Structures symbol file to add to the
mark.
<> Adds spaces between mark elements.
<--’ Adds a line feed between the elements to create multi-row marks. The
default space between the lines depends on the text height and can be
changed with the advanced option
XS_MARK_ELEMENT_SPACE_FACTOR.
<-- Adds a backspace between the desired elements to remove the default
space between them. The default space between the elements depends
on the text height and can be changed with the advanced option
XS_MARK_ELEMENT_SPACE_FACTOR.
Template Available for building object marks.
Adds in the mark a custom graphical template created with Template
Editor. Opens a dialog box where you can select the template.

See also
Mark elements on page 583
Adding user-defined attributes and template attributes in marks on page 499
Adding templates in marks on page 503

Drawing settings 584 Mark elements

Part mark elements
The following table lists all elements specific to part marks and neighbor part marks. Some of
the available elements are not listed here, because they are common to many types of marks,
and listed separately.
You can define part mark options independently for main and secondary parts and for sub-
assembly main and secondary parts.

Element Description
Assembly position Adds the prefix and position number of the assembly.
Part position Adds the prefix and position number of the part.
Profile Adds the profile name of part, assembly, or cast unit main part.
Material Adds the material of part, assembly, or cast unit main part.
Name Adds the name of part, assembly, or cast unit main part.
Class Adds the class of part, assembly, or cast unit main part.
Finish Adds the finish of part, assembly, or cast unit main part.
Size Adds the size of the part or the assembly or cast unit main part.
Length Adds the length of the part or assembly, or of the cast unit main part.
Camber Adds the camber of the part or the assembly or cast unit main part (if
this user-defined part attribute is set).
Fittings (NS/FS) Displays the near side/far side marks in the part mark. (only available
in front views).
Face direction Displays main compass direction (North, East, South, West) of the face,
where the mark is added. The direction can only be shown if
• the face is vertical
• the direction is the same for all assemblies with the same
assembly position number
In other cases, the element produces no text to mark.
Furthermore, face direction is not shown for columns in general
arrangement drawings, if you have set Mark always to center of
column in GA drawings to Yes in Tools --> Options --> Options... --
> Orientation marks .
Gage of outstanding leg Adds the hole gage.
You can control the format of this option with the advance option
XS_GAGE_OF_OUTSTANDING_LEG_STRING.
Center-to-center Adds center-to-center distance in the mark.
distance
You can control the format of this option with the advanced options
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN_ONE_PART_STRIN
G and
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN_TWO_PARTS_STRI
NG.

Drawing settings 585 Mark elements

See also
Mark elements on page 583
Common elements in marks on page 584
XS_GAGE_OF_OUTSTANDING_LEG_STRING
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN_ONE_PART_STRING
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN_TWO_PARTS_STRING
ASSEMBLY_BOTTOM_LEVEL
ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL
TOP_LEVEL
BOTTOM_LEVEL

Bolt mark elements

Here is a list of the elements specific to part marks and neighbor part marks. Some of the
available elements are not listed here, because they are common to many types of marks, and
listed separately.
You can define bolt mark options independently for site and shop bolts.

Element Description
Bolt length Adds the length of the bolt.
Bolt diameter Adds the bolt diameter.
Hole diameter Adds the hole diameter.
Material Adds the bolt material grade.
Standard Adds the bolt standard.
Short name Adds the bolt’s short name. This can be the commercial name of a
specific bolt, for example.
Full name Adds the complete name of the bolt. This name is visible in the dialog
box list.
Assembly type Adds the bolt’s assembly type.
Number of bolts Adds the quantity of bolts.
Slot length (x, y) Adds the slot’s length in the x or y direction.
Slot length Adds the slot’s length..
Slot height Adds the slot’s height.
Size Adds the hole size.
Countersunk Adds countersink in the countersunk bolt marks.

Drawing settings 586 Mark elements

 Element Description
Gage of outstanding leg Adds hole gage.
You can control the format of this element with the advanced option
XS_GAGE_OF_OUTSTANDING_LEG_STRING.
Center-to-center Adds center-to-center distance.
distance
You can control the format of this element with the advanced options
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN_ONE_PART_STRIN
G and
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN_TWO_PARTS_STRI
NG.

See also
Mark elements on page 583
Common elements in marks on page 584
Defining contents of bolt mark Size element using advanced options on page 506
XS_GAGE_OF_OUTSTANDING_LEG_STRING
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN_ONE_PART_STRING
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN_TWO_PARTS_STRING

Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mark elements

Here is a list of the elements you can include in all reinforcement and neighbor
reinforcements marks. Some of the available elements are not listed here, because they are
common to many types of marks, and listed separately.
You can define mark options separately for single reinforcing bars, bar groups, and
reinforcement meshes.

Element Description
Name Adds the name of the bar or mesh.
Grade Adds the material grade of the bar or mesh.
Diameter Adds the nominal diameter of the bar.
Class Adds the class of the bar or mesh.
Length Adds the total length of the bar.
Number Adds the quantity of the bars.
Position Adds the reinforcement position number.
Shape Adds the shape of the bar or mesh.
Weight Adds the weight of the bar or mesh.

Drawing settings 587 Mark elements

 Element Description
cc Adds the center-to-center spacing of the bars. The options are:
• cc adds the spacing value if spacing does not vary
• cc min adds the smallest spacing value of the bar group if spacing
varies
• cc max adds the largest spacing value of the bar group if spacing
varies
• cc exact lists all spacing values of the bar group
• cc target lists all reinforcing bar target spacing values
Pullout picture Adds a pullout picture of a bar to the mark.

See also
Mark elements on page 583
Common elements in marks on page 584
Adding automatic marks on page 480
Common elements in marks on page 584
Adding pull-out pictures in reinforcement marks on page 509
Elements in merged reinforcement marks on page 589

Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mesh mark elements

The following elements are specific to the reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mesh
marks. Some of the available elements are not listed here, because they are common to many
types of marks, and listed separately.

Element Description
Size Adds the nominal diameters of the mesh bars, dimensions of the
mesh, and the spacings of the bars in the longitudinal and crossing
directions.
Mesh length Adds the length of the reinforcement mesh.
Mesh width Adds the width of the reinforcement mesh.
cc Use the same center-to-center options as for single bars. You can
define this element individually for the longitudinal and crossing
bars in the mesh.
Diameter longitudinal Adds the diameter or size of the longitudinal bars.
Diameter cross Adds the diameter or size of the crossing bars.

See also
Mark elements on page 583

Drawing settings 588 Mark elements

Common elements in marks on page 584
Adding automatic marks on page 480
Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mark elements on page 587

Elements in merged reinforcement marks

Merged marks can contain the following elements:

Element Description
Block prefix Adds text or a value to the beginning of each repeated
block. Opens a dialog box where you can enter the prefix.
You can use the following variables as block prefixes:
%NUMBER% includes the number of marks merged to the
mark.
%NUMBER_IN_PLANE% includes the number of marks
merged in the plane of the drawing to the mark.
%NUMBER_OUT_OF_PLANE% includes the number of
marks merged in the depth direction of the drawing to
the mark.
Single mark content Adds the content of the single reinforcement mark
selected on the Content tab to the mark.
Distance between groups Adds the center-to-center distances between reinforcing
bars or bar groups included in a merged mark.
Symbol separating blocks in mark Adds a symbol between the blocks in the merged mark.
Opens a dialog box where you can enter the symbol.
The elements that appear before this element on the
mark content list generate a block.

See also
Mark elements on page 583
Adding automatic marks on page 480
Merging reinforcement marks automatically on page 493

Drawing settings 589 Mark elements

Connection mark elements
Below is a list of elements specific to connection marks. Some of the available elements are
not listed here, because they are common to many types of marks, and listed separately:
Common elements in marks on page 584.

Element Description
Code Adds the connection code. This is a user-defined code you give for the
connection in the connection dialog box. The code can be either a text
string or a number.
Name Adds the connection name, for example, Tube_splice.
DSTV code Adds the DSTV code.
Connection number Adds the number of the connection.
Running number Adds the connection running number. All connections are
automatically numbered with a running number, for example, 85.
Group Adds the connection group.
Connection error Adds the connection error. The numbers correspond to the connection
symbol colors:
• 1 = green
• 2 = yellow
• 3 = red symbol

See also
Mark elements on page 583
Adding automatic marks on page 480

Surface treatment mark elements

Here is a list of elements specific to surface treatment marks. Some of the available elements
are not listed here, because they are common to many types of marks, and listed separately.

Element Description
Name Adds the name defined in the Name box in the Surface
treatment properties dialog box.
Material Adds the surface treatment material.
Class Adds the class of the surface treatment.
Code Adds the code of the surface treatment.
Surface treatment name Adds the name selected from the Surface treatment name list
in the Surface treatment properties dialog box.

Drawing settings 590 Mark elements

See also
Mark elements on page 583
Common elements in marks on page 584
Adding automatic marks on page 480

Section and detail mark elements

Below is a list of elements specific to section and detail marks:

Element Description
Section name/Detail Adds the name of the section or the detail (A, B, C, and so on).
name
Drawing name Adds the name of the current drawing.
Source drawing name Adds the name of the drawing where the view is.
Source drawing name Adds the name of the drawing where the view is. This is shown only
when moved if the view is not in the same drawing as the section/detail mark.

See also
Mark elements on page 583
Adding automatic marks on page 480
Modifying section properties on page 142
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
Positioning properties of view label, section and detail marks on page 577

View, section view and detail view label mark elements

Here is a list of the elements specific to view, section view and detail view label marks:

Element Description
View name/Section Adds the name of the view, section or the detail.
name/Detail name
Scale Adds the scale of the view.
Drawing name Adds the name of the current drawing.
Source drawing name Adds the name of the drawing where the view has originally been
created.
Source drawing name Adds the name of the drawing where the view has originally been
when moved created. This is shown only when the view has been moved from its
original drawing.

Drawing settings 591 Mark elements

 See also
Mark elements on page 583
Defining view labels and view label marks on page 367
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 573
Positioning properties of view label, section and detail marks on page 577

8.9 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

Use the options in Part properties or Neighbor part properties to view and modify the part or
neighbor part properties. In Neighbor part properties you can also control the visibility and
appearance of neighbor part bolts.
All part properties do not contain all of the settings listed below.
Content tab:

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.

Drawing settings 592 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

 Option Description
Center line Select whether you want to show center lines.
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 wether you want to show 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
Bolt representation (neighbor Select bolt representation. The options are Solid, Exact Solid,
parts) Symbol, Symbol 2 , Symbol 3, DIN symbol, and User-defined
symbol.
DIN symbol corresponds to German standards (DIN). The only
DIN symbols you can control are:
• Symbol 24 for normal workshop bolts
• Symbol 25 for normal site bolts
• Symbol 26 for front countersunk site bolts
• Symbol 27 for back countersunk site bolts
• Symbol 28 for front countersunk workshop bolts
• Symbol 29 for back countersunk workshop bolts
• Symbol 30 for front countersunk holes
• Symbol 31 for back countersunk holes
User-defined symbol is a symbol that has been created in
Symbol Editor.
Symbol content (neigbor parts) Select whether to include hole or axis in the symbol.

Neighbor parts have a Visibility tab:

Drawing settings 593 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

 Option Description
Neighbor parts None does not show neighbor parts.
Connected parts shows all parts connected to the model
object.
Connecting parts shows only the parts the model object is
connected to.
All components combines the Connected parts and the
Connecting parts options.
By extreme shows all parts within the boundaries of the main
and secondary part.
Main/Secondary parts Main parts shows only neighbor parts that make the main part
of an assembly or a cast unit.
Secondary parts shows only neighbor parts that are secondary
parts of an assembly or a cast unit.
Both shows both main and secondary parts.
Skew parts Yes shows skew parts as neighbor parts in the drawing, No does
not.
Bolts Yes shows the bolts in the neighbor parts, No does not.

The Appearance tab is similar in all of the properties of all kinds of building objects (parts,
neighbor parts, bolts, welds, surface treatments, reinforcement, and meshes).

Option Description
Visible lines Sets the Color and Type of the visible lines.
Hidden lines, Center line Sets the Color and Type of the hidden lines.
Sets the Color of the center lines.
Reference lines Sets the Color and Type of the reference lines.
Text: Color Sets the Color of the text.
Text: Height Sets the Height of the text.
Text: Font Sets the Font of the text. Click Select to show more options.
Line: Type Sets the Type of the line.
Line: Color Sets the Color of the line.
Bolts: Color Sets the color of the bolts in neighbor parts.

Parts have a Fill tab. To add a fill for outer part faces, use the Part faces area, and to add a
fill to cross sections in section views, use the Sections area.

Drawing settings 594 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Type Defines the fill type. Clicking the button next to the list opens a
preview of the hatch patterns.
Automatic selects the fill type automatically from the hatch pattern
schema files.
None uses no fill.
Color Defines the color for the fill.
You can select a predefined color or use Special color that is not
converted to black in printouts.
Background Defines the background color for the fill.
Background color selection is disabled for hardware hatches.
Background color can be set for automatic hatches, but it has effect
only if automatic hatch is not defined for the material in the hatch
pattern schema file.
Scale Automatic scales and rotates the fill automatically.
Custom allows you to select scaling and rotation manually.
Scaling in direction x and Scaling in direction y define the scales
in x and y direction.
Keep ratio of x and y retains the relative proportions in the hatch
pattern.
Angle rotates the fill. Angle 0.0 is for horizontal and 90.0 for
vertical.

See also
Setting automatic drawing part properties on page 513
Setting automatic neighbor part properties on page 515

8.10 Bolt content and appearance properties in drawings

Use the options on the Contents tab and the Appearance tab of the Bolt Properties dialog
box to view and modify the bolt content properties.
All bolt properties dialog boxes do not contain all of the settings listed below.

Drawing settings 595 Bolt content and appearance properties in drawings

 Option Description
Solid/symbol The options are Solid, Exact Solid, Symbol, Symbol
2, Symbol 3, DIN symbol, and User-defined
symbol.
DIN symbol corresponds to German standards (DIN).
The only DIN symbols you can control are:
• Symbol 24 for normal workshop bolts
• Symbol 25 for normal site bolts
• Symbol 26 for front countersunk site bolts
• Symbol 27 for back countersunk site bolts
• Symbol 28 for front countersunk workshop bolts
• Symbol 29 for back countersunk workshop bolts
• Symbol 30 for front countersunk holes
• Symbol 31 for back countersunk holes
User-defined symbol is a symbol that has been
created in Symbol Editor.
Symbol content Indicates whether to include the Hole and Axis
symbols in the drawing.
Visibility Control the visibility of bolts in main parts,
secondary parts and sub-assemblies separately.
Visible shows bolt group holes in main parts or
secondary parts. Not visible hides them. In assembly
drawings you can also define whether to show or
hide bolt group holes in sub-assemblies.
Color Change the bolt color.

See also

Automatic bolt settings in drawings on page 521

Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
Setting automatic bolt properties in drawings on page 522

Drawing settings 596 Surface treatment visibility and content properties in

drawings
8.11 Surface treatment visibility and content properties in drawings
Use the options on the Contents tab of the Surface Treatment Properties dialog box to
view and modify the surface treatment properties.

Option Description
Visibility Visible shows the surface treatment.
Not visible does not show the surface treatment.
Representation Defines the appearance of the surface treatment. The
available options are Outline, Exact, Workshop form,
Symbol, Bounding box, and Base box.
Show pattern Defines whether the hatch pattern is shown.
Hidden lines Defines whether hidden lines in secondary and neighboring
parts are shown.
Own hidden lines Defines whether hidden lines in main parts are shown.

See also
Automatic surface treatment in drawings on page 529

Surface treatment hatch pattern properties (surfacing.htc) on page 597

Adding automatic surface treatment in drawings on page 530
Modifying drawing properties of an existing drawing on page 326
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592

8.12 Surface treatment hatch pattern properties (surfacing.htc)

The properties of the hatch patterns to use for each surface treatment type are defined in the
surfacing.htc file, located in ..\Tekla Structures\<version>
\environments\common\system . In addition to that, the surface treatment code
file product_finishes.dat is needed. It is located in the same folder.
If you create your own surface treatment hatch patterns in your company, you store
surfacing.htc and product_finishes.dat in the firm folder defined by the
advanced option XS_FIRM.
Note:

NOTE When you edit a schema file, you must reopen the model to apply the changes.

The syntax of surfacing.htc file is:

Surfacing Type, Surfacing Code, Hatch name, Scale, [Color],
[Automatic Scaling and Rotation]

Drawing settings 597 Surface treatment hatch pattern properties (surfacing.htc)

Example:

1,MF,ANSI31,0.7
1,SMF,ANSI32,0.7
1,WT,ANSI33,0.7
1,HT,ANSI34,0.7
1,LSB,AR-SAND,0.7
2,SM1,CROSS,1.0
2,SM2,CHECKERED,1.0
3,TS3,FBBRICKC,1.0
4,FP,ANSI31,1.0
4,UP,ANSI32,1.0

Option Description
Surface treatment • 1 = concrete finish
type
• 2 = special mix
• 3 = tile surface
• 4 = steel finish
Surface treatment This is the abbreviation used in drawings and reports, for
code example, MF for Magnesium Float. The
product_finishes.dat file contains a full list of surface
treatment codes.
Hatch name You can check the hatch pattern names and related hatch
patterns by going to the Fill tab in Part properties, selecting a
hatch pattern from the Type list and clicking the ... button next
to the list. The selected hatch pattern is marked with a red
frame.
Scale Scale is a numeric value that Tekla Structures uses to scale
hatches.
Color (optional) 0=black (default)
1=white
2=red
3=green
4=blue
5=cyan
6=yellow
7=magenta

Drawing settings 598 Surface treatment hatch pattern properties (surfacing.htc)

 Option Description
120= Special (use this color for gray shade)
The hatch color defines the line width for the printer. If you do
not define a color for a hatch in the surfacing.htc file,
Tekla Structures uses the color defined on the Appearance tab
in surface treatment properties. The Visible lines color and type
is used for the front of the surface treatment, and the Hidden
lines for the back.
Automatic Scaling 1=true
and Rotation (optional)
0=false (default)

See also
Adding automatic surface treatment in drawings on page 530

8.13 Part and shape hatch pattern properties (.htc)

The hatch patterns for material types and names are defined in a hatch schema file (in
a .htc file). Different drawing types (general arrangement, assembly, single-part, and cast
unit drawings) have their own schema files. These hatch patterns are used when you set Type
to Automatic on the Fill page in the part or shape properties. The default schema files are
located in the ..\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments\common
\system folder.
The name of the schema file Tekla Structures uses for each drawing type is defined on the
Hatching page of the Advance Options dialog box:
• set XS_DRAWING_GA_HATCH_SCHEMA=general.htc
• set XS_DRAWING_ASSEMBLY_HATCH_SCHEMA=assembly.htc
• set XS_DRAWING_SINGLE_PART_HATCH_SCHEMA=single.htc
• set XS_DRAWING_CAST_UNIT_HATCH_SCHEMA=cast_unit.htc
The syntax of the schema file is:
Material type, Material name, Hatch name, Scale, Color,
Automatic scaling and rotation
An example of the .htc file:

Drawing settings 599 Part and shape hatch pattern properties (.htc)
 Option Description
Material type STEEL, CONCRETE, TIMBER, MISCELLANEOUS (case
sensitive)
Material name The material name defined for the part in part properties in the
model.
Hatch name To check the hatch pattern names and related hatch patterns go to
the Fill tab in Part properties, select a hatch pattern from the Type
list and click the ... button next to the list. Then click a pattern to
see its name in the Type list. The selected hatch pattern is marked
with a red frame. Hatch names are case sensitive.
Scale Scale is a numeric value that Tekla Structures uses to scale
hatches.
Color 0=black (default)
1=white
2=red
3=green

Drawing settings 600 Part and shape hatch pattern properties (.htc)
 Option Description
4=blue
5=cyan
6=yellow
7=magenta
120= Special (use this color for gray shade)
The hatch color defines the line width for the printer. If you do not
define a color for a hatch in the schema file, Tekla Structures uses
the default color black (0). To use the special color that is printed
as color or grayscale, depending on the selected printer settings,
set the color number in the .htc file to 120.
Automatic scaling and Automatic scaling and rotation defines whether you want to use
rotation automatic scaling and rotation.
1=true
0=false (default)
No hatching If you do not want to use any hatch pattern for a material, leave
the hatch name field blank in the schema file.

See also
Adding automatic hatch patterns on drawing objects on page 526
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592

8.14 Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh properties in

drawings
Use the options in the Reinforcement or Neighbor Reinforcement properties to check and
modify the reinforcement and mesh visibility, appearance and content.

Option Description
Visibility of all reinforcing bars Visible shows the bars or meshes.
Visibility of all meshes Not visible does not show the bars or meshes
Representation single line draws a single line with radiused bends.
double lines draws an outline of the bar with radiused
bends.
double lines with filled ends draws an outline of the
bar with radiused bends and filled bar ends.
filled line draws a solid bar with radiused bends.

Drawing settings 601 Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh

properties in drawings
 Option Description
stick draws a single line without radiused bends.
outline shows the shape of the mesh using an outline
rectangle or polygon, and a diagonal line. Applies only
to reinforcement meshes.
Visibility of reinforcing bars in group all shows all bars in a group or mesh.
Visibility of longitudinal wires first bar shows only the first bar in the group or mesh.
Visibility of crossing bars last bar shows only the last bar in the group or mesh.
first and last bar shows the first and last bar in the
group or mesh.
bar in the middle of group shows one bar in the
middle of the group or mesh.
two bars in the middle of group shows two bars in
the middle of the group or mesh.
customized indicates that you have specified the
location of the only visible reinforcing bar. Applies only
to bar groups and meshes.
Hide lines behind parts Hides the lines behind the part. This is useful, for
example, with lifting anchors where the reinforcing bar
is partly outside the part.
Hide lines behind other rebars Hides the lines behind other reinforcement bar lines.
Symbol at straight end

Applies only to reinforcing bars.

Symbol at hooked end

Applies only to reinforcing bars.

Mesh symbol Defines the mesh symbol to be used. The mesh symbol
appears in the middle of the diagonal line.
Symbol 1

Drawing settings 602 Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh

properties in drawings
 Option Description
Symbol 2

Symbol 3

Mesh symbol size Defines the size of the mesh symbol.

Visible lines Defines the color and type of the visible lines.
Hidden lines Defines the color and type of the hidden lines.

TIP In addition to the properties in the Reinforcement properties, you can use some advanced
options and the rebar_config.inp to modify the appearance of the reinforcement:
• To increase the size of the bend and end symbols (in drawing units) use the
advanced options XS_REBAR_BEND_MARK_SYMBOL_MIN_SIZE and
XS_REBAR_END_SYMBOL_MIN_SIZE in Tools --> Options --> Advanced
Options --> Concrete Detailing .
• Use the advanced option XS_REBAR_REVERSE_END_SYMBOLS in Tools -->
Options --> Advanced Options --> Concrete Detailing to change the end
symbols to a different direction.
• You can modify the reinforcing bar bending schedule, rounding of bar dimensions,
symbols for meshes, strands, and unbonding, and appearance of reinforcement
pull-outs in the rebar_config.inp file.

See also
Automatic reinforcement and mesh settings in drawings on page 532
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings on page 592
XS_REBAR_BEND_MARK_SYMBOL_MIN_SIZE
XS_REBAR_END_SYMBOL_MIN_SIZE
XS_REBAR_REVERSE_END_SYMBOLS
Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp) on page 603

8.15 Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp)

Tekla Structures uses the settings in the rebar_config.inp file in the ..
\ProgramData\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments

Drawing settings 603 Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp)

\<environment>\system folder to define the following reinforcement-related issues
in drawings:
• Selected area-specific reinforcing bar bending schedule
• Rounding of bar dimensions
• Available symbols for meshes, strands, and unbonding
• Appearance of reinforcement pull-outs
The entries in the rebar_config.inp are listed and described below:

Entry Description
MergeOneFormat No longer used. Define these properties in the drawing
MergeTwoOrMoreFormats properties.
MergeAndFormat
LeaderLinetype
DimensionMarkSpacingSep ="/"
arator
Affects the separator in reinforcement marks.
ExactDimensionMarkSpaci =" + "
ngSeparator
Separator between different exact spacing values in
reinforcement marks.
ExactDimensionMarkPcsSe ="*"
parator
Separator between the number of bars and their exact
spacing value in reinforcement mark.
BendingAngleTolerance Set a tolerance value for the angle. Angles that differ
from the set tolerance value less than the tolerance
are recognized and lead to a correct bending shape.
Enter the tolerance value as a radians, not as a degree.
The default value is 0.001 radians, which is 0.0573 in
degrees. This applies to all bending shapes.
BentRebarTolerance Set a tolerance value. Depending on the value, slightly
curved reinforcing bars get straight shape.
If reinforcing bar diameter is 20 mm and radius is 200
m then value 20/200000 = 0.0001.
This variable defines correct curved reinforcing bar in
case of long reinforcing bars to get a correct shape for
the bar. This option is used in comparing the relation
of the reinforcing bar diameter and radius. If the
relation is smaller than BentRebarTolerance,
the reinforcing bar is of bend_type_1, otherwise it is of
bend_type_34.

Drawing settings 604 Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp)

 Entry Description
PullOutBendingRadiusAsM Set to 1 to show the pullout bending radii using
ultiplier multiplier instead of mm.

GroupBarMark No longer in use.

MarkingDimAttributes No longer in use.
ScheduleCountry Defines which bending schedule is used. Affects
bending shapes in templates and reports. The available
schedules are FIN, SWE, UK, US.
When you number the model, the bending shape for
the bar is given according to this information. For
example, in the Default environment, the bending
shapes are letters A, B, C, and so on.
ScheduleDimensionRoundi Options:
ngDirection
• "UP": rounds bar dimensions up
ScheduleTotalLengthRoun
• "DOWN": rounds bar dimensions down
dingDirection
• "NEAREST": rounds bar dimensions either up or
down
ScheduleDimensionRoundi Sets the rounding accuracy for bar dimensions. Default
ngAccuracy is 1 mm.
Tekla Structures rounds individual bar dimensions up or
down according to the option you select for
ScheduleDimensionRoundingDirection.
ScheduleTotalLengthRoun Sets the rounding accuracy for the total bar length.
dingAccuracy Default is 10 mm.
Tekla Structures rounds individual bar dimensions up or
down according to the option you select for
ScheduleTotalLengthRoundingDirection
.
BentSymbolFile Points to the symbol file that contains the available
reinforcing bar bent symbols. By default, points to the

Drawing settings 605 Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp)

 Entry Description
file bent.sym, which in the default environment is
located in the folder ..\ProgramData\Tekla
Structures\<version>\\environments
\common\symbols.
MeshSymbolFile Points to the mesh symbol file that contains the
available mesh symbols. Affects the available
reinforcement mesh symbols in drawings.
By default, points to the mesh.sym file in the ...
\Tekla Structures\<version>\
\environments\common\symbols folder.
StrandSymbolFile Points to the strand symbol file that contains the
available strand symbols. Affects drawings.
By default, points to the strand.sym file in
the ...\Tekla Structures\<version>
\environments\common\symbols folder.
UnbondingSymbolFile Points to the unbonding symbol file that contains the
available unbonding symbols.
RebarMeshSize Template for rebar mesh size.
PullOutDimensionFormat Defines the format for displaying the dimensions.
The format follows the dimension properties format.
Options:
• 0 = ###
• 1 = ###[.#]
• 2 = ###.#
• 3 = ###[.##]
• 4 = ###.##
• 5 = ###[.###]
• 6 = ###.###
• 7 = ### #/#
• 8 = ###/##.###
PullOutDimensionPrecisi Sets the level of precision.
on
Options: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, and so on.
PullOutDimensionUnit Defines the units to use.
Options:
• 0 = auto
• 1 = mm

Drawing settings 606 Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp)

 Entry Description
• 2 = cm
• 3=m
• 4 = inch
• 5 = foot and inch
PullOutColor Sets the color for the pull-outs in reinforcement marks.
Options:
• 1 = black
• 2 = red
• 3 = bright green
• 4 = blue
• 5 = cyan
• 6 = yellow
• 7 = magenta
PullOutVisibleLineType Sets the line type for reinforcing bar shape in pull-
outs.
Options:

1=

2=

3=

4=

5=

6=

7=
PullOutRepresentation Sets the representation type.
Options:
• 0 = single
• 1 = double
• 2 = filled
• 3 = stick

Drawing settings 607 Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp)

 Entry Description
PullOutAngleColor Sets the color for the angle in pull-outs.
Options:
• 1 = black
• 2 = red
• 3 = green
• 4 = blue
• 5 = cyan
• 6 = yellow
• 7 = magenta
• 8 = brown
• 9 = green
• 10 = dark blue
• 11 = forest green
• 12 = orange
• 13 = gray

PullOutAngleLineType Sets the line type for angle lines in pull-outs.

Options:

• 1=

• 2=

• 3=

• 4=

• 5=

• 6=

• 7=

Drawing settings 608 Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp)

 Entry Description
PullOutLeaderLineMinLen Sets a minimum length for the small leader lines that
gth point to the dimension text. The default value is 10
mm. To switch leader lines off completely, use a large
value.
PullOutShowDuplicateDim Defines whether duplicate dimensions are showed
s multiple times for one bar.
Options:
• 0 = duplicate dimensions are not shown (default)
• 1 = equal and parallel dimensions are shown, but
similar hook dimensions are not shown
• 2 = equal and parallel dimensions are not shown,
but both hook dimensions are shown
• 3 = all dimensions are shown
• 4 = hook dimensions are not shown
• 5 = hook dimensions, or equal and parallel
dimensions are not shown
PullOutShowUSHookDims Defines if the US/NA style of dimension will be shown
for hooks over 90 degrees.
Options:
• 0 = shows European hook dimension (= leg length,
default)
• 1 = shows US hook dimension (= straight length)
for hooks >90 degrees
See the image below for the difference between the
US/NA (A) and European (B) hook dimension.

See also
Hard-coded bending type identifiers in reinforcement shape recognition
Adding pull-out pictures in reinforcement marks on page 509
Setting automatic reinforcement and reinforcement mesh properties on page 532
Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh properties in drawings on page 601

Drawing settings 609 Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp)

8.16 Pour object and pour break properties in drawings
Use the options in Pour Object Properties and Pour Break Properties dialog boxes on
drawing level (general arrangement drawings only ) and on object level, and in Pour object
and Pour break panels on view level to control the visibility of the pour objects and pour
breaks in drawings.

Pour object properties

Option Description
Content tab - Hidden lines
Hidden lines on/off Click on to display pour object hidden lines.
Own hidden lines on/off Click on to display own hidden lines.
Content tab - Addional marks
Edge chamfers on/off Select on to display edge chamfers.
Appearance tab - Visible lines
Color Select the color of the visible pour object
lines.
Type Select the type of the visible pour object
lines.
Appearance tab - Hidden lines
Color Select the color of the hidden pour object
lines.
Type Select the type of the hidden pour object
lines.
Fill tab
To add a fill for outer pour faces, use the Pour faces area, and to add a fill for cross sections
in section views, use the Sections area.
Type Defines the fill type. Clicking the button next
to the list opens a preview of the hatch
patterns.
Automatic selects the fill type automatically
from the hatch pattern schema files.
None uses no fill.
Color Defines the color for the fill.
You can select a predefined color or use
Special color that is not converted to black
in printouts.

Drawing settings 610 Pour object and pour break properties in drawings
 Option Description
Background Defines the background color for the fill.
Background color selection is disabled for
hardware hatches.
Background color can be set for automatic
hatches, but it has effect only if automatic
hatch is not defined for the material in the
hatch pattern schema file.
Scale Automatic scales and rotates the fill
automatically.
Custom allows you to select scaling and
rotation manually.
Scaling in direction x and Scaling in
direction y define the scales in x and y
direction.
Keep ratio of x and y retains the relative
proportions in the hatch pattern.
Angle rotates the fill. For example, Angle 0.0
is for horizontal and Angle 90.0 for vertical.

Pour break properties

Option Description
Content tab - Hidden lines
Visibility Defines if the pour breaks are visible (Visible)
or not (Not visible).
Hidden lines on/off Click on to display pour break hidden lines.
Appearance tab - Visible lines
Color Select the color of the visible pour break
lines.
Type Select the type of the visible pour break
lines.
Appearance tab - Hidden lines
Color Select the color of the hidden pour break
lines.
Type Select the type of the hidden pour break
lines.

See also
Pours in drawings on page 236
Showing pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in drawings on page 238

Drawing settings 611 Pour object and pour break properties in drawings
8.17 Placement properties for annotation objects
Use the settings in the Placing dialog boxes for annotation objects and dimensions to control
how the annotation objects are placed in a drawing.

Option Description
Search margin Defines the distance within which Tekla Structures searches
for a space to place a dimension, mark, weld mark or another
annotation object.
Minimal distance Defines the minimum distance of the mark, weld mark,
dimension or another annotation object from the part.
Quarter For marks and manually added annotation objects.
Defines the areas Tekla Structures searches for a space to
place the mark or annotation object.
Weld placement depends on the welding direction. Welds
can only be placed in certain sectors, so the Quarter options
are not available. This option is available for manually added
welds in the final drawing.
Placing free allows Tekla Structures to search for the first suitable
location for the mark, dimension, weld or another
annotation object. fixed allows you to place the mark,
dimension, weld or another annotation object in any
location.
When you use the option fixed, the annotation object stays
where it is even though you update the drawing, whereas
with free, Tekla Structures tries to find the optimal place for
the annotation object.
Direction Available only for manual dimensions.
Defines the side on which Tekla Structures places dimensions
(relative to the object being dimensioned). This setting
affects the Placing - free setting.

See also
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 357

8.18 Welding properties

You can select which model welds are visible in drawings and drawing views, and set the
weld color and line type.

Drawing settings 612 Placement properties for annotation objects

• To set the automatic welding properties in single-part and assembly drawings: Click
Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type. Click View
creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and click View
properties. Now click Weld in the options tree.
• To set the automatic welding properties on drawing level in general arrangement
drawing: Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
Click Weld.
• To modify the welding properties on drawing level in a general arrangement drawing:
Double-click the drawing background and click Weld.
• To modify the welding properties on view level: Double-click the drawing view frame and
click Weld in the View Properties dialog box.

Option Description
Content: Visibility
Welds Not visible does not display any welds in the selected view/
drawing.
Site weld visible displays only site welds in the view/drawing.
Workshop weld visible displays only workshop welds in the
view/drawing
Both visible displays both site welds and workshop welds in
the view/drawing.
Weld size limit Enter a weld size to filter welds of that size out of the drawing.
This is useful when you only want to show non-typical welds in
a drawing.
To set whether the weld size is an exact or minimum value, use
the advanced option XS_WELD_FILTER_TYPE.
To filter out a standard weld type, use the advanced option
XS_OMITTED_WELD_TYPE.
Appearance: Visible lines
Color Sets the type of the weld line.
Type Sets the color of the weld line.

See also
Welds in drawings on page 210
Model weld mark visibility and appearance properties in drawings on page 580

Drawing settings 613 Drawing shape properties

8.19 Drawing shape properties
Use the properties dialog boxes of different shapes (lines, rectangles, polylines, polygons,
arcs, circles) to view and modify the appearance of the shapes. The settings you have in the
dialog box vary depending on the shape type. Some objects do not have all the settings listed
below.

Setting Description
Line: Type

Line: Color Defines the color of the object lines.

Line: Bulge or Bulge for all lines. Values 0 - 1.The bulge factor defines the curvature of
the curved segments of objects using the calculation:
Arc height = Line length * Bulge factor
Changing the bulge factor of a polyline or polygon
modifies all the segments of that object.
Line: Radius Defines the radius of arcs and circles.
Arrow: Position

Arrow: Type

Arrow: Height

Arrow: Length

Fill: Type Defines the fill type to be used in the object. Clicking
Select to shows the available hatch types.
Fill: Color Defines the color of the fill.

Drawing settings 614 Drawing shape properties

 Setting Description
Fill: Background Defines the background color for the fill.
Scaling in direction x Defines the fill scales in the x and y direction.
Scaling in direction y
Keep ratio of x and y
Angle Rotates the fill. Angle 0.0 is for horizontal and 90.0
for vertical.
Offset Moves the fill pattern inside the object to in the x
and y direction by the specified value.

See also
Creating a shape in a drawing on page 201
Automatic hatch patterns in drawings on page 525

8.20 Drawing grid properties

Use the Grid properties to view and modify the grid settings in drawings.
• To set the automatic grid properties in single-part and assembly drawings: Click
Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type. Click View
creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and click View
properties. Now click Grid in the options tree.
• To set the automatic grid properties on drawing level in general arrangement drawing:
Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type. Click Grid.
• To modify the grid properties on drawing level in a general arrangement drawing:
Double-click the drawing background and click Grid.
• To modify the grid properties on view level: Double-click the drawing view frame and
click Grid in the View Properties dialog box.
Additionally, for example XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_FIXED_WIDTH,
XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_LINE_WIDTH_FACTOR and
XS_GRID_TEXT_FONT allow you to adjust the grid labels further.

Option Description
Grids Visible shows the grids.
Not visible does not show the grids.
Visible in all views shows the grids in all drawing views.
This option is not available for general arrangement
drawings.
Only grid labels visible shows only the grid label and a
short section of the grid line. The length of the displayed

Drawing settings 615 Drawing grid properties

 Option Description
grid line depends on the value entered in the Text placing
box. In the drawing level, this option is only available for
general arrangement drawings. On the view and object
level this option is available for all types of drawings.
Text placing Sets the side to show the grid labels and the length of the
grid line extension (the distance between the end of the
grid line and the text).
Text: Color, Height, Font and Frame Defines the grid label text color, height, font and frame.

See also
Automatic grid settings in drawings on page 510
Setting automatic grid properties on page 512
XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_FIXED_WIDTH
XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_LINE_WIDTH_FACTOR
XS_GRID_TEXT_FONT

8.21 Orientation settings

Use the Orientation marks page in the Options dialog box to define some orientation and
location settings.

Setting Description
Project north Defines which direction is north in the model. Enter
the value in degrees counter-clockwise from the
global x axis.

Part viewing direction Defines which direction parts are viewed from in
drawings.
Beam skew limit Tekla Structures uses limit angles to determine
whether a part is a beam or a column when creating
Column skew limit

Drawing settings 616 Orientation settings

 Setting Description
orientation marks. Tekla Structures treats parts
outside these limits as braces.

Parts skewed more than 80° are columns.

Parts skewed less than 10° are beams.
Preferred location for mark Defines the location of part marks in drawings, to the
left or right end of the part.
Mark always to center of column This setting only affects columns.
Yes places part marks in the center of columns in
plan views. To indicate part orientation, include
compass direction (Face direction) in the part mark
instead.
No places part marks on the same flange in general
arrangement and assembly drawings.

See also
Displaying compass direction in part marks on page 518
Mark location on page 486

Drawing settings 617 Orientation settings

9 Disclaimer

© 2015 Tekla Corporation and its licensors. All rights reserved.

This Software Manual has been developed for use with the referenced Software. Use of the
Software, and use of this Software Manual are governed by a License Agreement. Among
other provisions, the License Agreement sets certain warranties for the Software and this
Manual, disclaims other warranties, limits recoverable damages, defines permitted uses of the
Software, and determines whether you are an authorized user of the Software. All
information set forth in this manual is provided with the warranty set forth in the License
Agreement. Please refer to the License Agreement for important obligations and applicable
limitations and restrictions on your rights. Tekla does not guarantee that the text is free of
technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Tekla reserves the right to make changes and
additions to this manual due to changes in the software or otherwise.
In addition, this Software Manual is protected by copyright law and by international treaties.
Unauthorized reproduction, display, modification, or distribution of this Manual, or any
portion of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the
full extent permitted by law.
Tekla, Tekla Structures, Tekla BIMsight, BIMsight, Tedds, Solve, Fastrak and Orion are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Tekla Corporation in the European Union, the United
States, and/or other countries. More about Tekla trademarks: http://www.tekla.com/tekla-
trademarks. Trimble is a registered trademark or trademark of Trimble Navigation Limited in
the European Union, in the United States and/or other countries. More about Trimble
trademarks: http://www.trimble.com/trademarks.aspx. Other product and company names
mentioned in this Manual are or may be trademarks of their respective owners. By referring
to a third-party product or brand, Tekla does not intend to suggest an affiliation with or
endorsement by such third party and disclaims any such affiliation or endorsement, except
where otherwise expressly stated.
Portions of this software:
D-Cubed 2D DCM © 2010 Siemens Industry Software Limited. All rights reserved.
EPM toolkit © 1995-2004 EPM Technology a.s., Oslo, Norway. All rights reserved.
Open CASCADE Technology © 2001-2014 Open CASCADE SA. All rights reserved.
FLY SDK - CAD SDK © 2012 VisualIntegrity™. All rights reserved.
Teigha © 2003-2014 Open Design Alliance. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer 618 Orientation settings

PolyBoolean C++ Library © 2001-2012 Complex A5 Co. Ltd. All rights reserved.
FlexNet Copyright © 2014 Flexera Software LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This product contains proprietary and confidential technology, information and creative
works owned by Flexera Software LLC and its licensors, if any. Any use, copying, publication,
distribution, display, modification, or transmission of such technology in whole or in part in
any form or by any means without the prior express written permission of Flexera Software
LLC is strictly prohibited. Except where expressly provided by Flexera Software LLC in writing,
possession of this technology shall not be construed to confer any license or rights under any
Flexera Software LLC intellectual property rights, whether by estoppel, implication, or
otherwise.
To see the third party licenses, go to Tekla Structures, click Help --> About and click the
Third party licenses button.
The elements of the software described in this Manual are protected by several patents and
possibly pending patent applications in the European Union and/or other countries. For more
information go to page http://www.tekla.com/tekla-patents.

Disclaimer 619 Orientation settings

Disclaimer 620 Orientation settings
Index

. dimension tags.........................................................154
drawing views.......................................................... 120
.rtf file dual dimensions.......................................................158
adding a link.............................................................195 foldmarks................................................................... 310
frames......................................................................... 310
hyperlinks.................................................................. 198
2 level marks................................................................ 182
links to DWG/DXF files...........................................199
2D.......................................................................................... 18 links to other drawings..........................................197
links to text files......................................................195
manual dimensions.................................................146
3 part marks................................................................. 181
3D.......................................................................................... 18 predefined reinforcement dimensions.............. 160
drawing views...................................................119,551 reinforcement marks.............................................. 181
isometric drawings....................................................32 revision marks.......................................................... 200
rotation of views..................................................... 551 single-part views in assembly drawings...........132
3D surface treatment marks.......................................181
drawing views.......................................................... 126 symbols...................................................................... 246
3D views...............................................................................32 symbols in marks.....................................................505
texts............................................................................ 193
weld marks................................................................223
A AddSurfaceSymbols........................................................251
aligning dimension texts.............................................. 462
A1........................................................................................ 339 aligning
A2................................................................................315,339 drawing objects....................................................... 264
A3........................................................................315,339,345 drawing views..................................................140,394
printing.......................................................................301 alternative scales............................................................355
A4........................................................................315,339,345 anchor bolt plans................................................ 26,33,551
printing.......................................................................301 creating........................................................................ 60
absolute dimensions...................................................... 556 dimensions................................................................ 476
appearance................................................................455 included objects.........................................................62
orientation................................................................ 455 including assemblies.................................................63
zero at start point...................................................455 including objects....................................................... 62
adding anchor bolts........................................................................35
associative notes..................................................... 183 angle...................................................................................613
bolt marks..................................................................181 angle dimensions...............................................................60
closing dimensions..................................................176 angle dimensions ...........................................................556
connection marks....................................................181 annotation objects ........................................................ 100
dimension lines........................................................ 161 annotation objects117,180,192,201,223,357,360,362
dimension points.....................................................177 associative................................................................... 17
dimension points in a nchor bolt plans............ 172 independent................................................................ 17

621
 modifying.................................................................. 184 associativity........................................................................ 20
appearance....................................................................... 592 refreshing...................................................................101
of bolts....................................................................... 522 associativity symbol
of frames................................................................... 483 ghost associativity symbol......................................20
of leader lines...........................................................483 switching on/off.........................................................20
of mark text.............................................................. 483 automatic
of marks..................................................................... 573 dimensions........................................................396,449
of model weld marks in drawings...................... 580 marks..................................................................479,480
of neighbor parts.....................................................515 autoscale...........................................................................355
of parts....................................................................... 513 autoscaling...............................................................354,356
of reference models................................................234 autosizing................................................................. 354,356
of surface treatment.............................................. 530
arcs............................................................................. 201,613
dividing...................................................................... 263
arranging
B
drawing objects....................................................... 256 back drawing views................................................126,551
drawing views.......................................................... 141 back views.........................................................................365
arrows................................................................................ 186 bar class.............................................................................587
customizing.............................................................. 190 bar diameter.....................................................................587
in leader lines...........................................................190 bar length..........................................................................587
in shapes.................................................................... 613 bar marks.......................................................................... 589
leader lines................................................................190 bar name........................................................................... 587
assemblies bar quantity......................................................................587
including in anchor bolt plans...............................63 bar shape...........................................................................587
assembly drawings............................................................39 bar weight.........................................................................587
view direction of beams and bracings.............. 378 base points............................................................... 190,485
column view direction........................................... 378 beams
creating....................................................... 48,64,68,71 in cast unit drawings................................................43
dimensioning............................................................ 566 view direction in drawings................................... 378
example........................................................................ 40 bent plates
freezing...................................................................... 285 unfolding................................................................... 385
including single-part drawings........................... 370 block prefix.......................................................................589
rails................................................................................ 41 bolt diameter .................................................................. 586
single-part views.....................................................132 bolt length........................................................................ 586
stairs.............................................................................. 41 bolt marks......................................................................... 480
assembly position .......................................................... 584 elements............................................................ 506,586
assembly type.................................................................. 586 modifying.................................................................. 184
associaative notes bolt plans.............................................................................60
leader lines................................................................190 bolt standard....................................................................586
associative annotation objects...........................180,223 bolts
associative notes..................................................... 183 appearance................................................................522
level marks................................................................ 182 bolt symbols..............................................................522
modifying.................................................................. 184 combining dimensions...........................................445
part marks................................................................. 181 contents..................................................................... 522
updating.....................................................................185 dimensioning....................................................436,568
associative notes............................................................... 17 examples....................................................................523
adding.........................................................................183 in drawings....................................................... 521,522
in edge chamfers.....................................................230 properties.................................................................. 595
bolt’s full name................................................................586

622
bolt’s short name............................................................ 586 cloning template models................................................ 54
bottom drawing views.......................................... 126,551 cloning templates........................................................82,87
bottom views................................................................... 365 cloning
boundaries, see view boundaries a drawing to a new sheet..................................... 102
of drawing views..................................................... 137 checking cloned drawings.....................................101
bracings cloned objects.......................................................... 100
view direction in drawings................................... 378 cloning templates.......................................... 54,94,95
building objects................................... 17,18,117,203,551 dimensions...................................................................99
modifying.................................................................. 203 drawings...........................................................93,96,98
bulge...................................................................................613 using cloning templates from othe models....... 95
by print area.....................................................................315 when to clone.............................................................93
closing dimensions......................................................... 442
adding.........................................................................176
C closing
drawings.................................................................... 279
calculated drawing sizes.............................................. 339 clouds.........................................................................186,201
calculated sizes............................................................... 345 COG, see center of gravity........................................... 167
camber ..............................................................................584 colors
cast unit definition method changing pen number............................................275
By cast unit ID...................................................... 48,64 color table................................................................. 316
By cast unit position...........................................48,64 in drawings.......................................257,271,272,273
cast unit drawing in printing..................................................................316
freezing...................................................................... 285 pen numbers.............................................................274
cast unit drawings............................................................ 42 special colors............................................................273
creating.................................................................. 48,64 columns
creating one by one.................................................. 65 in assembly drawings.............................................378
dimensioning............................................................ 566 in cast unit drawings................................................43
precast beams.............................................................43 combining
precast column...........................................................43 dimension lines........................................................178
precast stairs...............................................................44 dimensions................................................443,445,562
cc.................................................................................587,588 compass direction...........................................................518
center lines connecting side
line type..................................................................... 203 showing marks ........................................................520
center of gravity connecting
dimensioning............................................................ 167 dimension lines........................................................178
center-to-center distance........................... 436,584,586 connection marks........................................................... 480
chamfer marks modifying.................................................................. 184
adding.........................................................................230 connections
chamfers DSTV code..................................................................589
in drawings.............................. 228,229,230,231,266 error............................................................................ 589
change clouds, see change symbols..........................187 group...........................................................................589
change symbols...............................................................186 marks.......................................................................... 589
removing....................................................................187 name........................................................................... 589
changing number....................................................................... 589
drawing revisions.................................................... 288 running number.......................................................589
check dimensions............................................................432 content.............................................................................. 592
circles......................................................................... 201,613 contents
class.................................................................................... 584 of bolts....................................................................... 522
cloning models...................................................................95

623
 of drawing parts...................................................... 513 cut lines
of drawings..................................................................13 creating......................................................................269
of marks..................................................................... 583 deleting...................................................................... 270
of neighbor parts.....................................................515 managing...................................................................268
of surface treatment.............................................. 530 updating.....................................................................270
coordinate systems
changing.................................................................... 372
fixed............................................................................ 372
horizontal brace...................................................... 372
D
local.............................................................................372 deck plans............................................................................30
model..........................................................................372 deformed parts
oriented......................................................................372 undeforming............................................................. 386
user coordinate system (UCS)..............................152 deleting
vertical brace............................................................372 cut lines......................................................................270
copying drawing revisions.................................................... 289
a drawing to a new sheet..................................... 102 drawings.................................................................... 286
drawing objects....................................................... 255 moment connection symbols...............................250
drawing views.......................................................... 133 unnecessary drawing files.................................... 278
drawings.......................................................................90 detail boundary............................................................... 144
with offset.................................................................255 detail marks......................................................................124
countersunk......................................................................586 detail name............................................................... 591
cover-up area...................................................................201 elements.....................................................................591
cover-up areas.................................................................205 modifying.................................................................. 144
cover-up line.................................................................... 201 source drawing name.............................................591
cover-up lines.................................................................. 205 detail symbols..................................................................144
creating detail views....................................................................... 119
drawings.......................................................................58 creating......................................................................124
creating marks.......................................................................... 144
anchor bolt plans.......................................................60 moving to another drawing................................. 133
cut lines..................................................................... 269 name........................................................................... 591
drawings........................... 25,48,52,64,70,77,94,103 start letter or number............................................ 126
drawings using menu commands......................... 47 view label mark elements..................................... 591
drawings using pop-up-menu commands......... 47 view labels........................................................ 124,144
drawings using toolbar commands...................... 47 detailed object level settings21,331,332,335,336,551
empty drawings..........................................................59 dimension format........................................................... 558
empty general arrangemet drawings...................47 dimension lines................................................................161
fillet.............................................................................265 combining..................................................................178
general arrangement drawings..............................59 creating extensions................................................ 452
moment connection symbols...............................247 linking.........................................................................178
revisions..................................................................... 287 unlinking....................................................................178
round chamfer in drawing....................................266 dimension marks............................................................. 171
straight chamfer in drawing................................ 266 dragging.....................................................................179
curved section views......................................................123 dimension points
custom presentations.................................................... 208 adding........................................................172,176,177
customizing removing....................................................................177
line types................................................................... 542 dimension tags........................................................ 171,560
Master Drawing catalog.......................................... 79 automatic tagging.................................................. 429
print file names............................................... 305,306 content.......................................................................154
contents..................................................................... 146

624
 elements.................................................................... 146 examples.....
filtering content...................................................... 156 147,434,436,437,442,443,445,446,447,448,465,
in dimensions........................................................... 154 467,468,469,470,476
removing default content.....................................154 extension lines.................................................453,556
rotating...................................................................... 154 flipping outside dimensions................................. 174
dimensioning tool........................................................... 416 formats.......................................................................556
dimensioning....................................................................426 forward offset..................................................446,562
automatic.................................................................. 396 general arrangement drawings...........462,464,571
dimensioning rule properties............................... 409 grid dimensions....................................................... 465
edge shape................................................................ 416 grouping....................................................429,556,569
examples of view-level dimensioning............... 416 in reinforcement......................................................160
filter for holes and recesses.........................424,425 level.............................................................................556
filters.................................................................. 422,426 limiting outside dimensions.................................469
overall dimensions.................................................. 416 marks..................................................171,179,427,560
precast........................................................................416 maximum leader line length................................467
dimensions..........................................................17,100,145 minimizing views.................................................... 562
absolute............................................................. 455,556 modifying...................................................................171
adding.........................................................................146 object groups............................................................463
adding dimension tags.......................................... 154 object groups in dimensioning............................464
anchor bolt plans.................................................... 476 overall dimensions.................................................. 465
angle........................................................................... 556 part dimensions.......................................434,470,572
appearance............................................... 171,452,560 parts in general arrangement drawings........... 152
automatic.................................................................. 449 parts partly outside the view...............................468
automatic tagging.................................................. 429 placing....................................................... 357,362,556
bolt dimensioning................................................... 436 plate side marks.......................................................173
bolts............................................................................ 568 plates.......................................................................... 458
center of gravity......................................................167 position dimensions....................................... 437,452
check dimensions.................................................... 432 position properties..................................................565
cloning.......................................................................... 99 positioning........................................................ 470,572
closing................................................................442,562 precision.................................................................... 556
combining.................................................443,445,562 preferred dim side...................................................448
contents..................................................................... 146 prefix of radial dimensions...................................458
coordinate system...................................................152 presicion.................................................................... 558
creating......................................................................427 profiles........................................................................460
creation method...................................................... 551 properties.......................................................... 556,566
dimension format....................................................558 recognizable distance............................................ 562
dimension lines................................................160,180 recreating.................................................................. 159
dimension marks............................................. 146,160 reinforcement.......................................... 161,448,570
dimension points.............................................172,177 reinforcing bar dimension lines...........................161
dimension tags................................................ 146,160 reinforcing bar groups........................................... 163
dual dimensions.......................................................158 relative....................................................................... 556
elements.................................................................... 146 setting start point...................................................175
elevations.................................................................. 430 settings.......................................................................427
enlarging....................................................................456 sloped......................................................................... 462
exaggerate selected................................................171 specifying on view level........................................ 397
exaggerating.............................................................456 straight.......................................................................556
sub-assemblies.........................................................570
tags..................................................................... 448,560

625
 tags, see dimension tags....................................... 171 associativity................................................................ 20
type............................................................................. 562 building objects..........................................................17
types............................................................................556 detailed object level settings.......................331,335
unfolded parts..........................................................450 dragging.....................................................................253
units....................................................................556,558 loading object properties...................................... 330
updating format...................................................... 497 modifying properties.............................................. 330
US absolute...............................................................556 moving........................................................................253
dim_operation.ail............................................................430 reshaping................................................................... 253
dim_planes_table.txt.....................................................460 resizing.......................................................................253
direction marks................................................................392 shapes........................................................................... 17
direction drawing properties
view direction marks..............................................392 applying..................................................................... 339
distance between groups............................................. 589 detailed object level settings......331,332,335,336
distances drawing level............................................................ 332
recognizable............................................................. 447 drawing property files.............................................. 79
dividing modifying automatic..............................................320
arcs..............................................................................263 modifying before creating drawings................. 325
lines.............................................................................263 modifying in an open drawing............................ 326
dragging modifying on view level........................................ 327
associative notes..................................................... 190 object level................................................................330
dimension marks..................................................... 179 view level...................................................................336
drawing objects....................................................... 253 drawing property files......................................................84
end of dimension line............................................ 180 drawing shapes..................................................................17
grid labels..................................................................242 arcs.............................................................................. 201
marks.......................................................................... 190 circles..........................................................................201
model weld marks................................................... 221 clouds..........................................................................201
texts............................................................................ 193 cover-up area........................................................... 201
weld marks................................................................ 221 cover-up line............................................................ 201
drawing files creating...................................................................... 201
deleting...................................................................... 278 lines............................................................................. 201
drawing filters............................................................62,332 polygons.....................................................................201
drawing layouts................................................................. 15 polylines..................................................................... 201
examples in pour drawings.................................. 240 rectangles.................................................................. 201
drawing level properties............................................... 332 drawing sheets................................................................ 339
drawing levels drawing size..................................................................... 356
object level................................................................330 calculated sizes........................................................345
Drawing List......................................................................105 fixed sizes.................................................................. 344
cloning drawings....................................................... 96 drawing templates
contents..............................................................106,110 preview images.......................................................... 93
filtering....................................................................... 110 drawing view filters.......................................154,335,422
opening...................................................................... 106 drawing view labels
sorting......................................................................... 110 section views............................................................ 142
status flags................................................................109 drawing views............................................................ 15,119
what is displayed.....................................................106 3D.................................................................................551
drawing objects...................................................... 180,252 3D views.................................................................... 126
aligning...................................................................... 264 adding.........................................................................120
annotation objects.................................................... 17 aligning...................................................................... 140
arranging................................................................... 256 arranging........................................................... 133,141

626
 automatic.................................................................. 364 adding texts..............................................................193
back............................................................................. 551 anchor bolt plans.................................................33,60
back views.................................................................126 assembly drawing......................................................39
bottom........................................................................551 automatic drawing settings................................. 320
bottom views............................................................126 autoscaling................................................................356
coordinate system...................................................551 autosizing..................................................................356
copying.......................................................................133 basic principles...........................................................18
creating........... 120,123,124,126,127,128,129,365 before creating...........................................................46
deformed parts.........................................................386 cast unit drawings.....................................................42
detail views...............................................................124 changing color......................................................... 272
direction marks................................................392,551 checking cloned drawings.....................................101
end...............................................................................551 checking if parts have drawings..........................112
front............................................................................ 551 cloning.............................................................. 93,94,96
front views................................................................ 126 closing........................................................................ 279
key plans.................................................................... 351 colors.................................................................. 257,271
linking.........................................................................136 contents....................................................................... 13
modifying.......................................................... 136,142 creating................. 25,48,52,58,59,64,70,77,94,103
moving........................................................................139 creating general arrangement drawings.............47
moving to another drawing................................. 133 deleting...................................................................... 286
neighbor part visibility...........................................379 drawing filters..........................................................332
of entire model view.............................................. 127 Drawing List..............................................................106
of reinforcement meshes...................................... 129 drawing objects..........................................................17
of selected area in drawing..................................129 drawing size..................................................... 354,355
of selected area in model..................................... 128 drawing templates............................................ 93,103
openings and recesses........................................... 388 drawing view scale.........................................354,355
part orientation........................................................371 editing.........................................................................117
projection type.........................................................369 filters.................................................................. 332,336
properties.................................................................. 364 foldmarks...................................................................309
rotating...................................................................... 141 frames................................................................. 309,311
rotating parts........................................................... 374 freezing...................................................................... 284
scale....................................................................355,551 general arrangement drawings..............................26
section........................................................................ 551 grid lines.................................................................... 242
section view properties......................................... 555 grids............................................................ 241,242,510
section views....................................................120,123 hiding and showing objects................................. 257
settings.......................................................................551 hyperlinks.................................................................. 198
shortening parts...................................................... 382 in drawings..................................................................15
showing openings and recesses.......................... 387 issuing........................................................................ 286
single-part views.....................................................132 keyboard shortcuts................................................. 280
size.............................................................................. 355 layouts................................................. 15,339,343,352
top............................................................................... 551 links to other drawings..........................................197
top views................................................................... 126 locking........................................................................283
unfolding polybeams..............................................385 main features..............................................................13
view boundaries.......................................................137 managing...................................................................282
view label marks......................................................367 margins...................................................................... 346
view label symbols.................................................. 551 master drawings........................................................ 79
viewing direction.....................................................378 modifying properties......................................326,330
drawings............................................................................ 103 modifying properties before creating drawings
dimensions................................................................ 396 ......................................................................................325

627
 multidrawings.............................................................45
multiple drawing sheets of the same part......... 76 E
object properties............................................. 332,336 edge chamfers......................................................... 183,513
opening.......................................................................113 adding chamfer marks........................................... 230
preview images...........................................................91 in drawings.......................................228,229,230,231
printing..................................... 299,300,303,304,305 editing
printing to multiple sheets...................................308 drawings.....................................................................117
properties................................. 320,327,331,335,339 elements
protection......................................................... 358,360 in bolt marks.................................................... 506,586
recreating.................................................................. 328 in connection marks...............................................589
reference models.....................................................233 in detail view label marks.....................................591
removing...................................................................... 82 in dimension marks.................................................146
renaming.................................................................... 118 in dimension tags....................................................146
revisions..................................................................... 287 in marks............................................................. 583,584
rule sets........................................................................ 70 in merged reinforcement marks..........................589
saved settings....................................................... 58,64 in neighbor reinforcement mesh marks............588
saving......................................................................... 278 in part marks............................................................ 584
screen layout...............................................................14 in reinforcement marks......................................... 587
searching.................................................................... 111 in reinforcement mesh marks..............................588
selecting..................................................................... 112 in section view label marks.................................. 591
settings.............................................................. 320,544 in surface treatment marks..................................590
single-part drawings.................................................34 in view label marks................................................. 591
snapshots................................................................... 114 elevation views................................................................ 119
spaces between views............................................346 elevations
status flags................................................................109 datum point.............................................................. 551
status information.................................................. 109 dimensioning............................................................ 430
table layouts....................................345,346,347,348 embeds................................................................................. 35
tables.......................................................................... 342 end views.................................................................. 365,551
text files.....................................................................195 aligning with main view....................................... 394
three levels of modifying.........................................21 view direction marks..............................................392
titles.............................................................................118 enlarged views
types.............................................................................. 26 adding dimension points.......................................172
unlocking................................................................... 283 enlarging
updating...................................................... 19,282,329 dimensions................................................................ 456
user-defined attributes................................. 537,538 erection elevation drawings...........................................31
view filters.................................................................336 erection elevation drawings, see general
views.............................................................15,364,365 arrangement drawings.....................................................26
with black background...........................................271 exaggerating dimensions..............................................456
wizards..........................................................................70 exaggerating
dual dimensions selected dimensions................................................171
adding automatically............................................. 449 examples
adding manually......................................................158 bolts in drawings.....................................................523
DWG and DXF files cast unit drawings...............................................43,44
adding in a drawing table layout....................... 351 cloning drawings....................................................... 98
in drawings............................................................... 199 dimensions in drawings.....
scaling options.........................................................199 147,176,434,436,437,442,443,445,446,447,448,
DWG/DXF files................................................... 17,100,342 465,467,468,469,470,476
as drawing frames................................................... 311 edge chamfers in drawings.................................. 231

628
 hatch patterns..........................................................528 in Master Drawing Catalog......................... 88,89,91
part representation in drawings......................... 513 folding printed drawings.............................................. 309
printing.............................................................. 301,302 foldmarks.................................................................. 309,310
welds in drawings........................................... 212,224 format
exploding dimensions................................................................ 497
plug-ins...................................................................... 210 level attributes.........................................................497
extension lines forward offset..........................................................446,562
of dimensions........................................................... 453 foundation plans............................................................... 60
extrema, see view boundaries.............................120,137 frames........................................................................ 309,310
around marks............................................................483
DWG/DXF files...........................................................311
F framing plans..................................................................... 29
free......................................................................................146
face direction...................................................518,584,616 freezing
features and associativity......................................................285
in drawings..................................................................13 and cloning............................................................... 285
file names assembly drawings..................................................285
in printing......................................................... 305,306 cast unit drawings.................................................. 285
fill........................................................................................ 592 drawings.................................................................... 284
fill, see hatch patterns.................................................. 525 effect on drawings..................................................285
fillet general arrangement drawings........................... 284
creating......................................................................265 single part drawings...............................................285
fills...................................................................................... 526 front drawing views...................................... 126,378,551
filtering front views........................................................................365
dimension tag content.......................................... 156
drawing filters..........................................................332
Drawing List contents.............................................110
using drawing filters in anchor bolt plans......... 62 G
view filters.................................................................336 GA drawings, see general arrangement drawings.....
filters 26,152
examples in dimensioning................... 424,425,426 gage of outstanding leg...............................436,584,586
excluding stirrups .................................................. 426 general arrangement drawings..................................... 26
in dimensioning rules.............................................422 3D views.......................................................................32
in drawings............................................................... 332 anchor bolt plans.......................................................33
on view level.............................................................336 creating using menu, toolbar or pop-up menu
finding commands................................................................... 47
drawings.................................................................... 105 deck plans.................................................................... 30
parts with drawings................................................ 112 defining automatic view properties...................366
finish...................................................................................584 dimensioning parts to grids................................. 152
firm folder dimensions................................................462,464,571
for images and symbols.........................................541 erection elevation drawings................................... 31
fittings (NS/FS) ...............................................................584 foundation plans........................................................27
fixed............................................................................146,223 framing plans..............................................................29
fixed drawing sizes.........................................................339 freezing...................................................................... 284
fixed sizes..........................................................................344 isometric drawings....................................................32
flags plans.................................................................. 29,30,32
in drawings................................................................109 slab plans..................................................................... 28
flipping outside dimensions.........................................174 views........................................................................... 366
folders general arrangement drawings

629
 creating........................................................................ 59 highlighting
ghost outlines.................................................................. 257 in drawings............................................................... 186
graphical drawing objects ...........................................100 parts with drawings................................................ 112
grid dimensions....................................................... 465,571 hole diameter...................................................................586
grid labels hole size.............................................................................586
in drawings....................................................... 242,615 hyperlinks.................................................................... 17,100
grid lines adding.........................................................................198
hiding in drawings.................................................. 243 modifying...................................................................201
in drawings............................................................... 242
modifying in drawings...........................................242
grids
hiding in drawings.................................................. 243
I
in drawings....................................... 241,242,510,512 identical objects
labels in drawings................................................... 615 grouping dimensions..............................................429
modfying in drawings............................................ 242 images
moving grid labels in drawings........................... 242 in templates.............................................................. 541
properties in drawings........................................... 615 preview images...........................................................91
grouped dimensions independent annotation objects................................ 192
tagging....................................................................... 429 DWG and DXF files..................................................199
grouping hyperlinks.................................................................. 198
dimensions........................................................429,569 links.............................................................................197
identical objects...................................................... 429 modifying...................................................................201
revision marks.......................................................... 200
text file.......................................................................195
H texts............................................................................ 193
insulation
handle points in leader lines....................................... 263 hatch patterns..........................................................528
handles Integrated dimensioning.............................................. 427
in drawing objects.................................................. 253 integrated drawings......................................................... 18
hatch patterns................................................................. 525 internal bolt dimensions...............................................436
examples....................................................................528 issuing
insulation...................................................................528 drawings.................................................................... 286
neighbor parts..........................................................526
parts............................................................................ 526
schema files......................................................526,599
shapes.........................................................................526
K
surface treatment................................................... 597 key plan views..................................................................119
hidden lines...................................................................... 203 key plans................................................................... 342,349
linetypes in reference models..............................234 adding.........................................................................350
visibility in reference models...............................234 adjusting drawing views....................................... 351
hidden parts keyboard shortcuts
listing..........................................................................260 for drawings..............................................................280
showing frames and leader lines........................ 494 for UCS....................................................................... 278
hiding knock-off dimensions.................................................... 432
drawing objects....................................................... 257
grid lines in drawings.............................................243
grids in drawings.....................................................243 L
parts in drawings.....................................................260 labels
reinforcing bar lines............................................... 533

630
 drawing view labels................................................367 customized line types............................................ 542
grid labels in drawings.......................................... 242 dividing...................................................................... 263
section views............................................................ 120 extending...................................................................260
landscape shortening................................................................. 260
printing.......................................................................301 trimming.................................................................... 260
layers linking
reinforcing bars........................................................207 dimension lines........................................................178
layouts..........................................................................15,339 drawing views.......................................................... 136
adding key plans......................................................350 links.......................................................................................17
creating......................................................................343 hyperlinks.................................................................. 198
selecting.....................................................................352 modifying...................................................................201
table layouts.............................................................340 to DWG/DXF files.....................................................199
leader lines....................................................................... 489 to other drawings....................................................197
associative notes..................................................... 190 to text files................................................................195
base point location.................................................190 listing hidden parts........................................................ 260
customizing arrows................................................ 190 location
for reinforcing bar group marks..........................488 of beam marks......................................................... 487
handle points............................................................263 of bracing marks......................................................487
marks.......................................................................... 190 of column marks......................................................487
maximum leader line length................................467 of end views..............................................................394
modifying.................................................................. 263 of marks.............................................................486,516
part marks................................................................. 484 of section views.......................................................394
setting advanced options......................................484 locking
types................................................................... 487,576 drawings.................................................................... 283
length ................................................................................584
lengthening parts............................................................381
lengthening
shortened parts........................................................384
M
level attributes................................................................ 497 macros
level dimensions..............................................................556 adding surface treatment symbols in drawings
level marks........................................................................100 ......................................................................................251
adding.........................................................................182 main views................................................................119,365
properties.................................................................. 582 managing
levels cut lines..................................................................... 268
drawing level...............................................................21 drawings.................................................................... 282
object level.................................................................. 21 master drawings........................................................ 79
three levels of modifying drawings...................... 21 moment connection symbols...............................247
view level..................................................................... 21 manual dimensions................................................146,147
limiting outside dimensions........................................ 469 margins..............................................................................346
line extensions.................................................................452 MarkDimensionFormat.dim..........................................497
line thickness marks............................................................................ 17,551
pen numbers.............................................................274 view label marks......................................................591
line weight adding.........................................................................480
pen numbers.............................................................274 adding symbols........................................................ 505
line weights...................................................................... 316 adding templates............................................ 499,503
changing.................................................................... 275 appearance................................................................573
in printouts............................................................... 275 automatic..........................................................479,480
lines............................................................................ 201,613 bolt marks......................................................... 506,586
color............................................................................ 483

631
 connection marks....................................................589 master drawing properties................................83,84
containing templates............................................. 500 preview images.....................................................91,92
contents..................................................................... 583 removing drawings..............................................82,91
detail marks.............................................................. 591 rule set properties..................................................... 85
detail view label marks..........................................591 sample images............................................................ 91
element unit settings.............................................495 searching......................................................................78
elements....................................................483,583,584 wizard files.................................................................. 85
font..............................................................................483 master drawings................................................................79
frames.........................................................................483 adding..................................................................... 79,80
height......................................................................... 483 adding preview images............................................ 92
in dimensions........................................................... 560 adding thumbnail images........................................92
in view labels............................................................367 cloning templates................................................54,82
leader line types...................................................... 487 properties............................................................... 83,84
leader lines................................................................190 removing...................................................................... 82
level marks........................................................182,582 rule sets.................................................................. 57,80
location............................................. 486,487,489,516 saved settings............................................................. 55
merged reinforcement marks ............................. 589 searching......................................................................78
merging..................................................... 189,490,492 types.............................................................................. 54
model weld marks...................................................580 wizards..........................................................................58
neighbor reinforcement.........................................587 material............................................................................. 586
part marks................................................................. 181 material ............................................................................ 584
placing........................................................................357 material grade................................................................. 587
positioning................................................................ 577 maximum leader line length............................... 467,572
properties.......................................................... 480,573 maximum number of outside dimensions............... 469
reinforcement...........................................................587 maximum position dimensions...................................452
reinforcement marks......................................493,588 merging
revision marks.......................................................... 200 marks..........................................................189,490,492
section marks........................................................... 591 part marks................................................................. 490
section view label marks.......................................591 reinforcement marks......................................189,493
settings.......................................................................479 weld marks........................................................189,226
showing frames and leader lines........................ 494 mesh class.........................................................................587
surface treatment marks.......................................590 mesh diameter.................................................................588
text appearance.......................................................483 mesh length......................................................................588
units............................................................................ 535 mesh name....................................................................... 587
updating.....................................................................185 mesh shape.......................................................................587
user-defined attributes..........................................499 mesh size...........................................................................588
using templates....................................................... 502 mesh weight.....................................................................587
view direction marks..............................................392 mesh width.......................................................................588
visibility......................................................................482 mesh
weld marks............................................... 212,223,578 creating a drawing view........................................129
Master Drawing Catalog........................................... 52,79 in drawings............................................................... 532
adding master drawings.................................... 79,80 in neighbor parts.....................................................532
applying object level settings................................ 58 properties...................................................................601
cloning templates................................................82,87 properties in drawings...........................................532
copying drawings.......................................................90 minimizing views............................................................ 562
customizing.................................................................79 minimum position dimensions....................................452
managing..................................................................... 79 model objects..................................................................... 18
managing folders.................................................88,89 in drawings............................................................... 203

632
model welds..............................................................210,531 properties.................................................................. 592
dragging marks........................................................ 221 view extension.................................................379,551
modifying appearance in drawings....................220 neighbor reinforcement marks
visibility of marks in drawings.............................218 elements............................................................ 587,588
modifying north marks...................................................................... 519
annotation object properties............................... 184 notes
building objects....................................................... 203 associative notes..................................................... 183
detail properties...................................................... 144 number of bars................................................................ 587
dimension properties..............................................171 number of bolts ..............................................................586
drawing grid line properties.................................242 numbering........................................................................... 46
drawing grid properties.........................................242
drawing grids............................................................512
Drawing List contents.............................................110
drawing view properties........................................142
O
drawings.......................................................................21 object groups......................................................................80
independent annotation objects.........................201 in dimensioning...................................... 463,464,572
leader line shape..................................................... 263 object level settings................................................. 21,551
section properties....................................................142 applying in Master Drawing Catalog................... 58
symbol properties....................................................246 objects
wizard files.................................................................. 85 associative annotation objects............................180
moment connection symbols...................................... 243 building objects....................................................... 203
creating......................................................................247 cloned objects.......................................................... 100
deleting...................................................................... 250 drawing objects................................................. 17,252
managing...................................................................247 independent annotation objects.........................192
updating.....................................................................249 modifying in drawings...........................................330
moving shapes.........................................................................201
drawing views.......................................................... 139 offset.................................................................................. 613
drawing views to another drawing.................... 133 forward offset..................................................446,562
end of dimension line............................................ 180 opening
objects in drawings.................................................253 Drawing List..............................................................106
multidrawings.................................................................... 45 drawings.............................................................105,113
creating........................................................................ 49 openings and recesses
creating empty multidrawings...............................50 showing in drawings.............................................. 387
creating of selected parts........................................51 showing in views..................................................... 551
of selected drawings multidrawings.................... 51 showing symbols..................................................... 388
updating.....................................................................282 orientation marks............................................................516
multiple drawing sheets of the same part...........76,77 showing......................................................................519
orientation symbols........................................................519
orientation
N of marks..................................................................... 616
of parts.......................................................371,516,616
name...................................................................................584 of plates..................................................................... 376
named size........................................................................ 315 overall dimensions..........................................................465
names
drawings.....................................................................118
neighbor part marks.......................................................480
neighbor parts..................................................................512
P
in drawing views..................................................... 379 paper size..................................................................302,315
in drawings................................................................515 part marks

633
 adding.........................................................................181 dimensions........................................................357,362
advanced options for setting leader lines........484 fixed....................................................................146,223
compass direction................................................... 518 free.............................................................................. 146
containing templates............................................. 500 marks..................................................................357,362
elements.................................................................... 584 views........................................................................... 363
leader lines....................................................... 190,484 welds.................................................................. 357,362
level attributes.........................................................497 plan drawings...............................................................29,30
merging......................................................................490 plate side marks
modifying.................................................................. 184 showing......................................................................173
showing frames and leader lines........................ 494 plates.................................................................................... 36
updating.....................................................................185 dimensioning............................................................ 458
using templates....................................................... 502 orientation in drawings.........................................376
part position ....................................................................584 plot files, see print files........................................ 305,306
parts plotter
representation in drawings.................................. 203 sending to..................................................................292
additional markings in drawings........................ 203 plotting, see printing.................................... 299,304,306
color............................................................................ 203 plug-ins
compass direction................................................... 518 exploding................................................................... 210
connecting side marks...........................................520 polybeams
developed parts in drawings................................ 386 unfolding................................................................... 385
dimensions................................................434,470,572 polygons.................................................................... 201,613
fill options................................................................. 203 polylines.................................................................... 201,613
fills...............................................................................526 portrait
hatch patterns..........................................................526 printing.......................................................................301
in drawings....................................................... 512,513 position dimensions....................................................... 437
lengthening...............................................................380 maximum...................................................................452
lengthening in model............................................. 381 minimum................................................................... 452
lengthening shortened parts................................384 positioning properties
line types................................................................... 203 section marks........................................................... 577
orientation................................................ 371,516,519 view label marks......................................................577
properties.......................................................... 513,592 pour breaks
representation.......................................................... 513 properties...................................................................610
settings.......................................................................513 showing in drawings.............................................. 238
shortening................................................................. 380 pours
shortening in model................................................381 examples of drawings and reports..................... 240
shortening view by view....................................... 204 in drawings....................................................... 236,610
patterns pour break symbol in drawings........................... 239
hatch patterns..........................................................525 pour breaks............................................................... 236
PDF files pour objects.............................................................. 236
creating......................................................................304 properties in drawings........................................... 610
pdf showing in drawings.............................................. 238
customizing file names..........................................297 preferred dim side...........................................................448
printing...................................................................... 292 preferred scale.................................................................355
pen numbers............................................................ 274,316 presicion............................................................................ 558
changing.................................................................... 275 preventing
placement settings.................................................357,362 automatic drawing updates................................. 329
placing preview images............................................................ 91,93
annotation objects................................. 357,362,612 creating.........................................................................91

634
 in Master Drawing Catalog...............................91,92 bolts............................................................................ 595
viewing......................................................................... 93 drawing properties.........................320,325,326,327
print area h*b................................................................... 316 grids in drawings..................................................... 615
print files...........................................................................306 marks.......................................................................... 573
printer................................................................................ 292 meshes........................................................................601
Printer Catalog................................................ 312,313,314 parts............................................................................ 592
printer drivers.......................................................... 312,318 reinforcement...........................................................601
printer instances..................................................... 316,318 surface treatment................................................... 596
Abode postscript printer instances.................... 314 symbol properties....................................................246
adding........................................................ 312,313,314 protected areas....................................................... 358,360
print-to-file instances............................................313 pull-out pictures, see pullout pictures..................... 587
setting up.................................................................. 312 pull-outs
printers.......................................................................312,313 in reinforcement marks......................................... 509
printing.............................................................................. 306 pullout pictures.......................................................587,603
to file.......................................................................... 305
A3 on A4.................................................................... 302
adding printer instances....................... 312,313,314
Color Table................................................................ 274
R
colors.......................................................................... 316 radial dimensions
customizing file names..........................................297 changing the prefix................................................ 458
drawings.................................................................... 299 rails........................................................................................41
examples............................................................301,302 RebarClassificator........................................................... 207
hints and tips............................................................318 RebarLayeringMarker.....................................................207
in landscape..............................................................301 rebars, see reinforcing bars..........................................163
in portrait.................................................................. 301 rebar_config.inp..............................................................603
line weight................................................................ 274 recognizable distances.................................................. 447
line weights...................................................... 275,316 recreating
multiple drawings................................................... 303 dimensions................................................................ 159
on A3...........................................................................301 drawings.................................................................... 328
on A4...........................................................................301 rectangles..................................................................201,613
paper size...................................................................315 reference dimensions, see check dimensions......... 432
pen numbers.....................................................274,316 reference lines................................................................. 203
print area................................................................... 316 reference models...............................................................17
printer instances......................................................312 hidden lines...............................................................234
settings.......................................................................317 in drawings....................................................... 233,234
settings files............................................................. 296 reflected views.................................................................551
single drawings........................................................300 refreshing
to file.................................................................. 304,313 associativity.............................................................. 101
to multiple sheets................................................... 308 reinforcement marks......................................................480
to paper printer........................................................312 adding pull-outs......................................................509
to pdf..........................................................292,304,314 elements....................................................587,588,589
to plotter................................................................... 292 leader line base points...........................................485
profile ................................................................................584 leader line types...................................................... 489
profiles location...................................................................... 489
dimensions................................................................ 460 merging..............................................................189,493
projection type................................................................ 369 modifying.................................................................. 184
properties splitting......................................................................189
associative annotation objects............................184 reinforcement mesh.......................................................532
creating a drawing view........................................129

635
 properties...................................................................601 user coordinate system..........................................277
properties in drawings...........................................532 reshaping
reinforcement position..................................................587 drawing objects....................................................... 253
reinforcement settings for drawings.........................603 resizing
reinforcement drawing objects....................................................... 253
adding dimensions..................................................160 drawing view boundaries......................................137
closed dimensions...................................................448 restriction box, see view boundaries.........................137
dimension lines........................................................160 revising drawings............................................................287
dimension marks..................................................... 160 revising drawings, see revisions................................. 287
dimension tags.........................................................160 revision marks..................................................................100
dimensioning reinforcing bar groups................ 163 adding.........................................................................200
dimensions........................................................ 448,570 arrows.........................................................................200
hiding lines in drawings........................................ 533 modifying...................................................................201
in drawings............................................................... 532 placing........................................................................200
neighbor reinforcement.........................................532 revision tables..................................................................342
properties...................................................................601 revisions.............................................................................287
properties in drawings...........................................532 attributes...................................................................289
reinforcing bar layer information....................... 207 changing.................................................................... 288
representation options.......................................... 534 creating......................................................................287
reinforcing bar group marks deleting...................................................................... 289
leader line types...................................................... 488 rotating plates in drawing........................................... 376
location...................................................................... 488 rotating
reinforcing bar groups drawing views.......................................................... 141
dimension lines........................................................ 161 parts in drawing views.......................................... 374
dimensioning............................................................ 163 rule properties
reinforcing bars in dimensioning....................................................... 409
adjusting the location............................................207 rule sets.............................................................. 54,57,70,85
dimensioning bar groups...................................... 163 creating drawings...................................................... 71
hiding lines in drawings........................................ 533 in Master Drawing Catalog.....................................80
in drawings...............................................206,207,532 modifying.....................................................................85
layer information.....................................................207 rules
properties...................................................................601 dimensioning rules..................................................464
relative dimensions........................................................ 556
removing
change symbols....................................................... 187
dimension points.....................................................177
S
dimension tag content.......................................... 156 sample images..............................................................91,93
drawings.......................................................................91 creating.........................................................................91
unnecessary drawing files.................................... 278 in Master Drawing Catalog...............................91,92
renaming saved settings............................................. 54,55,58,59,64
drawings.....................................................................118 in Master Drawing Catalog.....................................79
reports modifying.....................................................................84
examples for pours................................................. 240 saving
representation options drawings.................................................................... 278
for reinforcement....................................................534 scale....................................................................................355
representation scales
of parts in drawings................................................513 in tables..................................................................... 348
resetting of drawing views.............................................354,355
schema files............................................................. 526,599

636
screen layout drawing view properties........................................551
in drawings..................................................................14 drawing weld mark properties.............................578
screen shots drawings.................................................................... 544
preview images...........................................................91 grid and overall dimensioning properties.........571
sample images............................................................ 91 grid properties in drawings.................................. 615
screenshots leader line types...................................................... 576
in drawings................................................................115 level mark properties..............................................582
preview images...........................................................91 mark appearance properties................................ 573
searching mark contents.......................................................... 583
drawings..................................................................... 111 mark properties........................................................573
master drawings........................................................ 78 marks.......................................................................... 479
section marks...........................................................120,391 merged reinforcement marks...............................589
elements.....................................................................591 neighbor reinforcement mark elements........... 587
modifying.................................................................. 142 orientation settings................................................ 616
positioning properties............................................577 part and neighbour part properties................... 592
section name............................................................ 591 part and shape hatch pattern properties......... 599
setting properties....................................................389 part dimensioning properties...................... 566,572
source drawing name.............................................591 part mark elements.................................................584
section view labels......................................................... 120 placement properties............................................. 612
modifying.................................................................. 142 position dimensioning properties....................... 565
section views........................................... 119,365,391,551 positioning properties............................................577
aligning with main view....................................... 394 print settings............................................................ 317
creating..............................................................120,123 reinforcement and mesh....................................... 601
cut box....................................................................... 120 reinforcement dimensioning properties............570
cutting line................................................................120 reinforcement mark elements............................. 587
label mark elements............................................... 591 reinforcement mesh mark elements.................. 588
labels...........................................................................120 reinforcement settings for drawings................. 603
modifying.................................................................. 142 saved settings....................................................... 58,64
moving to another drawing................................. 133 section and detail mark elements...................... 591
name........................................................................... 591 settings affecting the recreation of drawings 328
properties.................................................................. 555 shapes.........................................................................613
setting properties....................................................389 sub-assembly dimensioning properties.............570
titles............................................................................ 120 surface treatment hatch pattern properties... 597
view direction marks..............................................392 surface treatment mark elements...................... 590
selecting surface treatment visibility and content
drawings.....................................................................112 properties.................................................................. 596
settings view, section view and detail view label marks.....
bolt dimensioning properties...............................568 591
bolt mark elements.................................................586 weld mark visibility options................................. 580
bolt properties..........................................................595 shapes...........................................................17,117,201,613
common elements in marks................................. 584 arcs.............................................................................. 201
connection mark elements................................... 589 circles..........................................................................201
dimension appearance properties...................... 560 clouds..........................................................................201
dimension format properties............................... 558 cover-up area........................................................... 201
dimension grouping properties........................... 569 cover-up line............................................................ 201
dimension mark properties...................................560 fills...............................................................................526
dimension properties..................................... 556,562 hatch patterns..........................................................526
dimension tag properties...................................... 560 lines............................................................................. 201

637
 polygons.....................................................................201 circles..........................................................................262
polylines..................................................................... 201 lines.............................................................................262
rectangles.................................................................. 201 polylines.....................................................................262
short dimensions.............................................................362 stairs......................................................................................41
shortening and lengthening parts............................. 380 in cast unit drawings................................................44
shortening parts in a model.........................................381 start point
shortening.........................................................................551 for dimensions......................................................... 175
parts in drawing views.......................................... 382 status flags....................................................................... 109
view by view............................................................. 204 in Drawing List......................................................... 109
showing straight dimensions........................................................556
drawing objects....................................................... 257 sub-assemblies
plate side marks.......................................................173 dimensioning............................................................ 570
pour breaks in drawings........................................238 superscript
pours in drawings....................................................238 adding in texts, dimensions and marks............ 194
reference models in drawings............................. 234 surface treatment........................................................... 251
reinforcing bars in drawings................................206 hatch patterns..........................................................597
single mark content....................................................... 589 in drawings....................................................... 529,530
single part drawings properties.................................................................. 596
freezing...................................................................... 285 surface treatment marks.............................................. 480
single-part drawing views............................................132 modifying.................................................................. 184
single-part drawings........................................................ 34 surface treatment
anchor bolts................................................................ 35 class............................................................................ 590
creating...................................................................48,71 code.............................................................................590
dimensioning............................................................ 566 marks.......................................................................... 590
embeds..........................................................................35 material......................................................................590
example........................................................................ 36 name........................................................................... 590
plates.............................................................................36 surfacing.htc.................................................................... 597
single-part drawings switches
creating........................................................................ 64 for print file names.................................................306
single-part views.............................................................119 switching on/off
size...................................................................................... 584 associativity symbol..................................................20
skew limits........................................................................ 519 Symbol Editor...................................................................243
slab plans.............................................................................28 Symbol Files browser..................................................... 244
sloped dimensions.......................................................... 462 symbol separating blocks in mark..............................589
slot height.........................................................................586 symbols................................................................17,100,584
slot length ....................................................................... 586 adding in drawings................................................. 246
snapshots adding surface treatment symbols in drawings
creating...................................................................... 114 ......................................................................................251
drawings.....................................................................114 associativity................................................................ 20
preview images...........................................................91 bolt symbols..............................................................522
sample images............................................................ 91 change symbols....................................................... 186
sorting changing symbol file.............................................. 245
Drawing List.............................................................. 110 defining a firm folder............................................. 541
spaces in drawing views............................................... 346 in drawings............................................................... 243
special colors....................................................................273 in marks..................................................................... 505
specified size....................................................................355 modifying.......................................................... 201,246
splitting modifying symbol files...........................................244
arcs..............................................................................262 selecting files........................................................... 244

638
 symbol files.............................................. 243,244,245 thumbnails.......................................................................... 92
viewing symbol files............................................... 244 tips
SymEd, see Symbol Editor............................................ 243 printing drawings.................................................... 318
title blocks........................................................................ 342
titles
T in drawings................................................................118
section views............................................................ 120
table layouts.....................................................................339 toggling between user coordinate systems.............277
adding a DWG/DXF file.......................................... 351 top drawing views.................................................. 126,551
adding tables............................................................346 top views...........................................................................365
creating......................................................................345 TplEd, see Template Editor........................................... 353
replacing tables....................................................... 347 transparency
setting table scale...................................................348 of tables..................................................................... 348
setting table transparency....................................348 trimming
setting the location of tables.............................. 348 lines in drawings..................................................... 260
tables..................................................................................339 types
adding in table layout............................................346 dimensions................................................................ 556
DWG/DXF files..........................................................342 drawing types............................................................. 26
in drawing layouts.................................................. 342 of leader lines...........................................................576
key plans....................................................................342 of master drawings................................................... 54
modifying.................................................................. 353
replacing.................................................................... 347
revision tables.......................................................... 342
table layouts.....................................................340,348 U
title blocks.................................................................342 UCS, see user coordinate system....................... 275,277
tags..................................................................................... 429 UCS
in dimensions........................................................... 448 keyboard shortcuts................................................. 278
tags, see dimension tags............. 146,154,156,160,171 UDA, see user-defined attributes...............................537
template attributes UDAs, see user-defined attributes............................. 584
adding in marks....................................................... 499 undeformed...................................................................... 551
Template Editor..............................342,346,353,500,502 undeformed parts........................................................... 386
templates..................................................................346,584 unfolded.............................................................................551
as tables in drawing layouts................................ 342 unfolding...........................................................................450
cloning templates......................................................94 bent plates................................................................ 385
in marks.....................................................500,502,503 polybeams................................................................. 385
modifying tables......................................................353 unfreezing drawings..............................................284,285
table layouts.............................................................340 general arrangement drawings........................... 284
template library....................................................... 103 units
text files.......................................................................17,100 in dimension tags....................................................535
adding in drawings................................................. 195 in drawings............................................................... 535
text in reports................................................................... 535
in marks..................................................................... 483 in templates..............................................................535
modifying...................................................................201 units....................................................................................558
texts......................................................................17,100,584 in mark elements.....................................................495
dragging.....................................................................193 unlinking
in drawings............................................................... 193 dimension lines........................................................178
using superscript..................................................... 194 unlocking
thumbnail images drawings.................................................................... 283
in Master Drawing Catalog.....................................92 updating

639
 cut lines......................................................................270 aligning..............................................................140,394
drawings...................................................... 19,282,329 arranging drawing views.......................................141
moment connection symbols...............................249 assembly drawings..................................................370
multidrawings.......................................................... 282 cloning dimensions................................................... 99
part marks................................................................. 185 drawing name.......................................................... 591
weld marks................................................................185 drawing views.......................................................... 365
user coordinate system................................................. 275 fixed............................................................................ 363
creating dimensions............................................... 152 frames.........................................................................139
resetting.....................................................................277 free.............................................................................. 363
setting........................................................................ 277 in drawings.......................................119,120,136,364
toggling between two systems........................... 277 key plan view............................................................349
user interface label mark elements............................................... 591
in drawings..................................................................14 linking drawing views............................................ 136
user-defined attributes i moving drawing views...........................................139
creating......................................................................539 name........................................................................... 591
creating in drawings.............................................. 539 rotating drawing views..........................................141
in drawings............................................................... 539 scale............................................................................ 591
user-defined attributes................................................. 584 source drawing name.............................................591
adding in marks....................................................... 499 visibility............................................................................. 592
in drawings....................................................... 537,538 of marks..................................................................... 482
using superscript.............................................................194 of model weld marks..............................................580
of reference models................................................234
of surface treatment.............................................. 530
V
value fields
in templates......................................................500,502 W
view boundaries.............................................................. 120 weld marks........................................................211,212,578
resizing.......................................................................137 adding.........................................................................223
view direction marks......................................................392 dragging.....................................................................221
view extension for neighbor parts.............................379 examples....................................................................224
view extrema, see view boundaries...........................137 merging......................................................................226
view filters................................................................331,336 model weld mark visibility in drawings............ 580
view label marks model weld markappearance...............................580
positioning properties............................................577 modifying.................................................................. 184
view labels modifying model weld properties....................... 210
mark elements..........................................................591 updating.....................................................................185
marks.......................................................................... 367 weld numbers
name........................................................................... 591 showing......................................................................580
view level properties......................................................336 weld symbols............................................................210,531
view properties welds.................................................................................. 223
defining for general arrangement drawings... 366 automatic.................................................................. 531
view restriction box, see view boundaries...............137 concepts..................................................................... 211
view-level dimensions...................................................397 drawing welds...........................................................211
viewing direction examples.................................................................... 212
beams and bracings................................................378 in drawings........................................210,211,226,531
columns in drawings.............................................. 378 mark properties in drawings................................ 578
views along grid lines.................................................... 119 model weld mark appearance..............................580
views model weld mark visibility in drawings............ 580

640
 model weld marks................................................... 218
model welds.............................................................. 211
model welds in drawings...................................... 212
modifying...........................................................210,531
modifying in drawings...........................................184
modifying model weld objects in drawings.....220
placing........................................................................357
properties in drawings........................................... 531
visibility of marks in drawings.............................218
weld marks........................................................221,224
wizard files....................................................................85,86
wizards......................................................................54,58,70
work point.........................................................................432
workshop drawings
assembly drawings.................................................... 39
single-part drawings.................................................34

641
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