Tekla Structures 2025

Create drawings

March 2025

©2025 Trimble Inc. and affiliates

Contents

1 Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings................................. 17

1.1 Basics of Tekla Structures drawings............................................................. 17
1.2 Before creating drawings in Tekla Structures..............................................23
1.3 Create a general arrangement drawing....................................................... 24
1.4 Modify a GA drawing.......................................................................................26
1.5 Create a precast fabrication drawing........................................................... 29
1.6 Modify a precast fabrication drawing.......................................................... 34
1.7 Create a steel fabrication drawing................................................................38
1.8 Modify a steel fabrication drawing............................................................... 43

2 Drawings in Tekla Structures..................................................... 49

2.1 Introduction to drawing mode...................................................................... 53
2.2 Snapping in drawings......................................................................................56
Drawing snap switches and snap settings..........................................................................56
Snap to orthogonal points in a drawing............................................................................. 56
Free snapping.........................................................................................................................58
Place a sketch object at a specified distance......................................................................58
2.3 Zooming and panning in drawings................................................................ 61
Zoom in and zoom out..........................................................................................................62
Pan in drawings......................................................................................................................64
2.4 Colors in drawings...........................................................................................64
Color modes in drawings...................................................................................................... 65
Change drawing color mode................................................................................................ 66
Colors available in drawings.................................................................................................67
Access color palette...............................................................................................................69
Add new custom colors.........................................................................................................73
Save added custom colors to a palette...............................................................................75
Create a new, empty color palette.......................................................................................76
Modify a saved color palette................................................................................................ 77
Delete a custom color palette.............................................................................................. 77
Assign custom colors to drawing objects........................................................................... 77
Limitations in drawing colors............................................................................................... 78
2.5 Drawing objects, views and layouts..............................................................80
2.6 How to keep your drawings up to date?.......................................................82
2.7 Control drawing properties on different levels........................................... 83
Set automatic drawing properties before creating drawings...........................................90
Modify view-level drawing properties................................................................................. 92
Modify drawing-level properties of an existing drawing...................................................93
Modify drawing object properties....................................................................................... 94
Load saved drawing object properties................................................................................95
Create and apply detailed object level settings................................................................. 96

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 Create and apply detailed object level settings in a general arrangement drawing....
96
Create and apply detailed object level settings in cast unit drawings..................... 100
How Tekla Structures applies drawing properties in drawing creation........................ 102
Recreation of drawings....................................................................................................... 103
Settings affecting the recreation of drawings............................................................. 103
Prevent automatic drawing updates and recreation................................................. 104
2.8 Drawing types................................................................................................ 104
Examples of general arrangement drawings................................................................... 105
Examples of single-part drawings..................................................................................... 109
Examples of assembly drawings........................................................................................112
Examples of cast unit drawings......................................................................................... 115
Examples of multidrawings................................................................................................ 117

3 Create drawings in Tekla Structures....................................... 119

3.1 What to do before creating drawings......................................................... 120
3.2 Create general arrangement drawings...................................................... 121
3.3 Create fabrication drawings........................................................................ 122
Before you start................................................................................................................... 123
Control drawing creation with Creation review............................................................... 123
Preview drawing templates................................................................................................ 126
Create drawings instantly with Smart create only...........................................................128
3.4 Create fabrication drawings using AI and cloud collections (Preview)...129
Why Preview?....................................................................................................................... 130
Limitations............................................................................................................................ 130
Create AI Cloud Fabrication drawings...............................................................................130
Try it out!...............................................................................................................................133
Manage fabrication drawing collections and libraries.................................................... 134
Open a collection............................................................................................................135
Create a new collection................................................................................................. 136
Add fabrication drawings in a collection..................................................................... 137
Remove a drawing from a collection........................................................................... 139
Rename a collection.......................................................................................................139
Duplicate a collection.....................................................................................................140
Remove a collection....................................................................................................... 140
Manage libraries and library contents.........................................................................140
Manage access and roles in collections............................................................................ 144
Roles inside a collection................................................................................................ 145
Show list of all collections you have access to............................................................147
Give access to a collection.............................................................................................147
Remove access to collection......................................................................................... 148
Remove a collection....................................................................................................... 148
AI Cloud Fabrication drawings FAQ................................................................................... 148
General usage - Collections & libraries........................................................................149
General usage - Drawing creation................................................................................ 151
Permissions & access.....................................................................................................153
3.5 Create AutoDrawings....................................................................................154
Create AutoDrawings.......................................................................................................... 154
AutoDrawings wizard files.................................................................................................. 155
Wizard log............................................................................................................................. 157
3.6 Create multidrawings................................................................................... 157
Link or copy drawing views to empty multidrawings...................................................... 158

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 Create multidrawings of selected parts............................................................................ 159
Create multidrawings of selected drawings..................................................................... 159
3.7 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog.............................................. 160
Master drawing types..........................................................................................................162
Create general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master
drawing catalog....................................................................................................................167
Create anchor bolt plans using saved settings................................................................ 167
Create anchor bolt plans............................................................................................... 168
Define anchor bolt plan parts using drawing filters.................................................. 169
Include assemblies in anchor bolt plans..................................................................... 170
Create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in
Master drawing catalog...................................................................................................... 170
Create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings................................................ 170
Example: Create cast unit drawings one by one........................................................ 171
Example: Create assembly drawings from groups of similar parts......................... 174
Create drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master drawing catalog........................176
Create drawings using a rule set or wizard.................................................................176
Example - Create a new rule set and drawings for all parts..................................... 177
Search for master drawings and save the results in Master drawing catalog............. 182
Customize Master drawing catalog................................................................................... 182
Add a rule set master drawing in Master drawing catalog....................................... 184
Add a saved settings master drawing in Master drawing catalog............................186
Modify saved settings properties................................................................................. 186
Apply detailed object level settings in saved settings................................................187
Add a cloning template master drawing in Master drawing catalog....................... 187
Modifying cloning template properties....................................................................... 188
Modify properties and contents of wizard files..........................................................189
Remove master drawings from Master drawing catalog.......................................... 191
Add sample and thumbnail images to master drawings.......................................... 191
Add, rename, and move folders in Master drawing catalog .................................... 192
Copy master drawings to another folder in Master drawing catalog...................... 192
Remove master drawings from a Master drawing catalog folder............................193
3.8 Clone drawings.............................................................................................. 193
Cloned objects..................................................................................................................... 194
Clone in Master drawing catalog using cloning templates.............................................194
Clone in Master drawing catalog by using cloning templates in other models........... 196
Clone from Document manager........................................................................................196
Clone using drawing templates in template library........................................................ 200
Clone dimensions in selected views only......................................................................... 201
Refresh drawing associativity after cloning......................................................................201
What to check in cloned drawings.....................................................................................202
3.9 Create multiple drawing sheets of the same part.................................... 203
Create multiple drawing sheets with wizards................................................................. 203
Create multiple drawing sheets using drawing properties........................................... 204
3.10 Copy a drawing to a new sheet....................................................................204
3.11 Create single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings through
Quick launch.................................................................................................. 205

4 Edit drawings..............................................................................208
4.1 Modify drawing names and titles................................................................209
Rename drawings through drawing properties...............................................................210
Rename drawings through Document manager list....................................................... 210
Give titles to drawings.........................................................................................................210

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4.2 Open drawings...............................................................................................211
Open a drawing in the model............................................................................................ 211
Open a new drawing when a drawing is already open................................................... 211
Message: Cannot load the selected drawing................................................................... 212
4.3 Save and close drawings...............................................................................212
Save a drawing..................................................................................................................... 212
Close drawings..................................................................................................................... 213
4.4 Create and show snapshots in drawings.................................................... 213
Create drawing snapshots..................................................................................................214
Snapshot overlay................................................................................................................. 215
Snapshot overlay in model.................................................................................................216
Snapshot overlay in drawings............................................................................................ 216
4.5 Select a new layout for your drawing......................................................... 217
4.6 Change table sets in drawings..................................................................... 218
Exclude tables from the drawing layout........................................................................... 219
Move excluded tables......................................................................................................... 219
Rotate excluded tables........................................................................................................219
Delete excluded tables........................................................................................................219
Edit excluded tables in Layout editor................................................................................ 219
Add new tables to the current drawing............................................................................ 220
Discard drawing-specific changes..................................................................................... 223
4.7 Add views in drawings.................................................................................. 223
Create views in drawings.................................................................................................... 224
Create a section view..................................................................................................... 225
Create a curved section view........................................................................................ 227
Create a detail view........................................................................................................ 228
Create additional drawing views of parts....................................................................230
Create a drawing view of an entire model view..........................................................231
Create a drawing view of a selected area in a model view........................................232
Create a drawing view of a selected area in a drawing view.....................................233
Delete a drawing view....................................................................................................233
Copy, move and link drawing views...................................................................................233
Copy drawing views from other drawings...................................................................234
Link drawing views from other drawings.................................................................... 234
Move drawing views to another drawing.................................................................... 234
Show and modify drawing views in the model................................................................ 236
Show and modify drawing views in the model........................................................... 237
Work with drawing views in the model........................................................................239
Examples of drawing views in the model.................................................................... 242
Modify, arrange and align drawing views......................................................................... 244
Resize the drawing view boundary.............................................................................. 244
Drag drawing views........................................................................................................ 246
Rotate drawing views..................................................................................................... 247
Align drawing views........................................................................................................247
Arrange drawing views.................................................................................................. 248
Modify drawing view properties................................................................................... 249
Relabel section views or detail views........................................................................... 249
Add single-part views in assembly drawings....................................................................250
4.8 Add dimensions in drawings........................................................................ 251
Add dimensions manually.................................................................................................. 252
Add dimensions manually to general arrangement drawings.......................................261
Add manual dimensions using User Coordinate System............................................... 261
Add dimensions to reinforcement manually................................................................... 263

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 Add dimensions to rebar groups................................................................................. 264
Placing rebar dimensions..............................................................................................266
Typical dimension mark, tagged dimension mark, and dimension line settings... 267
Create dimension marks to all rebars......................................................................... 267
Examples of rebar dimensions..................................................................................... 268
Add closing dimensions to rebar dimensions..................................................................272
Dimension rebars with Rebar group dimensioning application....................................273
Add dimensions to rebar groups................................................................................. 273
Rebar group dimensioning settings.............................................................................274
More examples............................................................................................................... 302
Modify dimensions.............................................................................................................. 304
Modify dimension properties....................................................................................... 304
Add dual dimensions manually.................................................................................... 305
Filter out dimension tag content.................................................................................. 306
Control dimension tag content with associativity rules............................................ 308
Exaggerate selected dimensions.................................................................................. 309
Show plate side marks on dimension leader lines.....................................................310
Change the location of short outside dimension texts............................................. 312
Set the dimension extension line length..................................................................... 312
Drag dimension marks........................................................................................................314
Recreate dimensions for all parts......................................................................................315
Dimension center of gravity (COG).................................................................................... 316
Customize dimension line arrows..................................................................................... 320
Set a new dimension start point........................................................................................322
Add or remove dimension points...................................................................................... 323
Display and change dimension point associativity..........................................................324
Display and change dimension point associativity.................................................... 324
Select dimension point associativity in manual dimensioning.................................327
Associativity rule list content........................................................................................ 329
Add dimension points in anchor bolt plans..................................................................... 330
Link perpendicular dimension lines.................................................................................. 331
Combine dimension lines................................................................................................... 331
Move the end of the dimension line................................................................................. 332
4.9 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings................................................... 333
Drawing content manager..................................................................................................335
How to use the building object list...............................................................................337
Add marks to building objects in a drawing................................................................343
Check mark count.......................................................................................................... 344
Hide building objects from drawing or drawing view................................................ 345
Delete marks...................................................................................................................345
Modify building object or mark drawing properties.................................................. 345
Add part marks manually in drawings.............................................................................. 346
Add reinforcement marks manually in drawings............................................................ 349
Add reinforcement marks with Rebar group marking application................................351
Add marks to rebar groups........................................................................................... 351
Rebar group marking settings...................................................................................... 352
Adjust mark visibility in an existing drawing.................................................................... 372
Add associative notes in drawings.................................................................................... 375
Modify marks or notes in drawings...................................................................................382
Update part and weld marks in drawings........................................................................ 385
Delete marks for selected parts.........................................................................................385
Add reinforcement ticks or reinforcement tags in drawings......................................... 388
Add reinforcement ticks................................................................................................ 388
Add reinforcement tags.................................................................................................389
Move reinforcement ticks or reinforcement tags.......................................................389

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 Add level marks in drawings.............................................................................................. 390
Add and modify section marks in drawings..................................................................... 392
Add and modify detail marks in drawings........................................................................396
Add and modify connection marks in drawings.............................................................. 400
Add connection marks...................................................................................................400
Modify connection marks..............................................................................................401
Add and modify surface treatment marks in drawings.................................................. 403
Add surface treatment marks.......................................................................................403
Modify surface treatment marks..................................................................................404
Check changed marks, notes, and dimensions and remove change symbols............ 405
Merge marks........................................................................................................................ 410
Merged part marks........................................................................................................ 411
Merge part marks or bolt marks manually................................................................. 413
Merged reinforcement marks.......................................................................................414
Merge reinforcement marks manually........................................................................ 414
Merge marks by adjusting drawing properties...........................................................415
Merge new marks to existing merged marks............................................................. 419
Drag leader line associativity point................................................................................... 419
Add and modify text in drawings.......................................................................................420
Add text in superscript........................................................................................................424
Add revision marks in drawings.........................................................................................425
4.10 Add symbols in drawings..............................................................................428
Add a symbol in a drawing................................................................................................. 429
Add a symbol in a mark...................................................................................................... 431
Create a new symbol file.....................................................................................................432
Modify symbol properties.................................................................................................. 432
Customize leader line arrow symbols............................................................................... 433
Add surfacing symbols in drawings...................................................................................435
Symbol Editor....................................................................................................................... 436
Symbol file search order..................................................................................................... 437
Define a firm folder for images and symbols.................................................................. 438
4.11 Add links in drawings....................................................................................438
Add links to rich text files....................................................................................................439
Add links to other drawings............................................................................................... 441
Add hyperlinks..................................................................................................................... 443
Add links to DWG and DXF files......................................................................................... 444
Add links to image files....................................................................................................... 445
4.12 Add sketch objects in drawings................................................................... 446
Draw and modify sketch objects in drawings.................................................................. 447
Combine and explode sketch objects in drawings.......................................................... 450
Re-order sketch objects in drawings................................................................................. 452
Create and add pattern lines in drawings........................................................................ 453
Create a pattern line...................................................................................................... 453
Add a pattern line in a drawing.................................................................................... 457
Pattern line elements.....................................................................................................459
Trim drawing lines............................................................................................................... 460
Split sketch objects.............................................................................................................. 462
Divide sketch objects...........................................................................................................462
Copy sketch objects with offset......................................................................................... 463
Create fillets in drawings.................................................................................................... 464
Create chamfers in drawings............................................................................................. 465
4.13 Show or hide drawing objects......................................................................467
Hide selected objects in drawings or drawing views.......................................................467
List hidden parts in drawings............................................................................................. 471

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 Hide drawing objects using filters..................................................................................... 471
Hide or show dimensions of drawing sketch objects......................................................473
.............................................................................................................................................. 474
4.14 Hide part face areas and outlines with cover-up tools.............................474
4.15 Delete drawing objects................................................................................. 476
4.16 Arrange annotation objects......................................................................... 477
4.17 Align selected drawing objects.................................................................... 478
4.18 Drag, reshape and resize drawing objects................................................. 480
4.19 Clone selected annotations or representations in drawings...................483
Adjust cloning settings........................................................................................................ 483
Clone selected annotations and object properties......................................................... 484
Limitations............................................................................................................................ 485
4.20 Show building objects in drawings..............................................................487
Modify building object properties..................................................................................... 488
Shorten parts in selected views......................................................................................... 489
Show edge chamfers in drawings......................................................................................490
Show edge chamfers in a drawing............................................................................... 490
Define default line color and type for edge chamfers...............................................491
Change edge chamfer line color and type manually................................................. 492
Add associative notes to edge chamfers.....................................................................492
Example: Edge chamfers............................................................................................... 493
Show fillet edges in drawings.............................................................................................495
Show fillet edges in GA drawings................................................................................. 495
Show fillet edges in individual parts............................................................................ 496
Examples......................................................................................................................... 496
Show neighbor parts and neighbor reinforcement in general arrangement
drawings............................................................................................................................... 500
Show spiral beams in drawings......................................................................................... 505
Dimension spiral beams................................................................................................506
Spiral beam part marks................................................................................................. 507
Examples of spiral beam dimensions and marks...................................................... 509
Show reinforcement in drawings.......................................................................................510
Show a single rebar in a group ................................................................................... 511
Show layer information on reinforcing bars in drawings.......................................... 511
Draw rebar pull-out pictures with Draw rebar pull-outs application.......................513
Draw rebar pull-out pictures with Rebar pull-out picture and marking application
............................................................................................................................................ 517
Create a drawing view for a reinforcement mesh......................................................537
Show rebar coupler and end anchor symbols in drawings.......................................541
Show rebar assemblies in drawings.............................................................................544
Show pours in drawings..................................................................................................... 548
Modify pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in a drawing.............................550
Change the pour break symbol.................................................................................... 551
Examples of pour drawings and pour reports ..........................................................551
Show welds in drawings......................................................................................................552
How welds are displayed in drawings .........................................................................552
Add drawing weld marks manually..............................................................................555
Example: Drawing weld marks added in drawings.................................................... 556
Add model weld marks manually.................................................................................558
Examples: Model weld marks in drawings.................................................................. 559
Modify model weld mark properties on view level in a drawing..............................566
Modify model weld object representation and appearance in a drawing.............. 568
Drag weld marks............................................................................................................ 571

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 Merge weld marks..........................................................................................................573
Customize weld type symbols .................................................................................... 574
What if welds or weld marks are not visible in a drawing.........................................576
4.21 Show grids in drawings................................................................................. 577
Modify grids and grid lines in drawings............................................................................ 577
Hiding grids and grid labels.......................................................................................... 577
Modify grid and grid line properties in drawings....................................................... 578
Drag grid labels...............................................................................................................579
.......................................................................................................................................... 579
Customize drawing grid labels...........................................................................................580
Modify model grid properties.......................................................................................580
Customize drawing grid labels..................................................................................... 581
Customize a grid label on a single grid line................................................................ 583
Modify custom grid labels............................................................................................. 584
Customize grid labels only at one end of a grid line..................................................584
Add different customized grid labels on horizontal and vertical grid lines............ 585
Use model grid coordinates and prefix as text on grid axis in a drawing .............. 587
Limitations.......................................................................................................................590
4.22 Show reference objects in drawings........................................................... 590
4.23 2D Library in drawings..................................................................................594
Open and view Drawing 2D Library...................................................................................594
Insert a detail to a drawing from 2D Library.................................................................... 596
Create a new detail in Drawing 2D Library....................................................................... 598
Create a new folder in Drawing 2D Library and copy/move to the folder....................601
Modify detail properties in Drawing 2D Library...............................................................601
Explode a detail................................................................................................................... 603
Explode dimension included in details............................................................................. 603
Explode symbols included in details................................................................................. 604
Update objects in a detail................................................................................................... 604
Insert a .dwg file to a drawing from Drawing 2D Library................................................604
Insert an image to a drawing from Drawing 2D Library................................................. 605
4.24 Indicate cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings........................................ 605
Create cut lines.................................................................................................................... 605
Update cut lines................................................................................................................... 606
Delete cut lines.................................................................................................................... 607
4.25 Explode drawing plug-ins and use ordinary drawing objects.................. 607
4.26 Add custom presentations in drawings......................................................607
4.27 Add moment connection symbols in Tekla Structures drawings............ 609
Create moment connection symbols................................................................................ 609
Update moment connection symbols...............................................................................611
Delete moment connection symbols................................................................................ 612
4.28 Work with User coordinate system (UCS) in drawings............................. 612
Set a new UCS...................................................................................................................... 613
Toggle between two user coordinate systems.................................................................614
Reset UCS............................................................................................................................. 614

5 Manage drawings.......................................................................615
5.1 Document manager...................................................................................... 616
Open Document manager..................................................................................................616
Filter, sort and adjust Document manager content........................................................617
Search for documents.........................................................................................................622
Invariant search values....................................................................................................... 626

9
 Create search-based document categories......................................................................627
Create manual document categories................................................................................629
Change category association type.....................................................................................631
Find model objects that have associated drawings in Document manager ............... 631
Find drawings associated to objects selected in model .................................................632
Open documents................................................................................................................. 632
Issue, lock, freeze and mark ready for issuing................................................................. 633
Revise drawings................................................................................................................... 634
Copy Document manager rows to clipboard................................................................... 634
Create GA drawings ............................................................................................................ 634
Configure file documents to include in Document manager.........................................634
Configure drawing UDAs to show in Document manager columns..............................635
Document manager log...................................................................................................... 636
Drawing status flags and related status messages......................................................... 636
Other available functionalities in Document manager...................................................639
5.2 Update drawings when the model changes...............................................639
5.3 Lock drawings................................................................................................ 641
5.4 Freeze drawings.............................................................................................641
5.5 Mark drawings ready for issuing................................................................. 643
5.6 Issue drawings............................................................................................... 644
5.7 Revise drawings............................................................................................. 645
Create drawing revisions.................................................................................................... 645
Change drawing revisions...................................................................................................647
Delete drawing revisions.................................................................................................... 647
Attributes used in drawing revisioning............................................................................. 648
5.8 Version control for drawings....................................................................... 649
Open the drawing versions list.......................................................................................... 650
What can you do with drawing versions...........................................................................651
Drawing versions in Tekla Model Sharing.........................................................................653
5.9 Delete unnecessary drawing files in single-user mode............................ 654
5.10 Delete drawings and file documents.......................................................... 655
5.11 Drawing list.................................................................................................... 656

6 Print drawings............................................................................667
6.1 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer................................................ 668
Print a drawing.....................................................................................................................668
Define printing settings...................................................................................................... 673
Other important printing settings..................................................................................... 682
Example: Print to multiple sheets......................................................................................682
Print to multiple printers.................................................................................................... 684
6.2 Printing settings files and search order .................................................... 686
6.3 Configuration files for printing....................................................................688
6.4 Customize print file names.......................................................................... 689

7 Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances

(old printing).............................................................................. 692
7.1 Print single drawings (old printing)............................................................ 694
Example: Print on A4 in landscape (old printing)............................................................ 695
Example: Print on A3 in portrait (old printing)................................................................. 696

10
 Example: Print A3 drawing on A4 paper (old printing)....................................................697
7.2 Print multiple drawings with different sizes at one go (old printing).... 698
7.3 Create .pdf files (old printing)......................................................................698
7.4 Print to file (old printing)............................................................................. 699
7.5 Print to multiple sheets (old printing)........................................................ 700
7.6 Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog (old printing)..........................702
7.7 Customize print file names (old printing).................................................. 704
7.8 Frames and fold marks in drawings (old printing).................................... 706
Add frames and fold marks in printouts (old printing)................................................... 707
7.9 Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old printing)........................709
Add a printer instance (old printing)................................................................................. 709
Add a print-to-file instance (old printing)......................................................................... 710
Add an Adobe postscript printer instance (old printing)................................................ 711
Define printing paper size and print area h*b (old printing)......................................... 712
Line thickness (pen number) in Color Table (old printing)............................................. 713
Change the pen numbers (line thickness) for colors (old printing)..........................714
7.10 Printing tips (old printing)............................................................................715

8 Define automatic drawing settings......................................... 717

8.1 Define drawing layout.................................................................................. 723
Create and edit drawing layouts........................................................................................724
Open Drawing layout editor......................................................................................... 724
Create a new drawing layout........................................................................................ 725
Add new tables to a drawing layout.............................................................................726
Move tables in drawing layout......................................................................................729
Replace tables in drawing layout..................................................................................730
Remove tables from drawing layout............................................................................ 731
Adjust drawing sizes, frames, and fold marks............................................................ 731
Adjust the position of drawing views........................................................................... 733
Adjust the visibility of tables in the drawing layout................................................... 733
Edit a drawing layout..................................................................................................... 734
Example: Use different table sets for different drawing sizes within a drawing
layout.................................................................................................................................... 735
Tables in drawing layout..................................................................................................... 737
Table sets.............................................................................................................................. 738
Edit tables in Template Editor............................................................................................ 740
8.2 Define drawing size and drawing view scale............................................. 746
Set exact drawing view scale and automatic drawing size............................................. 747
Set exact drawing size and automatic drawing view scale............................................. 748
Autoscale and autosize drawings...................................................................................... 749
8.3 Define object protection and placement settings in drawings............... 750
Protect areas in a drawing..................................................................................................752
Define automatic protection settings in single-part, assembly and cast unit
drawings........................................................................................................................... 754
Define automatic protection settings for GA drawings............................................. 755
Modify protection settings in an existing drawing on view level..............................756
Define placement settings for marks................................................................................756
Define placement settings for dimensions...................................................................... 758
Define automatic free or fixed placement for drawing views........................................759
8.4 Define drawing views....................................................................................760

11
 Define the views to create in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings................762
Define automatic view settings for general arrangement drawings............................. 764
Define view labels and view label marks.......................................................................... 765
Set drawing view projection type.......................................................................................767
Include single-part drawings in assembly drawings....................................................... 769
Define part orientation in drawing views......................................................................... 770
Change the coordinate system.....................................................................................771
Rotate parts in drawing views.......................................................................................773
Select the steel or timber part face that is shown in front drawing view................775
Set viewing direction for columns in assembly drawings......................................... 776
Set viewing direction for beams and bracings in assembly drawings..................... 776
Change plate orientation in drawings ....................................................................... 777
Show neighbor parts in drawings......................................................................................778
Setting the visibility and representation of the neighbor parts in drawing views..779
Show neighbor parts in general arrangement drawings...........................................780
Shorten or lengthen parts.................................................................................................. 782
Shorten a part in the model..........................................................................................782
Shorten a part using a UDA...........................................................................................782
Lengthen a part in the model....................................................................................... 783
Shorten parts in drawing views.................................................................................... 783
Lengthen shortened parts in drawing views...............................................................786
Unfold polybeams in drawings.......................................................................................... 786
Undeform deformed parts in drawings............................................................................787
Show part openings and recesses in drawings................................................................789
Define automatic section view properties........................................................................791
Define automatic section view properties.................................................................. 792
Examples of section view and mark settings.............................................................. 793
Show section and end view direction marks in drawings......................................... 794
Define the location for end views and section views.................................................796
8.5 Define dimensioning.....................................................................................798
What are automatic view-level dimensions......................................................................800
Add automatic view-level dimensions.............................................................................. 804
Define the drawing property file.................................................................................. 804
Define the drawing views to be created...................................................................... 805
Define view dimensions................................................................................................ 805
Connect view properties to views and save drawing properties..............................809
Example workflow: Create automatic overall and hole dimensions on view level 809
Create a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning............................................... 819
Create a drawing view filter.......................................................................................... 819
Create a filter for holes and recesses.......................................................................... 821
Create a filter for the main part of an assembly........................................................ 822
Create an exclude filter for dimension tag..................................................................822
Create an exclude filter for stirrups in section views.................................................823
Dimensioning method of shapes, holes and recesses ................................................. 823
Various scenarios of using different dimensioning types.............................................. 828
Use view-level dimensioning only................................................................................ 828
Use both view-level dimensioning and integrated dimensioning............................ 829
Use integrated dimensioning only............................................................................... 830
Add automatic view-level dimensions using Integrated dimensioning type................832
Add dimensions using Integrated dimensioning type ..............................................832
Group identical objects to the same dimension line................................................. 833
Add elevation dimensions.............................................................................................834
Create check dimensions.............................................................................................. 835
Example: Part dimensioning......................................................................................... 838
Example: Position dimensioning.................................................................................. 840

12
 Example: Closing dimension.........................................................................................845
Example: Combine dimensions.................................................................................... 846
Example: Combine bolt group dimensions.................................................................849
Example: Forward offset............................................................................................... 850
Example: Grid dimensions............................................................................................ 850
Example: Recognizable distance ................................................................................. 851
Example: Preferred dimension side ............................................................................851
Example: Reinforcement dimensions.......................................................................... 852
Add automatic dual dimensions........................................................................................853
Add dimensions to unfolded parts....................................................................................854
Add minimum and maximum position dimensions to bolts ....................................... 856
Create dimension line extensions..................................................................................... 856
Change the appearance of absolute dimensions............................................................857
Create exaggerated dimensions........................................................................................ 857
Change the prefix in radial dimensions............................................................................ 859
Add dimensions to plates................................................................................................... 860
Add dimensions to profiles................................................................................................ 865
Sloped dimension texts...................................................................................................... 867
Add automatic dimensions to general arrangement drawings..................................... 868
Dimension GA drawings................................................................................................ 868
Object groups in dimensioning general arrangement drawings..............................868
Dimension object groups on different dimension lines............................................ 868
Example: Grid and overall dimensions........................................................................ 869
Example: Maximum leader line length options..........................................................871
Example: Dimension parts partly outside the view................................................... 872
Example: Limit the number of outside dimensions...................................................872
Example: Position part dimensions............................................................................. 873
Example: Dimension anchor bolt plans.......................................................................878
8.6 Define marks................................................................................................. 882
Add automatic marks..........................................................................................................884
Adjust the visibility of automatic marks............................................................................888
Adjust text, frames and leader lines of automatic marks ..............................................892
Adjust part mark leader lines with advanced options............................................... 894
Place reinforcement mark leader line associativity point automatically.................895
Show mark frames and leader lines for hidden parts............................................... 896
Mark location....................................................................................................................... 897
Set a predefined location for beam, bracing and column marks.............................898
How leader line type affects part mark and surface treatment mark location...... 898
How merging affects reinforcing bar group mark location.......................................899
How leader line type affects reinforcement mark location...................................... 900
Merge marks automatically................................................................................................901
Merged part marks........................................................................................................ 901
Merge part marks automatically.................................................................................. 903
Merged reinforcement marks.......................................................................................904
Merge reinforcement marks automatically................................................................ 904
Change unit settings for marks..........................................................................................906
Add attributes in automatic marks ..................................................................................908
Add level attributes in automatic part marks.................................................................. 909
Add templates in automatic marks................................................................................... 912
Add templates in marks................................................................................................ 913
Example 1: Create a mark template containing separate value fields and text
elements..........................................................................................................................914
Example 2: Create a mark template containing a formula in the value field......... 916
Add symbols in automatic marks...................................................................................... 917
Define size in bolt marks using advanced options..........................................................918

13
 Add pull-out pictures in rebar marks................................................................................ 921
8.7 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts.................................................. 927
Define automatic drawing part properties.......................................................................927
Define automatic neighbor part properties..................................................................... 932
Indicate part orientation.....................................................................................................933
Use part mark as an orientation mark in general arrangement drawings............. 933
Show compass direction in part marks....................................................................... 935
Show orientation marks (north marks)....................................................................... 936
Show connecting side marks........................................................................................ 937
8.8 Define drawing bolts.....................................................................................939
Define automatic bolt properties in drawings................................................................. 939
Create customized bolt symbols....................................................................................... 941
8.9 Define hatches in drawings..........................................................................942
Add hatches (fills) to parts in drawings.............................................................................943
Create custom hatch patterns........................................................................................... 949
Add hatch patterns........................................................................................................ 949
Hatch pattern settings (.htc) for automatic drawing hatches........................................ 953
8.10 Define drawing surface treatment............................................................. 958
Define automatic surface treatment in drawings............................................................959
8.11 Define drawing welds................................................................................... 960
Define automatic model weld properties in drawings....................................................960
8.12 Define drawing pours .................................................................................. 961
Show pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in drawings......................................961
8.13 Define drawing reinforcement and meshes.............................................. 963
Define automatic reinforcement and reinforcement mesh properties........................963
Automatic grouping of rebar sets for drawings...............................................................967
8.14 Define drawing grids.....................................................................................969
Define automatic grid properties...................................................................................... 971
8.15 Units and decimals in drawings, reports and templates .........................971
8.16 User-defined attributes in drawings...........................................................973
Modify automatic user-defined drawing attributes........................................................ 974
Create a new user-defined drawing attribute.................................................................. 974
8.17 Define customized line types in [Link]................................ 977

9 Drawing settings........................................................................ 980

9.1 General arrangement drawing properties................................................. 981
9.2 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties..........................985
9.3 Layout properties..........................................................................................988
9.4 View properties in drawings ....................................................................... 990
9.5 Section view properties.............................................................................. 1008
9.6 Dimension and dimensioning properties in drawings............................1010
Dimension properties....................................................................................................... 1011
Dimensioning rule properties.......................................................................................... 1022
Dimensioning properties in drawings (Integrated dimensioning)...............................1040
General arrangement drawing dimensioning properties.............................................1051
9.7 Mark properties in drawings..................................................................... 1053
Mark elements................................................................................................................... 1063
Common elements in marks...................................................................................... 1063
Part mark elements..................................................................................................... 1064

14
 Bolt mark elements......................................................................................................1066
Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mark elements................................ 1068
Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mesh mark elements......................1069
Elements in merged reinforcement marks............................................................... 1070
Connection mark elements.........................................................................................1071
Pour object mark elements ...................................................................................... 1072
Surface treatment mark elements............................................................................. 1072
Section and detail mark elements............................................................................. 1073
View, section view and detail view label mark elements.........................................1073
Drawing weld mark properties........................................................................................ 1074
Model weld mark properties in drawings.......................................................................1079
Level mark properties in drawings.................................................................................. 1084
9.8 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings.......................................1087
9.9 Bolt properties in drawings........................................................................1094
9.10 Surface treatment properties in drawings.............................................. 1097
Surface treatment hatch pattern properties ([Link])........................................1099
9.11 Reinforcement object properties in drawings......................................... 1100
Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp) ............................................ 1108
9.12 Pour object and pour break properties in drawings............................... 1114
9.13 Placement properties for marks, notes, dimensions, texts, and
symbols in drawings................................................................................... 1118
9.14 Model weld properties in drawings...........................................................1121
9.15 Drawing sketch object properties............................................................. 1124
9.16 Drawing grid and grid line properties.......................................................1127

10 Disclaimer.................................................................................1130

15
16
1 Quick start to Tekla Structures
drawings

Read this article if Tekla Structures drawings are new to you!

You will learn:
• What is specific to Tekla Structures drawings, and what is included in the
drawings
• What to do before creating any drawings
• How to create drawings in your first project using the predefined settings in
your environment
• How to modify the created drawings manually in drawing mode

1.1 Basics of Tekla Structures drawings

• In Tekla Structures, a drawing is a window to the model presenting the
3D model structures in 2D, together with object dimensions and other

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 17 Basics of Tekla Structures drawings

 markings derived from model data. Below is an example of a drawing view
containing building objects, marks and dimensions:

• From Tekla Structures, you can get general arrangement drawings

(page 105), single-part drawings (page 109), assembly drawings (page 112),
cast unit drawings (page 114), and multidrawings (page 117).

Up-to-date drawings
Tekla Structures drawings are always up to date (page 49) because:
• The building objects shown in the drawing are exactly the same as the
model objects created in the model. You can change their representation
(page 1087) 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.
• Most objects in the drawing are associative (page 49) and automatically
updated when the corresponding model objects change. For example, if
you resize a model object, the associated dimension points move with the
corresponding object in the drawing, the dimensions are recalculated, and
the related data is updated in markings. Still, you do not lose any manual
changes that you have made in the drawing. Note that if the dimension
points do not move, they are not associated with any building objects.

Drawing objects, views and drawing layout

Drawing objects are organized inside drawing views, which are placed in the
selected drawing layout according to the selected settings:
• Drawing objects (page 80) include building objects (parts, bolts, welds,
chamfers, reinforcement, surface treatment, etc.), annotation objects

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 18 Basics of Tekla Structures drawings

 (marks, notes, dimensions, texts, linked objects, reference objects, etc.) and
sketch objects (lines, rectangles, clouds, circles, etc.).
All these objects are adjustable.
Some examples building objects, dimensions, marks, texts, and clouds:

• Drawing views (page 223) act as containers for the building objects,
or for areas in the model that you have selected to include in the
drawing. The drawing view size adjusts automatically to fit in more content
when necessary. Drawing views can show building objects from different
directions (top, front, back, bottom), or as cross sections. View settings, for
example the view depth and scale, are adjustable.
Example of a GA drawing with an erection elevation view and detail views:

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 19 Basics of Tekla Structures drawings

 Example of a combined form and reinforcing bar drawing of stairs with
landings with two main views and a couple of detail views:

Example of a beam assembly drawing with one main view and a section
view:

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 20 Basics of Tekla Structures drawings

 • A drawing layout (page 723) defines:
• The drawing size, and spaces between the drawing frame and views,
and between the drawing views (page 724)
• The drawing frames and fold marks (page 724)
• The table set (page 738) including a revision table, title block, material
list, bill of materials, and general notes.
The data in the tables is derived directly from the model data. You can
create tables in Template Editor, and add tables in the drawing layout
and adjust the layout settings in Layout editor (page 724).
Below is an example of a typical fabrication drawing layout:

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 21 Basics of Tekla Structures drawings

 (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) Material list
(9) Revision table
(10) Drawing title block
(11) Fold marks

Predefined drawing settings

Your environment contains predefined drawing settings suited for various
purposes, on multiple levels.
When you create drawings for the first time, all you have to do is to pick the
most suitable predefined drawing settings to use.
Note that the drawing level settings also define which layout is used.
You can modify these settings and save your own settings files for your future
drawings.
Below is an example of a list of drawing settings in a GA drawing:

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 22 Basics of Tekla Structures drawings

 1.2 Before creating drawings in Tekla Structures
• You can create drawings at any stage of the project, but to minimize re-
work, take the detailing as far as possible, and finish numbering before
drawing creation (page 120). Numbering is a prerequisite for creating
single-part, assembly, and cast unit drawings.
• Ensure that the object classifications and naming in your model matches
filtering. Follow the company conventions.
• In the model, create all necessary views for GA drawings. GA drawing views
will have the same orientation and content as the model view. For example,
create an erection elevation view or a floor plan view. A good idea is to fit
the work area in the model view using two points to select the area that
you want to show in the drawing.
• Decide the view depth to use in GA drawings. Set the desired view depth in
the initial model view for efficient and transparent workflow. The drawings
will use the depth defined for the view in the model.
• Decide which predefined settings and drawing layout (page 724) you want
to use. Select suitable default settings and a layout available in your
environment.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 23 Before creating drawings in Tekla Structures
 1.3 Create a general arrangement drawing
In your first project, the idea is to create a general arrangement (GA) drawing
using predefined settings from your environment, and then modify the
drawing manually in drawing mode as necessary.
1. Go to the Drawings & reports tab on the ribbon, and select Drawing
properties --> GA drawing.
• Open the drawing settings list, and select a predefined settings file that
suits your needs.

• Check the general settings. If you modify the settings in the subdialogs,
remember to click OK:
• Define Name and Title 1 - Title 3.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 24 Create a general arrangement drawing

 • Go to Layout... settings and change the layout to another one if
necessary.
• Go to View... settings and select the Scale and the Label. The
depth is taken automatically from the model view.
• Go to building object (part, reinforcement, surface treatment, etc.)
settings and modify the representation.
• Go to Filter... settings and create filters. Decide which objects
you want to show in the drawing, and filter other objects away.
Optimize the filter so that it handles only the relevant objects.
In the following example, you only want to show columns, beams,
and footings:

• Click Apply in the General Arrangement Drawing Properties

dialog to apply the changes to the drawing that you will create.
Also, save the drawing settings so that you can use the saved
settings in your next projects.
2. On the Drawings & reports tab on the ribbon, click Create drawings -->
GA drawing.
3. In the Create general arrangement drawing dialog, select the view from
which you want to create the drawing among the views that you created
earlier in the model.
GA drawings are based on model views, so select a suitable floor plan view
or grid line view, for example.
4. To create the drawing, click Create.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 25 Create a general arrangement drawing

 1.4 Modify a GA drawing
In drawing mode, modify the drawing manually to get the desired result.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab on the ribbon, click Document manager,
and select and open the GA drawing you created earlier.
2. Check the layout, tables, and the title block; all content outside the views.
To modify the layout, open Layout editor (page 724) by double-clicking a
table in the layout. Save the modified layout.
For example, double-click the title block:

3. Check the view, and change the view settings (page 990) by double-
clicking the view frame. The view frame is visible when your mouse
pointer is within the view frame.
• Is the scale appropriate?
• Is the view label appropriate?
• Does the view contain the building objects that you want? If not,
change the object visibility settings and filtering.
• Are you happy with the building object representations? If not, check
the part, bolt, surface treatment, reinforcement, etc. representations.
• When you are done, click Modify. Also save the view settings so that
you can use them in your next projects.
4. Create the necessary detail views (page 224), and add 2D details from
2D Library (page 593). The view creation commands are located on the
drawing Views tab, and 2D details in Drawing 2D Library in the side
pane.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 26 Modify a GA drawing

 5. Check and modify the content of the views, one by one:
• Note that after you start modifying the view content, you should not
touch the view settings.
• Add lines, graphics (page 447), symbols (page 428), and text (page 420).
Tools for adding these are located on the drawing mode ribbon on the
Drawing and Annotations tabs.

• Remove undesired dimensions, add new dimensions (page 261), or

double-click dimensions to change the dimension settings (page 304).
Save the settings for later use. The dimensioning commands are
located on the Dimensioning tab on the drawing ribbon.

• Delete unnecessary marks (page 385), create new marks (page 346) or
reinforcement marks (page 349), merge marks (page 410), double-click
a mark to change mark settings (page 382), or arrange (page 477) or
align (page 478) the marks. Save the settings for later use. The related

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 27 Modify a GA drawing

 commands are located on the Annotations tab on the drawing ribbon
and in the context menu.

6. Arrange the views, or align all views vertically or horizontally with the main
view. (page 244)
The Arrange command is located on the Views tab on the drawing
ribbon, and the alignment commands on the context menu.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 28 Modify a GA drawing

 When you are happy with the result, use this drawing as a template for
creating drawings for other similar model content. You can also use drawings
in the current project as templates in your future projects.
Below is an example of a foundation plan drawing.

(1) Grid dimensions

(2) Part marks
(3) Section marks A-A, B-B, and C-C
(4) Manual dimensions
(5) Section views A-A, B-B, and C-C
(6) Rebar group mark
(7) Rebar mark with pull-out picture
(8) Level marks
(9) Revision table
(10) Drawing title block table
(11) Drawing frame and margin

1.5 Create a precast fabrication drawing

As this is your first project, we recommend that you create a precast
fabrication drawing using predefined settings from your environment, and
then modify the drawing manually in drawing mode as necessary.
1. Go to the Drawings & reports tab on the ribbon, and select Drawing
properties --> Cast unit drawing.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 29 Create a precast fabrication drawing

 2. Open the drawing settings list, and select the drawing settings file that
suits your needs.

3. Check and change the general settings in Cast Unit Drawing Properties:
• Define Name and Title 1 - Title 3.
• Go to Layout settings and change the layout to another one if
necessary.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 30 Create a precast fabrication drawing

 • Go to Section view and set the default section view depth and section
mark content.

• Go to View creation and define at least one main view to create, for
example, front view, and type a Label for the view.
4. Select a view that you created from the view list and go to View
properties. Modify the view settings (page 990). If you decide to create
several main views, modify the settings for each view separately.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 31 Create a precast fabrication drawing

 • Set the Scale.
• Modify building object settings and set the object representation.
In your first project, you will probably have one concrete part and
some embed parts. Set the part representation to either Outline
or Exact. Set the reinforcement to Visible, and the reinforcement
representation to single line with filled ends, for example. Also,
remember to check surface treatment settings.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 32 Create a precast fabrication drawing

 • Go to Filter... settings and create filters. Decide which objects you
want to show in the drawing, and filter other objects away. Optimize
the filter so that it handles only the relevant objects.
In the following example, all other rebars have been filtered out,
except embeds:

• When you are done, Save the view settings and click Close.
5. Click Apply in the Cast Unit Drawing Properties dialog to apply the
changes to the drawing that you will create. Also, save the drawing
settings so that you can use the saved settings in your next projects.
6. Select the objects.
Use assembly selection switches to control which drawing types are
created. If the Select assemblies switch is enabled, only assembly and
cast-unit drawings are created. If the Select objects in assemblies
selection switch is enabled OR none of the assembly selection switches
are active, single-part, assembly, and cast-unit drawings are created.
Alternatively, you can use appropriate selection filters or the Object
visibility in the list options in the Creation review dialog to define the
objects for which you want to create drawings.
7. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Create fabrication drawing, and
ensure that the Creation review switch is enabled and click Create
fabrication drawing.

8. In the Creation review dialog, select Manual selection,

which suggests Applied settings, and click Create.

TIP
• Instead, you could select Settings suggestion and
select the settings that you modified earlier from the list of saved
settings.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 33 Create a precast fabrication drawing

 • You could also use Template suggestion: In
the beginning of the project, when no drawing templates are
available, it is not possible to find a matching drawing template.
If no drawing template match is found, the system automatically
looks for the best matching saved settings, and if no saved
settings match is found, applied settings are suggested.

1.6 Modify a precast fabrication drawing

In drawing mode, modify the precast fabrication drawing manually to get the
desired result.

1. On the Drawings & reports tab on the ribbon, click Document manager,
and select and open the precast fabrication drawing that you created
earlier.
2. Check the layout, tables and title blocks; all content outside the views.
To modify the layout, go to Layout editor (page 724) by double-clicking a
table in the layout. Save any changes that you make in the layout.
For example, double-click the title block:

3. Check the settings in the main view that you created, and change the view
settings (page 990) by double-clicking the view frame. The view frame is
visible when your mouse pointer is within the view frame.
• Is the scale appropriate?
• Is the view label appropriate?
• Does the view contain the building objects that you want? If not,
change the object visibility settings and filtering.
• Are you happy with the building object representations? If not, check
the part, surface treatment, reinforcement, etc. representations.
• When you are done, click Modify. Also save the view settings so that
you can use them in your next projects.
4. Create other views (page 224) (section views, detail views), and check the
view settings in the same way as for the main view you created. Also, add
2D details from 2D Library (page 593), and links to DXF files (page 438)
and images (page 438). The view creation commands are located on the

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 34 Modify a precast fabrication drawing

 drawing Views tab, 2D details in Drawing 2D Library in the side pane,
and the linking commands on the Drawing tab.

5. Check and modify the content of the views, one by one:

• Note that after you start modifying the view content, you should not
touch the view settings.
• Add lines, graphics (page 447), symbols (page 428), and text (page 420).
Tools for adding these are located on the Drawing and Annotations
tabs on the drawing ribbon.

• Remove undesired dimensions, add new dimensions to parts

(page 252) and reinforcement (page 263), and change part dimension
settings (page 304) and rebar dimension settings (page 1011) by double-
clicking a dimension. Save the settings for later use. The dimensioning

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 35 Modify a precast fabrication drawing

 commands are located on the Dimensioning tab on the drawing
ribbon.

• Delete unnecessary marks (page 385), merge marks (page 410),

create new marks (page 346), reinforcement marks (page 349), and
associative notes (page 375), double-click a mark to change mark
settings (page 382), and arrange (page 477) or align (page 478) the
marks. Save the settings for later use. The related commands are
located on the Annotations tab on the drawing ribbon and in the
context menu.

6. Arrange the views, or align all views vertically or horizontally with the main
view. (page 244)

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 36 Modify a precast fabrication drawing

 The Arrange command is located on the Views tab on the drawing
ribbon, and the alignment commands on the context menu.

When you are happy with the result, you can use this drawing as a template
for creating drawings for similar cast units (page 122).
Below is an example of a cast unit formwork drawing.

(1) Associative note

(2) 3D view created automatically
(3) Symbol (center of gravity)
(4) Line
(5) Text
(6) 2D detail from Drawing 2D Library or image
(7) Rebar bending schedule with graphical fields for pull-out pictures

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 37 Modify a precast fabrication drawing

 (8) Material list table with table header row, table content rows, total
reinforcement weight row and total cast unit weight sum row
(9) Recess with hidden lines
(10) Concrete part
(11) Embed part/rebar
(12) Overall dimensions created automatically
(13) Recess dimensions created automatically
(14) Filter dimensions created automatically
(15) Formwork front view
(16) Section mark A-A
(17) Part contour
(18) Dimension tag
(19) Section view A-A created automatically
(20) Rebar mark with pull-out picture
(21) Rebar group mark
(22) Rebar
(23) Reinforcement front view
(24) Rebar group dimension
(25) Detail mark
(26) Detail view
(27) Drawing title block table
(28) Attribute (Tekla Corporation) and fixed text (Product name) in table
(29) Revision table
(30) Image in table
(31) Drawing frame and margin

1.7 Create a steel fabrication drawing

As this is your first project, we recommend that you create a steel fabrication
drawing using predefined settings from your environment, and then modify
the drawing manually in drawing mode as necessary. The instructions below
apply to assembly drawings.
1. Go to the Drawings & reports tab on the ribbon, and select Drawing
properties --> Assembly drawing.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 38 Create a steel fabrication drawing

 2. Open the drawing settings list, and select the
settings file with a name that suits your needs.

3. Check and change the general settings in Assembly Drawing Properties:

• Define Name and Title 1 - Title 3.
• Go to Layout settings and change the layout to another one if
necessary.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 39 Create a steel fabrication drawing

 • Go to Section view and set the default section view depth and section
mark content.

• Go to View creation and define at least one main view to create

(page 762), for example, front view, and type a Label for the view. You
can also create section views and end views here.
Also, define the bolt and weld visibility settings (page 984) common to
all views. Check and fill in the user-defined attributes (page 984) that
are common to all your fabrication drawings.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 40 Create a steel fabrication drawing

 4. Select a view that you created from the view list, for example the front
view, and go to View properties. Modify the view settings (page 990). If
you decided to create several main views, modify the settings for each
view separately.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 41 Create a steel fabrication drawing

 • Set the Scale.
• Go to building object (part, neighbor part, bolt, weld, reference object,
grid, etc.) settings and set the object visibility and representation.
For parts, Outline usually works for parts shown in main views. Exact
is ideal for parts in detail, section, and end views, because it shows
the true contours of hot-rolled profiles, for example. For welds, you
can define whether to show the modeled welds or not (page 1121).
For bolts, you can define whether to show bolt holes and bolt axis,
or actual bolts (page 1094). If you prefer it simple, use the hole
representation.
• When you are ready, Save the view settings and click Close.
5. Click Apply in the Assembly Drawing Properties dialog to apply the
changes to the drawing that you will create. Also, save the drawing
settings so that you can use the saved settings in your next projects.
6. Select the objects.
Use assembly selection switches to control which drawing types are
created. If the Select assemblies switch is enabled, only assembly and
cast-unit drawings are created. If the Select objects in assemblies

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 42 Create a steel fabrication drawing

 selection switch is enabled OR none of the assembly selection switches
are active, single-part, assembly, and cast-unit drawings are created.
Alternatively, you can use appropriate selection filters or the Object
visibility in the list options in the Creation review dialog to define the
objects for which you want to create drawings.
7. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Create fabrication drawing, and
ensure that the Creation review switch is enabled and click Create
fabrication drawing.

8. In the Creation review dialog, select Manual selection,

which suggests Applied settings, and click Create.

TIP
• Instead, you could select Settings suggestion and
select the settings that you modified earlier from the list of saved
settings.

• You could also use Template suggestion: In

the beginning of the project, when no drawing templates are
available, it is not possible to find a matching drawing template.
If no drawing template match is found, the system automatically
looks for the best matching saved settings, and if no saved
settings match is found, applied settings are suggested.

1.8 Modify a steel fabrication drawing

In drawing mode, modify the steel fabrication drawing manually to get the
desired result.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab on the ribbon, click Document manager,
and select and open the steel fabrication drawing you created earlier.
2. Check the layout, tables and title blocks; all content outside the views.
To modify the layout, go to Layout editor (page 724) by double-clicking a
table in the layout.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 43 Modify a steel fabrication drawing

 For example, double-click the shop material list:

3. Check the settings in the main views (top, front, bottom, back) that you
created, and change the view settings (page 990) by double-clicking the
view frame. The view frame is visible when your mouse pointer is within
the view frame.
• Is the scale appropriate?
• Is the view label appropriate?
• Does the view contain the building objects that you want? If not,
change the object visibility settings.
• Are you happy with the building object representations? If not, check
the part, surface treatment, bolt, weld, etc. representations.
• When you are done, click Modify. Also, save the view settings so that
you can use them in your next projects.
4. Create other views (page 224) (section views, detail views), and check the
view settings in the same way as for the main views you created. Also,
add 2D details from 2D Library (page 593), or links to DXF files (page 438).
The view creation commands are located on the drawing Views tab, the
Drawing 2D Library in the side pane, and the commands for adding links
on the Drawing tab.

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 44 Modify a steel fabrication drawing

 5. Check and modify the content of the views, one by one:
• Note that after you start modifying the view content, you should not
touch the view settings.
• Add lines, graphics (page 447), symbols (page 428), and text (page 420).
Tools for adding these are located on the drawing mode ribbon on the
Drawing and Annotations tabs.

• Remove undesired dimensions, add new dimensions to parts and

bolts (page 252), and double-click a dimension to change dimension
settings (page 304). Save the settings for later use. The dimensioning
commands are located on the Dimensioning tab on the drawing
ribbon.

• Delete unnecessary marks (page 385), create new marks (page 346),
double-click a mark to change mark settings (page 382), and arrange

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 45 Modify a steel fabrication drawing

 (page 477) or align (page 478) the marks. Also, add manual section
marks (page 391). Save the settings for later use. The related
commands are located on the Annotations tab on the drawing ribbon
and in the context menu.

6. Arrange the views, or align all views vertically or horizontally with the main
view. (page 244)

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 46 Modify a steel fabrication drawing

 The Arrange command is located on the Views tab on the drawing
ribbon, and the alignment commands on the context menu.

When you are happy with the result, you could use this drawing as a template
when you are creating drawings for similar assemblies (page 122).
Below is an example of a column assembly drawing.

(1) Grid location table tells on which grid line the assembly is located in the
model
(2) Section A-A created automatically, manual marks and dimensions
(3) Model weld marks
(4) Part marks
(5) Section marks A-A, B-B, and C-C
(6) Front view
(7) Bolt mark
(8) Bolts
(9) Column C/54

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 47 Modify a steel fabrication drawing

 (10) Column contour
(11) Manual section mark C-C (without a section view). The identifier is C-C to
indicate that this section is identical to the C-C section that has a section view
(12) Section C-C created automatically, manual marks and dimensions
(13) Top view
(14) Bolts, plates and marks hidden by other parts
(15) Drawing frame and margin
(16) Revision table
(17) Drawing title block
(18) Call off table indicating the total number of main parts in the drawing
(19) Material list table
(20) Dimensions: Most dimensions are automatic Integrated dimensions. The
section view dimensions are manual.
(21): Section B-B created automatically, manual marks and dimensions

Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings 48 Modify a steel fabrication drawing

2 Drawings in Tekla Structures

Tekla Structures contain a large variety of features and tools that help you to
create, modify, and manage your drawings efficiently.

Main drawing features

• The model is the single source of information for drawings. The drawing is
just another view to the model, usually a 2D view.
• Creating drawings is fast, efficient, and controlled.
• 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 level properties are defined
separately for each view before a drawing is created.
• Automatic general arrangement drawings and anchor bolt plans of selected
views.
• Drawing objects are associated with model objects, and updated when the
model changes.
• Changing some 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 for each of them.
• You can modify drawing properties on three levels; drawing, view, and
object level, depending on the drawing type and the desired results.
• 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, modify, and delete objects in an
existing drawing.
• You can check previews of the drawings, and print your drawings to PDF,
send them to a printer, or save as plot files.
• You can control drawing revisions, and issue, lock, and freeze drawings.
• You can use interactive editing tools for adding dimensions, sketch objects,
marks, notes, texts, symbols, images, or links in your drawings.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 49

Drawings are 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 that you have created in the model.
You can change their representation in the drawing but you cannot change
their geometry or location, or delete them; all changes to building objects
are made in the model. That is why the drawings are always up to date, and
dimensions and marks in drawings are always correct, for example. You can
filter out building objects 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 Document manager that
you need to update the related drawings. You cannot open a drawing that is
not up to date.

Drawings are associative

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 corresponding model objects change. For
example, if a model object is resized, the 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 and other building objects
• Marks
• Dimensions
• Welds
• Views
• Section marks
• Detail marks
• Associative notes
• Tables
Tekla Structures retains the following manual changes made to drawings:
• Associativity points of objects; for example, if you drag an object to a new
location
• Object properties; for example, color, font, and line type
Advanced options related to associativity:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 50

XS_ASSOCIATIVE_CHANGE_HIGHLIGHT_SIZE
XS_ASSOCIATIVE_CHANGE_HIGHLIGHT_SYMBOL
XS_DRAWING_CHANGE_HIGHLIGHT_COLOR
XS_HIGHLIGHT_ASSOCIATIVE_DIMENSION_CHANGES
XS_HIGHLIGHT_MARK_CONTENT_CHANGES
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.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 51

TIP To hide associativity symbols in drawing views, on the File menu,
click Settings and select the Associativity symbol checkbox, or press
Shift+A on the keyboard.

Change symbols
Tekla Structures highlights the marks, notes, dimension marks, and dimension
points that have changed due to changes in the model. For more information
about change symbols, see Check changed marks, notes, and dimensions and
remove change symbols (page 405).

Find out more about drawings

To Click the links below to find out

more
Learn what is specific to Tekla Quick start to drawings (page 17)
Structures drawings, what to do
before creating drawings, how to
create drawings in your first project
using the predefined settings in your
environment, and how to modify the
created drawings manually in drawing
mode
Check the controls available in Introduction to drawing mode
drawing mode (page 53)
Learn how to use snapping in Snapping in drawings (page 56)
drawings
Learn how to zoom and pan in Zooming and panning in drawings
drawings (page 61)
Get familiar with colors and color Colors in drawings (page 64)
modes available in drawings
Learn what drawings consist of Drawing objects, views and layouts
(page 80)

Drawings in Tekla Structures 52

 To Click the links below to find out
more
Find out what happens when a How to keep your drawings up to
drawing needs to be updated date? (page 82)
Learn where you can change the Control drawing properties on
drawing properties and what is the different levels (page 83)
recommended workflow for defining
drawing properties
Find out when a drawing needs to be Recreation of drawings (page 103)
recreated
Learn what kind of drawings you can Drawing types (page 104)
produce in Tekla Structures
Learn how to create drawings using Create drawings in Tekla Structures
different methods (page 119)
Clone drawings (page 193)
Edit your drawings manually: add Edit drawings (page 208)
drawing objects, modify properties,
etc.
Find the drawings that you need, Manage drawings (page 615)
and learn how to lock, freeze, issue,
update, revise, and delete drawings
Print drawings as PDF files, save them Print drawings (page 667)
as plot files (.plt) for printing with
printer/plotter, or print them on the
selected printer
Set up and modify automatic drawing Define automatic drawing settings
settings (page 717)
Check the available drawing Drawing settings (page 980)
properties and settings

2.1 Introduction to drawing mode

When you open a drawing, Tekla Structures activates drawing mode.
• The ribbon, File menu, side pane, selection switches, and snap switches
for modeling mode are replaced by those of drawing mode. Model views
remain on the screen in the background. When you close the drawing
(page 212), you automatically return to modeling mode.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 53 Introduction to drawing mode

• The contextual toolbar and context menu contain commands and controls
that are specific to drawings and drawing objects, and they vary depending
on the drawing content that you have selected.

• Quick Launch contains drawing-specific commands, and you can use it

to find commands, dialogs, and toolbars. Start typing the name of the
command, for example, dimension, and start the command by clicking the
name of the dimensioning command in the displayed list.
The following image identifies the locations of the controls in drawing mode:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 54 Introduction to drawing mode

(1) The File menu contains commands and basic settings that can be used in
drawing mode.
(2) The drawing mode ribbon and the tabs mostly contain commands available
for drawings only, some commands are common with modeling mode. When
you click a command on the ribbon, the related help opens in the Instructor
side pane.
(3) By default, the Quick Access Toolbar contains the Save, Undo, Redo,
and Undo history buttons. You can customize the Quick Access Toolbar
according to your needs.
(4) Use the Quick Launch for searching drawing-related commands.
(5) Use the side pane to check instructions for the currently active ribbon
command, view and modify object properties, view notifications and adjust
notification settings, open 2D Library, open Drawing content manager, open
the Applications & components catalog, or to access Tekla Online services.
(6) This is your Tekla Structures drawing.
(7) Use the Snap switches (page 56) to control which points you can snap to
and pick.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 55 Introduction to drawing mode

 (8) Use the selection switches to scale down the amount of selectable objects.
Click the Selection filter button to create new selection filters.
(9) The status bar shows instructions and error messages.

2.2 Snapping in drawings

In drawings, you can snap in positions in the same way as in the model. You
can also snap to orthogonal angles while placing drawing objects or sketching.
Zoom level affects free snapping in the way that the closer you zoom, the
more exact you can snap. You can also place a drawing sketch object at a
specified distance in the indicated direction.
Note that you cannot snap to blank lines.

Drawing snap switches and snap settings

Drawing snap switches:

Use the Drawing snap settings dialog (File --> Settings --> Snap settings)
to view and modify the snap settings in the drawing. These settings are user
specific.

Snap to orthogonal points in a drawing

Use the Ortho tool to snap to the closest orthogonal point in a drawing.
You can specify the orthogonal angle in Drawing snap settings (File -->
Settings --> Snap settings). Using ortho snapping is useful if you need to
place associative notes in a consistent manner, or sketch a polygon using a
certain angle, for example. You can use predefined ortho angles and specify
custom angles.
1. Open a drawing.
2. To activate orthogonal snapping, on the File menu, click Settings and
select the Ortho checkbox.
By default, the keyboard shortcut is O.
3. On the File menu, click Settings --> Snap settings .
Note that you have the same snap settings available in the model, but
these settings have no effect on drawings.
4. Set the snapping angles using one or both of the following ways:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 56 Snapping in drawings

 • Angle interval: Select the checkbox next to Angle interval and then
select a predefined angle: 10, 15, 30, 45, 90.
• Custom angles: Select the checkbox next to Custom angles and
define the custom angles you want to snap to, for example, 12.5 or
17.5.

5. You can save different snap settings by entering a unique name in the
Save as box and clicking Save as.
The settings are saved in the \attributes folder under the model folder.
6. Click to save and apply the new settings.

In the example below, you first add a text with a leader line using a 60 degree
angle to the part:

Then you will add a new text using the same angle:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 57 Snapping in drawings

Free snapping

Free snapping in drawings is based on the zooming level in drawings: The

closer you zoom, the more exact you can sketch. For example, you can more
easily create rectangles that are of exact length when you zoom closer. The
snapping step changes from 1 to 1000 ( 1/16" - 5') depending on the zoom
level. You can follow the dimensions while you sketch.

Place a sketch object at a specified distance

You can snap to a specified distance in the indicated direction and place a
sketch object in that position. You can specify the distance coordinate in the
Enter a Numeric Location dialog. In the following, you will ad a line.
1. On the Drawing tab, click Line to activate the line tool.

2. Hold down Ctrl and pick an origin.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 58 Snapping in drawings

3. Point to the direction where you want to place the start point of the line.
Here, the bolt group needs to be moved 30 mm to the right and the line
will indicate the new position for the group.

4. Start entering the distance, for example 30.

The Enter a Numeric Location dialog is displayed.
5. When you have entered the distance, click OK. Tekla Structures indicates
the start point of the line.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 59 Snapping in drawings

6. Pick an end point for the line.

7. To check that the distance is correct, create a dimension.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 60 Snapping in drawings

2.3 Zooming and panning in drawings
In drawings, you can use zooming to focus on a particular area, or pull out
for a wider view. You can use the zooming commands in the context menu
or Quick Launch, mouse, or keyboard shortcuts. You can also pan (move)
drawings.

TIP Try the advanced option XS_USE_SMART_PAN: To activate optimized

zooming and panning in drawings, set this advanced option to TRUE.
When the smart pan is enabled while you pan or zoom a heavy drawing
with lots of graphics, the whole screen is not drawn, empty space is
left on the edges, and zooming and panning is faster. The default
setting is FALSE, because using the optimization sometimes results in
an unwanted checkerboard effect.

NOTE The point at which the level of detail is reduced in drawings was set
earlier starting from the Tekla Structures version 2020. This means
that zooming out in drawings drops details earlier than before. As a
result, overall zooming and panning is smoother, while some drawing
content is simplified and some is left out when zoomed out to certain
extent. The effect is easy to notice in large drawings with a high
amount of content.
The change in the level of detail affects:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 61 Zooming and panning in drawings

 • Hidden lines, which are not drawn
• Very short lines, which are not drawn
• Hatches, which are drawn as a cloud of points
• Text, which is replaced by a line

Zoom in and zoom out

You can use a variety of tools to zoom in and out in the drawing. By default,
the mouse pointer position determines the center point of zooming.

To Do this
Zoom in Do one of the following:
• Scroll forward with the mouse
wheel.
• Press Page Up on the keyboard.
• Right-click the drawing and select
Zoom --> Zoom in. Then click a
location in the view that you want
to zoom in.
• Go to Quick Launch, enter Zoom
in and select the command from
the list.
Zoom out Do one of the following:
• Scroll backwards with the mouse
wheel.
• Press Page Down on the
keyboard.
• Right-click the drawing and select
Zoom --> Zoom out. Then click a
location in the view that you want
to zoom out.
• Go to Quick Launch, enter Zoom
out and select the command from
the list.
Zoom to selected objects 1. Select the objects in the drawing.
To select multiple objects, hold
down Ctrl.
2. Right-click and select Zoom -->
Zoom selected.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 62 Zooming and panning in drawings

 To Do this
Shift+Space is the default shortcut
for the Zoom selected command.
You can also go to Quick Launch,
e Zoom selected and select the
command from the list.
Zoom selected works for any
drawing objects that you select inside
and outside the drawing views, and
also for selected views.
Zoom selected also works for
templates.
Restore the original zoom level Do one of the following:
• Right-click the drawing and select
Zoom --> Zoom original.
• Press Home on the keyboard.
• Go to Quick Launch, enter Zoom
original and select the command
from the list.
Return to the previous zoom level Do one of the following:
• Right-click the drawing and select
Zoom --> Zoom previous.
• Press End on the keyboard.
• Go to Quick Launch, enter Zoom
previous and select the command
from the list.
Create a zoom window 1. Right-click the drawing and select
Zoom --> Create zoom window.
2. Click a starting corner for the
zoom window, and then drag the
pointer to size the window.
You can also go to Quick Launch,
enter Create zoom window and
select the command from the list.
You can use the advanced option
XS_MDIZOOMPARENT to control how
the zoom window can be moved.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 63 Zooming and panning in drawings

 Pan in drawings

To Do this
Activate panning Do one of the following:
• Press P on the keyboard.
• Go to Quick Launch, enter Pan
and select the command from the
list.
In an open drawing, the Pan
command moves the whole drawing.
The pointer will change to a hand.
Click and drag the mouse to move the
drawing anywhere within the window.
• To deactivate panning, press Esc.
Activate middle mouse button pan Do one of the following:
• Select File --> Settings --> Middle
button pan.
• Press Shift+M on the keyboard.
• Go to Quick Launch, enter Toggle
middle button pan and select the
command from the list.
When middle mouse button panning
is active, the text Pan is shown at
the bottom of the Tekla Structures
window. Hold down the middle
mouse button and drag the drawing
anywhere within the window.
• To deactivate middle mouse
button panning, clear the Middle
button pan checkbox or press
Shift+M again.

2.4 Colors in drawings

You can assign either standard Tekla Structures colors or custom RGB colors to
Tekla Structures drawing objects, and create your own custom color palettes.
Custom colors are also supported in printing and drawing export. There are
three color modes available in drawings.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 64 Colors in drawings

Color modes in drawings
There are three basic color modes for line colors in drawings: Black and
white, Tekla Grayscale, and Color. The default color mode is Color.
In addition to the three basic color modes, you can have a black
background rather than a white background in drawings (advanced option
XS_BLACK_DRAWING_BACKGROUND).

NOTE • Drawing color mode does not affect the colors in the printouts. You can
select the color mode for printing separately on the Options tab in the
Print Drawings dialog.
• By default, the defined printing line widths are shown on screen only in
Black and white mode. To also show the line widths on screen in Color
and Tekla Grayscale modes, go to File --> Settings, and select the Printer
line widths checkbox. In the printing preview, the actual line widths are
shown in all modes. You can change the line width of the colors (page 668)
on the Line properties tab in the Print Drawings dialog.

Color
The default color mode, Color, shows the colors as they have been defined in
the drawing.
Below is an example of a drawing in Color mode.

Tekla Grayscale
The Tekla Grayscale mode shows the Tekla Structures standard colors from
1 to 7 (black, red, green, blue, cyan, yellow/olive, magenta) in black, and
the colors from 8 to 14 (brown, dark green, dark blue, blue-green, gray) in
different shades of gray. Orange is shown as white. Custom colors are shown
in different shades of gray.
Below is an example of a drawing in Tekla Grayscale mode.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 65 Colors in drawings

Black and white
Black and white mode shows all line colors in black, except the four gray
index colors (Gray 30, Gray 50, Gray 70, Gray 90). The specified line widths are
shown on screen by default.
Below is an example of a drawing in Black and white mode.

Change drawing color mode

1. Open a drawing.
2. Go to the File menu, select Settings --> Color mode, and select Black
and white, Tekla Grayscale, or Color.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 66 Colors in drawings

 You can also switch between color modes in a drawing by pressing B on
the keyboard.
To change the default color mode in drawings, use the XS_USE_COLOR_
DRAWINGS advanced option. Restart Tekla Structures to activate the new
value.

Colors available in drawings

Standard Tekla Structures index colors
The table below shows the standard index colors available in Tekla Structures
drawings for all drawing objects, and how the different colors are shown in
black and white drawings and grayscale drawings.
Some of the different gray shades are true colors in the way that they will keep
their color regardless of the drawing color mode, all the way to printing.
The color that is shown in drawing mode for a specific index color may
change depending on whether you are using a black or white background.
The purpose of this is to improve the ease of working. For example, black is
shown as white when you use a black background.

Name and Tekla Color mode: Color mode: Grayscale

index code Structures Black and Tekla lightness
standard white Grayscale
color
Invisible, 152 Invisible

Black, 153 0%
Red, 160 0%
Green, 161 0%
Blue, 162 0%
Cyan, 163 0%
Yellow/Olive, 0%
164
Magenta, 165 0%
Brown, 154 30%
Dark green, 50%
155
Dark blue, 156 70%
Blue-green, 90%
157
Orange, 158 100% white
Gray, 159 60%

Drawings in Tekla Structures 67 Colors in drawings

 Name and Tekla Color mode: Color mode: Grayscale
index code Structures Black and Tekla lightness
standard white Grayscale
color
Gray 30, 130 30%
Gray 50, 131 50%
Gray 70, 132 70%
Gray 90, 133 90%

Custom RGB colors

You can define an unlimited number of custom RGB colors for drawing
objects. Custom RGB colors are supported in the drawing export and printing.
You can define custom RGB colors in color palette editing mode.

You can use custom colors:

• throughout the drawing, drawing view, and drawing object level properties
• in line properties in printing
• in Template Editor templates
In color palette selection mode, you can select a standard or custom color
to use, and in color palette editing mode, you can define and save a set of
custom colors in a property file for easy reuse and sharing in a specific project,
for example. Color property files can be placed in and used from all the
standard file locations such as project or firm folders. The saved custom color
palettes will be available in all places where you might want to change the
colors: for all drawing objects on all drawing property levels, for line properties
in printing, and for template objects in Template Editor.
Example of the workflow you might want to use when applying the custom
colors:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 68 Colors in drawings

1. First create and save the custom color palettes in color palette editing
mode for the needed purposes, for example, for a specific project.
2. Apply the defined custom colors to the drawing objects and to drawing
templates using the saved color palettes.
3. Finally, define the printing output colors using the custom colors and
saved color palettes.

Access color palette

You can access the color palette in any of the following ways:
• In drawing mode, go to the File menu and click Editors --> Color palette
editor. Here, you can edit and add custom colors.

To switch between viewing modes, click the / button.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 69 Colors in drawings

• In the property pane for a drawing objects: Click a color setting box. Here,
you can select colors from the available palettes. To access custom color
editing mode, click the Color palette editor button at the top.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 70 Colors in drawings

• In the drawing or drawing view level dialogs for a drawing objects: Click the

selection button next to a color setting. Here, you can select colors
from the available palettes. To access custom color editing mode, click the

Color palette editor button at the top.

• In the contextual toolbar for a drawing object. Here, you can select colors
from the available palettes. To access custom color editing mode, click the
Color palette editor button at the top.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 71 Colors in drawings

• In the Print Drawings dialog, on the Line properties tab, click . The
color palette is also displayed when you select Custom as the output color
option. Here, you can select colors from the available palettes. To access

color editing mode, click the Edit colors button at the top.
• In the edge chamfer default line settings: Go to the File menu, click
Settings --> Options --> Drawing objects, and then click the selection

button next to the edge chamfer Line color setting. Here, you can
select colors from the available palettes. To access custom color editing

mode, click the Color palette editor button at the top.

• In the Pattern line properties: On the Drawing ribbon, hold down Shift

and click Line --> Pattern line. Click the selection button next to
the color setting. Here, you can select colors from the available palettes.

To access custom color editing mode, click the Color palette editor
button at the top.
Custom colors are not available in Pattern line editor.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 72 Colors in drawings

• In Template Editor templates: Double-click a shape object or a text object
to display the object properties and then change the color. Here, you can
select and add colors.

Add new custom colors

1. In drawing mode, go to the File menu and click Editors --> Color palette
editor.

2. In editing mode, click the Add new custom color button.

3. In the displayed Add color dialog, use the color slider on the left to go to
the desired color, then pick the desired shade in the color area with the
color picker.
Alternatively, enter the exact RGB or HEX values.
4. Enter a name for the color.
The color name will be shown when you point the color in the color
palette. The name is optional, and you can leave it out.
5. Click OK.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 73 Colors in drawings

Tekla Structures adds the color in the Custom section of the color palette
dialog. Add all the desired colors in the same way. If the color already exists,
either as a standard or custom color, the existing color will be selected and
new color will not be added. When you are done, save the added colors to
a palette to ensure that they are kept. For details, see section "Save added
custom colors to a palette" below.

NOTE If you add new custom colors in the color palette dialog but do not save
the color palette, Tekla Structures remembers the added custom colors in
the current session. This means that if you close the color palette and later
on open it again, you can still see the added colors. The added colors are

Drawings in Tekla Structures 74 Colors in drawings

 removed from the color palette dialog when you select a saved color palette
from the list or when you closeTekla Structures.

Save added custom colors to a palette

To save the custom colors that you have added in the Custom section in a
palette:
1. In color palette editing mode, enter a name for the color palette file in the
Custom box.

2. Click Save.

The color palette files are saved as *.[Link] files in the

\attributes folder under the current model folder. You can save as many
color palette files as you need and also place them in the firm and project
folders for sharing.
The saved color palettes will be available for all types of drawing objects on all
drawing property levels, in printing, and for templates in Template Editor.
The custom colors that you take into use in the drawing objects are saved in
the drawing database and custom colors taken into use in the drawing, view
or object level settings files are saved in the settings files. This means that
removing a custom color that is currently used in a drawing object from the
color palette does not affect any drawings or the saved color palette files.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 75 Colors in drawings

Create a new, empty color palette
You can start creating a color palette so that you first create the palette file
and then add the colors.

1. In color editing mode, click the Create a new color palette file
button.

This button removes all custom colors from the color list and clears the
color palette file name, so that you can start creating the new palette from
scratch.
To prevent accidental emptying of the color list, the button is not active
when there are unsaved changes in the color palette dialog.
2. Enter a name for the new color palette file in the Custom box.

3. Click the Add new custom color button.

4. In the displayed Add color dialog, use the color slider on the left to go to
the desired color, then pick the desired shade in the color area with the
color picker.
Alternatively, enter the exact RGB or HEX values.
5. Enter a name for the color.
The color name will be shown when you point the color in the color
palette. The name is optional, and you can leave it out.
6. Click OK.
7. Add the other colors in the same way.

8. Click Save.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 76 Colors in drawings

Modify a saved color palette
You can edit a color, or remove an unnecessary color from a palette.
• In drawing mode, go to the File menu and click Editors --> Color palette
editor.
• To remove a color, open a color palette, click the color in the palette, and
press Delete on the keyboard, or right-click the color and select Delete.
• To edit a color, right-click the color in the palette and select Edit.

When a palette is being modified, the palette name gets an asterisk (*) and the
name is displayed in italics, for example, My colors*. Click Save when you are
done.

Delete a custom color palette

You might have created a lot of color palettes that you do not need any more.
You can delete the unnecessary custom color palettes through File Explorer.
1. Open File Explorer.
2. Locate the custom color palette file <custom palette
name>.[Link] that you want to delete in the \attributes
folder under the current model folder.
3. Select the color palette file and press Delete.

Assign custom colors to drawing objects

1. Click a color setting in a drawing object property pane or the

selection button in a drawing object properties dialog.
2. Select a saved color palette from the Custom list.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 77 Colors in drawings

3. Click a custom color in the palette.

4. Finally, click Modify in the properties to apply the changes.

Limitations in drawing colors

Limitations in using custom colors
There are some limitations in the usage of custom colors.
• In the property pane and in the property dialogs for the drawing objects,
the custom color names are not shown, instead the RGB codes are shown.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 78 Colors in drawings

• The custom colors are not supported:
• when defining drawing frame and fold mark colors (page 724) in
Drawing layout editor

• when you create cut lines (page 605) with the Create cut lines feature
to visualize the lines that are partially outside the view frame
• when you create pattern lines (page 453) in Pattern line editor
• in snapshot overlays (page 213)

Drawings in Tekla Structures 79 Colors in drawings

 TIP You can use standard colors for the unsupported objects, and then select
the desired custom colors for the output in printing.

Other limitations related to drawing colors and lines

There are also some other limitations related to controlling drawing colors and
lines:
• You can control the shortening symbol line color and line type only at the
model level for all drawings using XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_COLOR_RGB
and XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_WITH_ZIGZAG.
• You cannot specify transparency levels for lines or fills. All objects are
opaque.

2.5 Drawing objects, views and layouts

Drawing objects are organized inside drawing views, which are placed in the
selected drawing layout according to the selected settings.

Drawing objects
Drawings 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 add extra information to the information in the
model. Drawings may include the following object types:
• Building objects (page 487): parts, bolts, welds, chamfers, reinforcing
bars, surface treatment, reference objects, etc. Building objects are 2D
representations of the 3D objects in the model.
• Associative annotation objects (page 333): dimensions, marks, associative
notes.
• Independent annotation objects (page 333): objects that are not linked to
the model: text objects, .rtf files, symbols, links, hyperlinks, and DWG/DXF
files. These objects become associative if they have associativity points, i.e.
they are associated to building objects.
• Sketch objects (page 446): graphical objects you create using the various
sketching tools. These objects can be used for highlighting parts of the
drawing (clouds, lines, rectangles, etc.), for example. These object are
associative if they have associativity points, i.e. they are associated to
building objects.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 80 Drawing objects, views and layouts

(1) Sketch objects: clouds and rectangles
(2) Dimensions
(3) Marks, associative notes
(4) Building objects

Drawing views and layouts

• Drawing views (page 223) 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.
• A drawing layout (page 723) defines the drawing size, drawing view
margins, spaces between drawing views, a table set including tables, such
as revision tables, title blocks, material lists, key plans, DWG references,
or bills of materials, and also drawing frames and foldmarks. The data in
the tables is derived from the model data. Tekla Structures has a range
of predefined layouts, and you can also create your own layouts. Different
tables can be included in your drawing according to the selected drawing
layout and drawing size.
Below is an example of the drawing layout and views in a workshop drawing.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 81 Drawing objects, views and layouts

 (1) Top view to a part. Here you have selected to include the top view
(page 762) in the View creation pane.
(2) Front view to a part. Here you have selected to include the front view
(page 762) in the View creation pane.
(3) Material list. This is defined in your drawing layout (page 724).
(4) Drawing title block. This is defined in your drawing layout (page 724).

2.6 How to keep your drawings up to date?

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.

You need to update drawings when:

• The geometry of a model object changes.
• Some other model object properties, for example, material and class
change.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 82 How to keep your drawings up to date?

 • 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 Document manager 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.

Click the following links to find out more about drawing update, when
recreation is needed, and how the drawings are numbered:
Update drawings when the model changes (page 639)
Recreation of drawings (page 103)

2.7 Control drawing properties on different levels

In Tekla Structures, you can set up and modify drawing properties on different
levels, depending on how permanent and extensive changes are needed. You
can set up and modify drawings on the drawing level, view level, and object
level. You can define the properties separately for each drawing type, view, and
object type.

Recommended workflow for defining drawing properties

The recommended way of working is to work from top to bottom, from
drawing level to object level:
1. Set your automatic drawing properties and drawing view properties as
close as possible to what you want by first attempting this on the drawing
level.
2. Then modify anything else that needs to be changed on the view level.
3. Finally, if any further cleanup or adjusting 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 a property on the view level you should not go to the
drawing level properties and modify the same property there. This is because
once you have changed a setting on the view level, changing the same setting
on the drawing level may override the changes you have just made. For
example, if you change the mark settings on the view level in a general
arrangement drawing, and use different mark settings for different views, and

Drawings in Tekla Structures 83 Control drawing properties on different levels

then change the mark settings on the drawing level, the drawing-level changes
override the view-level changes in all views.

Example workflow in a general arrangement drawing

The following image illustrates the idea of the three property levels in a GA
drawing. The frame color and the shape of the mark are used as an example.

1. When you change the mark frame color and shape for the whole drawing
on the drawing level, the changes are passed on to the view level and to
the object level.
2. When you change the mark frame color and shape on the view level in
the selected views, the changes take place in the selected views only. The
properties do not change in the whole drawing.
If you change the frame color and shape on the drawing level after
changing them on the view level in the selected views, the drawing-level
changes override the view-level changes in all views.
Note that view properties and view label settings behave differently than
the rest of the properties: changing them on the drawing level does not
change them on the view level, for example, the view scale stays as you
have set it for the individual views.
3. When you change the mark frame color and shape in the selected marks,
the properties do not change anywhere else, only in the selected marks. 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 on the object level.

Drawing level properties

You can change the properties of the whole drawing in the drawing level
properties. The drawing level is the highest level of properties in drawings.
General arrangement drawings
• On the drawing property level, you can define the drawing name and
title, drawing layout, properties of the main views, dimensions, marks, and

Drawings in Tekla Structures 84 Control drawing properties on different levels

 building objects, protection settings, and the user-defined attributes for the
drawing. You can also define selection filters that affect the whole drawing.

• When you change the object properties in the available sub-dialogs, the
changes affect all views and objects in the drawing. For example, you can
set the view scale to be the same in all views, or the color for the part mark
frame to be the same for all part marks in the drawing.
• You can define automatic drawing settings (page 717) before you create the
drawing and also modify them in an existing drawing (page 93).
Single-part, assembly, and cast unit drawings

Drawings in Tekla Structures 85 Control drawing properties on different levels

• On the drawing property level, you can define the drawing name and titles,
drawing layout, views to create and some view settings (page 762), some
drawing-specific section view and detail view settings, and the user-defined
attributes for the drawing.

• There are also some common settings for all views related to bolts and
welds that you can control on the drawing level.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 86 Control drawing properties on different levels

• You can define automatic drawing settings (page 717) before you create the
drawing and also modify them in an existing drawing (page 93). You can
save the automatic drawing settings for later use.
• You cannot set or modify the building object, mark, dimension, or
protection area properties directly on the drawing level in single-part,
assembly, or cast unit drawings.

View level properties

You can also change properties on the drawing view level, which means that
you can have individual settings in each drawing view:
• On the view level, you can control properties related to the view,
dimensioning, protection, building objects, and marks separately for each
view. For example, you can define that all marks have a blue frame in the
top view, or that model weld marks are shown in the front view only. You
can also define selection filters that affect the selected views only.
• In single-part, assembly, and cast unit drawings, you can define the views
that you want to create and specify the automatic view-specific properties
before you create a drawing (page 762). It is very important to save the
view level properties in property files to be able to load the desired view
properties later on.
• To modify view level properties (page 92), double-click a view frame in
an open drawing. You can modify several views by holding down Ctrl and
selecting the views and then double-clicking the view frame of one of the
selected views.
Drawing view and view frame:

• The changes take place only in the views that you have selected. For
example, if you change the part mark leader line color, the part mark line
color changes in all part marks in the selected views.
Property categories in the options tree in the drawing view properties:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 87 Control drawing properties on different levels

• If you change a property on the view level, do not change the same
property again on the drawing level (GA drawings), because drawing-level
changes override view-level changes.

Object level properties

Finally, you can change properties on the object level.
• To modify the properties of an object, click the object, for example a part,
in an open drawing and modify the object properties (page 94). Some
objects do not have a property pane and the properties are displayed in a
dialog.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 88 Control drawing properties on different levels

• When you modify the properties, the properties change for the selected
objects only. You can select several objects and change the properties in all
of them. You can save the object level settings for later use.
• It is important to remember that when you modify properties on the object
level, these properties are no longer affected by the property changes on
the drawing or view level.

Detailed object level settings

You can create detailed object level settings (page 95) and apply the object
level settings on the drawing or view level. The detailed object level settings

Drawings in Tekla Structures 89 Control drawing properties on different levels

functionality is based on filters that select the desired objects and object level
settings that are applied on the defined objects. In the example below, the
"columns" filter selects all columns in the drawing and applies object level
settings called "part_blue" on the columns.

Detailed object level settings is a powerful tool: you can quickly change
a particular property before you create drawings, for example, the
reinforcement color, or the mark frame shape. The object level settings
override the property settings in the view and drawing level properties.
Changes in the object level settings that are applied on the drawing level are
passed on 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.

Click the following links to find out more:

Set automatic drawing properties before creating drawings (page 90)
Modify drawing-level properties of an existing drawing (page 93)
Modify view-level drawing properties (page 92)
Modify drawing object properties (page 94)
Create and apply detailed object level settings (page 95)
How applies drawing properties in drawing creation (page 102)
Recreation of drawings (page 103)

Set automatic drawing properties before creating drawings

Tekla Structures creates drawings using the automatic drawing properties
defined separately for each type of drawing.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. If possible, load drawing properties closest to the ones you need by
selecting a property 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:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 90 Control drawing properties on different levels

 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings:
a. Go through the various properties in the drawing properties options
tree and adjust the values as required.
The checkboxes next to the options are automatically selected when
you change something for that particular option.
b. To save the properties for future use, give a unique name for the
properties in the Save box and click Save. Note that you should not
include spaces or special characters in the name.
c. To adjust view-level settings (views, dimensions, filters, protected
areas, marks, and objects), click View creation, select the desired
view and view property file, and then click View properties.
d. Adjust the properties for the selected view as required.
e. To save the properties, for example, the part properties for future
use, give a unique name for the properties in the Save box and click
Save. Note that you should not include spaces or special characters in
the name.
f. Click Save in View Properties to save the properties in the view
property file, when you are done.
g. Click OK in View Properties to return to the drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings:
a. Switch off the all the checkboxes by clicking the on/off switch at the

bottom and only select the checkboxes for the options that
you wish to change.
b. Go through the various properties in the drawing properties dialog,
and make the necessary changes.
c. Click OK in each opened dialog where you changed the properties to
save the changes and to return to drawing properties.
d. To save the properties, for example, part properties, for future use,
give a unique name for the properties in the Save as box and
click Save as. Note that you should not include spaces or special
characters in the name.
4. Click Save to save the properties.
If you want to save the changes in another drawing property file, enter the
new name.
Note that you should not use spaces in the property file names, this may
cause problems. For example, when you use the drawing property file in
a rule set in the Master Drawing Catalog, the drawings are not created if
the property file name contains spaces.
In general arrangement drawing properties, click Save as.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 91 Control drawing properties on different levels

Now you can create a drawing using the drawing property file that you just set
up.
For more details on automatic drawing settings, see Define automatic drawing
settings (page 717).

Modify view-level drawing properties

You can modify the view-level properties after you have created the drawing.
Most of the properties that a single-part, assembly, and cast unit drawing
have are specified for each of the drawing views separately in the automatic
drawing properties already before creating a drawing. General arrangement
drawings do not have automatic view properties, and the view properties can
only be modified in an open drawing.

The changes you make in the view properties only apply to the view that you
have selected to modify.
For a list of view properties and their values, see View properties in drawings
(page 990).
1. Open a drawing.
2. To open the drawing view properties in the property pane, click the frame
of the drawing view you want to modify. If the property pane is not open,
you need to double-click the frame. This also opens the view properties
dialog.
3. Go through the view properties available in the drawing view property
pane, modify the properties and click Modify when you are done.
4. If you need to modify settings available in the view properties dialog only,
click the View settings button in the property pane.
5. Make the necessary changes. The checkboxes in the options tree are off
by default. When you change a property, for example, select another
option for a setting, Tekla Structures adds a check mark to the checkbox
next to the option in the option tree.
6. Click Modify when you are ready with the changes.

The drawing view changes according to the changes that you made in the
drawing view properties.

NOTE Some of the changes you make require a drawing recreation. For more
information, see Recreation of drawings (page 103).

See also
Modify drawing-level properties of an existing drawing (page 93)

Drawings in Tekla Structures 92 Control drawing properties on different levels

Modify drawing-level properties of an existing drawing
If you are not satisfied with the drawing properties after creating the drawing
and checking it, you can modify the drawing properties in the created drawing.
1. Open the drawing.
2. Double-click the drawing background.
3. Do one the following, depending on the type of the drawing:
Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings:
a. Go through the various options in the drawing property options tree
and adjust the values as required.
The checkboxes next to the options are automatically selected when
you change something for that particular option.
b. To adjust the view-level properties (views, dimensions, filters,
protected areas, marks, and objects), click View creation, select the
desired view and the view property 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 checkboxes off by clicking the on/off switch

at the bottom of the dialog and only select the checkboxes for the
options that you wish to change.
b. Go through the various options in the drawing properties dialog, and
make the necessary changes.
c. Click OK in each opened dialog where you changed some 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 you make require a drawing recreation. For more
information, see Recreation of drawings (page 103).

TIP You can also modify the properties of several drawings at once by selecting them
from Document manager, right-clicking and selecting Properties.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 93 Control drawing properties on different levels

See also
Modify view-level drawing properties (page 92)
Set automatic drawing properties before creating drawings (page 90)

Modify drawing object properties

You can change the properties of the objects in the drawings such as parts,
marks, dimensions, reinforcement, bolts, welds, and sketch objects in an open
drawing.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click the object that you want to modify.
For example, click a sketch object, part, mark, dimension, bolt, or a
reinforcing bar.
If the drawing property pane is not open, double-click the object.
3. Change the desired properties.

Tekla Structures highlights the modified properties in yellow in the

property pane.
4. If you want to discard some changes, click the
check marks next to each setting to remove them.

5. You can use the Select All and Select None switches at the bottom of the
property pane to select all the changes or to clear all the changes.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 94 Control drawing properties on different levels

6. To apply the changes in the object, click Modify. If the values are not valid
and you click Modify, the property pane scrolls to the property that has
an invalid value and indicates the error with a red exclamation mark and
frame.

By default, the modified properties become the new current properties. Tekla
Structures uses the current properties the next time you create an object of
the same type.
You can also give a new name for the property file and save the file. You
should not use spaces or special characters in the property file names. You can
load the properties in this file in other drawing objects of the same type, in this
case, parts.

See also
Load saved drawing object properties (page 95)

Load saved drawing object properties

You can change the object properties in an existing drawing, for example the
part color, by loading saved object properties.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Click the drawing object you want to change. For example, click a part or a
mark.
If the drawing property pane is not open, double-click the object.
3. Select the desired object property file from the list.

The properties are loaded and changed properties are highlighted in

yellow.
4. Click Modify.

Tekla Structures changes the drawing object according to the settings in the
loaded object property file.

See also
Modify drawing object properties (page 94)

Drawings in Tekla Structures 95 Control drawing properties on different levels

Create and apply detailed object level settings
In addition to defining automatic annotation and building object properties
in drawings, you can also set up special representations for annotations
and building objects and use these detailed object level settings for specific
purposes. For example, you might want to use a specific color for all columns
in a specific general arrangement drawing, and use the default part color in all
other general arrangement drawings.
To create detailed object level settings, you need to define:
• Object properties that you want to apply on the selected objects
• A filter that selects the objects that you want to be affected. Optimize the
filter so that it handles only the objects that are relevant.
To apply detailed object level settings on the drawing view level, you need to
create the object properties and filters on the view level in the drawing view
properties. To apply detailed object level settings on the drawing level, you
need to create the object properties and filters on the drawing level in the
drawing properties. Applying object level settings on the drawing level is only
possible in general arrangement drawings.

Create and apply detailed object level settings in a general

arrangement drawing
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> GA
drawing .
2. To define the desired object properties:
a. Click an object in the drawing properties dialog and go to the
Appearance tab.
In this example, click Part.
b. Next, define the desired properties:
Select green as the line color, and save the properties with the name
beam.
Select magenta as the line color, and save the properties with the
name column.
Select blue as the line color, and save the properties with the name
brace.
c. Click Cancel to close the dialog.
Now you have created the required representations for the parts.
3. To create filters that select the desired parts:
In this example, create filters that find columns, beams, and braces.
a. In the General arrangement drawing properties dialog, click Filter.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 96 Control drawing properties on different levels

 b. Create filters by Part - Name for COLUMN, BEAM, and BRACE
according to the example below. To find only parts, include a row for
the object type Part. Adding another row specifying the object type
optimizes the filter so that it selects only BEAMS that have the correct
object type.

c. Save the filters one by one using Save as with the names ts_beam,
ts_column, and ts_brace.
Now you have created the required filters needed for selecting the
desired parts.
d. Click Cancel to close the dialog.
4. To create the detailed object level settings:
a. In the General arrangement drawing properties dialog, click Edit
settings....

b. In the Object level settings for general arrangement drawing

dialog, first delete the unnecessary rules by selecting the rules and
clicking Delete row.
c. In the Object level settings for general arrangement drawing, click
Add row.
You can add several rules in one set of detailed object level settings.
The rules will be applied in the order they are listed.
d. In this example, define three rules by adding three rows:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 97 Control drawing properties on different levels

 First rule:
Model object (Drawing view filter): ts_beam
Drawing object type: Part
Settings used: beam
Second rule:
Model object (Drawing view filter): ts_column
Drawing object type: Part
Settings used: column
Third rule:
Model object (Drawing view filter): ts_brace
Drawing object type: Part
Settings used: brace
e. Give the new set of detailed object level settings a name, in this
example, gatype1, using Save as. Do not use spaces or special
characters in the name.

f. Click Cancel to exit the dialog.

Next, you can apply the created object level settings in a general
arrangement drawing.
The same set of detailed object level settings can be applied in any
general arrangement drawings.
5. To apply the detailed object level settings in a general arrangement
drawing:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 98 Control drawing properties on different levels

 a. To open a general arrangement drawing where you want to apply the
detailed object level settings, go to the Drawings & reports ribbon
tab, open Document manager, and double-click the desired general
arrangement drawing.
b. Double-click the drawing background to open the drawing properties.
c. Click Edit settings....
d. Load the set of object level settings that you just created, in this
example gatype1, and click Load.
e. Click OK and again OK.
f. Ensure that Use detailed object level settings is set to Yes.
g. Click Modify to apply the changes in the general arrangement
drawing.
h. Confirm the detailed object level changes by clicking Yes in the
Object level settings changed. message box.
In the drawing, all beams will be drawn with green color, all columns with
magenta color, and all braces with blue color.

NOTE If a rule in the Object level settings for general arrangement

drawing dialog is shown in red, either the object property file
defined for Settings used, or the filter file defined for Model
object (Drawing view filter) is missing from the \attributes
folder in the current model folder. See an example below:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 99 Control drawing properties on different levels

Create and apply detailed object level settings in cast unit drawings

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> Cast unit
drawing .
2. Click View creation, and click the View properties button.
3. To create the needed object properties:
a. Click an object in the options tree on the left and define the desired
view-level object properties.
In this example, click Reinforcement in the options tree and, on the
Rebar appearance tab, select red as the reinforcement line color.
b. Save the reinforcement properties by entering a unique name in the
box next to the Save button and click the button.
In this example, enter class100.
4. To create a filter for selecting the desired objects:
a. Click Filter in the options tree.
b. In this example, create a filter by Reinforcing bar - Class and enter
the value 100 101.

c. Save the filter as class100filter and click Save.

Now you have the filter needed for selecting the reinforcing bars.
5. To create detailed object level settings:
a. Click View properties in the options tree and click Edit settings....

b. In the Object level settings for view dialog, delete the unnecessary
rules by selecting the rules and clicking Delete row.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 100 Control drawing properties on different levels

 c. In the Object level settings for view dialog, to add a rule, click Add
row.
You can add several rules in one set of detailed object level settings.
The rules will be applied in the order they are listed.
d. In this example, define the following rule values:
Model object (Drawing view filter): class100filter
Drawing object type: Reinforcing bar
Settings used: class100

e. Give the detailed object level settings a name (here class_100) and
save using Save as.
Do not use spaces or special characters in the name.
f. Click Cancel to close the dialog.
Now you can apply the new detailed object level settings in a cast unit
drawing that contains lifting anchors.
The same set of detailed object level settings can be applied in any cast
unit drawings.
6. To apply the detailed object level settings:
a. To open a cast unit drawing that contains lifting anchors, go to
the Drawings & reports ribbon tab, click Document manager, and
double-click the desired drawing.
b. To open the View properties dialog for a view that contains lifting
anchors, select the view and double-click the view frame.
c. In the view properties, click Edit settings....

Drawings in Tekla Structures 101 Control drawing properties on different levels

 d. Load the object level settings you just created, in this example
class_100, and click Load.
e. Click OK.
f. Ensure that Use detailed object level settings is set to Yes.
g. Click Modify to apply the changes in the view.
h. Confirm the detailed object level changes by clicking Yes in the
Object level settings changed. message box.
The lifting anchors are now shown in red.

NOTE If a rule in the Object level settings for view dialog is shown
in red, either the object property file defined for Settings
used, or the filter file defined for Model object (Drawing
view filter) is missing from the \attributes folder in the
current model folder. See an example below:

How Tekla Structures applies drawing properties in drawing

creation
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 single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings drawings by using

the Create fabrication drawing command on the ribbon, Tekla Structures
creates the drawings by using the best matching drawing settings or
applied drawing settings, according to your selection.
• If you create general arrangement drawings using the Create GA Drawing
command on the ribbon, Tekla Structures uses the current GA drawing
properties to create the drawings.
• If you create the drawings in the Master Drawing Catalog by 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 dialogs.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 102 Control drawing properties on different levels

• If you create the drawings in the Master Drawing Catalog by 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 by 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.

See also
Define automatic drawing settings (page 717)
Create fabrication drawings (page 122)
Create drawings in Master drawing catalog (page 160)
Create drawings in Tekla Structures (page 119)
Create general arrangement drawings (page 121)

Recreation of drawings
Changing some of the drawing 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.

Settings affecting the recreation of drawings

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 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

Drawings in Tekla Structures 103 Control drawing properties on different levels

 • 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.

Prevent automatic drawing updates and recreation

There are some ways to prevent drawings from being updated and/or
recreated.

• 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. For more information
about freezing, see Freeze drawings (page 641)
• Lock the drawings that you do not want to update. For details about
locking, see Lock drawings (page 640)
• 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 Document manager. Use the advanced
option XS_RECREATE_UNMODIFIED_DRAWINGS to control the recreation of
unmodified drawings.
• To prevent Tekla Structures from automatically updating
drawings if the model changes, set the advanced option
XS_INTELLIGENT_DRAWING_ALLOWED to FALSE.

2.8 Drawing types

You can create many types of drawings in Tekla Structures according to your
needs.
Click the links below to find out more:
• Examples of general arrangement drawings (page 105)

Drawings in Tekla Structures 104 Drawing types

• Examples of single-part drawings (page 109)
• Examples of assembly drawings (page 112)
• Examples of cast unit drawings (page 114)
• Examples of multidrawings (page 117)

Examples of general arrangement drawings

A general arrangement drawing (GA drawing) is a contract document, which
records information needed to understand the general arrangement structural
elements on a project. A GA drawing is created in BIM workflows from one
or more model views, with associated schedules and on a project title sheet.
This is the most common form of drawing used by consulting structural
engineers to communicate a structure sufficiently to other legal teams, public
authorities, along with the design, costing and construction teams.

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.
Create general arrangement 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
Click the links below to find out more about creating general arrangement
drawings:
Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings (page 17)
Create general arrangement drawings (page 121)
Create general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master drawing
catalog (page 166)
Create anchor bolt plans using saved settings (page 167)
For details on about GA drawing properties, see General arrangement drawing
properties (page 981).

Examples of GA drawings
Foundation plan:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 105 Drawing types

Slab plan:

Framing plan:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 106 Drawing types

Deck plan:

Erection elevation drawing:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 107 Drawing types

Isometric drawing:

Anchor bolt plan:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 108 Drawing types

Examples of single-part drawings
Single-part drawings are workshop drawings showing 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".

Click the links below to find out more about creating single-part drawings:
Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings (page 17)
Create fabrication drawings (page 122)
Create single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings through Quick launch
(page 205)
Create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in
Master drawing catalog (page 170)
Create drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master drawing catalog
(page 175)
Create AutoDrawings (page 154)
For details about single-part drawing properties, see Single-part drawing
properties (page 984).

Examples of single-part drawings

Single-part drawing presenting an anchor bolt:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 109 Drawing types

Single-part drawing presenting an embed:

Single-part drawings presenting plates (three examples):

Drawings in Tekla Structures 110 Drawing types

Drawings in Tekla Structures 111 Drawing types
Examples of 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

Drawings in Tekla Structures 112 Drawing types

a main part. Assembly drawings usually use larger sheet sizes than single-part
drawings, for example, A3 or imperial standard size 11" x 17".

Click the links below to find out more about creating assembly drawings:
Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings (page 17)
Create fabrication drawings (page 122)
Create fabrication drawings using AI and cloud collections (Preview) (page 129)
Create single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings through Quick launch
(page 205)
Create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in
Master drawing catalog (page 170)
Create drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master drawing catalog
(page 175)
Create AutoDrawings (page 154)
For details about assembly drawing properties, see Assembly drawing
properties (page 984)

Examples of assembly drawings

Beam assembly drawing:

Stairs assembly drawing:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 113 Drawing types

Rail assembly drawing:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 114 Drawing types

Examples of cast unit drawings
Cast unit drawings are dimensional, form work, or reinforcement drawings
used in concrete design and construction. They show cast-in embeds, edge
chamfers, and hard and soft insulation. 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".

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
bolts and welds in steel parts. The volume and weight information of the cast
unit remains accurate even if there are cuts inside the cast unit.
Click the links to find out more about creating cast unit drawings:
Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings (page 17)
Create fabrication drawings (page 122)
Create fabrication drawings using AI and cloud collections (Preview) (page 129)
Create single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings through Quick launch
(page 205)
Create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in
Master drawing catalog (page 170)
Create drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master drawing catalog
(page 175)
Create AutoDrawings (page 154)
For details about cast unit drawing properties, see Cast unit drawing
properties (page 984)

Examples of cast unit drawings

A combined form and reinforcing bar drawing of an inverted tee beam:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 115 Drawing types

A combined form and reinforcing bar drawing of an exterior column with no
corbels or plats for beams:

A combined form and reinforcing bar drawing of stairs with landings:

Drawings in Tekla Structures 116 Drawing types

Examples of multidrawings
Multidrawings are workshop drawings that gather several single-part or
assembly drawings on one sheet. Multidrawings usually demand large sheet
sizes such as A1 or imperial standard size 24" x 36".

Create multidrawings when you want to:

• Have more than one assembly on a sheet
• Collect multiple single-part drawings on a large sheet
You can create multidrawings in the following ways:
• Create empty multidrawings and link or copy drawing views to the created
empty multidrawings
• Create multidrawings of selected parts
• Create multidrawings of selected drawings
For details about the different ways of creating multidrawings, see Create
multidrawings (page 157).
Below is an example of a multidrawing with several assemblies included.

Drawings in Tekla Structures 117 Drawing types

Drawings in Tekla Structures 118 Drawing types
3 Create drawings in Tekla
Structures

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.
Choose the method that suits you the best:
• The Create fabrication drawing command is an easy way to create
single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings if you have drawing templates
available for use, or if you have saved settings that you want to apply.
• The AI Cloud Fabrication drawings feature is an advanced way of creating
fabrication drawings in Tekla Structures. This feature creates new assembly
or cast unit drawings based on finalized fabrication drawings from previous
projects, which have been uploaded to a cloud collection owned by your
organization. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used when classifying drawings
into libraries inside the cloud collection and when looking for the best
matching drawing to be used in the drawing creation.
• You can also create drawings using the various master drawing types in
the Master drawing catalog. Using rule sets is an automated process of
creating several drawings of different type in one go.
• You can use the traditional cloning functionality in the Master drawing
catalog and in Document manager and clone drawings on the basis of
cloning templates in the current model or in the cloning template models.
• 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
efficient as possible.
• You can find drawing creation commands on the ribbon, context menu,
contextual toolbar, and in Quick Launch.
Click the links below to find out more:

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 119

 • Drawing types (page 104)
• What to do before creating drawings (page 120)
• Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings (page 17)
• Create general arrangement drawings (page 121)
• Create fabrication drawings (page 122)
• Create fabrication drawings using AI and cloud collections (Preview)
(page 129)
• Create single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings through Quick launch
(page 205)
• Create multidrawings (page 157)
• Create drawings in Master drawing catalog (page 160)
• Clone drawings (page 193)
• Create and apply detailed object level settings (page 95)

3.1 What to do before creating drawings

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

• For assembly, single-part, cast unit and multidrawings, the model needs to
be numbered. If the model changes, the numbering needs to be updated.
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. Once the model is numbered,
part positions can also be shown in general arrangement drawings. Prior
to numbering, if the part position is included in a mark on a general
arrangement drawing, it will be shown as a question mark (?).
• Ensure that the position numbers are not too long, because this may cause
problems in the drawing creation. If the drawing name is too long, you will
get an error message "Cannot create drawing file. Name is too long." The
default drawing name consists of the following: drawing type + position
number + sheet number, for example, "A [P.1 - 1]", where P.1 is the position
number. The maximum number of the characters in the drawing name is
32.
• Check that the detailing is correct.
• You may want to create test drawings of different types of parts to see
how well the predefined drawing and view properties, layouts, rule sets, or
cloning templates suit your needs.
• You may want to modify drawing and view properties, layouts, or rule sets
and save the modified settings for future usage.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 120 What to do before creating drawings

 • If you are going to use a drawing as a cloning template (page 193), check
that it contains all the necessary elements for this purpose.

See also
Create fabrication drawings (page 122)
Create general arrangement drawings (page 121)
Create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in
Master drawing catalog (page 170)
Create multidrawings (page 157)
Define automatic drawing settings (page 717)

3.2 Create general arrangement drawings

When you create general arrangement drawings, remember to load the closest
possible predefined properties in the drawing properties first, then modify the
properties if needed, and then create the drawing.
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. A good idea is to fit the work area in the model view using two
points to select the area that you want to show in the general arrangement
drawing.
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. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> GA
drawing .
3. Select the appropriate predefined drawing properties (saved settings)
from the list at the top and click Load.
Always load predefined properties when you are creating a drawing. When
you need to modify drawing properties, save the new changes to a new
property file when necessary.
4. If needed, modify drawing properties and, if necessary, apply object-level
settings.
5. Click Apply or OK.
6. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Create GA Drawing.
Alternatively, you can select the model views from the model (selected
views get a yellow frame), right-click and click Create general
arrangement drawing...

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 121 Create general arrangement drawings

 7. 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.
8. In the Options list, select if you want to create one drawing for each
selected view or add all selected views in one drawing.
By selecting Empty drawing, you can create an empty drawing and
add drawing views in it afterwards. For more information about copying,
moving or linking drawing views to another drawing, see Copy, move and
link drawing views (page 233).
9. If you want to open the created drawings, select Open drawing.
10. Click Create.

Tekla Structures creates the drawings using the selected properties and
options and adds them in Document manager. You can now open the
drawings and also change the drawing properties.

See also
Define automatic drawing settings (page 717)
Examples of general arrangement drawings (page 105)
Create general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master drawing
catalog (page 166)
General arrangement drawing properties (page 981)
Show pours in drawings (page 548)

3.3 Create fabrication drawings

You can create single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings depending on the
type of the selected model objects, using the desired Smart create option:
manual selection (applied settings used by default), the best matching saved
settings, or the best matching drawing templates.
You can efficiently manage the creation process, and select the best matching
drawing template or saved settings automatically detected in the current
model, or alternatively, select settings for every individual model object.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 122 Create fabrication drawings

 Before you start
This is how the ribbon dropdown menu looks by default with the Create
fabrication drawing command, the Creation review checkbox, and the
Smart create switches:

Before you start creating fabrication drawings, consider the following:

• Use assembly selection switches to control which drawing types are
created. If the Select assemblies switch is enabled, only assembly
drawings are created. If the Select objects in assemblies selection switch
is enabled OR none of the assembly selection switches are active, both
single-part and assembly drawings are created. Alternatively, you can use
appropriate selection filters or the Object visibility in the list options in
the Creation review dialog to define the objects for which you want to
create drawings.
• Enable or disable Creation review. Enabling Creation review opens
the Creation review dialog for more control over the drawing creation
process.

• Select the desired Smart create switch. Template

suggestion is selected by default.

Control drawing creation with Creation review

To have more control over the drawing creation process, select the Creation
review checkbox.
1. Select objects in the model.
2. On the Drawings & reports ribbon tab, open the Create fabrication
drawing menu.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 123 Create fabrication drawings

 3. Select the Creation review checkbox.
4. Select the Create fabrication drawing command on the ribbon, context
menu, or contextual toolbar.
After the tool has completed the evaluation of the model objects, the
Creation review dialog is displayed with a list of the selected model
objects. The best matching drawing templates or saved settings are
suggested for the selected objects in the Create from column. If those
cannot be found, applied settings are suggested.

5. Enable or disable the desired Object visibility in the list options to

control which objects are listed in the dialog.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 124 Create fabrication drawings

 • Assemblies: Lists selected assemblies.
• Associated parts: Lists selected parts associated to assemblies.
• Associated sub-assemblies: Lists selected sub-assemblies
associated to assemblies.
• Parts: Lists all selected parts.
• Objects that have drawings: Lists objects that already have drawings.
6. To prevent the creation of drawings for some model objects, clear the
checkboxes in front of the model objects in the list.
7. If you wish, change the Smart create selection. To select the same switch
for multiple objects, hold down Ctrl or Shift, click the object rows and
select the desired switch.
You will be notified if no drawing template or saved settings match is
found.

• Manual selection creates the drawings using the

applied settings by default. You can also select any drawing templates
or saved settings. The list shows drawing settings located in model,
project, and firm folders.

• Settings suggestion first looks for the best matching

drawing template and if found uses the saved settings that were used
to create that template. If those are not found, the best matching
saved settings based on the object name are used to create the
drawings. Up to three best matching saved settings are suggested.
With this option, you can select another top matching saved settings
file or any other saved settings.

• Template suggestion looks for the best matching

drawing template based on the object geometry and properties. Up to
three top matching templates are suggested. If Template suggestion
does not find the best matching template, the best matching saved
settings based on the model object name are used to create the
drawings. With this option you can:
• Select any other drawing template from the current or any other
model.
• Use search to find the template.
• Select in the current model the objects whose drawings you want to
use as a template. To do this, select Select from model, and select
the objects from the model among the objects that are available for
selection.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 125 Create fabrication drawings

 • Show drawing template previews. For more information on drawing
template previews, see "Preview drawing templates" below.
8. Use Drawing template overrides to control whether certain drawing
objects should be recreated by using the settings of the selected drawing
template or applied settings. To do this, open the Drawing template

overrides dialog by clicking the button next to the Drawing template

overrides option.
• To create a new override rule, select an object type from the Objects
list, then select an action type in the Action list, give the override
settings file a name, and click the Save button.
• To use the saved settings, select the desired override settings file from
the Drawing template overrides list.
If you have added an override rule, but you have not saved it, the rule
will not be used.
• If you do not want to use any override rules, select an empty string in
the Drawing template overrides list.
9. Click Create.
Fabrication drawings are created based on the selected Smart create option
and the defined settings and added to Document manager. If you used
Template suggestion, the Cloning source column in Document manager
shows the drawing templates that were used.
If the drawing name is too long, you will get an error message Cannot create
drawing file. Name is too long. The default drawing name consists of the
following: drawing type + position number + sheet number, for example, "A
[P.1 - 1]", where P.1 is the position number. The position number might be too
long, check the numbering settings. The maximum number of the characters
in the drawing name is 32.

Preview drawing templates

The drawing template preview allows you to better evaluate which of the
suggested drawing templates suits your needs the best. The prerequisite
for showing the preview is that you have saved a snapshot of the template
drawing. Previews are also shown for drawing templates in other models, and
you can preview the drawing templates without opening the model.
Settings files cannot be previewed as they are not drawings.

• To show the preview, hover over the icon of the drawing template in
the Create from column.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 126 Create fabrication drawings

 • To open the preview in the snapshot window (page 213), where you can

zoom the preview, click the icon.

Preview:

Snapshot window:

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 127 Create fabrication drawings

 To ensure snapshot files are automatically created
on drawing creation and drawing editing, check
that XS_DRAWING_CREATE_SNAPSHOT_ON_DRAWING_CREATION and
XS_DRAWING_SNAPSHOT_CREATION are both set to TRUE.

Create drawings instantly with Smart create only

If you have created some drawings in your model already, you can create
drawings using the best matching drawing template automatically detected
in the current model. This method is very fast and efficient. You can use
Template suggestion also in the beginning of a project, when no drawing
templates are available, because the system will automatically look for
matching saved settings if no matching template is available.
1. Select objects in the model.
2. On the Drawings & reports ribbon tab, open the Create fabrication
drawing menu.
3. Enable the Template suggestion switch only. Do not select the Creation
review checkbox.
4. Select the Create fabrication drawing command on the ribbon, context
menu, or contextual toolbar.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 128 Create fabrication drawings

 The drawings are created immediately based on the selected Smart create
option. If you selected Template suggestion, and the best matching drawing
template is not found, the best matching saved settings are used instead. If
those are not found, applied settings are used. You can open the drawings
in Document manager. If Template suggestion was used in the drawing
creation, the Cloning source column in Document manager shows the
drawing templates that were used.

3.4 Create fabrication drawings using AI and cloud

collections (Preview)
The AI Cloud Fabrication drawings feature creates new fabrication drawings
based on finalized fabrication drawings from previous projects, which have
been uploaded to a cloud collection owned by your organization. Artificial
Intelligence (AI) is used when classifying drawings into libraries inside the
cloud collection and when looking for the best matching drawing to be used in
the drawing creation. Multiple versions of the same drawing are allowed in a
collection.

You can create assembly or cast unit drawings either from the best matching
drawing templates using cloning or from the settings used by the best
matching drawings. Single-part drawings cannot be created using the AI and
fabrication drawing cloud collections but they can be created using the applied
settings or other saved settings.
Tekla Structures 2025 introduces the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings
functionality as a Preview feature. To find out more, see "Why Preview?" below.
To be able to use AI Cloud Fabrication drawings, you need an internet
connection and a suitable license. For more information about licenses that
have the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings feature available, see Supported
Preview features by license.
For more information about security, visit Security white paper.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 129 Create fabrication drawings using AI and cloud
collections (Preview)
 For more information about how data is used and processed, visit
Transparency notice for AI system use.
If you have any ideas or questions, visit Trimble Early Engagement Community.
Sign in using your Trimble Identity.

Why Preview?
You are about to use a Preview version of the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings
feature for evaluation purposes. Please evaluate this feature in your normal
business environment. Although marked as Preview, this feature is safe to use
in your normal business environment, as it does not affect the integrity of the
model (database) or existing drawings. We welcome your feedback concerning
the feature. In response to feedback, the feature may be enhanced, updated
or discontinued without notice. As a Preview, the feature is provided "as is"
without the benefit of any Trimble warranty or indemnity.
You can submit your feedback through Trimble Early Engagement Community.
Sign in using your Trimble Identity.

Limitations
• AI Cloud Fabrication drawings does not support the creation or upload of
general arrangement drawings or multidrawings. Single-part drawings can
only be created using the applied settings or other local settings.
• The drawing creator needs to have access to the drawing layout file and
associated template files used by the drawing in the collection. If the
files are missing, the drawing will not contain all the information of the
template, such as title blocks or other tables. Therefore, we recommend
that you use the same environment to create drawings that was used when
uploading the drawings to the cloud collection.
• The Smart create overrides functionality is not available in the Creation
review dialog for AI Cloud Fabrication drawings.
• You cannot create empty libraries.

Create AI Cloud Fabrication drawings

To create drawings using this feature, you need to have a collection of
drawings in the cloud. The service can learn from your previous drawings,
so the more drawings you add to your collection the better the results. For

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 130 Create fabrication drawings using AI and cloud
collections (Preview)
 more information about creating a collection, see Manage fabrication drawing
collections and libraries (page 134).
1. Select the assemblies or cast units in the model.
Before you select the assemblies or cast units, ensure that the Select
assemblies selection switch is active.
2. On the Drawings & reports ribbon tab, select AI Cloud Fabrication
drawings. You can also start the command from the context menu,
contextual toolbar, or Quick Launch.
The Creation review dialog is displayed.

3. In the Creation review dialog, do any of the following:

• Prevent the creation of drawings for some assemblies or cast units:
clear the checkboxes in front of the objects in the list.
• Enable or disable the desired Object visibility in the list options to
control which objects are listed in the dialog.
Assemblies: Lists selected assemblies.
Associated parts: Lists selected parts associated to assemblies.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 131 Create fabrication drawings using AI and cloud
collections (Preview)
 Associated sub-assemblies: Lists selected sub-assemblies associated
to assemblies.
Parts: Lists all selected parts.
Objects that have drawings: Lists objects that already have drawings.
If an object already has a drawing, the Create column shows an icon
instead of a checkbox and a notification tells you that a drawing
already exists.
• Add objects in the object list while the dialog is open: Using the Select
assemblies switch on the selection toolbar, select the objects in the
model, and click the plus button . To delete objects from the list,
select the objects and click the minus button .
• Select the desired Smart create switch:

(manual selection): This option uses the applied settings

by default, but you can select any saved settings. This is the only
option available for single parts.

(settings suggestion): This option looks for the best

matching library in the active collection. Drawings will be created from
the settings used by the best matching drawing found in this library.

(template suggestion): This option looks for the best

matching library in the active collection. Drawings will be created by
cloning from the best matching drawing template found in this library.
When you select the settings or template suggestion, AI analyzes the
properties of the selected objects, looks for a library within the active
cloud collection with the properties that look closest to the properties
of the selected assemblies and cast units, and suggests a library. If the
feature does not find a suitable library in the collection, a notification is
displayed. For these objects, you can select a library manually or create
drawings using the applied settings.
You can also select the desired library directly: Open the Create from
list and select another library. You can also search for libraries.
• It is also possible to change or share the active collection: Click

Collections or Share at the top. If you are not allowed to manage

the access to the active collection, the button is dimmed.
4. Click Create to create the drawings.
AI looks for the best matching drawings (drawing templates or saved
settings) in the selected library, and uses those as a source to produce

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 132 Create fabrication drawings using AI and cloud
collections (Preview)
 new drawings. If you selected (manual selection) or if the
applied settings were automatically selected, drawings are created based
on the applied settings or other saved settings that you selected.
The Create button is disabled if you have not selected any objects or if
your selections are not valid.
5. Finally, click Import to download the created drawings from the cloud to
Document manager.

In Document manager, you can see from the status flag in the Up
to date column and from the message "Drawing cloned from cloud" in
the Changes column that the drawings were created using the AI Cloud
Fabrication drawings command. Additionally, the Cloning source column
shows the drawing templates that were used.

A cloud icon in the In collection column indicates that the current

version of the drawing has been added to the active fabrication drawing cloud
collection.

Try it out!
If you would like to try out fabrication drawing creation with the AI Cloud
Fabrication drawings feature without the need to create your own collections,
you can do it in the default environment using the model template, AI
Cloud Fabrication Drawings - Sample, created for this purpose. When
you use the default environment, the fabrication drawing collection Default
Sample Collection 2025 will be visible by default. The purpose of the
sample model template and the sample fabrication drawing collection is to
allow you to quickly try and adopt the service.
1. Start Tekla Structures using the default environment
and create a new model using the sample model

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 template AI Cloud Fabrication Drawings - Sample.

2. On the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings ribbon

menu, click Collections and ensure that the
Default Sample Collection 2025 collection is active.

3. Select assemblies in the model, for example, columns or beams.

4. Click AI Cloud Fabrication drawings on the ribbon and wait for AI to find
the best matching library.
5. Click Create to create the drawings and, when the drawings are ready,
click Import to add the new drawings to Document manager.

Manage fabrication drawing collections and libraries

A fabrication drawing cloud collection contains finalized fabrication drawings
or drawing settings from previous projects. Drawings have been added to the
cloud collection of your organization by the collection editors. Only assembly
and cast unit drawings can be added in a collection.
When you create a collection, you are automatically assigned as an editor. For
more information about roles inside a collection, see Manage access and roles
in collections (page 144).
When drawings are added to a collection, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used and
drawings are classified into libraries inside the cloud collection based on how
similar the properties of the cast units or assemblies behind the drawings are.
Collections can be shared with other users, and other users can share their
collections with you. Inside collections, libraries are automatically created, but
you can make corrections, such as move drawings between libraries or create
new libraries. Libraries cannot be empty.

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 Open a collection

• To access the Collections dialog, click Collections on the AI Cloud

Fabrication drawings ribbon menu.
You can also click the Collections button in the Creation review dialog.
The name of the active collection is displayed at the top. You can activate
another collection by selecting it from the list.

Libraries that contain incompatible drawings are marked with a yellow

exclamation mark .

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 Incompatible drawings are drawings that have been uploaded with a Tekla
Structures version that is newer than the one that you are currently using.
When creating drawings, all drawings that are marked as incompatible will not
be used.
Collection editors can do the following in the Collections dialog:
• See collection details (creator, creation date, modification date, your role
type, and collection description) and the models from which drawings were
added to the active collection, and modify the collection description. Search
is also available.
• Create a new collection by clicking Create new.

• Rename, duplicate, or remove the active collection.

• Manage access to collections and user roles. If you are not allowed to
manage the access to the active collection, the button is dimmed. For more
information, see Manage access and roles in collections (page 144).

• Add drawings to and remove drawings from the collection. You

can add drawings from several models to the active collection.

• Activate or inactivate the selected library, remove the

selected library, or override drawing layouts for drawings created using the
drawings in a library.

• Control collection appearance: select list or icon view, icon size, and
color mode.
• Manage library content: View the drawings in the library, move drawings to
a new library or another existing library, merge libraries, remove drawings
from the library, or override drawing layouts and sizes for drawings created
using the drawings in a library.
• Use search to filter libraries.
• Sort the library view by the name, type, total drawing number, creation
date, or the modification date.
Collection viewers are limited to actions related to the drawing creation only,
such as activating and deactivating libraries and changing the assigned layout
of a library. Unavailable actions appear dimmed.

Create a new collection

1. Click Collections on the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings ribbon

menu.
2. In the Collections dialog, click Create new.

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 3. In the Create a new collection dialog, enter a name and a description
for the new collection and click Create. The new collection becomes the
active collection and you can start adding drawings in it.

Add fabrication drawings in a collection

You can add fabrication drawings to a collection only if you have an Editor role
in the collection. The service can learn from your previous drawings, so the
more drawings you add to your collection the better the results.
You can add only assembly drawings or cast unit drawings in a collection,
single-part drawings are not supported. If you select drawing types that are
not supported, you will get an error message.
1. Open a model that contains the drawings that you want to add to
a collection. You can add drawings from several models to the active
collection.

2. Click Collections on the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings ribbon

menu.
3. In the Collections dialog, activate the collection where you want to add
drawings.

4. Click the Document manager button.

5. Select the desired up-to-date drawings that you want to add, and click

the add button in the Collections dialog to add the drawings in the
collection.
Only assembly or cast unit drawings that are up to date and have their
numbering up to date can be added to a collection.
When you add drawings, AI analyzes the drawings and classifies the
drawings into libraries within the active cloud collection based on how
similar the properties of the cast units or assemblies behind the drawings
are. Similarity is based on a predefined list of cast unit or assembly
properties (weight, profile, name, volume, UDAs, etc). For example,
column drawings are classified into one library and beam drawings into
another.
The processing queue at the bottom of the Collections dialog shows
the progress. When the drawings have been analyzed and classified into
libraries, you have a chance to review the classification.

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 6. Click Review if you want to check in which libraries
the drawings will be added. To skip this step, click OK.

7. If needed, select the desired drawings and assign them to other libraries
by doing one of the following. You can select multiple drawings and assign
them to a library at one go.
• To select another library, select a library from the Available libraries
list.
• To define a new library, click Define a new library, enter a name for

the library, and click .

Ensure that your libraries contain very similar assemblies or cast units. For
example, keeping a library for “miscellaneous” items might not be a good
idea.
8. To accept the classifications, click Accept.
Drawings are added to the defined libraries.

In Document manager, a cloud icon in the In collection column indicates

that the current version of the drawing has been added to the currently active
fabrication drawing cloud collection.
For details on giving access to other users to your collection, see Manage
access and roles in collections (page 144).

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 NOTE Drawings can only exist once inside a collection. However, if a drawing
is changed (either because the assembly or cast unit has changed, or
the drawing has been edited and saved), the new drawing version is
considered a new drawing and can be uploaded. If Tekla Structures
detects an older version of a drawing in the collection, it will display
the following message. You can select to replace the existing versions
or add new versions.

Remove a drawing from a collection

You can remove a drawing from a collection only if you have an Editor role in
the collection.
1. Open the model that contains the drawing that you want to remove from
a collection.

2. Click Collections on the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings ribbon

menu.
3. In the Collections dialog, activate the collection from which you want to
remove a drawing.

4. Click the Document manager button.

5. In Document manager, select the drawing that you want to remove from
the collection.
Drawings inside the active collection are marked with a cloud symbol in
the In collection column.

6. In the Collections dialog, click the remove button and confirm the
removal.
The drawing is removed from the active collection.

Rename a collection
You can rename a collection only if you have an Editor role in the collection.
1. In the Collections dialog, activate the collection that you want to rename.

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 2. Click and select Rename.
3. In the displayed Rename collection dialog, enter a new name for the
collection and click Rename. The collection is renamed.

Duplicate a collection
You can duplicate a collection only if you have an Editor role in the collection.
For example, you might want to duplicate a company collection for your own
needs, or create a back-up copy of a collection.
1. In the Collections dialog, activate the collection that you want to
duplicate.

2. Click and select Duplicate.

3. In the Duplicate collection dialog, enter a new name for the duplicated
collection and click Duplicate.

Remove a collection
You can remove a collection only if you have an Editor role in the collection.
1. In the Collections dialog, activate the collection that you want to remove.

2. Click and select Remove.

3. In the displayed dialog, click OK to confirm the removal of the collection.
The collection will be removed permanently from the service and all its content
will be lost.
You can also remove collections through the Management Console (page 144).

Manage libraries and library contents

You can activate or inactivate libraries, remove libraries, view drawings in the
library, move drawings to another library, or remove drawings from the library.
You can also assign a specific layout or size for all drawings that are created
using drawings in a library.
The Drawing library properties dialog showing library details:

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 The snapshot that represents the library in the Collections dialog and in the
library properties is the snapshot of the first drawing added to the library. It
cannot be changed. Each drawing inside a library has its own representative
snapshot.

To Do this
Inactivate a library Active libraries are considered when
AI searches for the best matching
library in the Creation review dialog.
Inactive libraries are not considered
in the search. Inactivate a library if
the next time you want to create a
drawing, you know that you do not
want AI to select this library as a best
match. This is a useful alternative to
deleting a library.
1. In the Collections dialog, under
Libraries on the Drawing
libraries in use tab, click a library
that you want to inactivate.

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 To Do this
2. Click the Activate/Inactivate

button or right-click and

disable Active.
You can also drag the library to
the Drawing libraries not in use
tab.
The library is moved to the Drawing
libraries not in use tab and is no
longer used in the search.
Activate a library 1. In the Collections dialog, under
Libraries on the Drawing
libraries not in use tab, click a
library that you want to activate.
2. Click the Activate/Inactivate

button or right-click and

enable Active.
The library is moved to the Drawing
libraries in use tab and is used in the
search again.
Remove a library 1. In the Collections dialog, under
Libraries, click a library that you
want to remove.
2.
Click the delete button or
right-click and select Delete.
Open a library • In the Collections dialog, in the
Libraries area, do one of the
following:
• Double-click a library.
• Right-click and select
Properties.
• Click the folder icon .
The library is displayed. You can
see the library details at the top:
the layout and the drawing size
that will be used for the drawings
to be created, the creation date,
the creator email address and
the date when the library was
modified. To display the contents

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 To Do this
of the library, click the Drawing
list arrow button at the top.
Manage library contents 1. To display the contents of the
library, in the Drawing library
properties dialog, click the
Drawing list arrow button at the
top.

2. To select the next drawing in the

list and display its snapshot, click
Next at the bottom.
3. Select one or more drawings and
do any of the following:
• Move to a new library: Click

, define a name for the

new library, and click Create.
• Move to another library:
Click , select a library, and
click Move.
• Delete from the library: Click
and confirm the removal.
The commands are also available
in the context menu.
Merge libraries NOTE: Libraries containing different
drawing types cannot be merged.
1. In the Collections dialog, in the
Libraries area, click the library
that you want to merge to
another library.
Clicking selects the library.

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 To Do this
2. Drag the selected library on
another library and release the
left mouse button.
If merging is not possible, you will
get an error message.
3. Click Merge to confirm the
merging of the libraries.
Override drawing layouts and size You can create drawings using a
for a library specific drawing layout and drawing
size that were not the ones used in
the uploaded drawings.
1. In the Collections dialog, in the
Libraries area, double-click a
library.
2. At the top, select a new layout
and a new size for the drawings
to be created.
All drawings that are created
using a drawing in this library
will be created with the selected
layout and size.
TIP: You can also override drawing
layouts in several libraries at one go.
To do this, in the Collections dialog,
select the desired libraries and click

Assign layout.
Changing a library layout is a user-
specific change, so other users of
the collection are not affected by this
change.

Manage access and roles in collections

You can manage access to collections and as change user roles within the
collection in the online AI Cloud Fabrication drawings Management Console.

In the Management Console, only organization administrators and collection

editors can give access to a collection, or change a user's role in a collection.
Additionally, the organization administrators can see all users inside their
company that have access to all collections owned by your company.
The access to collections is based on an invitation system. In the console,
organization administrators and collection editors can invite either their entire

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 organization or individual users, both internal and external. Everyone invited
to a collection has either an editor role or a viewer role.
When using the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings feature in Tekla Structures,
editors have access to all functionalities and can invite others to join a
collection. Viewers are limited to creating drawings from collections.

Roles inside a collection

Users of collections can be divided into two groups: editors and viewers.
Editors have full access to all functionalities within a collection. Viewers are
limited to actions related to creation of drawings, but are not allowed to
edit the content of collections. If users of a collection are external to the
organization owning a collection, they cannot change the access or roles within
a collection, even if given editor roles.
Roles inside collections can be changed in the Management Console.
For details about the tasks that the different roles are able to perform in Tekla
Structures and in the Management Console, see the comparison tables in the
“Role capabilities" section below.

Role capabilities
Management Console tasks
The following table describes what users with different roles are able to do in
the Management Console.

Task Editor role Viewer role External External

editor role viewer role
See list of Yes1 Yes1 Yes1 Yes1
collections
Add users to Yes2 No No No
collections
Remove user Yes2 No No No
from
collections
Change user Yes2 No No No
role
Remove Yes2 No No No
collections

1 Editors and viewers can only see collections they have been added to.
2 Editors can only perform this action of collections they have been added to.
Tekla Structures tasks
The following table describes what users with different collection roles are able
to do in Tekla Structures.

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 Capability Editor role Viewer role
Create new collections Yes Yes
View collections & Yes Yes
library contents
Create AI Cloud Yes Yes
Fabrication drawings
Add drawings to a Yes No
collection
Remove drawings from Yes No
libraries
Move drawings Yes No
between libraries
Merge libraries Yes No
Edit collection and Yes No
library properties
(name, etc)
Remove libraries Yes No
Activate/inactivate Yes Yes
libraries
Add a layout (for Yes Yes
drawing creation)
Duplicate collections Yes No
Share collections Yes No
(grant access)
Remove collections Yes No

Administrator role
By default, Tekla organization administrators become AI Cloud Fabrication
drawing administrators. In the Management Console, administrators can
perform all tasks listed in the Management Console tasks table above.
Additionally, they have access to the Users tab in the console, where they
can see all users added to their company collections, add new users,
remove existing users, and remove collections, without having been added
to those collections. Administrators are also able to make collections Public
so that anyone using a certain role or environment can access a collection.
Administrators cannot do anything inside Tekla Structures unless added to a
collection as an editor or viewer.

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 Show list of all collections you have access to
To show a list of all collections where you have either editor or viewer role in
the Management Console:
• Go to [Link]
To manage the access to a collection or remove a collection, use the
buttons at the top.

Give access to a collection

There are two ways to give access to a collection: You can either add individual
users by email, or allow all of your organization users to access a collection.
1. On the Drawings & reports ribbon tab, open the AI Cloud Fabrication
drawings ribbon menu and click Collections.
2. In the Collections dialog, select the collection that you want to

manage, and click Share in the upper-right corner. This opens the
Users of the selected collection page for the active collection in the
Management Console.
3. To give access to the active collection to an internal or external user, do
the following:
a. In New user email, enter the user's email address.
b. In Select role, select Editor or Viewer.
c. Click Add user.
d. Click Save.

Only users that have a Tekla online profile can be added to a collection. If
the online profile is not found, the email will appear in red.
4. To give access to a collection to your organization, do the following:
a. Go to [Link]
b. Select the checkbox next to the collection which you want to share
with your organization.
You can select multiple collections.

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 c. In the Access column, select your organization.

5. Click Save changes. Users added to a collection via their organization get
viewer access. To give them editor access, you need to invite them by
email to the collection and set their role to editor. The role you give to the
individual users overwrites the organization’s default viewer role.

Remove access to collection

1. Go to [Link]
2. Select the checkbox next to one or more collections and click the Manage
users button at the top to access the Users of the selected collections
page.
You can also access the Users of the selected collections page for the
active collection from within Tekla Structures: In the Collections dialog,

select the collection that you want to manage, and click Share in the
upper-right corner.
3. Click the Remove access button at the top.

Remove a collection
1. Go to [Link]
2. Select the checkbox next to one or more collections.
3. Click the Remove collection button at the top.
4. To confirm the removal of the selected collections, click Remove.

AI Cloud Fabrication drawings FAQ

This section contains some questions and answers related to the AI Cloud
Fabrication drawings.

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 To reach out if you cannot find the answers you were looking for, go to Trimble
Early Engagement Community. Sign in using your Trimble Identity. Post you
feedback or question in the corresponding forum.

General usage - Collections & libraries

Q: Can you merge or split collections?
A: Currently, it is not possible to merge or split collections. Splitting and
merging functionalities are only available for libraries within collections.

Q: What happens if a drawing that has already been uploaded is modified

in the Tekla Structures model?
A: Nothing will happen. The drawing in the collection will not be updated
automatically. Drawings can only exist once inside a collection. However, if a
drawing is changed (either because the assembly or cast unit has changed,
or the drawing has been edited and saved), then the new drawing version is
considered a new drawing and can be uploaded. If Tekla Structures detects an
older version of the drawing is in the collection, a message will be displayed.

Q: I can’t add a drawing to a collection. What is the problem?

A: Whether you can upload a drawing depends on the type of the drawing and
the status of the drawing.
Drawing type
The AI Cloud Fabrication drawings feature only supports adding certain types
of drawings:
• Assembly drawings (A)
• Cast unit drawings (C)
It does not support the following drawing types:
• Single-part drawings (W)
• Rebar assembly drawings
• Multidrawings (M)
• General arrangement drawings (GA)

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 Drawing status
Only drawings that are up to date can be uploaded. Drawings that require an
update:
• Any drawing without numbering up to date.
• Any drawing in the Out of date drawings category in Document
manager. These drawings usually have text such as Parts modified in the
Changes column in Document manager.

Q: Can I create a library with both concrete and steel assemblies?

A: No, you cannot. With this restriction we try to avoid the creation of libraries
that contain very different object types.

Q: Can I add very different object types to a library?

A: Yes, except that adding drawings from cast units (concrete) and assemblies
(typically steel) to the same library is not allowed. However, we do not
recommend adding very different object types to the same library. During the
creation review, when we look for a best match library for the selected object,
all libraries are competing to come closest in similarity to it. If we have a library
that has very varied objects, such as a “miscellaneous items” library, it might
distort the search and be selected too often, leading to errors in selecting an
appropriate drawing template.

Q: Is it recommended to keep libraries for "miscellaneous" items?

A: We recommend that you try to reduce the number of libraries that contain
very diverse assemblies or cast units. If libraries have diverse content, AI might
struggle with finding the libraries whenever a new drawing is created for these
types of objects. If you have diverse libraries, and you want to use these to
assign drawing templates for your next drawing creation, we recommend that
you disable the library in normal selection and select the library manually or
from the Create from list in the Creation review dialog.

Q: What does the “-” button do?

A: The button removes from the active collection the drawings that you
have selected from Document manager. Note that it will only remove the
latest version of the drawing and not all versions of it.

Q: Is it possible to remove a drawing from all collections where it is

visible?
A: No, this is not possible.

Q: Can you have several versions of a drawing in a collection?

A: Yes, you can. Every time a drawing is updated or modified (either due to
changes in the model or changes to the drawing itself), a new version of the
drawing is created. Every version corresponds to a .dg file in the \drawings
folder under the model folder. Each of these versions can be uploaded, once

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 per each collection. Collections cannot contain more than one version of the
same exact drawing, but several revisions of the same drawing can exist inside
a collection.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of drawings that can be added to a

collection?
A: No, there is not. We encourage you to add many drawings. When you have
a lot of drawings in the collection, the best matches will be more similar to the
target assembly or cast unit, leading to better cloning results.

Q: What can I do to make sure that my drawings make good drawing

templates?
A: You can do the following:
• Check the annotation associativity. Always check that annotations
(dimensions especially) are correctly associated before adding the drawings
to collections. It is especially important that there are no ghost associativity
symbols and question mark symbols in the drawing.
• Refresh associativity. This command can be found in Quick Launch. It
tries to associate dimensions to objects by running the latest associativity
fixes in the current Tekla Structures version. We recommended this if the
drawings uploaded are from older versions.
• Fix annotations with change cloud marks as the change cloud marks will
not be automatically removed from the cloned drawings.
• Ensure that every file you use is available to the user. When you upload
a drawing, files that the drawing uses are not uploaded. Ensure that you
only use files in the environment that the users of the collection will use,
otherwise the templates and layouts might be missing from the created
drawings.
• Only include one drawing for each exact same assembly or cast unit. For
instance, if the same cast unit has one drawing showing formwork and
another showing rebars, it will be impossible for the system to distinguish
between the two when creating a new drawing for a new cast unit, so either
will be chosen arbitrarily as a possible drawing template.

Q: Which drawing’s snapshot is used for the library?

A: The snapshot that represents the library in the Collections dialog is the
snapshot of the first drawing added to the library. This cannot be changed.

General usage - Drawing creation

Q: What makes a drawing “incompatible”?
A: Incompatible drawings are drawings that have been uploaded with a Tekla
Structures version that is newer than the one that you are currently using.
When creating drawings, all drawings that are marked as incompatible will not

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 be used. Libraries that contain incompatible drawings appear with a yellow “!”
exclamation mark.

Q: Inside a collection, can I directly choose the drawing that I want to use
for creating a new drawing?
A: No, you cannot select a drawing directly. But you can select a library to
which you want to limit the selection of the template. This can be done in
the Creation review dialog: Change the selection in the Create from column
from a collection to a library. Only active libraries are listed, as well as those
corresponding to the material of the assembly (steel or concrete).

Q: What happens if I create one more copy of an assembly drawing by

copying to a new sheet and upload both of these drawings to a collection.
If I then create a drawing and it finds the best match to be one of these
drawings, will the result be two drawings or one?
A: Only one. Even though both drawings refer to the same assembly, only one
drawing is selected as the best match, so only one drawing will be created.

Q: Can I use my own drawing layout and paper size to create a drawing
from a collection?
A: Yes, you can override the layout and size in the drawing library properties.

Q: I try to create a drawing, but I get an error message in the processing

queue: "No suitable template found in the collection for the selected
assembly objects." What's the problem?
A: This message indicates that no drawing inside the collection could be
found that would be considered “close enough” to the assembly for which
you are trying to create a drawing. To find a match, we compare the
assembly properties of the drawings (extracted at the drawing upload) and
the properties of the assembly for which we want to create a drawing. Apart
from these properties, we also have some other rules that exclude a drawing
from being selected as a template:
• Concrete cast units are not considered as possible templates for steel
assemblies (or vice versa).
• Incompatible drawings (those drawings uploaded using a newer version
than the one currently being used) are not considered.
• It is not allowed to select as templates drawings with a different main part
than the target drawing (for example, column to beam, column to plate or
vice versa).
• Drawings with different values for the following properties will not be
considered:
• main part material type (PART_MATERIAL_TYPE)
• main part profile type (PART_PROFILE_TYPE)
• main part object type (OBJECT_TYPE)

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 • main part subtype (PART_SUBTYPE)
• main part form type (PART_FORM_TYPE)
• whether the main part has radius (PART_HAS_RADIUS)
• whether the fixed main view of the main part (FIXED_MAIN_VIEW)

Q: What happens to a drawing created by the service if I recreate the

drawing?
A: We use the original settings of the template drawing. We don’t re-clone, we
create the drawing from scratch. If you want to re-create a drawing using AI
Cloud Fabrication drawings, we recommend deleting the drawing and creating
the drawing using the feature again.

Permissions & access

Q: I cannot use the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings service. The ribbon
button is missing/ dimmed. What could be the problem?
A: There might be several reasons for why the service might not be available to
you:
• You are not running a valid Tekla Structures configuration. For details about
licenses that have the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings feature enabled, see
Supported Preview features by license.
• The service might be down. You can check the service availability here:
[Link]
• Your Trimble Identity does not have a registered organization. All
collections are owned by an organization, so users that do not have one
cannot use the service.
• You might not have a connection to the internet.

Q: Can I use the AI Cloud Fabrication drawings feature if I do not have

access to the internet?
A: No, you will not be able to use the feature without an internet connection.

Q: Is it possible to see all the collections I have access to?

A: Yes, in the Management Console: [Link]

Q: If the access to the collection is set to an organization, can I still invite

individual users?
A: Yes, you can.

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 Q: If I set the access to the collection to my organization, do the users in
my organization get editor or viewer rights?
A: They get viewer rights by default. But you can still add individual users, and
the role you give to the individual users overwrites the organization’s default
viewer rights.

Q: How can I make sure other users do not edit my collection?

A: There are two levels of rights for a collection: viewer and editor. In this case,
select viewer rights for other users.

Q: How can I make a collection available to anybody in my organization?

A: Go to the Management Console ([Link]
and give access to your organization.

Q: Can I invite another organization than my own to a collection?

A: No, you can only invite everyone in the organization that owns the
collection. A collection is owned by the organization that the collection creator
belongs to. To invite external users to your organization, add them by email.

3.5 Create AutoDrawings

The AutoDrawings wizard combines a series of actions so that you can create
drawings using a single command. You can use AutoDrawings to create single-
part drawings, assembly drawings, cast-unit drawings and multi-drawings.
AutoDrawings wizards contain instructions telling Tekla Structures which
drawing type, selection filter, and drawing properties to use. You can edit
AutoDrawings wizard files or create your own ones. The AutoDrawings dialog
lists the available wizard files.

Create AutoDrawings
Before you can create AutoDrawings, the appropriate wizard files must exist
and numbering must be up to date.
1. In the model, select the parts from which to create drawings. You can also
select the entire model and use filters to fine-tune your selection. You can
also use selection filters in the wizard file. If you do, your selection can
include parts that will not be included in the drawings.
2. Type AutoDrawing in the Quick Launch box.
3. In the AutoDrawings dialog, select a wizard file.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 154 Create AutoDrawings

 • To view the file, click Show.
• To edit the file, click Edit.
4. On the Advanced tab, select whether to create a log file, what information
it should include and name the log file.
5. Click Create from selected.

AutoDrawings wizard files

You can create your own AutoDrawings wizard files using any standard text
editor. Use the existing wizard files as examples to construct your own.
A typical AutoDrawings wizard file contains 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 only
creates one drawing for each object.
Place the newly created drawing wizard files in the attributes sub-folder in the
model folder. The file name extension for wizard files is .dproc. You can also
place them in firm and project folders. There might also be some predefined
wizard files in your environment.

Example
The AutoDrawings wizard file set in this example creates an assembly drawing
for an object that fulfills the selection filter criteria in the 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 wizard file.
The wizard file consist of the lines below. Note the use of parentheses.
set_drawing_type(assembly)

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 155 Create AutoDrawings

 set_drawing_attributes(column)
set_template_drawing
set_filter(column_filter)
create_drawings()

Line Description
set_drawing_type(assembly) This line defines the type of drawing
the wizard creates. The drawing type
appears in parentheses. The options
are:
single: workshop drawings
assembly: assembly drawings
multi_single: workshop multi-
drawings
multi_single_with_layout:
workshop multi-drawings with layout
multi_assembly: assembly multi-
drawings
multi_assembly_with_layout:
assembly multi-drawings 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 file
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:\TSMo
dels\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 in Tekla Structures 156 Create AutoDrawings

 Line Description
create_drawings() This line starts the drawing
creation. This line should
always appear immediately after
the lines set_drawing_type,
set_drawing_attributes and
set_filter.

Wizard log
Tekla Structures writes a log file when you run an AutoDrawings wizard.
The log file contains information about errors, number of drawings created,
commands used etc.
You can configure whether or not Tekla Structures creates a log file and how it
is displayed using the Advanced tab in the AutoDrawings dialog.
Create log options:
• No: Tekla Structures does not create a log file.
• Create: Tekla Structures creates a new log file and deletes the old one.
• Append: Tekla Structures adds a new entry to the existing log file.
Display log options:
• No: Tekla Structures does not display the log,
• With associated viewer: Tekla Structures displays the log file in an
associated viewer (e.g. Notepad) when you run the wizard. You can edit
the log file.
• On dialog: Tekla Structures displays the log file in a dialog when you run
the wizard. You can not edit the log file.

3.6 Create 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

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 157 Create multidrawings

 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 modify the multidrawing object
that links to the original drawing.
Before you start, you can set XS_MULTIDRAWING_REMOVE_VIEW_LABEL_GAP
to TRUE in the Drawing properties category of the Advanced options dialog
to remove extra space between drawing view labels and drawing views.
Also take a look at the following advanced options related to multidrawings:
XS_MULTI_DRAWING_VIEW_TITLE
XS_MULTIDRAWING_KEEP_OBSOLETE_DRAWINGS
XS_MULTI_DRAWING_VIEW_PLACING_TRIAL_NUMBER
XS_ALLOW_DRAWING_TO_MANY_MULTI_DRAWINGS

Link or copy drawing views to empty multidrawings

You can create empty multidrawings in which you can link or copy views from
other drawings as such or with the original drawing layout.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Multidrawing --> Empty drawing .
2. On the Drawings & reports tab, clickDocument manager .
3. Open the empty multidrawing from Document manager.
4. Still on the Document manager, select the drawings that you want to
copy or link to the multidrawing.
5. On the Views tab, click From other drawing and select one of the
copying or linking commands:
• Copy
• Copy with layout
• Link
• Link with layout
The drawing views are placed in the multidrawing from top to bottom
starting from the top-left corner. The views are placed in the same order
as they appear in Document manager. If you have sorted the list by the
name, the drawings are created in the same order.
6. Arrange the views if they are on top of each other.

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

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 158 Create multidrawings

 Useful links
What does XS_CREATE_CONNECTION_WHEN_COPYING DRAWING_VIEWS do?
Templates do not show up in the multidrawing

Create multidrawings of 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.
1. Select the parts from the model using appropriate selection switches or
filters.
2. On the Drawings & reports tab, click 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.
• 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.

Create multidrawings of 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Document manager.
2. Select the drawings you want to add in the multidrawing from Document
manager.
3. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Multidrawing and select one of the
following commands:
• Selected drawings: Create multidrawings of the selected drawings
without the drawing layout.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 159 Create multidrawings

 • Selected drawings with layout: Create multidrawings of the selected
drawings, keeping the layout of each selected drawing.
The drawing views are placed in the multidrawing from top to bottom
starting from the top-left corner. The views are placed in the same order
as they appear in Document manager. If you have sorted the list by the
name, the drawings are created in the same order.

3.7 Create drawings in 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.
• To open the Master drawing catalog, on the Drawings & reports tab,
click Master drawing catalog.
The image below shows the search view of the Master drawing catalog as a
thumbnail list.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 160 Create drawings in 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 Document manager, 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 folders defined for the advanced option XS_CLONING_TEMPLATE_
DIRECTORY are shown in the catalog. You need to define a parent folder that
contains all the models that have cloning templates. You can define several
folders for this advanced option.

See also
Master drawing types (page 162)
Create general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master drawing
catalog (page 166)
Create anchor bolt plans using saved settings (page 167)
Create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in
Master drawing catalog (page 170)

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 161 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 Create drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master drawing catalog
(page 175)
Clone drawings (page 193)
Search for master drawings and save the results in Master drawing catalog
(page 181)
Customize Master drawing catalog (page 182)

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)

• For more information about adding different master drawing templates

to Master drawing catalog, see Customize Master drawing catalog
(page 182).

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 162 Create drawings in 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 Document manager
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.
For more information about cloning and creating drawings using cloning
templates, see Clone drawings (page 193).

Saved settings
The saved settings in Master drawing catalog are drawing property files that
have been created and saved in the drawing properties dialogs for different
drawing types. There are also many predefined drawing property files.
Each drawing type has its own properties file. Default saved
settings are located under the environment folder (..\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\). The exact file location may vary
depending on your environment. When you save your own settings, they are
saved under the current model directory.
Below are some examples how the saved settings are shown in the Master
drawing catalog dialog.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 163 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
Create drawings in Tekla Structures 164 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 For more information about creating drawings using saved settings, see the
links below:
Create general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master drawing
catalog (page 166)
Create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using saved settings in
Master drawing catalog (page 170)

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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 165 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 For more information about creating drawings using rule sets, see Create
drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master drawing catalog (page 175).

Wizard files
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, 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.

For more information about wizard files, see the following links:
Create drawings using rule sets or wizards in Master drawing catalog
(page 175)
Customize Master drawing catalog (page 182)

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 166 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 Create general arrangement drawings using saved settings
in Master drawing catalog
You can create GA drawings in Master drawing catalog on the basis of saved
settings.
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 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog.
2. Select Saved settings from the list at the top, and then the desired set of
GA saved settings.
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, select the views that
you want to create and the desired option from the Options list.
If you select Empty drawing, 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 Document manager.
Click in the Master drawing catalog toolbar to open Document
manager.

For more information about creating cast in place general arrangement

drawings, see Show pours in drawings (page 548).

See also
Master drawing types (page 162)
Create general arrangement drawings (page 121)

Create 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
ribbon or pop-up menu commands.
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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 167 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 • 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.

Create anchor bolt plans

Below you will create an anchor bolt plan using the Master drawing catalog.
Before creating the anchor bolt plan, create a model view that is in the XY
plane.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog.
2. Double-click a saved settings master drawing that has been created for
anchor bolt plans, for example, anchor_bolt_plan.
3. Open the General Arrangement Drawing Properties dialog by clicking
Edit drawing properties....
4. Click View
5. On the Anchor bolt plan tab, ensure that the option Show as anchor
bolt plan is set to Yes.
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.
6. Modify the enlarged part view scale, if necessary.
7. If needed, set the Create detail views option 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.
10. Click OK to close the Master Drawing Properties dialog.
11. Click Create drawings.
12. 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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 168 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 13. Click Create.
Tekla Structures creates the anchor bolt plan.
Tekla Structures creates bolt dimensions in the 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

TIP In the created drawing, go to the File menu, click Settings and check
that Ghost outline is selected and Drawing Color Mode is set to Color.
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.

Define anchor bolt plan parts using drawing filters

1. Create the necessary general arrangement drawing filters in the Filter
Properties subdialog box of the General Arrangement Drawing
Properties dialog.
2. On the File menu, click Settings --> Advanced options and go to the
Drawing properties category.
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 any of these advanced options, the default rules are used for
determining the columns, base plates, and anchor bolts to be included in the
anchor bolt plan.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 169 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 NOTE Using these advanced options only affects the creation of new anchor
bolt plan drawings, and has no affect on the existing ones.

Include assemblies in anchor bolt plans

If you have anchor bolts at varying elevations, you can create a general
arrangement drawing at the level of the top-most base plate/anchor bolt.
The anchor bolt plan view extrema looks downwards. If the
lowest level anchor bolt is not shown, adjust the advanced option
XS_ANCHOR_BOLT_PLAN_DRAWING_TOLERANCE.
To specify the tolerance:
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> 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.

Create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings using

saved settings in Master drawing catalog
You can create single-part, cast unit and assembly drawings in Master
Drawing Catalog using saved settings.

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 features, 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.

Create single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog.
2. Select the desired set of saved settings (drawing properties file) among
the available saved settings.
For cast unit drawings, select a file that contains the desired Cast unit
definition 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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 170 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 • By cast unit ID: Each part in the model has a unique GUID. You can
create drawings by using cast unit GUIDs. The GUID determines the
marking of the drawing. You can create several drawings from identical
cast units.
3. If needed, modify the drawing properties and 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 asked to do so.

Tekla Structures creates the drawings and adds them in Document manager.
Click the Open Document manager button on the Master drawing
catalog toolbar to open Document manager.

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

Example: Create 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.
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.
Top-in-form face defines which side is pointing upwards in the front view
of cast unit drawing. The Coordinate System of the cast unit drawing has
to be Fixed.
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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 171 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 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 features,
for example, numbering, are based on the cast unit type.
3. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> Cast unit
drawing .
4. In the properties dialog, 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 definition 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 GUID. You can
create drawings by using cast unit GUIDs. The GUID determines the
marking of the drawing. You can create several drawings from identical
cast units.
6. Ensure that Coordinate System of the cast unit drawing is set to Fixed:
Click View creation and go to the Attributes tab.
7. If you made any changes in Column_with_BOM, save the changes and
close the dialog.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 172 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 8. Select the column in the model.
9. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog.
10. Set the type to Cast-unit drawings and select the saved settings
Column_with_BOM (C).

11. Click Create drawings.

Tekla Structures creates the drawing.
You can open the Document manager by clicking the Open drawing list

button on the toolbar and then open the drawing to view it.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 173 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 Example: Create 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.
1. Define a selection filter that selects only one type of items, in this case
beams.

a. Click the selection filter button on the Selecting toolbar or press

Ctrl+G to open the Object Group - Selection Filter dialog.
b. Create a selection filter that selects all parts named BEAM and save it
using the name BEAM.

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

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 174 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 3. Open the Master drawing catalog: On the Drawings & reports tab, click
Master drawing catalog.
4. Under Assembly drawings, select the saved settings master drawing. In
this example, Beam_with_BOM (A) is selected.
5. Click Create drawings.

Tekla Structures creates the beam assembly drawings.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 175 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 Create 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 predefined rule sets, and multidrawings using predefined
wizards. You can also create your own rule sets.
Limitation: In the Master drawing catalog, you can create multidrawings
only by using file-based wizards and general arrangement drawings using
saved settings. You cannot create rule sets for multidrawings or general
arrangement drawings.
For more information about adding master drawings to Master drawing
catalog, see Customize Master drawing catalog (page 182).

Create drawings using a rule set or wizard

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog .
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 you are asked to do so.

Tekla Structures creates the drawings and adds them in the Document
manager. Click the Document manager button on the Master drawing
catalog toolbar to open the Document manager.

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

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 176 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 Example - Create 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 selected in the model.

Create selection filters

You need to have filters that select the beams, columns and plates. Optimize
the filters so that it selects or handles only the relevant objects.

1. Click the selection filter button on the Selecting toolbar or press

Ctrl+G to open the Object Group - Selection Filter dialog.
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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 177 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 4. Close the Object Group - Selection Filter dialog 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.

Create 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> 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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 178 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 4. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> Single-part
drawing and create some single-part drawing settings for a beam shaft,
column shaft and plates.
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.

Create 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog.

2. Click the Define rule set button on the toolbar.

3. In the Define Rules for Creating Drawings dialog, 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, 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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 179 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 6. Click Next.
7. In the Define Rules - Assembly Drawings dialog, 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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 180 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 Create all drawings using the rule set
Now you can create drawings using the new rule set.
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, a message is displayed indicating the number of created
drawings, in this case six drawings were created.
3. To check which drawings have been created, click the Open drawing list
toolbar icon to open the Document manager.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 181 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 Search for master drawings and save the results 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 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. 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.

See also
Create drawings in Master drawing catalog (page 160)
Customize Master drawing catalog (page 182)

Customize 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 to create drawings fast and efficiently. Having useful master drawings
saves time and effort.
Depending on your environment, the Master drawing catalog usually
contains some master drawings when you start using it, at least the

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 182 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 predefined saved settings (drawing property files) are there, and maybe some
wizards.

TIP Make sure to always add all important information for each master drawing in
the Master Drawing Properties dialog. This makes it a lot easier to find the
master drawings you are looking for.

• Add only the necessary master drawings (saved settings, rule sets and
cloning templates), remove obsolete ones, organize the master drawings in
folders, add proper sample images, and keep the properties, descriptions
and keywords up to date.
• 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 that you add.
• You can add a sample image 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.

•
• You can manage Master drawing catalog in the following ways:
• Modify master drawing properties. The modified master drawings are
saved in the \attributes folder under the current model folder.
• Add new, rename, and move folders.
• Copy master drawings to another folder.
• Delete master drawings from folders.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 183 Create drawings in 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.

Add a rule set master drawing in Master drawing catalog

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog.

2. Click the Add rule set toolbar button .

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 184 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 3. In the Define Rules for Creating Drawings dialog, 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.
4. Click Next.
5. In the next dialog, 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. Saved settings are
marked with an S and cloning templates with T.

You can use the buttons in the dialog 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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 185 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 6. Click Next.
7. If you have selected several drawing types, repeat steps 4 and 5 for all
drawing types that you have selected.
8. 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.
9. Click Finish.
The rule set is added in the Master drawing catalog.

Add a saved settings master drawing in Master drawing catalog

All predefined drawing property files are shown as saved settings in the
Master drawing catalog. When you save a new drawing property file, Tekla
Structures shows it in the Master drawing catalog automatically.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Modify the drawing properties in the Single-part Drawing Properties,
Cast Unit Drawing Properties, Assembly Drawing Properties or
General Arrangement Drawing Properties dialog.
3. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
4. Modify the properties.
5. Give a name to the property file and save the file.
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.
6. Modify master drawing properties: give the master drawing a name, add a
sample image, and enter a description and keywords.

Modify saved settings properties

You can modify the name, description and keywords of saved settings in
Master drawing catalog, and change its sample image.
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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 186 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 5. To add or change the sample image, click Change image and select the
image. You can [Link],.jpg,.jpeg, [Link] images. We recommend
that you [Link] images.
6. If needed, modify the drawing properties of the master drawing by clicking
Edit drawing properties... to display the drawing properties dialog. This
also allows you to apply detailed object level settings.
Save the modified properties. Ensure that you have the correct drawing
property file name at the top.
7. Click OK.

Apply 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 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, click Edit drawing
properties...

3. Click the toggle button at the bottom to empty the checkboxes.

4. In the Drawing Properties dialog, select only the Use detailed object
level settings checkbox 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 to save the changes in the saved
settings file (property file).
9. Click OK in the Master Drawing Properties dialog.
10. Create the drawings.

Add a cloning template master drawing in Master drawing catalog

You can add drawings as cloning templates to the Master drawing catalog
from Document manager.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 187 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 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 Document manager. You can clone
general arrangement drawings using the Clone command in the Document
manager dialog.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Document manager.
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 Document manager
next to the drawing you added to the Master drawing catalog.

Modifying cloning template properties

You can modify the name, description and keywords of cloning templates in
Master Drawing Catalog, and change its sample image.
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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 188 Create drawings in 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.

Modify properties and contents of wizard files

You can modify wizard files in the Master drawing catalog using a text editor.
You can change the name, description, and keywords, and add a sample
image. The wizard files are by default located in your environment, but there
might also be some wizard files in the firm or project folders.
1. In the Master drawing catalog, double-click a wizard file.
2. Modify the name of the drawing in the Name box. The file name
extension for wizard files is .dproc.
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.

Wizard file contents

Wizard files consist of the following entries. Notice the use of parentheses.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 189 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 set_drawing_type(assembly)
set_drawing_attributes(column)
set_template_drawing
set_filter(column_filter)
create_drawings()
Description of the entries:
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
multi_single_with_layout single-part multidrawings with
layout
multi_assembly assembly multidrawings
multi_assembly_with_layo assembly multidrawings with
ut 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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 190 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 Remove master drawings from Master drawing catalog
You can remove obsolete 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog.
2. In the Master drawing catalog, select the master drawings you want to
remove.
3. Right-click and select Remove from Catalog.
4. Confirm the removal.
Tekla Structures removes the master drawings from the catalog. Any
created drawings that are based on removed master drawings remain in
Document manager. 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.

Add sample and thumbnail images to master drawings

You can create sample or preview images of the drawings. You can add sample
images for master drawings in Master drawing catalog. The same image is
used as a thumbnail in the Master drawing catalog thumbnail list.
Before you can add a sample image or a preview image to a master drawing,
you must have it somewhere ready.
Sample images are just samples, they are not real-time drawings, and they do
not update when the drawing changes.
First create the image:
1. Open the drawing you want to use.
2. Clean up the drawing from unnecessary objects, for example, associativity
symbols.
3. On the Views tab, click Screenshot --> Sample image for Master
drawing catalog.
The image is saved in the \drawings folder under the model folder in .png
format with the same name as the drawing. You can see the name of the
image on the status bar.
Then you can add the sample image in the master drawing properties:
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog.
2. In the Master drawing catalog, locate the desired master drawing and
double-click it to open the Master Drawing Properties dialog.
3. Add the image you created:

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 191 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 • For the master drawings of the type saved settings, cloning templates,
and wizard files, click Change image... and browse for the sample
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 sample image. Click Browse and browse for the sample 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 list is a smaller version
of the same sample image.

Add, rename, and move folders in Master drawing catalog

You can add, rename and move folders in 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 Sub-folder.
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, move Site11 one step up.

Copy master drawings to another folder in Master drawing catalog

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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 192 Create drawings in Master drawing catalog
 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.
• Select several drawings: Click the first drawing, hold down Ctrl and select the
rest of the drawings.

Remove master drawings from a Master drawing catalog folder

You may want to remove master drawings from a folder in the folder view,
for example, when you have copied master drawings to another folder and no
longer need them in the original 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.

3.8 Clone drawings

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 Document manager of the current model, and using the cloning templates
in the template library.
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

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 193 Clone 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.
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.

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.

Clone in Master drawing catalog using cloning templates

In the Master drawing catalog, you can create single-part, assembly, and cast
unit drawings using cloning templates that you have added in the catalog from
Document manager.

NOTE Only the cloning templates located in the folders that are set for the
advanced option XS_CLONING_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY are displayed in
the Master drawing catalog.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 194 Clone drawings

 For more information about adding cloning templates to Master drawing
catalog, see Customize Master drawing catalog (page 182).
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 Document manager.
• You cannot clone multidrawings.
• The drawing properties of cloning templates cannot be modified through
the Master drawing catalog.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog.
2. Select Cloning templates from the list at the top.
3. Double-click the cloning template that you want to use.
4. In the Master Drawing Properties dialog, go to the Drawing creation
tab and specify how you want to clone dimensions and marks.
You can select to ignore the dimensions, marks, and model weld marks,
clone them, or recreate them.
The Marks option controls revision marks and all building object marks.
5. Still on the Drawing creation tab, select which object types you want to
clone from the master drawing.
6. Click OK
7. 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 using area selection. Activate only the Select objects selection
switch when you select objects, otherwise the selection may take a long
time.
8. Click Create drawings or Create drawings for all parts.
9. Number the model if prompted to do so.
Tekla Structures creates the drawings and adds them in Document
manager. In the Document manager, cloned drawings are marked with
the text Drawing was cloned in the Changes column. The Cloning
source column indicates which drawings were used as cloning templates.
10. 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 type in the Quick Launch box.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 195 Clone drawings

 Clone in Master drawing catalog by using cloning templates
in other models
In the Master drawing catalog, you can clone drawings using cloning
templates located in other models.
Limitations: You can only use cloning templates from other models, not other
types of master drawings, such as saved settings or rule sets.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog.

2. In the Master drawing catalog, click to open the Models Containing

Master Drawings dialog.
3. Click Add model... and browse to the desired model.
4. Click OK.
Now the cloning templates in the defined folder are displayed in the
Master drawing catalog.
5. 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.

Clone from Document manager

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 Document manager.

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.
• In general arrangement drawings, one main view, and section and
detail views are cloned. However, the cloning of the section and
detail views may not be accurate.
• In general arrangement drawing cloning, annotations cannot be
cloned properly for plan views if views are located in different XY
coordinates. For example, if you have two GA drawings with plan
views for different floors, the cloning result will be acceptable only
if the floors are located on top of each other so the only difference
between them is the Z coordinate. However, if the two plan views

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 196 Clone drawings

 are located in two different buildings, the XY coordinates are
different, and then the cloning result for annotations is not good.

Before cloning, finalize, save, and close the drawing you want to use as a
cloning template.

Clone a drawing
To clone a drawing from Document manager:
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.
• 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 yellow
frame around it.

2. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Document manager.

3. Click Clone and do one of the following:
• Select Current model, click Select drawing and, in Document
manager, select the drawing that you want to use as a cloning
template.
• Select Other model, browse to the desired model and click OK. Then
click Select template and select the drawing that you want to use as
a cloning template. Leave the list open. For more detailed instructions

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 197 Clone drawings

 on this type of cloning, see section "Clone using drawing templates in a
template library".
4. In the Clone Drawing dialog, 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 building object marks), 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.
5. Click Clone selected.
Tekla Structures clones the drawing. The new drawing is added in the
Document manager, where the cloned drawings are marked with the text
Drawing was cloned in the Changes column. The Cloning source column
indicates which drawing was used as the cloning template.
For an example of cloning a general arrangement drawing, see below.

Example: Cloning a general arrangement drawing

In this example, a general arrangement drawing has been created of the +3200
plan in a building, then the drawing is edited to get the desired result, and
then a general arrangement drawing of the +6300 plan is cloned using the
+3200 plan drawing as a cloning template.
For detailed instructions on cloning, see the section "Clone a drawing" above.
The first floor and second floor are quite similar:

The general arrangement drawing of the +3200 plan is edited view slightly, for
example, some marks were deleted.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 198 Clone drawings

 The model view that represents the +6300 plan was selected in the model and
then the drawing is cloned by selecting the general arrangement drawing of
the +3200 plan as a cloning template in the Document manager.

In the cloned drawing:

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 199 Clone drawings

 • The drawing view plane has been moved to match the model view +6300
plan.
• 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 building object marks are cloned.

Clone 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 in
practice a model folder that contains the drawings that you want to use as
drawing templates.

1. In a model that you use as a template model, create a drawing you want
to use as a drawing template and save the drawing.
2. In another model where you want to create a drawing using a drawing
template, select the objects to be included in the new drawing.
3. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Document manager.
4. In Document manager, select a drawing and click Clone.
5. Click Other model.
Use Browse for model... to browse for another model folder containing
the drawing templates that you want.
6. Click Select template...
7. In the Drawing Templates dialog, select a drawing template and leave the
list open.
8. In the Clone Drawing dialog, use the Objects and actions in cloning
options to define the drawing objects to be cloned and the actions for
each cloned object.
9. Clone the drawing by clicking Clone selected.
Tekla Structures clones the drawing. The cloned drawing is added in the
Document manager, where the cloned drawings are marked with the text
Drawing was cloned in the Changes column. The Cloning source column
indicates which drawing was used as the cloning template.

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

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 200 Clone drawings

 Clone dimensions in selected views only
The dimension cloning options in the Clone Drawing dialog affect all views,
whereas the Dimension creation method in this view option sets the
dimension creation method for the selected view only. You can create
automatic dimensions in the front view and clone the dimensions in section
and end view, for example.
1. Double-click the drawing view frame to open the View Properties dialog.
2. On the Attributes 2 tab, set Dimension creation method in this view to
Clone.
Using this option affects the creation of the dimensions during cloning
and re-dimensioning of existing drawings.
3. Click Modify.
4. Save and close the drawing.
5. Open the Document manager, select the drawing and click Clone...
6. In the Clone Drawing dialog, select the objects to be cloned and the
dimension cloning option (Ignore, Clone, Create).
• If you select Dimensions > Ignore, the dimensions will be cloned only
for those views that have Dimension creation method in this view
set to Clone.
• If you select Dimensions > Clone, the dimensions will be cloned for all
views.
• If you select Dimensions > 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.

Refresh drawing associativity after cloning

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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Document manager.
2. Open a cloning template whose associativity you want to refresh.
3. Go to Quick Launch, enter Refresh associativity, and click the
Refresh associativity command on the displayed list.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 201 Clone drawings

 4. Save the cloning template.

What to check in cloned drawings

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

Object Check and change if necessary

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 marks that
can be mapped to the original
drawing and creates new marks
for parts that cannot be mapped
to the template drawing.
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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 202 Clone drawings

3.9 Create 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.

Create multiple drawing sheets with wizards

Before you start, ensure that you have created drawing property files (saved
settings) for creating multiple sheets of the same part, each file containing the
desired settings for a specific purpose and individual sheet numbers.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Master drawing catalog to open
the Create Drawings - Master Drawing Catalog dialog.
2. Double-click the desired wizard file in the list to open the Master Drawing
Properties dialog.
3. Click Edit drawing properties... to open the wizard file (page 162).
For an example of the wizard file contents, see Customize Master drawing
catalog (page 182).
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.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 203 Create multiple drawing sheets of the same part
 Create multiple drawing sheets using drawing properties
1. In the model, create a single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawing
(page 122) of the desired model objects.
2. Open Document manager.
3. Right-click the created drawing and select Properties.
4. Adjust the drawing properties as needed, and change the drawing name
so that it refers to the type of drawing you want to create, for example,
FRAME 3D.
Do not touch the Sheet number box.
5. Click Modify to apply the changes and leave the dialog open.
6. In the open drawing properties dialog, adjust the drawing properties again
and change the name to match the type of the new drawing, for example,
FRAME FRONT.
7. Change the sheet number in the Sheet number box to get another
drawing of the same objects with a different sheet number.
8. Click Apply and create a new drawing of the same objects (page 122) with
different properties.
9. Continue making all the sheets you need in the same way as in steps 6 - 8.

Example
An example how the Document manager shows the multiple drawings:

3.10 Copy 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Document manager.
2. Select the drawing that you want to use as the original for copying.
3. Right-click and select Create Drawings --> Copy to new sheet .

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 204 Copy a drawing to a new sheet

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

4. 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 in
Document manager, 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
Create multiple drawing sheets of the same part (page 203)

3.11 Create single-part, assembly, or cast unit drawings

through Quick launch
When you create single-part, assembly or cast-unit drawings through Quick
Launch, first load the closest possible predefined properties in the related
drawing properties dialog first, then modify the properties if needed, and then
create the drawing. Your environment contains some predefined properties
and there are also some in the default environment.
Another way of creating single-part, assembly, and cast unit drawings is to use
the Create fabrication drawing command. For details, see Create fabrication
drawings (page 122).

NOTE For cast unit drawings, ensure that you are using the correct cast unit
type, because some functionalities, for example numbering, are based
on the cast unit type. Cast units have the cast unit type part property
setting in the model - they are set either Cast in place or Precast. In
the Cast in Place configuration, you can create cast unit drawings of
cast-in-place cast units only.

To create drawings through Quick Launch:

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 205 Create single-part, assembly, or cast unit
drawings through Quick launch
 2. In the drawing properties dialog, 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 for future use.
Ensure that for cast unit drawings, you use a property file that contains
the desired Cast unit definition 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 GUID. You
can create drawings by using cast unit GUIDs. The GUID determines
the marking of the drawing. You can create several drawings from
identical cast units.
3. Click View creation in the options tree on the left and do the following:
• In Common settings for all views, define the Ignore bolt size, Weld
size limit and Weld marks visible (page 984) settings, if necessary.
• Add the necessary drawing views (page 762) and then select the view
properties for the views in the View properties list.
4. Select the view and the properties that you want to change, click View
properties, and 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 Close to return to drawing properties.
7. Save the drawing properties you loaded earlier.
8. Click Apply or OK.
9. 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 the Select parts switch on the Selecting toolbar

when selecting parts. Otherwise selection could take a long time in large
models.
10. Go to Quick Launch and type the appropriate drawing creation
command: Create single-part drawing, Create assembly drawing, or
Create cast unit drawing.
11. Number the model if you are prompted to do so.

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 206 Create single-part, assembly, or cast unit
drawings through Quick launch
 Tekla Structures creates the drawings. The created drawings are listed in the
Document manager. 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
Define automatic drawing settings (page 717)
Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties (page 984)
View properties in drawings (page 990)

Create drawings in Tekla Structures 207 Create single-part, assembly, or cast unit
drawings through Quick launch
4 Edit drawings

After you have created a drawing, you can modify properties of the drawing
and views, building objects, and dimensions and marks already included
in the drawing. You can add views, marks, notes, text, sketch objects and
other objects. You can also change drawing colors, and use special custom
presentations for some object types.

You can have a quick look at a snapshot of a drawing without opening

the drawing itself:
Create and show snapshots in drawings (page 213)
Open drawings (page 211)
You can edit the drawing name and titles:
Modify drawing names and titles (page 209)
You can change the drawing layout and the included table sets:
Select a new layout for your drawing (page 217)
Change table sets in drawings (page 218)

You can add and/or edit drawing views, dimensions, marks and other
drawing objects:
Add views in drawings (page 223)
Modify, arrange and align drawing views (page 244)
Add dimensions in drawings (page 251)
Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings (page 333)
Add links in drawings (page 438)
Add symbols in drawings (page 428)
Clone selected annotations or representations in drawings (page 483)
Add sketch objects in drawings (page 446)
Show building objects in drawings (page 487)
2D Library in drawings (page 593)

Edit drawings 208

 Add custom presentations in drawings (page 607)
Add moment connection symbols in Tekla Structures drawings (page 608)
Show welds in drawings (page 552)
Show reinforcement in drawings (page 510)
Show pours in drawings (page 548)
Show spiral beams in drawings (page 505)
Show reference objects in drawings (page 590)
Show grids in drawings (page 577)
Work with User coordinate system (UCS) in drawings (page 612)

You can hide, move, reshape, resize, align, arrange, explode, and delete
drawing objects and use cut lines to indicate parts partly outside the
view border:
Show or hide drawing objects (page 467)
Hide part face areas and outlines with cover-up tools (page 474)
Align selected drawing objects (page 478)
Drag, reshape and resize drawing objects (page 480)
Arrange annotation objects (page 477)
Delete drawing objects (page 476)
Indicate cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings (page 605)
Explode drawing plug-ins and use ordinary drawing objects (page 607)

When you save and close the drawings, there are some things you need
to keep in mind:
Save and close drawings (page 212)

4.1 Modify drawing names and titles

Tekla Structures names the drawings according to the name given in the
drawing properties. The drawing name is displayed in Document manager
and in drawing and report templates. You can change the default drawing
name when you create the drawing and in an existing drawing. In addition
to the drawing name, you can give titles for your drawings. Tekla Structures
shows the titles in Document manager and in drawing and report templates,
and also in print output file names. You can define up to three titles.

Edit drawings 209 Modify drawing names and titles

Rename drawings through drawing properties
1. In Document manager, right-click the drawing and select Properties.
2. Enter the new name in the Name box.
The maximum number of characters in 32.
3. Click Modify.
Close the Document manager and open it again to see the change.

Rename drawings through Document manager list

You can change the drawing name in Document manager only if you open
the Document manager in modeling mode. If you open Document manager
when a drawing is open, you cannot edit the drawing names directly in the
Document manager.
1. In modeling mode, go to the Drawings & reports ribbon tab and open
Document manager.

2. In Document manager, ensure that the edit switch is active.

3. Click the Name data cell of the drawing whose name you wish to edit.

4. Edit the drawing name. The drawing name changes immediately.

5. Deactivate the edit switch .

Give titles to drawings

1. In Document manager, right-click the drawing and select Properties.
2. Enter the titles.

Edit drawings 210 Modify drawing names and titles

 3. Click Modify.
Close Document manager and open it again to see the change.

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%) as the value for the advanced option
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_G (or _W, _A, _M or _C depending on the
drawing type) through File --> Settings --> Advanced options --> Printing .
For more information, see Customize print file names (page 689) and TITLE1..3.

4.2 Open drawings

You can open drawings both in the model and in the drawing mode. Only one
drawing can be open at a time.

TIP To always open the drawings maximized, set the advanced option
XS_OPEN_DRAWINGS_MAXIMIZED to TRUE.

Open a drawing in the model

Do one of the following:
• In the model mode, on the Drawings & reports ribbon tab, click
Document manager (Ctrl + L), and then double-click a drawing in the list,
or select a drawing in the list and click at the bottom.
• Select objects in the model, open the contextual toolbar and select
the Open or create drawings button. Single-part drawings, assembly
drawings, cast unit drawings, and multidrawings containing the selected
objects are listed in the menu. You can open a drawing just by clicking it in
the list.
When you open a drawing, a message box is displayed showing the progress
and what is happening, and a snapshot of the drawing is displayed. You can
click Cancel to cancel the opening.

Open a new drawing when a drawing is already open

You can open another drawing while you already have a drawing open. The
drawing that you already have open closes when you do this.

Edit drawings 211 Open drawings

 Do any of the following:
• In the drawing mode, on the Drawing ribbon tab, click Document
manager (Ctrl + O), and then double-click a drawing in the list, or select
a drawing in the list and click at the bottom.
• To open the next drawing in the Document manager list, press Ctrl + Page
Down, or click the Open next drawing button at the bottom.
• To open the previous drawing in the Document manager list, press Ctrl +
Page Up, or click the Open previous drawing button at the bottom.
If you have made some changes in the currently open drawing, Tekla
Structures asks you if you want to save the changes before opening another
drawing. You also have a chance to take a snapshot (page 213) of the current
drawing or mark it ready for issuing (page 643). If you have set the advanced
option XS_ALWAYS_CONFIRM_SAVE_WHEN_CLOSING_DRAWING to TRUE the
confirmation message is always shown. The default value is FALSE. This means
that if you close a drawing without making any changes, Tekla Structures does
not by default prompt you to save the drawing.
When you open a drawing, a message box is displayed showing the progress
and what is happening, and a snapshot of the drawing is displayed. You can
click Cancel to cancel the opening.

Message: Cannot load the selected drawing

Sometimes, you cannot open the drawing because the drawing file cannot
be found, or the drawing file is somehow incompatible. Tekla Structures then
displays one of the following messages:
• "Cannot load the selected drawing. Could not find the drawing file. Check
Tekla User Assistance for more information."
• "Cannot load the selected drawing. Incompatible drawing file. Check Tekla
User Assistance for more information."
For more information, see Cannot load selected drawing.

4.3 Save and close drawings

Save a drawing
Tekla Structures automatically saves drawings at set intervals. You can also
save your drawing when ever you want to.

Edit drawings 212 Save and close drawings

 • To save a drawing, in the open drawing, go to the File menu and click Save
drawing.
Both the drawing *.dg and the model *.db1 and *.db2 are saved. The
drawings are saved in the \drawings folder under the model folder.
A snapshot is by default created when you open and save a drawing. The
snapshot represents the situation when the drawing was last saved. For
more information, see Snapshots in drawings (page 213).
You can also define an autosave interval for drawings in the Options dialog.

Close drawings
You can only have one drawing open at a time. You always have to close an
open drawing before you can open another one.
1. Do one of the following:
• Go to the File menu and click Close drawing mode.
• On the Drawing tab, click Close.
• Click the Close button X 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.
Set the XS_ALWAYS_CONFIRM_SAVE_WHEN_CLOSING_DRAWING advanced
option to TRUE to always display the confirmation message "Do you want
to save current drawing?". The default value is FALSE. This means that if
you close a drawing without making any changes, Tekla Structures does
not by default prompt you to save the drawing.
You can also select to mark the drawing ready for issuing. For more
information, see Mark drawings ready for issuing (page 643).

4.4 Create and show snapshots in drawings

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. Using snapshot overlay, you can view
the contents of drawings directly in model view without opening the actual
drawing.
You can also show drawing snapshots against the latest version of a drawing
or against another drawing in the drawing mode. You can take snapshots
of all types of drawings, and all drawing types can be overlaid with drawing

Edit drawings 213 Create and show snapshots in drawings

snapshots. Snapshots can also be displayed when you create fabrication
drawings and want to find the best matching drawing template.

Create drawing snapshots

A snapshot is by default created 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.
1. Select a drawing and open it from the Document manager.
2. Save the drawing by going to the File menu and clicking Save drawing.
The snapshot is saved in the ..\<model>\drawings\Snapshots folder.
3. Select the same drawing from the Document manager.
4. Click the Snapshots button at the bottom of the Document manager to
display the snapshot.

Below is an example of a snapshot.

Edit drawings 214 Create and show snapshots in drawings

If you have selected a drawing that does not have a snapshot and click
Snapshots, an instructional view is displayed asking you to open the drawing
and save it to create the snapshot.
Advanced options related to drawing snapshots
To create a snapshot of a drawing automatically when the drawing is created,
set XS_DRAWING_CREATE_SNAPSHOT_ON_DRAWING_CREATION to TRUE in the
Drawing properties category in the Advanced options dialog.
To create a snapshot of a drawing automatically when you save a drawing,
set XS_DRAWING_SNAPSHOT_CREATION to TRUE in the Drawing properties
category in the Advanced options dialog.

Snapshot overlay
You can view a snapshot of a drawing while you are editing a drawing. In the
snapshot overlay, you can see the latest changes, and can align the drawing
content, for example. You can see the changes in a drawing since the latest
update, and switch between the snapshot and the actual drawing.
Finding the correct drawing by going through the snapshots is much faster
than opening the actual drawings one by one.
Limitations
• Texts are one sided when viewed from the model, and DX graphics do not
support text in snapshots.
• Overlay in the model was not designed to work for the 3D drawing views .
• Views that are outside the printing area are displayed in the model overlay.
• Reading large GA drawing snapshots may take a long time.
• Loading the snapshot takes longer for the first snapshot than for the rest.
Before you can see a snapshot overlay of a drawing, you need to create a
snapshot by opening a drawing, and saving the drawing.
Below you can see the settings in the snapshot view:

Edit drawings 215 Create and show snapshots in drawings

Snapshot overlay in model
1. Open Document manager and select a drawing.
2. Click Snapshots.
3. At the top of the displayed snapshot dialog box, under Overlay in model,
select the Overlay check box. You can also select a color for the snapshot.
A cast unit is overlaid with the corresponding cast unit drawing.

Snapshot overlay in drawings

1. Click Drawing --> Document manager, and open a drawing that has
changed after the latest snapshot.
2. Still in Document manager, select the same drawing and click
Snapshots.
3. Select one of the options under Overlay in drawing:
Overlay: Show the snapshot on the actual drawing so that both are
visible.
Show snapshot only: Show the snapshot only without the actual drawing.
None: Quickly switch to the actual drawing.
4. Select a color for the snapshot.

Edit drawings 216 Create and show snapshots in drawings

 In the example below, the size of the cast unit has changed since the snapshot
was taken.

TIP If a plan view GA drawing is open, and you want to align content using
another GA drawing, you can open a snapshot of the second drawing on
the first one, and snap to the snapshot, when placing or moving objects
in an open drawing. You can snap to drawing snapshot overlays with the

Snap to geometry lines / points snap switch .

4.5 Select a new layout for your drawing

You can select which drawing layout you want to use in a drawing in the
drawing level properties. You can either use the new drawing layout for the
currently open drawing, or save the new drawing layout to the desired drawing
properties for future use.
1. Depending on what you want to do, do one of the following:
• If you want to apply a new layout in the current drawing: In an open
drawing, on the Drawing tab, select Properties --> Drawing. You can
also double-click the drawing background.
• If you want to apply a new layout in a set of drawing properties for
future use: In the model,on the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing
properties and select the drawing type. Load the drawing properties
in which you want to use the new layout.
2. Click Layout.
3. Select a new layout from the Layout list.
4. Do one of the following:
• To apply and save the new layout to the open drawing, click Modify.

Edit drawings 217 Select a new layout for your drawing

 • To save the changed drawing properties containing the new layout for
future use, click Save.
5. Click OK to close the drawing properties.

See also
Define drawing layout (page 723)
Layout properties (page 988)

4.6 Change table sets in drawings

To make minor changes to the table sets in your drawings, you can exclude
individual tables from the drawing layout. When you exclude a table, the table
becomes a part of the current drawing, so any changes that you make to that
table will not be saved to the drawing layout. This way, you can avoid and
remove overlaps in drawing content and tables without creating new layouts
or drawing sizes for each case.

Edit drawings 218 Change table sets in drawings

Exclude tables from the drawing layout
1. In the open drawing, select the tables that you want to edit.
2. Right-click one of the tables, and select Exclude template from layout.
The tables are now part of the current drawing, so making changes to them
does not affect the drawing layout.

NOTE If any table has been excluded from the drawing layout, you cannot
change the drawing size.

According to your needs, see any of the following instructions.

Move excluded tables

1. In the open drawing, select the tables that you want to move.
2. Do any of the following:
• Select the tables and hold down the left mouse button. Then, drag the
tables to new positions, and release the mouse button.
• Right-click one of the tables and select Move. Then, pick the origin for
moving, and the destination point.

Rotate excluded tables

1. In the open drawing, select the tables that you want to rotate.
2. Right-click one of the tables.
3. Select Rotate clockwise.
The tables are rotated clockwise by 90 degrees.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 to achieve the right rotation angle.

Delete excluded tables

1. In the open drawing, select the tables that you want to delete.
2. Right-click one of the tables.
3. Select Delete.
You can undo deleting a table by pressing Ctrl+Z on the keyboard.

Edit excluded tables in Layout editor

1. In the open drawing, select the tables that you want to edit.

Edit drawings 219 Change table sets in drawings

2. Do any of the following:
• Double-click one of the tables, and select Drawing layout editor.
• Right-click one of the tables, and select Open Layout editor.
Note that when you open Layout editor like this, you can only modify
layout properties related to tables.
In the Tables in use list in Layout editor, excluded tables are shown as
follows: <<TABLE NAME>>.
3. Do any of the following:

To Do this
Scale a table a. In the drawing layout, select the
table.
b. In the Scale box, type a new
value.
c. Press Enter.
Rotate a table a. In the drawing layout, select the
table.
b. In the Rotation list, select a new
rotation angle.
c. Press Enter.
Allow overlapping with drawing views a. In the drawing layout, select the
table.
b. Select the Overlap with views
checkbox.
If you do not select the Overlap with
views checkbox, Tekla Structures
keeps the drawing views outside the
tables area when it recreates the
drawing.
4. On the Layout editor ribbon, click Save.
The changes are saved to the current drawing only. The drawing layout is not
updated to include the changes.

Add new tables to the current drawing

1. In the open drawing, select one of the excluded tables.
2. Do any of the following:
• Double-click the table, and select Drawing layout editor.
• Right-click the table, and select Open Layout editor.

Edit drawings 220 Change table sets in drawings

 Note that when you open Layout editor like this, you can only modify
layout properties related to tables.
In the Tables in use list in Layout editor, excluded tables are shown as
follows: <<TABLE NAME>>.

3. On the Layout editor ribbon, click Add tables.

4. In the Available tables dialog, do one of the following:

To Do this
Add a table (.tpl) a. Select a table from the list of
Available tables.
b. Close the Available tables
dialog.
c. Click the point in the drawing
layout where you want to add the
table using the appropriate snap
switches.
The table is automatically
anchored to the drawing view
frame.
d. If you want to change the table
scale or rotation, select the table
and type new Scale or Rotation
values.
Rotation and scale changes are
applied to the drawing layout
immediately. When you scale or
rotate a table, the table remain
anchored to the same position.
Add a DWG or DXF File a. Select DWG/DXF from the list of
Available tables.
b. Browse to find and select the
DWG/DXF file that you want to
add to the drawing.
c. Click Open.
d. Close the Available tables
dialog.
e. Click the point in the drawing
layout where you want to add the

Edit drawings 221 Change table sets in drawings

 To Do this
table using the appropriate snap
switches.
The DWG/DXF file is automatically
anchored to the drawing view
frame.
Add a keyplan a. Select Keyplan from the list of
Available tables.
b. In the displayed Drawings
dialog, select an existing keyplan
drawing from the Available
drawings list and click Select.
c. Close the Available tables
dialog.
d. Click the point in the drawing
layout where you want to add the
table using the appropriate snap
switches.
The keyplan is automatically
anchored to the drawing view
frame.
5. If you want to change the table scale or rotation, select the table and type
a new Scale or Rotation value.
Note that you can only edit the scale and rotation of template files (.tpl).
Rotation and scale changes are applied to the drawing layout immediately.
When you scale or rotate tables, the tables remain anchored to the same
position.
6. If you want to allow the table to overlap with a drawing view, select the
Overlap with views checkbox.
If you do not select the Overlap with views checkbox, Tekla Structures
keeps the drawing views outside the tables area when it recreates the
drawing.
Repeat steps 3 to 6 for all tables that you want to add.
7. On the Layout editor ribbon, click Save.
The new tables are saved to the current drawing only. The original drawing
layout is not updated to include the tables.

Edit drawings 222 Change table sets in drawings

 Discard drawing-specific changes
• According to your needs, do one of the following:

To Do this
Reinclude excluded tables in the 1. Select the tables.
drawing layout and restore their
2. Right-click and select Restore
positions
template position.
Reinclude all excluded tables in Do one of the following:
the drawing layout and restore the
• Right-click anywhere in the
original drawing layout
drawing, and select Restore
layout.
• In the Layout editor ribbon, click
Restore layout.

4.7 Add views in drawings

Drawing views contain modeled Tekla Structures building objects and marks,
dimensions, and other objects that you might have added. A drawing view
is another way of looking at the model. Drawings may include several views.
In addition to the views that Tekla Structures creates automatically based on
your selection at drawing creation, you can also add new views and modify the
existing views in an open drawing.
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
• Views that you have created manually from model views, from areas in
model views, or from areas in existing drawing views

Edit drawings 223 Add views in drawings

Adding views manually
You can manually add more views in drawings:
Create views in drawings (page 224)

Copying, linking, and moving views

You can move, copy and link views from one drawing to another:
Copy, link, and move drawing views (page 233)

Modifying views, view location, and view labels:

You can modify views manually:
Modify, arrange, and align drawing views (page 244)

See also
Define drawing views (page 760)
Add and modify section marks in drawings (page 391)
Add and modify detail marks in drawings (page 396)
View properties in drawings (page 990)
Section view properties (page 1008)

Create views in drawings

After creating a drawing, you can manually add more views.
You can create the following types of views in an existing drawing:
• Section views
• Curved section views
• Detail views
• Front, top, back, bottom views of parts
• 3D views of parts
• Drawing views of an entire model view
• Drawing views of selected areas in a model view
• Drawing views of selected areas in a drawing view

TIP Before you create a new view, create a drawing view filter to adjust what is
shown in a view.

Edit drawings 224 Add views in drawings

Create a section view
You can create section views of the parts in a drawing view in an open drawing.
The drawing must contain at least one view.
Note that you cannot create a section view from a 3D view. If you try to pick
the points for the view, you will get an error message.
1. Open the drawing in which you want to create a section view.
2. On the Views ribbon tab, click Section view to open the Section mark
with view property pane.
If the property pane is not open, hold down Shift and click Section view.
3. First, set the section mark properties on the Section mark tab:
a. Modify the section label content.
b. Modify the section label, cut direction symbol, and cutting line
properties.
For more information about the properties, see Add and modify
section marks (page 391).
4. Next, set the section view properties on the View tab:
a. Click the View button in the Section mark with view property pane.
b. Modify the drawing view properties as required.
For more information, see View properties in drawings (page 990).
5. Pick two points to define the position of the section plane.
It is easier to pick the points if you activate orthogonal snapping: On the
File menu, click Settings and select Ortho, or press 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.
6. 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 can 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.
7. 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 view properties
and section mark properties, adds a section mark in the original view, and
places the section view in the position you picked.

Edit drawings 225 Add views in drawings

 You can modify the created views. For more information, see Modify,
arrange, and align drawing views (page 244).

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 the boundary.
• If necessary, change the view scale of the section view by
adjusting the Scale setting.
• If you want to create another view, start the Section view
command again.

(1) The first two picked points indicate the position of the section plane.

Edit drawings 226 Add views in drawings

(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.
(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.

Create a curved section view

You can create a curved section view of the parts in a drawing view in an open
drawing. The drawing must contain at least one view. This tool is useful when
you want to visualize an unfolded face of a building or to manage cladding.
Limitation: A curved section view does not work if it is done on a curved object
that is vertical or in 3D.
1. Open the drawing in which you want to create a curved section view.
2. On the Views ribbon tab, click Section view to open the Section mark
with view property pane.
If the property pane is not open, hold down Shift and click Section view.
3. First, set the section mark properties on the Section mark tab:
a. Modify the section label content.
b. Modify the section label, cut direction symbol, and cutting line
properties.
For more information about the properties, see Add and modify
section marks (page 391).
4. Next, set the section view properties on the View tab:
a. Click the View button in the Section mark with view property pane.
b. Modify the view properties as required.
For more information, see View properties in drawings (page 990).
5. Pick three points on the cut plane.
6. Pick two points to indicate the cut box.
7. 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.

Edit drawings 227 Add views in drawings

Tekla Structures creates the curved section view using the current view
properties and section mark properties, adds a section mark in the original
view, and places the section view in the position you picked.
You can modify the created views. For more information, see Modify, arrange,
and align drawing views (page 244).

Create a detail view

You can create a detail view from an area that you select in an existing drawing
view. By default, the detail view has the same scale as the main view, but in
some environments the detail view is scaled up. The detail view has the same
direction as the original view. Before creating the detail view label and detail
mark, define a start number or letter in the drawing properties.
1. Open the drawing in which you want to create a detail view.
2. Check or change the start number or letter for the detail view and symbol:
a. Double-click the drawing background and select Detail view from the
options tree, or in a general arrangement drawing, click the Detail
view button.
b. Change the value when necessary, and click Modify.
3. On the Views ribbon tab, click Detail view to open the Detail mark with
view property pane.
If the property pane is not open, hold down Shift and click Detail view.
4. First, set the detail mark properties on the Detail mark tab:
a. Modify the detail label content, and the related properties, such as
mark symbol and detail boundary.
The shape of the detail boundary you select affects the way you select
the area for your detail. For more information about detail marks and
their properties, see Add and modify detail marks (page 396).
To change the detail symbol to a custom symbol, use the advanced
option XS_DETAIL_MARK_REFERENCE_SYMBOL.
5. Next, set the detail view properties on the View tab:
a. Click the View button in the Detail mark with view property pane.
b. Modify the view properties as required.
For more information about view properties, see View properties in
drawings (page 990).
6. Depending on the selected detail boundary shape, do one of the
following:
• If the shape is Circle, pick the center point of the circle and then pick a
point on the circle.
• If the shape is Rectangle, pick the corner points for the rectangle.

Edit drawings 228 Add views in drawings

7. Pick a position for the detail mark.
8. Pick a position for the detail view.
Tekla Structures creates the detail view using the current detail mark and view
properties. The detail view takes the view depth from the original view even if
you try to change it. You can change the properties after creating the view.

(1) Detail boundary is set to Circle. You can increase or decrease the detail
symbol size by dragging the handle on the detail boundary.
(2) Detail mark
(3) Detail view
(4) Detail view label

Edit drawings 229 Add views in drawings

Create additional drawing 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, or bottom)
to use or create a 3 D view of the part.
1. Open a drawing.
2. On the Views tab, click View of part and select one of the following:
• Front
• Top
• Back
• Bottom
• 3D view
Tekla Structures creates the view using the current view properties. If a
plane already has a view in the drawing, a new one is not created.
3. Click the frame of the new view to open the view properties and modify
the properties as required.
If the drawing property pane is not open, double-click the view frame.
For example, for 3D views, you may want to modify the view angle.
For more information, see View properties in drawings (page 990).
4. Click Modify.

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

Edit drawings 230 Add views in drawings

Create a drawing view of an entire model view
You can create a new drawing view of an entire model view.
1. Open a drawing.
2. To open the model view list, on the Views tab, click Model views -->
Model view list, and leave the list open.
3. To set the properties for the new view, select View in the drawing property
pane object list.
You might want to change the view scale, for example.
You can also hold down Shift, and on the Views tab, click Entire model
view.
For more information about view properties, see View properties in
drawings (page 990).
4. Open a model view from the model view list.
5. Click the open model view.

Tekla Structures creates a drawing view using the current drawing view
properties. The drawing view has the same depth as the model view. Tekla

Edit drawings 231 Add views in drawings

Structures calculates the boundaries of the view to fit the entire model view
into the drawing view, and places the view in the drawing.

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

You can create a new drawing view of the area that you select in the model.
1. Open a drawing.
2. To open a model view list, on the Views tab, click Model views --> Model
view list, and leave the list open.
3. To set the properties for the new view, select View in the drawing property
pane object list.
You might want to change the view scale, for example.
Another way to open the viewe properties is to hold down Shift, and on
the Views tab, click Area in model view.
For more information about view properties, see View properties in
drawings (page 990).
4. Open a model view from the model view list.

Edit drawings 232 Add views in drawings

5. Pick two corners in the model view 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 is the same as defined in the drawing view properties.

Tekla Structures creates the drawing view.

Create a drawing view of a selected area in a drawing view

You can create a new drawing view of an area that you select in an existing
drawing view.
1. Open a drawing.
2. On the Views tab, click Area in drawing view.
3. Select an area in the drawing view for the new drawing view.
4. Select a location for the new view. A symbol representing the view that
you are about to place follows the mouse pointer, so it is easy for you to
see where to place the view.
Tekla Structures creates a drawing view using the drawing view properties
of the original drawing view. To modify the view properties after the view
creation, click the view frame. If the property pane is not open, double-click
the view frame. For more information about drawing view properties, see View
properties in drawings (page 990).

Delete a drawing view

• To delete a drawing view, select the view in an open drawing and press
Delete on the keyboard, or right-click and select Delete.
• You can also delete obsolete drawing views automatically by setting the
advanced option XS_INTELLIGENCE_DO_NOT_REMOVE_OBSOLETE_VIEWS
to FALSE (default value).

Copy, move and link drawing views

You can copy drawing views from other drawings in the current drawing as
such or using the original layout. You can also move section and detail views
to another drawing through Document manager. When you move views
to another drawing, the source drawing and the target drawing will contain
references to each other. It is also possible to link drawing views from other
drawings as such or using the original layout. Linked drawing views update
when the original views change.

Edit drawings 233 Add views in drawings

Copy drawing views from other drawings
1. Open a drawing where you want to copy drawing views from another
drawing.
2. Open the Document manager by pressing Ctrl+O.
3. Select the drawing containing the view you want to copy.
You can select several drawings.
4. On the Views tab, click From other drawing and then click one of the
following commands:
• Copy: Copy the views from the selected drawings as such in the open
drawing. Tekla Structures does not copy the drawing layout.
• Copy with layout: Copy the views and layout from the selected
drawings in the open drawing.

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

Link drawing views from other drawings

1. Open a drawing where you want to link drawing views.
2. Open Document manager by pressing Ctrl+O.
3. Select the drawing containing the drawing view you want to link.
You can select several drawings.
4. On the Views tab, click From other drawing and click one of the following
commands:
• Link: Display the views of the selected drawings in the open drawing.
Tekla Structures does not copy the drawing layout.
• Link with layout: Display the views and the layout of the selected
drawings in the open drawing.

NOTE The changes of the original views are also shown in the linked views.
If you modify the linked views, the changes will be lost, for example,
when you save the model. Do all the modifications in the original view.

Move drawing views to another drawing

Note that if something changes in the detail in the source drawing, the detail
view will be updated in the target drawing. If something changes in the section,
the section view in the target drawing will not be updated.

TIP General arrangement drawings are often full of information. You may
want to create empty general arrangement drawings and move detail

Edit drawings 234 Add views in drawings

 or section views from the original general arrangement drawings to the
empty 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 context menu.
3. Select the target drawing from Document manager.
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.
4. Click Move in the Move view to drawing dialog.
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 Document manager.
The Document manager indicates that the drawing has been updated.
7. Arrange the drawing views, if necessary. For more information, see
Modify, arrange and align drawing views (page 244).
8. Save the target drawing.

Example
In this example, we have two drawings on the Document manager: 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.

Edit drawings 235 Add views in drawings

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.

TIP You can use the following advanced options to set the reference text for
section or detail view labels:
XS_SECTION_VIEW_REFERENCE
XS_SECTION_SYMBOL_REFERENCE
XS_DETAIL_VIEW_REFERENCE
XS_DETAIL_SYMBOL_REFERENCE

Show and modify drawing views in the model

You can show the drawing views of the selected drawings in any of the open
model views to get a clearer understanding of exactly where a drawing view is

Edit drawings 236 Add views in drawings

located in the 3D model, the view direction, and the 3D extents of that view.
You can then modify the drawing views in the model and save your changes to
the drawing.

Show and modify drawing views in the model

1. In the modeling mode, click Drawings & reports --> Document manager
to open Document manager.
2. Select one or more drawings in the document list.
3. Click the Show drawing views in the model for selected drawings
button at the top of the Document manager window.

The button changes color:

Tekla Structures shows the views of the selected drawings in the model.
You can drag the drawing view edges, corners, or faces, or the view plane
edges, and modify the views using direct modification.

When Show drawing views in the model for selected drawings is

active, and you select another drawing or set of drawings, Tekla Structures

Edit drawings 237 Add views in drawings

 automatically updates the model view and the drawing views in it. This
way you can easily walk through a list of drawings, selecting one drawing
at a time, and see the views of that drawing in the model.
4. To show the name of a drawing view in the model, move the mouse
pointer over an unselected view edge, or select the drawing view.
Tekla Structures displays a view label:

5. To show the direct modification handles and dimensions of a drawing

view, select the drawing view.
Tekla Structures shows the view width and height, and depth above and
below the view plane.
The direction of the selected drawing view is shown by open arrows on the
four edges of the view plane.

Edit drawings 238 Add views in drawings

Work with drawing views in the model
Note that when working with the drawing views, you first need to select the
desired drawing view in the model.

To Do this
Select a drawing view in the model Click the drawing view in the model
view, or select it from the list on the
contextual toolbar.

When you select one drawing view, all

other drawing views are hidden in the
model.
Deselect a drawing view Hold down Ctrl and click an edge of
the selected view.
Increase or decrease the view extents • Drag the edges, corners, or faces
of the drawing view, or the edges
of the view plane.
• Drag the direct modification
handles, or view dimension arrows
to change the view size.
• You can also enter a new value
in the dimension value box to
change the view size.
Note that you can override the
current snap switches by holding
down Shift while dragging.
Create clip planes On the contextual toolbar, click

Clipping around selected view

bounding box on/off.
Tekla Structures creates six clip planes
that are aligned with the drawing view
extents. The selected drawing view is
isolated and highlighted and the rest
of the model is hidden.

Edit drawings 239 Add views in drawings

 To Do this
When you modify the drawing view,
the clip planes are automatically
adjusted to keep their alignment to
the view extents.
You can also use drawing snapshot
overlays (page 213) with the Show
drawing views in the model for
selected drawings command and
the clip planes mode to isolate the
view.
Emphasize objects intersecting the
view bounding box On the contextual toolbar, click
Emphasize objects intersecting the
view bounding box on/off.
Every object that roughly intersects
the drawing view is colored red, and
every object that roughly does not
intersect is made semi-transparent.
Create a temporary model view of the
selected drawing view On the contextual toolbar, click
Display selected view as new model
view.
This creates a new temporary model
view based on the properties of the
current model view, and sets the
camera direction of the new model
view to match the camera direction of
the selected drawing view.
Set the selected drawing view’s
camera direction to match the camera On the contextual toolbar, click
direction of the current model view Change view angle in selected view
to match current model view.
The view angle of the drawing view
changes to match the view angle of
the current model view.
Reverse the drawing view camera
direction On the contextual toolbar, click
Reverse view direction.
The direction of the selected drawing
view is shown by open arrows on the
four edges of the view plane.
Move or rotate the drawing view 1. On the contextual toolbar, click

Show rotation handles

to display direct modification

Edit drawings 240 Add views in drawings

 To Do this
rotation handles of the drawing
view.
The rotation handles are hidden
by default.
2. Move or rotate the drawing view
using the direct modification axis
and rotation handles.

Save any drawing view changes to the

drawings On the contextual toolbar, click
Update drawing, or click the middle
mouse button.
Drawing view changes are only saved
when you click the Update drawing
button or the middle mouse button.
You can edit a drawing view, then
select a different drawing view in the
model and edit that, and keep going
and then click Update drawing.
Discard any drawing view changes
On the contextual toolbar, click
Discard changes.
Any drawing view changes that have
not been saved are discarded.
Stop showing drawing views in the Press Esc or right-click and select
model Interrupt. If you have made changes
but have not saved them, you are
asked to save the changes or discard
them.

Edit drawings 241 Add views in drawings

Examples of drawing views in the model
A drawing view is selected in the model:

The Clipping around selected view bounding box on/off command has
been used to isolate the view:

Edit drawings 242 Add views in drawings

Clip planes have been created in the drawing view of a plan drawing:

Drawing snapshot overlays are used with the Show drawing views in the
model for selected drawings command and the clip planes mode to isolate
the view:

Edit drawings 243 Add views in drawings

Modify, arrange and align drawing views
Once you have added all the necessary views in your drawing, you can
automatically rearrange the views, and manually drag, align, and rotate the
views. You can also modify the view properties. If you have removed section
views or detail views, you can use macros to relabel the remaining section
views or detail views to have continuous labeling again.

TIP • Set the XS_VIEW_FRAMES_VISIBLE to TRUE if you want to show

drawing view frames all the time. If you set this advanced option to
FALSE (default), the drawing view frames are hidden until you move
the mouse pointer over the view.
• If you want to select several views, hold down Shift and click the view
frames.

Resize 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 to do this.
1. Click the view frame.
2. Click one of the handles on the view boundary.

Edit drawings 244 Add views in drawings

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.
For more information about visualizing views in other views, see the
following advanced options:
• XS_VISUALIZE_VIEW_IN_ANOTHER_VIEWS
• XS_VISUALIZE_VIEW_IN_FATHER_VIEW_ONLY

(1) View boundary handle

(2) View boundary
(3) View frame
(4) Resized view boundary and view

Edit drawings 245 Add views in drawings

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.

Drag drawing views

You can move drawing views by dragging.
1. Click the view frame of the view you want to drag.

Edit drawings 246 Add views in drawings

 To select several views, hold down Shift and click the view frames.

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.

Rotate drawing views

You can rotate the drawing views in open drawings.
1. In an open drawing, click the frame of the drawing view you want to
rotate.
2. On the Views tab on the ribbon, click Rotate view.
3. Enter the angle in degrees, for example, 90 or -90, in the displayed dialog
and click Rotate.

Align drawing views

You can align views vertically or horizontally.
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.

Edit drawings 247 Add views in drawings

3. Pick a point in the selected view.
4. Pick a point in the view with which you want to align the selected view.
Tekla Structures moves the views so that the picked points line up
vertically.

You can align the selected drawing view horizontally by selecting the Align
horizontally command from the pop-up menu.
There are also some advanced options that you can use to align drawings
to top and/or left at the drawing creation:
XS_DISABLE_VIEW_CENTERING_MULTI
XS_DISABLE_VIEW_CENTERING_SINGLE
XS_DISABLE_VIEW_CENTERING_ASSEMBLY
XS_DISABLE_VIEW_CENTERING_GA

Arrange drawing views

You can fit the drawing views so that they include all connected objects, and
rearrange the drawing views using the drawing's current layout properties.
• On the Views tab, click Arrange.

NOTE • Arrange views only affects views where the Place option 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 views command does not work

Edit drawings 248 Add views in drawings

 • Arrange views may change the drawing size if you have used
automatic scaling of drawing views.

Modify drawing view properties

You can modify view properties in an open drawing for one or more views at a
time.
1. Do one of the following:
• To modify the properties of one view only, click the view frame.
• To modify the properties of several views, hold down Ctrl and click the
view frames of the views you want to modify.
• If the property pane is not open, double-click the view frame.
The view properties (page 990) are displayed in the property pane.
2. Modify the view properties as required.
For example, change the view Scale.
3. If you selected several views for modifying, and you have different values
for a property in the property pane, the text Varies is displayed as the
value. If you want to have a same value for all views, select a value from
the list.
4. If there are some detailed object level settings that you want to apply:
a. Click the Object groups button at the bottom.
b. Load the detailed object level settings that you want to use and click
Modify.
c. To activate the loaded detailed object level settings, select the Object
group settings checkbox.
5. Click Modify.
The view properties change according to the changes you made. For more
information about drawing view properties, see View properties in drawings
(page 990).

Relabel section views or detail views

When you have removed some of the section views or detail views from a
drawing, you can use applications to relabel all the section views or detail
views to have continuous labeling again (A-A, B-B, etc.).
1. In an open drawing where you have removed section views or detail views,

click the Applications & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.

Edit drawings 249 Add views in drawings

2. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list. You can
also search for Relabel section views or Relabel detail views.
3. Do one of the following depending on whether you want to relabel section
views or detail views:
• Double-click Relabel section views.

• Double-click Relabel detail views.

4. In the displayed application dialog, load the desired settings.

You can also select to relabel the manually modified labels.
Example of the Relabel section views dialog:

5. Click Relabel views.

Section views or detail views are relabeled so that they have continuous
labeling again. You will get a message when the relabeling is completed.

Add single-part views in assembly drawings

In addition to automatically including single-part views in assembly drawings
through drawing properties, you can also add single-part drawing views in an
open assembly drawing.

Edit drawings 250 Add views in drawings

 1. Open the assembly drawing.
2. In the drawing view, select the parts of which you want to create a single-
part view.
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 Assembly Drawing Properties ( Drawing properties -->
Assembly drawing --> Layout --> Other --> Single-part attributes ).

See also
XS_NO_END_VIEWS_TO_INCLUDED_SINGLE_DRAWINGS
Include single-part drawings in assembly drawings (page 769)

4.8 Add dimensions in drawings

Tekla Structures contains several tools for modifying dimensions and for
adding new dimensions in an open drawing. Some dimensions are created
automatically in the drawings, as defined in the drawing properties.

Dimensions are associative annotation objects that are updated according to

the changes you make in the related building object in the model.

Add manual dimensions

You can manually add dimensions to drawings:
Add dimensions manually (page 252)
Add dimensions manually to general arrangement drawings (page 261)
Add dimensions to reinforcement manually (page 263)
Add closing dimensions to rebar dimensions (page 272)
Dimension rebars with Rebar group dimensioning application (page 273)
Add manual dimensions using User Coordinate System (page 261)
Recreate dimensions for all parts (page 315)
Dimension center of gravity (COG) (page 316)
Add or remove dimension points (page 323)

Modify dimensions
You can modify dimensions manually:
Modify dimensions (page 304)
Add dual dimensions manually (page 304)
Control dimension tag content (page 304)

Edit drawings 251 Add dimensions in drawings

Exaggerate selected dimensions (page 304)
Show plate side marks on dimension leader lines (page 304)
Change the location of short outside dimension texts (page 304)
Set the dimension extension line lenght (page 304)
Drag dimension marks (page 314)
Move the end of the dimension line (page 332)
Add dimension points in anchor bolt plans (page 330)
Set a new dimension start point (page 322)
Link perpendicular dimension lines (page 331)
Combine dimension lines (page 331)
Customize dimension line arrows (page 320)

See also
Dimension properties (page 1011)
Add automatic view-level dimensions (page 804)
Show spiral beams in drawings (page 505)

Add dimensions manually

In addition to automatic dimensions defined for the drawing at drawing
creation, you can add dimensions manually in an open drawing. Manual
dimensioning is not recommended in 3D views.

1. Hold down Shift and, on the Dimensioning tab, click one of the
dimensioning commands:

Horizontal: Create a dimension in the x direction by picking the

points to be dimensioned. X depends on the current UCS.

Vertical: Create a dimension in the y direction by picking the points

to be dimensioned. Y depends on the current UCS.

Perpendicular: Create a dimension perpendicular to a line. Define

the line by picking two points to set the direction of the dimension line.
Then pick the points to be dimensioned.

Orthogonal: 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.

Edit drawings 252 Add dimensions in drawings

 Curved dimension, orthogonal reference lines: Create a curved
dimension with orthogonal reference lines. Pick three points to define the
arc, and then pick the points to be dimensioned. The dimension text on
the line can be either a distance or an angle value.

Curved dimension, radial reference lines: Create a curved

dimension with radial reference lines. Pick three points to define the arc,
and then pick the points to be dimensioned. The dimension text on the
line can be either a distance or an angle value.

Free: Create a dimension parallel to a line between any two points

you pick.

COG: Indicate the location of the center of gravity (COG) in single-

part, assembly, and cast unit drawings by creating COG dimensions and
adding a COG symbol at the center of gravity. You can also create COG
dimensions in section views.

Parallel: Create a dimension parallel to a line. First pick two points to

define the direction of the dimension line, and then pick the points to be
dimensioned.

Radial: Create a radial dimension. Pick three points to define the

arch, and then pick a position for the dimension.

Angular: Create an angular dimension. Pick the vertex point and two
points to define the angle, and then pick the side to place the dimension.
You can also create a dimension by selecting the dimension type from the
drawing property pane object list.
2. You can load predefined dimension properties and search for properties:

3. Modify the dimension line and dimension value properties (page 1011) as
required. For example, define the dimension line and arrow properties,
adjust dimension value font, position, background, frame, units, format,
and precision, and set the dimension placing properties.
4. Add dimension tags with the desired contents.

Edit drawings 253 Add dimensions in drawings

The Content of tag section is displayed when you click a tag container.

(1) Available tag containers around the dimension line. Click a tag
container to select it. Use the red delete button in the upper-right corner
of the container to remove the contents. You can enter text or click the
button and select the desired elements from the element list.
In tags, you cannot use template attributes such as MODEL_TOTAL that
refer to the whole model. Tags only check the information from the object
in the drawing, and not from the whole model.
(2) Prefix tag
(3) Postfix tag
(4) Dual dimension tag
(5) Part count checkbox: When you click a tag container, the Part count
checkbox becomes available. When you select the check box, the selected
tag shows the part count.

Edit drawings 254 Add dimensions in drawings

 (6) Dual dimension checkbox: When you click the dual dimension tag
container (4), the Dual dimension checkbox becomes available. When
you select the checkbox, dual dimensions (page 304) will be applied.
(7) Property file: Load a set of predefined dimension tag contents.
(8) Object type: Define the type of the building object that you are
dimensioning. The options are Part, Bolt, Rebar, Surface treatment,
and Pour object. This setting is not available when you have selected a
dimension in an open drawing.
(9) Visual tag editor for adding content in dimension tags. You can drag
elements to another location inside one tag container. Click the red
delete button in the upper-right corner to delete the element.

(10) Element list. Click the button to open the element list, and then
select the elements to add in the current tag container.
(11) The % button shows the current zoom level in the preview. You can
zoom in or out by scrolling the middle mouse button. Click the button to
zoom to best fit.
(12) Search box for searching elements. Enter the element that you want
to locate. You can also search for elements. If you do not find the desired
user-defined attribute in the list, you can type the name of the attribute in
the search box and press Enter to add it.
(13) If you have already added an element in a tag, the element is marked
with text In use in the element list.
5. Define the dimension tag properties:
• If you want to show the part count in the tag, select the Part count
checkbox.
• Select the tag frame type and color and the text color, font, and height.
You can add a frame around the whole tag container or around a
single tag element.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
• 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, whereas Perpendicular to
dimension line rotates the tag.
• To filter out some of the automatically created tag content (page 304),
use Excluded tags and select a predefined drawing view filter.
6. Define the dimension exaggeration and plate side mark settings
(page 304).
7. Pick the points to add the dimensions.

Edit drawings 255 Add dimensions in drawings

 Follow the instructions on the status bar while adding the dimensions.
It is very important to use correct snap switches (page 56) to get
the dimensions correct. You can change the switch temporarily by right-
clicking and selecting the switch that best suits 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 method to Fixed, the position you click with the middle mouse
button will be the location of the dimension line. If you have set Placing
method 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.
Tekla Structures adds the dimensions by using the current dimension
properties.
8. To stop adding dimensions, press Esc.
If you are not happy with the dimensions, you can modify both automatic
and manual dimensions (page 304) afterwards. You can also change
the dimension location by dragging. When you drag the dimensions,
the Placing setting changes to fixed by default. You can also drag the
dimension mark (page 314), and when you drag it, a leader line is
automatically created.

Delete unnecessary dimensions

• Select the dimensions and press Delete on the keyboard, or right-click and
select Delete.

Examples of manual dimensions

Commands and settings Example

Add parallel dimension

(1) Shows the edge points picked for

defining the direction for the parallel
dimension line.
(2) Shows the picked dimension
points picked.

Edit drawings 256 Add dimensions in drawings

 Commands and settings Example
Same part as before,
now dimensioned with Add

perpendicular dimension
(1) Shows the edge points picked
for defining the direction for the
perpendicular dimension line.
(2) Shows the picked dimension
points.

Add curved dimension with

orthogonal reference lines

The dimension mark on the line is a

distance value.

Edit drawings 257 Add dimensions in drawings

 Commands and settings Example
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 (2).
To avoid creating incorrect curved
dimensions, pick the three points that
define the arc using three of the
points indicated with (1) .
Use end point snap.

Add curved dimension

with radial reference lines

Curved dimension set to Distance.

The dimension mark on the line is a
distance value.

Edit drawings 258 Add dimensions in drawings

 Commands and settings Example
Add curved dimension
with radial reference lines

Curved dimension set to Angle.

The dimension tag on the line is an
angle value.

Add angular dimension

Angle dimension set to Degrees at

angle vertex.

Add angular dimension

Angle dimension set to Degrees on

side.

Add angular dimension

Angle dimension set to Triangle.

Edit drawings 259 Add dimensions in drawings

 Commands and settings Example

Triangle base length set to 100.

Add radial dimension

Unrotated dimension tag

Rotated dimension tag

See also
Modify dimensions (page 304)
Dimension properties (page 1011)
Mark elements (page 1063)
Define object protection and placement settings in drawings (page 750)

Edit drawings 260 Add dimensions in drawings

Change the prefix in radial dimensions (page 859)

Add dimensions manually to general arrangement

drawings
You can dimension parts to grids along their X, Y, or X and Y axis and along grid
lines in plan views in open general arrangement drawings.

Limitation: Parts like beams that are not located along the grids are not
dimensioned.
1. Open a general arrangement drawing.
2. To check and change the dimension properties, select Straight
dimension in the property pane object list and make the necessary
changes.
3. On the Dimensioning ribbon tab, click GA dimensions and then click one
of the following commands:
• To dimension along grid lines, click Add dimensions 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 click
Along part X axis, Along part Y axis or Along part X and Y axis. The
parts are dimensioned to the two nearest grids.
Along part X axis:
Along part Y axis:
Along X and Y axis:
Tekla Structures creates the dimensions according to the properties you
defined in the dimension properties.

For instructions on how to dimension reinforcement in GA drawings, see Add

dimensions to reinforcement manually (page 263).

See also
Dimension properties (page 1011)

Add 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 Horizontal , Vertical and Orthogonal follow the

defined coordinate system.

Edit drawings 261 Add dimensions in drawings

1. Open a drawing.
2. On the Views tab, click User coordsys --> Set origin by two points.
3. Pick the UCS origin and the UCS X direction.

4. Click Dimensioning --> Horizontal .

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.

Edit drawings 262 Add dimensions in drawings

NOTE When you use the Orthogonal 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
Work with User coordinate system (UCS) in drawings (page 612)
Add dimensions manually (page 252)

Add dimensions to reinforcement manually

You can manually add dimensions to reinforcing bar groups.
Each reinforcing bar group may have dimension marks with or without tags,
distributed dimension lines, or variants of these styles. The dimensions are
created based on the dimension properties defined in the rebar dimension
mark properties. The Rebar command for creating the rebar dimension marks
is available in GA drawings and cast unit drawings.
• You might want to add rebar dimension marks especially in concrete cast
unit drawings, where there is only one reinforced cast unit visible.
• The dimension lines or distribution lines show the distribution of the rebars
in the group, and typically draw dashed lines from the dimension lines
to the rebars when you drag the dimension outside the rebar group.
You might want to use distribution lines especially in GA reinforcement
drawings, because they may contain a lot of parts with rebar groups, and
you often need to show only one rebar from the group and drag the
dimension line to a proper place to see everything clearly.
• When adding dimensions, start by using the predefined dimension settings
defined in your own environment. You can modify these settings for
individual dimensions, if necessary.
The Default environment contains the following rebar dimension settings files
you can load in the rebar dimension mark properties:
• rebar_dimension_line for creating distribution lines
• rebar_dimension_mark for creating dimension marks
• rebar_tagged_dimension_mark for creating tagged dimension marks
For more information about typical settings, see section "Typical dimension
mark, tagged dimension mark, and dimension line settings" below.
In addition to the rebar dimensioning methods described below, you can also
dimension rebars by using the Rebar group dimensioning application, see
Dimension rebars with Rebar group dimensioning application (page 273).

Edit drawings 263 Add dimensions in drawings

Add dimensions to rebar groups

1. To open the rebar dimension mark properties, hold down Shift and, on
the Dimensioning ribbon tab, click the Rebar command.
2. Load one of the predefined rebar dimension settings files, go through the
rebar dimension properties (page 1011), and see if you want to change
something.
3. Select a rebar group in the drawing.
4. If you have selected Fixed (default) as the Placing method option in the
rebar dimension properties, you will be asked to pick a position.
The rebar dimensions are created. You can continue picking more
reinforcing bar groups, or stop creating rebar dimensions by pressing Esc
on the keyboard.

TIP You can also add rebar dimension marks with the Add mark -->
Dimension mark command on the context menu, or with the Add
rebar dimension mark command through Quick Launch. You can
also create a keyboard shortcut for the command.

Below is an example of rebar dimension marks:

Below is an example of tagged dimension marks:

Edit drawings 264 Add dimensions in drawings

Below is an example of dimension lines:

Below is an example of the dimension line when it has been dragged

outside the reinforcing bar group:

Edit drawings 265 Add dimensions in drawings

 Below is an example where only one rebar of the group is visible, and the
dimension line has been dragged outside the group.

Modify dimensions
• You can change the properties of the current rebar dimension after
creating it by clicking the rebar dimension in an open drawing, and
modifying the dimension properties as required. For example, you might
want to add more tags, or select how to align tags in curved dimensions.
• You can control the symbol placed at the intersection of the
dimension line and rebar location with the advanced option
XS_REBAR_DIMENSION_LINE_SYMBOL.
• The dotted extension line connecting the rebar to the symbol is hard coded
and cannot be customized.
• Note that you cannot change the following properties when you have a
drawing open and you are editing a rebar dimension mark:
Dimension to
Part edge
Tapered dimension type
Curved dimension type

Placing rebar dimensions

During manual dimension creation the Placing method setting is considered
as follows:
• If you have selected more than one rebar object, the Dimension mark
command ignores the Fixed option and automatically places the rebar
dimension mark for each selected rebar object.
• If you have selected only one rebar object, and Placing method is set to
Fixed, you will be prompted to pick a position for the dimension.
• If you have selected only one rebar object, and Placing method is set to
Free, the dimension will be placed automatically.
• With the Rebar command on the ribbon, you can create rebar dimension
marks without selecting a rebar object first. In this case, you will be
prompted to pick a rebar object:

Edit drawings 266 Add dimensions in drawings

 • If Placing method is set to Fixed, you will be prompted to pick a
position for the dimension, and if Placing method is set to Free, the
dimension will be placed automatically.
• After the dimension has been placed either manually or automatically,
you will be prompted to pick another rebar object.

Typical dimension mark, tagged dimension mark, and dimension line

settings
rebar_dimension_mark.rdim
Dimension to: All rebars
Subgrouping: selected
Extension line to visible rebar: not selected
Combine equal dimensions: 3*60=180
Minimum number to combine: 1
Prefix set in dimension tags.
Show numeric value: not selected.

rebar_tagged_dimension_mark.rdim
Dimension to: All rebars
Subgrouping: selected
Extension line to visible rebar: not selected
Combine equal dimensions: 3*60=180
Minimum number to combine: 1
Set the appropriate tag contents.

rebar_dimension_line.rdim
Dimension to: Start and end rebars
Subgrouping: not selected
Extension line to visible rebar: selected
Combine equal dimensions: Off

Create dimension marks to all rebars

You can add dimension marks to all rebars at one go with the Create
dimension marks for all rebars application. This application creates any
types of rebar dimension marks.

1. Open a rebar drawing.

Edit drawings 267 Add dimensions in drawings

2. To adjust the rebar dimension mark properties (page 1011) before creating
the dimension marks, open the drawing property pane object list and
select Rebar dimension mark. Modify the properties as necessary.

3. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.
4. Search for the Create dimension marks for all rebars application, and
double-click the application.
Rebar dimension marks are created for all rebars according to the defined
rebar dimension mark properties.

Examples of rebar dimensions

• Below is a tapered skewed part, and the dimension line follows the shape
of the edge that is closest to where you pick. The dimensions have Skewed
representation.

• Below is a tapered curved part, and the dimensions have Curved

representation.

Edit drawings 268 Add dimensions in drawings

• Below is an example of curved orthogonal dimensions of a tapered curved
rebar group with a dimension tag on the left:

Edit drawings 269 Add dimensions in drawings

• You can also add middle tags in rebar dimensions. Here dual dimensions
(page 304) have been applied:

• Curved dimension tags can be aligned by selecting one of the options in

the Curved dimension tag type list in the dimension properties:

In the example below, only one rebar is visible, and rebar tags are aligned

vertically :

Edit drawings 270 Add dimensions in drawings

In the example below, the dimension tag follows along the dimension curve

Edit drawings 271 Add dimensions in drawings

• Below is an example of curved orthogonal dimensions in a radial
reinforcing bar group.

Add closing dimensions to rebar dimensions

In a drawing containing a reinforcing bar group, you can manually add closing
dimensions to the edge of the part.
1. Open a cast unit drawing.
2. Select a reinforcing bar group dimension line.
3. On the Dimensioning tab, click Add point.
4. Select the points where you want to add the closing dimensions.

Tekla Structures creates the closing dimensions.

Edit drawings 272 Add dimensions in drawings

You can also define closing dimensions in rebar dimension mark properties by
selecting the Part edge option.

Dimension rebars with Rebar group dimensioning

application
The Rebar group dimensioning application offers different styles for
presenting rebar group dimension lines and dimension marks flexibly. For
example, you can mark and dimension multiple stirrups at one go. The Rebar
group dimensioning helps you to efficiently create quality reinforcement
drawings according to the market requirements.

Add dimensions to rebar groups

1. In a drawing, select the rebar groups to be dimensioned.

2. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
4. In the Applications list, select Rebar group dimensioning.
5. Pick a location for the dimension line in the model.
Tekla Structures creates the dimensions according to the defined settings.
Rebar group dimensioning uses associative notes in the label creation,
and rebar group dimension labels are automatically updated when there
is a change in the model objects they are bound to.
For more information about the settings, see Rebar group dimensioning
settings below.

Edit drawings 273 Add dimensions in drawings

Modify rebar group dimensions
1. Double-click the dimension and adjust the settings:
• On the Parameters tab, define what the dimensions look like and
what it contains. You can also define the content of the stirrup
dimension marks.
• On the Extra marks in front and Extra marks behind tabs, create an
extra mark in front of or behind the dimension line.
• On the Advanced settings tab, define the offsets, spaces and cc
distances for the stirrup dimension marks.
• On the Rebar lines tab, define the generation and the appearance of
the leader lines belonging to the stirrup dimensions.
2. Click Modify.

Rebar group dimensioning settings

Parameters tab

Setting Options and descriptions

Annotation type Select the annotation type. The options are:

Edit drawings 274 Add dimensions in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

Define the positioning of the mark. The available

options depend on the selected Annotation type

Edit drawings 275 Add dimensions in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions
Angle option. You can also define the mark angle in the
Angle box. The options are:

Edit drawings 276 Add dimensions in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

Mark position examples:

Edit drawings 277 Add dimensions in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

In the example below, the mark angle has been

defined.

Edit drawings 278 Add dimensions in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions

Define the number and the location of the mark

leader lines. You can also indicate which group you
are working with by entering the group number in
the Group number box.
Group number
This option is available for certain annotation types
only. The options are:

Edit drawings 279 Add dimensions in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

In the following example, group number 2 is

defined.

In the following example, group number 2 is

defined.

Edit drawings 280 Add dimensions in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions

Consider irregular Yes

spaces as separate
groups

No

Dimension each CC Yes

distance

No

Combine dim. between Allows you to combine the dimensions of the

rebar - dim. distance between two rebar groups with the

Edit drawings 281 Add dimensions in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions
dimensions of the rebar group where the spacing
is the same as the distance between the groups.
It also combines the first/last group dimension line
with the distance to the part end if the distance to
the border is the same as the rebar group spacing.
For an example, see the section "More examples"
below.
Distribution line Select the desired dimension properties for the
properties displayed dimension line by selecting a dimension
properties file. The available properties are the
ones that have been defined and saved in
Dimension Properties (page 1010).
Available elements Select the information to be displayed in the mark
such as grade, diameter and cc distances for mark
1 and mark 2.
Elements in mark List of the information that you have selected to
display in mark 1 and mark 2.
Text properties Define the text properties. The available properties
files are the ones that have been defined and
saved in Text properties (page 420).
Position Select where you want to place the mark. The
options are:
• Automatic: Mark 1 is positioned above the
dimension text, when the dimension is above
the part, and under the dimension text when
the dimension is under the part.
• Above dim. text: Mark 1 is always positioned
above the dimension text.
• Below dim. line: Mark 1 is always positioned
below the dimension text.
When placing the mark, the dimension text font
size for the above text position and the spacing
values defined on the Advanced settings tab for
both positions are considered. This setting is only
available for the non-radial annotation types.
Units Define the units:
• Automatic
• mm
• cm
• m
• foot - inch

Edit drawings 282 Add dimensions in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions
• inch
Only available for the following mark content:
• Length
• Cc
• cc min
• cc max
• cc exact
• cc target
• Length itemized
Format Define the format:
• ###
• ###[.#]
• ###[.##]
• ###[.###]
• ###.#
• ### #/#
• ###.##
• ###.###
Only available for the following mark content:
• Length
• Cc
• cc min
• cc max
• cc exact
• cc target
• Length itemized
Precision Define the precision:
• 0.00
• 0.50
• 0.33
• 0.25
• 1/8
• 1/16

Edit drawings 283 Add dimensions in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions
• 1/32
• 1/10
• 1/100
• 1/1000
For example, for precision 0.33, the actual value
50.40 is displayed as 50.33.
1/8, 1/16, and 1/32 are for imperial units.
1/10, 1/100, and 1/1000 are used for defining
precision without rounding.
Sum values A B C These options are only available for the following
mark content:
Sum segm rebar axis
• Length
Length TplEd
• Cc
• cc min
• cc max
• cc exact
• cc target
Mark 2 position Define whether and how the rebar position is
displayed in mark 2. The options are:
Not
Before main mark
Behind main mark
Above main mark
Below main mark
Mark 2 frame Select the frame type and color for the mark 2.
This option is available for certain annotation types
only. The options are:

Edit drawings 284 Add dimensions in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions

Extra marks in front and Extra marks behind tabs

Setting Options and descriptions

Marks in front of the To create marks in front of the dimension line,
dimension line select Yes. No is the default value.

Marks behind the To create marks behind the dimension line, select
dimension line Yes. No is the default value.

Combine equal marks Select Yes to group duplicate marks into one mark.
Available elements Select the information to be displayed in the mark
in front of or behind the dimensions line.
Elements in mark List of the information that you have selected
to display in the mark in front of or behind the
dimensions line.
Text properties Define the text properties for the marks. The
available properties files are the ones that have
been defined and saved in Text properties
(page 420).
Position Define whether and how the rebar position is
displayed in marks. The options are:
No
Before main mark
Behind main mark
Text properties Define the text properties for the rebar position.
The available properties files are the ones that
have been defined and saved in Text properties
(page 420).
Number Select how to show the number of rebars. The
options are:
Total number in rebar group
Number displayed in view
Total number in drawing

Edit drawings 285 Add dimensions in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions
Total number in cast unit
These options are only available for the Number
element.
Units Define the units:
• Automatic
• mm
• cm
• m
• foot - inch
• inch
Only available for the following
content:
• Length
• Cc
• cc min
• cc max
• cc exact
• cc target
• Length itemized
Format Define the format:
• ###
• ###[.#]
• ###[.##]
• ###[.###]
• ###.#
• ### #/#
• ###.##
• ###.###
Only available for the following mark content:
• Length
• Cc
• cc min
• cc max

Edit drawings 286 Add dimensions in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions
• cc exact
• cc target
• Length itemized
Precision Define the precision:
• 0.00
• 0.50
• 0.33
• 0.25
• 1/8
• 1/16
• 1/32
• 1/10
• 1/100
• 1/1000
For example, for precision 0.33, the actual value
50.40 is displayed as 50.33.
1/8, 1/16, and 1/32 are for imperial units.
1/10, 1/100, and 1/1000 are used for defining
precision without rounding.
Sum values A B C These options are only available for the following
mark content:
Sum segm rebar axis
• Length
Length TplEd
• Cc
• cc min
• cc max
• cc exact
• cc target
Mark placement settings

The options 3 is the default option.

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Setting Options and descriptions

(1) All the marks are placed above the dimension

line.
(2) The middle of the last mark is on the the
dimension line.
(3) The middle (calculated in the dir. - to the
dimension line) of the mark group is on the
dimension line. This is the default option.
(4) The dimension line is extended between the
marks.
• If there is only one mark, it is placed above the
line.
• If there are two marks, one mark is placed
above and the other under the line.
• If there are three marks, two marks are placed
above and one mark is placed under the line.
(5) The middle of the first mark is on the dimension
line.
(6) All marks are placed under the dimension line.

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 Setting Options and descriptions
The parameters a, b, c1 and c2 are needed to get
the desired distances between the marks and the
dimension line.

The default values are:

a=1
b=1
c1 = 5
c2 = 5

Advanced settings tab

Setting Options and descriptions

First mark spacing Enter a millimeter value to indicate the space
between the dimension line and the first line of
dimension mark text. You can define the first mark
distance when the label is above or below the
dimension line.

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 Setting Options and descriptions

Space between Mark1 Define the space between mark 1 and mark 2
and Mark2
Free space below text / If you select Free space below text, enter a
Dimension line spacing millimeter value to indicate the space between
the last line of dimension mark text and the next
dimension line.

If you select Dimension line spacing and enter a

millimeter value to indicate the space between two
or more dimension lines.

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 Setting Options and descriptions

Text offset dimension

line

Group dimensions Control if dimensions are grouped or not.

Grouping also works when the distance between
the groups is zero.
Grouping tolerance Define whether double stirrup groups are
combined into one dimension line.
If the distance between the stirrups (in the image
below 12 mm) is greater than the entered value
(=10 mm), two dimension lines are created:

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 Setting Options and descriptions
Group mark spacing Enter a millimeter value to indicate the space
between several lines of dimension mark text.

Part extrema Define how to close the dimension lines on the

contour of the concrete part. The following options
are available:

Examples:

The dimension line is always positioned on the

outermost lines of the concrete part.

The dimension line is positioned to the nearest

side/geometry point of the concrete part relative
to the picked insertion point of the dimension line
(plugin). See the examples below.

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 Setting Options and descriptions

Rebar lines tab

On the Rebar lines tab, you can define the generation and the appearance of
the leader lines and symbols of the dimension line. You adjust the settings of
Not visualized rebars, Visualized rebars, Group end rebars and Part edges.

Setting Options and descriptions

Not visualized rebars

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 Setting Options and descriptions
Visualized rebars

Group end rebars Applied to the first and last bar in the group.

Part edges

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Setting Options and descriptions
Define the generation of the leader lines and
symbols for the Not visualized rebars or
Visualized rebars. The options are:

No leader lines or symbols.

Leader lines. Define the length of the leader lines

relative to the dimension line.

Leader lines and symbols. Define the length of the

leader lines relative to the dimension line.

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Setting Options and descriptions

Leader lines. Define the length of the leader lines

relative to the contour of the concrete part.

Leader lines and symbols. Define the length of the

leader lines relative to the contour of the concrete
part.

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Setting Options and descriptions

Leader lines. Define the length of the leader lines

relative to the rebar.

Leader lines and symbols. Define the length of the

leader lines relative to the rebar.

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Setting Options and descriptions

Symbols only

Define the generation of the leader lines and

symbols for the Part edges.
See the examples for the option Not visualized
rebars above.
The following options are available:

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Setting Options and descriptions
Define the generation of the leader lines and
symbols for the contour of the concrete part
See the examples for the option Not visualized
rebars above.
The following options are available:

Define the color and the line type for the various
leader line types.

Define whether all leader lines and symbols are

shown for Visualized rebars and if this should
be done for one single rebar only. The following
options are available:

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Setting Options and descriptions

Define the symbol file and symbol number to

be used. You can use existing symbols in Tekla
Structures by selecting a symbol file and a symbol
number. You can also define the color and the size
of the symbol.
Symbols are defined separately for Not visualized
rebars, Visualized rebars, Group end rebars and
Part edges
Examples:

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Setting Options and descriptions

Edit drawings 301 Add dimensions in drawings

More examples

Edit drawings 302 Add dimensions in drawings

Example of the setting Combine dim. between rebar - dim. on the
Parameters tab
• In the example below, the first dimension from the top shows the rebar
groups (blue color) with the distances between the groups (green color)
plus the distances to the part ends (grey color). Dimensions are not
combined.
• The second dimension shows the same situation with marked equalities
between the drawing rebar group spacing (cc) and the distances between
the groups.
• In the third dimension, the new combining type Consider same spacings
has been applied. The green distances between the two blue rebar groups
have been combined with the group that has the same spacing (cc) as the
distance between the groups.
• The combining has also been applied to the gray distance to the part end
because the distance to the part end is the same as the spacing (cc) of the
adjacent rebar group.

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Modify dimensions
You can modify the created dimensions in several ways: modify the dimension
appearance, add dual dimensions, filter dimension tag content, exaggerate
dimensions, select to show plate side marks, change the location of short
outside dimension texts, or change the dimension extension line length.

Modify dimension properties

You can modify the properties of the dimensions (page 1011) in an open
drawing.

1. Click a dimension, which can be either automatically or manually added.

If the drawing property pane is not open, double-click the dimension.
If you want to modify several dimensions, hold down Ctrl and click the
dimensions.
If you have selected several dimensions, the properties that have different
values have the text Varies. You can select another value from the list.
2. Modify the Dimension line properties, such as type, color, and arrow.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
3. Modify the Dimension value properties, such as font, place on line,
background, frame, units, format, and precision. You can group the digits,

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 combine equal dimensions, and define if you want to show the numeric
value of the dimensions.
4. Modify the Exaggeration settings as required.
5. Select if you want to show Plate side marks, and modify the plate side
mark settings.
6. Add dimension tags (page 252) as required by using the visual tag editor,
modify font and frame properties, and set the dimension tag rotation.
Here you can set the dimension prefix and postfix.
Here you can include Part count to dimension tags and select a Excluded
tags filter that removes the desired default content from the tag. You can
also select the Curved dimension tag type to control how the tags are
aligned to the dimension.
7. Modify the dimension 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.
8. Click Modify. The selected dimensions are modified in the drawing.

Add dual dimensions manually

In dual dimensions, you can show dimensions in different units and format,
above and below the dimension line.
Note that dual dimensions can only be shown in relative and US absolute
dimensions, but not in absolute dimensions.
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Options, and go to the Drawing
dimensions settings.
2. Set the unit, formats and precision, and activate the dual dimensions for
the necessary drawing types in Dimensions in tags.

3. Click OK.
4. Open a drawing and click a dimension. If the drawing property pane is not
open, double-click the dimension.
5. Go to the Tags section, open the Content of tag area, click the middle tag
box, and select the Dual dimension checkbox. Add the desired elements
in the middle dimension tag.

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6. Click Modify.
7. If you do not want to show dual dimensions in all dimensions, you can
remove the contents of the middle tag by clicking the red cross in the tag
corner, or by clearing the selection from the Dual dimension checkbox.

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

You can also add dual dimension automatically (page 853).

Filter out dimension tag content

You can remove from a dimension tag some content that has been added in
the tag automatically based on the dimension end point locations. First you
need to create a drawing view filter that you will use for selecting the content
that needs to be removed.
The example below shows a tag that automatically contains the text "CORBEL".
You will now remove this text.

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

5. Enter the name of the filter in the box next to the Save button and click
the button to save the filter. In this example, enter concrete.
6. To close the dialog, click Cancel.
7. In the drawing, click the dimension that contains the content that you
want to remove. If the property pane is not open, double-click the
dimension.
8. Go to the Excluded tags section in the property pane, select the filter you
just created. Here, select the concrete filter.

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9. 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.

Control dimension tag content with associativity rules

Dimension tag content can also be controlled using associativity rules.
Selecting the right associativity rules helps you to easily select objects that
need to be shown in the tags and to set up dimension tags, without having
to create complex exclusion filters. Only attributes that correspond to the
selected objects will be shown in the tags.
This is especially helpful in conflict situations where dimension points might
not be associated with the desired objects, because there are other objects in
the same dimension point location.
To adjust dimension tag content:
1. In an open drawing, right-click a dimension whose tags you want to
modify.
2. In the context menu, select Show dimension associativity rules, and
then select the objects that you want to show in the dimension tag.
The objects that are not selected from the associativity rule list are
immediately filtered out from the tag.
Example:
The properties that correspond to all dimensioned objects are shown in
the tag:

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 After selecting the appropriate objects from the associativity rule list, the
objects that are not selected are immediately filtered out from the tag.

Limitations
There are some hard-coded filtering rules in the dimension tag code that you
should keep in mind:
• The main part properties are always filtered out if the dimension is
associated to the main part and secondary parts.
Example: You create a dimension that is connected to a main part and a
number of embeds (secondary parts). The marks are displayed from the
embeds (secondary parts), and the main part is filtered out automatically.
• The attributes of sub-assembly secondary parts are always filtered out.
Instead, the attributes of sub-assembly main parts are shown.
Example: You create a dimension that is connected to embeds. All embed
sub-parts need to be filtered out. In addition, if the embed main parts are
not in the array, they are added to this array.

Exaggerate selected dimensions

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 is enlarged using the defined scale. If there are many
exaggerated dimensions, Tekla Structures arranges them automatically.
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Options and go to the Drawing
dimensions page.

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2. Set the Exaggeration limit and Exaggeration scaling.
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.
4. In an open drawing, click the dimension that you want to exaggerate.
5. In dimension properties, go to the Exaggeration section, and do the
following:
• In Exaggerate short dimensions, select Specified.
• Select the Direction of the exaggeration: Left / Down, Right / Up, or
Both.
• Set the Origin:
: The origin is near the dimension line.

: The origin near the measured object.

• Set the desired exaggeration width, and the position and height for the
exaggerated dimension.
6. Click Modify.
The selected dimensions are exaggerated.

You can also define dimension exaggeration in the view level properties
(page 857).

Show plate side marks on dimension leader lines

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, such as a plate, web, or flange.

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1. In an open drawing, click the dimension where you want to show plate
side marks.
2. To control the plate side mark symbol and insert the symbols, in the
dimension properties, go to the Plate side marks section and set the
Side mark type to Specified .
The option Automatic is available only in intelligent
drawings, which is the case when the advanced option
XS_INTELLIGENT_DRAWING_ALLOWED is set to TRUE.
3. Modify the other properties of the plate side marks as required:
• Select the left and right plate side mark.

• Set the mark size.

• Set an offset for the mark from the dimension line.
• Adjust the mark color.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
4. Click Modify. The plate side marks are created.

Also check the following topics:

XS_DIMENSION_PLATE_SIDE_MARK_SYMBOL_LEFT
XS_DIMENSION_PLATE_SIDE_MARK_SYMBOL_CENTER

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 XS_DIMENSION_PLATE_SIDE_MARK_SYMBOL_RIGHT
XS_INTELLIGENT_DRAWING_ALLOWED

Change the location of short outside dimension texts

You can select to place the texts of short dimensions outside the dimensions.
In the dimension properties, set the Short dimensions setting to Outside.
You can also 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.
• You can place the dimension text outside the dimensions if there is enough
space for the dimension text.
1. On the Dimensioning tab, click Flip outside dimension.
2. Click the dimension whose location you want to change.

You can change the dimension location by dragging the dimensions

(page 314).

Set the dimension extension line length

You can adjust the length of the dimension extension lines in the dimension
properties in an open drawing. You can also adjust the extension line length
using advanced options.
1. Open a drawing and click a dimension.
2. Select an option from the Short extension line list:

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 Options Description
No Use the short extension line only if
the dimension line falls on a grid line:

If you want to exaggerate (page 857)

dimensions, you need to set this
option to No.
Yes Create extension lines all of the same
length:

On grid lines only Use the short extension line

automatically if a dimension line
falls on a grid line. Elsewhere the
extension line will be as usual.

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3. Click Modify.
The dimension extension lines are shortened according to your selections.
To adjust the extension line lengths, go to File --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Dimensioning - general and set the following advanced options.
These advanced options adjust the extension line length in relation to the text
size:

(1) Text height * 1.0 (default). Use

XS_DIMENSION_EXTENSION_LINE_AWAY_FACTOR to adjust the length of the
dimension extension lines that are facing away from the dimension points.
(2) Text height * 1.5 (default). Use
XS_DIMENSION_EXTENSION_LINE_TOWARD_FACTOR to adjust the length of the
dimension extension lines that are facing towards the dimension points.

Drag dimension marks

Dimension marks can be freely dragged to avoid overlapping dimensions and
marks.

Note that you can only drag relative dimensions, not absolute dimensions.
Go to File --> Settings and ensure that Drawing drag & drop is selected .
1. Point the handle, press down the left mouse button, and drag the
dimension mark to the desired location.

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 Tekla Structures automatically adds a leader line to the dimension mark
that is dragged from its original position.

Note that if you do not want to draw a leader line when a dimension
text is dragged away from the dimension line, set the advanced
option XS_LEADER_LINE_TO_DRAGGED_DIMENSION_TEXT to FALSE in
the category Dimensioning - general in the Advanced options dialog.
The default value is TRUE.

See also
Drag, reshape and resize drawing objects (page 480)
Modify dimensions (page 304)

Recreate dimensions for all parts

You can recreate the dimensions that were originally created for the parts in
the drawing.
Redimensioning removes all manually created dimensions. Tekla Structures
does not redimension linked, 3D, or key plan views.
1. In an open drawing, click a drawing view frame to open the view
properties, and check that you have set the Dimension creation setting
to Automatically.
Tekla Structures only recreates the dimensions in the views where this
setting is set to Automatically.
2. On the Dimensioning tab on the ribbon, click Recreate all dimensions.
Tekla Structures redimensions the parts in the view and removes all
manually created dimensions.

Edit drawings 315 Add dimensions in drawings

See also
Add dimensions manually (page 252)
View properties in drawings (page 990)

Dimension center of gravity (COG)

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.

1. On the Dimensioning tab in an open drawing, click COG .

2. Modify the options as required:

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• 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, load the predefined dimension properties.
By default, a property file called "COG" is used. The representation
(size, color, etc.) of the COG dimensions are read from the dimension
property file that you load. The dimension unit, format and accuracy
also come from this property file. To create and save a dimension
property files, in an open drawing, open the property pane object list
and select Straight dimension, modify the properties as required, and
save the properties with a new name. For example, you may create a
special COG dimension property file to change the color or arrow type,
and load the saved settings in Dimension attributes.
• In Symbol Options, you can change the Symbol file in use by
selecting another symbol file in the list. To change the COG symbol,
click Select, and select another symbol. To load other symbol settings
from another symbol settings file, select another file from the Symbol
attributes list.
You can access the symbol options only if you have selected Both
or Symbol for Create. The representation (height, color, etc.) of the
symbol are read from the symbol property file you load in Symbol
attributes.

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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.

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 This point may fall outside the view frame.

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.

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You can inquire the coordinates of the center of gravity of assemblies, parts, or
welds with the template attributes COG X, COG Y, and COG Z.

What does the COG calculation take into account?

COG calculation takes the following into account:
• Material
• Surface treatment
• Part cuts
• Fittings
• Edge chamfers
COG calculation does not take the following into account:
• Rebars
• Bolts
• Bolt holes
• Welds

Customize dimension line arrows

If you do not find a suitable dimension line arrow in the Arrow list in the
dimension properties, you can create and use an arrow of your own.
First you need to create the arrow symbol in the Symbol Editor, and save the
created symbol in the dimension_arrows.sym file. Then add the position
number of the new symbol in the dimension_arrows.sym file to the
configuration file dimension_arrows.txt file. This file tells which arrows are
available for use in your environment. Finally, you need to create a bitmap for

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the new arrow to be used in dimension properties and place it in the correct
\bitmaps folder.
1. To open Symbol Editor, on the File menu, click Editors --> Symbol editor .
2. Open the dimension_arrows.sym file located in the Common
environment
(...ProgramData\Trimble\TeklaStructures\<version>\Environm
ents\common\symbols) or in your environment under the \symbols
folder.
3. Click an empty symbol slot and sketch your symbol with Symbol Editor
drawing tools.
You can also import AutoCAD or MicroStation files through File -->
Import.
4. When the symbol is ready, point the symbol slot to check the number of
the new symbol at the bottom of the window.

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

6. To close the Symbol Editor, click File --> Exit .
7. Open the dimension_arrows.txt file located in the same \symbols
folder as the dimension_arrows.sym file.
Open the file in Notepad++, for example. The file contains a list of symbol
numbers.
8. Add the number of your symbol preceded by two zeros (00) in a correct
position and separate it with a comma:
000,001,002,003,004
9. Click File --> Save to save your change.

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10. Create a bitmap of the new arrow and save it in the appropriate
\bitmaps folder, for example ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\<version>\bitmaps folder.
Use the following naming convention in the file name:
dr_dialog_dim_arrow_type_004.bmp.
11. Finally, restart Tekla Structures.
12. Check that the new arrow is displayed in the Arrow list in the dimension
properties:
• Click a dimension in a drawing to open dimension properties
(page 1011), and then open the Arrow list. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the dimension.
The new arrow symbol is now available:

NOTE We recommend that you define a firm folder (page 428) for symbols and
bitmaps, because the default folders are overwritten when you upgrade to a
newer version of Tekla Structures. Add the firm folder both for the advanced
option that defines the path to the symbols DXK_SYMBOLPATH and for the
advanced option that defines the path to the bitmaps DAK_BMPPATH. If you
use your env_<environment>.ini file to define the paths, you can use
%XS_FIRM% ja %XS_PROJECT% in the definition only if they have been used
earlier in the this .ini file. Otherwise, you need to write the absolute paths
for both DXK_SYMBOLPATH and DAK_BMPPATH.

See also
Dimension properties (page 1011)

Set a new dimension start point

You can select a new start point for running dimensions (dimensions that start
from a common start point).
1. Select an existing dimension in a drawing.
2. On the Dimensioning tab, click Set start point.
3. Select the new start point.
Tekla Structures automatically updates the dimensions.

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Example
You can use this command to swap the running dimensions start point to the
opposite end of the 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.

Related information

See also
Changing RD mark on running dimensions
Dimension properties (page 1011)

Add or remove dimension points

You can add new dimension points to, or remove existing dimension points
from the selected dimension set. You can only add points to one dimension
line at a time.

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1. Select the dimension line.
2. On the Dimensioning tab, click Add point.
3. Click a position on the part where you want to add the dimension point.
You can add several points.
To remove a point, on the Dimensioning tab, click Remove point and
click 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.

See also
Dimension properties (page 1011)
Modify dimensions (page 304)
Add closing dimensions to rebar dimensions (page 272)

Display and change dimension point associativity

You can change the dimension point associativity to avoid incorrect
associativity, or to simply make the associativity selection distinct. Each
dimension point associativity anchor shows a list of objects that have locations
available for association. You can change the dimension point associativity in
straight dimensions only.
Dimensioning points created in Tekla Structures are associated to the objects
where the dimension points have been added. This allows the dimensions to
update automatically when the objects are changed during modeling.
Sometimes the dimension point locations may be unclear due to orthogonal
projection. A dimension point might be not be associated to the desired
object because there are various other objects in the same point location. In
drawing update or cloning, this may lead to unwanted dimensioning values or
associativity.
It is also possible to associate dimensions to object center lines outside the
object area.

Display and change dimension point associativity

1. In an open drawing, select the desired dimension or dimension set.
2. Click a dimension point associativity anchor.

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 This displays the dimension associativity rule list, which shows the objects
where the dimension point can be associated.

Note that the feature intelligently selects the rules based on the data
collected on previously selected rules in the range of the dimension that
is being created. When you continue picking dimension points you may
notice that the associativity rules similar to the rules picked earlier are
selected automatically.
The associativity rule list is located so that it avoids overlapping with
the building objects and mouse pointer. The feature detects the current
position of the mouse pointer and keeps the associativity rule list on the
opposite side relative to the picked dimension point.
In the following image, the mouse pointer position is indicated with a blue
circle and the picked dimension point with an orange circle:

3. Click a rule in the list to select it and associate the dimension point to a
new object.

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 When you click the rule, the corresponding object is highlighted in the
drawing. This makes it easy for you to to check if the selected rule refers
to the object you want.

4. You can also do the following:

• Open a several dimension associativity rule lists at a time by holding
down Ctrl or Shift and clicking dimension point associativity anchors,
or holding down Alt and using area selection.
• Open all associativity rules related to the selected dimension, click a
dimension and select Show dimension associativity rules from the
context menu.
• You can alter associativity rules by scrolling the mouse wheel while
mouse cursor hovers over a rule list.
• To select associativity rules related to same object types in all
opened rule lists, double-click the desired rule. Selected rules will be
highlighted with yellow color in all opened rule lists.

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 • You can control the maximum number of shown rules in the
associativity rule list with the following advanced options:
XS_INTELLIGENCE_MAX_RULE_COUNT
XS_INTELLIGENCE_MAX_PART_COUNT
XS_INTELLIGENCE_MAX_PLANE_COUNT
If the needed associativity option is missing from the rule list, increase
the number of the shown rules by changing the advanced option
values.
5. Click the drawing background to close the rule list.

Select dimension point associativity in manual dimensioning

You can select the associativity rules for each dimension point during manual
dimensioning of the drawing objects. This way you can properly associate
a dimension during its creation, and the dimension locations are preserved
better during updates and cloning.
1. In an open drawing, activate the dimension creation associativity
functionality: Go to File --> Settings, and select the Dimension creation
associativity checkbox.
2. Start creating a dimension with any of the following dimensioning
commands: Horizontal, Vertical, Orthogonal, Perpendicular, Parallel
or Free.
3. To display the associativity rule list, pick a dimension point position.

4. Select the desired associativity rule in one of the following ways:

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 • By scrolling the mouse wheel when the mouse pointer is on the
associativity rule list.
• By directly selecting the desired associativity rule from the list by
clicking the rule with the left mouse button.
• By entering the Select next associativity option command in Quick
Launch.
• By using a keyboard shortcut that you have defined for Select next
associativity option.
When you select a rule, the related object is highlighted in the drawing,
which allows you to check if the selected rule refers to an appropriate
object.

When you have selected the associativity rule, you can continue creating
the dimension by picking the following dimension points. The associativity
rule list is displayed each time when a point with available associativity
rules is detected.
Limitations
• Selecting dimension associativity rule during manual dimension creation
works only with straight type of dimensions, only with the following
commands: Horizontal, Vertical, Orthogonal, Perpendicular, Parallel
and Free.
• Some rules can be missing in the associativity rule list. To increase the
number of rules listed in associativity rule list, increase the value of the
following advanced options:
XS_INTELLIGENCE_MAX_RULE_COUNT
XS_INTELLIGENCE_MAX_PART_COUNT
XS_INTELLIGENCE_MAX_PLANE_COUNT

Edit drawings 328 Add dimensions in drawings

Associativity rule list content
• The following attributes are shown in the rule list for the following building
objects:
• Steel parts: "NAME", "PART_POS", "PROFILE"
• Concrete objects: "NAME", "PROFILE"
• Polygon cuts: "NAME", "PROFILE"
• Reinforcement: "NAME", "REBAR_POS"
• Bolts: "NAME", “DIAMETER”, “LENGTH”
• Grid: Grid "NAME"
• Intersection of grid line and building object side: Grid “NAME” or the
label of the building object:

• Intersection of grid lines: Grid “NAME”/”NAME”:

Edit drawings 329 Add dimensions in drawings

 • Building object reference line or centerline: “Reference point” or
“Center” accordingly
• Pour units: Pour object "POUR_TYPE", # "POUR_NUMBER"
• The Default associativity rule is not always shown in the associativity
rule list, unless it is the only rule available, or if it has been previously
selected as the active rule for the chosen dimension point. If Default is
selected, the dimension point will automatically select which object to
follow during the dimension update based on the new position of the
objects. Note that there might not be any rule in the associativity rule
list that would correspond the behavior of the Default option. Selecting
another option than the Default option makes it possible to guarantee
which object will be followed during the dimension update.
• Display dimension associativity with the Clone and Clone selected
commands:
• Changing associativity rules in selected dimension points allows you
to achieve more accurate results in cloning dimensions in drawings.
An associativity option selected in a rule list will be preserved in the
cloned dimension if the selected rule corresponds to a similar object
in a cloned drawing or in a target selection in a GA drawing. Objects
are not considered to be similar if they have been modeled by using
different commands, such as steel beam, steel plate, reinforcement,
or bolt.
• Note that when the drawing is cloned automatically due to
renumbering, the associativity rules are recomputed from scratch
and any preferred rules set by the user are lost.

Add 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
Create anchor bolt plans using saved settings (page 167)
Add automatic dimensions to general arrangement drawings (page 868)

Edit drawings 330 Add dimensions in drawings

Link 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.
1. In an open drawing, hold down Ctrl and select two perpendicular
dimension lines to connect.

2. On the Dimensioning tab, click Link dimensions.

3. If you want to unlink the dimension lines you linked, select the

linked dimension line and, on the Dimensioning tab, click Unlink

dimensions.

Example
Below is an example of linked dimension lines:

See also
Modify dimensions (page 304)

Combine dimension lines

You can manually combine a group of two or more parallel dimension lines
into one line.
1. Hold down Ctrl and click the dimension lines you want to combine.
2. On the Dimensioning tab, click Combine lines.
You can also right-click and select Combine dimension lines.

Edit drawings 331 Add dimensions in drawings

Note that you cannot uncombine the combined dimension lines using a single
command, there is no command for that. To return to the state where the
dimensions were not combined, you need to create the dimensions again
from the start. However, there is a workaround: You can activate the Select
drawing single dimensions selection switch, click a single dimension in the
combined dimensions, and then drag the selected dimension to the desired
location.

See also
Modify dimensions (page 304)

Move 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

Edit drawings 332 Add dimensions in drawings

 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.
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.

4.9 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

You can add many kinds of annotation objects in your drawings, such as
marks, notes, and texts. Some of these are associative and some independent.
Associative annotation objects
Marks and notes are associative annotation objects, which are updated
according to the changes you make in a building object in the model.
In addition to the automatic marks that you already may have in a drawing,
you can add annotation objects manually and modify their properties:
Drawing content manager (page 335)
Add part marks manually in drawings (page 346)
Add reinforcement marks manually in drawings (page 349)
Add reinforcement marks with Rebar group marking application (page 351)
Adjust mark visibility in an existing drawing (page 372)
Add reinforcement ticks or reinforcement tags in drawings (page 388)
Show welds in drawings (page 552)
Add marks to spiral beams (page 505)
Add level marks in drawings (page 390)
Add and modify connection marks in drawings (page 400)

Edit drawings 333 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Add and modify surface treatment marks in drawings (page 403)
Add associative notes in drawings (page 375)
Modify marks or notes in drawings (page 382)
Update part and weld marks in drawings (page 384)
Delete marks for selected parts (page 385)
Check changed marks, notes, and dimensions and remove change symbols
(page 405)
Merge marks (page 410)
Independent annotation objects
Texts, section marks, revision marks, and detail marks are independent
annotation objects, which are not linked or connected to the Tekla Structures
model in any way. Other examples of independent annotations objects:
DWG/DXF files, symbols, various types of sketch objects, links, and hyperlinks.
Independent annotation objects will become associative if you snap to a
building object when you create them, because then the objects will get
associativity points. 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 in a drawing, the line
will get an associativity point and move with the part in the drawing if the part
changes in the model.
You can add and modify texts, shapes, section marks, detail marks, DWG/DXF
files, links, hyperlinks, revision marks, sketch objects, and symbols in an open
drawing only.
Add and modify section marks in drawings (page 391)
Add and modify detail marks in drawings (page 396)
Add and modify text in drawings (page 420)
Add revision marks in drawings (page 425)
Add symbols in drawings (page 428)
Add links in drawings (page 438)
Add sketch objects in drawings (page 446)
Leader lines
A leader line is a line that establishes a connection between an annotation
object and a graphical representation of an item or a point in a drawing. The
leader lines may differ between annotation objects, and the leader line type
may affect the annotation location.
Mark properties (page 1053)
How leader line type affects part mark and surface treatment mark location
(page 898)
How leader line type affects reinforcement mark location (page 900)

Edit drawings 334 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Adjust part mark leader lines with advanced options (page 894)
Drag leader line associativity point (page 419)
Place reinforcement mark leader line associativity point automatically
(page 895)

See also
Drawing objects, views and layouts (page 80)
Add dimensions in drawings (page 251)

Drawing content manager

Drawing content manager is an interactive tool for checking and editing
building objects and drawing content, especially marks, dimension marks, and
associative notes, in the current drawing.
Use Drawing content manager to quickly and easily:
• Select relevant drawing content for checking and editing purposes,
and target actions on single or multiple building objects or marks
simultaneously.
• Add, modify or remove building object marks, dimension marks, and
associative notes.
• Add weld marks to model welds in drawings.
• Highlight either objects or marks.
• Check how many marks building objects have in one view or in the entire
drawing.
• Add other content to building objects depending on the object type, such
as rebar dimension lines.
• Modify building object or mark properties.
• Hide/show building objects.
With this tool you can avoid duplicate, missing, or false information, and
efficiently check if all necessary content exists, without having to manually go
through all drawing objects separately.
• To open Drawing content manager, first open a drawing and click the

Drawing content manager button in the side pane. Then click Show
to populate the Drawing content manager list. If you do not want to
list all building objects, narrow your selection by selecting certain drawing
views, drawing areas or multiple objects, and then click Show.

Edit drawings 335 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 TIP If you suspect that some objects are missing from the list, go to the
drawing view properties by double-clicking the drawing view frame
and set the needed building objects visible.

• Drawing content manager lists building objects in the drawing, and

by default the related mark content and quantity. You can add and
change property columns. Associative notes and dimension marks are also
considered and counted as marks.
• You can only see the contents of one category at the time. If you have a lot
of objects in a category, and you need to scroll, the objects are loaded as
you scroll.

Edit drawings 336 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

• The following building object categories are available in Drawing content
manager if they exist in the drawing, and have been set visible in the
drawing View properties:
• Assemblies
• Sub-assemblies
• Parts
• Welds
• Bolts
• Reinforcement
• Pour objects
• Neighbor parts
• Neighbor reinforcement
• Connections - Connection objects have a symbol
representation in drawings. By default, the connection
representation symbol is the symbol number 142 in
the [Link] file in the ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\symbols\ folder.
You can modify the connection representation symbol in Symbol Editor.
Connection symbols are only highlighted in a drawing when you have
selected the objects from the Drawing content manager list, otherwise
connection symbols are hidden.
A highlighted connection symbol:

• Reference objects

How to use the building object list

To Do this
Show in the Drawing
content manager list Click Show hidden items on the Options
the building objects menu.
that are hidden in the This command also shows objects that are hidden
drawing by other objects, and shown in the drawing with
the hidden line type.

Edit drawings 337 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To Do this
Control the visibility of
sub-assembly parts in Click Show sub-assembly secondary parts
the Parts category
on the Options menu to hide sub-assembly
parts from the Parts category. The sub-assembly
main parts are then listed in the Sub-assemblies
category.
By default, the Show sub-assembly secondary
parts option is selected. When selected, Drawing
content manager lists under the Parts category
all parts that belong to the selected assemblies
and sub-assemblies in the drawing. In addition, the
assembly main parts are listed in the Assemblies
category and the sub-assembly main parts in the
Sub-assemblies category.
Select and highlight the
selected building objects Click Show in all viewson the Options
or marks in all drawing menu.
views where they are
visible
Refresh the Drawing
content manager list Click Update. Do this every time you hide
with correct mark some building objects, or if the number of marks
quantity information changes.
Select and highlight Select the objects in Drawing content manager
either building objects or and change the selection from object to mark
marks in the drawing
using the switch . When building object
selection is active, the switch is gray , and
when mark selection is active, the switch is blue

.
Marks selected:

Parts selected:

Edit drawings 338 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To Do this

Highlight objects in Select and highlight objects in the drawing.

the Drawing content
Parts selected in the drawing are highlighted in the
manager list
list:

Collapse or expand Use the arrow buttons .

building object
categories
Search for and list Use the search box.
specific building objects
You can use operators OR and AND. AND is the
default, you do not need to type it. For example, to
find all ground beams and footings, enter FOOTING
OR GROUND_BEAM. To find only ground beams with
position number GB/1, enter GROUND_BEAM GB/1.
Sort mark properties in Click a column header.
alphabetical order

Edit drawings 339 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To Do this
Sort columns Click a column to sort by that column first and
cumulatively then hold down Shift and click another column to
secondarily sort by that column.

Add a new property 1. Click the arrow button next to a category to

column in Drawing expand the category.
content manager
2. Click the + button nex to the the property
column title row. The + button is displayed
when a category is open.

3. In the Add/Edit properties dialog, do the

following:
• Select the required property from the list
on the left and drag it to the list on the
right. Use the Search box for searching

Edit drawings 340 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To Do this
properties. You can add several properties
to the same column.

• If you want to add custom text in a column

cell, select Custom text and type the
required text in the displayed Text box. The
press Enter to add the custom text in the
list on the right.

• To show the property cells even though

there is no value, select the Show empty
fields of the column option.
4. Enter the name for the property column and
click OK.
Change a property Right-click the column name and select Edit.
column

Edit drawings 341 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To Do this
Remove a property Right-click the column name and select Remove.
column
Change the order of the Drag the columns to the new position.
columns

Hide category types

from the list of visible Click the Options button to open the Options
categories menu and click the categories on the displayed list.

Save category properties All generic category properties are saved in

the [Link]
file located by default in the system folder
defined for the advanced option XS_SYSTEM.
All property column modifications (new columns,
edited columns, column order) are saved
in the DrawingContentManagerCategories_
<user>.xml file in the \attributes folder under
the current model folder.
First, Tekla Structures tries to
find the user-specific setting

Edit drawings 342 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To Do this
file DrawingContentManagerCategories_
<user>.xml. If it cannot be found,
Tekla Structures will next look for
[Link].
You can convert the user-specific file to a generic
one just by removing _<user> from the file name.
The folder search order for the generic settings file
is the following:
• \attribute folder under the model folder
• Project folder (XS_PROJECT)
• Firm folder (XS_FIRM)
• System folder (XS_SYSTEM)
• Folder defined by the advanced option
XS_USER_SETTINGS_DIRECTORY
Copy selected rows to Select rows in the Drawing content manager list
clipboard to be used in and use Ctrl+C to copy the selected rows to the
Microsoft Excel clipboard in the .csv format. You can then paste
the rows to a Microsoft Excel sheet. Hold down Crtl
or Shift to select several rows.

Add marks to building objects in a drawing

You can add marks and notes to all visible building objects in a drawing.

NOTE When you create a mark manually, and the content in the properties is
not defined for the object type you have selected in the drawing, the
empty marks are either hidden or shown depending on the setting of
the advanced option XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS.

NOTE Using Drawing content manager is the only way to select

connections and add connection marks in an open drawing. You
cannot select connections in drawings using any specific selection
switches like in the model.

1. Click Show to populate the Drawing content manager list. If you do not
want to list all building objects, narrow your selection by selecting certain
drawing views, areas or multiple objects, and then click Show.
2. Select the building objects that need marks from the Drawing content
manager list.

Edit drawings 343 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 You can select multiple objects only inside one category at a time. Activate

the switch to select only objects in the drawing. The selected objects
are highlighted in the drawing.
To select the whole object category, click the category name, for example,
Parts or Welds.
3. Right-click in the drawing and select one of the following options:
Add associative note: Create notes are using the current associative note
properties.
Add mark --> Using view properties: Create marks using the view level
mark properties.
Add mark --> Using applied mark properties: Create marks using the
current mark properties in the property pane.
Add weld mark: Create weld marks using the view level weld mark
properties.
Add mark --> Dimension mark: Create dimension marks using the
current applied dimension properties.
Tekla Structures creates the marks or notes. The created marks are shown in

Drawing content manager. To update the mark quantity, click Update.

If you select several building objects in the drawing at the same time, and if
some of the selected objects already have marks, the content of the existing
marks does not change.

Check mark count

1. Click Show to populate the Drawing content manager list. If you do not
want to list all building objects, narrow your selection by selecting certain
drawing views, areas or multiple objects, and then click Show.

2. If you want to know the mark count in the whole drawing, click Show

in all views on the Options menu.

3. To include hidden objects in the list and show their mark count as well,

click Show hidden items on the Options menu.

4. To make sure that the mark information is up to date, click Update.

Drawing content manager supports counting all kinds of building object
marks, dimension marks, and associative notes.

Edit drawings 344 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Hide building objects from drawing or drawing view
1. Click Show to populate the Drawing content manager list. If you do not
want to list all building objects, narrow your selection by selecting certain
drawing views, areas or multiple objects, and then click Show.
2. Select the building objects from the list, right-click in the drawing and
select Hide/Show --> Hide from drawing view or Hide from drawing.

Delete marks
If you are not happy with the existing marks, you can delete them.
1. Click Show to populate the Drawing content manager list. If you do not
want to list all building objects, narrow your selection by selecting certain
drawing views, areas or multiple objects, and then click Show.

2. Click Show in all views and Show hidden items on the

Options menu to show in the list building objects in the whole

drawing, including the hidden building objects.
3. If you are looking for certain building objects, use the Search... box.

4. Activate the mark selection .

5. In Drawing content manager, select the building objects whose marks
you want to delete.
6. Press Delete on the keyboard, or right-click in the drawing and select
Delete.
If you have activated Show in all views and Show hidden items, marks
are deleted from all views, including marks for hidden building objects.

7. Click Update to update the mark information in the list.

Modify building object or mark drawing properties

• To modify the properties of building objects in the drawing, select the
objects from the Drawing content manager list, right-click in the drawing
and select Properties.... If you are looking for certain building objects, use
the Search... box.
• To modify the properties of the marks, select the objects from the list,

activate mark selection , hold down Shift and double-click a mark.

• If you wish to list some of the marks, such as weld marks, but not show the
marks in the drawing, use the first color option in weld mark properties, it
will show the marks invisible. First select the objects from the list, activate

Edit drawings 345 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 mark selection , hold down Shift and double-click a weld mark. Then
change the weld mark text and line color and click Modify.

Add part marks manually in drawings

In an open drawing, you can add part marks for all building objects, such as
parts, bolts, surface treatment and connections, or for the selected building
objects only.

TIP Use orthogonal snapping when you create marks and associative notes
with leader lines. Orthogonal snapping allows you to place 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, the leader line end handle locks to the closest
orthogonal point in the drawing (0, 45, 90, 135, 180 degrees). To activate
orthogonal snapping, press O.

Review mark properties

Before creating marks, ensure that you have the suitable part mark properties
defined. To adjust the mark properties, do one of the following:
• If you create marks using applied properties: In an open drawing, select
the mark type, for example Part mark, from the property pane object list.
Ensure that the displayed properties are the ones that you want to use, and
modify the properties if needed. You can also load predefined properties.
• If you create marks using view level mark properties: Double-click the
view frame of the view where you want to add the part marks, and select
a mark type, for example Part mark, from the options tree. Ensure that
the displayed properties are the ones that you want to use, and modify the
properties if needed. You can also load predefined properties. When you
are done, click Modify and OK.
For a detailed list of mark settings and their options, and instructions on using
the mark editor, see Mark properties (page 1053). For a list of elements that you
can add in marks, see Mark elements (page 1063). For instructions on modifying
existing marks, see Modify marks or notes (page 382).
Add part marks

To Do this
Add part marks for all On the Annotations tab, click Part mark --> For
building objects in a all parts .
drawing
Tekla Structures adds the part marks by using the
current view level part mark properties.
If you have deleted marks manually from the
drawing, this command will not create the marks,

Edit drawings 346 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To Do this
and you will have to create them manually part by
part.
Add part marks 1. Select the building objects in the drawing by
for selected building using one of the following methods:
objects in a drawing
• Activate the Select parts in drawings
selection switch and select the parts using
area selection, for example.
• Open the Drawing content manager from
the side pane, and click Show to populate
the Drawing content manager list. You
can also narrow down the selection by
selecting areas, single or multiple views, or
single or multiple building objects. Then
ensure that building object selection is
active in Drawing content manager,
and select the desired building objects
from the list.
2. Create the marks by doing one of the
following:
• On the Annotations tab, click Part mark
--> For selected parts .
Tekla Structures adds the part marks by
using the current view level part mark
properties.
• Right-click and select Add mark and then
select Using view properties or Using
applied mark properties.
Note that if you select several building objects at
the same time, and some of the selected objects
already have marks, the content of the existing
marks does not change.

What happens if mark content is not defined

When you create a mark manually, and the content in the properties is not
defined for the object type you have selected in the drawing, the result
depends on the setting of the advanced option XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS. This
user-specific advanced option is located in the Drawing properties category
in the Advanced options dialog.
If you set XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS to TRUE (default):
• Tekla Structures creates the marks that have no content with the "Content
not defined" text.

Edit drawings 347 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

• The following status bar message is displayed: "Marks without content
have been created. Use XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS to control this."
• You can double-click the mark and add the content in the property pane.
If you set XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS to FALSE:
• Tekla Structures creates the marks that have no content and selects these
empty marks in the drawing.
• The following status bar message is displayed: "Invisible marks without
content have been created – Add elements to mark content and click
Modify."
• If marks of only one mark type without content have been created, the
property pane opens immediately indicating in the visual editor that the
content is not defined, and you can add the desired content.

• If marks of two or more mark types without content have been created:
• Property pane opens, and there is an exclamation mark next to the

object type list arrow button indicating that the list contains mark
types with empty marks.
• The property pane keeps all marks with empty content visible in the
object type list so that you can select each mark type and add mark
content if desired. You can also leave the marks with no content, or
delete them.
Modify mark properties

Edit drawings 348 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

1. To modify the mark properties, click the mark. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the mark. If you want to modify several marks, hold
down Ctrl and click the marks.
Click the Properties or Values button to show either the property name
or the property value in the mark editor view. These buttons are only
available when you edit an existing mark.
2. Modify the properties.
If you have selected several marks, the properties that have different
values have the text Varies. You can select another value from the list.
3. Click Modify to apply the changes in all selected marks.
Delete unnecessary marks
• To delete a mark, select the mark and press Delete on the keyboard, or
right-click and select Delete. You can also delete marks in (page 335),
where you can narrow your selection by selecting certain drawing views,
areas or multiple marks, and then delete those.

See also
Modify marks or notes in drawings (page 382)
Mark elements (page 1063)
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

Add reinforcement marks manually in drawings

You can add marks manually to reinforcement and meshes in drawings.

Reinforcement marks may already exist in the drawing if you have selected to
create the marks at drawing creation (page 884). If there are no marks, you can
add them manually.

NOTE If you have created rebar marks automatically but you cannot see the
marks, recreate the marks or modify the view or drawing level settings
for rebar or neighbor rebar marks.

NOTE To make the unit setting for the length attributes CC,
CC_CROSS, CC_DIAMETER_CROSS, CC_DIAMETER_LONG, CC_EXACT,
CC_EXACT_CROSS, CC_EXACT_LONG, and CC_LONG work in rebar
marks and tags you need to set the unit type to Length in
contentattributes_global.lst, which is the default. If you
leave the unit type empty, the filtering using these attributes
works but the unit settings do not. Here is an example line from
contentattributes_global.lst of a situation where the unit

Edit drawings 349 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 settings work in drawings: CC_EXACT CHARACTER LEFT TRUE 20 0
Length mm.

Before creating marks, ensure that you have the suitable reinforcement mark
properties available. To adjust the mark properties, do one of the following:
• If you create reinforcement marks using applied properties: In an open
drawing, select Rebar mark in the property pane object list. Ensure that
the displayed properties are the ones that you want to use, and modify the
properties if needed. You can also load predefined properties.
• If you create reinforcement marks using view properties: Double-click the
view frame of the view where you want to add the part marks, and
select Reinforcement mark in the options tree. Ensure that the displayed
properties are the ones that you want to use, and modify the properties if
needed. You can also load predefined properties.
For a detailed list of mark settings and their options, and instructions on
using the mark editor, see Mark properties (page 1053). For a list of elements
that you can add in reinforcement marks, see Mark elements (page 1063).
For instructions on modifying existing marks, see Modify marks or notes
(page 382).
1. Open a drawing that contains reinforcement.
2. Select the reinforcement by doing one of the following:
• Hold down Shift and select the desired reinforcement.
• Open the Drawing content manager, and click Show to populate
the Drawing content manager list. You can select areas, single or
multiple views, or individual reinforcement. Then ensure that building

object selection is active , and select the desired reinforcement

from the list.
3. Right-click and select Add mark, and then select Using applied mark
properties to use the applied reinforcement mark properties, or Using
view properties to use the view level reinforcement mark properties.
The reinforcement marks are created.
You can drag the reinforcement marks and the leader line associativity
points to a new location.
Tekla Structures optimizes the leader line associativity point automatically.
You can switch off the optimization and place the leader line
associativity point where you want to by setting the advanced option
XS_ENABLE_REBAR_MARK_LEADER_LINE_BASE_POINT_OPTIMIZATION to
FALSE.
What happens if mark content is not defined
When you create a mark manually, and the content in the properties is not
defined for the object type you have selected in the drawing, the result
depends on the setting of the advanced option XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS. This

Edit drawings 350 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

user-specific advanced option is located in the Drawing properties category
in the Advanced options dialog.
If you set XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS to TRUE (default):
• Tekla Structures creates the marks that have no content with the "Content
not defined" text.
• The following status bar message is displayed: "Marks without content
have been created. Use XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS to control this."
• You can double-click the mark and add the content in the property pane.
If you set XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS to FALSE:
• Tekla Structures creates the marks that have no content and selects these
empty marks in the drawing.
• The following status bar message is displayed: "Invisible marks without
content have been created – Add elements to mark content and click
Modify."
• The property pane opens immediately indicating in the visual editor that
the content is not defined, and you can add the desired content.
Modify mark properties
• To modify a reinforcement mark, in an open drawing, click a reinforcement
mark. If the property pane is not open, double-click the mark. Then change
the properties and click Modify.
Delete unnecessary rebar marks
• To delete a rebar mark, select the mark and press Delete on the keyboard,
or right-click and select Delete. You can also delete marks in (page 335),
where you can narrow your object selection by selecting certain drawing
views, areas or multiple marks, and then delete those.

See also
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)
Mark elements (page 1063)

Add reinforcement marks with Rebar group marking

application
The Rebar group marking application offers different styles to create marks
to rebar groups and distribution areas flexibly. With the Rebar group marking
application you can efficiently create quality reinforcement drawings according
to the market requirements.

Add marks to rebar groups

1. In a drawing, select the rebar groups to be marked.

Edit drawings 351 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

2. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to
open the Applications & components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
4. In the Applications list, click Rebar group marking.
5. Pick the position for the leader line.
6. Pick the position for the mark. Tekla Structures creates the rebar marks
according to the defined settings. Rebar group marking uses associative
notes in the label creation, and rebar group markings are automatically
updated when there is a change in the model objects they are bound to.
For more information about the settings, see Rebar group marking
settings below.
Modify rebar group markings
1. Double-click the mark, and make the necessary changes:
• On the Geometry tab, define the shape and position of the rebar
mark, and mark line and leader line settings.
On the Mark 1–Mark 3 tabs, define the content for the rebar mark,
such as the diameter, cc distances and the number.
On the Lines and symbol tab, define the generation of distribution
and leader lines, the color of the lines, and the line type. You can also
define the symbol created at the intersection of distribution lines and
leader lines.
• On the Symbols on rebars tab, define the lines and symbols for the
rebar mark.
2. Click Modify.

Rebar group marking settings

Geometry tab
On the Geometry tab, define the shape and position of the rebar mark, and
the mark line and leader line settings.

Setting Options and descriptions

Define the shape of the rebar mark. In the
descriptive option images, P1 is the first point that
you pick and P2 the second one. Mark x indicates
the locations of the marks defined on the Mark 1–
Mark 3 tabs. The options are:
Option 1:

Edit drawings 352 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

• The leader line is perpendicular to the rebars.

• The mark line is parallel to the rebars.
Example:

Option 2:

• The leader line is perpendicular to the rebars.

• The mark line is also perpendicular to the
rebars.
Example:

Edit drawings 353 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

Option 3:

• The leader line is perpendicular to the rebars.

• The mark line is horizontal.
Example:

Edit drawings 354 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

Option 4:

• The leader line is perpendicular to the rebars.

• The mark line is vertical.
Option 5:

• The leader line direction is defined by an angle

relative to the rebars. The angle can be entered
for the option A2.

Edit drawings 355 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions
• The mark line direction is defined by an angle
relative to the horizontal line. The angle can be
entered for the option A1.
Option 6:

• See the image above to see how to pick the

points P1 and P2. Use the option B to define the
distance of the marks.

Edit drawings 356 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions
Define the shape of the leader line. The available
options depend on the selected mark line option.

Edit drawings 357 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

Edit drawings 358 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

Edit drawings 359 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

You can also affect the shape of the leader line for
many of the options with the settings d1, d2, h, v,
and e.
Define the shape of the mark line. The options are

Edit drawings 360 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions

You can also affect the shape of the mark line for
some of the options with settings b1, b2, a, andc,
and e
Define an offset for Mark 3 from the mark line.

Mark 1–Mark 3 tabs

On the Mark 1–Mark 3 tabs, you can define the content of the rebar marks.
You can have three separate marks with the desired content within one rebar
mark: Mark 1, Mark 2 and Mark 3. Each of the marks may have extra marks.
The following image shows the position of each mark within the entire rebar
mark:

Edit drawings 361 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions
Available elements Select the rebar information to be displayed in the
mark such as grade, diameter and cc distances.
Elements in mark List of the selected information that will be
displayed in the mark.
Text properties Define the text properties. The available properties
files are the ones that have been defined and
saved in Text properties (page 420).
Add frame Add frame around mark elements. You can select
the frame type and color.
Note that symbol, new line, and pull-out picture
cannot have a frame.
Create Define whether the mark should be created or not.
The options are Yes and No.
Extra mark: Create Define whether and how the extra marks are
placed in the mark. The options are:
No
Before main mark
Behind main mark
Units Define the units:
• Automatic
• mm
• cm
• m
• foot - inch
• inch
Only available for the following mark content:

Edit drawings 362 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions
• Length
• Cc
• cc min
• cc max
• cc exact
• cc target
• Length itemized
Format Define the format:
• ###
• ###[.#]
• ###[.##]
• ###[.###]
• ###.#
• ### #/#
• ###.##
• ###.###
Only available for the following mark content:
• Length
• Cc
• cc min
• cc max
• cc exact
• cc target
• Length itemized
Precision Define the precision:
• 0.00
• 0.50
• 0.33
• 0.25
• 1/8
• 1/16
• 1/32
• 1/10

Edit drawings 363 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions
• 1/100
• 1/1000
For example, for precision 0.33, the actual value
50.40 is displayed as 50.33.
1/8, 1/16, and 1/32 are for imperial units.
1/10, 1/100, and 1/1000 are used for defining
precision without rounding.
Sum of exact lengths Sum of exact lengths:
Length along rebar
axes
Sum segm rebar axis
Length TplEd

If you select Length along rebar axes, the length

is calculated along the center line of the rebar:

Sum segm rebar axis counts rebar lengths from

rebar geometry. This option does not take into
account bending radius lengths.
Length TplEd takes rebar length from template
attribute (user attribute property LENGTH).
These options are only available for some of the
following mark content:
• Length
• Cc
• cc min
• cc max

Edit drawings 364 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions
• cc exact
• cc target
Total number in rebar These options are only available for mark content
group Number.
Number displayed in Total number in rebar group: Displays the total
view number of rebars in the rebar group, regardless of
the number of the physically visible rebars in the
Total number in cast
drawing.
unit
Number displayed in view: Only displays the
number of the visible rebars in the drawing view.
Total number in cast unit: Displays the total
number of rebars in the cast unit.
Row distance Define the distance between the mark rows.
Example: Row distance = 0

Example: Row distance = 5

Edit drawings 365 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions

Define the distance of the mark text from the

leader line.

Mark rotation Define how to rotate the mark text. You can rotate
the mark text horizontally and vertically or to the
mark line direction (default).

Center position Centers the rebar position number to the end line.
number to line This will automatically place the position number
as the first element in the mark and align this
element with the leader line.
Extra line length When Mark 1 and Mark 2 have no text, the extra
line length setting on the Mark 3 tab is activated.
Specify the length of the line.

Edit drawings 366 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Lines and symbol tab
On the Lines and symbol tab, you can define the generation of distribution
and leader lines, the color of the lines, and the line type. You can also define
the symbol created at the intersection of distribution lines and leader lines.

Setting Options and descriptions

Distribution line: Color Define the Color and Line type for the
Distribution line and the Leader line.
Distribution line: Line
type
Leader line: Color
Leader line: Line type
Symbol between Set Show to Yes to show a symbol between
distribution and leader distribution lines and leader lines. Then select the
line symbol file that you want to use and the symbol
number. You can also change the symbol color and
size.

Symbols on rebar tab

On the Symbols on rebars tab, you can define the lines and symbols for the
rebar mark.

Setting Options and descriptions

Visualized rebar s: Define the generation of the symbols and lines
Small lines on the dimension lines of the visible rebars. The
options are:
Visualized rebar s:
Symbols

Examples:

Edit drawings 367 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions

: Define the color and the line type

for the lines.

: Define the symbol file

and symbol number to be used. You can use
existing symbols in Tekla Structures by selecting a
symbol file and a symbol number.

: Define the color and the size of the

symbol.
Not visualized rebars The settings listed below only apply for Not
visualized rebars and Not visualized rebars.
First and last rebar
The settings are only applicable if the option bar

Edit drawings 368 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions
in the middle of group is defined (page 1100)
for Visibility of reinforcing bars in group in
reinforcement properties.
Define if symbols/lines should be applied for Not
visualized rebars or Not visualized rebars.
Example of Not visualized rebars:

Example of Not visualized rebars:

Define the generation of the symbols and lines for

the dimension line. The options are:

Edit drawings 369 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

: Define the color and the line type

for the lines.

: Define the symbol file

and symbol number to be used. You can use
existing symbols in Tekla Structures by selecting a
symbol file and a symbol number.

: Define the color and the size of the

symbol.
Define how to place the symbols. The options and
their examples are listed below:

Edit drawings 370 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Setting Options and descriptions

Edit drawings 371 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Options and descriptions

You can define the distance between the lines by

using the setting a if that is available for the option.

Adjust mark visibility in an existing drawing

In addition to defining the mark visibility settings in drawing properties before
creating a drawing, you can also modify the mark visibility settings in an open
drawing.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Double-click the drawing background to open drawing properties.
3. Do one of the following depending on the drawing type. Note that all
settings are not available for all mark types.

Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings

Single-part, assembly 1. Click View creation in the options tree on
and cast unit drawings: the left, select the view and the properties
that you want to change, and click View
properties.
2. Click a mark type in the options tree. For
example, click Part mark.
3. Go to the General tab and select whether
you want to display marks by selecting one
of the Visibility in view options. The available
options depend on the mark type:
• 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.

Edit drawings 372 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings
• 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 are located only in
the view that has the setting Visibility in
view set to preferred.
• none: Does not create marks.
Note that if you want to create your own
marks manually, always use the none option.
Selecting another option, for example always,
might slow down the drawing update during
opening, even if you had deleted the marks
manually.
4. In Parts out of view plane, select whether
you want to display marks for parts that are
out of view plane:
• Visible: Displays marks for parts outside
the view in the drawing.
• Not visible: Displays no marks for parts
outside the view in the drawing.
5. For bolt marks, select if you want to show
bolt marks in main parts, secondary parts,
sub-assembly main parts, or in sub-assembly
secondary parts.
For bolt marks, you can also define the Ignore
size, which filters standard-sized bolt marks
out of drawings. Tekla Structures will not
display bolt marks of the size you enter here.
6. For weld marks, set the following visibility
options:
• Welds, Welds in sub-assemblies and
Welds in hidden parts:
None displays no welds in the drawing.
Site displays only site welds in the drawing.
Workshop displays only workshop welds in
the drawing.
Both displays both site welds and
workshop welds in the drawing.
• Weld size limit: Enter a weld size to filter
welds of that size and smaller out of the

Edit drawings 373 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings
drawing. This is useful when you only want
to show non-typical welds in a drawing.
7. Click Save to save the changes in the view
properties, and then click Close to return to
the drawing properties.
8. Define the following settings on the drawing
level under Common settings for all views:
• Weld marks visible controls the visibility
of model weld marks in assembly
drawings. The options are:
• In one view: Tekla Structures
automatically finds the most relevant
view for showing the model weld marks.
Every weld mark is shown in a drawing
in one view only.
• In all views: Tekla Structures adds the
model weld marks in all drawing views
that contain the part with the weld.
• 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. This setting
is available for single-part and assembly
drawings.
• Ignore size filters standard-sized bolt
marks out of drawings. Tekla Structures will
not display bolt marks of the size you enter
here. This setting is available for single-part
and assembly drawings.
9. Click Modify.
General arrangement 1. Click a mark type button in drawing
drawings: properties. For example, click Part mark....
2. Go to the General tab and select whether
you want to display marks by selecting one
of the Visibility in view options. The available
options depend on the mark type:
• 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.

Edit drawings 374 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings
• 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 are located only in
the view that has the setting Visibility in
view set to preferred.
• none: Does not create marks.
Note that if you want to create your
own marks, always use the none option.
Selecting another option, for example
always, might slow down the drawing
update during opening, even if you had
deleted the marks manually.
3. In Parts out of view plane, select whether
you want to display marks for parts that are
out of view plane:
• Visible: Displays marks for parts outside
the view in the drawing.
• Not visible: Displays no marks for parts
outside the view in the drawing.
4. For bolt marks, select if you want to show
bolt marks in main parts, secondary parts,
sub-assembly main parts, or in sub-assembly
secondary parts.
For bolt marks, you can also define the Ignore
size, which filters standard-sized bolt marks
out of drawings. Tekla Structures will not
display bolt marks of the size you enter here.
5. Click OK.
6. Click Modify.

See also
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

Add associative notes in drawings

You can add associative notes in an open drawing. Associative notes are extra
marks that contain additional information about the object they are attached
to. Associative notes are intelligent, and updated according to the changes
made in the related object in the model. You can add associative notes

Edit drawings 375 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

to building objects in drawings, such as parts, bolts, reinforcement, surface
treatments, edge chamfers, reference objects, pour breaks, and pour objects.
You can add multiple notes to one object, whereas you can only add one mark
to one object.
1. In an open drawing, on the Annotations tab, click Note. Then hold down
Shift and select one of the available commands:
• With applied values: Add an associative note using the current
associative note properties at the position that you pick. The selected
Leader line option is also applied.
• With leader line: Add an associative note with a leader line at the
position that you pick. This command applies the current associative
note properties, except for the Leader line option, which is predefined
and cannot be changed.
• Without leader line: Add an associative note without a leader line
at the position that you pick. This command applies the current
associative note properties, except for the Leader line option, which is
predefined and cannot be changed.
• Along line: Add an associative note using the orientation and angle
that you specify, at the position you pick. This command applies the
current associative note properties, except for the Leader line option,
which is predefined and cannot be changed.
Alternatively, you can select the Add associative note command from the
drawing property pane object list or from the context menu, or enter the
command in Quick Launch. For these methods, the With applied values
command is used by default, which means that the Leader line option
defined in the current associative note properties is used.
2. You can load predefined note properties and search for properties:

3. In Object type, select the building object type. This defines the building
object to which you attach the note.

Edit drawings 376 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

4. In the visual note editor:

• Select a note container, click the New element button to open the
element list, and select the element to add in your note container. You
can also click the editor background first and then click the New
element button .
The available elements (page 1063) vary according to the selected
building object type.
• You can also search for elements. If you do not find a hidden attribute
in the list, you can type the name of the attribute in the search box and
press Enter to add it.

• To delete an element, click the red delete button in the upper-right

corner of the element. You can also click the element, and press
Delete on the keyboard.
• You can drag elements and element containers to another location.
• The % button shows the current zoom level in the preview. You can
zoom in or out by scrolling the middle mouse button. Click the button
to zoom to best fit.

Edit drawings 377 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

5. Modify the note properties.

Setting Description
Font color, Font, Font height Change the font color, type, and
height.
To change the font properties for
the whole note, click the editor
background. To change the font
properties for a single element, click
the element in the editor.
Clicking ... gives more font choices.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Frame, Frame color Add frame around the whole note
(Outer frame) or its elements (Inner
frame), and define the frame type
and color.
The Inner frame setting is enabled
only when you have selected an
element or an inner frame in the
visual editor.
You can also add a frame from
the element list by clicking and
selecting Frame.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Units, Format If appropriate, change the unit and
format. These properties are only
available for elements indicating
length or diameter.
Background Select Opaque to hide the part of the
drawing that is covered by the note.

Edit drawings 378 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Description
Select Transparent to show the part
of the drawing that is covered by the
note so that the line work is visible,
for example.

Leader line, Arrow, Arrow height, Select the leader line type and
Arrow length define the desired leader line arrow
properties. The Leader line options
are:
No leader line
Leader line
Along line

Note that the selected Leader line

option is applied only when you
use the Add associative note with
applied values command. Other
associative note commands use
predefined leader line values.
You can also change the arrow type,
arrow height, and arrow length of the
leader line.
Alignment Select one of the alignment options:
Left
Center
Right
Leader line
Rotation Modify the rotation of the note by
entering a new rotation angle.

Edit drawings 379 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Description
Placing method To place the note exactly in the
position that you pick and keep it
there, select Fixed. Free allows Tekla
Structures to search for the first
suitable location for the note.
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 note.
For more information about placing,
see "Placement properties for
marks, dimensions, notes, texts and
symbols" (page 1118).
Position Define the areas where Tekla
Structures searches for a position to
place the note.

Distances Define the distances and the search

margin.

Distance s is the empty margin that

you want to leave around the note.
Distance d min is the minimum
distance of the note from the part.
Distance d max is the maximum
distance of the note from the part.
Note that if you use high values
for Distance s and Distance d min,

Edit drawings 380 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Description
the note placement does not work
properly.
6. Pick the necessary points depending on the associative note command
that you selected:
• With applied values: Pick a point on the building object where you
want to associate the note. Then pick one or more points depending
on the selected leader line option.
• With leader line: Pick a point on the building object where you want
to associate the note and then pick a position for the note.
• Without leader line: Pick a point on the building object where you
want to associate the note and then pick a position for the note.
• Along line: Pick a point on the building object where you want to
associate the note. Then pick a point to indicate the orientation and
angle for the note. Finally, pick a position for the note.
Tekla Structures adds the associative note.
To add another note, continue picking. To stop adding notes, press Esc.

See below for some examples of associative notes. The one on the left is With
leader line, the one in the middle No 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 context
menu command Add associative note because then you do not have to select
the object again after selecting the command.

What happens if note content is not defined

When the note content in the properties is not defined for the object type
you have selected in the drawing, the result depends on the setting of the
advanced option XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS. This user-specific advanced option
is located in the Drawing properties category of the Advanced options
dialog.
If you set XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS to TRUE (default):
• Tekla Structures creates the notes that have no content with the "Content
not defined" text.
• The following status bar message is displayed: "Marks without content
have been created. Use XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS to control this."

Edit drawings 381 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

• You can double-click the note and add the content in the property pane.
If you set XS_SHOW_EMPTY_MARKS to FALSE:
• Tekla Structures creates the notes that have no content and selects these
empty notes in the drawing.
• The following status bar message is displayed: "Invisible marks without
content have been created – Add elements to mark content and click
Modify."
• The property pane opens immediately indicating in the visual editor that
the content is not defined, and you can add the desired content.
Modify associative notes
1. To modify the note properties, click the note. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the note. If you want to modify several notes, hold
down Ctrl and click the notes.
Click the Properties or Values button to show either the property name
or the property value in the note editor view. These buttons are only
available when you edit an existing note.
2. Modify the properties.
If you have selected several notes, the properties that have different
values have the text Varies. You can select another value from the list.
3. Click Modify to apply the changes in all selected notes.
Delete unnecessary associative notes
• To delete a note, select the note and press Delete on the keyboard, or
right-click and select Delete. You can also delete notes by using (page 335),
where you can narrow your note selection by selecting certain drawing
views, areas, or multiple notes.

See also
Mark elements (page 1063)
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

Modify marks or notes in drawings

You can modify the properties of the marks and notes in an open drawing.
You can modify the marks that were created automatically when you created
the drawing as well as the marks and notes that you have manually added in
existing drawings.

1. To modify the properties of a single mark or note, click it in an open

drawing. If the property pane is not open, double-click the mark or note.

Edit drawings 382 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To modify the properties of several marks or associative notes, do one of
the following:
• Hold down Shift and click the marks or notes that you want to modify.
• Activate the Select drawing marks selection switch, right-click and
select Select part marks and From current drawing view or From
all drawing views.
• Activate the Select drawing marks selection switch and use area
selection to select the needed marks or notes.
2. Modify the mark or note contents and properties as required:
If you have selected several marks or notes, the properties that have
different values have the text Varies. You can select another value from
the list.

•
(1) Click the Properties or Values button to show either the property
name or the property value in the editor view. These buttons are
available when you edit an existing mark or note.
(2) The preview of the mark or note shows the elements that you have
added, the selected representation, and the possible frames around
the whole mark or around one or several mark elements.

(3) Use the plus button to open the element list and select
the elements to add in your mark or note container. The available
elements depend on the type of the selected object. You can also
search for elements.
You can drag elements and containers in another position. To delete
an element, click the red delete button in the upper-right corner of
the element. You can also click the element, and press Delete on the
keyboard.
If your mark or note already contains the element, the element has a
text In use.
The available user-defined attributes, template attributes, and custom
properties are listed for selecting. You can also type the name of a

Edit drawings 383 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 hidden user-defined attribute in the search box and press Enter to add
it.
For more information about the available elements, see "Mark
elements in drawing marks" (page 1063).
(4) The % button shows the current zoom level in the preview. You
can zoom in or out by scrolling the middle mouse button. If you have
zoomed in or out, you can return to the best fit by clicking the %
button.
For a detailed list of properties, see Mark properties in drawings
(page 1053).
3. Click Modify to apply the changes in all selected marks or notes.
Delete unnecessary marks or notes
• To delete an annotation object, select it and press Delete on the keyboard,
or right-click and select Delete. You can also delete marks and notes by
using (page 335), where you can narrow your selection by selecting certain
drawing views, areas or multiple annotation objects, and then delete those.
Useful tips for adding symbols and special characters
• You can add symbols in the texts, see the support article "How to insert
symbols and special characters" for more information.
• Some special characters like the diameter symbol can be copied from the
Windows character map. If you cannot use a number pad to use the Alt +
xxx shortcuts , copy the needed character from the map and paste them in
your text. You can also search and copy most symbols in Online Character
Map link.
• To add text in superscript, see "Add text in superscript" (page 424).
• If some symbols are not displayed correctly, you may need to change your
locale: "Ø Phi symbol with (Alt +0248) turns O in drawings"

Define marks (page 882)

Add part marks manually in drawings (page 346)
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)
Mark elements (page 1063)

Edit drawings 384 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Update part and weld marks in drawings
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 in an open drawing, do any of the following:

To Do this
Update all part marks On the Annotations tab, click
Update --> All part marks .
Update selected part marks 1. Select the part marks you want to
update.
2. On the Annotations tab, click
Update --> Selected part
marks .
Update all weld marks On the Annotations tab, click
Update --> All weld marks .

Tekla Structures updates the marks according to your selection.

See also
Freeze drawings (page 641)

Delete marks for selected parts

You can easily select and delete marks for the parts that you have selected,
even in big models.
With the Select part marks command you can select the part marks that you
want to delete in the current window or in all drawing windows. You might
want to create a selection filter first, then use area selection to select the parts.
Another way to select the marks to delete is to use the Drawing content
manager.

To Do this:
Delete marks for selected parts using 1. In an open drawing, click
selection filter
Selection filter and create
a selection filter that filters out
parts that you do not want to
select. Optimize the filter so

Edit drawings 385 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To Do this:
that it selects only the relevant
objects.
For an example of the selection
filter, see Example filter later on
this page.
2. When you are ready, click Apply.
3. Only activate the Select parts in

drawings selection switch.

4. Select the parts using area
selection.
5. Right-click and select Select
part marks and From current
drawing view or From all
drawing views .
6. To delete the marks, press
Delete on the keyboard, or right-
click in the drawing and select
Delete.
Delete marks for selected parts using 1. In Drawing content manager,
Drawing content manager click Show to populate the
Drawing content manager list.
You can narrow your selection by
selecting certain drawing views,
areas or multiple objects, and
then click Show
2. Click the eye buttons next to
Show in all views and Show
hidden items to include in the
list all building objects in the
whole drawing, including the
hidden building objects.
3.
Click the toggle button to
activate mark selection. When
you do this, the button changes

to yellow .
4. From Drawing content
manager, select the building
objects whose marks you want to
delete.

Edit drawings 386 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To Do this:
5. Press Delete on the keyboard,
or right-click in the drawing and
select Delete.

Example filter
In the following example, you do not want to delete marks from cast units with
a position number B/1. This means that when you use this filter, activate the
Select parts in drawings selection switch, and use area selection to select the
parts, all other parts get selected.

The image below shows the selected parts and the part marks that you want
to delete.

The marks have been deleted.

Edit drawings 387 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Add reinforcement ticks or reinforcement tags in drawings
Reinforcement ticks and reinforcement tags are types of reinforcement marks
that you can add for selected reinforcement in drawings. You can add
reinforcement ticks and reinforcement tags for individual reinforcement bars,
reinforcement bar groups, and reinforcement bar sets.
You can add reinforcement ticks and reinforcement tags manually from the
Applications & components catalog when you have a drawing open.

Add reinforcement ticks

1. Open a drawing that contains reinforcement.

2. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.
3. In the catalog, double-click Reinforcement tick.
4. In the Reinforcement tick dialog, adjust the used reinforcement mark
attribute, mark alignment, arrow orientation, arrow head type, line color,
arrow head dimensions, and arrow offsets according to your needs.
5. Click Apply or OK.
6. In the drawing, select the reinforcement.
7. Select a point near the end of the reinforcement to place the
reinforcement tick.

Edit drawings 388 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

See an example of a reinforcement tick below.

Add reinforcement tags

You can add reinforcement tags for reinforcing bars that are perpendicular to
the drawing view.
1. Open a drawing that contains reinforcement.

2. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.
3. In the catalog, double-click Reinforcement tag.
4. In the Reinforcement tag dialog, adjust the used reinforcement mark
attribute, tag pattern, tag orientation, and rotation angle according to your
needs.
5. In the drawing, select the reinforcement.
6. Select a point near the end of the reinforcement to place the
reinforcement tag.
See an example of a reinforcement tag below.

Move reinforcement ticks or reinforcement tags

You can change the position of previously created reinforcement ticks and
reinforcement tags by dragging their handles.
1. Select the reinforcement tick or reinforcement tag.

Edit drawings 389 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Two green handles appear.

2. Do any of the following:

To Do this
Move the reinforcement a. Select the handle that is closer to the
tick or reinforcement tag reinforcement tick or reinforcement tag.
b. Drag the handle to a new location, and release
the mouse.
Mark another reinforcing a. Select the handle that is further from the
bar in a reinforcing bar reinforcement tick or reinforcement tag.
group or reinforcing bar
b. Drag the handle to a new location, and release
set
the mouse.
Note that you cannot mark another reinforcing bar
if you have added the reinforcement tick or the
reinforcement tag for an individual reinforcing bar.

Add level marks in drawings

A level mark (elevation dimension or spot elevation in plan) 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
manual level marks in your drawing to ensure that the dimensions are correct.

NOTE The shortening value added in the user-defined properties of a part

also affects level marks.

Edit drawings 390 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

1. Open a drawing.
2. On the Annotations tab, click Level mark. If you need to modify the
properties first, hold down Shift and click the command button.
For more information about the level mark properties, see Level mark
properties (page 1084).
3. For spot elevations in plan, pick the part.
4. Pick an associativity point for the leader line and a position for the mark.
The point you can pick depends on the active snap switches.

(1) Elevation information in the grid label

(2) Elevation mark created with Add level mark in the drawing
You can also add level marks in GA drawing plan views. In this case, you might
want to leave the leader line out.

See also
Level mark properties in drawings (page 1084)

Edit drawings 391 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Add and modify section marks in drawings
You can add section marks in an open drawing, and modify the existing section
marks.
You can add section marks only, or section marks together with section views.
One example of a situation where you might want to add a section mark
without a section view is when you have a similar section that already has a
section view. For more information about creating section views, see Create
drawing views (page 224).
Add section marks
1. To open the section mark properties first, in an open drawing, hold down
Shift and on the Annotations tab, click Section mark. Alternatively, you
can double-click the command, or select Section mark from the drawing
property pane object list.
2. You can load predefined section mark
properties and search for properties:

3. Enter a name for the section.

4. To load a set of predefined section mark contents, click the visual mark
editor area and in Property file, select the property file.
5. Visual mark editor:

• Click the Properties or Values button to show either the property

name or the property value in the preview. These buttons are only

Edit drawings 392 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 available when you are modifying a mark, not when you are creating
one.
• To indicate which end of the cutting line you want to work with, click
Start or End.

• To add more containers in the mark, click the container button . You
may add up to five containers.
• To add elements in an empty mark container, click the container
button in the preview and select the desired element.
• To add more elements in the current container, click the plus button
to open the element list, and then select the desired element. You
can also search for elements.
• You can drag containers to another location and drag elements inside
and between containers.
• To delete an element in a container, click the red delete button in the
upper-right corner of the element.
• To add a frame, click a container or an element, click the plus button
and select Frame from the element list.
6. Modify section mark properties:

Setting Description
Font
Font color, Font, Font height Define the mark font color, type, and
height.
Before changing the font, select the
object that you want to modify:
• To change the font in an element,
click the element.
• To change the font in a container,
click the container.
• To change the font in all
containers, click the background.
Clicking ... gives more font choices.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Frame

Edit drawings 393 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Description
Frame, Frame color Add a frame around the selected
containers or elements and define
the frame type and color.
You can also add a frame from the
element list.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Text placement
Show on Define if the section marks are shown
at both ends of the cutting line or
only at one end.
Text position Define the position of the container in
relation to the line or in relation to the
symbol or symbol center line.
Text rotation Define the rotation of the container.
X offset for text Set the horizontal offset of the section
mark container from the cutting line.
Y offset for text Set the vertical offset of the mark
container from the cutting line.
Cut direction symbol
Symbol Define the cut direction symbol
properties separately for the Start
Symbol color
and End symbols.
Symbol size
You can use a standard color or a
X offset for symbol custom RGB color (page 64).
Y offset for symbol If you want to use Custom
symbols, define the advanced
options XS_SECTION_SYMBOL_RIGHT_
ARROW_SYMBOL and XS_SECTION_
SYMBOL_LEFT_ARROW_SYMBOL.
X offset for symbol defines the
horizontal offset of the symbol from
the cutting line.
Y offset for symbol defines the
vertical offset of the symbol from the
cutting line.
Line
Line color Define cutting line color and
dimensions.
Distances

Edit drawings 394 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Description

You can use a standard color or a

custom RGB color (page 64).
7. Pick the first and the second point on the cut plane.
8. Create as many section marks as you need and press Esc to stop.
Move or copy section marks
• Copy section marks using Ctrl+drag.
• Copy section marks inside a drawing view with the context menu
commands Copy --> Linear and Copy --> Linear..., the ribbon command
Copy, or by entering Copy - Linear in Quick Launch. You can also use the
keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C.
• Move section marks using Shift+drag.
• Move section marks inside a drawing view with the context menu
command Move --> Linear, the ribbon command Move, or by entering
Move - Linear in Quick Launch. You can also use the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl+M.
Section marks can only be copied or moved within a view. When moved
beyond the view frame, the view frame will adjust so that the section mark
will always be within the frame.
Modify section mark properties
1. To modify the section mark properties, click the section mark. If the
property pane is not open, double-click the section mark. If you want to
modify several section marks, hold down Ctrl and click the marks.

Click the Properties or Values button to show either the property name
or the property value in the mark editor view. These buttons are only
available when you edit an existing mark.
If you have a section view created for the section mark, and you click
the section mark in the drawing, the property pane title changes to

Edit drawings 395 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Section mark with view and you can also modify the section view label
properties (page 990) in the same property pane.
2. Modify the properties.
If you have selected several section marks, the properties that have
different values have the text Varies. You can select another value from
the list.
3. Click Modify to apply the changes in all selected section marks.

Add and modify detail marks in drawings

You can mark details in the drawing with detail marks, and modify the existing
detail marks.
You can add detail marks only, or detail marks together with detail views. One
example of a situation where you might want to add a detail mark without
a detail view is when you have a similar detail that already has a detail view.
For more information about creating detail views, see Create drawing views
(page 224).
Add detail marks
1. In an open drawing, on the Annotations tab, hold down Shift and click
Detail mark. Alternatively, you can double-click the command, or select
Detail mark in the drawing property pane object list.
2. You can load predefined detail mark properties and search for properties:

3. Enter a name for the detail.

4. To load a set of predefined detail mark contents, click the mark editor area
and, in Property file, select the property file.
5. In the visual mark editor:

Edit drawings 396 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 • Click the Properties or Values button to show either the property
name or the property value in the preview. These buttons are only
available when you are modifying a mark, not when you are creating
one.

• To add more containers in the mark, click the container button , and
select an element. You may add up to five separate containers.
• To add elements in an empty mark container, click the container
button in the preview and select the desired element from the
element list.
• To add elements in the current mark container, click the container,
click the element button to open the element list, and then select
the desired element. You can also search for elements.
• You can drag elements inside and between containers. You can also
drag containers to another location by the handle .
• To delete an element in a container, click the red delete button in the
upper-right corner of the element.
• To delete a container, click the red delete button in the upper-right
corner of the container.

• To add a frame, click a container or an element, click and select

Frame in the element list.
6. Modify detail mark properties:

Setting Description
Font color, Font, Font height Define the detail mark font color,
type, and height.
Before changing the font, select the
object that you want to modify:
• To change the font in an element,
click the element.
• To change the font in a container,
click the container.
• To change the font in all
containers, click the background.
Clicking ... gives more font choices.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).

Edit drawings 397 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Description
Frame, Frame color Add a frame around the selected
elements or containers and define
the frame type and color.
You can also add a frame through the
element list.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Text position Define the position of the detail mark
container in relation to the line, in
relation to the symbol, or in relation
to the symbol center line.
X offset for text Set the horizontal offset of the detail
mark container from the label start
point.
Y offset for text Set the vertical offset of the detail
mark container from the bottom line
of the label.
Symbol Define the detail symbol, symbol
color, and symbol size.
Symbol color
You can use a standard color or a
Symbol size
custom RGB color (page 64).
Detail symbol appears at the end of
the detail label line.

Detail boundary Define the detail boundary shape,

and the detail mark line color and
Line color
type.
Line type

Edit drawings 398 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Setting Description

You can use a standard color or a

custom RGB color (page 64).
7. Create the detail mark. 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.
8. Pick a position for the label.
9. Continue adding detail marks, or press Esc to interrupt.
Move or copy detail marks
• Copy detail marks using Ctrl+drag.
• Copy detail marks inside a drawing view with the context menu commands
Copy --> Linear and Copy --> Linear..., the ribbon command Copy, or by
entering Copy - Linear in Quick Launch. You can also use the keyboard
shortcut Ctrl+C.
• Move detail marks using Shift+drag.
• Move detail marks inside a drawing view with the context menu command
Move --> Linear, the ribbon command Move, or by entering Move - Linear
in Quick Launch. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+M.
Note that detail marks can only be moved or copied within a view. When
moved beyond the view frame, the view frame will adjust so that the detail
mark will always be within the frame.
Modify detail mark properties
1. To modify the detail mark properties, click the detail mark. If the property
pane is not open, double-click the detail mark. If you want to modify
several detail marks, hold down Ctrl and click the marks.
Click the Properties or Values button to show either the property name
or the property value in the mark editor view. These buttons are only
available when you edit an existing mark.
If you have a detail view created for the detail mark, and you click the
detail mark in the drawing, the property pane title changes to Detail

Edit drawings 399 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 mark with view. You can also modify the detail view label properties in
the same property pane.
2. Modify the properties.
If you have selected several detail marks, the properties that have
different values have the text Varies. You can select another value from
the list.
3. Click Modify to apply the changes in all selected detail marks.

See also
Create views in drawings (page 224)

Add and modify connection marks in drawings

In an open drawing, you can add connection marks for the selected
connections manually. You can also modify the manually or automatically
added connection marks, and delete any unnecessary marks.
We recommend that you use Drawing content manager for selecting
the connections, otherwise you might end up selecting parts instead of
connections.
Connections are represented by connection symbols in drawings. By
default, the connection representation symbol is the symbol number
142 in the [Link] file in the ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\symbols\ folder. You can
modify the connection representation symbol in Symbol Editor. Connection
symbols are only shown in a drawing when you have selected the connections
from the Drawing content manager list, otherwise connection symbols are
hidden.
A connection that has been selected in a drawing:

You can create connection marks automatically by defining them in the

drawing or view level properties (page 884).

Add connection marks

1. In an open drawing, open Drawing content manager from the side

pane, and click Show to populate the Drawing content manager list.

Edit drawings 400 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

2. Ensure that the building object selection is active at the top of
Drawing content manager.
3. In Drawing content manager, open the Connections group and select
the connections to which you want to add marks.
4. Right-click, select Add mark, and then select Using view properties or
Using applied mark properties. Tekla Structures creates the connection
marks by using the current view-level connection mark properties or
applied connection mark properties.

Modify connection marks

1. In an open drawing, click a connection mark. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the mark.

Edit drawings 401 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

2. Modify the connection mark contents and representation.

• Use the New element button to open the element list and select
the elements to add in the mark container. You can also search for
elements.
• You can drag elements in another position.
• To delete an element, click the red delete button in the upper-right
corner of the element. You can also click the element, and press
Delete on the keyboard.

Edit drawings 402 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 • The available user-defined attributes, template attributes, and custom
properties are listed for selecting. You can also type the name of a
hidden attribute in the search box and press Enter to add it.
For more information about the elements available for connection
marks, see "Mark elements in drawing marks" (page 1063).
• If you have selected several marks, the properties that have different
values have the text Varies. You can select another value from the list.
• You can also change other properties, such as the font, frame type,
leader line, or placing settings.
For more information about the available properties, see Mark
properties in drawings (page 1053).
3. To apply the changes, click Modify.
Delete unnecessary connection marks

• In Drawing content manager, activate the mark selection at the top

and select the connections in the list whose marks you want to delete.
Then press Delete on the keyboard, or right-click in the drawing and select
Delete.

Add and modify surface treatment marks in drawings

In an open drawing, you can add marks for the selected surface treatment
manually. You can also modify the manually or automatically added surface
treatment marks, and delete any unnecessary marks.
Before you begin, ensure that surface treatment has been set visible in the
view or drawing level surface treatment properties (page 1097). If surface
treatment is not visible, it is difficult to select it to add the marks.
You can also create surface treatment marks automatically by defining them in
the drawing or view level properties (page 884).

Add surface treatment marks

1. In an open drawing, select the surface treatment to which you want to add
a mark.
2. Right-click, select Add mark, and then select Using view properties or
Using applied mark properties. Tekla Structures creates the surface
treatment marks by using the current view-level surface treatment mark
properties or applied surface treatment mark properties.

Edit drawings 403 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Modify surface treatment marks
1. In an open drawing, click a surface treatment mark. If the property pane is
not open, double-click the mark.
2. Modify the surface treatment mark contents and representation.

• Use the New element button to open the element list and select
the elements to add in the mark. You can also search for elements.
• You can drag elements in another position.

Edit drawings 404 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 • To delete an element, click the red delete button in the upper-right
corner of the element. You can also click the element, and press
Delete on the keyboard.
• The available user-defined attributes, template attributes, and custom
properties are listed for selecting. You can also type the name of a
hidden attribute in the search box and press Enter to add it.
For more information about the elements available for surface
treatment marks, see "Mark elements in drawing marks" (page 1063).
• If you have selected several marks, the properties that have different
values have the text Varies. You can select another value from the list.
• You can also change other properties, such as the font, frame type,
leader line, or placing settings.
For more information about the available properties, see Mark
properties in drawings (page 1053).
3. To apply the changes, click Modify.
Delete unnecessary surface treatment marks
• To delete a surface treatment mark, select it and press Delete on the
keyboard, or right-click and select Delete.

Check changed marks, notes, and dimensions and remove

change symbols
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 is drawn around the old point, the new point and the
dimension values, or around the changed mark or note. By default, the
change symbol is a cloud.
• The default color is magenta on screen and invisible when
printing. You can change this color using the advanced option
XS_DRAWING_CHANGE_HIGHLIGHT_COLOR.
• An arrow is drawn from the old dimension point to the new one.

Edit drawings 405 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

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

To Do this
Remove all change symbols at one go • On the Drawing tab, click Remove
--> All change symbols.
Remove all dimension change • On the Drawing tab, click
symbols Remove --> All dimension
change symbols .
Remove the selected dimension 1. Select the dimension change
change symbols symbols you want to remove.
2. On the Drawing tab, click
Remove --> Selected dimension
change symbol .
Remove all mark change symbols • On the Drawing tab, click Remove
--> All mark change symbols .
Remove the selected mark change 1. Select the mark change symbols
symbols you want to remove.
2. On the Drawing tab, click
Remove --> Selected mark
change symbol .
Remove all associative note change • On the Drawing tab, click Remove
symbols --> All associative note change
symbols .
Remove the selected associative note 1. Select the associative note
change symbols change symbols you want to
remove.

Edit drawings 406 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 To Do this
2. On the Drawing tab,
click Remove --> Selected
associative note change
symbol .

Examples
The following 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 following image shows the dimension text and the mark after you have
selected Remove --> All change symbols.

Edit drawings 407 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

The following 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.

Edit drawings 408 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

The following image shows the dimension text and the mark after you have
selected Remove --> All change symbols.

Edit drawings 409 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Related advanced options
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
XS_DRAWING_CHANGE_HIGHLIGHT_COLOR

Related information

See also
Printing automatic change clouds

Merge marks
You can merge marks to reduce the number of marks in the drawing, and to
make the drawing cleaner. You can merge marks if their content matches. You

Edit drawings 410 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

can merge marks automatically before creating a drawing, through drawing
properties in an open drawing, and manually in an open drawing.
For more information about automatic merging, see Merge marks
automatically (page 901).
For more information about mark properties, including merging settings, see
Mark properties (page 1053).

Merged part marks

A merged part mark means that you have only one part mark for similar parts
in a drawing, instead of a separate mark for each of the parts. Merged part
marks indicate the number of included parts, and contain the defined 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
• You cannot merge part marks (assembly marks) that are not part of the
same assembly.
• Tekla Structures does not merge neighbor part marks.
• You can only merge marks that have the same content.
Advanced options in merging marks
In merging part marks, you may find the following advanced options useful:
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

Edit drawings 411 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Example
In the example below, 5 part marks have been merged in X direction of the
HEA300 beam (main part).

In the example below, the 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, because
the marks are merged only in X direction (which in this example is horizontal).

Edit drawings 412 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Merge part marks or bolt marks manually
1. Open a drawing in which you want to merge part or bolt marks, and
ensure that the marks are visible.
2. Select the marks that you want to merge.
3. Right-click and select Merge.
4. To change the properties of the merged mark, click the merged mark and
modify the settings. If the property pane is not open, double-click the
mark.
5. Select one of the options in the Merged marks list:
• One leader line to group: Creates one leader line for a group of parts.
• One leader line per row: Merges the marks and creates one leader
line for a row of parts.
• 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.
6. Select the leader line type and the arrow to be used.
7. When you are done, click Modify

Edit drawings 413 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

8. If needed, you can split the merged marks by selecting the marks to split,
right-clicking, and selecting Split.

If merging part marks fails for some reason, an error message is displayed in
the status bar.
In the following example, Leader lines to one point has been selected in the
mark properties. The leader line is going from the merged mark frame to each
part it is related to:

Merged reinforcement marks

Tekla Structures can automatically merge similar reinforcement marks, and
you can also merge reinforcement marks manually. Merged reinforcement
marks may include several blocks, and additional information. Blocks combine
similar single marks.
To merge reinforcement marks in drawings, the reinforcement must be
attached to a concrete part or cast unit in the model.
Tekla Structures 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.

Merge reinforcement marks manually

1. Open a drawing in which you want to merge reinforcement marks, and
ensure that the marks are visible.
2. Select the reinforcement marks to merge in the drawing.
3. Right-click and select Merge.

Edit drawings 414 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

4. To change the properties of the merged reinforcement mark, such as the
leader line settings, click the merged mark, and modify the settings. If the
property pane is not open, double-click the mark.
5. When you are done, click Modify.
6. If needed, you can split the merged marks by selecting the marks to split,
right-clicking and selecting Split.

NOTE • If merging of rebar marks fails due to settings that are not compatible
with merging, or to some other errors in settings, a new error message
is displayed: Could not merge all marks, please check the applied
merged rebar mark settings.
• When you merge several reinforcement marks, and the mark text is very
long, an error message is displayed, and the marks will not be merged.

Merge marks by adjusting drawing properties

In a final drawing, you can merge marks also by adjusting the drawing
properties.
To activate merging through drawing properties:
1. Open a drawing.
2. Double-click the drawing background to open drawing properties.
3. Adjust mark visibility settings according to the examples below:

Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings

Cast unit drawings 1. Click View creation in the options tree on
the left, select the view and the properties
that you want to change, and click View
properties.
The merging needs to be set view by view
separately.
2. Click a mark type in the options tree. For
example, click Part mark.
3. Go to the General tab, and set Merge marks
to On.
4. In Merged marks, select one of the following:
• One leader line to group: creates one
leader line for a group of parts.
• One leader line per row: Merges the
marks and creates one leader line for a row
of parts.
• Parallel leader lines: Merges the marks
and creates parallel leader lines.

Edit drawings 415 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings
• Leader lines to one point: Merges the
marks and draws all leader lines to one
point.
5. Select the leader line type and the arrow to be
used.
6. To merge reinforcement marks, click
Reinforcement mark in the options tree, and
go to the Merging tab.
• In Identical marks in same cast unit,
select one of the following:
• One leader line to group creates one
leader line for a group of reinforcing
bars.
• One leader line per row: Merges the
marks and 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: Marks are not merged, an
individual leader line is created 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.
• In Preferred direction of merge, if there
are several possible merge directions,
select Merge horizontal or Merge
vertical.
• In Available elements/Elements in mark,
Select the contents to be included in the
merged reinforcement marks (page 1063).
To ensure that merged reinforcement
marks appear in the drawing, always
include Symbol separating blocks
in mark as the last element in
the reinforcement mark. To omit the
separating symbol, leave this box blank,
but still include the element in the mark.

Edit drawings 416 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings
7. Select the leader line type and the arrow to be
used.
8. Click Save to save the changes in view
properties, and then click Close to return to
drawing properties.
9. Click Modify.
General arrangement 1. Click a mark type button in drawing
drawings properties. For example, click Part mark....
2. Go to the General tab, and set Merge marks
to On.
3. In Merged marks, select one of the following:
• One leader line to group creates one
leader line for a group of parts.
• One leader line per row: Merges the
marks and creates one leader line for a row
of parts.
• 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.
4. Select the leader line type and the arrow to be
used.
5. To merge reinforcement marks, click
Reinforcement marks... in drawing
properties and go to the Merging tab.
• In Identical marks in same cast unit,
select one of the following:
• One leader line to group creates one
leader line for a group of reinforcing
bars.
• One leader line per row: Merges the
marks and 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.

Edit drawings 417 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings
• No merge: Marks are not merged, an
individual leader line is created 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.
• In Preferred direction of merge, if there
are several possible merge directions,
select Merge horizontal or Merge
vertical.
• In Available elements/Elements in mark,
select the contents to be included in the
merged reinforcement marks (page 1063).
To ensure that merged reinforcement
marks appear in the drawing, always
include Symbol separating blocks
in mark as the last element in
the reinforcement mark. To omit the
separating symbol, leave this box blank,
but still include the element in the mark.
6. Select the leader line type and the arrow to be
used.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Modify.

Edit drawings 418 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Merge new marks to existing merged marks
• To merge a new mark to existing merged marks, select the new mark, then
right-click the merged mark and select Merge.

If you have selected one set of existing merged marks, all selected single
marks are merged into that set of merged marks. If you have selected
multiple sets of existing merged marks, all selected single marks are
merged into the set of merged marks that you selected last.

Drag leader line associativity point

You can move the associativity point of a leader line by dragging it in marks
and notes, for example.
Ensure that you have selected Drawing drag & drop in File --> Settings .
• Hold down the left mouse button and drag the associativity point of a
leader line to a new location.
If the associativity point is originally on a line, you can drag it along that line. If
the associativity point is originally inside a part, you can drag the point inside
that part.

Edit drawings 419 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Add and modify text in drawings
You can add several lines of text in an open drawing inside a text object. For
the text, you can select the desired color, height, font, angle, frame, and leader
line arrow type, apply text wrapping, and align the text as required. You can
also modify the text and its properties after adding the text object.
Add text in an open drawing
1. Open a drawing.
2. To create a single line or multiple lines of text, hold down Shift, and on the
Annotations tab, click Text, and select one of the following commands:
Text: Add text without a leader line at the position you pick.
With leader line: Add text with a leader line at the position you pick.
Along line: Add text along a line at the position you pick.
Along line, arrow at end: 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: Add text along a line at the position you pick.
An arrow is inserted at the first position you pick.
You can also select Text in the property pane object list and modify the
leader line setting in text properties.
3. You can load predefined text properties and search for properties:

4. Type the text in the Text box. You can add a line break by pressing Enter.
5. Modify the text font color, type, and height as required.
The space between lines comes from the advanced option XS_MARK_
LINE_SPACE_FACTOR.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
6. To wrap the words between the lines, set Word wrapping to Yes. You can
then define the line length using the Ruler width option. When the word
wrapping is activated, the text object gets a handle, which you can drag to
make the text wider or narrower.
7. Add a Frame around the text and select the Frame color.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
To add a frame, select one of the following frame options:

Rectangular

Edit drawings 420 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Line

Round

Circle

Diamond

Hexagon

Triangle

Sharpened
8. In Background, select one of the following:
Opaque hides the area in the drawing that is covered by the text:

Transparent shows the area in the drawing that is covered by the text so
that the linework is shown:

9. Select the Leader line type and the leader line arrow type, height, and
length. The leader line options are:

No leader line

Leader line

Along line or leader line

Along line

Edit drawings 421 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 Inside part along part
10. Adjust the placing settings:
• Select one of the Alignment options: Left, Center, Right or Leader
line.
• In Rotation, change the rotation of the text.
• To exactly place the text in the position you pick, and keep it there, set
the Placing method button to Fixed.
Free allows Tekla Structures to search for the first suitable location for
the text.

•
In Position, define the areas where Tekla Structures searches for a
position to place the text. This option can only be adjusted when
Placing method is set to Free.

•
Distance s (search margin) is the empty margin that you want to leave
around the text.
Distance d min (minimum distance) is the minimum distance of the
text from the part.
11. Pick the point where you want to place the text. Depending on the
command, you have to pick one to three times.
To add the same text again, continue picking. To stop adding texts, press
Esc.
By default, the text is aligned to the left. The line spacing is automatically
adjusted by the font size that you select. You can also affect the line space
by using the advanced option XS_MARK_LINE_SPACE_FACTOR.
You can drag the associativity point of the text leader line freely after
adding the text.

Edit drawings 422 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Examples
See below for examples of the different text options. From left: Text; With
leader line; Along line; Along line, arrow at end; and Along line, arrow at
start.

The text object gets a handle when word wrapping is activated, and you can
drag the handle to change the text object size:

In the following example, the text is aligned to the leader line start:

Edit drawings 423 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

Useful tips
• In addition to using the text tool, you can add texts as links from .txt or .rtf
files. This allows you to use more sophisticated formatting of the text, and
add tables, for example. For more information, see Add links to rich text
files (page 438).
• You can add symbols in the texts, see the support article "How to insert
symbols and special characters" for more information.
• Some special characters, like the diameter symbol, can be copied from the
Windows character map. If you cannot use a number pad to use the Alt +
xxx shortcuts, copy the needed character from the map and paste them in
your text. You can also search and copy most symbols in Online Character
Map link.
• To add text in superscript, see Add text in superscript (page 424).
• If some symbols are not displayed correctly, you may need to change your
locale: "Ø Phi symbol with (Alt +0248) turns O in drawings"

Modify text properties

1. To modify the text properties, click the text object in the drawing. If the
property pane is not open, double-click the text. If you want to modify
several texts, hold down Ctrl and click the text objects.
2. Modify the properties.
If you have selected several texts, the properties that have different values
have the text Varies. You can select another value from the list.
3. Click Modify to apply the changes in all selected texts.

Delete unnecessary texts

• To delete a text object, select the object and press Delete on the keyboard,
or right-click and select Delete.

Add text in superscript

You can use superscript in texts included in all your text objects, part marks,
dimension marks, and associative notes.
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Advanced options and go to the
Dimensioning - general category.
2. Ensure that the advanced option
XS_SUPERSCRIPT_USED_IN_DRAWING_TEXTS is set to TRUE.
3. Open the properties of a text object, mark or associative note by holding
down Shift and clicking a text, mark or note command on the ribbon, or
by selecting the command in the property pane object list.
For example, on the Annotations tab, click Text --> With leader line .

Edit drawings 424 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

4. Do one of the following:
• For text objects, type the desired text in the Text box.
• For marks and associative notes, add a Text element in the editor and
type the desired text in the element box.
5. Enter circumflexes (^) around the characters that you want to have in
superscript.
6. Add the text, mark or note in the drawing.

The following example shows how the superscript is typed in the text and what
it looks like in the existing drawing.

NOTE You can affect the height of the superscript text with the
XS_SUPERSCRIPT_HEIGHT_FACTOR advanced option.

See also
Add and modify text in drawings (page 420)
Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings (page 333)
Add dimensions in drawings (page 251)

Add revision marks in drawings

Revision marks are used for indicating a change in the Tekla Structures model
or drawing, and the objects that have changed. Tekla Structures creates the
revision mark using the properties in the drawing revision mark properties,
and the information entered in the Revision handling dialog.
Before you add a revision mark, create a drawing revision (page 645)
in Document manager for the particular drawing so that the revision
information is available for the revision mark.

Edit drawings 425 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

1. Open a drawing that has a revision created in Document manager.

2. On the Annotations tab, click Revision mark and select one of the
following commands:
• Add revision mark
• Pointing to left
• Pointing to right
• Along line, pointing to left
• Along line, pointing to right
The revision mark properties are displayed.

Edit drawings 426 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

3. In the revision Number list, define the revision that you want to include in
the mark. The revision information is updated in the property pane when
you select a revision number from the list. If the revision information
is not updated, select another revision number first and then switch to
the revision you are documenting. For example, if you are documenting
revision 1 of the drawing, first switch to revision 2 in the list, and then back
to 1.

Edit drawings 427 Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings

 4. Add description, delivery details, and other necessary mark information.
5. Define the mark font color, font, font height, and font angle. You can use a
standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
6. Define the frame type and color. You can use a standard color or a custom
RGB color (page 64).
7. Define the leader line properties and the leader line arrow type, height,
and length.
8. To place the revision mark exactly in the position you pick and keep it
there, select Placing method --> Fixed.
9. Define the areas where Tekla Structures searches for a location to place
the mark.

10. Define the empty margin around the mark and the minimum distance of
the mark from the object.

Distance s is the empty margin that you want to leave around the mark.
Distance d min is the minimum distance of the mark from the object.
11. Pick a point or points to place the mark.
Tekla Structures creates the revision marks.
To delete any unnecessary revision marks, select the marks and press
Delete on the keyboard.
To modify revision mark properties, double-click the revision mark in the
drawing, change the properties, and click Modify.

4.10 Add symbols in drawings

You can add symbols in drawings as such and in marks, notes, object
representations, and line arrows, for example. Symbols can be created and
edited in Symbol Editor (SymEd). The file extension for symbols is .sym.

Edit drawings 428 Add symbols in drawings

Add a symbol in a drawing
You can add symbols in an open drawing as such.
1. In the drawing, hold down Shift and, on the Annotations tab, click
Symbol and one of the following symbol commands:
• Symbol: Add a symbol in the current drawing without a leader line.
• Along line: Create a symbol along the line you define by picking two
points. Then pick an insertion point for the symbol.
• With leader line: Add a symbol with a leader line pointing to the point
you pick first.
Alternatively, select Symbol from the drawing property pane object list.
2. Modify the symbol properties:
• Symbol:
The symbol preview shows the current symbol and indicates the
symbol number and the name of the symbol file.

Click to open a dialog box where you can change the symbol file in
use and select a new symbol.

Edit drawings 429 Add symbols in drawings

• Color: Change the color of the symbol. You can use a standard color or
a custom RGB color (page 64).
• Height: Change the height of the symbol.
• Rotation: Change the rotation of the symbol.
• Frame: Change the frame type and color.
• Leader line: Select the leader line type.

Leader line

Along line
No leader line
• Placing: Select the placing method, position, and areas around the
symbol.
• Placing method:
Free allows Tekla Structures to search for the first suitable location
for the symbol.
Fixed allows you to place the symbol in any location.
When you use the option Fixed, the symbol stays where it is
even though you update the drawing, whereas with Free, Tekla
Structures tries to find the optimal place for the symbol.

Edit drawings 430 Add symbols in drawings

 • Position: Define the areas where Tekla Structures searches for a
position to place the symbol.

.
• Distance s: Define the empty margin that you want to leave around
the symbol.
Distance d min: Define the minimum distance of the symbol from
the object.

3. Pick one to three points in the drawing to place the symbol. The symbol
command and the leader line type you selected affects the number of
points to pick. Tekla Structures adds the symbol using the properties you
defined.

Add a symbol in a mark

You can add symbols in marks. You can select the symbol file to be used and
the symbol to be added in the mark.
1. In an open drawing, click a mark. If the property pane is not open, double-
click the mark.
2. In mark properties, in the visual editor, click the location where you want
to add the symbol.

3. To add the symbol, click to open the element list and select Symbol.
4. In the Mark content - symbol dialog, select the desired symbol file in the
Symbol file list. You can also select a new symbol file from the Symbol
file list and click OK, or double-click the file.
5. Click the symbol you want to use. You can also enter the number of the
symbol.
6. Click OK.
Tekla Structures adds the symbol in the selected mark location.

Edit drawings 431 Add symbols in drawings

7. Click Modify in mark properties.
Tekla Structures adds the symbol in the mark.

Create a new symbol file

In addition to the default symbol files that are delivered with Tekla Structures,
you can create symbol files of your own, and save them in model, firm, or
project folder, for example.
If you decide to use your own files, you can add DXK_SYMBOLPATH in the
[Link] file under the model folder and define your own symbol file
folder paths there. The symbol files are read in a certain search order, see
section "Symbol file search order" below.
1. On the File menu, click Editors --> Symbol editor.
2. Click File --> New.
You can also open an existing symbol file, edit it and save with a new
name.
3. Create the symbol in the Symbol Editor. Sketch your new symbol with the
Symbol Editor drawing tools.
Draw the symbol with the Symbol Editor drawing tools. You can also
import AutoCAD or MicroStation files, or draw a copy of an image in a
bitmap file and use it as a background image in Symbol Editor.
4. Click File --> Save and save the symbol file in the folder that you use
for keeping your symbol files, for example, in the model, firm, or project
folder.
If you opened an existing symbol file, use File --> Save as, give the symbol
file another name, and save it in the desired folder.
For more information about working with symbols, see Symbol Editor
User's Guide in Tekla Structures PDF documentation.

Modify symbol properties

You can modify the properties of symbols in an open drawing.
1. Click a symbol in an open drawing. If the property pane is not open,
double-click the symbol.
2. Modify the symbol color, height, rotation, frame type, frame color, and the
leader line.
3. Modify symbol placement settings.
Here you can select to use free or fixed placing, and define the areas
where Tekla Structures searches for a position to place the symbol, the

Edit drawings 432 Add symbols in drawings

 empty margin that you want to leave around the symbol (s), and the
minimum distance of the symbol from the object (d).

4. Click Modify.
Tekla Structures modifies the symbol properties according to the changes you
made in the symbol properties.

Customize leader line arrow symbols

If you do not find a suitable leader line arrow in the Arrow list in mark
properties, for example, you can add an arrow of your own in the list.
First you need to create a new arrow symbol in the Symbol Editor, and save
the created symbol in the [Link] file. Then you need to add the position
of the new symbol in the [Link] to the [Link] configuration file,
which tells which arrows are available for use in your environment.
1. On the File menu, click Editors --> Symbol editor to open the Symbol
Editor.
2. Open the [Link] file located in the common environment or in your
own environment under the \symbols folder.
3. Click an empty symbol slot and sketch your symbol with the Symbol Editor
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.

Edit drawings 433 Add symbols in drawings

5. Save the [Link] file by clicking File --> Save.
6. Click File --> Exit to close the Symbol Editor.
7. Open the [Link] file located in the same \symbols folder as the
[Link] 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.
10. Add an image of the arrow in the .bmp
format in the ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\<version>\Bitmaps folder on your computer.
Use the following format in the file name:
dr_dialog_arrow_type_022.bmp.
11. Double-click a mark in a drawing to open mark properties.
12. Open the Arrow list, and you should see that the new arrow symbol is
now available for use.

Edit drawings 434 Add symbols in drawings

NOTE We recommend that 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 optionDXK_SYMBOLPATH. For
instructions about defining a firm folder, see the related section below.

Add surfacing symbols in drawings

You can add surfacing symbols in cast unit drawings using the Add surfacing
symbols 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 view properties that surface treatment Visibility is set to Visible.
1. Open a cast unit drawing that has a part containing surface treatment.

2. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
4. Double-click Add surfacing symbols.
5. In the Create surface symbols dialog, 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 >.

Edit drawings 435 Add symbols in drawings

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.
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 that are displayed when you double-click the
symbol. For example, you can change the symbol file and number.

Symbol Editor
You can open Symbol Editor by clicking File --> Editors --> Symbol editor .
In Symbol Editor, you can create new symbol files, and create and modify
symbols.
The Symbol files dialog in drawing mode allows you to change the symbol file
in use. It also provides access to Symbol Editor.
We recommend that you have a look at the Symbol Editor User's Guide so that
you get familiar with creating new symbols and modifying the existing ones.
You will find a link to the guide on the Tekla Structures PDF documentation
page.
We strongly recommend that you do not modify the original symbol files
delivered with your Tekla Structures application. If you need to modify any

Edit drawings 436 Add symbols in drawings

symbols, copy the original symbol file and work on the copy, keeping the
original symbol file intact.
If your symbols are located in a protected folder, the symbols are read-only,
because you cannot save a modified symbol in a protected folder if you are
not an administrator. In this case, run Tekla Structures as administrator.

Symbol file search order

The symbol files (.sym) are searched from the following folders in the
following order:
1. All DXK_SYMBOLPATH folders
The advanced option DXK_SYMBOLPATH is defined in the environment
initialization file <your_environment>.ini and in the Tekla Structures
initialization file [Link].
Alternatively, you can add your own DXK_SYMBOLPATH in [Link]
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 reading order of the .ini files containing the DXK_SYMBOLPATH
definition:
1. [Link]
2. <your_environment> .ini
3. [Link]
2. Current model folder
Add here any additional symbol files that you might need.
All symbol files that are found are available to be used in Tekla Structures. If
there are duplicate file names, the first one found is used and the rest are
discarded. If the model folder contains a symbol file that has the same name
as another symbol file in DXK_SYMBOLPATH, the one in the model folder is
discarded.
Example of overriding a symbol temporarily
If there is no permanent need to add your own symbol paths in the
[Link] file in the model folder, you can temporarily override symbols.
In this example, you will temporarily override the weld symbol with a
customized symbol located in your model folder:
1. Customize the symbol (page 552) in ts_welds.sym first.
2. Copy the edited ts_welds.sym in your model folder
C:\TeklaStructuresModels\ <mymodel>

Edit drawings 437 Add symbols in drawings

 3. Open the [Link] file located in your model folder, and add
the line DXK_SYMBOLPATH=C:\ TeklaStructuresModels\<mymodel>;
C:\TeklaStructures\2017\Environments\common\symbols; +
possible other symbol folders in your local environment.

Define 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 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 [Link] file under the model folder or
[Link] using the advanced option XS_FIRM.
To define the firm folder for images and symbols in the [Link] file:
1. Modify the [Link] 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 [Link] located in the firm folder.
Currently in [Link] in the firm folder you need to write the
absolute paths for DXK_SYMBOLPATH, like in the example below:
DXK_SYMBOLPATH=C:\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\2020\Environments\common\symbols\;C:\firm\Symb
ols\;
2. In Template Editor, click Options --> Preferences --> File Locations and
enter the path to the firm folder also for Symbols, pictures.

4.11 Add links in drawings

You can add the following types of links in drawings:
• Links to rich text files
• Links to other drawings
• Hyperlinks to internet (url) addresses
• Links to DWG/DXF files
• Links to images

Edit drawings 438 Add links in drawings

Add links to rich text files
You can insert a link to a text file inside a frame in a drawing. First you create
a .txt or .rtf file, and then add a link to it in a Tekla Structures drawing.
Tekla Structures adds the text using some basic formatting settings you can set
in the file itself, and the text properties in the property pane.

NOTE If you change the text in the text file, it will change in all drawings
containing a link to the text file.

The .rtf files need to be saved in Microsoft WordPad. This means that you
can use Microsoft Word for editing the file, but you need to save the file in
Microsoft WordPad. There may be some problems in horizontal merging and
in tables, for example, if you save in Microsoft Word.
1. Create the text file.
You can add basic formatting to the file, such as bold, italics, underline,
strikethrough, subscript, and superscript, use indent and tabs, and set a
specific font. You can add bulleted lists with hyphens and circular bullets,
and numbered lists, and nest the lists. Simple tables are also supported.
When you add the text link, Tekla Structures preserves the formatting
settings.
Note that the text links do not support hyperlinks or images.
Tekla Structures colors will always be shown correctly. If you use in
the .rtf file a color that is not supported in Tekla Structures, then the
closest Tekla Structures color will be used.
2. Open the drawing where you want to add the text file.

3. On the Annotations tab, click Rich text. You can also select Rich
text from the property pane object list.
4. In File name, browse for the text file.
5. Set the desired font color, font type, and font height. These properties can
only be defined for .txt files. You can use a standard color or a custom
RGB color (page 64).
6. Define the desired scale.
The scale can only be defined for .rtf files.
The Scale tells how much the .rtf content should be scaled. If you define
1 as the scale, the letters will keep the same size as the letters in the
original .rtf file.
7. Define Scaling:
• No scaling: Tekla Structures adjusts the object size to fit the frame.
The text wraps when you change the size of the frame by dragging

Edit drawings 439 Add links in drawings

 the handles. The minimum width of the box is defined by the longest
word.
• Scale to fit : 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.
8. Set the frame line type and color. You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
9. Pick a position for the upper left corner of the text frame.
Tekla Structures adds the text link inside a resizable frame using the
formatting set in the text file, and the properties defined in the text file
properties.
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.

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.

Edit drawings 440 Add links in drawings

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.

Add links to other drawings

You can insert a link to another drawing in a frame in a drawing. Tekla
Structures adds the link to the drawing using the properties in the drawing
link properties.
1. Open a drawing where you want to add the link.
2. On the Drawing tab, click Link --> To another drawing . You can also
select Drawing link from the property pane object list.

Edit drawings 441 Add links in drawings

3. In the Drawing list, select the drawing to link to.
The drawings on the list are from the current model.
4. If you want to display text for the link instead of the drawing name, enter
the text in the Text box.
5. Modify the font color, font type, font height, and effect. You can use a
standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
6. 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.
7. Modify the frame line type and color. You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
8. Pick two points to define the frame and add the link.

Edit drawings 442 Add links in drawings

Tekla Structures adds the link to the selected drawing inside a resizable frame
using the defined properties. You can open the linked drawing by double-
clicking the link. To modify the drawing link properties, click the link frame.

Note that you can also open drawing link properties from Quick Launch: start
typing drawing link and select Drawing Link Properties from the displayed
list.

Add hyperlinks
You can add hyperlinks to internet addresses (URLs) or files within a frame in a
drawing using the current hyperlink properties.
1. Open a drawing where you want to add a hyperlink.
2. On the Drawing tab, click Link --> Hyperlink . You can also select
Hyperlink from the property pane object list.

Edit drawings 443 Add links in drawings

3. In the File or URL box, define an internet address or an HTML file path.
To browser for the HTML file, click Browse....
4. If you want to display text for the hyperlink instead of the hyperlink, type
the text in the Text box.
5. Modify the text font, font color, font height, and effect. You can use a
standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
6. Modify the frame line type and color. You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
7. 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.
8. Pick one or two points in the drawing depending on your Scaling
selection.
Tekla Structures inserts an active hyperlink to the location you specify inside
a resizable frame using the current hyperlink properties. Double-click the
hyperlink the drawing to go to the internet address in a browser. To modify
the hyperlink properties, click the hyperlink frame.

Note that you can also open hyperlink properties through Quick Launch: start
typing hyperlink properties, and select Drawing hyperlink properties
from the displayed list.

Add links to DWG and DXF files

You can insert a DWG or DXF file inside a frame in a drawing as a link. Tekla
Structures adds the DWG or DXF file link using the DWG/DXF properties. If you
modify the original file, Tekla Structures also modifies all the linked DWG/DXF
file instances in drawings.
Tekla Structures supports AutoCAD version 2023 and earlier in DWG/DXF links.
The added DWG/DXF files also support AutoCAD control codes, such as %%u for
underscore, or %%c for a circle diameter dimensioning symbol ø.
1. Open the drawing where you want to insert a link to a DWG/DXF file.
2. On the Drawing tab, click DWG/DXF. Alternatively, you can select
DWG/DXF from the drawing property pane object list.
3. In File name, browse for the DWG or DXF file you want to use.
4. Set the scaling options:
• Scaling:

Edit drawings 444 Add links in drawings

 • X: When you use this setting, you need to pick the left upper corner
of the frame to insert the file. You can only set the drawing scale in
the X direction.
• XY: When you use this setting, you need to 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: When you use this setting, you need to 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: When you use this setting, you need to 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.
• Scaling in X direction:
• 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.
• Scaling in Y direction:
• 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.
5. Select the line type and color for the frame. You can use a standard color
or a custom RGB color (page 64).
6. Pick one or two points in the drawing to place the frame where the linked
file will be added.
Tekla Structures adds a link to the DWG or DXF file inside a frame in the
drawing.

You can also open DWG/DXF properties through Quick Launch: start typing
DWG/DXF, and select Drawing DWG/DXF properties from the displayed list.

Add links to image files

You can insert an image as a link inside a frame in a drawing. Tekla Structures
adds the image link using the properties defined in the image properties.
When you modify the original file, Tekla Structures also modifies all the linked
instances in drawings.
The supported file types are .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .tif, .tiff, and .png.
1. Open the drawing where you want to insert a link to an image.

2. On the Drawing tab, click Image . You can also select Image from the
property pane object list.

Edit drawings 445 Add links in drawings

 3. In File name, browse for the image file you want to use.
4. Select the scaling options:
• Scaling:
• No scaling
• X: When you use this setting, you need to pick the left upper corner
of the frame to insert the image. You can only set the drawing scale
in the X direction.
• XY: When you use this setting, you need to pick the left upper
corner of the frame to insert the image. You can set the scale in
both the X and Y directions.
• Scale to fit: When you use this setting, you need to pick the left
upper and lower right corners of the frame to size and create the
frame. Tekla Structures scales the image to fit the frame.
• Best fit: When you use this setting, you need to pick the left upper
and lower right corners of the frame to size and create the frame.
Tekla Structures scales the image to fit, maintaining its original
aspect ratio.
• Scaling in X direction
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.
• Scaling in Y direction
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.
5. Select the link frame line type and color. You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
6. Pick the points in the drawing to place the image frame.
Tekla Structures adds a link to the image inside a re-sizable frame in the
drawing.

4.12 Add sketch objects in drawings

Sketch objects are objects that you might want to add in a drawing to highlight
important information, or to indicate the positions of openings, windows,

Edit drawings 446 Add sketch objects in drawings

doors, and such. In Tekla Structures drawings, you can draw clouds, lines,
circles, rectangles, arcs, polylines, and polygons, for example.

You can manually explode and combine many types of sketch objects, cover
part lines and faces, and create fillets and chamfers. You can re-order sketch
objects, or sketch objects and building objects. You can also trim, extend, split
and divide sketch objects, and copy objects using offset.
Sketch objects are associative if they have associativity points, which means
that they are attached to a building object through a point, for example, a
leader line start point.
Click the following links to find out more about sketching tools and sketch
objects:
Draw and modify sketch objects in drawings (page 447)
Combine and explode sketch objects in drawings (page 450)
Create and add pattern lines in drawings (page 453)
Re-order sketch objects in drawings (page 452)
Trim drawing lines (page 460)
Split sketch objects (page 462)
Divide sketch objects (page 462)
Create fillets in drawings (page 464)
Create chamfers in drawings (page 465)
Copy sketch objects with offset (page 463)
Hide part face areas and outlines with cover-up tools (page 474)

See also
Drawing objects, views and layouts (page 80)
Drawing sketch object properties (page 1124)

Draw and modify sketch objects in drawings

You can draw lines, polylines, polygons, rectangles, circles, arcs, and clouds in
an open drawing with drawing sketching tools.
1. To open the properties first and then draw the sketch object, hold down
Shift, and on the Drawing tab, click one of the following commands:

Line --> Draw line: Sketch a single line between two

points that you pick.

Line --> Draw single lines continuously: Create

multiple single lines at one go using the current line

Edit drawings 447 Add sketch objects in drawings

 properties. Tekla Structures creates a continuous line as
separate line sections.
You can combine (page 450) the sections into one by
using the Combine command.
Note that you can open the properties for the
continuous single lines only after you have created the
line.

Line --> Pattern line: Sketch a line containing a pattern

that you select using the current pattern line properties.
Tip: If you need a new pattern, use the Pattern line
editor to create it (File --> Editors --> Pattern line
editor).

Draw rectangle: Sketch a rectangle between the points

that you pick. You can create rectangles with horizontal
and vertical sides.

Draw circle by center and radius: Sketch a circle by

picking the center point first and then a point on the
circle that specifies the radius.

Draw circle by three points: Sketch a circle that

traverses the three points you pick, either clockwise or
counter-clockwise.

Draw arc by end points and center: Sketch an arc by

specifying two end points first and then a center point
of the circle to which the arc belongs.

Draw arc by three points: Sketch an arc that traverses

the three points that you pick, either clockwise or
counter-clockwise.

Draw polyline: Sketch a line with straight segments

using the current polyline properties.
Remember to set the Bulge for all lines factor if you
are creating curved polylines.

Draw polygon: Sketch a polygon by picking the corner

points using the current polygon properties. To close
the polygon, pick the start point again or click the
middle mouse button. To stop, press Esc.

Edit drawings 448 Add sketch objects in drawings

 Draw cloud: Sketch a cloud that traverses the points
that you pick. To close the cloud, click the middle mouse
button.
Remember to set the Bulge for all lines factor for
the clouds, otherwise the cloud shape is not drawn
properly.
2. Modify the sketch properties as required. For example, you can add hatch
patterns in rectangles, polygons, and circles. For details, see Drawing
sketch object properties (page 1124).
3. Sketch the objects by following the instructions below and on the status
bar. To stop sketching, press Esc.

While using sketching tools

• While sketching a polyline or a polygon, you can:
• Snap to temporary graphical points and set them as reference points by
holding down Ctrl and clicking a point on a temporary line.
• Set multiple reference points using DWG objects and Tekla Structures
building objects.
• Delete a reference point by holding down Ctrl and clicking the point.
• Create a polygon by clicking the start point of the polyline.
• Delete the selected corner point by right-clicking and selecting Delete.
• Add handles by dragging a handle point on the polyline or polygon. You
can then change the shape by dragging the handles.
• You can explode (page 450) rectangles, polylines, and polygons into
separate straight lines, and combine (page 450) polylines into closed
polygons.
• To move and rotate shapes, click Move --> Rotate on the Drawing tab.
• To resize shapes, such as rectangles, drag the shape handles.
• Object dimensions are shown while you draw the objects, and also when
you select the objects. To hide the dimensions of the objects, use the
Toggle graphical object dimensions command in drawings: Go to Quick
Launch, start typing toggle graphical object dimensions, and
select the Toggle graphical object dimensions command from the list
that appears, or use the Ctrl + D shortcut. When the dimensions are visible,
a small d is displayed on the status bar.
• You might want to activate orthogonal snapping by pressing O while
sketching to show ortho angles. You can define snapping steps (page 56)
and custom angles in Drawing snap settings (File --> Settings --> Snap
settings).

Edit drawings 449 Add sketch objects in drawings

• The view scale is taken into account when you copy sketch objects from
one view to another, which means that the scale of the object and the
related numerical information adjusts to the scale of the target view.
• Sketch object dimensions take into account dimension settings in drawings
in general. This means, for example, that units can be controlled in the
same way as for the other dimensions. For more information, see Units
and decimals (page 971).
• You can also change the mutual order of sketch objects (graphical objects),
and the mutual order of sketch objects and building objects. You can bring
sketch objects forward or in front of other sketch objects, or send them
backward or behind other sketch objects. You can also send sketch objects
behind building objects or bring them in front of building objects. You can
also re-order DWGs and images in the same way. For more information,
see Re-order sketch objects in drawings (page 452).
Modify sketch objects
1. Click the sketch object that you want to modify. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the object.
To select several sketch objects, hold down Ctrl and click the objects.
2. Modify the properties.
If you selected several sketch objects, only properties common to all
objects are displayed. The properties that have different values have the
text Varies. You can select another value from the list.
3. Click Modify to apply the changes in all selected sketch objects.

See also
Drawing sketch object properties (page 1124)
Hide part face areas and outlines with cover-up tools (page 474)
Define customized line types in [Link] (page 977)

Combine and explode sketch objects in drawings

You can explode sketch objects like polylines, rectangles, or polygons into
separate straight lines. You can also combine separate lines, continuous lines,
and polylines into a single polyline or a closed polygon.

To Do this
Combine separate lines, 1. Select the separate lines or polylines.
continuous lines or
polylines into a single
polyline or a closed
polygon

Edit drawings 450 Add sketch objects in drawings

 To Do this

2. Go to the Drawing tab and click Combine

.
Separate lines and polyline are combined into a
single polyline or a closed polygon. When you
select the combined shape, you can see that Tekla
Structures has combined the lines and created
more handles in the shape:

Explode a polyline, 1. Select polylines, rectangles or polygons.

rectangle, or polygon
2.
into separate straight
lines Go to the Drawing tab and click Explode .
The polylines, rectangles and polygons are
exploded into single lines:

Edit drawings 451 Add sketch objects in drawings

See also
Draw and modify sketch objects in drawings (page 447)

Re-order sketch objects in drawings

In drawings, you may want to indicate positions of openings, windows, doors,
and such with sketch objects. You can change the mutual order of sketch
objects (graphical objects), and the mutual order of sketch objects and building
objects. You can bring sketch objects forward or in front of other sketch
objects, or send them backward or behind other sketch objects. You can also
send sketch objects behind building objects or bring them in front of building
objects. You can also re-order sketch objects with DWGs and images in the
same way.

If you have several sketch objects (objects on several layers), the drawing order
affects on which layer the forward and backward commands place the objects.
Newly created sketch objects are placed on their own layer in the drawing so
that newer ones are on top of the older ones.
1. Right-click a sketch object, DWG or an image and click Re-order.
2. Select one of the following commands:
• Send backward: Moves the selected object one step closer to the back
of all other sketch objects.
• Send to back: Places the selected object behind all other sketch
objects.
• Bring forward: Moves the selected object one step closer to the front
of all other sketch objects.
• Bring to front: Places the selected object in front all other sketch
objects.
• Send behind model objects: Places the object behind all building
objects. You can also set this option in sketch object properties
( Behind model objects --> Yes ).
• Bring in front of model objects: Places the object in front of
all building objects. You can also set this option in sketch object
properties ( Behind model objects --> No ).
In the example below, a circle has been drawn with white filling, and
the circle is has been brought in front of the grey building object.

Edit drawings 452 Add sketch objects in drawings

 NOTE • Sketch objects that are placed behind building objects cannot
be rearranged together with sketch objects that are placed in
front of the building objects.
• You cannot change the mutual order of the building objects.

Create and add pattern lines in drawings

You can easily apply special and complex lines to drawings using pattern lines.
You can create new pattern lines and modify existing pattern lines in Pattern
line editor, and add the created pattern lines in drawings using the Pattern
line command. Pattern lines may include symbols, lines, and spacings. You can
create pattern lines to indicate cut lines, foundations, weld paths, or electrical
wiring, for example.

Create a pattern line

1. In the model or when a drawing is open, on the File menu, click Editors
--> Pattern line editor.
If you have not defined a pattern line earlier, all Pattern line editor fields
and containers are empty.
2. Click Browse... to browse for an image to be used as a sample for the
pattern line.

If you do not select an image, the default image will be used.

The selected image is also shown later on when you select a pattern line
in the Pattern line properties dialog.

Edit drawings 453 Add sketch objects in drawings

3. Enter a name for the pattern line in Create new. If you want to modify a
pattern line, select the desired pattern line from the list first.
4. In the Start element area, click New on the right to create a new start
element. The start element starts the pattern line (marked with red in the
dialog example below).

If you select Symbol as the Element type:

• Select the symbol file from the File list.
• In the Index list, enter the number of the symbol. To select a symbol in
a separate window, click Select... and double-click the desired symbol.
• In Space, enter the space allocated for the element in millimeters.
• In Size, enter the size of the element in millimeters.
• In Spacing type, select the spacing type for the elements on the
pattern line:
Fixed: The unoccupied space will not be distributed.
Variable: The unoccupied space will be equally distributed to the
elements with this spacing type.
Infinite: The blocks will occupy all the space between the two points.
The space will be distributed to fixed elements, and the rest will be
equally distributed to the infinite elements.
• In Color, select the element color. You can change the color later when
adding the pattern line in the drawing, and then also custom colors are
available.

Edit drawings 454 Add sketch objects in drawings

• In Vertical offset and Horizontal offset, enter offsets for the
elements in millimeters.
• In Rotate, define a rotation angle for the element.
If you select Line as the Element type:

• Select a line type from the Line type list.

• In Space, enter the space allocated for the element in millimeters.
• In Size, enter the size of the element in millimeters.
• In Spacing type, select the spacing type for the elements:
Fixed: The unoccupied space will not be distributed.
Variable: The unoccupied space will be equally distributed to the
elements with this spacing type.
Infinite: The blocks will occupy all the space between the two points.
The space will be distributed to fixed elements, and the rest will be
equally distributed to the infinite elements.
• In Color, select the element color. You can change the color later when
adding the pattern line in the drawing, and then also custom colors are
available.
• In Vertical offset and Horizontal offset, enter offsets for the
elements in millimeters.
If you select Spacing as the Element type:

• In Space, enter the space allocated for the element in millimeters.

• In Spacing type, select the spacing type for the elements:
Fixed: The unoccupied space will not be distributed.

Edit drawings 455 Add sketch objects in drawings

 Variable: The unoccupied space will be equally distributed to the
elements with this spacing type.
Infinite: The blocks will occupy all the space between the two points.
The space will be distributed to fixed elements, and the rest will be
equally distributed to the infinite elements.
5. In the End element area, click New to create a new end element in the
same way as you did for the start element.
The end element is marked with red in the editor dialog:

6. On the Repeating and continuous elements tab, define the elements

that are repeating on the pattern line (marked with red in the editor
dialog):

7. On the Repeating and continuous elements tab, define the elements

that are drawn continuously on the pattern line (marked with red in the
editor dialog):

8. You can check your pattern line definitions and how the line looks by

clicking the Preview button :

• If you have the Automatic preview option active, Tekla Structures
automatically opens a drawing preview that shows the created pattern
line with different spacing options taken from the Pattern line
properties dialog. If you already have a drawing open, Tekla Structures
will ask if you want to save and close the drawing before the preview is
opened.

• To update the preview by clicking the button , select the preview

option.
• You can also see previews of other saved pattern lines by selecting a
pattern line from the list at the top.

• To close the preview, click the Preview button again.

9. Save your pattern line by clicking the Save button . The pattern line is
saved in a .clp file in the \attributes folder under the model folder.

Edit drawings 456 Add sketch objects in drawings

Now you can add a pattern line in your drawing using the pattern line that you
created.
The symbols in the following example are taken from the
[Link] symbol file.
• The symbol at the left end is the start element, symbol #49.
• The symbol at the right end is the end element, symbol #48.
• Blue color is defined for the start and end elements.
• Symbol #51 in red is used as a repeating element.
• Two SolidLines are used as continuous elements with vertical offsets 2.0
and -2.0.

Tip: If your pattern lines are jumping like in the example below, try using
continuous elements instead of repeating elements.

Add a pattern line in a drawing

You may select among predefined pattern lines, or create your own in Pattern
line editor.
Limitations
• Pattern lines are not included in a 2D Library detail unless the pattern line
has been exploded.
• You cannot rotate or mirror created pattern lines.

Edit drawings 457 Add sketch objects in drawings

• You cannot clone pattern lines.
1. In an open drawing, hold down Shift and click Drawing --> Line -->
Pattern line.
2. In the Pattern line properties dialog, select the pattern line that you
want to use from the Pattern line list. You can also load other pattern line
properties by selecting a properties file from the list at the top and clicking
Load.
3. Select whether to show the Start element and/or the End element in the
pattern line. The start and end elements are defined in the Pattern line
editor.
4. Select how the elements are aligned and spaced in Spacing options:
Left aligns the elements to the left.

Right aligns the elements to the right.

Centered centers the elements.

Distributed uses the same space in between the elements.

Best fit tries to fit as many elements as possible with minimal distortion.
This setting affects both element size and space.

5. Set the Size of the pattern line.

6. Select the desired Scaling option:
View draws the line and elements scaled down to the view.
Paper draws the line and elements scaled down to the scale of the paper.
7. Enter the Vertical offset in millimeters if necessary. A positive value
moves the whole pattern line upwards and a negative value downwards.
8. Select the Color for the pattern line.
You can select the Default color, a standard color, or a custom color.
Custom RGB colors are available only in the Pattern line properties
when you are adding pattern lines, not in the Pattern line editor when
you are creating pattern lines.
The resulting color depends on how you set the colors in Pattern line
editor and Pattern line properties:

Edit drawings 458 Add sketch objects in drawings

 • If you select Default as the color both in Pattern line editor and in
Pattern line properties, all elements will be black.
• If you select the Default color in Pattern line editor, and you select
another color in Pattern line properties, the color selected in Pattern
line properties will be used.
• If you select a standard color in Pattern line editor, and you select
another color in Pattern line properties, the color selected in Pattern
line editor properties will be used.
9. To save the pattern line properties in a property file, enter a name for the
file and click Save as.
10. Click OK.
11. Pick the points for the polyline and end by clicking the middle-mouse
button. Once you have added the pattern line, you can select polyline
handles and move the sections of the polyline by dragging.

Pattern line elements

A pattern line consists of one or several blocks of elements. These element
blocks are arranged between two given points.
The illustration below shows a pattern line consisting of two repeating symbol
elements in three blocks.
The symbol elements have the following settings:
Space = 1.5
Spacing type = Fixed
Size = 1
Color = 1st element is blue, and the 2nd element is red

(1) Block size

(2) Unoccupied space, which is the space that is left when the blocks are
arranged between two points. This space is redistributed to the elements
which have the spacing type Variable.
The following illustration describes the different element settings. The letter E
inside a circle is an element:

Edit drawings 459 Add sketch objects in drawings

(1) Size of the element
(2) Origin
(3) Horizontal offset from the origin
(4) Vertical offset from the origin
(5) Space

Trim drawing lines

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.

1. On the Drawing tab, click Trim .

2. Select the object you want to use 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:

Edit drawings 460 Add sketch objects in drawings

 To Do this

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

Line clicked at the left end:

Line clicked at the right end:

See also
Add sketch objects in drawings (page 446)

Edit drawings 461 Add sketch objects in drawings

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

2. On the Drawing tab, click Split.

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

4. Tekla Structures splits the line into two.

See also
Add sketch objects in drawings (page 446)

Divide sketch objects

You can divide a sketch object into a number of segments that you specify in
an open drawing. You can divide lines and arcs.
1. Select the line.

2. On the Drawing tab, click Divide.

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

Tekla Structures divides the line into four lines.

See also
Add sketch objects in drawings (page 446)

Edit drawings 462 Add sketch objects in drawings

Copy sketch objects with offset
You can copy lines, circles, polylines, polygons, and rectangles 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.
1. Select the object that you want to copy in a drawing, for example a line or
a circle.

2. On the Drawing tab, click Copy with offset.

3. Click the drawing view in the direction where you want to copy the object.

4. Type the offset in the displayed box , and press Enter.

You can also use fraction of an inch or decimals in the offset value. For
example, enter
0"1/2
0"7/16
20.4
Tekla Structures copies the selected shape to the specified direction. For
example, if you are copying a line, Tekla Structures makes a new copy
of the line in the specified location. 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.
When you copy a line that has a bulge, the created line has the same
bulge as the original one.
If the rectangle has no bulges, the copied object will still be a rectangle
after you use Segments. Note that if the original rectangle has a bulge, it
is not possible to draw a new rectangle using Copy with offset. When you
use segments, the new copied object will become a polygon.

Example
Example of a copied line:

Edit drawings 463 Add sketch objects in drawings

Example of a copied circle:

Create fillets in drawings

You can connect two intersecting lines by extending the two selected lines to
their intersection point by creating a fillet. If no intersection point is found or if
it is outside the drawing, nothing will be done.
This feature is for lines that have been drawn manually in a drawing, not for
part lines.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Select two intersecting lines.

3. On the Drawing tab, click Create fillet.

Edit drawings 464 Add sketch objects in drawings

Create chamfers in drawings
You can create chamfers between two lines using a distance that you specify.
You can create both straight and round chamfers.
1. Select two intersecting lines.
2. Do one of the following:

• To create a straight chamfer, on the Drawing tab, click Create

straight chamfer.
Enter the distance that you want to have between the two lines (the
length of the chamfer line) in the displayed dialog.

Edit drawings 465 Add sketch objects in drawings

 • To create a round chamfer, on the Drawing tab, click Create
round chamfer.
Enter the desired radius in the displayed dialog.

Example
Example of a straight chamfer:

Example of a round chamfer:

Edit drawings 466 Add sketch objects in drawings

4.13 Show or hide drawing objects
You can hide selected drawing objects from drawings or drawing views. You
can also list which objects you have hidden. It is also possible to hide objects
from drawings or drawing views using filters. You can also hide dimensions of
graphical drawing objects.

Hide selected objects in drawings or drawing views

You can hide selected objects in drawings and drawing views, for example,
parts, marks, dimensions, or grids. When you hide a part, Tekla Structures will

Edit drawings 467 Show or hide drawing objects

hide all its related objects. Note that if an object is hidden in drawing views, it
will not be printed.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Check that the ghost outline option is selected in File --> Settings -->
Ghost outline .
3. Select the Color mode by pressing B.
Hidden objects are shown as ghost outlines in color drawings. In grayscale
and black and white drawings, hidden objects are not shown even if
Ghost outline is selected.
4. Select the objects you want to hide in one of the following ways:
• Activate the appropriate selection switch and select the objects using
area selection, for example. For example, to select parts, use Select
parts in drawings.
• Open the Drawing content manager from the side pane, and click
Show to populate the Drawing content manager list. You can also
select areas, single or multiple views, or single or multiple building
objects to narrow down your selection. To select parts, ensure that

building object selection is active , and to select marks, ensure

that mark selection is active . Then select the desired building

objects from the list.
5. On the Drawing tab, click Hide/show and one of the following
commands:
• Hide from view: Tekla Structures Hides the selected object in the view
where the selected objects are located.
• Hide from drawing: Tekla Structures Hides the selected object in all
drawing views.
You can also right-click and select the commands from the pop-up menu.
6. When you want to show the hidden objects again, go to the Drawing tab
and click Hide/show and select Show in view or Show in drawing.

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

Edit drawings 468 Show or hide drawing objects

 Setting Example
Color mode is set to Color in File
--> Settings . No objects have been
hidden. Marks are shown.

Color mode is set to Color and Ghost

outline is not selected in File -->
Settings . Selected reinforcing bars
are hidden and related marks are not
shown.

Edit drawings 469 Show or hide drawing objects

 Setting Example
Color mode is set to Color and Ghost
outline is selected in File --> Settings
Hidden rebars are shown as ghost
outlines and related part marks are
not shown.

Color mode is set to Black and

white and Ghost outline is selected
in File --> Settings . The ghost outline
has no effect on black and white
drawings. Rebars are hidden and
related marks are not shown.

Edit drawings 470 Show or hide drawing objects

List hidden parts in drawings
You can select whether to list the hidden parts in drawings, for example, in the
material list.
Note that 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.
1. Open a drawing containing hidden parts.
2. Double-click the drawing to open the drawing properties dialog.
3. Click Layout...
4. 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.

Hide drawing objects using filters

You can also hide objects from drawing views by defining view filters in the
drawing view properties in any drawing type. In GA drawings, you can also
hide objects from the whole drawing by defining drawing filters in GA drawing
properties.
To hide objects from a drawing view:
1. To open the view properties of the current drawing, double-click the
drawing view frame.

Edit drawings 471 Show or hide drawing objects

2. In View Properties, select Filter from the options tree on the left.
3. Create a view filter where you define what you want to show or hide in the
drawing view.
Optimize the filter so that it affects only the relevant objects.
For example, if you want to show only parts that have class 6 and rebars
with the name LIFTING_HOOK, create the following filter: Row 1:
Category: Object
Property: Object type
Condition: Equals
Value: Part
Row 2:
Category: Part
Property: Class
Condition: Equals
Value: 6
And/Or: Or (The ”Or” option finds objects that match either value.)
Row 3:
Category: Object
Property: Object type
Condition: Equals
Value: Reinforcing bar
Row 4:
Category: Reinforcing bar
Property: Name
Condition: Equals
Value: LIFTING_HOOK

Edit drawings 472 Show or hide drawing objects

4. To change where the filter can be used, select the desired checkboxes at
the top. By default, the filter can be used in the current drawing type only.
5. Enter a name for the filter and click Save.
6. To apply the filter in the view, click Modify.

Hide or show dimensions of drawing sketch objects

You can hide and show the dimensions of the sketch objects in drawings,
such as lines, or arcs, from Quick Launch or by using a keyboard shortcut. By
default, the dimensions are visible.
In an open drawing where you want to hide or show sketch object dimensions,
do one of the following:
• Press Ctrl+d to hide the dimensions. To show the dimensions, press Ctrl+d
again.
• Go to Quick Launch, start typing toggle graphical object
dimensions, and select the Toggle graphical object dimensions
command from the list that appears. To show the dimensions again, do
the same.

Edit drawings 473 Show or hide drawing objects

 When the dimensions are visible, a small d is displayed on the status bar:

See also
Hide part face areas and outlines with cover-up tools (page 474)
Modify grids and grid lines in drawings (page 577)

4.14 Hide part face areas and outlines with cover-up tools
Use cover-up line, rectangle, polyline or polygon tool for quickly hiding areas of
building object faces or outlines in drawings. Cover-up objects are also shown
in printouts.
1. Open a drawing.
2. On the Drawing tab, click one of the cover-up tools:
Draw cover-up rectangle

Draw cover-up line

Draw cover-up polyline

Draw cover-up polygon

3. Pick points and draw a non-transparent area or line over the area that you
want to hide.

Edit drawings 474 Hide part face areas and outlines with cover-up
tools
The cover-up object dimensions are shown while you draw it, and also
when the object is selected. You can do the following with cover-up
objects:
• Drag cover-up objects to another location.
• Resize cover-up objects by dragging the handles.
• Reshape polyline and polygon objects by dragging the handles.

Edit drawings 475 Hide part face areas and outlines with cover-up
tools
 Limitation:The Re-order command in the pop-up menu has no effect on
the cover-up object. To have a cover-up area hiding sketch objects, such as
polygons and polylines, use Re-order for the sketch object and send it behind
model object.

See also
Add sketch objects in drawings (page 446)

4.15 Delete drawing objects

You can delete drawings, and some drawing objects inside the drawings.

NOTE You cannot delete building objects in a drawing, such as parts, bolts, welds,
chamfers, reinforcing bars, or surface treatment; all changes to building
objects are made in the model.

For more information about various drawing object types, see Drawing
objects, views, and layouts (page 80). For details about building objects in
drawings, see Show building objects in drawings (page 487).
• You can delete the following, for example:
• Annotations: To delete dimensions, marks, notes, and other
annotation objects (text objects, sketch objects, .rtf files, symbols, links,
hyperlinks, images, DWG/DXF files), select the object and press Delete
on the keyboard, or right-click and select Delete. You can also delete
marks and notes in Drawing content manager (page 335), where you
can narrow your selection by selecting certain drawing views, areas or
multiple objects and then delete those. You can also delete marks for
the parts you specify by using selection filters (page 385).
• Views: To delete drawing views: Select the view and press Delete on the
keyboard, or right-click and select Delete.
• Tables in layout: You can also delete tables in the drawing layout, such
as a material list or revision table. For detailed instructions, see Change
table sets in drawings (page 218).
• Change symbols: To delete the change symbols (change clouds) for
dimensions, marks, and notes, see instructions in Check changed
marks, notes and dimensions and remove change symbols (page 405)
• Drawings: You can also delete unnecessary drawings through
Document manager. For more information, see Delete drawings and
file documents (page 655).
• You can also hide objects from drawing views or from drawings, where the
objects remain in the drawing but are hidden. For detailed instructions, see

Edit drawings 476 Delete drawing objects

 Show and hide drawing objects (page 467). The selected object and all its
related objects are hidden, and shown as ghost outlines in color drawings.
Note that if an object is hidden in drawing views, the object will not be
printed.
• You might also want to change the visibility of some objects so that
they are not visible in the drawing. Take a look at the drawing and view
level properties for various objects, such as parts (page 1087), surface
treatment (page 1097), reinforcement (page 1100), model welds (page 1121),
and reference objects (page 590), and check the available visibility settings.

See also
Drawings in Tekla Structures (page 49)

4.16 Arrange annotation objects

You can reposition annotation objects such as marks, dimensions or texts on
the basis of the protection and placing properties of each drawing object type.
Before arranging annotation objects, check and change the Protection
settings in view properties. With protection properties you can define
protected areas in drawings to prevent text, marks or dimensions from being
placed in that area. Also, double-click annotation objects in the drawing, and
check the placing settings, and change those as required. Placing properties
define where and how far the annotation objects are placed, and the empty
margin around the mark. If the object is set to fixed, the Arrange objects
commands will reposition the objects and keep the fixed state.
1. In the open drawing, select the annotation objects you want to arrange:
• Select the individual objects such as marks, dimensions and texts by
pressing down Shift and clicking the objects.
• Use selection switches to select only texts, marks, and associative
notes, for example, and use area selection to select the objects that
you want.
• To select marks or associative notes only, first activate the Select parts
in drawings selection switch and select the parts using area selection,
for example, and then right-click and select Select part marks.
• Another way to select marks or associative notes only is to open
the Drawing content manager from the side pane, click Show to
populate the Drawing content manager list, ensure that marks

selection is active , and select the desired building objects from

the list.
2. On the Annotations tab:

Edit drawings 477 Arrange annotation objects

 • To arrange marks and texts near current location, click Arrange
objects --> Near current location .
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.
• To arrange marks and texts ignoring the current location, click Arrange
objects --> 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.
• To arrange the selected marks and notes so that you avoid crossing

leader lines, click Arrange marks on the Annotations tab.

Remember that you first have to select the marks or notes.

See also
Define object protection and placement settings in drawings (page 750)

4.17 Align selected drawing objects

In drawings, you can align the selected views, texts, marks, notes, and symbols
relative to the point you pick. You can also position objects horizontally or
vertically at equal distances from each other.
For details about aligning drawing views, see Modify, arrange, and align
drawing views (page 244).
In an open drawing, do any of the following:

To Do this
Align selected views, 1. Select the objects that you want to align.
symbols, texts, marks, You can align views, marks, notes, text, and
and notes symbols.
You can select one or several objects using
appropriate selection switches or filters and
area selection, for example. If you want to
align marks and notes only, you can use
Drawing content manager for first selecting
the building objects and then the related
marks or notes.
For more information about Drawing content
manager, see Drawing content manager
(page 335).

Edit drawings 478 Align selected drawing objects

To Do this
2. Select the aligning command from the toolbar:

aligns the selected objects above the

point that you pick.

aligns the selected objects below the

point that you pick.

aligns the selected objects to the right of

the point that you pick.

aligns the selected objects to the left of

the point that you pick.

aligns the selected objects to the vertical

center of the point that you pick.

aligns the selected objects to the

horizontal center of the point that you pick.

positions the selected objects to the

vertical center of the point that you pick at
equal distances.

positions the selected objects to the

horizontal center of the point that you pick at
equal distances.
3. Pick a location for the alignment.
If you have mixed objects selected, such as
views and text objects, you will be prompted
to select which objects you want to align.
4. If you selected one of the two commands
that position objects at equal distances, type
the distance in the displayed dialog and press
Enter.

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

Edit drawings 479 Align selected drawing objects

 To Do this
not need to reselect the objects between the
two commands.

Align selected marks and •

notes automatically Click Align marks --> Auto-align marks
on the Annotations tab.
This aligns the selected marks and notes by
stacking the marks or notes and placing them
evenly.
This command applies to all marks and associative
notes, except weld marks.
Align selected marks and •
notes around a point
Click Align marks --> Align to a point on
the Annotations tab and pick a point.
This command tries to avoid crossing leader lines
when placing the marks.

This command applies to all marks and associative

notes, except weld marks.

4.18 Drag, reshape and resize drawing objects

Many drawing objects, dimension lines and leader lines of many drawing
objects have handles. You can use these handles to drag, reshape, and resize
objects. If you have activated the Drawing drag & drop switch, you do not
need to select the handles or objects separately to drag, reshape or resize the
objects.

Edit drawings 480 Drag, reshape and resize drawing objects

Drag, resize or reshape annotation objects, sketch objects and grid labels
• In an open drawing, go to the File menu, click Settings and select the
Drawing drag & drop checkbox. After this, you can move, drag, resize
or reshape drawing objects such as annotations, sketch objects, and grid
labels without selecting the objects or handles first.
• To move the handle points of sketch objects to resize or reshape, press
down the left-mouse button at the handle and drag the handle to the new
position.
• To drag the handles of grid labels, you need to select the grid line first.

Ensure that you have activated the Select grid line selection switch .
• You can also drag the associativity point of the leader line (page 419) of the
annotations objects.

Drag dimensions
• Activate the Drawing drag & drop switch to drag without selecting the
dimension first.
• To drag dimension marks (page 314) to avoid overlapping dimensions and
marks, select the mark handle first.
• You can only drag relative dimensions, not absolute dimensions.
• Straight (linear) dimensions in drawings can be modified by dragging the
dimensions from dimension handles.

• Dragging in single dimension lines: If you try to drag a dimension point

to a new position that is located behind an existing dimension point,
the selected dimension point will be deleted from the old position and
recreated in the new, preferred position. If you try to drag the point to
the same coordinate position where the existing point is already located,
the dragged dimension point is dropped back automatically to the initial
position.
• Dragging in dimension sets: If you try to drag the point into the area
between two points of neighbor dimension line, the selected dimension

Edit drawings 481 Drag, reshape and resize drawing objects

 point will be deleted from the old position and recreated in the new,
preferred position. If you try to drag the point to the same coordinate
position where the existing point is already located, the dragged dimension
point will be deleted from the old location and will be combined with the
existing one, after dropping to the new location.
• Dragging a dimension point with a zero coordinate in running dimensions
allows you to change the coordinate of the start dimension point without
running the Set dimension start point command.

NOTE When you drag a mark, note, text, or dimension, its placing setting
may be set to fixed depending what its set for the advanced options
listed below. The mark, note, text or dimension stays where it is, even
though you update the drawing. You may want to check the settings
defined for the following advanced options:
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_DIMENSIONS_TO_FIXED
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_MARKS_TO_FIXED
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_NOTES_TO_FIXED
XS_CHANGE_DRAGGED_TEXTS_TO_FIXED

See also
Define object protection and placement settings in drawings (page 750)
Adjust part mark leader lines with advanced options (page 894)
Place reinforcement mark leader line associativity point automatically
(page 895)
Drag leader line associativity point (page 419)
Modify, arrange and align drawing views (page 244)
Show welds in drawings (page 552)

Edit drawings 482 Drag, reshape and resize drawing objects

4.19 Clone selected annotations or representations in
drawings
The Clone selected command allows you to clone previously created
annotation objects and drawing object representations among the assemblies
or cast units with the same type and similar shape in GA drawings.
When editing GA drawings, it is often required to add annotations,
dimensioning and styles for building objects as repetitive task. The new
Clone selected feature clones existing annotation objects,drawing object
representations and styles from selected source objects to selected target
objects in GA drawings. With this feature, you can reduce manual repetition
considerably.
You can clone annotation objects and drawing object representations inside
one drawing view or among different drawing views.
Clone selected recognizes the following types of drawing content:
• Associative and independent annotation objects: dimensions, marks, texts,
symbols, text files, and DWG/DXF files
• Sketch objects, such as circles, rectangles, and polygons
• Object representations and styles: line colors, line types, hatches

Adjust cloning settings

Before you clone, you may want to define how and what to clone in Cloning
settings. You can also clone using the default settings.
1. On the Drawing tab, click Clone selected --> Cloning settings .
2. Define the cloning settings:

Merge Override all annotation objects and building

object properties in the cloning target by cloning
matching content from the cloning source.
This is the default mode.
Keep all Keep the existing annotation objects and building
object properties in the cloning target and only
clone the missing ones from the cloning source.
Discard all Discard all annotation objects and building object
properties in the cloning target and clone all
selected content from the cloning source.
Clone building object Clone drawing object properties such as line
properties and styles colors and types, hatching styles and other
representation properties in the drawing object

Edit drawings 483 Clone selected annotations or representations in

drawings
 properties for parts, reinforcement, bolts and
welds.
Place marks and Automatically run the Arrange drawing objects
associative notes near current location command for all associative
according to protection annotation objects except for level marks, weld
settings marks, dimensions and independent annotation
objects.
This option positions the annotation objects in the
cloning target 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.
3. Click OK.

Clone selected annotations and object properties

Before you clone, first modify the source object so that it contains the desired
dimensions and annotations, and adjust the source object properties.
When cloning dimensions, remember to set the dimension associativity rules
before cloning to avoid the situation where it is unclear which object a
dimension point is associated to. For more information, see Display and
change dimension point associativity (page 324).
1. In an open GA drawing, click Clone selected on the Drawing tab.
2. Select the cloning source objects by clicking the objects or using area
selection.
You can also select the objects before activating the Clone selected
command.
You can also select the objects using Drawing content manager and
selection filters.
You can deselect objects by holding down Ctrl and clicking the selected
object.
3. Press the middle mouse button to complete the selection.
4. Select the cloning target objects by clicking the objects or using area
selection.
5. Press Esc to stop the cloning.

TIP You can also clone from the source that you selected last. To do this,
click Clone from last selected source on the Drawing tab.

Below on the left a detailed footing and on the right a similar footing that
will be the target of cloning:

Edit drawings 484 Clone selected annotations or representations in

drawings
 Below, the detailed footing on the left has been used as source for the
target on the right. The details have been cloned to the target.

NOTE Cloning of annotations to multiple assemblies or cast units produces

best results only when annotations and dimensions are associated to
single-assemblies or cast units in source selection.
When the source selection contains annotations and dimensions
associated to multiple assemblies, Clone selected will produce
accurate results only if corresponding groups of assemblies or cast
units are selected in the target one by one, not all at once.

Limitations
• Some drawing objects cannot be used as source objects, such as grid lines,
section view symbols, drawing view names, neighbor parts and neighbor
reinforcement. These objects types will not be highlighted during/after area
or single selection. Messages on the status bar indicate if an object cannot
be selected.

Edit drawings 485 Clone selected annotations or representations in

drawings
• Clone selected cannot be used with pour units.
• To achieve accurate cloning results all dimensions should be associated
either to grid line intersection points or to intersections of building objects
and grid lines.
Dimension point associated to intersection of two perpendicular grid lines:

Note that all dimension points that are located in arbitrary position along
the grid lines in the source selection will be cloned to wrong coordinates in
the target.
Dimension point associated to intersection of part side and grid line:

• Clone selected cannot be used for cloning radial or curved dimensions.

• Cloning of annotations to mirrored objects created with the Mirror
command in the model does not produce accurate results.

Edit drawings 486 Clone selected annotations or representations in

drawings
 • Cloning modes do not affect cloning of independent annotation objects or
sketch objects. Listed object types will be copied to target as many times as
clone selected is applied to the target objects.
• Dimensions will not be cloned if the viewing directions of the source and
target drawing views do not match. In this case, a message is shown on the
status bar.

4.20 Show building objects in drawings

Building objects are 2D representations of the 3D objects in the model, such
as parts, bolts, welds, pour objects, surface treatment, and reinforcement.
Building objects in drawings get their appearance from the automatic drawing
settings when you create a drawing. After creating the drawing, you can
change the appearance in an open drawing.

You can modify building object representation, adjust the visibility settings,
and add annotations to the objects. You cannot delete building objects.
Click the following links for more information:
Modify building object properties (page 488)
Shorten parts in selected views (page 489)
Show edge chamfers in drawings (page 490)
Show fillet edges in drawings (page 495)
Show neighbor parts and neighbor reinforcement in general arrangement
drawings (page 500)
Hide part face areas and outlines with cover-up tools (page 474)
Show welds in drawings (page 552)
Show pours in drawings (page 548)
Show reinforcement in drawings (page 510)
Show spiral beams in drawings (page 505)

See also
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)
Bolt properties in drawings (page 1094)
Model weld properties in drawings (page 1121)
Surface treatment properties in drawings (page 1097)
Pour object and pour break properties in drawings (page 1114)
Reinforcement object properties in drawings (page 1100)

Edit drawings 487 Show building objects in drawings

Modify building object properties
You can modify the drawing properties of the building objects (parts, bolts,
reinforcement, surface treatment, welds, pour breaks, pour objects) in an
open drawing. For example, you can change the colors and line types of
different kinds of lines, or add hatch patterns in parts and cross sections.
1. Click a building object, for example a part, reinforcement, surface
treatment, or bolt. If the property pane is not open, double-click the
building object.
2. Change the building object visibility and representation.
For example, change which lines and markings are shown, and modify the
color and type of the lines. You can also add fills to building objects.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
XS_CENTER_LINE_TYPE overrides the center line type set in the drawing,
view, or object level properties.
XS_SECTION_LINE_COLOR_RGB overrides the section line color set in the
drawing, view, or object level properties.
For details about the properties of various building objects, click the links
at the bottom of this page.
Note that the center line is only shown for assembly main parts but not
for secondary parts when looking from the cross section direction. If the
part is viewed from the side, the center line is also shown for secondary
parts.
3. Click Modify.
You can also change the part reference line location using the advanced
option XS_DRAWING_PART_REFERENCE_LINE_TYPE, and scale the points Tekla
Structures uses to create reference lines using the advanced option
XS_DRAWING_POINT_SCALE.

See also
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)
Define automatic drawing part properties (page 927)
Bolt properties in drawings (page 1094)
Surface treatment properties in drawings (page 1097)
Reinforcement object properties in drawings (page 1100)
Pour object and pour break properties in drawings (page 1114)
Model weld properties in drawings (page 1121)
Add hatches (fills) to parts in drawings (page 943)

Edit drawings 488 Show building objects in drawings

Shorten parts in selected views
You can shorten parts in the selected view in an open drawing. By default,
there is an empty area shown in the middle of the shortened part, but you can
use a shortening symbol instead, and adjust the shortening symbol color and
line type.
1. Click a drawing view frame in an open drawing. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the drawing view frame.
2. In the property pane, in Cut parts, select Yes, Only in x direction, or
Only in y direction.
3. To cut skewed parts, select the Cut skew parts checkbox.
4. 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.
5. In Space between cut parts, enter the distance between the cut parts on
paper.
6. Click Modify.

TIP To use a view shortening symbol instead of the empty

area in the middle of the shortened part, 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_RGB, XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_LINE_TYPE,
and XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_WITH_ZIGZAG.

Example
Below is an example where the zig zag shortening symbol is used.

Edit drawings 489 Show building objects in drawings

See also
Shorten or lengthen parts (page 782)
View properties in drawings (page 990)

Show 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 associative notes to edge chamfers.

Show edge chamfers in a drawing

You can select whether to show edge chamfers in your drawing, and the way
they are shown.
1. Open a drawing with a view of a part containing edge chamfers, and
double-click the view frame to open the drawing view properties.
2. In the options tree on the left, select Part.
3. In the Additional marks area in part properties, select the Edge
chamfers on/off checkbox.
4. In the Representation list, depending on the desired result, select
Outline or Exact.

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Exact Outline

5. Click Modify.
6. If needed, double-click the edge chamfer in the drawing and modify the
line color and type in edge chamfer properties. You can use a standard
color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
To show the edge chamfers for a particular part in a drawing, double-click the
part in the drawing, and in part properties, click the Edge chamfers eye button

, and click Modify.

Define default line color and type for edge chamfers

You can define a default color and line type for edge chamfers in drawings.
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Options and go to the Drawing
objects settings.
2. Define the default line color and default line type for the edge chamfer.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
3. To save the default settings and close the dialog, click OK.

TIP You can override the default settings manually in a drawing by double-clicking
the edge chamfer and changing the edge chamfer line color and type in edge
chamfer properties.

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Change edge chamfer line color and type manually
You can change the line type and color of the edge chamfers manually in
an open drawing. This overrides the default color and type defined in the
Drawing objects settings in the Options dialog.
First ensure that you have set the edge chamfers visible in the part properties.
1. To modify the edge chamfer properties, double-click an edge chamfer in
an open drawing.
2. Select the desired color and line type. You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
3. Click Modify.
The line color and type changes.

Invisible 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 still want to be able see and select them, for example,
to add associative notes.

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.

Add associative notes to edge chamfers

You can add associative notes to edge chamfers.
1. Open a drawing of a part that has edge chamfers.
2. Double-click the parts and edge chamfers and modify the part properties
and edge chamfer properties so that edge chamfers are visible and you
can easily select them.

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3. To open associative notes properties, hold down Shift and on the
Annotations tab in the drawing, click one of the commands in the Note
drop down. You can also select Associative note in the property pane
object list.
4. In the Object type list, select Edge chamfer.

5. In the associative note visual editor, click the plus button to open the
element list and select the elements to be added in the note. You can
delete the unnecessary elements from the note by clicking the red delete
button
6. Modify other properties as required.
7. To add the note, click an edge chamfer in the drawing.
If you use a leader line, you need to pick a position for the note.

Example: Edge chamfers

See below for typical examples of the ways you can show edge chamfers in
drawings.
In the first example, the part Representation has been set to Exact and Edge
chamfers have been set visible. Invisible color is used for 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.

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In the second example, Representation has been set to Outline and Edge
chamfers have been set visible in the part properties. Invisible color is used
for edge chamfer lines, because you may want to see and select chamfers in
the drawing, for example, to add associative notes. This representation type
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 lower right corner of the
image shows what the edge chamfer looks like when it is selected.

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Show fillet edges in drawings
Fillet edges are lines that define the boundary between straight faces and
curved faces in the model. Some examples of building objects containing
fillet edges are profiles with curved fillets, slabs or contour plates with curved
chamfers, and curved polybeams. The fillet edges can be shown in all drawing
types for parts and pours. Fillet edges are visible by default for new drawings,
and invisible for drawings that are created in a Tekla Structures version earlier
than 2016.

Show fillet edges in GA drawings

To show the fillet edges, you need to set Fillet edges visible in part properties.
For profiles, the Exact representation might be required to show the fillet
edges, depending on the profile. You can control the fillet edge visibility in part
properties and in pour object properties on the drawing, view and object level.
To set the fillet edges visible on the drawing level in a general arrangement
drawing:

Edit drawings 495 Show building objects in drawings

1. Open a general arrangement drawing that contains steel or concrete
parts with curved faces, for example, profiles with curved fillets, slabs or
contour plates with curved chamfers, or curved polybeams.
2. Double-click the drawing background to display the General
arrangement drawing properties dialog.
3. Click Part... or Pour object...
4. If you need to change part representation (page 1087) for profiles, select
Exact from the Representation list.
5. Under Additional marks, select the Fillet edges on/off checkbox.
6. If needed, set the hidden lines options:
• Select the Hidden lines on/off checkbox to show the hidden lines of
other parts.
• Select the Own hidden lines on/off checkbox to show the part's own
hidden lines.
7. Click Modify. Fillet edges are now visible in the drawing.

Show fillet edges in individual parts

You can also modify individual parts in drawings so that the fillet edges are
shown.
1. Open a drawing that contains steel or concrete parts with curved faces,
for example, profiles with curved fillets, slabs or contour plates with
curved chamfers, or curved polybeams.
2. To open the properties, click the desired part. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the part.

3. In the Visibility section, activate the Fillet edge option .

4. If needed, set the hidden lines options:
• Activate the Hidden lines option to show the hidden lines of other
parts.
• Activate the Own hidden lines option to show the part's own hidden
lines.
5. Ensure that Exact is selected in the Representation type list.
6. Click Modify.

Examples
Example 1
Below is an example of fillet edges in the model:

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Below is an example of parts in a drawing showing the fillet edges (Fillet
edges on/off selected in the drawing level part properties or Fillet edge
selected in part properties in the property pane):

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Below is an example of parts in a drawing not showing the fillet edges (Fillet
edges on/off not selected in the drawing level part properties or Fillet edge
set in part properties in the property pane):

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Example 2
Below is an example of a hollow-core slab in the model:

Below is an example of the hollow-core slab in a drawing showing the fillet

edges (Fillet edges on/off selected in the drawing level part properties or
Fillet edge set in part properties in the property pane). As you can see, the
representation is not very clear when the fillet edges are visible:

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Below is an example of the hollow-core slab in a drawing not showing the fillet
edges (Fillet edges on/off not selected in the drawing level part properties or
Fillet edge set in part properties in the property pane):

Show neighbor parts and neighbor reinforcement in

general arrangement drawings
In GA drawings, you can define which parts are neighbor parts using neighbor
part filters in the drawing or view level properties. The parts that fulfill the
filtering criteria will be treated as neighbor parts. Note that you must also
define a filter for normal parts to get the neighbor parts working. Optimize the
filters so that they select or handle only the relevant objects.

The functionality described below for neighbor parts works in a similar way
also for neighbor reinforcement. At the end of this page, there is an example
filter for neighbor reinforcement.
When you have defined which parts are normal parts and which are neighbor
parts using the filters, you can define the way to show the parts and neighbor
parts by modifying part and neighbor part properties.

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This simple example describes how you can show the normal parts (columns)
in blue, and the neighbor parts (beams) in red. You need to create the
necessary filters, and modify part and neighbor part properties.
1. In an open GA drawing, double-click the drawing background to open the
General arrangement drawing properties.
2. To open the General - Filter Properties dialog, click Filter, create a filter
by Part - Name and Object - Object type for columns, and click Modify.

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3. To go the General - Part Properties dialog, click Part and on the Fill tab,
select a fill, set the fill color to blue, and click Modify.

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4. To open the General - Neighbor Part Filter Properties dialog, click
Neighbor part filter, create a filter by Part - Name and Object - Object
type for beams, and click Modify.

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5. To open the General - Neighbor Part Properties dialog, click Neighbor
part and do the following:
• On the Visibility tab, set Neighbor parts to By extreme.
• On the Fill tab, select a fill type, and set the fill color to red.
Note that if you do not define a neighbor part filter, all visible objects that
are excluded by the general filter will automatically be treated as neighbor
parts.
6. Click Modify.
Now the parts are shown in blue and the neighbor parts in red.

TIP • If you do not want to show the neighbor parts in the GA drawing, use
a part filter for defining and selecting the normal parts, then go to
General - Neighbor Part Properties, and on the Visibility tab, set
Neighbor parts to None.
• Object level settings is another alternative for defining neighbor
parts.

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Example of a neighbor part and neighbor reinforcement filter
Below is an example of a filter that filters both neighbor parts and neighbor
reinforcement.

Show spiral beams in drawings

You can show spiral beams in drawings either folded or unfolded. In unfolded
views, spiral beams are unfolded straight.
In the example below, the Unfolded option is set to Yes in view properties on
the Attributes 2 tab. Note that the part is cut in the view.

In the following example, the Unfolded option is set to No.

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Dimension spiral beams
You can add straight dimensions, angle dimensions and radius dimensions to
spiral beams.
In the following, the automatic creation of the dimensions in the defined views
is explained.
For more information about dimension properties, see Dimension properties
(page 1011).
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, select the view and the
properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
3. Click Dimensioning on the options tree.
4. Add a new row and select Spiral beam dimensions as the Dimensioning
type, select the desired dimensioning rule properties and click Edit rule.
5. In the Dimensioning rule properties dialog, select the predefined
dimension properties that you want to use in Straight dimensions, Angle
dimensions, and Angle and radius dimensions.
If none of the available properties suit your needs, open a drawing, open
the property pane, and then open straight dimensions, angle dimensions,
and radius dimensions through the object list, and edit and save new
settings for these dimension types. The saved settings will be available for
selecting in the spiral beam Dimensioning rule properties dialog for the
three dimension types.
6. Save the dimension rule properties by entering a unique name and
clicking Save as.

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7. Save the view properties by clicking Save and return to the drawing
properties dialog by clicking Close.
8. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Spiral beam part marks

You can show the rotation of the spiral beam in part marks. The rotation angle
is defined in the spiral beam properties in the model.
For more information about part mark properties and elements, see Mark
properties (page 1053) and Mark elements.
• You can add part marks (page 346) to spiral beams in the same way as for
other parts using one of the following ways:
• In an open drawing, select a spiral beam, right-click and select Add
mark and then select Using applied mark properties to use the
current mark properties, or Using view properties to use view level
mark properties.
• In an open drawing, select a spiral beam, and on the Annotations tab,
click Part mark and select For selected parts.
• You can also define automatic marks (page 884) in drawing properties
before creating the drawing.

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Edit drawings 508 Show building objects in drawings
Examples of spiral beam dimensions and marks
The example below shows a straight dimension and a part mark that contains
the rotation angle information:

The following example shows a radius dimension of a spiral beam:

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Show reinforcement in drawings
There are several ways in Tekla Structures that you can use to affect how the
reinforcement is shown in drawings.
Click the links below to find out more:
Show a single rebar in a group (page 511)
Show layer information on reinforcing bars in drawings (page 511)
Create a drawing view for a reinforcement mesh (page 537)
Define automatic reinforcement and mesh properties (page 963)
Reinforcement/Neighbor reinforcement and mesh properties in drawings
(page 1100)
Show rebar assemblies in drawings (page 544)
You can dimension reinforcement:
Add dimensions to reinforcement manually in drawings (page 263)
Dimension rebars with Rebar group dimensioning application (page 273)
You can add marks and pull-out pictures to reinforcement:
Add reinforcement marks manually in drawings (page 349)
Add reinforcement marks with Rebar group marking application (page 351)

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Draw rebar pull-out pictures with Draw rebar pull-outs application (page 513)
Draw rebar pull-out pictures with Rebar pull-out picture and marking
application (page 517)

Show a single rebar in a group

You can show one rebar in a group or in a mesh and hide the rest.
1. In an open drawing, select a rebar group or mesh.
2. Go to Quick Launch, type Adjust Reinforcing Bars, and click the
Adjust reinforcing bars command on the displayed list.
3. Click the rebar you want to remain visible.
Only one bar is displayed, and the others are hidden.
When you use the Adjust Reinforcing Bars command to select the
visible reinforcing bar, the customized option becomes available in the
Bars in groups option list in rebar properties in the property pane.
Note that this option is only available after you have used the Adjust
reinforcing bars command and not when you define the drawing settings
before you create the drawing, for example.
4. If you want to adjust the location of a single reinforcing bar, right-click the
reinforcing bar group, and click Adjust location.
You can only adjust the bar location in one direction inline with other
group members.
5. Click the location where you want to place the bar.
6. If needed, change the number of visible bars again by clicking the bar and
changing the setting to all in rebar properties, for example.

Example

Show layer information on reinforcing bars in drawings

You can mark reinforcing bar layers with different marking styles and line
types in a drawing by using the Rebar layering marker macro.

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Before you can show layer information in a drawing, you first need to run the
Rebar classification macro in the model. The Rebar classification 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.

2. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
4. Double-click Rebar layering marker to display the Rebar layering
marker dialog.
5. Select symbol style or level prefix style from the list on the left showing
the preview.
6. Select the marker line type.
7. 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.

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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.

Draw rebar pull-out pictures with Draw rebar pull-outs application

The Draw rebar pull-outs application creates exploded drawings of
reinforcement using the settings defined in Rebar pull-out picture and
marking or in associative notes. The application can be used for creating pull-
out pictures automatically for multiple rebars at one go. To optimize flexible
working with different types of drawings, use Draw rebar pull-outs together
with Rebar pull-out picture and marking.
The application creates rebar pull-out pictures based on the objects that you
select. You can select:
• Reinforcement: Bending shapes are only created for the selected rebars.
• Parts: Bending shapes are created for rebars in the selected concrete part.
• Views: Bending shapes are created for rebars in the selected drawing view.
• A drawing from the Document manager: Bending shapes are created for
rebars in the selected drawings.

Draw pull-out pictures

1. In the drawing, select the object for which you want to create pull-out
pictures: reinforcement, parts, views, or a drawing from the Document
manager.

2. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
4. In the Applications list, double-click Draw rebar pull-outs.

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5. Define the creation method, the positions of the bending shapes, and
other necessary settings:

Create pull-outs by Rebar pull-out picture and marking:

• Create the bending shapes on the basis of a
saved Rebar pull-out picture and marking
settings file.
Define and save the settings in the Rebar
pull-out picture and marking application,
which can be started from the Applications &
components catalog.
Associative note:
• Create the bending shapes on the basis of a
saved associative notes properties file.
• Define and save the properties in associative
note properties. It is important to define at
least one pull-out properties file for associative
notes.
Configuration file Select the desired settings from the list. The list
shows the Rebar pull-out picture and marking
settings or Associative note settings depending
on your Create pull-outs by selection.
Create pull-out for Each rebar position number: A bending shape is
created for each rebar position number.
Each rebar group: A bending shape is created for
each rebar group.

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Position Defines the position of the bending shapes relative
to the concrete part. The options are different
for Rebar pull-out picture and marking and
Associative note:
Position options for Rebar pull-out picture and
marking:
Above and bottom: Positions the bending shapes
above and at the bottom of the concrete part.
Bottom: Positions the bending shapes at the
bottom of the concrete part.
Above: Positions the bending shapes above the
concrete part.
Left: Positions the bending shapes on the left side
of the concrete part.
Right: Positions the bending shapes on the right
side of the concrete part.
Custom position in aligned blocks: Distributes
the bending shapes into columns in the area that
you select. All bars within a column are vertically
aligned by default. Select the desired area using
the Pick a block position button.
Position options for Associative note:
Bottom: Positions the bending shapes at the
bottom of the concrete part.
Bottom - position in part: Positions the bending
shapes at the bottom of the concrete part ordered
by the longest side. The placement logic considers
the orientation of the part, and it calculates the
longest side of the part and uses that as a
reference to determine what "bottom" means in
this context.
Right: Positions the bending shapes on the right
side of the concrete part.
Right - position in part: Positions the bending
shapes on the right side of the concrete part
ordered by the longest side. The placement logic
considers the orientation of the part, and it
calculates the longest side of the part and uses
that as a reference to determine what "right"
means in this context.
Bottom and right: Positions the bending shapes
below and on the right side of the concrete part.

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 Above: Positions the bending shapes above the
concrete part.
Above - position in part: Positions the bending
shapes above the concrete part ordered by the
longest side. The placement logic considers the
orientation of the part, and it calculates the longest
side of the part and uses that as a reference to
determine what "above" means in this context.
Above and bottom: Positions the bending shapes
above and at the bottom of the concrete part.
Above and bottom - position in part: Positions
the bending shapes above and at the bottom of
the concrete part ordered by the longest side. The
placement logic considers the orientation of the
part, and it calculates the longest side of the part
and uses that as a reference to determine what
"above and bottom" means in this context.
Orientation The options are:
Keep the rotation
Rotate to horizontal
This setting is available only when you have
selected Custom position in aligned blocks as
the Position option.
Classes Include or exclude the defined rebar classes.
Define the class of the rebars. Use the Exclude
or Include to define whether to create a bending
shape for those rebars.
Rebar types Include or exclude the defined bending shapes.
Here you can define the shape codes of the rebars.
Use Exclude or Include to define whether to
create a bending shape for those rebars.
You can inquire the shape code of a rebar by

clicking Inquire object on the ribbon.

6. If you selected Custom position in aligned blocks, click the Pick a block
position button button, and select the area by picking two points.
7. Click Draw.

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Examples:

Draw rebar pull-out pictures with Rebar pull-out picture and marking
application
With the Rebar pull-out picture and marking application you can visualize
rebars by using bending shapes. Bending shapes can be positioned both
inside and outside the concrete shape. Bending shapes are provided with
marks containing information about the rebar.

Create rebar pull-out pictures and marks

1. In a drawing, select the rebar group for which you want to create a
bending shape mark.

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2. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to
open the Applications & components catalog.
3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
4. In the Applications list, select Rebar pull-out picture and marking.
5. Pick a point for the position of the bending shape mark.
Note that you change the alignment setting for placement in the settings.
Rebar pull-out picture and marking uses associative notes in the label
creation, and the markings are automatically updated when there is a
change in the model objects they are bound to.
For more information about the settings, see Rebar pull-out picture and
marking settings below.
Modify pull-out pictures and marking
1. Double-click the mark that you want to adjust.
2. Make the necessary changes:
3. • On the Rebar tab, define the geometry, line properties, scale, and
location of the bending shape. Here you can also define the hook
directions, and the presentation options.
• On the Mark 1 and Mark 2 tabs, define the content, appearance and
the position of the marks associated with the bending shape.
• On the Dimensions tab, define how the dimensions are displayed, and
how the rounding is performed.
• Click Modify.

Rebar pull-out picture and marking settings

Rebar tab
On the Rebar tab, define the representation and the location of the bending
shape. Here you can also define the hook directions.

Setting Options and descriptions

Rebar geometry Select one of the following options:

This is a schematic representation of the bending

shape, without bending radius in the corners of the
bending shape.

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 Setting Options and descriptions

In this option, the bending shape is represented

with bending radius.
Use same line as • Yes: The color and line type are defined based
pattern on what is set in the drawing properties.
• No: The color and line type are defined based
on the Color and Line type settings in this
dialog.
Scale In Type, select:
• Auto to use the current view scale for the pull-
out.
• Custom to define a scale that is different from
the view scale. For example, if the view scale is
1:50 and you want the pull-out to be created
using the 1:25 scale, type 25 in the Scale value
box.
Color

Line type

Reinforcing bar Select the rebar representation:

representation
• Single line: The bending shape is represented
with a single line.

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 Setting Options and descriptions
• Double lines nominal diameter: The bending
shape is represented with double lines. The
nominal diameter of the bar is considered.
• Double lines actual diameter: The bending
shape is represented with double lines. The
actual diameter of the bar is considered,
including the ribs on the bar.
Rebar location Define the position of the bending shape using any
of the options described below:
Option 1:

In this option, the area around the rebar is divided

in four quadrants. The insertion point can be
picked in any random quadrant.
The position of the bending shape is based on the
picked quadrant:
• Insertion point in quadrant 1: the bending
shape is centered on top of the rebar.
• Insertion point in quadrant 2: the bending
shape is centered to the left of the rebar.
• Insertion point in quadrant 3: the bending
shape is centered under the rebar.
• Insertion point in quadrant 4: the bending
shape is centered to the right of the rebar.
Example:

Option 2:

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Setting Options and descriptions
In this option, the insertion point P1 is the start
point of the bending shape.
Example:

Option 3:

In this option, the bending shape is located on the

line of the insertion point P1. The bending shape
will be positioned centered relative to the position
of the rebar in the concrete shape.
Example:

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 Setting Options and descriptions

Option 4:

This option creates marks and hooks for all rebars

in the view.
Rotation of bars Rotate rebar pull-out pictures vertically or
perpendicular to view horizontally. This setting affects single bars
perpendicular to the view only.
Custom rotation angle Rotate all pull-out pictures using the same rotation
angle.
Hook directions Define the direction of the hooks of the bars. Seen
from a top view from a beam, for example, the
direction of the hooks may be defined as Top,
Middle and Bottom of the the beam. For all of the
directions, you can select between two options:

Use the Thickness box to define an area for the

bars on the top and bottom side of the beam.

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Setting Options and descriptions
Example 1: In the front view of a concrete beam
below, both the Top and the Bottom thicknesses
are set to 300:

Example 2: Top view of a concrete beam

Example 3: Top view of a concrete beam with other

hook directions

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 Setting Options and descriptions

Presentation options When set to Yes, Exaggeration exaggerates

a shape when the reinforcing bar parts are
overlapping. This setting works in a way similar to
the pull-out pictures in rebar marks.
In the following example, Exaggeration is set to
Yes.

Shorten bars longer than allows you to set

a maximum output length for long bars. If the

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 Setting Options and descriptions
boundary of the shape exceeds the maximum
length, the pull-out picture is shortened with cut
lines. Use this setting especially for straight bars or
straight bars with hooks.
In the following example, Shorten bars longer
than is set to 1000.00.

Mark 1 and Mark 2 tabs

On these tabs, you can define the generation of Mark 1 and Mark 2. For
example:

Settings Options and descriptions

Available elements Select the rebar information to be displayed in the
mark, such as grade, diameter, and cc distances.
Not that for Template attribute, you can also
enter the name of a custom property.
Elements in mark A list of the selected information or elements that
will be displayed in the mark.
Text properties Define the text properties. The available properties
files are the ones that have been defined and
saved in Text properties (page 420).
Rebar text properties Define the text properties for the rebar position.
The available properties files are the ones that
have been defined and saved in Text properties
(page 420).
Number of rebars Total number in rebar group: Displays the total
number of rebars in the rebar group, regardless of

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 Settings Options and descriptions
the number of the physically visible rebars in the
drawing.
Number displayed in view: Only displays the
number of the visible rebars in the drawing view.
Total number in cast unit: Displays the total
number of rebars in the cast unit.
These options are only available when you select
Number as the mark content.
Units Define the units:
• Automatic
• mm
• cm
• m
• foot - inch
• inch
Only available for the following mark content:
• Length
• Cc
• cc min
• cc max
• cc exact
• cc target
• Length itemized
Format Define the format:
• ###
• ###[.##]
• ###[.###]
• ###.#
• ### #/#
• ###.##
• ###.###
Only available for the following mark content:
• Length
• Cc

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 Settings Options and descriptions
• cc min
• cc max
• cc exact
• cc target
• Length itemized
Precision Define the precision:
• 0.00
• 0.50
• 0.33
• 0.25
• 1/8
• 1/16
• 1/32
• 1/10
• 1/100
• 1/1000
For example, for the precision 0.33, the actual
value 50.40 is displayed as 50.33.
1/8, 1/16, and 1/32 are for imperial units.
1/10, 1/100, and 1/1000 are used for defining
precision without rounding.
Mark positioning Define the positioning of the mark. There are three
options available:
Option 1:

Mark text parallel is to the bending shape.

Option 2:

Mark text is placed horizontally.

Option 3:

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 Settings Options and descriptions

Mark text is placed vertically.

Horizontal text position Define the position of the text in the horizontal
direction. The options are:

Use the setting a to define a distance:

Vertical text position Define the position of the text in the vertical
direction. The options are:

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 Settings Options and descriptions

Use box b to define a distance:

Dimensions tab
On the Dimensions tab, you can define how the dimensions are displayed,
and how the rounding is performed.
Note that to allow duplicate dimensioning, set PullOutShowDuplicateDims
to the desired value in the rebar_config.inp file. For
example, PullOutShowDuplicateDims=3 shows all dimensioning, and
PullOutShowDuplicateDims=0 does not show duplicate dimensions. The

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default value is 0. For more informaton, see Reinforcement settings for
drawings (rebar_config.inp) (page 1107)

Settings Options and descriptions

Create Define whether all bending dimensions are
displayed with the bending shape or not. The
options are:
• Yes

• No

Generation of leg Define the generation of the length of the legs,

lengths marked in the image below:

Option 1:

Option 2:

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 Settings Options and descriptions

Option 3:

Tapered lengths To dimension rebars when the rebars are of

different lengths, select Yes.
Location Define the location of the length of the leg, marked
in the image below:

The options are:

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Settings Options and descriptions
• None

• (1)

• (2)

• (3)

• (4)

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 Settings Options and descriptions
• (5)

• (6)

Round settings Define whether the rounding is performed by user

settings or by rebar_config.inp.
If you select to use rebar_config.inp, you
cannot define the units, precision, and format.
Units Define the units. The options are:
• Automatic
• mm
• cm
• m
• foot - inch
• inch
Format Define the format. The options are:
• ###
• ###[.##]
• ###[.###]
• ###.#
• ### #/#
• ###.##
• ###.###
Precision Define the precision. The options are:
• 0.00

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 Settings Options and descriptions
• 0.50
• 0.33
• 0.25
• 1/8
• 1/16
• 1/32
• 1/10
• 1/100
• 1/1000
For example, for the precision 0.33, the actual
value 50.40 is displayed as 50.33.
1/8, 1/16, and 1/32 are for imperial units.
1/10, 1/100, and 1/1000 are used for defining
precision without rounding.
Text properties Define the properties for the text that will
be displayed for the bending shape (length of
the legs). The available properties files are the
ones that have been defined and saved in Text
properties (page 420) .
Length calculation Exact length:

If you select Along rebar axis, the length is

calculated along the center line of the rebar:

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 Settings Options and descriptions

Angle dimensions In Create, define whether you want to show the

bending angles of the rebar pull-outs.
The options are:
• Yes: Shows the bending angles.

• Dimension lengths: Creates perpendicular

dimensions when the bar shape gets a not 90º
angle that returns to parallel or perpendicular
to the original bar leg. This option is useful for
complex bends that will normally be done on-
site.

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Settings Options and descriptions
• Both dimensions: Creates both Dimension
lengths type of dimensions and basic angle
dimensioning.

You can also define the Text properties for the

bending angles. The available properties files are
the ones that have been defined and saved in Text
properties (page 420) .
Define the Format for angle dimensions. The
options are:
• ###
• ###[.##]
• ###[.###]
• ###.#
• ### #/#
• ###.##
• ###.###
Define the Precision for angle dimensions. The
options are:
• 0.00
• 0.50
• 0.33
• 0.25
• 1/8
• 1/16
• 1/32
• 1/10
• 1/100

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 Settings Options and descriptions
• 1/1000
You can also define a Color and Line type for the
angle dimensions.

Create a drawing view for a reinforcement mesh

You can create drawing views each containing one reinforcement mesh by
using the Rebar mesh view creator macro. The mesh view shows the overall
mesh length and width dimensions, and dimension lines for wire spacing in
horizontal and vertical directions. Also the wire sizes are displayed.
You can create mesh views from all view types in cast unit and general
arrangement drawings.
1. Open a drawing containing meshes.
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 & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.
4. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
5. Double-click Rebar mesh view creator.

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

Edit drawings 537 Show building objects in drawings

 • 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.
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 whether you want to add a Mesh label in the top-left corner of
the view. The options are None and Mesh position. The mesh position
consists of the mesh position number (ASSEMBLY.SERIAL_NUMBER) and
the assembly name ([Link]).

9. Select the wire annotation type in Text content type .

The choices are and .

10. Select the wire length unit in Unit of length in text.
When you select Auto, with imperial units the text will be using the
current units, and otherwise the text will use m.

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11. Define the desired rotation for the bent meshes in Bent mesh rotation.
The options are Default, 90, 180, and 270. If you select Default, meshes
are always oriented so that the bent rebars are on the horizontal axis.
12. Click Create.
Tekla Structures creates or updates the views based on your selections
and the property files. The name of the mesh view comes from the
CATALOG_NAME template attribute.
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.

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Run Rebar mesh view creator from command line
You can also run Rebar mesh view creator programmatically, for example,
through a command prompt or from within an extension.
Command name: RebarMeshViewCreator
The [Link] is located in the following
folder: ..\<version>\bin\applications\Tekla\drawings\RebarMeshV
iewCreator
Parameters:
-create <mode>: Sets the creation mode. Allowed values 0 - 2, where
0=create mesh views for all meshes, 1=create mesh views for selected meshes,
2=create annotations for selected meshes
-standard <absolute file path>: Loads the specified standard file.
-attributes <attribute list>: Sets the specified attribute values, the
format is <attribute_name>=<value>, entries are separated by a semicolon
(;).
Example:

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RebarMeshViewCreator -create 0 -standard "D:\path to\[Link]"
-attributes LengthUnit=0;LineAttributes=RebarMeshMark

Show rebar coupler and end anchor symbols in drawings

You can show graphical symbols representing the rebar couplers and end
anchors in bending schedules and in rebar mark pull-out pictures using the
Pullout graphical attribute.
You need a precast concrete or cast-in-place structure model with generated
rebar detailing drawings (GA or cast unit drawings), and the reinforcement
details need to be modeled by using any of the rebar coupler or rebar end
anchor tools available in the Applications & components catalog. The rebar
coupler and end anchor symbols work based on rebar UDAs, and these UDAs
are controlled by the rebar coupler and rebar end anchor tools.
The symbols are read from the file defined
in [Link]. By default this file
is [Link] located in ..\ProgramData\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\symbols.
You can adjust the font name, font size, font color, end mark, bending radius
visibility, and a number of other bending schedule attributes individually for
the Pullout graphical attribute in Template Editor, according to your company
or country standards.

Display rebar coupler and end anchor symbols in rebar bending schedules
The PULLOUT attribute shows in pull-out pictures graphical symbols that
represent the couplers at the bar ends only if PullOutRepresentation=0 in the
rebar_config.inp file.
1. In a drawing that contains rebar couplers or end anchors shown in a
rebar bending schedule, open the bending schedule template in Template
Editor by double-clicking a rebar shape in the bending schedule.
2. Double-click the graphical field containing the bending shape.
3. In the Graphical Field Properties dialog, ensure that the PULLOUT
attribute is displayed in the Attribute field, and open the Free attributes
dialog.

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4. Select the CouplerSymbols attribute, and enter 1 in the Value field. Adjust
other properties as required.
Rebar coupler symbols will be shown if CouplerSymbols property value is
set to 1 and disabled if 0 is entered. The default value is 1.

5. Save the changes in the template and close Template Editor.

6. Refresh the template by right-clicking the template in the drawing and
selecting Refresh template from the context menu.

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TIP You can customize rebar coupler symbols in Symbol Editor by modifying
the *.sym file defined in the [Link] file. By default,
[Link] is used.

Display rebar coupler and end anchor symbols in rebar mark pull-out pictures
1. In an open drawing that contains reinforcement with couplers or end
anchors, click a rebar mark in which you want add a pull-out picture, and
add the Pullout picture element in the mark from the element list. The
Pullout picture dialog is displayed.
2. Select the Couplers/end anchor symbols checkbox, and set the desired
scale, for example, 1.00.

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3. Click OK.

Show rebar assemblies in drawings

You can create fabrication drawings of rebar assemblies, and show rebar
assemblies with various representations. You can define view-specific rebar
assembly settings on the Rebar assembly tab in view-level reinforcement
properties, and add assembly position in reinforcement marks and associative
notes.
You can create a rebar assembly in the model by using the Create rebar
assembly command. To create rebar assembly drawings, select the rebar
assembly and click the Create fabrication drawing command, which you can
find on the ribbon, context menu, and contextual toolbar.

Adjust rebar assembly visibility and representation

1. Open the desired rebar assembly drawing.

2. To open the view-level properties dialog, double-click the frame of the
drawing view that contains a rebar assembly.

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3. To adjust the rebar assembly visibility and representation, in the options
tree on the left, select Reinforcement, and go to the Rebar assembly
tab.
The Rebar assembly tab exists in drawing view level reinforcement
properties for cast unit, assembly, and general arrangement drawings.
• Visibility of rebar assemblies: Select Visible or Not visible.
• Representation:
Outline shows the rebar assembly and all its sub-assemblies as
outline boxes.

As individual rebar objects shows all rebar objects in the rebar

assembly and sub-assemblies.

Sub-assemblies as outline, highest level as individual rebar

objects shows all sub-assemblies as outline boxes and the highest
level of the rebar assembly as individual rebar objects.

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 • Color, Type: Set the rebar assembly line color and type.
• Mesh symbol, Mesh symbol size: You can choose to display a mesh
symbol for the rebar assembly. Type a number of the symbol in the
Mesh symbol box. The mesh symbol appears in the middle of the
diagonal line. You can also change the mesh symbol size.

Symbol 1:

Symbol 2:

Symbol 3:
4. Click Modify.

Add assembly position to reinforcement marks

The Assembly position element is available in reinforcement mark and
associative note properties. It gives the position number of the associated
rebar assembly.
1. To open the view-level properties dialog, in an open rebar assembly
drawing, double-click the frame of the drawing view that contains a rebar
assembly.
2. In the options tree on the left, select Reinforcement mark.
3. To add the assembly position in the mark, in the Available elements list,
double-click Assembly position.

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4. Click Modify.

Filter view contents by using assembly template attributes

You can use the assembly template attributes ASSEMBLY.HIERARCHY_LEVEL
and ASSEMBLY.ASSEMBLY_POS for filtering the rebar assembly drawing view
contents.
To create filters, in drawing view properties, click Filter in the options tree.
Examples:
• To show the desired assembly level, select Template as Category, type
ASSEMBLY.HIERARCHY_LEVEL as Property, select Equal, and define the
desired assembly level as the value.
• To show several levels, use the ASSEMBLY.HIERARCHY_LEVEL attribute,
select Greater or equal and type the number of the lowest level that you
want to show as the value.
• To show or hide the rebar assemblies you do not want to see, use
ASSEMBLY.ASSEMBLY_POS, select Equal or Does not equal and type the
assembly position number.
• The following example filter shows the hierarchy level 3 assemblies that
have the position number AA/1:

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• You can also create a drawing view filter by selecting Assembly as
Category and Position number as Property and then define the assembly
position number as the value. With this filter the view shows assembly AA/1
(including all its sub-assemblies).

Show pours in drawings

You can show pour object geometry and pour breaks in general arrangement
drawings. Pour drawings can be used for communicating the sequencing of
the pours, and the properties of the pours and pour breaks. You can add
marks and associative notes to pour objects, and associative notes to pour
breaks.

How to enable pours

Options and functionality related to pours are only available if pours are
enabled in the model. You can enable pours 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 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 Show
pour objects, pour marks, and pour breaks in drawings (page 961).

Pour object marks

In 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

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(page 882) before creating the pour drawing, and add (page 346) and modify
(page 382) pour object marks in an open drawing. You can also add associative
notes (page 375) to pour objects.

Pour breaks
Pour breaks are shown in general arrangement drawings as they have been
modeled. The pour breaks are represented by a symbol, which you can
change by 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 modify the pour break properties, and add associative notes
(page 375) to the pour breaks in an open drawing.

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 below.

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.

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Modify pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in a drawing
After you have created a pour drawing, you can open it and modify the pour
objects, pour marks and pour breaks.
Modify properties for the whole drawing
1. In an open pour drawing, double-click the drawing background to go to
the drawing properties.
2. To show the pours in the drawing, click the View button, ensure that Show
pours in drawing is set to Yes, and click OK.
3. To modify the pour object properties, click the Pour object... button.
a. Content tab: Select whether you want to see hidden lines, own
hidden lines, edge chamfers, or fillet edges by selecting On or Off.
b. Appearance tab: Set the color and type for visible lines and hidden
lines.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
c. Fill tab: Select a fill (page 943) for the pour object face and pour
object section face.
d. Click OK.
4. Click the Pour object mark... button, select the contents and appearance
of the mark, and click OK.
5. To modify the pour break properties, click the Pour breaks... button.
a. Content tab: Ensure that Visibility is set to Visible, and select
whether you want to show pour break hidden lines.
b. Appearance tab: change the color and type of the visible and hidden
lines in pour breaks.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
c. Click OK.
6. Modify other properties as required. For example, to show the
reinforcement in the pour drawing, click Reinforcement... and set
Visibility of all reinforcing bars to Visible.
7. Click Modify to apply the changes in your pour drawing. The changes are
applied to all pour objects, pour marks, and pour breaks in the drawing.
Modify properties for individual pour objects, pour breaks, and pour
marks
• To modify individual pour objects, pour breaks, or pour marks in a
drawing, click the individual pour object, pour break, or pour mark in
the drawing. This opens the properties in the property pane. If you do
not have the property pane open, you need to double-click the object,
break, or mark. You can apply your changes by clicking Modify.

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Change the pour break symbol
If you want to use another pour break symbol, you change the symbol by
using the advanced option XS_POUR_BREAK_SYMBOL.
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Advanced options and go to the
Drawing properties category.
2. Set a new value for the advanced option XS_POUR_BREAK_SYMBOL.
The default value is PourBreaks@0. The value refers to the
[Link] file where the symbol is defined. The symbol
value starts with the symbol library file name (PourBreaks)
and ends with the number of the symbol (0). The default
symbol file is located in ..\ProgramData\Trimble\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 OK.

Example

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.

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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.

Show welds in drawings

Tekla Structures shows the welds that you have created in a model as weld
seams and weld marks in drawings. In drawings, you can add intelligent marks
to model welds both automatically and manually. You can also add drawing
weld marks manually, but these marks do not necessarily have an associated
physical weld in the model.

How welds are displayed 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 weld marks manually in
an open drawing.

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.
3D model welds are representations of welds in the real world. Weld solids in
drawings are representations of the welds in models. Weld seam is the part of
the weld path where the weld solid is drawn. Weld path may consist of several
weld seams.
Weld solids are shown in drawings for the following welds:
• Weld solids are shown in drawings for those weld types that have real solid
support. Welds that have no real solid support are shown in the model with
a hexagonal placeholder, and in drawings weld solids are not shown.
• Custom cross-section welds are also supported.

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Weld solids can be shown as outlines or paths, with or without hidden lines.
In the first example, the welds on the right and in the middle are drawn with
outlines and own hidden lines. The weld on the left shows the weld path and
hidden lines:

The second example is a cross-section of the structure. The welds on the left
and in the middle are drawn with outlines, and the weld on the right shows the
path. The weld dimensions have been added manually.

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.

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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.

Weld placement
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.

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(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.

Model weld properties

To change model weld properties, you need to modify the weld in the model.
When you update the model, the weld objects and weld marks are updated
in the drawing according to the model changes. In drawings, you can modify
the contents and the appearance of the model weld marks and the visibility,
representation and appearance of model weld objects.
Weld solids can be shown in single-part, assembly, and general arrangement
drawings.

Add drawing weld marks manually

You can add weld marks manually in an open drawing. Tekla Structures creates
manual drawing weld marks using the current drawing weld mark properties.
To add manual drawing weld marks, you do not need to have a model weld
present in the drawing.

1. In an open drawing, go to the Annotations tab, hold down Shift and click
Weld mark.
2. Modify the content and the appearance of the drawing weld mark.
• In Edge/Around, indicate whether only one edge of a face should be
welded, or the entire perimeter.
• In Workshop/Site, indicate where the weld should be made.

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 • Set Stitch weld to Yes to create a staggered, intermittent weld. No
creates a non-staggered intermittent weld.
• Enter or select the drawing weld mark properties that you want to
include in the weld mark under Above line and Below line.

Click the and buttons to copy values between the Below line
and Above line columns.

Click the button to switch the linking on or off.

The middle button is blue when the values are linked. This means
that if you change a value in either of the columns, the corresponding
value in the other column also changes.
• Set the font and mark background properties and adjust the leader
line type and color.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
• To exactly place the weld mark in the position that you pick and keep
it there, set Placing method to Fixed. Free allows Tekla Structures to
search for the first suitable location for the weld mark.
• In Position, define the areas where Tekla Structures searches for a
position to place the weld mark.
• In Distance s, define the empty margin that you want to leave around
the mark.
• In Distance d min, define the minimum distance of the mark from the
part.
For more information about drawing weld mark properties, see Drawing
weld mark properties (page 1073).
3. Pick a position for the drawing weld mark.
The drawing weld mark is created. You can drag the mark to a more
suitable location by the leader base point handle.

Example: Drawing weld marks added in drawings

In this example, the first image below shows the drawing weld mark properties
in the drawing property pane. The properties are numbered in the image. The

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second image shows a drawing weld mark in a drawing, and how and where
the properties are displayed in the mark.

(1) Edge/Around, here a weld around symbol is used

(2) Workshop/Site, here a site weld symbol is used
(3) Weld prefix
(4) Weld type

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(5) Weld size
(6) Weld angle
(7) Weld contour symbol
(8) Weld finishing symbol
(9) Effective throat
(10) Root opening

Add model weld marks manually

You can add marks to model welds in an open drawing, for example, if you
have not created those already at the drawing creation. To add model weld
marks manually, you need to have a model weld present in the drawing. Tekla
Structures creates model weld marks using the properties defined for the
model weld in the model. You can also adjust the visibility and appearance of
the model weld marks in the drawing.
1. Open a drawing that contains welds created in the model.
2. Do one of the following:
• Select a model weld in the drawing.

• Select several model welds in the drawing using the Select welds
selection switch and area selection, or the selection functionality in
Drawing content manager.
If you cannot see any welds in the drawing, adjust the weld visibility
settings in drawing view properties (page 1121). Also check the section
"What if welds or weld marks are not visible in a drawing" below.
3. Right-click and select Add weld mark.
The weld mark is created.
Note that when a weld mark is added through the context menu, it is
visible even if its size is below the minimum weld size limit defined in the
drawing view properties.
4. To modify the model weld mark properties, do one of the following:
• Click a model weld mark in the drawing. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the weld mark.

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 • Select several model welds using the Select welds selection switch

and area selection, or Drawing content manager. When the

welds are selected, right-click and select Select weld marks and
From current drawing view or From all drawing views. Activate all

selection switches again . Then press down Shift and double-click

a weld mark.
5. Modify the content and the appearance of the weld marks:
• Activate the eye buttons next to weld properties to show the
properties in model weld marks.

Click the and buttons to copy values between the Below line
and Above line columns.

Click the button to switch the linking on or off.

The middle button is blue when the values are linked. This means
that if you change a value in either of the columns, the corresponding
value in the other column also changes.
• Set the font properties, adjust the leader line type and color, and select
if you want to use an opaque or transparent background in the mark.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
• In Distance s, define the empty margin that you want to leave around
the mark.
• In Distance d min, define the minimum distance of the mark from the
part.
For more information about model weld mark properties, see Model weld
mark properties in drawings (page 1079).
6. Click Modify.
The changes are applied.
You can drag the weld marks to another location. Note that you cannot drag
the mark away from the associated weld, but you can only drag it along the
weld seam. For more information, see section "Drag weld marks" below.

Examples: Model weld marks in drawings

Model welds are welds that you have added in the model. In drawings, they
are represented by weld seams and weld marks. See some examples below
representing the weld properties in the model and what the weld marks look
like in drawings.

Edit drawings 559 Show building objects in drawings

Example 1
In the first example, the first image below shows an example of weld
properties in the model. You can add welds in the model by selecting
one of the welding commands on the ribbon Steel tab. Some of the weld
properties are numbered in the image, and the second image shows how
these properties are shown in a weld mark in a drawing.

Edit drawings 560 Show building objects in drawings

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

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

Edit drawings 561 Show building objects in drawings

(1) Staggered, intermittent weld

Edit drawings 562 Show building objects in drawings

(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 when the
pitch value is greater than 0.0.

Edit drawings 563 Show building objects in drawings

Example 4
Below is an example of a continuous weld.

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

Edit drawings 564 Show building objects in drawings

Example 6
In this example, the staggered, intermittent weld option 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.

Edit drawings 565 Show building objects in drawings

The AISC weld mark also complies with the American Welding Society (AWS)
standard.

TIP For instructions on how to customize weld symbols, see section "Customize weld
type symbols" later on this page.

Modify model weld mark properties on view level in a drawing

Model weld properties are set in the model. At drawing creation, you can
define the weld mark properties, including the mark visibility and appearance.
You can also modify which welding properties you want to show in model
weld marks, and adjust the appearance of the model weld marks in weld mark
properties on the drawing level (GA drawings) and on the drawing view level.
1. To modify the weld marks in a particular drawing view level, in an open
drawing, double-click the view frame. This opens the View Properties
dialog.
2. To displa the weld mark properties, click Weld mark in the options tree on
the left.
3. Select whether to show the weld number in the mark by setting Weld
number to No or Yes.
4. Under Visibility:
• In Welds and Welds in sub-assemblies, select what kind of weld
marks to show, or whether to hide all welds (None, Site, Workshop,
Both ).
• In Welds in hidden parts, select what kind of weld marks to show for
hidden parts (None, Site, Workshop, Both).
• In Weld size limit, enter a weld size limit to filter weld marks of that
weld size or smaller out of the drawing.
Even though you set the weld size limit, weld marks are always shown
if they have reference texts.
You can also set the Weld size limit for all views at one go at under
Common settings for all views at the bottom of the View creation
page in single-part and assembly drawing properties (page 984).
• The Weld marks visible setting controls the visibility of model weld
marks in all views in assembly drawings. This setting is also located

Edit drawings 566 Show building objects in drawings

 under Common settings for all views in assembly drawing properties
(page 984). You can set Weld marks visible to In one view or In all
views.
5. Under Above line, Below line and Other, clear a checkbox in the Visible
column next to a weld mark property that you do not want to show in
the weld mark. If you hide Size, Prefix is also hidden, and when you hide
Length, Pitch is also hidden.
6. To adjust the placing properties, click Place....
7. Go to the Appearance tab and modify the weld mark text and line
appearance.
8. Click Modify.

TIP To modify the properties of individual model weld marks in the

property pane, in an open drawing, click a model weld mark. If the
property pane is not open, double-click the model weld mark. To
select several marks, for example for deleting, right-click the weld
mark and select Select weld marks and From current drawing
view or From all drawing views.

Examples
The first example shows a model weld mark where a lot of properties are
visible:

In the second example, all other model weld mark properties have been
hidden, except Type and , and Reference text:

Edit drawings 567 Show building objects in drawings

TIP • You can omit welds from drawings by weld type using the advanced
option XS_OMITTED_WELD_TYPE. Then you first need to set a value
for the Weld size limit.
• You can also customize some weld type symbols (page 552).
• For more information about defining automatic weld mark properties
to be used at drawing creation, see Define automatic model weld
properties in drawings (page 960).

Modify model weld object representation and appearance in a drawing

You can modify the model weld object representation and appearance
manually on object level.
1. In an open drawing, click a weld seam. If the property pane is not open,
double-click the weld seam.
It is easier to select the model weld if you only activate the Select

drawing welds selection switch .

In the following image, weld seams are shown in red:

Edit drawings 568 Show building objects in drawings

2. Select whether you want to show Hidden lines and Own hidden lines.
3. Select the desired Presentation type. The options are:
Path

Outline

4. Modify the color and line type of the Visible lines and Hidden lines.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
5. Click Modify.

Examples
In the first example below, the welds on the right and in the middle are
drawn with outlines and hidden lines. The weld on the left shows the path
and hidden lines.

Edit drawings 569 Show building objects in drawings

The second example is a cross-section of the structure. The welds on the left
and in the middle are drawn with outlines, and the weld on the right shows
the path. The welds on the right and left go around the part corner. The welds
have manual dimensions.

TIP You can define automatic weld properties (page 960) for model welds
before creating a drawing. You can also modify the weld properties on
view level in an open drawing by double-clicking frame of the drawing
view containing the weld objects and selecting Weld in the options tree.

Edit drawings 570 Show building objects in drawings

 On drawing and view level, you can also modify the visibility settings
(page 1121).

Drag weld marks

You can drag model weld marks by the associativity 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. Manual drawing weld
marks not associated to model welds can be dragged freely.

TIP Having Drawing drag & drop( File menu --> Settings ) selected makes
selecting the leader line base point and dragging it much easier.

Limitation: You cannot drag the weld mark leader base point to the back-side
of a double-sided weld.
1. Click the weld mark near the leader line associativity point.
If you have Drawing drag & drop selected, you do not need to click the
leader line, pointing is enough.
2. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the associativity point to a new
location by the leader line associativity point handle located in the tip of
the arrow.

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

Edit drawings 571 Show building objects in drawings

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

Edit drawings 572 Show building objects in drawings

Merge weld marks
You can force Tekla Structures to use the same mark for identical welds in a
drawing by merging the weld marks.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Hold down Ctrl and select the weld marks to merge.
3. Right-click and select Merge in the context menu.
Tekla Structures combines the marks.
4. If needed, you can split merged weld marks by right-clicking the merged
mark and selecting Split in the context menu.

Edit drawings 573 Show building objects in drawings

 Description Example
Original drawing

Merged weld marks.

Customize weld type symbols

Most of the weld type symbols are hard coded, but you can edit some of them
in Symbol Editor.

The bottom seven symbols (symbols 20 - 26) in the Type list in model weld
properties and drawing weld mark properties (see image below) are taken
from the TS_Welds.sym file. You can edit any of these seven symbols in
Symbol Editor to create a custom weld symbol. The rest of the weld symbols

Edit drawings 574 Show building objects in drawings

are hard coded. Note that the symbol in the Type list does not change when
you update the symbol.

Melt through

Steep flanked single V butt

Steep flanked single bevel butt

Edge

ISO Surfacing

Fold

Inclined
1. Open Symbol Editor as administrator.
2. Click File --> Open and browse to the folder were you have the
TS_Welds.sym file.
3. Select the file and click OK.
4. Modify the desired symbol.
When doing this, you need to keep the symbol in the same scale as the
other symbols. If your symbol is too large to fit in the box, you can let it
extend beyond the borders:

Edit drawings 575 Show building objects in drawings

5. Save the symbol by selecting File --> Save.
For more information about Symbol Editor, click the Symbol Editor User's
Guide link on the Tekla Structures PDF documentation page.

What if welds or weld marks are not visible in a drawing

If you cannot see model welds or weld marks in the drawing, check the
following settings:
• Check the settings related to weld and weld mark visibility under Common
settings for all views on the View creation page in drawing properties.
To do this, open the drawing properties by double-clicking the drawing
background and clicking View creation in the options tree on the left:
• Weld size limit: Filters welds and weld marks of the defined weld size
and smaller out of all views in a drawing. This setting is available in
single-part and assembly drawings.
• Weld marks visible: Controls the visibility of model weld marks in
assembly drawings. The options are:
• In one view: Tekla Structures automatically finds the most relevant
view for showing the model weld marks. Every weld mark is shown
in a drawing in one view only.
• In all views: Tekla Structures adds the model weld marks in all
drawing views that contain the part with the weld.
• Check the weld mark visibility settings for the view and modify those if
necessary. To do this, double-click the view frame and click Weld mark in
the options tree on the left:
• Check the model weld mark visibility checkboxes on the Content tab.
• Check the values for the following: Welds, Welds in sub-assemblies,
Welds in hidden parts, Weld size limit.
• Check the line color settings on the Appearance tab.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
• Check the weld visibility settings for the view and modify those if
necessary.. Double-click the view frame and click Weld in the options tree
on the left:
• Check the values for the following: Welds, Welds in sub-assemblies,
Weld size limit
• Check the line color settings on the Appearance tab.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
• Check the Custom presentation tab in weld and weld mark view
properties.

Edit drawings 576 Show building objects in drawings

 • In drawing view properties, check that you have not set any view filters that
prevent the welds or weld marks from showing. To do this, double-click the
view frame and click Filter in the options tree on the left, and check if there
are any active filters.

4.21 Show 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 Modify grids and grid lines in
properties of individual grid lines drawings (page 577)
manually
Drawing grid and grid line properties
(page 1127)
Set automatic grid properties before Define automatic grid properties
you create the drawing (page 970)
Customize drawing grid labels by Customize drawing grid labels
including extra text and symbols (page 579)

Modify grids and grid lines in drawings

You can modify the properties of grids or individual grid lines in an open
drawing. You can move grid labels in drawings by dragging them. This is useful
if the grid label is covering an important area in a drawing. You can also hide
grids and grid lines.
The grid and grid line selection switches are located at the bottom of the
window.

Hiding grids and grid labels

To Do this
Hide grids in the current drawing 1. In an open drawing, double-click
view from view properties a drawing view frame.
2. In view properties, in the options
tree on the left, select Grid.
3. In the grid visibility list at the top,
select Not visible.

Edit drawings 577 Show grids in drawings

 To Do this
Hide grids in all drawing views 1. In an open GA drawing, double-
in GA drawings from drawing click the drawing background.
properties
2. Click the Grid... button.
3. In the grid visibility list at the top,
select Not visible.
Hide grids or grid lines in the 1. Ensure that you have the correct
current drawing view using context selection switch selected:
menu
To hide grids, use the Select grid

selection switch, and to hide

grid lines, use the Select grid

line selection switch.

2. Right-click the grid or the grid line
and select Hide/Show --> Hide
from drawing view .
If you want to show the hidden grids
or grid lines, in an open drawing,
press B until color mode (page 64) 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.

Modify grid and grid line properties in drawings

You can modify properties of individual grids or grid lines in an open drawing,
for example, hide the grid lines, change grid line and grid label settings, and
select which labels are displayed.
1. Ensure that you have the correct selection switch selected. To modify

grids, use the Select grid selection switch, and to modify grid lines,

use the Select grid line selection switch.

2. Click the grid or a grid line. If the property pane is not open, double-click
the grid or grid line. Tekla Structures displays grid properties or grid line
properties, according to your selection.
3. The Visibility option Visible shows both grid lines and grid labels in the
drawing. If you want to see the grid labels only, select Only grid labels
visible. If you want to set the grids invisible, you need to go to view
properties (page 1127).

Edit drawings 578 Show grids in drawings

4. Modify the grid line and grid label properties as required. For example,
modify the grid line extension length, grid line color and type, grid label
font properties and grid label frame type.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
5. In Placing, select which grid labels you want to show.

6. Click Modify.

NOTE You can also set a fixed width for the grid label frames, a width factor for the
grid label frames, or the label text font:
XS_GRID_TEXT_FONT
XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_FIXED_WIDTH
XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_LINE_WIDTH_FACTOR

Drag grid labels

Dragging grid labels is useful if the grid label is covering an important area in a
drawing.

1. Ensure that you have the Select grid line selection switch selected.
2. To drag grid labels without selecting the grid label handles first, select the
Drawing drag & drop checkbox in File --> Settings.
3. Click a grid.
4. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the label by the handle to a
new location.

See also
Drawing grid and grid line properties (page 1127)
Define drawing grids (page 969)
Colors in drawings (page 64)

Edit drawings 579 Show grids in drawings

Customize drawing grid labels
In GA drawings, you can customize drawing grid labels by including extra text
and symbols in the labels. You can define the label text, offsets and offset
prefixes in the user-defined grid attributes in the model and show the grid
label text in drawings. You can also defined the prefixes in an open drawing.
You can use a combination of traditional grid labels and custom labels, or only
use custom labels.
Before you can customize grid labels, you need to modify the user-defined grid
properties in the model, and also other grid properties, depending on your
needs. You can also choose to modify the prefix text in the drawing.

Modify model grid properties

1. In the model, click the grid to open grid properties. If the property pane is
not open, you need to double-click the grid.
2. Modify the grid properties as required.
In this example, you will create grid labels for elevations, so you need to
modify the Labels for Z direction.

3. Click User-defined attributes...

4. Fill in the necessary user-defined attribute information.
Note that you cannot leave the Offset in Z box empty even if the offset
was 0. If the offset is 0, you still need to enter 0.
In this example, you need to have the Grid label text, Offset in Z and
Prefix offset in Z defined. You can also define the prefixes and the label
texts in Advanced grid label properties in the drawing.

Edit drawings 580 Show grids in drawings

 Note that the Datum level in the drawing View Properties does not work
in the same way as the Offset in Z. Setting Offset in Z in grid UDAs to
1000.00 gives the same result as setting the Datum level to -1000.00. The
view Datum level setting moves coordinates, and level marks are relative
to the coordinates. The Datum level setting does not move the content
of the view, the content just becomes relatively moved in the opposite
direction.
5. Click OK and click Modify.
Now you have created the necessary grid label texts and adjusted the needed
values. Next, you can customize the drawing grid labels.

Customize drawing grid labels

1. Open a general arrangement drawing.

2. On the Annotations tab, hold down Shift and click Grid labels.
3. Define the properties for the custom grid labels:

Grid label placing Select which grid labels are displayed by selecting
the desired checkboxes.
Use settings from Define where the grid label properties are taken
from:
• Grid inherits the properties from the grid.
Note that if you have defined settings for text
color, height and font in the standard drawing
Grid properties, the corresponding settings in
Advanced grid label properties will changed
accordingly, when you click Modify.

Edit drawings 581 Show grids in drawings

 • The dialog box option uses the settings defined
in Advanced grid label properties.
Frame type Select the type of the frame:
Any symbol, grid label text inside, at the bottom

Any symbol, grid label text inside at the top .

Any symbol with a leader line, grid label text under

the leader line outside the symbol .

Any symbol with a leader line, grid label text above

the leader line outside the symbol

Note that you can define a fixed size for the
grid label frame by setting the advanced option
XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_FIXED_WIDTH
to a defined value. If you want to calculate the grid
label frame size automatically, leave the value out.
File Select a symbol file from the list.
Number Click the ... button and double-click the symbol. For
example, the elevation symbol is by default symbol
number 35 in the [Link] file.
Color Select the color and the line type of the grid label
frame symbol.
Height Set the height of the grid label frame symbol:
Enter height: Enter the height in the Height box.
Autosize: Adjust the symbol height automatically.
Enter Autosize minimum height: Set the
minimum height for the symbol.
Align to line Select Yes to rotate the labels of vertical and
inclined grid lines and align the labels with the grid
lines.
Grid: Number Define the Prefix, Color, Height and Font of the
grid numbers. If you define the prefix in the user-
defined attributes of the grid, you no longer need
to do it here.
Grid: Text Define the Prefix, Color, Height and Font of the
grid label texts. If you define the prefix in the user-
defined attributes of the grid, you no longer need
to do it here.

Edit drawings 582 Show grids in drawings

Create axis text Select Yes or No. Yes enables the options below.
No is the default value. If you have defined
prefixes and grid axis texts in the user-defined
attributes of the grid, you not need to define them
here.
Prefix for axis X Define the prefix for the X axis.
Prefix for axis Y Define the prefix for the Y axis.
Prefix for axis Z Define the prefix for the Z axis.
Color Define the color of the grid axis text.
Height Define the height of the grid axis text.
Font Define the font used in the grid axis text.
4. Save the properties for future use by entering a unique name in the Save
as box and clicking Save as.
5. Click OK and pick a grid.
Tekla Structures customizes the grid labels and label texts according to the
modifications that you made in the grid UDAs in the model, and in Advanced
grid label properties in the drawing.
Note that if you get duplicate grid labels (traditional and custom), double-
click the drawing grid and clear the checkboxes of double grid labels in grid
properties.
In the example below, the following properties were defined in the grid
properties and user-defined grid attributes in the model:
Labels: Z = Floor1 Floor2 Floor3
Grid label text = Text
Prefix offset in Z = Prefix Z
Offset in Z = 1000.00

In Advanced grid label properties, was selected as the Frame

type.

Customize a grid label on a single grid line

1. Ensure that you have the Select grid line selection switch active .

Edit drawings 583 Show grids in drawings

2. In an open drawing, on the Annotations tab, hold down Shift and click

Grid labels .
3. Define the properties for the grid labels (see instructions above).
4. Click OK, and pick a grid line. You can also select several grid lines using
area selection.
Tekla Structures customizes the grid labels and label texts on the selected grid
line according to the modifications you made.

Modify custom grid labels

You can modify the custom grid labels by selecting the grid labels.

1. Ensure that you have the Select grid selection switch active .

2. In an open drawing, on the Annotations tab, hold down Shift and

Grid labels .
3. Only select the checkbox of the grid label that you want to customize.
4. Define the properties for the custom grid label.
5. Click Modify and select the grid label.

Customize grid labels only at one end of a grid line

You can have regular and customized labels at different ends of a grid line.

1. Ensure that you have the Select grid selection switch active .
2. In an open general arrangement drawing, on the Annotations tab, hold

down Shift and click Grid labels .

3. Only select the checkbox of the grid label you want to customize.

4. Define the properties for the custom grid label.

5. Click OK and select the grid.

6. Select the selection switch.

Edit drawings 584 Show grids in drawings

7. Select the desired grid lines, right-click and select Properties..., and only
select the checkbox at the opposite end of the grid line. Area select is
handy in grid line selection.
8. Click Modify. The custom grid label is displayed at the one end of the grid
line, and the traditional grid label at the other end.

Add different customized grid labels on horizontal and vertical grid

lines
You can use different customized labels in horizontal and vertical grid line
labels.

1. Ensure that you have the Select grid selection switch active .

Edit drawings 585 Show grids in drawings

2. In an open drawing, on the Annotations tab, hold down Shift and click

Grid labels.
3. In the Advanced grid label properties dialog, only
select the checkbox for the right horizontal grid labels.

4. Define the properties for the horizontal grid labels. For example, for
elevation grid label, set up an elevation symbol.
5. Click OK and select the grid.
Custom grid labels are added on the horizontal grid lines. There are no
grid labels on the vertical grid lines.

6. Hold down Shift and click Grid labels.

7. In the Advanced grid label properties dialog, only
select the checkbox for the upper vertical grid labels.

8. Define the properties for the vertical grid labels. For example, select the
desired frame label type.

Edit drawings 586 Show grids in drawings

9. Click OK and select the grid line.
Custom grid labels are added on the vertical grid lines of the selected grid. The
horizontal grid lines have the labels that you added earlier.

Use model grid coordinates and prefix as text on grid axis in a drawing

1. On the Annotations tab, hold down Shift and click Grid labels.
2. Do any of the following:
• Define the following settings to show grid coordinates automatically
along grid lines:

• You can also do this in another way and use different prefixes:

Edit drawings 587 Show grids in drawings

a. First in the model grid user-defined attributes, add in Prefix offset
in X and in Prefix offset in Y values W: and N: in the following
way:

b. Then in the drawing, in the Advanced grid label properties

dialog, set Create axis text to Yes:

Edit drawings 588 Show grids in drawings

 If you want to write prefixes to these values, in Advanced grid
label properties, add the Prefix for axis X and Prefix for axis Y
information.
c. To get model grid coordinates shown in the drawing grid labels
automatically, in the model, go to user-defined grid attributes, and
change the offset values to 0.

Edit drawings 589 Show grids in drawings

 When you do this, go to drawing Advanced grid label properties,
and set Create axis text to No.

Limitations
• The grid lines are not refreshed automatically.
• If you have hidden grid lines or otherwise modified them, you need
to click Modify in Advanced grid label properties to refresh the grid
labels.
• If you drag grid line handles, the custom grid labels are not moved
together with the handle, until you click Modify in Advanced grid label
properties.
• Advanced grid labels are not supported in multidrawings, key plans or in
cloning, or when moving views to another drawing.
• Not all frame types are allowed for all axises.

4.22 Show reference objects in drawings

Reference models or reference objects can be shown in general arrangement,
assembly, and cast unit drawings. You might want to use 3D plant models or
architectural drawings as reference objects, for example.

Edit drawings 590 Show reference objects in drawings

You can select whether to show a reference object, and select if the hidden
lines or own hidden lines are visible. You can also select whether to show the
reference object as outlines or as wireframe, and define the line color and
type. Reinforcement in reference objects can also be shown.
The reference object representation can be modified in drawing properties
before you create the drawing and in an open drawing, but the visibility
options only when the drawing is open.
You can add associative notes (page 375) to reference objects. You can add
text, symbols, attributes, and templates as elements in the reference object
notes.
1. In an open drawing, double-click the drawing view frame to open the
drawing view properties.
2. Click Reference object in the options tree on the left.
The Content tab lists all the reference objects included in the drawing.
If the reference objects are not shown in the list:
• Close the drawing and check that the reference model is set visible in
the side pane.
• Ensure that the view depth encompasses the reference model.
• The list shows only the reference objects that have objects located the
view area.
• If nothing else helps, trigger a manual drawing update (move view
area, insert another part, etc).
3. To show a reference object in the drawing, click the row of the reference
object, and in the Visibility column, select Visible.
4. Go to the Appearance tab and set the representation for the reference
object:
• Wireframe: Shows the reference object as a wireframe. With this
option, opening drawings is faster.
• Outline: The reference objects are drawn in the same way as Tekla
Structures native parts, and the reference object outlines are shown.
With this option, you have the Hidden lines and Own hidden lines
options available.
Hidden lines: Shows the hidden lines in the reference object that are
hidden by other reference models or parts.
Own hidden lines: Shows the hidden lines in the reference object that
are hidden by the reference object itself.
5. Modify the color and the type of Visible lines and Hidden lines.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
6. Click Modify to update the reference object in the selected view with the
new settings.

Edit drawings 591 Show reference objects in drawings

Modify reference object representation
You can modify the reference object representation in an open drawing.
1. To open the reference object properties, click the reference object in the
drawing.
If the property pane is not open, double-click the reference object.
2. Modify the reference object representation, line color, and line type as
required.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
3. Click Modify.

Reference object representation examples

Below is an example of the Wireframe representation:

Below is an example of the Outline representation. Hidden lines and Own

hidden lines are not activated:

Below is an example of the Outline representation. Hidden lines is activated,

and shown in red.

Edit drawings 592 Show reference objects in drawings

Below is an example of the Outline representation. Hidden lines and Own
hidden lines are both activated, and shown in red.

Below is an example of how the parts are shown with reference objects.
Reference object visible lines are shown in green, and hidden lines in red. The
part visible lines are shown in blue, and the hidden lines in cyan.

Edit drawings 593 2D Library in drawings

4.23 2D Library in drawings
Drawing 2D Library allows you to quickly select objects in any drawings and
save them as 2D drawing details. You can insert details in drawing views and
drawings in any model. You can create details out of many kinds of drawing
objects, such as parts, texts, notes, drawing sketch objects, or DWG files. In
addition to details, you can browse and insert DWG files and images directly
to your drawings from the Drawing 2D Library. It allows you to browse for
details in other folders and use them in your drawing. Your company can
create a collection of standard details that can be distributed in the system,
project or firm folders and reused in different drawings and projects.
Limitations
• Multi-colored part section hatches cannot be recognized in detail creation,
and the part face hatch will be used instead.
• Templates or images cannot be captured in detail creation.
• Manually added weld marks cannot be captured in detail creation. This also
applies to certain other manually added marks, such as revision marks and
level marks.
• Details inserted in container views (views around linked/copied views) may
be placed incorrectly.
• Inserted details do not rotate if the view is rotated.
• Details are not placed correctly in manually rotated views.
• Inserted details cannot be cloned with the drawing.
• You cannot use pattern lines ( Drawing --> Line --> Pattern line ) for 2D
detailing.

Open and view Drawing 2D Library

Drawing 2D Library is located in the Tekla Structures side pane. It is available
when a drawing is open.
1. Open a drawing.
2. Open the Drawing 2D Library by clicking the Drawing 2D Library button

in the side pane.

Edit drawings 594 2D Library in drawings

3. Click the Folder button to check the contents of the various folders:
• Current model shows the details in the \Drawing Details folder
under the current model folder. Your details are saved here, and here
you can also create new subfolders. This folder may be empty if you
have not created any details or used details in other folders.
• Project and Firm show the details in the subfolder \Drawing
Details under the project and firm folders if you have defined paths
to these folders as values for the advanced options XS_PROJECT and
XS_FIRM, respectively.
• System shows the details in the subfolder \Drawing Details in any
of the folders defined as a value for the advanced option XS_SYSTEM.
• Browse... allows you to browse to any folder for details.
• When you use details in project, firm, system or any other folder than
\Drawing Details in the current model folder, the details are copied
to the current model folder.

Edit drawings 595 2D Library in drawings

 • When you update a detail with new or changed objects, all instances
of the detail in any drawings in the current model will be updated as
well. If you are fetching the detail that you update from the firm folder,
the detail will not change in the firm folder. Global changes can only be
done by the administrators of the firm, project and system folders.
• If the administrator updates a detail in the firm, project or system
folder, any already inserted detail instances will not get automatically
updated in any project. To do this, you would need to manually copy
the updated detail file and replace what's in the model folder.
• New folder allows you to create a new folder in the current model
folder in the subfolder \Drawing Details.
• Any subfolders in any of the folders are shown next to the details
in the selected folder in Drawing 2D Library view. Double-click the
subfolder to see the included details.

4. Search for details by entering a search term in the search box at the top
of Drawing 2D Library. Tekla Structures shows the matching details in the
view. Details are only searched in the currently displayed folder and its
subfolders.

Insert a detail to a drawing from 2D Library

In 2D Library, you can add details located in the system, project, firm or
current model folder to any of your drawings.
1. Open a drawing.

2. Click the Drawing 2D Library button in the side pane to open

Drawing 2D Library. To browse to another folder for details, click the

Folder button , and select Current model, System, Project or Firm.

You can also browse further to other folders by selecting Browse...

Edit drawings 596 2D Library in drawings

3. If you always want to insert a detail inside a view when necessary, click the

Options button and select Create view if needed.

Details created within their own views are automatically created as fixed
views.
You may want to create a view for the detail if you place it outside drawing
views. The new view will use the currently applied view properties and get
the same scale as the inserted detail. If the Create view if needed option
is not selected, the inserted detail does not get a view of its own, and
dimensioning will not work properly in the detail.
By default the standard view properties are used. You can also create a
new view properties file to be used for detail views. This will let you have
a specific view label in detail views, for example. You can select the new
properties file, or any of the existing view properties files, on the Options

menu . The selected view properties file settings will be applied to

every 2D detail container view.

4. To lock or scale the font height, use the Scale option on the Options
menu:
Select Scale to scale the text when you change the detail scale before
inserting it.
Do not select Scale to lock the font height.

Edit drawings 597 2D Library in drawings

5. Click a detail and then click the drawing view or drawing to place the
detail.
Tekla Structures inserts the detail. The detail is inserted as a plug-in, which
means that the detail objects are grouped and stay together when you
select or move the detail in a drawing.
Press Esc to interrupt picking insertion points.
You can also pick a secondary reference point for rotation. To do
this, right-click the detail in the Drawing 2D Library and enable Add
secondary reference point. When you insert the detail, Tekla Structures
asks you to give 2 input points. The secondary reference point will
determine the direction of the detail.

Create a new detail in Drawing 2D Library

You can create new details in the current model folder or its subfolders.
1. In an open drawing, add the objects that will shape your detail.
In the example below, the detail represents a beam-to-beam connection.
The detail contains texts, circles, lines, polylines, and symbols that have
been added on top of a drawing and surrounded by a frame.

2. Click the Drawing 2D Library button in the side pane to open

Drawing 2D Library.

3. To include grids in the detail, in the Options menu, select Include

grids.
4. Select the objects that you want to include in the detail.

Edit drawings 598 2D Library in drawings

5. Add the detail in Drawing 2D Library:
a. If you have subfolders in the current model folder, double-click the
subfolder in Drawing 2D Library view where you want to save the
new detail.
You can create a detail even when the current model folder is not
selected. The detail will be stored in the current model folder, and a
status bar message will indicate the name of the new detail.

b. Click the New detail from selected objects button at the top of
Drawing 2D Library.
A message at the bottom of Drawing 2D Library asks you to pick a
reference point.
c. Pick a reference point in the drawing.

Edit drawings 599 2D Library in drawings

 TIP You can also pick a secondary reference point for rotation. To do
this, right-click the detail in the Drawing 2D Library and enable
Add secondary reference point. When you insert the detail,
Tekla Structures asks you to give 2 input points. The secondary
reference point will determine the direction of the detail.

A message at the bottom of Drawing 2D Library asks you to capture

a sample image by picking two points.
d. Pick two points to capture an image of the detail.

Tekla Structures creates the detail and adds it to Drawing 2D Library in

the\Drawing Details folder (or its subfolder, if defined) under the current
model folder. This folder is automatically created when a detail is created in

Edit drawings 600 2D Library in drawings

the current model for the first time. Tekla Structures saves the detail and its
metadata (name, description) as a .ddf file. The metadata is used when you
search for details in Drawing 2D Library. The captured image is saved as
a .png file.

Create a new folder in Drawing 2D Library and copy/move

to the folder
You can create details in a new folder or copy or move details to the new
folder in the current model folder.

1. In Drawing 2D Library, click the Folder button , and select New

folder. You can rename the new folder by clicking the folder and entering
a name at the bottom of the Drawing 2D Library pane.
2. Right-click a detail you want to copy or move and click Cut or Copy.
3. Right-click the new folder and select Paste. Tekla Structures copies or
moves the selected detail.
4. If you want to add some details in a system folder, create a subfolder in a
system folder (defined by XS_SYSTEM) and rename it Drawing Details,
then copy details from the model folder to the new \Drawing Details
system folder using Windows Explorer. You can copy or move details in
the same way to the project and firm folders.

Modify detail properties in Drawing 2D Library

You can modify detail properties of the details in the current model folder
before you insert the detail.
You cannot modify the detail objects, for example, the texts, marks, or lines
inside a detail, because the details are grouped. If you want to do this, you first
need to explode the detail, and then update it.
1. In an open drawing, browse for a folder, and click a detail in Drawing
2D Library. A new detail looks like the one below in Drawing 2D Library
when you have not touched its properties yet:

Edit drawings 601 2D Library in drawings

2. Modify the detail properties at the bottom of the Drawing 2D Library
pane:

a. Edit the detail name and the description of the detail.

b. Select the original scale, enter a scale, or ignore the scale.
The Scale value refers to the scale of the view where the detail was
originally created. The Scale value should not normally need to be
touched. This value is used when inserting the detail, for adapting
the detail to the scale of the target view, so that dimensioning, for
example, will work correctly.
Example:
You create a detail A from objects in a 1/10 scale view. So the scale
of the new detail gets recorded as 1/10 in Drawing 2D Library. You
then insert detail A (which has scale 1/10) into a scale 1/50 view W.
The detail will look 5 times smaller than in the original view, but
dimensioning will give the same results in both views.
You create another detail B from objects in a 1/5 scale view. So the
scale of the new detail gets recorded as 1/5 in Drawing 2D Library.
You then insert this detail (which has scale 1/5) into the scale 1/50
view W. The detail will look 10 times smaller than in the original view,
but again dimensioning will give the same results in both views.
You then change the scale of the detail A in the view W from 1/10 to
1/5. This makes Tekla Structures calculate the size of the detail as if
the original view had had the scale 1/5. So just as detail B, the detail
A will now look 10 times smaller than in the original view. However in
this case, dimensioning will now give only 1/2 of the expected results
(which is the ratio between the scale you have entered and the actual
original scale).
When you click Ignore scale, the detail will have the same visual
size regardless of the view scale, corresponding to the visual size it
had when it was created. This is indicated by the scale value 1/0.
Therefore dimensioning will not be correct if you use the Ignore scale
option.

Edit drawings 602 2D Library in drawings

 If you change the scale, you have the possibility to lock the font height
or scale the font height to adjust to the scale change. To lock or scale

the font height, use the Scale option on the Options menu:
• Select Scale to scale the text when you change the detail scale
before inserting it.
• Do not select Scale to lock the font height.
You can now insert the modified detail.

Explode a detail
You can explode an inserted detail into lines and texts, for example, to update
the detail with new objects.
For example, you may have created a detail and something does not look
quite right. You can explode the detail, make modifications and update the
detail with the changes.
Another example could be that you have a set of company-specific details that
you are inserting details from. You can explode a detail and edit it, and make a
new detail out of it.
• In a drawing, right-click an inserted detail, and select Explode.
The detail is exploded to lines and texts. Now you can edit the detail, and then
update the detail.

Explode dimension included in details

You can create native dimensions in details instead of lines and symbols.

1. In Drawing 2D Library, click the Options button and select Explode

native dimension.
2. Insert a detail containing dimensions in a drawing.
3. Right-click the inserted detail, and select Explode. The dimension is
exploded and included in the detail as a collection of lines and text labels.

Edit drawings 603 2D Library in drawings

Explode symbols included in details
You can explode symbols included in details, and make them independent of
the local symbol files.
Drawing 2D Library saves the drawing symbols as symbols, which means that
later, when you insert the detail, you need to have the correct symbols files
present. You can avoid this by exploding the symbols.

1. In Drawing 2D Library, click the Options button and select Explode

native symbols.
2. Insert a detail containing drawing symbols in a drawing.
3. Right-click the inserted detail, and select Explode. The detail and the
included symbols are exploded to lines and texts.

Update objects in a detail

You can modify all instances of a detail by updating the detail with new or
modified objects.
1. Insert the detail in a drawing and explode it by right-clicking the detail and
selecting Explode.
2. Modify the exploded detail objects or add new ones.
3. Select all detail objects, including any new ones.
4. Right-click the detail in Drawing 2D Library view and select Update
detail with selected objects. You are asked to pick a new reference
point. If you are updating the detail in the same view as originally, you do
not need to pick a new reference point, otherwise you need to pick a new
reference point.
The detail gets updated. When you update a detail with new objects, the
detail will get updated in all drawings where it is used.

Insert a .dwg file to a drawing from Drawing 2D Library

You can insert .dwg files from the 2D Library to drawings as reference files.
1. Open a drawing.

2. Click the Drawing 2D Library button in the side pane to open the
Drawing 2D Library.
3. Browse for the folder containing the .dwg files in the Drawing 2D
Library. You can also move your reference files to a \Drawing Details
folder under the current model folder.

Edit drawings 604 2D Library in drawings

 4. If you always want to insert a detail inside a view when necessary, click the

Options button and select Create view if needed.

5. Click a .dwg file and then click the drawing view or drawing to place
the .dwg file. Tekla Structures inserts the .dwg file as a reference object
in the drawing, not as a drawing detail. If the file is inserted from outside
the model folder, the file will be copied to the model folder first and the
insertion path will be relative to that.
You cannot update the .dwg file with new objects, but you can select an
inserted .dwg along with any other objects and create a new detail.

Insert an image to a drawing from Drawing 2D Library

You can insert image files from the Drawing 2D Library to drawings.
1. Open a drawing.

2. Click the Drawing 2D Library button in the side pane to open the
Drawing 2D Library.
3. Browse for the folder containing image files in the Drawing 2D Library.
You can also move your image files to a \Drawing Details folder under
the current model folder.
4. If you always want to insert a detail inside a view when necessary, click the

Options button and select Create view if needed.

5. Click an image file and then click the drawing view or drawing to place the
image.
The image is inserted. If the file is inserted from outside the model folder,
the file will be copied to the model folder first and the insertion path will
be relative to that.
Note that the image detail thumbnail is created automatically.

4.24 Indicate cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings

Cut lines are lines that indicate with zigzag or dash-and-dot lines in different
colors that a part is partially outside the view border.

Create cut lines

You can create cut lines to visualize the lines that are partially outside the view
frame. You can create cut lines automatically for all parts in the view, or for
selected parts.

Edit drawings 605 Indicate cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings

Limitations:
• Cut lines cannot be created for polybeams.
• View extension for neighbor parts setting is not taken into account.

1. On the Drawing tab, click Create cut lines.

2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Click Create.

Example

Update cut lines

1. Open a drawing that contains cut lines.

2. On the Drawing tab, click Create cut lines.

3. 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.
4. Click Create.

Tekla Structures removes all previously created cut lines, and creates new ones
that are up-to-date.

Edit drawings 606 Indicate cut lines in Tekla Structures drawings

 Delete cut lines

1. On the Drawing tab, click Create cut lines.

2. 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.
3. Click Delete.

4.25 Explode drawing plug-ins and use ordinary drawing

objects
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 in the plug-in
properties, you can explode the COG dimension and then modify its properties
in dimension properties.
1. Click a drawing object that has been created 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 object properties.

4.26 Add 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.

Edit drawings 607 Explode drawing plug-ins and use ordinary

drawing objects
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.

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.

Custom presentations in Tekla Warehouse

Center of gravity
GA schedules

See also
Edit drawings (page 208)

Edit drawings 608 Add moment connection symbols in Tekla

Structures drawings
4.27 Add moment connection symbols in Tekla Structures
drawings
In general arrangement drawings, moment connections show the beams that
are connected to columns with rigid connections.
To display the moment connection symbols for a part in drawings, you need
to set the Moment connection to Yes on the End conditions tab in the
user-defined attributes of the part in the model.

You can create, update and delete moment connection symbols in general
arrangement drawings using the Create moment connection symbols
macro.

Create moment connection symbols

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

Edit drawings 609 Add moment connection symbols in Tekla

Structures drawings
moment connection symbols automatically for all parts in a drawing view, or
for selected parts.
Limitations: Moment connection symbols are created to reference lines. This
means that offsets are not taken into use.
1. Open the drawing.

2. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.
3. Search for Create moment connection symbols .

4. Click Create moment connection symbols .

5. In the Create moment connection symbols dialog, select the color for
the symbols from the color list.
6. Enter a scale for the symbols in the box next to the color list.
7. 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.
8. 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 analysis part properties.
• If a connection does not exist, release information is read from the End
conditions tab in the user-defined attributes of the part.

Edit drawings 610 Add moment connection symbols in Tekla

Structures 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 [Link] symbol
file. If you want to use another symbol, you can modify the symbols in Symbol
Editor by opening the [Link] symbol file and modifying the symbols 87
(right symbol), 86 (left symbol), 85 (down symbol), or 84 (symbol up) and saving
the changes.

Update moment connection symbols

If you want to remove all previously created moment connection symbols and
create new ones that are up to date, you can update the moment connection
symbols.

Edit drawings 611 Add moment connection symbols in Tekla

Structures drawings
 1. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to
open the Applications & components catalog.
2. Search for the Create moment connection symbols macro.

3. Click Create moment connection symbols .

4. 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.
5. Click Create.

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

Delete moment connection symbols

You can delete moment connection symbols of all parts in a view or of selected
parts.

1. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to

open the Applications & components catalog.
2. Search for the Create moment connection symbols macro.

3. Click Create moment connection symbols .

4. 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.
5. Click Delete.

4.28 Work with User coordinate system (UCS) in drawings

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 can place objects relative to a
user-defined point of origin, or a base point, in the drawing view.

Edit drawings 612 Work with User coordinate system (UCS) in

drawings
Tekla Structures shows the UCS symbol in the current drawing view, when you
create, copy, move, or modify 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,
not a drawing view.

Set a new UCS

You can set a new UCS (user coordinate system) using one point or two points.
1. Open a drawing.

Edit drawings 613 Work with User coordinate system (UCS) in

drawings
2. On the Views tab, click User coordsys and click one of the following
commands:
• Select Set origin to set the new UCS using one point.
• Select Set origin 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.

Toggle 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, open a drawing, go to the
Views tab and click User coordsys --> Toggle orientation (Ctrl + T).

Reset UCS
You can reset the UCS to its original position in the current drawing view or in
all drawing views.
Do one of the following:

To Do this
Reset the UCS in the In an open drawing, go to the Views tab, and click
current drawing view User coordsys --> Reset current (Ctrl + 1).
Reset the UCS in all In an open drawing, go to the Views tab, and click
drawing views User coordsys --> Reset all (Ctrl + 0).

Edit drawings 614 Work with User coordinate system (UCS) in

drawings
5 Manage drawings

You can manage your drawings in Document manager. Depending on the

workflow phase, you have several tools available for managing the drawings.
You can update drawings when the model changes, lock drawings, freeze
drawings, issue drawings, revise drawings, and delete drawings.

To Click the link below:

Learn how to set up Document Document manager (page 616)
manager and use it for searching
drawings, for example
Update saved drawings because of Update drawings when the model
model changes changes (page 639)
Indicate that a drawing is not Lock drawings (page 640)
available for editing by locking it
Select whether to allow Tekla Freeze drawings (page 641)
Structures to update all associative
objects on top of the drawing views
Mark drawings ready for issuing Mark drawings ready for issuing
(page 643)
Mark a drawing issued when it has Issue drawings (page 644)
been released for fabrication
Delete a drawing that you do not Delete drawings and file documents
need anymore (page 655)
Renumber all GA drawings Delete drawings and file documents
(page 655)
Delete unnecessary drawing files Delete unnecessary drawing files in
without waiting for Tekla Structures to single-user mode (page 654)
automatically delete them
Revise drawings, and attach Revise drawings (page 645)
information about the changes you
have made
Manage drawing versions Version control for drawings
(page 649)

Manage drawings 615

 To Click the link below:
Use the old drawing list Drawing list (page 656)

5.1 Document manager

With Document manager you can list and manage your drawings and other
types of documents efficiently.
You can reorganize, freeze, show and hide columns, edit some of the list data
directly, and organize documents and drawings in categories, for example. You
can open drawings, and if you have a related application installed, you can
open other types of files, such as PDF files, NC files and DWG files. Document
manager has a powerful search tool, which supports wildcard characters and
the most common search operators. You can save your searches in search-
based categories, and also create manual categories.

Open Document manager

Open Document manager in one of the following ways:
• On the Drawings & reports tab on the ribbon, click the Document
manager button.
• Enter document manager in Quick Launch. You can also enter drawing
list.
• Press Ctrl+O if a drawing is open, or press Ctrl+L if you are in the model.
You can also customize the shortcut. You can find it in the Keyboard
shortcuts dialog by searching either document manager or drawing
list.
• Select objects in the model, open the contextual toolbar, and select Open
or create drawings. Then list the drawings for the selected objects in
Document manager by selecting Show drawings for selected objects...
in the menu.

Manage drawings 616 Document manager

Filter, sort and adjust Document manager content
To Do this
List documents in a • Click a category on the left.
certain category
• You can also hold down Ctrl or Shift and select
several categories.
• You can show/hide the categories list by clicking
the arrow in the top left corner of the dialog.
• To exclude documents from or include
documents in an individual category in
Document manager, right-click the category
and select Exclude/Include. For example, if
you just want to see drawings and no other
documents, right-click the All files category and
select Exclude.
List all documents • Click the All documents category.
in the model, both
The file
drawings and file [Link]
documents
in your model, project, firm or system folder
defines which other document types are shown in
addition to drawings.
List all file documents • Click the All files category.
in the model,
only including other
document types than
drawings

Manage drawings 617 Document manager

 To Do this
List all drawings in the • Click the All drawings category.
model
List up-to-date • Click the Up-to-date drawings category.
drawings only
List drawings that 1. Click the Up-to-date drawings category.
need to be updated
2.
Click the Invert document visibility
switch.
Only list the •
documents that you
Activate the Show selected documents
have selected from the
only switch. When the switch is active, it is blue
list
.
Note that when you activate the Show selected
documents only mode, Document manager
also show documents that you then create
or modify, as long as they match the active
search and selected category criteria. These
documents will then appear in the list as
unselected to distinguish them from the
already selected documents.
Hide the currently •
visible documents in Activate the Invert document visibility
the list and list all
other documents switch. When the switch is active, it is blue .
•
When the switch is active, it is blue .
The name of the switch changes to Reset
document visibility to indicate that clicking
the button again will reset the visibility and not
invert the visibility a second time.
• If you click a category or enter a manual search,
this switch will be deactivated.
• Any documents that you have excluded
from Document manager using the Exclude
command will be ignored by Invert document
visibility and will never be shown.
Show changes from the •
current moment on Activate the Show changes from the
checkpoint set when the button is activated
switch. When the switch is active, documents
that have changed since the activation of the
switch will be displayed.

Manage drawings 618 Document manager

 To Do this
• When you have enabled the Show changes
from the checkpoint set when the button
is activated switch in Document manager,
and then when you disable this switch, you will
get the following message: Turning off 'Show
changes' will reset the changes checkpoint
and lose the history of which documents
have changed since the checkpoint was set.
Are you sure you wish to continue?. Select
Create new category.
• If this switch is active, and you run numbering,
any drawings who's status then changes (if
parts were modified, for example) will then be
automatically shown in the list.
Reset the document •
Click the Show all documents button.
list
This resets the document list so that all
documents are visible, and all searches
and filtering are cleared. Excluded categories
remain excluded. This feature also provides a
convenient way to restore the document list to
a default state when recording macros.
Reorder columns • To reorder columns, drag the columns to new
locations.
Sort columns • To sort a column, click a column title. A small
arrow shows that the column is used for sorting
and the sort order.
• To sort by several columns, hold down Shift
and click column titles.
Freeze columns • To freeze one or more columns so that columns
to the left of the selected column will not scroll
horizontally, right-click a column and select
Freeze at this column.
• To unfreeze, right-click and select Unfreeze
columns.
Show or hide columns • To hide a column, right-click a column and
select Hide column.
• To show hidden columns, right-click a column
and select Show all columns , or Show column
and select a hidden column you want to show.
• The column order, visibility and sorting order
are saved in the model folder in an user-
suffixed file
DocumentManagerDataGridSettings_<user

Manage drawings 619 Document manager

 To Do this
>.xml. Default values are read from
[Link]
located in the system folder defined by the
XS_SYSTEM advanced option if there is no user-
specific settings file available. The user settings
file can be located in all standard locations
(model, project, firm, environment).
You can copy the user-specific file file to be
shared at the project, firm or environment level.
Then you need to remove the username suffix
from the file name. If you are copying a file
to use in a model, you might need to change
or add the username suffix in the file name
to match the user that will be using Tekla
Structures on that model.
Display time • Right-click a column that shows date
information, and select Time display and one
of the available options:
No time
Hours and minutes
Hours, minutes and seconds
If the property only supports date and no time,
these options will not be available.
Edit Document 1.
manager list data First ensure that the edit switch is active.
directly
2. Then click the data cell you wish to edit, such
as Name, Title 1 - Title 3, Freeze, Lock,
Ready for issuing, or a cell that comes from
drawing UDAs, such as date cells.

Manage drawings 620 Document manager

 To Do this

When the edit switch is active in Document

manager, and you move the mouse cursor over
a cell that is not editable, the cursor changes to
indicate that you cannot edit the cell:

Show and modify 1. Select one or more drawings in the document

drawing views in the list.
model
2. Click the Show drawing views in the
model button in the top-right corner of
the Document managerwindow. When this
button is activated, it changes color:

The views in the selected drawings are now

displayed in the model. You can then use
direct modification to work with the view
extents and view plane of every view that is
contained within each selected drawing in the
currently open model views.
Delete drawings or
Select drawings or file documents and click
other documents
Delete, or right-click and select Delete.

Manage drawings 621 Document manager

 To Do this
If you have selected both drawings and
file documents, you get separate confirmation
messages for drawings and file documents.
If you hold down Shift while you select Delete,
Tekla Structures will not ask you to confirm the
deletion of documents.

Search for documents

Use the search box at the top to look for the desired documents. Only the
documents currently shown in the list are searched.
Search is case insensitive and partial. For example, searching for the string con
will match with concrete and second.
You do not need to write the operator AND, just use a space between search
terms. For example, searching for the string steel grade will match with
steel beam grade but not with steel beam.
You can search for documents within a specific date range or exact date, and
define multiple search strings.

You can save searches to avoid typing in frequent searches repeatedly. This is
done by saving the current search as a new category. You can also combine
existing categories together to easily create more complex queries.

Wildcard characters and operators

See the table below for explanations and examples of the different wildcard
characters and operators you can use.

Notation Explanation
* Match zero to any number of
characters.
Fore example, H*T matches hot, heat,
and heavy lifter
? Matches any single character.
For example, B?-1 matches B1-1,
B2-1, Bb-1.
[] Defines a matching group. The
matching group matches any single

Manage drawings 622 Document manager

 Notation Explanation
character out of a set of characters
that you give between the brackets.
For example, the search A[ABC]1
matches AA1, AB1, and AC1.
AND The search expressions on both sides
must match. This is the default
operator, and you do not have to type
it in the search string.
For example, steel AND grade
finds drawings that contain steel
grade S235JR but does not find
drawings that contain grade S235JR
or steel S235JR.
OR One of the search expressions on
either side must match.
For example, steel OR grade
finds drawings that contain grade
S235JR, steel grade S235JR or
steel S235JR.
! These are NOT operators.
- Use these operators to exclude from
the search, for example, !steel and
-steel both mean that the search
will not find documents including the
string steel.
If the name of the document that
you want to find contains a dash
(-), enclose the search expression
in quotes, including the dash, for
example, "C100-C500", then your
document is found, for example,
C.1000-C100-C500.
() Groups search expressions.
Use parentheses () to create more
complex expressions.
For example: (B2 AND concrete)
OR B3 matches all drawings
containing B3 and also the subset of
B2 drawings that mention concrete.

Manage drawings 623 Document manager

 Notation Explanation
"" Disables special characters inside the
quotes.
Use for phrases that contains spaces
or if you want to search for characters
that are listed as wildcard characters
or operators in this table.
For example, Mark: "2 - 1"
matches drawings containing [B.2 - 1]
and [C.2 - 1].
<Property name>: Replace <Property name> with one of
the properties displayed to limit the
search scope to that property.
You can search for documents based
on the internal name of the property
(search name). The search name is
shown in the property column header
tooltips when you move the mouse
pointer over the header. The search
name is case sensitive.

For example, CreationDate:

11/20/2020 matches drawings
created on the 20th of November
2020.
< Less than.
For example, CreationDate: <
11/20/2020 matches drawings
created before the 20th of November
2020.
This operator does not work for fields
that contain other characters than
numbers.
> Greater than.
For example, CreationDate: >
11/20/2020 matches drawings

Manage drawings 624 Document manager

 Notation Explanation
created after the 20th of November
2020.
This operator does not work for fields
that contain other characters than
numbers.
= Exact match. Disables wildcard
characters and partial matching.
For example, CreationDate: =
11/20/2020 matches drawings
created on the 20th of November
2020, and Mark: = [B.2 - 1]
matches drawings containing [B.2 - 1]
only.
If you type a wildcard character,
asterisk (*) for example, it is
considered as the character *.
<= Less than or equal.
For example, CreationDate: <
11/20/2020 matches drawings
created on the 20th of November
2020 or before.
>= Greater than or equal.
For example, CreationDate: >
11/20/2020 matches drawings
created on the 20th of November
2020 or after.
<<inv>> Invariant (language-independent)
search.
Use if you want to match fields
written in different languages.
For more information, see below.

Searching with date and time

• You can search date and time in two different ways depending on the date
and time format Tekla Structures is using:
• [Link] or mm/dd/yyyy for dates, for example, 30.11.2018 or
11/30/2018
• hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:sspm and hh:mm:ssam for time, for example,
[Link] or [Link]pm
• Note that advanced options XS_IMPERIAL_DATE and XS_IMPERIAL_TIME
determine which date and time format is active. Only the active format is

Manage drawings 625 Document manager

 used, which means that a non-imperial date will be ignored if imperial date
is the active date format.
• You can also enter partial dates and date ranges:
• 2018: any date and time in the year
• 6.2018 (or 6/2018): any date and time in the month
• 24.06.2018 (or 06/24/2018: any time in the specified day
• "06.06.2018 14" : any time in the range 14:00 to 14:59 on
06.06.2018. Note that you need to use quotes because otherwise the
space is seen as the end of one search expression.

Complex search example

Mark: FP !??FP finds all marks that begin with FP. The search matches
[FP123] and [FPZ23] but does not match [AB123FP].

Invariant search values

The search syntax <<inv>>(...) allows you to search for documents and
create categories that work in the same way regardless of the language in use.
The values to use when doing invariant <<inv>>(...) searches are listed
below.
• Property name: IssuedStatus
• NotIssued
• Issued
• IssuedButModified
• Property name: DrawingUpToDateStatus
• DrawingIsUpToDate
• PartsWereModified
• DrawingIsUpToDateButMayNeedChecking
• IncludedDrawingModified
• OriginalPartDeleted
• AllPartsDeleted
• NumberOfPartsInNumberingSeriesIncreased
• NumberOfPartsInNumberingSeriesDecreased
• DrawingWasCloned
• DrawingWasUpdated
• CopiedViewChanged

Manage drawings 626 Document manager

 • DrawingWasSplitted
• MovedViewDeleted
• MovedViewLabelChanged
• Property name: Changes
• Same values as DrawingUpToDateStatus and IssuedButModified
• In date and time search, you can only use the non-imperial formats
( [Link] and hh:mm:ss) :
• <<inv>>(10.5.2017)
• The invariant search ignores the advanced options XS_IMPERIAL_DATE
and XS_IMPERIAL_TIME.
For Freeze, Lock, Ready for issuing and Master drawing the following values
can be searched for in invariant search and in normal search:
• True
• False

Create search-based document categories

There are default categories in Document manager, and you can create
categories of your own by saving search strings.
To create a search-based category:
1. Enter a search string that finds the documents you want to categorize.
For more information about the allowed wildcard characters and
operators, see the searching instructions above.
2. Right-click in the category list on the left and select New.
3. Define the category properties:
• Name: Enter the name to be shown in the category list. If you
use a translation key beginning with the prefix albl_, the name is
translated if the translation is found in [Link] ( in
\messages\DotAppsStrings\). When a valid translation key is used,
the translation will be shown in the dialog box.
• Search string: Enter here the search string that gives the desired list
of documents. The default for the new category is the active search
string. You can test the string by clicking the Test button. Do not leave
the Search string box empty.
• Tooltip (optional): Text that is displayed when you move the mouse
pointer over a category. If you use a translation key beginning with
the prefix albl_, the tooltip is translated if the translation is found

Manage drawings 627 Document manager

 in [Link]. When a valid translation key is used, the
translation will be shown in the dialog box.
• Group: Enter a number that specifies the group of the category. There
is a separator in the category list between the different groups.
The default value for a new category is 0. Negative values are allowed.
• Sort index: Enter a number that specifies the location of the category
in the category list, and the smaller the number is, the higher the
category is on the category list. Categories are sorted first by Group,
then Sort index and then by Name.
The default value for a new category is 0. Negative values are allowed.
• Combining operator: Enter AND or OR. When you select several
categories at a time, categories with OR rule are combined first and
then the ones with AND rule.
• Association type: Change the category association type. The options
are Search only, Manual only, and Manual and search. For more
information about changing the category type, see section "Change
category association type" below.
• Allow delete: If you select this, the Delete command will be available
for this category when you right-click the category in the categories list.
All changes in categories are saved in
DocumentManagerCategories_<user>.xml in the current model
folder. You can rename the file to [Link]
and move it to a folder defined with the advanced options XS_PROJECT,
XS_FIRM or XS_SYSTEM, or keep it in the current model folder. The
default categories are defined in [Link]
located in the system folder defined by the advanced option XS_SYSTEM.
4. Click Save.

Manage drawings 628 Document manager

Below is an example of a category that lists all assembly drawings that have
the character B in the mark:

Create manual document categories

Sometimes you may need to have a document category in Document
manager for documents that would be difficult to categorize using the search.
You can simply select documents, create a manual category and add your
documents there. You can also add documents to and remove documents
from existing manually created categories, and combine categories, both
search-based and manual ones. A manual category may contain both
drawings and file documents.
Creating a manual category may be useful, for example, when you have
enabled the Show changes from the checkpoint set when the button is
activated feature in Document manager, and then when some documents
have changed and are listed, you can add the changed documents in the
manual category.

TO Do this
Create a new manual Select the documents from the list, right-click and
category and add select Manual category --> Add to new . Then
documents there type a name for the category, an optional tooltip,

Manage drawings 629 Document manager

 TO Do this
and define other necessary settings. Then click
Save.
Options are the same as in the search-based
categories, except that the functionality related to
search strings, and the Test button are missing if
there are documents associated. If there are no
documents associated, then the search controls
are visible and the category could become a
search-based category or a manual category.
The newly created or modified
manual categories are saved to the
DocumentManagerCategories_<user>.xml file
under the current model folder.
Save recently changed When you have enabled the Show changes
documents in a new from the checkpoint set when the button is
manual category activated switch in Document manager, and
when you disable this switch, you will get the
following message: Turning off 'Show changes'
will reset the changes checkpoint and lose the
history of which documents have changed since
the checkpoint was set. Are you sure you wish
to continue?. Select Create new category.
You can also select to turn the switch off and lose
the history.
Edit a manual category Right-click the category in the category list and
select Edit.
Add documents to Select the documents from the list, right-click and
an existing manual select Manual category --> Add to existing and
category then select the desired category.
All compatible manual categories are listed. You
can add the selected documents to several
categories.
Remove documents Select the documents from the list, right-click,
from a manual select Manual category --> Remove from and
category then select the category from which to remove the
documents.
You can also select manual categories first so
that all documents in those categories are listed,
right-click the list, and select Manual category -->
Remove from selected .

Manage drawings 630 Document manager

 TO Do this
Delete a manual Right-click the category in the category list, and
category select Delete.

Note that if a document ID cannot be found when loading previously saved

manual categories, an entry will be written to the Document manager
log identifying the manual category and the document ID of the missing
document. This situation can arise if a drawing or file document is deleted
when Document manager is not open and that document was referenced in
a manual category.

Change category association type

You can use the setting Association type in the Edit category and New
category dialogs to define if a category is search based, manual, or both.
• If the category is of type Search only or Manual and search, you need to
define a Search string in the dialog.
• If you create a category by first selecting documents from the document
list, the association type is Manual only by default.
• If you create a category from the category list, the association type is
Search only by default.
• You can change the association type later. If you change the type from
Search only to Manual only, a message is displayed telling that the
Search string for that particular category will be cleared. If you change
the type from Manual only to Search only or Manual and search, you
need to define a Search string.

Find model objects that have associated drawings in

Document manager
You can use Document manager for identifying the objects in the model that
have associated drawings.

Before you start, ensure that you only have the Select parts selection
switch active. Otherwise part selection may take a long time in large models.
1. Open a model view where all objects are clearly visible.
2. Do one of the following:
• Highlight the objects associated to individual drawings by selecting the

individual drawings in Document manager and clicking Select

objects in the model for selected drawings.

Manage drawings 631 Document manager

 • Highlight all objects that have associated drawings by selecting all

drawings in Document manager (Ctrl+A) and clicking Select

objects in the model for selected drawings

TIP • To see the found objects more clearly in the model, right-click
the model and select Show only selected to only show the parts
that the Select objects in the model for selected drawings
command has found and hide all others.
• After completing the step above you can highlight the objects
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).

Find drawings associated to objects selected in model

You can list drawings associated to the objects you have selected in the model
only. This is an easy way to identify the drawings associated with a specific
part, assembly or cast unit.
1. Open a model view where all objects are clearly visible.
2. Select the desired objects in the model.

3. In Document manager , click Select and show only drawings

containing parts currently selected in the model.
Tekla Structures only selects and shows the drawings associated with the
objects that you selected in the model. The result also depends on the
selected category, which means that if you only have the GA drawings
category selected, GA drawings are only shown in the list.

TIP You can also show drawings for the selected model objects in Document
manager by using the contextual toolbar: Click Open or create
drawings and select Show drawings for selected objects... from the
displayed menu.

Open documents
Open drawings
To open a drawing, do any of the following in Document manager:
• Double-click a drawing.

• Select a drawing from the list and click the Open button at the bottom.

Manage drawings 632 Document manager

• Right-click a drawing in the list and select Open.

• To open the previous or next drawing in the list, click the Open
previous drawing or Open next drawing button at the bottom.
You can also reopen an updated drawing:
• When you have a drawing open and you have edited it manually, open the
Document manager, and open the same drawing again.
Open file documents
If you have the required software installed, you can also open other
documents, such as NC files, DWG files, or PDF files. Do any of the following:
• Double-click a document.

• Select a document from the list and click the Open button at the
bottom.
• Right-click a document in the list and select Open.
To open a folder of the selected file document in Windows Explorer, right-click
the document and select Open folder.

Issue, lock, freeze and mark ready for issuing

• You can lock, freeze, issue, or mark ready for issuing by selecting the
drawing from the list and clicking the appropriate column next to the

drawing. When you do this, first ensure that the edit list switch is
active. You can also right-click drawings and select the commands from the
context menu, or use the buttons at the top for quick access. Note that you
can hide the buttons at the top by clicking the arrow next to the buttons.

For more information about these functionalities, click the following links:
Mark drawings ready for issuing (page 643)
Issue drawings (page 644)
Freeze drawings (page 641)
Lock drawings (page 640)

Manage drawings 633 Document manager

Revise drawings
• To revise a drawing, select the drawing and click the Revision button.
When you revise drawings, you can attach information about the revision
changes. Tekla Structures displays this information alongside the revision
number or mark. The revision date appears in the revision table if there is
a revision table in the drawing. The revision number or mark is shown in
the Document manager, and the revision information can be included in
reports. You can also add revision marks containing revision information
manually in an open drawing.
For more information about revising drawings, see Revise drawings
(page 645). For details about adding revision marks, see Add revision marks
in drawings (page 425).

Copy Document manager rows to clipboard

You can copy data from the Document manager list and paste the data in
another application, such as a spreadsheet application:
1. Select a number of documents in the Document manager list.
2. Right-click and select Copy rows to Clipboard.
3. Open the other application and paste the row data there.

Create GA drawings
You can create GA drawings quickly and easily in Document manager:
1. In Document manager, click Create GA Drawing. The Create general
arrangement drawing dialog is displayed.
2. Select the model views of which you need GA drawings, and then create
the drawings by clicking Create.

Configure file documents to include in Document manager

The configuration file [Link]
defines which file documents are included in Document manager. This file
also specifies the folders to search for. This file can be located in any of the
standard search locations (model, project, firm and system). By default this file
is located in the system folder defined by the advanced option XS_SYSTEM,
and you can copy it from there to model, project, firm or system folders for
modifications.
The format of each line is <folder_path>\*.<file_name_extension>|
<include_subfolders>, where

Manage drawings 634 Document manager

• <folder_path> is a relative or absolute path. A relative model subfolder
can be specified using a leading period (.).
• *.<file_name_extension> specifies the accepted file types. You can use
standard wildcard characters ? and *.
• <include_subfolders> specifies if the subfolders are included. Set to
true to include subfolders and to false to not to include subfolders.
Examples:
.\Plotfiles\*.dxf|false
.\DSTV_Profiles\*.nc1|false
.\DSTV_Plates\*.nc1|false

Configure drawing UDAs to show in Document manager

columns
The DocumentManagerUDAs*.txt files define the drawing UDAs that are
shown in the Document manager columns. The file name can be either
[Link] or DocumentManagerUDAs_<suffix>.txt
where <suffix> can be any string. These files can be placed in a folder
defined with the advanced options XS_FIRM, XS_PROJECT, XS_SYSTEM
or XS_INP, and in the model folder. Document manager also searches
for DocumentManagerUDAs*.txt files recursively in extension folders and
subfolders. By default, [Link] is located in the \inp
folder defined by the advanced option XS_INP, and you can copy it from there
to the other supported folders for modifications. The contents of each file
found are merged together.
List all the drawing UDAs that are needed in this file, one UDA on each line.
The UDA names are case sensitive. The UDA must exist in the [Link]
file.
Below is an example of the [Link] file in the Common
environment:
DR_APPROVAL_DATE
DR_APPROVAL_SENT
DR_APPROVED_BY
DR_ASSIGNED_BY
DR_ASSIGNED_TO
DR_CHECKED_BY
DR_CHECKED_DATE
DR_DRAWN_BY

Manage drawings 635 Document manager

comment
For more information about UDAs in drawings, see User-defined attributes in
drawings (page 973).

Document manager log

All errors occurring in the Document manager functionality are written
in the Document manager log file \logs\DocumentManager_<user>.log
under the current model folder. This log file also lists the full paths of
all the settings files that have been loaded (DocumentManagerUDAs*.txt,
[Link],
DocumentManagerDataGridSettings*.xml and
DocumentManagerCategories*.xml), which helps you to see which settings
files Document manager is finding. The log also tells if a settings file cannot
be found.
The log file is limited in size, and will be archived as
\logs\DocumentManager_<user>.[Link] when the maximum size has
been reached.
Example:
Loading UDA settings file C:\TeklaStructuresModels\New model
3\[Link]
Loaded column layout settings from file: C:\TeklaStructuresModels\New
model 3\DocumentManagerDataGridSettings_user.xml
Loaded frozen column name: Title1 from file: C:\TeklaStructuresModels\New
model 3\DocumentManagerDataGridSettings_user.xml
Loaded the column sort order settings
from file: C:\TeklaStructuresModels\New model
3\DocumentManagerDataGridSettings_user.xml
Loaded 16 document categories from file: C:\TeklaStructuresModels\New
model 3\DocumentManagerCategories_user.xml
No [Link] file found. File documents
will not be shown.

Drawing status flags and related status messages

Flag Column where What's shown in Description
flag displayed Changes column
Parts modified The parts in
the drawing have
changed, for
example, parts
have been added
or deleted, or part
properties have
changed.

Manage drawings 636 Document manager

Flag Column where What's shown in Description
flag displayed Changes column
Quantity The actual
increased or drawing is up
to date, but
Quantity
the number of
decreased
identical parts has
changed.
All parts deleted All parts related to
the drawing have
been deleted
from the model.
The drawing is
locked and you
cannot open it for
editing.
You can check
who marked the
drawing from
the Locked by
column.
The drawing is
frozen. Changes
made to the
model objects,
which have
drawing objects
associated with
them, are no
longer available in
the drawing.
The drawing has
been added as
a master drawing
in the Master
Drawing Catalog.
Drawing updated The drawing is
marked ready
for issuing. You
can check who
marked the
drawing from the
Ready for issuing
by column.
Drawing updated The drawing has
been updated.

Manage drawings 637 Document manager

Flag Column where What's shown in Description
flag displayed Changes column
Linked drawing You have a
changed linked drawing
in this drawing
Relation update
and the linked
needed
drawing has been
modified.
You have moved
detail or section
views to this
drawing from
another drawing,
and there are
changes in the
detail or symbol
properties in the
original drawing.
Copied view A copied view has
changed been modified.
Drawing cloned The drawing is a
cloned drawing.
The flag
disappears when
you save and
close the drawing.
Drawing cloned The drawing has
from cloud been cloned from
a drawing in a
cloud collection.
The flag
disappears when
you save and
close the drawing.
The drawing has
been issued. You
might want to
re-issue drawings
that have been
sent to site.
Issued drawing The issued
changed drawing has
been edited
or otherwise
changed.

Manage drawings 638 Document manager

 Other available functionalities in Document manager
In Document manager, the following functionalities are also available:
• Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer (page 668)
• Revise drawings (page 645)
• Create multidrawings (page 157)
• Copy a drawing to a new sheet (page 204)
• Clone from Document manager (page 193)
• Add a cloning template master drawing in Master Drawing Catalog
(page 182)
• Delete drawings and file documents (page 655)
• Version control for drawings (page 649)
• Update part and weld marks in drawings (page 384)
• Modify drawing-level properties of an existing drawing (page 93)
• User-defined attributes in drawings (page 973)
• Create and show snapshots in drawings (page 213)

5.2 Update 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 renumbering is needed.
Before updating drawings you need to ensure that the numbering is correct.

The drawings needing updates are indicated by flags in Document manager.

Renumbering model objects after creating drawings may also generate flags.

NOTE • General arrangement drawings do not require 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 up-to-date part 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 change symbols.
• When you update multidrawings, also the linked drawings are
updated.

Do the following after changing the model:

1. Check the numbering settings by going to the Drawings & reports tab
and clicking Numbering settings --> Numbering settings .

Manage drawings 639 Update 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 on
the Drawings & reports tab by clicking Perform numbering --> Number
series of selected objects, or number only new or modified model
objects by clicking Perform numbering --> Number modified objects .
4. Check the Document manager for status flags.
5. To find the parts that have been affected, select each drawing marked

with the flag in the Document manager 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 going to
the File menu and clicking Logs --> Numbering history log .
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 Document manager and click Update.
7. If you have new parts in the model, create drawings for them.

See also
Manage drawings (page 615)
Document manager (page 616)
Recreation of drawings (page 103)

Manage drawings 640 Lock drawings

5.3 Lock 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. The geometry of the
locked drawing still changes when the model changes.
When you lock a drawing it does not prevent other than manual changes in
the drawing. If there are changes in the model, they affect the drawings even if
you have locked it. Locking is used to notify other users and yourself that the
drawing should not be opened, edited, or deleted, and it also prevents users
from doing this by accident. Locked drawings can be opened by anyone, but
they have to be manually unlocked first.
Tekla Structures flags locked drawings for update if the model changes.
1. In Document manager, select the drawing you want to lock.

2. Ensure that the edit switch is active.

3. Click the Lock column next to the selected drawing.

You can also select this command from the context menu, or click the
Lock button at the top. When you do this, you can lock several drawings
at a time.
The Locked by column in the Document manager shows who has locked
the drawing. If you have logged in to your Trimble Identity, your account
name is shown. Otherwise your user name is shown.

4. To unlock the drawings, click the Lock column again, or select the
locked drawings and click the Unlock button at the top.
To find out the difference between locking and freezing, see Difference
between Lock and Freeze in drawings.

See also
Document manager (page 616)

5.4 Freeze drawings

You can select whether to allow Tekla Structures to update all associative
objects (marks, notes, dimensions) 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, and prevent them from being
updated. For example, parts are updated, but dimensions, marks, views, and
drawing shapes are not.

Manage drawings 641 Freeze drawings

Use freezing only to avoid changes in drawings while updates are made in
the model, not just for noting that the drawing has been edited. You can
freeze/unfreeze several drawings at a time. You should be careful when using
freezing, and after changes in the model, go through the drawings to see if
marks and dimensions are in right place.
To find out the difference between locking and freezing, see Difference
between Lock and Freeze in drawings.

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.
• 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.

Freeze general arrangement drawings

1. In Document manager, select the drawing you want to freeze.

2. Ensure that the edit switch is active.

3. Click the Freeze column next to the drawing you selected.

You can also select the freeze command from the context menu, or click
the freeze button at the top. When you do this, you can freeze several
drawings at a time.

Manage drawings 642 Freeze drawings

 4. When freezing is no longer necessary, select the frozen drawings and click
the Freeze column again, or click the unfreeze button at the top.

Freeze 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 Document manager, select the drawing you want to freeze.
6. Click the Freeze column next to the drawing you selected.
You can also select the freeze command from the context menu, or click
the freeze button at the top. When you do this, you can freeze several
drawings at a time.
7. Open the drawing.
8. When freezing is no longer necessary, select the frozen drawing and click

the Freeze column again, or click the unfreeze button at the top.

5.5 Mark drawings ready for issuing

When a drawing is ready to be released for fabrication, you can mark it ready
for issuing by using the option Ready for issuing in Document manager.
When there are changes in the model, the geometry of the drawings that are
marked ready for issuing is updated. You can also edit the marked drawings
just like any other drawings.
1. In the Document manager, select the drawing to be marked ready for
issuing.

2. Ensure that the edit switch is active.

3. Click the Ready for issuing column next to the drawing that you want
to mark.

You can also select this command from the context menu, or click the
Mark drawing ready for issuing button at the top. When you do this, you
can mark several drawings at a time.
The drawings are marked ready for issuing, and flagged with

Manage drawings 643 Mark drawings ready for issuing

 in the Ready for issuing column in Document manager. You can check who
marked the drawing from the Ready for issuing by column.

If you want to cancel the marking, use the Unmark drawing ready for
issuing button at the top.

TIP You can also mark a drawing ready for issuing by selecting the Mark
drawing ready for issuing checkbox in the save confirmation message
box, which appears when you close an unsaved drawing.

You can add in your reports the information whether the drawing is marked
ready for issuing, and who has marked it using the template attributes
IS_READY_FOR_ISSUE and READY_FOR_ISSUE_BY.

See also
Document manager (page 616)

5.6 Issue drawings

When a drawing has been released for fabrication, it should be marked
as issued in Document manager. 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 what is shown in the Document
manager and in templates.
1. In Document manager, select the drawings to be issued.

2. Right-click and select Issue --> Issue , or click the issue column next
to the drawing that you want to mark.

To be able to use the issue column, ensure that the edit list switch is
active.

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 to and the text Issued drawing changed is

displayed in Document manager. You can reissue the drawing by right-
clicking the drawing and selecting Issue --> Issue .

Manage drawings 644 Issue drawings

 To unissue a drawing, select the drawing, right-click and select Issue -->
Unissue, or click the unissue button at the top.

TIP To show the issue date in a report, add the template field DATE_ISSUE in the
appropriate report template.

See also
Manage drawings (page 615)
Document manager (page 616)

5.7 Revise drawings

Revising drawings means that you attach information about the revision
changes to the drawing. Tekla Structures displays this information alongside
the revision number or mark. A revision table with the revision number and
date can be added in drawings. The revision number or mark is shown in
Document manager, and the revision information can be included in reports.
You can also add revision marks in an open drawing manually.

TIP One example of the report using revision information is

drawing_issue_rev.xsr, which shows the most recent revision dates of
drawings.

You can start revising through Document manager.

Create drawing revisions

You can create revisions to follow the changes in the drawing using the
Revision command in the Document manager.
1. In Document manager, select the drawings to revise.
2. Click Revision.

Manage drawings 645 Revise drawings

 The Revision handling dialog is displayed.

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 Document manager.

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

Manage drawings 646 Revise drawings

 same revision information to several drawings simultaneously, select multiple
drawings from Document manager and then click the Revision button.
To show the revision mark instead of the revision number
in the Document manager, set the advanced option
XS_SHOW_REVISION_MARK_ON_DRAWING_LIST to TRUE.

Change drawing revisions

You can change revision information in an existing revision.
1. Open the Document manager and select a revised drawing.
2. Click Revision.
3. In the Revision handling dialog, select the number of the revision that
you want to change from the [Link]. list.
4. Change the revision information as required.
5. Click Modify.

6. Close the Revision handling dialog.

Delete drawing revisions

You can delete unnecessary drawing revisions.
1. Open Document manager, and select a revised drawing.
2. Click Revision.

Manage drawings 647 Revise drawings

3. In the Revision handling dialog, 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 remain
the change.

Attributes used in drawing revisioning

Drawing revisioning attributes can be included in drawing templates and
report templates.

All revisioning attributes and the corresponding options in the Revision

handling dialog are listed below.
If the revision table in the drawing is empty, you may need to open the
template in Template Editor and check that the REVISION row is defined as
a sub row of the DRAWING row. For more information, see Revisions not
appearing in drawing template.

Revision handling attribute Option in the Revision Handling

dialog
MARK The revision mark in the Mark box.
NUMBER The revision number in [Link].
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 [Link]..
LAST_CREATED_BY The Created by information of the
latest revision.

Manage drawings 648 Revise drawings

 Revision handling attribute Option in the Revision Handling
dialog
LAST_CHECKED_BY The Checked by information of the
latest revision.
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.

5.8 Version control for drawings

Version control is available for all drawing types allowing you to review what
a drawing was at a certain stage. You can list different versions of the same
drawing, open drawing versions, show their snapshots, and change the current
drawing version. You can list drawing versions in other models, and deleted
drawing versions that are no longer available in Document manager. You can
also open a deleted GA drawing as a new drawing.
Listing drawing versions is useful when you want to revert to an older version
of the drawing for some reason. Version control is also available in Tekla
Model Sharing, and you can control unintentional changes made to drawings
and revert to the version that has the correct content.
• Every time you save a drawing, a new version of the drawing is saved as
a .dg file.
The advanced option XS_DELETE_UNNECESSARY_DG_FILES defines if the
unnecessary drawing files (.dg files) are automatically deleted or not.
To automatically delete the drawing files that are no longer used, set
XS_DELETE_UNNECESSARY_DG_FILES to TRUE.
The XS_DELETE_UNNECESSARY_DG_FILES_SAFETY_PERIOD advanced option
defines how long the drawing files are kept before they are deleted.
The default safety period is 7 days. This means that after 7

Manage drawings 649 Version control for drawings

 days, the drawing files that are not used are deleted when the
XS_DELETE_UNNECESSARY_DG_FILES advanced option is set to TRUE.
If you want to keep all drawing versions, set
XS_DELETE_UNNECESSARY_DG_FILES to FALSE.
• Note that using Save as does not always contain needed drawing history
data and drawing update may fail.

Open the drawing versions list

• To list the different versions of a drawing in the current model, click
Document manager on the Drawings & reports tab, select a drawing
from the list and click the Drawing versions button at the bottom.
The current drawing version appears bolded.
The drawing snapshot is displayed in a separate window. A snapshot
is taken automatically by default when you save a drawing. The
advanced option to control the automatic saving of snapshots is
XS_DRAWING_SNAPSHOT_CREATION.
Snapshots are not created at drawing creation if the advanced
option XS_CREATE_SNAPSHOT_ON_DRAWING_CREATION is set to FALSE.
If you open a drawing and save it, you get a snapshot if
XS_DRAWING_SNAPSHOT_CREATION is set to TRUE.

• To list all drawings and their versions related to the model, even the
deleted drawings, go to Document manager, and click Drawing versions
without selecting a drawing in the Document manager list. In this
Drawing versions dialog, you can see the drawing versions, open deleted
GA drawing versions as new GA drawings, open the different versions, and
show their snapshots.

Manage drawings 650 Version control for drawings

What can you do with drawing versions
To Do this
Open a drawing version 1. In the Document manager list,
select a drawing and click the
Drawing versions button at the
bottom.
2. Right-click a drawing version.
3. Select Open.
Show snapshot for a drawing version 1. In the Document manager list,
select a drawing and click the
Drawing versions button at the
bottom.
2. Right-click a drawing version.
3. Select Show snapshot.
Save another drawing version as the 1. In the Document manager list,
current version select a drawing and click the
Drawing versions button at the
bottom.
2. Open another version of the
drawing.
3. Close the drawing version.
4. When you are asked Do you
want to keep the changes to
the drawing?, answer Yes.
This makes the drawing version the
current drawing version.
Open a deleted GA drawing version as 1. Click the Drawing versions
a new GA drawing button without selecting a
drawing in the Document
manager list.
2. Select a deleted GA drawing
version from the list on the right
in the Drawing versions dialog,
right-click and select Open as
new.
Show drawing versions from another 1. Click the Drawing versions
model button without selecting a

Manage drawings 651 Version control for drawings

 To Do this
drawing in the Document
manager list.
The drawings in the current
model are listed.
2. In the upper-left corner, browse
to the folder of the other model,
and click Select folder.
The drawings in the other model
are listed on the left, and their
versions on the right.
Keep the selected drawing versions As drawing versions might be defined
to be automatically removed, you
might want to protect some versions
from the removal.
1. In the Document manager list,
select a drawing and click the
Drawing versions button at the
bottom.
2. Select the checkbox in the
Always necessary column next
to the drawing versions that
you want to protect from the
removal.

Below is an example of comparing drawings in two models: in the current

model and in the model that you select in the upper left corner of the
Drawing versions dialog. In the dialog, you can clearly see which drawings
are in which model. The drawing versions are listed on the right.

Manage drawings 652 Version control for drawings

Drawing versions in Tekla Model Sharing
• In Tekla Model Sharing, when users modify the same drawing in their local
version of the model and one user writes out, the Changes list shows a
conflict in other users' local version of the model when they read in.
• You can open the Drawing versions dialog from the Changes list. Select
the changed drawing, right-click and select Open versions to view the
drawing versions and the changes made to the drawing.

Manage drawings 653 Version control for drawings

 • To keep the number of drawing files
reasonable, use the XS_DELETE_UNNECESSARY_DG_FILES and
XS_DELETE_UNNECESSARY_DG_FILES_SAFETY_PERIOD advanced options.
• If you want to protect some of the drawing versions from being
automatically removed when XS_DELETE_UNNECESSARY_DG_FILES is set
to TRUE, use the Always necessary checkbox in the Drawing versions
dialog. Set the Always necessary option individually for each drawing
version you want to keep by selecting the corresponding checkbox.

5.9 Delete unnecessary drawing files in single-user mode

By default, all unnecessary drawing files are deleted automatically after seven
days. You can delete all your unnecessary drawing files in the single-user
mode using the Remove unnecessary drawing files command without
waiting for Tekla Structures to automatically remove them.

To delete the files, you need to have full privileges. You can find the Remove
unnecessary drawing files command through Quick Launch.
Note that the Remove unnecessary drawing files command does not work
in models shared with Tekla Model Sharing. Instead, all unnecessary drawings
are deleted automatically each time when a user writes out their changes.

NOTE If you have worked with the drawings (edited, deleted) after you
saved the last time, remember to save before you use the Remove
unnecessary drawing files command.

1. Search for the command Remove unnecessary drawing files in Quick

Launch.
2. When Tekla Structures finds the command, select it and press Enter.
Tekla Structures deletes all drawings that do not have a corresponding
drawing in the database.

TIP By default, the privileges are full. If you want to restrict the command usage, add
the following line in the [Link] 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

Manage drawings 654 Delete unnecessary drawing files in single-user

mode
5.10 Delete drawings and file documents
If some drawings or other file documents become unnecessary, you can delete
them from Document manager.

NOTE In some configurations, deleting drawings or other file documents

from Document manager is not allowed.

1. In the Document manager, select the drawings and other file documents
you want to delete.

2. Right-click and select Delete, or click the Delete button at the bottom
of the Document manager window.
3. When Tekla Structures asks you to confirm the deletion, select Yes.
If you press down Shift while you select Delete, Tekla Structures will not
ask you to confirm the deletion of documents.
If you have selected both drawings and file documents, you get separate
confirmation messages for drawings and file documents.
You can undo the deletion by clicking Undo on the Quick Access Toolbar
or pressing Ctrl+Z.
The file document files are deleted from the respective folders immediately.
The .dg files are not deleted from the\drawings folder immediately, but after
seven days by default. If you want to delete them immediately in the single-
user mode, enter Remove unnecessary drawing files in Quick Launch.
The advanced option that controls how often the drawing files will
be deleted is XS_DELETE_UNNECESSARY_DG_FILES_SAFETY_PERIOD. The
advanced option that controls if the drawing files are deleted automatically
is XS_DELETE_UNNECESSARY_DG_FILES.
If you work in the multi-user mode, see Delete unnecessary drawing files in
multi-user mode.
Note that in multi-user mode, when drawings are created, they become as
duplicates in Document manager. One of them will also be marked issued.
If you delete one entry, the duplicate one will also be deleted. This applies
to all types of drawings. When you save and reopen the model, the duplicate
drawings in the list become single entries again.

TIP If you have deleted some GA drawings, and you want to have the GA drawings
renumbered, in modeling mode, enter Renumber all GA drawings in Quick
Launch and press Enter. This command renumbers all GA drawings starting
from number 1 in the order that they were originally created. Use this command
in single-user mode only.
Document manager list before running the Renumber all GA drawings
command:

Manage drawings 655 Delete drawings and file documents

 Document manager list after running the Renumber all GA drawings
command:

See also
Manage drawings (page 615)
Document manager (page 616)

5.11 Drawing list

Document manager is enabled by default instead of Drawing list starting
from Tekla Structures 2018i. If you want to enable the old Drawing list
instead, set the advanced option XS_USE_OLD_DRAWING_LIST_DIALOG to
TRUE in the Drawing properties category of the Advanced options dialog.
If you do this, Document manager will be disabled.

In the Drawing list dialog, 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.
For details about Document manager, see Document manager (page 616).

Manage drawings 656 Drawing list

Open Drawing list
To open the Drawing list dialog, do one of the following:
• In the model, on the Drawings & reports tab, click Document manager
(Ctrl + L).
• In an open drawing, on the Drawing tab, click Document manager (Ctrl +
O).
• Enter document manager in Quick Launch. You can also enter drawing
list.
• You can also customize the shortcut. You can find it in the Keyboard
shortcuts dialog by searching either document manager or drawing
list.

What is displayed in the Drawing list

Option Description For more information

Issue, Ready for These columns contain Manage drawings
issuing, Lock, Freeze, flags indicating the (page 615)
Master, and Up to date 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.

Manage drawings 657 Drawing list

 Option Description For more information
Created The creation date of the
drawing.
Modified The latest modification
date of the drawing.
Revision The revision number or Revising drawings
revision mark of the (page 645)
drawing.
By default, Tekla
Structures shows
revision numbers. To
show revision marks
instead, set the
advanced option
XS_SHOW_REVISION_MA
RK_ON_DRAWING_LIST
to TRUE.
Type The drawing types Drawing types
are identified by the (page 104)
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_MA
mark is the part position, RK_ON_DRAWING_LIST
and in an assembly
drawing the assembly
position from which the
drawing was created.

Manage drawings 658 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 (GUID)
of the cast unit.
Name The name given for the Rename drawings
drawing in the drawing (page 209)
properties dialog.
Title 1, Title 2, and Title Extra drawing titles Giving titles to drawings
3 added in the drawing (page 209)
properties dialog.
Ready for issuing by Indicates who has Mark drawings ready for
marked the drawing issuing (page 643)
ready for issuing.
Locked by The Drawing list Lock drawings
column shows who (page 640)
locked the drawing. If
you have logged in to
your Trimble Identity,
your account name is
shown. Otherwise your
user name is shown.
User-defined You can show up to 20 User-defined attributes
attributes user-defined attributes in drawings (page 973)
in the Drawing list.
These user-defined
attributes must be
added in the User-
defined attributes
dialog 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
[Link] file.

Manage drawings 659 Drawing list

Drawing status flags
Tekla Structures uses certain symbols called flags, to indicate the status of
the drawings. The columns Issue, Ready for issuing, 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.

How to read 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 where Information in Description

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

Manage drawings 660 Drawing list

Flag Column where Information in Description
shown the 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.
Ready for issuing Drawing updated The drawing is
marked ready
for issuing. You
can check who
marked the
drawing from
the new Ready
for issuing by
column.
Up to date Linked drawing You have a
changed linked drawing
in this drawing
and the linked
drawing has been
modified.
Up to date Copied view A copied drawing
changed has been
modified.
Up to date Drawing updated A frozen drawing
has been
updated.
Up to date Drawing updated Drawing that has
been marked

Manage drawings 661 Drawing list

 Flag Column where Information in Description
shown the Changes
column
ready for issuing
has changed.
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
changed drawing has
been edited
or otherwise
changed.

Filter drawing list contents

To filter the Drawing list contents, do any of the following:

To Do this
Display a predefined set of Select a set of drawings from the or select
drawings drawing set list.
Saved search results are also displayed in this
list.
List all drawings Click Show all.
Invert the contents of the current Click Invert.
list
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 1. Click Up to date.
updated
2. Click Invert.

Manage drawings 662 Drawing list

 To Do this
Lists only drawings associated 1. Select objects in the model.
with the objects you have selected
2. Click By parts.
in the model.
This is an easy way to identify the drawings
associated with a specific part, assembly or
cast unit. This works also for objects in GA
drawings.
Sort the list according to column Click the column name.
name

Search for drawings and save 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 and
click OK.
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.
Example
In the following example, you want to find all cast unit drawings that are
assigned to Dean Detailer:
1. From the drawing sets, select Cast unit drawings. Only cast unit drawings
are displayed in the list.
2. In Enter search criteria, type Dean Detailer.
3. In the Search in list, select Assigned To.
4. Click Search.

Manage drawings 663 Drawing list

Select drawings in 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, or print several drawings.
To select drawings in the Drawing list:

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

Check whether parts have drawings

You can use the Drawing list to identify parts in the model that have
associated drawings.
Before you start, ensure that you have only the Select parts selection switch

active on the Selecting 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.
3. To highlight the parts that have drawings, click the Select objects
button.
This works also in GA drawings.
To see the found parts easier, right-click the model and select Show only
selected to show only the parts that the Select objects command has
found and hide all 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

Manage drawings 664 Drawing list

 model (hold down the left mouse button and drag all the way from left to
right).

Open a drawing when the Drawing list is open

Do any of the following:
• Double-click drawing.
• Right-click the drawing in the list and select Open.
• Select a drawing from the list and click the Open button at the bottom.
When you open a drawing, a message box is displayed showing the progress
and what is happening, and a snapshot of the drawing is displayed. You can
click Cancel to cancel the opening.

Create and view 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 by default created 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 going to the File menu and clicking Save drawing.
The snapshot is saved in the ..\<model>\drawings\Snapshots folder.
3. Select the same drawing from the Drawing list.
4. Click the Snapshots button at the bottom of the Drawing list to display
the snapshot.
Below is an example of a snapshot.

Manage drawings 665 Drawing list

If you have selected a drawing that does not have a snapshot and click
Snapshots, an instructional view is displayed asking you to open the drawing
and save it to create the snapshot.
To create a snapshot of a drawing automatically when the drawing is created,
set XS_DRAWING_CREATE_SNAPSHOT_ON_DRAWING_CREATION to TRUE in the
Drawing properties category in the Advanced options dialog.

Manage drawings 666 Drawing list

6 Print drawings

You can print drawings as PDF files, save them as plot files (.plt) for printing
with printer/plotter, or print them on a selected printer. Tekla Structures
provides a real-time preview of drawings in the Print Drawings dialog. You
can also change the output colors and line widths.

Limitations in printing
• In an open drawing, you can only preview and print the current drawing.
Having a drawing open, and you open another drawing (for example,
by double-clicking another drawing in Document manager), the preview

Print drawings 667

 may not be updated. Select the drawing again (single-click) in Document
manager and the preview is then updated to match the selection.

See also
Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer (page 668)
Create and edit drawing layouts (page 724)
Configuration files for printing (page 687)
Customize print file names (page 689)
Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances (old printing)
(page 692)

6.1 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer

You can print drawings and selected drawing areas to PDF files or to plot files
(.plt) to be sent to a plotter or printer, or print drawings on a printer. You can
also modify the output line colors and line widths. You can print to a single
printer or to multiple printers, or print one drawing to multiple sheets.

Print a drawing
1. On the File menu, click Printing --> Print drawings .
This opens the Print Drawings dialog and Document manager.
You can also start printing in the following ways:
• In Document manager, select the drawings, right-click, and select
Print, or click the Print button.
The order of drawings matches the order they appeared in Document
manager at the point in time when the Print Drawings dialog was
opened.
• When a drawing is open, select File --> Print drawings.
• Press Shift+P on the keyboard.
2. In Document manager, select the drawings that you want to print.
You can also print locked drawings that are up to date. If a locked drawing
is not up to date, you cannot open or print it, and a failed printout will
be reported. You can print any unlocked drawings unless the status of the
drawing indicates that the original part is deleted.
3. In the upper-left corner of the Print Drawings dialog, ensure Use one
printer is selected. This is the default option.
4. Load the desired printing settings from the settings list.

Print drawings 668 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 When you load the printing settings, the Save button remains disabled.
Once you make some changes in the printing settings, the name of the
settings file will be displayed in italics and get an asterisk at the end. The
Save button will be enabled once you have modified the settings.

You can also give the settings a new name. For more information
about the printing settings, see Printing settings files and search order
(page 686).
5. To show a preview of the drawing, click Click here to load a preview in
the preview area.
• The drawing preview is always up to date. Check the preview whenever
you change the printing settings.
• Use the mouse wheel to zoom in the preview. You can also zoom into
areas of interest. If the preview gets unclear when you are zooming,
maximizing the window might help.
• The preview also supports panning with the middle mouse button.
• If you want to preview with precision, place the printing dialog so that
you can see the current drawing and ensure that you have activated
the Printer line widths switch in File --> Settings.

Print drawings 669 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 • If you have selected to print several drawings, the drawings are shown
one by one in the preview. Use Next and Previous to scroll through
the set of selected drawings.

6. Select the desired printing option:

• PDF file: Converts the selected drawings to PDF format.
• Printer: Sends the selected drawings to the selected printer.
• Plot file: Converts the selected drawings to plot files (.plt) in a format
suitable for the selected plotter and saves them in a specified location.
You cannot open the created plot files in Tekla Structures, because
Tekla Structures does not provide a plot file viewer, but you need a
third-party application to view the plot files.
7. Define the printing settings on the Options tab.
The available settings depend on the printing option that you have
selected. See the "Printing settings: Options tab" section for details on
the printing settings.
8. Go to the Line properties tab to set the output colors and line widths
(pen numbers).
See the "Define printing settings: Define line properties" section for
details.
9. To save your printing settings including the line properties, click Save in
the upper-left corner. For more information about the printing settings

Print drawings 670 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 and the search order, see Printing settings files and search order
(page 686).
You can also add frames and fold marks (page 724) to you printouts.
10. Click Print to print the drawings in the PDF format or as plot files, or to
send them to a printer according to the settings you defined in the dialog.
Each drawing is sent to the printer as a separate print job.
All printing errors are written to a log file in the model folder:
logs\DPMPrinter_<username>.log.
11. If you have selected drawings that need numbering or updating, a dialog
is displayed, and you can select how to proceed:

NOTE You cannot update or number locked drawings.

• Print only up-to-date drawings (recommended)

• Number and update before printing the drawings
• Print drawings without updating
• To cancel the whole process, click Cancel.

Print drawings 671 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
12. Click Print.

Print drawings 672 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 A summary is displayed showing you the printing result and a list of
drawings that need attention.

Define printing settings

Settings on Options tab

Setting Options and description

File location Enter the location for the PDF file or plot file, or use
Browse... to browse to the folder.
The \Plotfiles folder under the model folder is
the default value.
This option is only available if you have selected
PDF file or Plot file.
Printer or plotter Select the printer or plotter. Click Properties... to
adjust printer properties.

Print drawings 673 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 Setting Options and description
Include revision mark Add the mark of the latest revision of the printed
to file name drawing to the print file name.
Revision number is used by default. If you always
want to use the revision mark instead, set the
advanced option XS_SHOW_REVISION_MARK_ON_
DRAWING_LIST to TRUE. If the revision mark is
still not displayed, check the following advanced
options and include REVISION_MARK in the value:
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, depending on
the drawing type.
This option is only available if you have selected
PDF file or Plot file.
See also support article Including drawing revision
mark to print file name.
Open folder when Open the PDF file or plot file folder in Windows
finished Explorer after the printout has been created.
This option is only available if you have selected
PDF file or Plot file.
Open file when Open the PDF file after it has been created.
finished
This option is only available if you have selected
PDF file.
Output to single file Print the selected drawings to a single PDF file.
If you do not select this option, each of the
selected drawings will be printed in a PDF file of
its own.
This option is only available if you have selected
PDF file.
PDF file name Give a file name to the PDF file. The file name
is needed if you are printing to a single file. By
default, the name [Link] is used.
This option is only available if you have selected
PDF file and Output to single file.
The PDF file name can also be controlled
by a couple of advanced option switches for
customizing print file names (page 689). These

Print drawings 674 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 Setting Options and description
switches do not work for single combined multiple
drawings PDF file.
Sometimes the drawing file name may have an
illegal character, which cannot be printed. Because
of this, Tekla Structures replaces large number of
illegal characters with an underscore "_". Check
the file naming conventions provided by Microsoft
"Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces".
File extension Specify a file name extension for the plot file. The
default is plt.
This option is only available if you have selected
Plot file.
File prefix Enter a specific prefix and/or suffix in the PDF or
plot file name.
File suffix
When you enter a prefix or suffix, the file name
preview under the File prefix and File suffix boxes
will reflect the change immediately.

The file name can also be controlled by advanced

option switches for customizing print file names
(page 689).
This option is only available if you have selected
PDF file or Plot file.
Fit to paper Fit the drawing to a specific paper size.
This setting does not work if you have selected
Scale.
Scale Force the printout to a specific scale.
The Scale value will turn red if the drawing cannot
fit on the specified sheet.
This setting does not work if you have selected Fit
to paper.
Center drawing on Center the drawing on the sheet (or sheets).
paper
Print on multiple Print on multiple sheets and specify the direction
sheets of printing the sheets. This is particularly useful if
your drawing contains several drawings. Select to
print from Left to right, top to bottom or from
Bottom to top, right to left.

Print drawings 675 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 Setting Options and description
When you use Print on multiple sheets, always
set a particular Scale.
The preview shows how the drawing is divided into
sheets.
Paper size Define 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.
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. For PDF files,
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 shown with
white background and the non-printable border is
shaded gray in the image below.

Two configuration files affect paper sizes and

drawing sizes: [Link] and
[Link]. For more information, see
Configuration files for printing (page 687).
Orientation Define the orientation or use automatic
orientation.
The Auto setting means that the orientation that
wastes least space is selected automatically.

Print drawings 676 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 Setting Options and description
Color Select if the output is to be Color, Black and
white, or Tekla Grayscale.
For details on how the standard and custom colors
are handled in different color modes, see Colors in
drawings (page 64).
Number of copies Define the number of paper copies to be printed.
This option is only available if you have selected
Printer.
Collate Collate the printout when you are printing multiple
copies.
This option is only available if you have selected
Printer.
Embed fonts Embed the fonts in a PDF file.
This ensures that fonts may be reproduced
in a system that does not have the same
fonts installed, but this also increases the file
size. In certain cases, fonts may be embedded
automatically. When using non-Latin fonts, we
recommended that you use embedding, otherwise
the PDF may not be displayed correctly.
Note that you can also define a default Unicode
font for the advanced option
XS_DEFAULT_UNICODE_FONT_DRAWING_PRINTING
. If the selected font does not contain all characters
in the text, the font is defined by this advanced
option. The default value is Arial Unicode MS. This
font might not be installed on your machine by
default, and you may need to install it. You can also
define another font that contains the characters
you need and that you have installed on your
machine.
Embed fonts is only available if you have selected
PDF file.
Select area Select a rectangular area from an open drawing
to only show and print that area. This option only
works when you have a drawing open.
All settings in the Print Drawings dialog also work
when Select area is selected, and you can change
the orientation, line width, and paper size, for
example.
Show entire drawing When you have selected an area with Select area,
the Show entire drawing button appears, and

Print drawings 677 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 Setting Options and description
you can use it to show the entire drawing in the
preview again.

Define line properties

The Object color column shows the configured set of drawing object colors by
default. Use the Color on output options to define the colors to be used in the
output and the Thickness column to define the line widths. Output preview
column shows a preview of the printed lines.

If you have selected Tekla Grayscale or Black and white as the print color on
the Options tab, the Color on output setting are disabled.

Print drawings 678 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
In Tekla Grayscale mode, certain standard colors are shown and printed as
black, whereas the Grayscale line property option converts all colors, standard
and custom, to different shades of gray using an algorithm. In line properties,
gray is shown in either grayscale mode as a percentage, for example, "Tekla
Grayscale - Gray 50 %" or "Grayscale - Gray 29 %".

To Do this
Use colors in You can use object colors in the currently
the current drawing previewed drawing as output colors. To use the
preview as output colors in the current drawing preview in the output,
colors delete the existing line properties first.
1. Select all line property rows using Ctrl or Shift,
right-click and select Delete.
2. Ensure that the preview of the drawing is
shown. If it is not shown, click Click here
to load a preview in the preview area. This

activates the button.

3.
Click the button.
4. Ensure that the Color on output is set to By
object on all rows.
All object colors that exist in the previewed drawing
are added to the Line properties tab as line
properties. If a color exists already, it is not added
again.
The line thickness from the Default row is used for
all rows, but you can adjust the line thickness.
Add a new line You can add a new line property to the list of line
property properties and specify the desired output for it.
1.
Click the button.
2. To select a color, do one of the following:
• Select a standard color.
• Select a saved palette from the Custom list
and click a custom color in the palette
3. Click OK.

Print drawings 679 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 To Do this

A new line property with the specified color

is added on the Line properties tab. The line
thickness is taken from the Default row, but you
can adjust that. If the color already exists, it will not
be added.
Map an object color to You can assign a custom color to an object color as
a custom color the output color.
1. Click a color row and select Custom from the
Color on output list.
2. Select a saved palette from the Custom list,
click a custom color in the palette, and then
click OK.
You can also select several rows using Ctrl or
Shift , right-click and then select Output -->
Custom.
Use drawing object You can use the drawing object color as the output
color in output color.
• Click a color row and select By object from the
Color on output list.
You can also select several rows using Ctrl
or Shift, right-click and select Output --> By
object.
Print objects in You can print the desired object colors always in
grayscale grayscale.
• Click a color row and select Grayscale from the
Color on output list.

Print drawings 680 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 To Do this
You can also select several rows using Ctrl
or Shift, right-click and select Output -->
Grayscale.
The Grayscale option converts all colors,
standard and custom, to different shades of
gray using an algorithm. In line properties, gray
is shown in as a percentage, for example, "Tekla
Grayscale - Gray 50 %" or "Grayscale - Gray 29
%".
Skip objects in printing You can skip the printing of the drawing objects
that use a specific object color.
• Click a color row and select No output from the
Color on output list.
You can also select several rows using Ctrl
or Shift, right-click and select Output --> No
output.
Remove a line property 1. Select one or more rows. You can use Ctrl or
Shift to select multiple rows.
2.
Click Delete in the dialog, or right-click
and select Delete.
Use default color and The Default color and line thickness are used for
line width in printing those colors in the drawing that have no output
definition on the Line properties tab.

To use only one color and line thickness in the

printout for all objects, define the desired color
and line thickness for the Default row and delete
all line property rows.
If you select By object, drawing object colors are
used in the output as they are in the drawing.
Define the line width Do one of the following:
• Enter the line width for each color in the
Thickness box.
• Define the line width for several color rows:
1. Use Ctrl or Shift to select multiple rows.

Print drawings 681 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 To Do this
2. Right-click and select Line thickness.
3. Enter the line width for the selected rows.
Line width is expressed as a multiple of the
advanced option XS_BASE_LINE_WIDTH value. The
default value for this advanced option is 0.01 mm.
For example, line width 25 will give a line weight of
0.25 mm.
NOTE: The line widths in the drawing editor always
follow the line Thickness setting if the drawing
Color mode is Black and white, but in Color and
Tekla Grayscale drawing color modes, the line
widths are accurate in the current drawing only if
the Printer line widths switch is active in File -->
Settings . In the print preview, correct line widths
are always shown.
To overwrite the line scaling when printing an
A1 drawing to A3 or A4, for example, see the
support article "Re-scaling when printing" for more
information.

Other important printing settings

• The advanced option XS_DRAWINGS_USE_CAP_HEIGHT_FOR_FONT_HEIGHT
controls which font height system is used in printing, CAP font height or em
font height (default). With CAP height, the font height is the same as the
height of the capital letters of a specific font, andthe font height stays the
same in export and printing. With em height, the font height is converted
from one unit to another (em to CAP) in export and printing, and the result
is many times an incorrect font height.
• The advanced option XS_DRAWINGS_LINE_CAP_STYLE defines the line cap
style in printing. You can have lines break in corners (value 0, default),
round line corners (value 1), or rectangular line corners (value 2).

Example: Print to multiple sheets

The Print on multiple sheets setting on the Options tab prints the drawing
on multiple sheets. You need to specify the direction of printing the sheets.
This is particularly useful if your drawing contains several drawings.
In the example below, the option Bottom to top, right to left has been
selected. The numbers indicate the printing order of the sheets.

Print drawings 682 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
In the next example, the option Left to right, top to bottom has been
selected.

Print drawings 683 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
Print to multiple printers
You can print to more than one printer in one go based on the paper size
of each selected drawing. When printing to multiple printers you typically
have different printers for handling different paper sizes. Tekla Structures
automatically selects the appropriate printer for each drawing.
To print to multiple sheets, you need to:
• Create and save the printing settings for the necessary printers. The
printing settings also contain the color settings.
• Print by using Use multiple printers mode.
Create single printing settings
To be able to print to multiple printers, you first need to create single printing
settings for each of the printers you want to print to:
1. On the File menu, click Printing --> Print drawings .
2. Select Use one printer.
3. Define the printing settings as desired on the Options tab and on the
Line properties tab. Select the output type and printer, and define the
paper size that this particular printer will handle in Use multiple printers
mode.
4. Save the settings with a desired name by clicking Save.
5. Repeat this for each of the desired paper sizes. Do not use the size option
Auto.
For example, you could create the following single printer settings files
with the output type set to PDF file:
• PDF A4: Paper size set to A4, file prefix set to A4_
• PDF A3: Paper size set to A3, file prefix set to A3_
• PDF A2: Paper size set to A2, file prefix set to A2_
When printing a set of drawings in the multiple printers mode using the
above single printer settings files, all A4 drawings will generate .pdf files
with prefix A4_, all A3 drawings will have prefix A3_, and all A2 drawing
will generate .pdf files with prefix A2_.
If you want to print more than one sheet size to the same printer in
Use multiple printers mode, create a single printer settings file for each
paper size, and specify the same printer in all of these files.

Print drawings 684 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
Print to multiple printers
1. On the File menu, click Printing --> Print drawings .
2. In the displayed Document manager, select the drawings that you want
to print. You need to select the drawings to show the printing settings in
the dialog.
3. In the upper-left corner of the Print Drawings dialog, select Use multiple
printers mode.
4. In the Selected single printer settings files list, select the settings files to
use in printing. You can select all or just some of the single printer settings
files.

Print drawings 685 Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer
 The output type (printer, plot file, PDF file) is defined by each selected
single printer settings file. Typically you would select settings files with the
same output type. Output types lists the output types that are specified
in the selected single printer settings files. The paper sizes defined in each
printer settings file are shown next to Paper sizes.

5. Change other necessary settings on the Options tab. The available

settings depend on the output type you have selected. The settings
are described in the "Print to a single printer" section above. The Line
properties tab is not displayed, because the line color definitions are
defined in the selected printer settings files.
6. Click Print.

6.2 Printing settings files and search order

Tekla Structures printing settings in the Print Drawings dialog are stored
in two files: <user>_ [Link] and [Link].
When you open a new model, the [Link] file is loaded. The
changes that you make in printing settings are automatically saved in <user>_
[Link], and settings in this file are loaded when you re-open
the model. The PDF report options are read from settings files with the name
[Link] (in the printing dialog, this settings file is
shown as report).

Print drawings 686 Printing settings files and search order

You can create printing settings files for different printing purposes and load
them later on. You can also create and share common settings throughout an
organization.
You can load existing printing settings or save the current printing settings to
either an existing printing settings file or a new file. The first settings file name
in the control list will be standard and any other settings file names will be
listed alphabetically after this. The latest settings used are automatically saved
to <model>\attributes\<user>_PdfPrintOptions.xml (where <user> is
the current Windows user when the dialog is closed. The printing settings
that you save using the Save button are saved to the <model>\attributes\
folder with the following names:
• The standard file is saved as [Link] .
• The report file is saved as [Link].
• All other printing settings names have the filename
<SettingsName>.[Link]. For example, if you use
the name MyPrintingSettings, the settings will be saved as
[Link].
• If a file already exists it will be overwritten.
• You can move the saved printing settings files to the following locations so
that other models and/or other users can access the settings:
• XS_PROJECT
• XS_FIRM
• XS_DRIVER
• XS_SYSTEM
• XS_USER_SETTINGS_DIRECTORY
• When you open the dialog, Tekla Structures searches the above locations in
the listed order for any available settings files and adds them to the setting
list.
• It will load the settings from the first of the following settings files it finds:
• <model>\attributes\<user>_PdfPrintOptions.xml
• <model>\attributes\[Link]
• [Link] from the standard search locations listed
above.

See also
Print drawings (page 667)

Print drawings 687 Configuration files for printing

6.3 Configuration files for printing
In printing, two configuration files are needed. They affect paper sizes and
drawing sizes: [Link] and [Link].

• [Link] defines a list of paper size names allowed

to be used, and their dimensions. The [Link]
file is by default located in the ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\system folder.
• [Link] 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 [Link]
file is located in the ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\system folder.
• The exact file location may vary depending on the folder structure of your
environment files.
Default values are provided in the files installed with the printing functionality.
These values are appropriate in most cases. The optimum values depend 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 selected, see
instructions for adjusting values 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. 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. The
[Link] file only works in the firm folder if it is
placed in the main folder, not a sub folder.
• system folder as defined by the XS_SYSTEM advanced option
If no files are found default values will be used.
See also a support article about paper sizes and names, and their reading
order: In which order are paper sizes and names in the Print Drawings dialog
box read from the [Link] file?

TIP When making copies of the configuration 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.

Print drawings 688 Configuration files for printing

 See also
Print drawings (page 667)
Print to a PDF file, plot file (.plt) or printer (page 668)

6.4 Customize print 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.
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Advanced options and go to the
Printing category.
2. Enter values for any or all 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, depending on the print file drawing
type.
The letter at the end of the advanced option indicates the drawing type.
Use single % around the values. See the table below for available values.
You can combine several values. The values are not case sensitive.
3. Click OK.
Example:
The example below results in the assembly drawing .pdf name
E_P1_PLATE_Revision=[Link]:
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_A=E_%NAME.%_%TITLE%%REV?
_Revision=%%REV%.pdf

Possible values

Value Example of Description

the result in
the print file
name
%NAME% P_1 Part, assembly, or cast unit
%DRAWING_NAME% position, using the file name format
prefix_number.
%NAME.-% P-1 Part, assembly, or cast unit
%DRAWING_NAME.-% position, using the file name format
prefix-number.
%NAME.% P1 Part, assembly, or cast unit
%DRAWING_NAME.% position, using the file name format
prefixnumber.

Print drawings 689 Customize print file names

 Value Example of Description
the result in
the print file
name
%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.

%UDA:<drawing user- Painted Value of a user-defined drawing

defined attribute>% attribute. The user-defined drawing
attributes are defined in
[Link]. The actual values
for the user-defined attributes are
entered in the drawing-specific
user-defined attributes dialog.
%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
attribute>% that can be found in Template
Editor. The actual values for
these attributes are entered in
the drawing properties dialog.
Examples:
• %TPL:TITLE1%
• %TPL:TITLE2%
• %TPL:TITLE3%
• %TPL:DR_DEFAULT_HOLE_SIZE
%
• %TPL:DATE%
• %TPL:TIME%
• %TPL:DR_DEFAULT_WELD_SIZE
%

Print drawings 690 Customize print file names

NOTE The print 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.

NOTE When you define a switch in the Advanced options dialog, you only use
single percent signs around the switch %xxx% . When you define a switch
for an advanced option in an .ini file, you need to use double percent
signs around the switch %%xxx%%. For example, type %%BOLT_NUMBER%%*D%
%[Link]%% for the advanced option XS_BOLT_MARK_STRING_FOR_
SIZE when you define it in an .ini file.

Print drawings 691 Customize print file names

7 Print drawings using Printer
Catalog printer instances (old
printing)

You can also use Tekla Structures own Printer Catalog printer instances
for printing drawings. To do this, you need to set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 692

instances (old printing)
 Setting XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE takes the Printer Catalog dialog
in use, and printer instances need to be set.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 693

instances (old printing)
 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.
If you prefer to print using the "new" printing functionality, see Print to a PDF
file, plot file (.plt) or printer (page 668) .
Click the links below to find out more:
• Print single drawings (old printing) (page 694)
• Print multiple drawings with different sizes at one go (old printing)
(page 697)
• Create .pdf files (old printing) (page 698)
• Print to file (old printing) (page 699)
• Print to multiple sheets (old printing) (page 700)
• Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog (old printing) (page 702)
• Customize print file names (old printing) (page 704)
• Frames and fold marks in drawings (old printing) (page 706)
• Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old printing) (page 709)
• Printing tips (old printing) (page 715)

7.1 Print single drawings (old printing)

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
Before you print the drawing, check that the printer instance settings are
correct and the layout contains the correct drawing size settings.
1. Open a drawing.
2. On the File menu, click Print drawing.
3. In the Print Drawings dialog, select the printer instance you want to use.
4. If needed, modify the printing settings and add frames and fold marks in
the printout.
5. Click Print.

TIP Shortcut for opening the Print Drawings dialog: Shift+P.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 694 Print single drawings (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 Examples
To see some examples of printing single drawings, click the links below:
Example: Print on A4 in landscape (old printing) (page 695)
Example: Print on A3 in portrait (old printing) (page 696)
Example: Print A3 drawing on A4 paper (old printing) (page 697)

See also
Frames and fold marks in drawings (old printing) (page 706)
Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances (old printing) (page 692)
Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog (old printing) (page 702)
Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old printing) (page 709)

Example: Print on A4 in landscape (old printing)

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
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.

1. Open a drawing and double-click the drawing background.

2. In drawing properties dialog, click layout.
3. Define the following settings:
• Set Size definition mode to Specified size.
• 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.
4. Click Modify and OK.
5. On the File menu, click Print drawing.
6. In the Print Drawings dialog, click the printer instance you want to use.
7. Click Add / Edit... and check that the printer settings are correct:

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 695 Print single drawings (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 • Paper size: A4 210 x 297 mm
• Print area h*b: 287 x 200
• Color: Black/white
8. Click Update.
9. Click OK.
10. 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.
11. Set Orientation to Landscape (or Auto).
12. Set Print area to Entire drawing.
13. Click Print.

Example: Print on A3 in portrait (old printing)

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
This example describes how you can print on A3 paper in portrait style in black
and white.
1. Open a drawing and double-click the background.
2. In drawing properties dialog, click layout.
3. Define the following settings:
• Set Size definition mode to Specified size .
• 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.
4. Click Modify and OK.
5. On the File menu, click Print drawing.
6. In thePrint Drawings dialog, click the printer instance you want to use.
7. 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
8. Click Update.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 696 Print single drawings (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 9. Click OK.
10. Set Scaling to Scale and enter 1.
11. Set Orientation to Portrait (or Auto).
12. Set Print area to Entire drawing.
13. Click Print.

Example: Print A3 drawing on A4 paper (old printing)

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
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.
1. Open the A3 drawing.
2. On the File menu, click Print drawing.
3. In the Print Drawings dialog, click the printer instance that you want to
use.
4. Click Add / Edit..., click the printer instance that you are going to use and
ensure that:
• It prints to A4 paper.
• 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.
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.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 697 Print multiple drawings with different sizes at one
instances (old printing) go (old printing)
 7.2 Print multiple drawings with different sizes at one go
(old printing)
You can print multiple drawings from the Document manager, and print
drawings of different sizes at the same time.

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
1. In the Document manager, select the drawings you want to print.
2. Right-click the selected drawings and select Print.
3. In the Print Drawings dialog, indicate the printer instances you want to
use.
To select several printer instances, hold down Ctrl and select the printers.
When you select drawings of several sizes and 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 instance and A3 to the A3 printer
instance.
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 fold
marks in the printout.
6. Click Print.

See also
Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old printing) (page 709)
Frames and fold marks in drawings (old printing) (page 706)
Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances (old printing) (page 692)
Print single drawings (old printing) (page 694)

7.3 Create .pdf files (old printing)

You can use any standard pdf printer to create .pdf files, such as pdfFactory,
Win2PDF, or Adobe Acrobat. You can print several drawings at a time, and use
several printer instances.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 698 Create .pdf files (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
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.
1. In Document manager, select the drawings of which you want to
create .pdf files.
2. Right-click the selected drawings and select Print Drawings....
3. In Print Drawings dialog, 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 instance and A3 to the A3 printer instance.
4. If needed, modify the printing settings and add frames and fold marks 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 Document manager 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 (old printing) (page 702)
Add an Adobe postscript printer instance (old printing) (page 711)
Frames and fold marks in drawings (old printing) (page 706)
Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances (old printing) (page 692)

7.4 Print to file (old printing)

You can print to a file using a print-to-file printer instance. The file is by default
printed to the \Plotfiles folder under model folder, but you can change the
folder.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 699 Print to file (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
Before you start, make sure you have a printer instance set up to print to file.
1. In Document manager, select all drawings that you want to print.
2. Right-click the selected drawings and select Print Drawings...
3. Click a printer instance that is set up to print to file.
4. Select the Print to file checkbox.
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.
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 fold marks
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 (old printing) (page 702)
Add a print-to-file instance (old printing) (page 710)
Frames and fold marks in drawings (old printing) (page 706)
Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances (old printing) (page 692)

7.5 Print to multiple sheets (old printing)

If your drawing is very large, you can print it on multiple sheets. With correct
scaling settings, Tekla Structures automatically calculates the required amount
of sheets.

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 700 Print to multiple sheets (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
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.
1. Open a drawing.
2. On the File menu, click Print drawing .
3. In the Print Drawings dialog, select the printer instance you want to use.
4. Select the Print on multiple sheets option.
5. 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.
6. If needed, modify other printing settings and add frames and fold marks
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.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 701 Print to multiple sheets (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 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 (old printing) (page 702)
Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances (old printing) (page 692)

7.6 Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog (old

printing)
The Print Drawings dialog contains options for setting up printing. This dialog
is only displayed if you have set XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File
menu --> Settings --> Advanced options --> Printing.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 702 Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog (old
instances (old printing) printing)
 Setting Description
Print to file Prints the drawing to a file.
Include revision mark to file Adds the latest revision of the printed drawing to
name the filename.
Revision number is used by default. However,
if you set the advanced option 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.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 703 Printing settings in Print Drawings dialog (old
instances (old printing) printing)
 Setting Description
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 (page 709) or delete printer instances, or
modify their settings.
Frames... Opens a dialog where you can select to print
frames and fold marks (page 706).
Printer setup... Opens the Windows print setup dialog 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.

7.7 Customize print file names (old printing)

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. On the File menu, click Settings --> Advanced options and go to the
Printing category.
2. Enter switches for the advanced options , , , , and .
You can also combine several switches. The switches are not case
sensitive.
3. Click OK.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 704 Customize print file names (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 Example
The example below results in the filename E_P1_PLATE_Revision=[Link]:
XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_A=E_%NAME.%_%TITLE%%REV?_Revision=%
%REV%.dxf

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.

Switch Example of the Description

result
%NAME% P_1 Part, assembly, or cast unit
%DRAWING_NAME% position, using the filename format
prefix_number.
%NAME.-% P-1 Part, assembly, or cast unit position,
%DRAWING_NAME.-% using the filename format prefix-
number.
%NAME.% P1 Part, assembly, or cast unit
%DRAWING_NAME.% position, using the filename format
prefixnumber.
%REV% 2 Drawing revision number, if Include
%REVISION% revision mark to file name is
checked in the Print Drawings
%DRAWING_REVISION% dialog.
%REV_MARK% B Drawing revision mark, if Include
%REVISION_MARK% revision mark to file name is
checked in the Print Drawings
%DRAWING_REVISION_ dialog.
MARK%
%TITLE% PLATE Drawing name from the drawing
%DRAWING_TITLE% properties dialog.

%UDA:<drawing Painted Value of a drawing user-defined

user-defined attribute. The drawing user-
attribute>% defined attributes are defined in
[Link]. The actual values
for the user-defined attributes are
entered in the drawing-specific user-
defined attributes dialog.
%REV? - <text>% 2 - Rev Adds conditional prefixes. In this
example, if REV exists, Tekla
Structures adds the text between ?
and % to the filename.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 705 Customize print file names (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 Switch Example of the Description
result
%TPL:<template Base plate You can use here template attributes
attribute>% that can be found in Template Editor.
The actual values for these attributes
are entered in the drawing properties
dialog. 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.

7.8 Frames and fold marks in drawings (old printing)

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 add frames and fold marks in the way described here only when the
advanced option XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG is set to TRUE (old printing).
You can create fold marks as guides for folding printed drawings. They are
small lines between and perpendicular to the drawing frames.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 706 Frames and fold marks in drawings (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 (1) Frame
(2) Fold mark

See also
Add frames and fold marks in printouts (old printing) (page 707)
Create and edit drawing layouts (page 724)

Add frames and fold marks in printouts (old printing)

You can add frames around printed drawings, and fold marks to indicate folds.
You can select a color for the frames and fold marks

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing. If this advanced option is set to FALSE, you are using the
newer printing functionality, where you cannot set the frames and fold marks
through the Print Drawings dialog.
Drawing frames to be printed are controlled in the [Link] file under
the system folder. There is no saving option in the Drawing Frame Properties
dialog, which is why the default values are located in a standard file. You can
save the standard file in the model folder, and then copy it to the project or
firm folders, if needed.
If you want to save a set of standard files in the model folder, see Standard
files.
1. On the File menu, click Printing --> Print drawings.
2. In the Print Drawings dialog, click Frames....
3. In the Drawing Frame Properties dialog, select the checkboxes of the
frames you want to print.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 707 Frames and fold marks in drawings (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 4. In Margins, enter in millimeters the distance between each frame and the
left, right, bottom, and top edge of the paper.
5. Select a color for each frame.
6. To print the foldmarks, select the Foldmarks checkbox.
7. 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 fold mark.
8. Select a color for the fold marks.
9. Click OK.

Below is an example of the properties dialog contents and the standard file.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 708 Frames and fold marks in drawings (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 See also
Table sets (page 738)

7.9 Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old

printing)
You need to set up printer instances in Printer Catalog for different purposes:
for printing to .pdf, to print file, or to different printers, and to print in different
sizes.
You can only set up Tekla Structures printer instances in Printer Catalog if
you have set the advanced option XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File
menu --> Settings --> Advanced options --> Printing. If this advanced option
is set to FALSE, you are using the newer printing functionality, and the Printer
Catalog is not available.
Tekla Structures uses Microsoft Windows printer drivers to write the printed
data directly to a printer, print file or .pdf.
There are two steps in setting up printer instances in Tekla Structures:
• First, you need to add a printer instance (page 709) 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 such as paper size and print area (page 712).
You can also connect one printer driver to several printer instances, for
example, to print in different sizes on the same printer.

See also
Add a print-to-file instance (old printing) (page 710)
Add an Adobe postscript printer instance (old printing) (page 711)
Line thickness (pen number) in Color Table (old printing) (page 713)

Add a printer instance (old printing)

You need to add printer instances in Printer Catalog to be able to print. This
applies to printing when the advanced option XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG is
set to TRUE.

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
1. On the File menu, click Printing --> Choose printer.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 709 Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old
instances (old printing) printing)
 2. In Printer Catalog, click an existing printer instance that has similar
settings to the one you want to add.
3. Enter a new 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, 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 (page 712).
8. Enter the print area (page 712) 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
Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances (old printing) (page 692)
Define printing paper size and print area h*b (old printing) (page 712)
Line thickness (pen number) in Color Table (old printing) (page 713)

Add a print-to-file instance (old printing)

To print to a file, you need to add a print-to-file printer instance in
Printer Catalog. This applies to printing when the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG is set to TRUE.

1. On the File menu, click Printing --> Choose printer.

2. In Printer Catalog, click Add.
3. 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\

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 710 Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old
instances (old printing) printing)
 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.

4. Click Add.
5. Click Browse... to access the Select Printer dialog and click a printer
driver that is configured to print to file and then click OK.
6. In Paper size, select By print area.
7. Enter the print area (page 712) in Print area h*b (height and width).
8. Enter a file name extension, for example, plt for a print file.
9. Select Color, Gray Scale or Black/white as the color.
10. Click Color table... to change the pen sizes of different colors, if needed.
11. Click Update.
12. Click OK.
13. 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 list in
Tekla Structures.

See also
Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances (old printing) (page 692)
Define printing paper size and print area h*b (old printing) (page 712)
Line thickness (pen number) in Color Table (old printing) (page 713)
Print to file (old printing) (page 699)

Add an Adobe postscript printer instance (old printing)

To print to a .pdf file, you need to add a Adobe postscript printer instance
in Printer Catalog. This applies to printing when the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG is set to TRUE.

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 711 Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old
instances (old printing) printing)
 XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
1. On the File menu, click Printing --> Choose printer.
2. In Printer Catalog, click Add.
3. 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\ .
4. Click Add.
5. Click Browse... to access the Select Printer dialog. Click the Adobe
postscript printer driver and then OK.
6. Set Paper size to By print area.
7. Enter the print area (page 712) in Print area h*b (height and width).
8. Enter the file name extension ps.
9. Select Black/white, Gray Scale or Color as the color.
10. Click Color table... to change the pen sizes of different colors, if needed.
11. Click Update.
12. Click OK.
13. Confirm that you want to save the changes to the model folder.

See also
Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances (old printing) (page 692)
Define printing paper size and print area h*b (old printing) (page 712)
Line thickness (pen number) in Color Table (old printing) (page 713)
Create .pdf files (old printing) (page 698)

Define printing paper size and print area h*b (old printing)
You need to define paper size and print area h*b for each printer instance
you add in Printer Catalog. This applies to printing when the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG is set to TRUE.

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
1. On the File menu, click Printing --> Choose printer.
2. In the Printer Catalog, select the printer instance.
3. Use the Paper size setting to select the paper size used in printing:

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 712 Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old
instances (old printing) printing)
 • 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.
4. Enter the Print area h*b:
• 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.
5. Click OK and confirm the change.

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.

See also
Add a printer instance (old printing) (page 709)
Printing tips (old printing) (page 715)

Line thickness (pen number) in Color Table (old printing)

You can only set Tekla Structures pen numbers in the Color Table of Printer
Catalog if you have set the advanced option XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 713 Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old
instances (old printing) printing)
 TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced options --> Printing. If this
advanced option is set to FALSE, then you are using the newer printing
functionality, and the Printer Catalog is not available.
Pen numbers in the Color Table dialog refer to the line weights used in the
printed drawing. By default, pen number 0 corresponds to a line weight of 0.01
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 0.25 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.
• In color drawings, the lines are shown with different thicknesses if the
Printer line widths checkbox is selected in File menu --> Settings .
• 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 line thickness using the advanced option .

See also
Change the pen numbers (line thickness) for colors (old printing) (page 714)

Change the pen numbers (line thickness) for colors (old printing)
You can change the pen numbers for colors in Printer Catalog to show
and print lines with different thicknesses. This applies to printing when the
advanced option XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG is set to TRUE.

The instructions below apply when you are printing using Printer Catalog
printer instances, which means that you have set the advanced option
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG to TRUE in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Printing.
1. Open a drawing.
2. On the File menu, click Printing --> Printer catalog, and select a printer
instance.
3. Click Color table
4. Enter or change a pen number.
For example, to get line weight of 0.25 mm, enter 25.
You can change the default line thickness 0.01 using the advanced option
XS_BASE_LINE_WIDTH.
5. Click OK.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 714 Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old
instances (old printing) printing)
 6. In a color drawing, on the File menu, click Settings and select Printer line
widths, otherwise you cannot see the changes on the screen.

See also
Colors in drawings (page 64)
Line thickness (pen number) in Color Table (old printing) (page 713)

7.10 Printing tips (old printing)

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.

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 715 Printing tips (old printing)
instances (old printing)
 Physical printer Windows printer drivers Tekla Structures printer
instances
One printer. Separate Windows printer Separate Tekla Structures printer
drivers for each needed instances are defined for each
size. needed size, each printer
instance is using the printer
driver with a matching paper
size.

One printer. One Windows printer Separate Tekla Structures printer

driver. The printer driver instances are defined for each
is set to the biggest needed size, the same printer
needed paper size. driver is used for each printer
instance.

See also
Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer instances (old printing) (page 692)
Set up printer instances in Printer Catalog (old printing) (page 709)

Print drawings using Printer Catalog printer 716 Printing tips (old printing)
instances (old printing)
8 Define automatic drawing
settings

Drawing settings tell Tekla Structures what the drawing should look like
and what it should include. Automatic drawing settings are defined before
drawings are created.

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 property files. Properties can be defined separately
for each drawing that you create, but it is advisable to save the most
commonly used settings in property 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 the settings as
required before creating the drawing. Properties can be adjusted also after
you have created the drawing.
You can open the drawing properties dialogs for setting the automatic
drawing properties by going to the Drawings & reports tab, selecting
Drawing properties and then selecting the drawing type.
• Drawing settings that are defined through various options and advanced
options in Options and Advanced options dialogs.
• Additional settings files, such as rebar_config.inp (page 1107) for setting
reinforcement, and hatch_types1.pat (page 942) for setting hatch
patterns.

Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties

Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings have two types of automatic
properties: drawing specific and view specific.
Drawing-specific properties apply to the whole drawing: coordinate system,
coordinate system rotation, drawing titles, drawing layout, user-defined

Define automatic drawing settings 717

 properties, and some detail and section view properties. In assembly drawings
and single-part drawings, there are also some weld and bolt settings that are
common for all drawing views. You can find these settings in the Common
settings for all views area on the View creation page.

Define automatic drawing settings 718

 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 may also want to define
different protection settings for each view. You can create as many views as
you need.
To specify the drawing views to create and the properties to use, follow the
numbered path shown in the image below. First go to the View creation page,
and select the views to create, and then select view properties to be used for
the views. If you need to adjust view properties, click View properties and
adjust the view properties, including protection settings, dimensions, filters,
marks and objects. Always use Save to save the view properties, otherwise
your changes are not saved.

Drawing-level and view-level properties in single-part, assembly and cast unit

drawings can be modified in an open drawing by double-clicking the drawing

Define automatic drawing settings 719

 background or the view frame, respectively. The available properties are the
same as in the dialogs 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 720

 You need to select the drawing views that you want to create after you start
the creation of a general arrangement drawing. You can adjust the view-level
properties in an open drawing by double-clicking a view frame.

Define automatic drawing settings 721

Define automatic drawing settings 722
 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 property files to be use later
on for different purposes.

See also
Set automatic drawing properties before creating drawings (page 90)
Modify drawing-level properties of an existing drawing (page 93)
Modify view-level drawing properties (page 92)
Modify drawing object properties (page 94)
Create and apply detailed object level settings (page 95)
How Tekla Structures applies drawing properties in drawing creation
(page 102)

8.1 Define drawing layout

A drawing layout defines which tables to include in a drawing and where the
tables are located. Each drawing layout has its own table sets and applicable
drawing sizes. You can create and edit drawing layouts through Layout editor.
The drawing layout connects drawing table sets to drawing sizes. Tekla
Structures has several predefined drawing layouts. Each drawing type;
assembly, single-part, cast unit, general arrangement, and multidrawing, can
have its own individual drawing layout with necessary table sets. You can
also create customized drawing layouts that can be used for more than one
drawing type.
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.

Define automatic drawing settings 723 Define drawing layout

 You can also customize the table sets within the same drawing layout, so that
different drawing sizes have different table sets. For example, A1 sheets and
A4 sheets can have the same drawing layout, but they may require different
positioning of table sets. By managing the number and location of tables, you
can ensure that the tables fit to each drawing size. You can also exclude some
tables from the drawing layout and edit them as part of the open drawing, so
that the drawing layout does not change.
In previous versions of Tekla Structures, table sets were not associated to any
drawing sizes if you used the Specified size option in drawing properties. In
case you open an old layout file without associated table sets, Tekla Structures
generates a drawing size to each table set automatically and names the
drawing size in the following format: ###_[TABLE SET NAME]. If needed, you
can then customize the table set of each drawing size in Layout editor.
If you use the Autosize in drawing properties, Tekla Structures selects
the smallest available drawing size that will fit the drawing views and the
connected table set. You can select which drawing sizes are compatible with
Autosize in the Drawing size settings dialog.
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
sub-folder in the model folder. You can copy layout files to project or firm
folders defined by the XS_FIRM and XS_PROJECT advanced options.
Note that the .lay files created in Layout editor are not compatible with
Drawing Layout tool and Layout editor in previous Tekla Structures versions.
This means that you cannot use new drawing layouts in Tekla Structures 2019i
or earlier versions.
When an old .lay file is opened, all table sets in that .lay file that are
not tied to any fixed drawing sizes in the same .lay file are converted to
independent table sets. In the conversion, a new fixed size is automatically
generated for each table set, and the table set is then tied to the newly
generated size. The generated drawing sizes are always either A1 (841 mm
x 594 mm) in non-imperial environments or ANSI D (864 mm x 559 mm) in
imperial environments. The names of the generated drawing sizes are of the
form ###_<name_of_converted_table_layout>.

Create and edit drawing layouts

Use Drawing layout editor to create new drawing layouts and edit existing
ones. Working on the layout, you can add, modify, move, and remove tables,
add and modify drawing sizes, and select if you want to see table names or
hidden tables in the drawing layout. Frames and fold marks are also added to
drawings in Drawing layout editor.

Open Drawing layout editor

• To access Drawing layout editor, do any of the following:

Define automatic drawing settings 724 Define drawing layout

 To access Drawing Do this
layout editor
Through the File menu • On the File menu, select Editors --> Drawing
layout editor .
Through a drawing 1. Click Layout.
properties dialog
2. On the right side of the Layout list, click Edit.
Through the ribbon in • On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing
the modeling mode properties --> Drawing layout editor .
In an open drawing Do any of the following:
• Right-click an existing table set and select Open
Layout editor.
• Double-click an existing table set and select
Drawing layout editor.
Through Quick Launch 1. Type Drawing layout editor in the Quick
Launch box.
2. Select Drawing layout editor from the list.
The layout editing mode opens.

Create a new drawing layout

1. On the Layout editor ribbon, click Create layout.

2. Name the new drawing layout and select the initial drawing size.
The drawing layout name may contain a maximum of 63 characters.
Note that you can apply the layout to additional drawing sizes later.
3. Click Create.
4. In the Layout editor side pane, select which drawing types the new layout
applies to.
5. Customize the drawing layout according to your needs.
For example, add new tables to the layout or create and modify the
available drawing sizes. See detailed instructions below.
6. To save the drawing layout, click Save as on the Layout editor ribbon.
7. In the Save layout dialog, type a name for the drawing layout in the Save
layout with a name box.
8. Select the drawing sizes to which you want to apply the current tables,
drawing view margins, and spaces between drawing views.
9. To ensure that the drawing sizes that you have created for the current
drawing layout are also available for printing, select the Synchronize
listed sizes with paper sizes for printing checkbox.

Define automatic drawing settings 725 Define drawing layout

 If Tekla Structures detects new drawing sizes, a copy of the
[Link] file is created in the \attributes folder
under the model folder.
Note that the drawing sizes and paper sizes are only synchronized in the
current model.
10. Click Save.
The drawing layout is saved in the \attributes folder under the model
folder as a .lay file. Note that the .lay files are not compatible with
the Drawing layout tool or the Layout editor that were available in older
versions of Tekla Structures. This means that you cannot use the new layout
with older versions of Tekla Structures.
You can now continue working with drawing layouts or close the layout editing

mode by clicking Close Layout editor.

Add new tables to a drawing layout

Here, we refer to all the elements that you can add to the drawing layout as
tables. The combination of tables in the drawing layout is called a table set. The
elements include:
• Template files (.tpl) created in Template Editor.
• DWG/DXF files
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
drawing layout.
• Keyplans
A keyplan is a small map in a drawing that shows the position of an
assembly, a cast unit, or a part in the model. To create a keyplan, you need
to use a drawing that contains only one view of the correct scale and size.
The keyplan usually includes the model grid and the assembly, cast unit,
or part shown in the drawing. Tekla Structures automatically includes the
correct object in the keyplan. Tekla Structures only uses the view from the
original drawing, and the view position, drawing size, and templates of the
original drawing are not relevant to the keyplan.

Define automatic drawing settings 726 Define drawing layout

 To add new tables to the drawing layout:
1. In the Drawing size list, select a drawing size to which you want to add
tables.
You can apply the changes to multiple drawing sizes when you save the
drawing layout.

2. On the Layout editor ribbon, click Add tables.

3. In the Available tables dialog, do any of the following:

To Do this
Add a table (.tpl) a. Select a table from the list of
Available tables.
b. Close the Available tables
dialog.
c. Click the point in the drawing
layout where you want to add the
table using the appropriate snap
switches.
The table is automatically
anchored to the drawing view
frame.
d. If you want to change the table
scale or rotation, select the table
and type new Scale or Rotation
values.
Rotation and scale changes are
applied to the drawing layout
immediately. When you scale or

Define automatic drawing settings 727 Define drawing layout

 To Do this
rotate a table, the table remain
anchored to the same position.
Add a DWG or DXF file a. Select DWG/DXF from the list of
Available tables.
b. Browse to find and select the
DWG/DXF file that you want to
add to the drawing.
c. Click Open.
d. Close the Available tables
dialog.
e. Click the point in the drawing
layout where you want to add the
table using the appropriate snap
switches.
The DWG/DXF file is automatically
anchored to the drawing view
frame.
NOTE:
• If the DWG/DXF file can be found
under the model folder, a relative
path (current model/project/firm/
env) will be used, otherwise
absolute path is used. If you want
to use a relative path, first copy
the DWG/DXF file in your model
folder and insert it from there.
The path to your DWG/DXF file
will then be defined with path
".\", which will in runtime evaluate
using same search order as other
layout content.
• DWG/DXF files cannot be rotated
in the layout.
Add a keyplan a. Select Keyplan from the list of
Available tables.
b. In the displayed Drawings
dialog, select an existing keyplan
drawing from the Available
drawings list and click Select.
c. Close the Available tables
dialog.

Define automatic drawing settings 728 Define drawing layout

 To Do this
d. Click the point in the drawing
layout where you want to add the
table using the appropriate snap
switches.
The keyplan is automatically
anchored to the drawing view
frame.
NOTE:
• Keyplans need to be scaled in the
original drawing.
• Keyplans are shown in drawings
even if the layout was created in
a different language than what is
used when the drawing containing
the keyplan is opened.
• You cannot insert multiple
keyplans in one layout.
• Keyplans cannot be rotated in the
layout.
4. If you want to allow the table to overlap with a drawing view, select the
Overlap with views checkbox.
If you do not select the Overlap with views checkbox, Tekla Structures
keeps the drawing views outside the tables area when it creates or
recreates drawings. Note that overlap changes are applied to the drawing
layout only during drawing recreation and creation.

Move tables in drawing layout

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> Drawing
layout editor .
2. From the Drawing layout list, select the drawing layout.
3. In the drawing layout, do either of the following:
• To move one table, click the table that you want to move.
• To move several tables, hold down the left mouse button and drag a
box around the tables that you want to move.

Define automatic drawing settings 729 Define drawing layout

 Two green handles appear.

The handle that is further from the table determines where the table is
anchored. The closer handle determines where one corner of the table is
located.
4. Do one of the following:
• Click the table that you want to move, and hold down the left mouse
button.
• Pick one of the green handles, and hold down the left mouse button.
5. Drag the tables to a new position.
The tables snap to offsets of 1 millimeter in metric environments, or 1/16
inch in the US imperial environment.
Tekla Structures shows the distance between the handles in both the
vertical and the horizontal direction. The distance is shown in either
millimeters or fractions of inches, depending on the environment that you
are using.
6. To place the tables, release the left mouse button.
The tables are moved to the new position.

Replace tables in drawing layout

1. In an open drawing layout, right-click a table that you want to replace.
2. In the context menu, select Replace table.
3. Select a new table from the Replace table dialog and click Replace.

Define automatic drawing settings 730 Define drawing layout

 The table is replaced and the name of the new table is shown in the Tables in
use list. All the settings that you had defined for the old table are preserved.

Remove tables from drawing layout

• Do any of the following:
• In the drawing layout, right-click a table and select Delete.
• In the drawing layout, click a table and press Delete on the keyboard.
• Select a table in the Tables in use list and press Delete on the
keyboard.

Adjust drawing sizes, frames, and fold marks

Frames and fold marks can be customized individually for each drawing
layout, or .lay file. However, the frame properties are initially read from the
[Link] file with global frame and fold mark properties. If you do not
want to use the global frame and fold mark properties in a drawing layout,
adjust the appropriate properties in the Drawing size settings dialog.

1. In the Layout editor side pane, click the Edit button on the right side
of the Drawing size list.
2. In the Sizes in use section in the Drawing size settings dialog, edit the
drawing sizes according to your needs:

To Do this
Add a new drawing size a. Click + under the list of existing drawing sizes.
A new line is added at the bottom of the list of
drawing sizes.
b. Either select a predefined drawing size from
the list in the Name column, or type a name
for the new drawing size.
The predefined drawing sizes in the Name list
are defined in the
[Link] file. By
default, the file is located in
the ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\co
mmon\system folder folder.
c. To adjust the width and height, double-click
the Width and Height boxes and type new
values.
d. If you want to allow Tekla Structures to use
the drawing size when automatically selecting

Define automatic drawing settings 731 Define drawing layout

 To Do this
suitable drawing sizes for drawings, select the
Autosize checkbox.
For more information on autosizing, see
Define drawing size and drawing view scale
(page 746).
Adjust the width and a. Select the drawing size whose width and
height of a drawing size height you want to modify.
b. Double-click the Width and Height boxes and
type new values.
TIP: You can change the page orientation by right-
clicking the Width or Height box and selecting
Swap orientation. The width and height of the
drawing size are swapped.
Enable using the a. Select the drawing size that you want to use in
drawing size for autosizing.
automatic drawing sizes
b. Select the Autosize checkbox.
Delete a drawing size
from the drawing layout • Click the remove button on the right side of
the drawing size that you want to delete.
3. In the Frames section, adjust the frames:
a. Select which frames you want to have in the drawing layout.
We recommend that you use at least one frame in your drawings. If
you want to use only one frame, select the Primary frame.
If you use fold marks in your drawings, select both the Primary and
the Secondary frames, and use the secondary frame as the outer
frame.
b. Type the distances in millimeters or inches between each frame and
the left, right, bottom, and top edges of the paper.
c. Select a color for each frame.
4. If you use fold marks in your drawing layouts, define the fold mark
properties:
a. Type the horizontal and vertical distances between fold marks in
millimeters or inches.
b. Select a color for the fold marks.
5. To save the settings and close the Drawing size settings dialog, click OK.

Define automatic drawing settings 732 Define drawing layout

 Adjust the position of drawing views
To adjust the position of drawing views, you need to have a drawing open.
1. Scroll to see the Drawing views section of the Layout editor side pane.
2. In the boxes under the Margins heading, type the horizontal and vertical
distances between the outermost drawing view and the drawing edges or
the table edges.
Note that Tekla Structures automatically adds 5 millimeters to the
distances that you type.
3. In the boxes under the Spaces heading, type the horizontal and vertical
spaces between drawing view frames.
Note that the Drawing views settings work together with the
XS_DISABLE_VIEW_CENTERING_[drawing type] advanced options. By setting
the values of these advanced options to VER, HOR, or both, you can
disable automatically centering drawing views in horizontal, vertical, or both
directions.
You can enable or disable centering of drawing views manually for all drawing
types except for cast unit drawings. In cast unit drawings, centering of drawing
views is always enabled.

Adjust the visibility of tables in the drawing layout

The drawing layout contains some information that you may not always need
to see, because some tables are not relevant in all drawings that use the
same drawing layout. These tables are called hidden tables. If the content of
a drawing changes, these tables may appear again. For example, a table may
become visible if you add a revision.
By default, hidden tables are shown as simple boxes that have a known width
and a default height. In the image below, the upper table is a regular table,
while the lower table is a hidden table.

If necessary, you can choose to hide hidden tables from the drawing layout
completely.
• Do any of the following:

Define automatic drawing settings 733 Define drawing layout

 To Do this
Hide or show hidden tables • In the Layout editor side pane,
click next to Show hidden
tables.
• To show hidden tables again, click
next to Show hidden tables.
Hide or show table names • In the Layout editor side pane,
click next to Show table
names.
The table names are hidden.

• To show hidden tables again, click

next to Show table names.
The table names are shown again.

Edit a drawing layout

TIP You can remove or rename drawing layouts in the file folder. Go to the
\attributes sub-folder under the model folder, find the right .lay file,
and remove or rename the file.

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> Drawing
layout editor .
2. From the Drawing layout list, select the drawing layout that you want to
edit.
3. Edit the drawing layout according to your needs.
For example, you can add, move or remove tables, or change the drawing
sizes.
4. To save the drawing layout, click Save as on the Layout editor ribbon.
5. If you want to save the edited layout with another name, in the Save
layout dialog, type a name in the Save layout with a name box.
If you do not type a new name for the layout, the changes you made
overwrite the existing layout (.lay) file.

Define automatic drawing settings 734 Define drawing layout

 6. Select the drawing sizes to which you want to apply the current tables,
drawing view margins, and spaces between drawing views.
7. To ensure that the drawing sizes that you have created for the current
drawing layout are also available for printing, select the Synchronize
listed sizes with paper sizes for printing checkbox.
If Tekla Structures detects new drawing sizes, a copy of the
[Link] file is created in the \attributes folder
under the model folder.
Note that the drawing sizes and paper sizes are only synchronized in the
current model.
8. Click Save.
The changes that you made are saved to the drawing layout (.lay) file. All
drawings that use the edited layout are automatically updated to match the
changes.
You can now continue working with drawing layouts or close the layout editing
mode by clicking Close Layout editor.

Example: Use different table sets for different drawing sizes

within a drawing layout
With Drawing layout editor, you can create separate table sets for different
drawing sizes within the same drawing layout. This way, you can ensure that
the tables fit to each drawing size.
In this example, we will create one table set for the A1, A2, and A3 drawing
sizes, and another table set for the A4 drawing size. We will do this for an
existing drawing layout.
1. On the File menu, select Editors --> Drawing layout editor .
2. From the Drawing layout list in the Layout editor side pane, select the
drawing layout that you want to edit.

3. Click the Edit button on the right side of the Drawing size list.
4. In the Drawing size settings dialog, click + and create the A1 drawing
sizes.
5. To close the Drawing size settings dialog, click OK.
6. In the Drawing size list, select A1.
7. On the Layout editor ribbon, click Add tables.
8. Add tables and move them to appropriate positions in the drawing layout.

Define automatic drawing settings 735 Define drawing layout

 See an example below.

The above drawing layout shows both hidden tables and table names.
When you have placed the tables as you wish, we can apply the table set
to more drawing sizes.

9. Again, click the Edit button on the right side of the Drawing size list.
10. In the Drawing size settings dialog, click + and create the following
drawing sizes:
• A2
• A3
• A4
The table set that you created for the A1 drawing size is automatically
copied for the new drawing sizes.
In this example, we do not want the A4 drawing size to use the same table
set, so we will continue to adjust the table set.
11. To close the Drawing size settings dialog, click OK.
12. In the Drawing size list, select A4.
13. Move, add or remove tables. See an example below.

Define automatic drawing settings 736 Define drawing layout

 The above drawing layout shows both hidden tables and table names.
14. On the Layout editor ribbon, click Save as.
15. In the Save layout dialog, type a name for the drawing layout.
16. Clear the A1, A2, and A3 checkboxes.
This way, the new table set is only applied to the A4 drawing size.
17. Click Save.

Tables in drawing layout

Tables are Template Editor templates added in Tekla Structures drawings
containing information on model objects. In Template Editor, the tables are
referred to as graphical templates.

The term table refers to various elements in a 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

Define automatic drawing settings 737 Define drawing layout

 If you change the model, Tekla Structures updates the contents of the affected
drawings and tables created in Template Editor. The contents of the tables are
filled in by Tekla Structures at run time.
The available graphical templates are read from the following folders in the
following order, and shown in the Available tables list in the Layout editor
side pane:
• Template folder (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
Edit tables in Template Editor (page 740)
Create and edit drawing layouts (page 724)

Table sets
A table set is a group of tables or templates included in a drawing of a
particular type and size.

The table set 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 sets define the background of the drawing, not the number or location
of the drawing views to include.
You can either use the same table sets with different drawing sizes, or give
each drawing size its own table set. 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 set automatically.
The examples below illustrate the relationship between the table set and
drawing views. The drawing views are blue, and the elements of the table set
are green.
Below is an example of a GA drawing layout.

Define automatic drawing settings 738 Define 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 layout.

1. Margins between the drawing frame and the outermost views

2. Spaces between the views

Define automatic drawing settings 739 Define drawing layout

 3. Top view
4. Front view
5. Section views A-A and B-B
6. Drawing frame
7. Key plan
8. Material list
9. Revision table
10. Drawing title block
11. Fold marks

See also
Create and edit drawing layouts (page 724)
Tables in drawing layout (page 737)
Select a new layout for your drawing (page 217)

Edit tables in Template Editor

If you need to edit a table in a drawing layout, you can open it in Template
Editor (TplEd). In Template Editor, drawing layout 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, and you cannot save modified templates in a protected folder. In this
case, you need to start Tekla Structures as an administrator.
1. In a drawing, double-click the table you want to modify.
The following dialog opens:

Define automatic drawing settings 740 Define drawing layout

 2. Click Template editor.
Tekla Structures starts Template Editor, and the selected template is
displayed.
3. Modify the template:
• To modify the value field properties, double-click a value field, adjust
the properties, and click OK.
For example, change the value field name, font size, and allowed text
length. The value field name will be shown in the content browser and
in the template.

• To modify the text properties, double-click a text, adjust the properties,

and click OK.
For example, enter a name for the text object and change the font size.
The name will be shown in the content browser.

Define automatic drawing settings 741 Define drawing layout

 Pay attention to the content browser on the left while you are adding
content to the template. It shows you the added content objects and
allows you to quickly select and work with the content objects. When
you select an object from the content browser, the object is also
selected in the template.

• You can change the color of a text object. To do this, double-click a

text object in the template, and in the object properties, click the
button next to the font setting. Then click the color box and select a
standard color or custom color.

Define automatic drawing settings 742 Define drawing layout

 • You can make the template look nicer by repositioning labels and value
fields, cropping the rows, or adding lines to separate the columns and
rows. Cropping removes any unnecessary space from around the rows.
• To crop the row, select the row, right-click, select Crop, and then
select the desired crop option.
• Drag the text labels and value fields to reposition them if necessary.
• Draw lines in the template between columns and rows by using the
graphical tools.

• Double-click the created objects to change the color and other

properties.

Define automatic drawing settings 743 Define drawing layout

 For example, double-click a frame and adjust the frame line
properties.

You can change the color of a shape object. To do this, double-click

a shape object, such as a line, and in the object properties, click the
color box and select a custom color.

Define automatic drawing settings 744 Define drawing layout

 4. Save the changes by selecting File --> Save , or Save as to use another
folder, for example the model folder.

For more information about Template Editor, see Template Editor user's guide
in PDF format: Tekla Structures Tekla Structures PDF documentation.
The example below illustrates how a table is shown in a drawing and in
Template Editor. The upper example shows a revision table and title block in
a drawing, and the lower example shows the same tables in Template Editor.
The revision table is located above the title block and bound to the title block
in the layout.

Define automatic drawing settings 745 Define drawing layout

8.2 Define drawing size and drawing view scale
Tekla Structures offers you three combinations of settings that you can use
for defining the drawing size and the drawing view scale. You can use exact
drawing view scale and automatic drawing size, automatic drawing view scale
and exact drawing size, or both automatic drawing scale and drawing size.
What happens in each of the three combinations of settings:
• Autosizing: If you always want to use a certain drawing view 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.
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.
• Autoscaling: 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.
Tekla Structures first tries to use the preferred scale for the drawing views,
then the alternative scales, and selects the largest possible scale.

Define automatic drawing settings 746 Define drawing size and drawing view scale
 • Autosizing and 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.

Set exact drawing view scale and automatic drawing size

You can let Tekla Structures find appropriate sizes and table sets for drawings.
Tekla Structures automatically updates drawings to adapt to these changes by
using different drawing sizes and table sets.

Using exact drawing view scale and automatic drawing size is very useful, for
example, when the number, size, or location of drawing views may change.
Note that the following instructions do not apply to GA drawings.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. In drawing properties, click Layout in the option tree on the left.
4. Set Size definition mode to Autosize.
The available sizes for autosizing are defined in the Drawing size settings
dialog, which you can access through Layout editor.
5. 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.
6. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, select the view and the
properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
7. On the Attributes 1 tab, set the desired Scale.
8. Save the view properties and click Close.
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.
Note that each drawing size might have its own individual table set, so the
table set might also change when Tekla Structures adapts another drawing
size. Tekla Structures uses only drawing sizes that use the drawing layout that
you have selected from the Layout list.

Define automatic drawing settings 747 Define drawing size and drawing view scale
 Set 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.
Note that the following instructions do not apply to GA drawings.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. In drawing properties, click Layout in the options tree on the left.
4. On the Drawing size tab, set Size definition mode to Specified size .
5. Select the size from the Drawing size list.
The available drawing sizes are defined through the (page 724).
6. Select the table set from the Layout list.
7. On the Scale tab, set Autoscale to Yes.
8. Set the Main view scales 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.
9. Select the Scale change mode option that 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.
10. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, select the view and the
properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
11. Enter the preferred scale.
Do the same for each view that you create.
12. Save the view properties and click Close.

Define automatic drawing settings 748 Define drawing size and drawing view scale
 13. 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.

Autoscale and autosize drawings

If you are not bound to any specific drawing sizes or drawing view scales, you
can let Tekla Structures take care of both.
First set autoscaling and after that autosizing.
Note that the following instructions do not apply to GA drawings.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, 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 in the Scale
box.
Do the same for all of the views you plan to create.
5. Click Save to save the view properties. Do this for all of the views you have
modified.
6. Click Close to return to drawing properties.
7. Click Layout, go to the Scale tab and set Autoscale to Yes.
8. Set the alternative Main view scales 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.
9. 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.
10. Enter the Preferred size.
11. On the Drawing size tab, set Size definition mode to Autosize.

Define automatic drawing settings 749 Define drawing size and drawing view scale
 12. 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. The sizes are defined through Drawings & reports --> Drawing
properties --> Drawing layout editor .
For more information, see Create and edit drawing layouts (page 724).
• 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 Autosize.
When necessary, Tekla Structures changes to another appropriate table set
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.

8.3 Define object protection and placement settings in

drawings
When you create a drawing, Tekla Structures uses predefined rules for
positioning marks and dimensions. Marks and dimensions are automatically
placed in the first suitable position.
The following settings are considered when placing the objects:
• The protected areas defined in drawing view properties in single-part, cast
unit and assembly drawings. In GA drawings they can be defined on both
levels. 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.
• 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. For more information, see Set a predefined location for beam,
bracing and column marks (page 897).

Define automatic drawing settings 750 Define object protection and placement settings
in drawings
 • The modeling direction of parts.
• XS_MARK_INTELLIGENT_PLACING: Marks are automatically placed
according to the mark placing algorithm if this advanced option
is set to TRUE (default). The placement algorithm tries to avoid
crossing leader lines, and also places marks otherwise more clearly.
XS_MARK_INTELLIGENT_PLACING is available in the category Marking -
general in the Advanced options dialog. The algorithm applies to all
marks and associative notes, except weld marks.
• XS_MARK_PLACING_ANGLE_CLOSE_TO_45_DEGREES: If you set this
advanced option to TRUE (default), marks with leader lines are placed in
a 45-degree angle if allowed by the protection settings.
• XS_MARK_INTELLIGENT_ POST_FREEPLACE_NEARBY: If you set this
advanced option to TRUE (default), Tekla Structures first places the marks
avoiding crossing leader lines and after that runs the place nearby
command, which ensures that the mark locations follow the protection
settings. If you set this advanced option to FALSE, the crossing mark check
is performed, but the place nearby command is not run, so some of the
protection settings may not be followed.
When you create a drawing, Tekla Structures places the annotation objects
according the automatic placement settings and protection settings. You can
modify the placement settings in drawing view properties and on object level
for individual objects. The protection settings are also considered when you
add annotation objects manually.
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,
drag drawing views to new locations, or align them.

To Click a link below to find out more

Specify protected areas in your Protect areas in a drawing (page 752)
drawings
Arrange drawing objects Arrange annotation objects
(page 477)
Align drawing objects Align selected drawing objects
(page 478)
Specify how the marks or dimensions Define placement settings for marks
are placed (page 756)
Define placement settings for
dimensions (page 758)
Specify whether the view placement is Define automatic free or fixed
fixed of free placement for drawing views
(page 759)

Define automatic drawing settings 751 Define object protection and placement settings
in drawings
 See also
Placement properties for marks, notes, dimensions, texts, and symbols in
drawings (page 1118)

Protect areas in a drawing

You can define protected areas in drawings to prevent text, marks or
dimensions from being placed in that area. When Tekla Structures places text,
marks, dimensions or other annotation objects in a drawing, it first checks the
protection settings.

The drawing view properties contain pre-defined protection settings, which

you may change. In GA drawings, you may also define protection settings on
the drawing level.
For example, In GA drawings you often want to have different protection
settings in plan views and section or detail views. In plan views, you may want
to show marks inside the member, for example, a slab. In section and detail
views all marks need to be outside the member.
Below is an example of the protection properties dialog with explanations of
the selections.

(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 at the top of the dialog define the areas to be protected, see
descriptions below:

Column Description

Part corners

Define automatic drawing settings 752 Define object protection and placement settings
in drawings
 Column Description

Part edges

Part content

Text, mark or weld mark

Dimension arrowhead

Dimension line

Dimension value

Cutting line

Section mark

Weld arrow

Weld mark content

The objects on the left in the dialog 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 Show protection
command. You can enter this command in the Quick Launch box. This
command shows the protected areas with colors.

Define automatic drawing settings 753 Define object protection and placement settings
in drawings
 Define automatic protection settings in single-part, assembly and cast
unit drawings
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click View creation in the options tree, and define the drawing views you
want to create.
4. In the View creation, select a view row, and click View properties
5. Click Protection in the options tree.
The settings are same for all drawing types.
6. Select checkboxes 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 checkbox on the first row. The first row defines the placement
of annotation objects, and the icon above the third checkbox 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 checkboxes, Tekla Structures does
not protect part corners and edges. This increases drawing speed and

Define automatic drawing settings 754 Define object protection and placement settings
in drawings
 decreases the memory requirements. You can still protect these areas
by using the third column of checkboxes for part protection.

7. Click Save to save the view properties.

8. Click Close to return to drawing properties.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Define automatic protection settings for GA drawings

In GA drawings, automatic protection settings can only be defined on drawing
level.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type. This time, select GA drawing.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click Protection.
4. Select checkboxes 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 checkbox on the first row. The first row defines the placement
of annotation objects, and the icon above the third checkbox indicates
the inside area of parts. With this setting, Tekla Structures may place
annotation objects on the corners and edges of parts.

Define automatic drawing settings 755 Define object protection and placement settings
in drawings
 • If you clear the first two columns of checkboxes, 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 checkboxes for part protection.

5. Click Save as and save the protection settings with a unique name, and
OK to return to drawing properties.
6. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Modify protection settings in an existing drawing on view level

You can modify the protection settings on view level in all drawing types.
1. When the drawing is open, click the view frame of the view where you
want to have different protection settings.
2. Click Protection in the options tree.
The settings are same for all drawing types.
3. Adjust the settings as necessary and click Modify.
In GA drawings, you can also adjust the drawing level protection settings. To do
so, double-click the drawing background, click Protection, adjust the settings
and click Modify.

Define placement settings for marks

You can define automatic placement settings for the marks before creating a
drawing. You can modify the settings in an open drawing.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.

Define automatic drawing settings 756 Define object protection and placement settings
in drawings
 3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in the
options tree on the left, 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.
6. Adjust the placement settings. The options available in the dialog vary
depending on the annotation object type.
• In Minimum distance, enter the closest distance Tekla Structures uses
to place the marks. See number 2 in the image below.
• In Maximum distance, enter the farthest distance Tekla Structures
uses to place the marks. 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.
See number 3 in the image below.
• In Search margin, enter the empty margin that you want to have
around the marks. See number 1 in the image below.
• Note that if you use a high Search margin and Minimum distance
values, the mark placement does not work properly.
• 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.

(1) Search margin

(2) Minimum distance
(3) Maximum distance
7. Click OK.
8. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
changes in view properties and Close to return to drawing properties.
9. General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 757 Define object protection and placement settings
in drawings
 TIP If you are not happy with the mark placement settings in a drawing,
you can change the settings in the mark properties on the object level
(page 1053), which has more options available. In an open drawing,
you can also change the placement settings for other manually added
annotation objects, such as notes, texts, and symbols.
To open the object level properties, double-click the mark, text, note, or
symbol. If you use the free placing method , you let Tekla Structures to
decide the location of the annotation object. If you use the fixed placing
method, you can place the annotation object in any location, and the
annotation object stays where you place it even though you update the
drawing. With free placing, Tekla Structures tries to find the optimal place
for the annotation object. You can select several or all annotation objects
in a view and change the placing settings this way.

See also
Define object protection and placement settings in drawings (page 750)
Protect areas in a drawing (page 752)

Define placement settings for dimensions

You can set dimension placement to free or fixed, and 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, the dimension placement

settings can be defined in an open drawing, saved into a dimension properties
file, and applied in dimensioning rule properties, or taken into use in the
detailed object level properties. In general arrangement drawings, most of the
settings can be defined on the drawing and view level, but placement settings
on the object level only.
Remember that in addition to dimension placement settings, the placement
is also affected by Protection settings. Tekla Structures uses the protection
settings (page 752) to prevent marks and dimensions from being placed in
protected areas.
To adjust dimension placement settings in an open drawing and save the
settings for later use:
1. Click a dimension in the drawing. If the property pane is not open, double-
click the dimension.
2. Go to the Placing section and enter the desired space between two
parallel dimension lines in Dimension lines spacing.
3. In the Short dimensions list, select whether to place short dimension text
inside or outside of the dimensions.

Define automatic drawing settings 758 Define object protection and placement settings
in drawings
 4. Define the Placing method:
• Free lets Tekla Structures to decide the location and direction of the
dimension based on the direction settings.
• Use Fixed to place the dimension in any location. When you use the
setting Fixed, the dimension stays where you place it even though you
update the drawing, whereas with Free, Tekla Structures tries to find
the optimal place for the dimension.
• The option direction options define where Tekla Structures places
dimensions relative to the dimensioned object. You can select either
Negative direction or Positive direction, or both. Positive direction
places the dimension further away from and Negative direction
closer to the dimensioned object. This setting affects the Free setting
as well.
5. In Distance s, enter the empty margin that you want to have around
the dimension. If Tekla Structures cannot place the dimension at the
minimum distance, it moves the dimension by the value you enter in the
Distance s box. Tekla Structures tries to place the dimension using the
Distance s value until it finds a place for the dimension.
6. In Distance d min, enter the closest distance from the part Tekla
Structures uses to place the dimension.

7. Save the dimension properties using Save . You can also give the
dimension properties another name and save in another file.
8. Click Modify to modify the selected dimension properties in the open
drawing.
The dimensions are placed according the changes you made. Now you have
a dimension properties file that you can load whenever you need to adjust
the dimension placement settings in the same way. For example, you can load
these properties while adjusting Dimensioning rule properties, or in an open
general arrangement drawing in the Dimension Properties dialog.

See also
Define object protection and placement settings in drawings (page 750)
Dimension properties (page 1011)
Placement properties for marks, notes, dimensions, texts, and symbols in
drawings (page 1118)

Define automatic free or fixed placement for drawing views

You can keep the views in the same location (fixed) or let Tekla Structures find
a suitable place for the view (free) during drawing updates.

Define automatic drawing settings 759 Define object protection and placement settings
in drawings
 In general arrangement drawings, this setting can only be defined on view level
in an open drawing. In single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings, you can
set the view placement before creating drawings, and in an open drawing.
To define automatic free or fixed placement of in single-part, assembly and
cast unit drawings:
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, 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 Close to return to drawing properties.
7. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

NOTE The Arrange views (page 244) command only affects views where the Place is
set to free. fixed views are not moved.

See also
Define object protection and placement settings in drawings (page 750)

8.4 Define drawing views

With automatic drawing views we mean views that you select to create before
creating a single-part, assembly or cast unit drawing. You can define the
desired drawing view properties separately for each view before you create
the drawings.

When you create general arrangement drawings, you cannot select the views
to be created in the general arrangement properties dialog, but you select
them at GA drawing creation. However, you can define automatic settings that
apply to all the views you create in a general arrangement drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 760 Define drawing views

 To Click the links below to find out
more:
Select the views that you want to Define the views to create in single-
create in single-part, assembly or cast part, assembly and cast unit drawings
unit drawings (page 762)
Define automatic view properties for Define automatic view settings
general arrangement drawings for general arrangement drawings
(page 764)
Define automatic view properties for Define automatic section view
section views properties (page 791)
Define the contents of the main view Define view labels and view label
and section view labels before you marks (page 765)
create the drawing
Define how Tekla Structures places Set drawing view projection type
the projections of a part in cast unit, (page 767)
single-part, and assembly drawings
Include single-part drawings of the Include single-part drawings in
individual parts that make the assembly drawings (page 769)
assembly in assembly drawings
Adjust the orientation of parts by Part orientation in drawing views
changing the coordinate system, (page 770)
rotating parts in drawing views,
setting viewing direction of columns,
beams or bracings, or changing the
project north
Show neighbor parts in drawing views Show neighbor parts in drawings
(page 778)
Shorten or lengthen parts in model or Shorten or lengthen parts (page 782)
drawing views
Unfold polybeams and bent plates Unfold polybeams in drawings
in single-part drawings according to (page 786)
unfolding parameters
Undeform warped or cambered parts Undeform deformed parts in
and show the developed shape of drawings (page 787)
deformed parts in drawings
Show symbols for part openings and Show part openings and recesses in
recesses (blind holes) in drawing drawings (page 788)
views

See also
View properties in drawings (page 990)
Section view properties (page 1008)

Define automatic drawing settings 761 Define drawing views

 Define the views to create in single-part, assembly and cast
unit drawings
Before you create single-part, assembly or cast unit drawings, you need to
select the views that you want to include automatically. You can select to
create some or all of the main views, section views, end views, and 3D views. At
the same time, you can set the necessary view properties.

To select the drawing views to be created and set the view properties:
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.. Select single-part, cast-unit or assembly drawing.
2. Load the drawing properties file that you want to modify from the list at
the top.
3. Click View creation.
4. Go to the Attributes tab and change the settings as required.
These settings apply to all views in the drawing. Here you can select
the coordinate system, set the coordinate system rotation, and undeform
warped or cambered parts.
5. On the Views tab, 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.

NOTE The Auto option only works if the dimensioning method

Integrated dimensions is used. With other dimensioning
methods, the Auto option works in the same way as the On
option.

6. For each of the views that you create, select the view properties that you
want to use in the View properties column.

Define automatic drawing settings 762 Define drawing views

 Note that if you have selected Auto in the on/off column as the creation
method, Tekla Structures will use the standard view properties even if you
define another view property file here.
The lists contain predefined view properties for different types of
drawings, also the view properties that you save in the View Properties
dialog. For more information about view properties, see View properties in
drawings (page 990).
7. Check the view properties for each view by selecting the view from the
list and clicking View properties button, and modify the properties as
required.
8. Check the settings on the Attributes 1 tab in View Properties.
Here you can set the view scale and size, view extension distance, view
place, and rotation of 3D views, show a reflected view and apply detailed
object level settings for the selected view.
9. Check the settings on the Attributes 2 tab in View Properties.
Here you can undeform warped or cambered parts, shorten parts, show
openings and recesses, select whether to se the location by the model
origin or a base point, set the datum point for elevations and select the
dimension creation method in the selected view.
10. Check the settings on the Label tab in View Properties.
Here you can define the label text and position, add a symbol in the label
and show the view direction marks in the selected view.
11. Go throug the options in the options tree, and modify dimensioning,
protection, mark and building object settings as required.
12. Save the view properties by clicking Save.
13. To close the view properties, click Close.
14. Define how you want to place the views in your drawing:
• In the drawing properties, click Layout and select the desired
Projection type. The selected projection type (page 767) affects the
order of the views in the drawing.
• To define the location of section views and end views (page 791), in
the Layout properties, select Yes or No for the Align section views
with main view and Align end views with main view settings.
• To define the orientation of the parts in the drawing views
(page 770), click View creation, on the Attributes tab, select
the desired Coordinate System. If you select model, the
column views will be placed horizontally, otherwise they will be
placed vertically. This is also affected by the advanced option
XS_USE_VERTICAL_PLACING_FOR_COLUMNS_IN.
• If you want to specify the rotation of the section views, use the
advanced option XS_ROTATE_CUT_VIEWS

Define automatic drawing settings 763 Define drawing views

 • The advanced options XS_DISABLE_VIEW_CENTERING_ASSEMBLY and
XS_DISABLE_VIEW_CENTERING_SINGLE also affect the placement of the
views.
15. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

See also
View properties in drawings (page 990)
Section view properties (page 1008)
Define drawing views (page 760)
Set automatic drawing properties before creating drawings (page 90)

Define automatic view settings for general arrangement

drawings
Before you create general arrangement drawings, define the automatic view
properties.
1. Click Drawings & reports --> Drawing properties --> GA drawing .
2. Load the drawing properties file that you want to modify from the list at
the top.
3. Click View... and load the view properties you want to modify.
4. On the Attributes tab, change the settings as required.
Here you can set the view scale, view extension distance, show a reflected
view, show openings and recesses, set the datum point for elevations and
show pours.
5. Go to the Shortening tab and define the part shortening settings.
Here you can select whether you want to cut parts, set the minimum part
length, and set the space between cut parts.
6. Go to the Label tab and define the view label text, symbol and position.
7. 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.
You can also select, whether you want to create detail views in anchor bolt
plans and set the enlarged part view scale.
8. Save the view properties.
9. Click OK to return to drawing properties.
10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 764 Define drawing views

 See also
View properties in drawings (page 990)
Define drawing views (page 760)
Create anchor bolt plans using saved settings (page 167)
Set automatic drawing properties before creating drawings (page 90)

Define 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. You can also adjust the content in an open drawing.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Do one of the following depending on the drawing type:
Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings:
a. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
b. Click Attributes and go to the Label tab.
General arrangement drawings:
a. Click View...
b. Go to the Label tab.
4. Click the ... button next to A1 - A5 to open the Mark Contents dialog.
The illustration in the view properties dialog is only one way to position
the label text. When you modify the positioning, the illustration in the
dialog does not change.

5. On the Content tab, select the elements that you want to include in the
view label mark.
6. If needed, select an element from the list and click < Add frame and select
the frame Type and Color. You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).
7. If needed, select an element from the list and select the text Color, Font
and Height.

Define automatic drawing settings 765 Define drawing views

 8. 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.
9. Click OK.
10. 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. You can use a
standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
11. Select the Vertical and Horizontal position for the view label.
12. To save the changes, click Save.
13. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Close.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
14. 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 766 Define drawing views

 For more information on the elements available in view label marks, see View,
section view and detail view label mark elements (page 1063).
For more information about the positioning of the view label marks, see View
properties in drawings (page 990).

Define section view properties for all views in a drawing

If you want to use the same section view properties, such as start number
or letter, cutting line, contents, and text position, in all your section views,
you can define the properties on the drawing level. For more information, see
Define automatic section view properties (page 791).

See also
View properties in drawings (page 990)
Section view properties (page 1008)
Define drawing views (page 760)

Set drawing 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 767 Define drawing views

 First-angle projection:

Third-angle projection:

Define automatic drawing settings 768 Define drawing views

 See also
Define drawing views (page 760)
View properties in drawings (page 990)
Layout properties (page 988)

Include single-part drawings in assembly drawings

You can include in assembly drawings single-part drawing views of the
individual parts that make the assembly. You can use existing single-part
drawings in Document manager or create new single-part drawing views.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> Assembly
drawing .
2. Load the desired assembly drawing properties.
3. Click Layout and go to the Other tab.
4. Set Include single-parts to Yes.
This activates the Single-part attributes list.
5. 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.
6. Click Save to save the drawing properties in the properties file.
7. Click OK and create the drawing.

The value of the advanced option

XS_USE_EXISTING_SINGLE_PART_DRAWINGS_IN_ASSEMBLY_DRAWING
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 . 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.
Tekla Structures also maintains the original scale in a single
part drawing in an assembly drawing when you set the
layout to include single part drawings, and set the option
XS_USE_EXISTING_SINGLE_PART_DRAWINGS_IN_ASSEMBLY_DRAWINGS is
set to TRUE. If you do not want to maintain the scale
of the existing single part drawing, set the advanced option
XS_USE_EXISTING_SINGLE_PART_DRAWINGS_SCALE can be set to FALSE. If
you do this, thee scale of the included single part drawing will follow the scale
of the assembly drawing, or advanced option XS_SINGLE_SCALE if it is set.

The following advanced options all affect how the single-part drawing views
behave:
XS_SINGLE_CENTERED_SCREW

Define automatic drawing settings 769 Define drawing views

 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_USE_EXISTING_SINGLE_PART_DRAWINGS_SCALE
XS_NO_END_VIEWS_TO_INCLUDED_SINGLE_DRAWINGS

See also
Add single-part views in assembly drawings (page 250)
Define drawing views (page 760)

Define 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 the appropriate coordinate
system and by rotating the parts. You can also separately set the viewing
direction for columns, beams, and bracings in assembly drawings. The project
north setting also affects part orientation.
You can:
• change the angle from which the part, assembly, or cast unit is viewed, how
the part, assembly, or cast unit is rotated, and how the dimensions in the
drawing view are oriented
• Rotate a part, assembly, or cast unit in a drawing view around its local axes.

Define automatic drawing settings 770 Define drawing views

 • Select which side of a steel or timber part is always shown in the drawing
main view.
• Define the front view direction separately for columns, beams, and
bracings.
• Change the plate orientation in drawing views.
There are also many ways available for indicating the part orientation in
drawings. For more information, see Indicate part orientation (page 933).

Change the coordinate system

You change the angle from which objects are viewed, how the object is rotated,
and how the dimensions in the drawing view are oriented.
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.

NOTE Plate parts and assemblies whose main part is a plate do not
follow these rules exactly but the rules defined in the Change plate
orientation in drawings section. The plate orientation affects assembly
drawings too.

To change the coordinate system:

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties 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.
The settings affect all views in a drawing.
4. In Coordinate system, select one of the available coordinate systems:
• 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 771 Define 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 772 Define 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.
5. To save the changes, click Save.
6. Click OK and create the drawing.

Rotate parts in drawing views

You can rotate a part, assembly, or cast unit in a drawing view around its local
axes.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties 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.
The settings affect all views in a drawing.
4. In Rotate coordinate system, specify the angle:
• With the Around X, you can rotate in steps of 90 degrees (0, 90, 180,
270).
• With the Around Y, you can rotate in steps of 180 degrees (0, 180).
• With the Around Z, you can specify any angle.
5. To save the changes, click Save.
6. Click OK and create the drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 773 Define drawing views

 Examples
Below there are some examples of rotating an object around the x axis:

(1) 0 degrees
(2) 90 degrees
(3) 180 degrees
(4) 270 degrees
Below is an example of rotating the same part 180 degrees around the y axis:

Below is an example of rotating the same part 30 degrees around the z axis:

Define automatic drawing settings 774 Define drawing views

 Select the steel or timber part face that is shown in front drawing view
You can select which face of a steel or timber part is shown in the drawing
main (front) view by using the user-defined attribute Fixed drawing main
view.
The user-defined attribute Fixed drawing main view controls the drawing
coordinate system for steel and timber parts. This UDA is only taken into
account when you use the coordinate system Fixed in drawing properties.
When the fixed coordinate system is used, the part is rotated so that the front
view shows the part face that has been selected with the Fixed drawing main
view UDA.
1. In the model, double-click a steel or timber part to open part properties,
and click the User-defined attributes button.
2. On the Parameters tab, click Fixed drawing main view, and select one of
the options:
• Top
• Back
• Bottom
• Start
• End
• Front
3. Click Drawings & reports --> Drawing properties, and select assembly or
single part drawing properties.
4. Click View creation in the options tree, go to the Attributes tab, and set
Coordinate system to Fixed.
5. Click OK to activate the settings, and create the drawing using the current
settings.

NOTE If you set the advanced option

XS_SET_FIXEDMAINVIEW_UDA_TO_AFFECT_NUMBERING to STEEL, TIMBER or
MISC, and if identical steel, timber or miscellaneous material parts have

Define automatic drawing settings 775 Define drawing views

 different options selected for Fixed drawing main view, they get different
assembly position numbers.
If you set this advanced option, the Top in form face command is available
also for non-concrete material in the model.

Set viewing direction for columns in assembly drawings

In assembly drawings, you can define the front view viewing direction
separately for columns.

NOTE Do not change the viewing direction settings in the middle of the
project. If you change the settings, some drawings may disappear.

1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Options and go to the Orientation
marks settings.
2. Under Viewing direction, use the Columns in assembly drawing option
to set the front view direction of columns:
• The values are As beam and bracing, North, East, South and West.
Select As beam and bracing to use the same viewing direction as you
use for beams and bracings. This is the default value.
• 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 viewing direction of the front view.
• If you have set the coordinate system to oriented, the column is in a
horizontal position, and the viewing 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 viewing direction of the front view is the
option you select (North,East, South or West).
3. Click OK.

Set viewing direction for beams and bracings in assembly drawings

In assembly drawings, you can define the front view viewing direction
separately for beams and bracings.

NOTE Do not change the viewing direction settings in the middle of the
project. If you change the settings, some drawings may disappear.

1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Options and go to the Orientation
marks settings.
2. Under Viewing direction, use the Beams and bracings in assembly
drawing option to set the front view direction:

Define automatic drawing settings 776 Define drawing views

 • The values are North or east, North or west, South or east, and
South or west. 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.

Change plate orientation in drawings

Plates created with the Plate command are automatically oriented in
drawings. The longest side of the plate always faces downwards in the
drawing. You can affect this orientation in single-part drawings and assembly
drawings.
Automatic plate orientation:

Example Description
Contour plate in the model view:
1. First creation point
2. Second creation point

The same contour plate in a single-

part drawing

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.

Define automatic drawing settings 777 Define drawing views

 2. Double-click the plate to open the contour plate properties.
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.
6. Click Drawings & reports --> Perform 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.

NOTE You can also affect the orientation of the plates using the
advanced options XS_POLYGON_SQUARE_CORNER_PREFERENCE_FACTOR and
XS_POLYGON_PERPENDICULAR_EDGE_PREFERENCE_FACTOR.

Show neighbor parts in drawings

You can select which neighbor parts to show in drawings and also
automatically extend the view boundary if necessary.
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

Define automatic drawing settings 778 Define drawing views

 parts somehow connected to the part in question, or just parts that happen to
be close by.
For more information about neighbor part properties, see Part and neighbor
part properties in drawings (page 1087).

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.

Setting the visibility and representation of the neighbor parts in

drawing views
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, 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 that you want to show using the
following options:
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 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.
• Secondary parts shows only neighbor parts that are secondary parts
of an assembly or a cast unit.
• Both shows both main and secondary parts of an assembly or a cast
unit.
Skew parts:
• Yes shows skew parts as neighbor parts in the drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 779 Define drawing views

 • No does not show skew parts as neighbor parts.
Bolts:
• Yes shows the bolts in the neighbor parts.
• No does not show the neighbor part bolts.
6. On the Content tab, set the representation of the neighbor part and
neighbor part bolts, and which lines and marks are shown
7. On the Appearance tab, set the colors and line types you want to use
in neighbor parts. You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color
(page 64).
8. Click Attributes in the options tree and 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.
For more information about view properties, see View properties in
drawings (page 990).
9. To save the changes, click Save.
10. Click Close to return to drawing properties.
11. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

In the following example, View extension for neighbor parts is set to 100. No
neighbor parts are located in this area.

Show neighbor parts in general arrangement drawings

In GA drawings, you need to define neighbor parts using neighbor part filters
because neighbor parts are not automatically detected. The parts that fulfill
the filtering criteria will be treated as neighbor parts. You must also define a
filter for normal parts to get the neighbor parts working. Optimize the filters
so that they select or handle only the relevant objects.

Define automatic drawing settings 780 Define drawing views

 1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> GA
drawing .
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click Filter... to go to the General - Filter Properties dialog, and create a
filter by Part: Name and Object: Object type for all parts that should be
treated as normal parts. Then click OK.
4. Click Part... to go to the General - Part Properties dialog, and on the
Content, Appearance, and Fill tabs, define the needed part properties.
For example, select a fill that shows the normal parts in a different way
than the neighbor parts. Then OK.
5. Click Neighbor part filter... to go to the General - Neighbor Part Filter
Properties dialog, and create a filter by Part: Name and Object: Object
type for all parts that should be treated as neighbor parts. Then click OK.
6. Click Neighbor part... to go to the General - Neighbor Part Properties
dialog, and on the Visibility tab, select By extreme to 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 tab in view properties. None does not
show neighbor parts.
Note that if you do not define a neighbor part filter, all visible objects that
are excluded by the general filter will automatically be treated as neighbor
parts.
7. Still in the General - Neighbor Part Properties, on the Content,
Appearance, and Fill tabs, define the needed part properties. For
example, select a fill that shows the neighbor parts in a different way than
the normal parts. Then click OK.
Note that if you do not define a neighbor part filter, all visible objects that
are excluded by the general filter will automatically be treated as neighbor
parts.
8. Click View..., and on the Attributes tab, 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.
For more information about view properties, see View properties in
drawings (page 990).
9. Click OK to return to drawing properties.
10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 781 Define drawing views

 The neighbor parts are shown with a different color in the GA drawings. Note
that you can also do the same in an open drawing by modifying the drawing
properties (page 500).

Shorten or lengthen parts

You can use the shortening functionality or a UDA in the model to make the
part longer or shorter in the drawing than in the model. You can also shorten
or lengthen parts in drawing views.
Lengthening 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 pre-stressing elastic shortening, where the part
actually shrinks a fraction of an inch after casting and after the strands are cut.
Limitations
• Do not use shortening on saw cut members, or members that have the end
cut at an angle if you are producing DSTV files. If you use shortening, the
DSTV files are not correct.

Shorten a part in the model

You can shorten parts in the model. When you do that the true length of the
part is decreased in the drawing.
1. Double-click a part to open the part properties in the property pane.
2. In to the Deforming section.
3. In the Shortening box, define the shortening value in millimeters.
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
Undeformed to Yes on the Attributes tab in the View creation panel in
drawing properties. For more information about undeformed parts in drawings,
see Undeform deformed parts in drawings (page 787).

Shorten a part using a UDA

You can also define part shortening in the user-defined attributes of a part.
1. Double-click a part to open the part properties in the property pane.
2. Click User-defined attributes.
3. In the Shorten box on the Parameters tab, define the shortening value in
millimeters.

Define automatic drawing settings 782 Define drawing views

 • The Shorten value scales down the whole drawing view where it
appears, therefore all other objects in that view are shortened as well
by the same percentage. So shortening a couple of millimeters is fine,
but problems occur when using large values.
• If you define this UDA on a main part of an assembly, the secondary
parts also appear shortened in the drawing. This only appears in the
dimensions, not in part marks that report LENGTH.
• If you define this UDA on a secondary part, only that secondary part is
shortened in the drawing.
4. Click Modify.

Lengthen a part in the model

You can lengthen parts in the model. When you do this, the true length of the
part is increased in the drawing.
To have a concrete part lengthened in cast unit drawings, you must enter a
negative value for shortening in part properties.
1. Double-click a part to open the part properties in the property pane.
2. Go to the Deforming section.
3. In the Shortening box, enter a negative value.
For example, -20 would result in a part that is cast 20 units longer in the
drawing than the part in the model.
4. Click Modify.

Shorten parts in drawing views

If parts are large and do not include any important details, you can shorten
them in drawing views by cutting them.
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.
You can also shorten parts view by view, see Shorten parts in selected views
(page 489).
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, 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:

Define automatic drawing settings 783 Define drawing views

 • 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 skewed parts in views.
Setting Cut skew parts to No cuts secondary parts that are skewed less
than 5.7 degrees in relation to the main part.
8. To save the changes, click Save.
9. Click Close.
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 File menu --> Settings --> Advanced options --> Drawing
properties .
• You can also control the appearance of the view shortening
symbol with the advanced options XS_SHORTENING_SYMBOL_COLOR_RGB,
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".

Define automatic drawing settings 784 Define drawing views

 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).
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.

Define automatic drawing settings 785 Define drawing views

 Lengthen shortened parts in drawing views
You can stretch shortened drawing views to fill up empty areas of the drawing .
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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
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.

Unfold polybeams in drawings

When you create a drawing, you can automatically 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.
• You can unfold a polybeam only on one plane.

Define automatic drawing settings 786 Define drawing views

 1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> Single-part
drawing .
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
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

on the Attributes 2 tab is ignored in drawing creation when you
set this option on the Attributes tab of the Single-part drawing
properties dialog.

See also
View properties in drawings (page 990)

Undeform deformed parts in drawings

You can undeform warped or cambered parts and show the developed
(undeformed) shape of deformed parts in drawings.

Deformed parts are parts that have been warped or cambered in the model.
You may want to undeform these parts if you want a concrete part to have
two states: as erected (in the model view) and as cast (in the drawing view), for
example.

NOTE Part shortenings are hidden if you set Undeformed to No.

Define automatic drawing settings 787 Define drawing views

 1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
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 Close.
7. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then 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.

NOTE The Undeformed option value in the View Properties properties dialog on
the Attributes 2 tab is ignored in drawing creation when the Undeformed
option is set to a value on the View creation --> Attributes tab.

See also
View properties in drawings (page 990)

Define automatic drawing settings 788 Define drawing views

 Show part openings and recesses in drawings
You can select whether you want to show symbols for part openings and
recesses (blind holes) in drawing views.

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Depending on the drawing type, do one of the following:
Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings:
a. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
b. Go to the Attributes 2 tab.
c. Set Show openings/recess symbol to Yes.
d. Save the view properties and click Close.
General arrangement drawings:
a. Click View...
b. On the Attributes tab, set Show openings/recess symbol to Yes.
c. Click OK.
4. 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

Recess in the front face Recess symbol and

of a part bounding lines shown as
unbroken lines

Recess in the back face Recess symbol and

of a part bounding lines shown as
dashed lines
Remember to switch
hidden lines on for parts.

Define automatic drawing settings 789 Define drawing views

 Add symbols in openings and recesses
Tekla Structures has some advanced options that you can use for adding
symbols in openings and recesses in your drawings.
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> 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.

4. Set XS_USE_OPENING_SYMBOL_IN_CORNER_HOLES to TRUE to show

opening/recess symbols in openings located in part corners.

Define automatic drawing settings 790 Define drawing views

 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.

5. Set XS_USE_RECESS_SYMBOL_FOR_BORDER_AND_CORNER_RECESSES to
TRUE to show a recess symbol in corner and border recesses.
The symbol used depends on the setting of the advanced option
XS_USE_CROSS_FOR_OPENING_SYMBOL

See also
View properties in drawings (page 990)
Define drawing views (page 760)

Define automatic section view properties

You can set some automatic properties for section views before you create a
drawing. Properties for automatic section views need to be set in two places
in drawing properties: in the Section view properties, and in View creation
--> View properties . The settings in the Section view properties apply to all
section views in the drawing.
For a list and descriptions of section view properties, see Section view
properties (page 1008).

Define automatic drawing settings 791 Define drawing views

 Define automatic section view properties
Note that for general arrangement drawings, you can only modify the Start
number or letter of section view and symbol label setting.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click Section view.
4. On the Attributes tab, set values for either Fit by parts or Section depth
and Distance for combining cuts. Remember to select the Size checkbox
first:
• Fit by parts setting works as an alternative to Section depth and
Distance for combining cuts, and it shows the whole part in the
sections.
• 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.
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. You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
d. If needed, select an element from the list and select the text Color,
Font and Height. You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color
(page 64).
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.

Define automatic drawing settings 792 Define drawing views

 f. In Start number or letter of section view and symbol label, select
whether you want to start the section view and section symbol labels
with a number or a letter:
• You can enter any number starting from 1, or any letter A - Z or a -
z (also shown in uppercase in the label).
• If you use a letter, and the entered string is longer than one letter,
only the first letter is shown. If you use numbers, all entered
numbers are shown.
• The start number in the label changes only when you change it in
the drawing properties before creating a drawing, and when you
change it in an existing drawing and recreate the drawing, in which
case the labels for all automatically included section views and all
new section views will change.
g. Click OK to return to drawing properties.
8. Click View creation and add the section and end views you want to
create.
9. Still in the View creation panel, select the view and the properties that
you want to change and click View properties.
10. Adjust the view properties as required.
11. Click Save to save the view properties.
12. Click Close.
13. Repeat steps 9 - 12 for all the section and end views you create.
14. To save the changes, click Save.

Examples of section view and mark settings

Combining section views

(1) Distance for combining cuts = 1’- 4"

Define automatic drawing settings 793 Define drawing views

 (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

Section marks
See below for examples of section marks:

Show section and end view direction marks in drawings

You can display view direction marks in section views and end views in
drawings.
For details about view properties, see View properties in drawings (page 990).
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.

Define automatic drawing settings 794 Define drawing views

 2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, select the view and the
properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
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.
6. Define the height of the symbol and text label in Height.
If you try to use 0, you will get an error message.
7. To save the changes, click Save.
8. Click Close.
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 direction mark position follows the label position setting. In the
image below, Center by view restriction box has been selected for the label.

Define automatic drawing settings 795 Define 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 File menu --> Settings
--> 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.

Define the location for end views and section views

You can 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 796 Define drawing views

 1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
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).

Define automatic drawing settings 797 Define drawing views

 For more information about layout properties, see Layout properties
(page 988).

8.5 Define dimensioning

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 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 modify the settings after you have created the drawing. You can also
create and modify dimensions (page 251) in an open drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 798 Define dimensioning

 To Click the links below to find out
more
Create automatic dimensions in What are automatic view-level
single-part, assembly or cast unit dimensions (page 800)
views
Add automatic view-level dimensions
(page 804)
Check the settings affecting Dimensioning rule properties
dimension creation, and have a look (page 1022)
at some examples
Create a filter that is needed in view- Create a drawing view filter for view-
level dimensioning for selecting the level dimensioning (page 818)
objects that you want to dimension
See examples of different Various scenarios of using different
combinations of dimensioning types dimensioning types (page 828)
and settings
Use the traditional way of Add automatic view-level dimensions
dimensioning in the Dimensioning using Integrated dimensioning type
dialog by using the dimensioning type (page 832)
Integrated
Create dual dimension tags Add automatic dual dimensions
automatically in all types of drawings (page 853)
Control the dimensions that Tekla Add dimensions to unfolded parts
Structures adds for unfolded parts (page 854)
Create minimum and maximum Add minimum and maximum position
position dimensions for bolts dimensions to bolts (page 855)
Add extensions to dimension lines Create dimension line extensions
(page 856)
Adjust absolute dimensions Change the appearance of absolute
dimensions (page 857)
Exaggerate narrow dimensions to Create exaggerated dimensions
make them easier to read (page 857)
Use another prefix in radial Change the prefix in radial
dimensions dimensions (page 859)
Dimension plates using advanced Add dimensions to plates (page 860)
options
Adjust profile dimensioning using Add dimensions to profiles
dimension planes table (page 864)
See examples of sloped dimension Sloped dimension texts (page 867)
texts
Add automatic dimensions in general Add automatic dimensions to general
arrangement drawings arrangement drawings (page 868)

Define automatic drawing settings 799 Define dimensioning

 What are 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.
In the Dimensioning panel, you can add rules by clicking Add row. 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 800 Define dimensioning

 In the Dimensioning rule properties dialog, 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
Properties list contains properties files that you have saved in the object
level Dimension Properties dialog 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.
The model folder is the dimensioning rule working folder. Dimensioning
rule files can also be read from firm and project folders defined by the
advanced options XS_FIRM and XS_PROJECT. You can also define relative
paths, for example, XS_FIRM=".\ts" can be used for reading files from
the 'ts' folder inside the model folder.
To select different dimension line properties for each side, deselect the
Same on all sides and select the dimension properties from the lists.

Define automatic drawing settings 801 Define dimensioning

 If you select Integrated dimensions, the Dimensioning Properties
dialog 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 802 Define dimensioning

 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.
8. Enter a unique name for the view properties in the box at the top of the
View Properties dialog 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 (page 1022)

Define automatic drawing settings 803 Define dimensioning

 Add automatic view-level dimensions (page 804)
Add automatic view-level dimensions using Integrated dimensioning type
(page 832)

Add automatic view-level dimensions

The next examples will go through the basic workflow of creating automatic
dimensions on view level. The goal is to create drawing properties that you
can use later on to create similar drawings, including all necessary views,
having the dimensions that you want, just by loading the appropriate drawing
properties file and then creating the drawing.
If you want to use Integrated dimensions, see Add automatic view-level
dimensions using Integrated dimensioning type (page 832), or dimension
spiral beams, see Dimension spiral beams (page 506).
The workflow consists of four tasks:
1. Create drawing properties
2. Define drawing views and drawing view settings
3. Define dimensioning rules
4. Create and apply dimensioning rule properties
If you are not happy with the dimensions in the final drawing, you can modify
the dimensions, create new dimensions, or delete dimensions (page 251).

Define the drawing property file

Create a drawing property file that will pull together all the settings that you
define in drawing properties, including view-level dimension settings.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. In drawing properties, load the properties that you want to use as a basis
for the new properties by selecting from the list at the top.
If you do not have any suitable drawing properties available, give the
drawing property file a unique name and save the properties by clicking
Save.
Now you have created a drawing property file where you can save the new
dimensioning settings.

Define automatic drawing settings 804 Define dimensioning

 Define the drawing views to be created
Create the desired views and define the view properties to use:
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load the drawing properties that you created and saved in the phase 1 of
this workflow.
3. Click View creation in the options tree.
4. In the next panel, click Add row to add new views in your drawing.

5. For those views that you want to create, set the on/off control to On.
If you select Auto, the view is created if relevant dimensions are created
with the used dimensioning settings. If relevant dimensions are not
created, neither is the view. Tekla Structures can automatically decide
whether dimensions are relevant or not.
Now you have defined the views that you want to have in the drawing you will
create. You can save the list of views using Save, and then load it if you need
the same set of views in another drawing.

Define view dimensions

Define the dimensioning rule properties to be used in the drawing views that
you just created.
The model folder is the working folder. Dimensioning rule files can also
be read from firm and project folders defined by the advanced options
XS_FIRM and XS_PROJECT. You can also define relative paths, for example,
XS_FIRM=".\ts" can be used for reading files from the 'ts' folder inside the
model folder.

Define automatic drawing settings 805 Define dimensioning

 If you are planning to use filters to select the parts that you want to dimension,
you need to create the drawing view filters first, for example, for selecting
embeds, inner panels or outer panels.
You need to create separate dimensioning rules for each dimensioning type.
For example, the rules made with Overall dimensions are valid for Overall
dimensions only, not for Shape dimensions, for example.
1. Select a view in the View creation panel and click View properties.
2. In the View Properties dialog, click Dimensioning in the options tree to
define the dimensions to be created for the selected view.
3. Click Add row to add a rule.
Here we add two rows.
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 object
At the moment, the filter can only be set for the Integrated dimensions
in this panel. You are able to select the filter in the Dimensioning rule
properties dialog, and you can leave the selection Current assembly in
the Filter column for all rules.
Leave Current assembly in the Filter column.
4. Select the Dimensioning type for the selected rules.
Here we select overall dimensions and hole dimensions:

5. Click one of the rules and click Edit rule.

6. Depending on the selected dimensioning type, a specific Dimensioning
rule properties dialog is displayed. Do one of the following:

Define automatic drawing settings 806 Define dimensioning

 • For most of the dimensioning types, you need to define what to
dimension, and where and how to place the dimensions. From the
Dimension properties list, select a suitable set of saved dimension
properties to change the dimension appearance, dimension text font
size or color, for example. If you want, you can define different
dimension line properties for each side by deselecting Same on all
sides and selecting different dimension properties.

• If you have selected dimensioning type Spiral beam dimensions,

select predefined dimension properties. If none of the available
properties suit your needs, open a drawing, click Drawing -->
Properties --> Dimension when a drawing is open, and edit and
save the needed dimension properties so that they are available for
selecting in the spiral beam Dimensioning rule properties dialog for
the three dimension types.

Define automatic drawing settings 807 Define dimensioning

 7. Give the dimensioning rule a unique name and click Save As.
8. Click Close.
9. Define other dimensioning rules needed for the view following the steps 5
- 8.
10. Select correct properties for the rules.

Even though the dimension lines are created and placed by default in the
order that you define them in the View creation panel, Tekla Structures
searches for the first suitable location for the dimension lines according
to the placement and protection settings. So the dimension placement
may not always follow the creation order. Check the result and adjust the
location of the dimension lines if necessary.
11. In the top-left corner, give a unique name to the view properties and click
Save to save your changes to the view properties file.

Define automatic drawing settings 808 Define dimensioning

 Now you have created new view properties containing two types of
dimensions. You can connect this properties file with a drawing view and use
the defined dimensions in that view.

Connect view properties to views and save drawing properties

Connect then new view properties to drawing views and save drawing
properties.
1. In the View creation panel, select correct view properties for the views
that you are creating.
In the example below, one front view and one section view are created,
and the views have been connected to view properties cu_FRONT and
cu_SECTION .

2. Remember that you created or loaded the drawing properties file in phase
1 of this workflow. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK
and create the drawing.
Tekla Structures creates the drawing according to the definitions in various
properties files.

Example workflow: Create automatic overall and hole dimensions on

view level
In this example workflow, 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 809 Define dimensioning

 Before starting, in an open cast unit drawing, open the property pane, and
select Straight dimension in the object list. Set the dimension text font size
to 5.00 and save the properties with the name dim_font_5. Then set the
dimension color to red and save the properties with the name dim_red.
In this example, you are going to dimension the following cast unit wall panel
in the model:

Define the views to be created

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> Cast unit
drawing .
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click View creation in the options tree.
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.

Define automatic drawing settings 810 Define dimensioning

 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.

Define front view dimensions

1. Select a view in the View creation list.
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 as the first rule and Hole dimensions as the
second.
The order of the rules in the list defines the order of the dimension lines
in the drawing: the dimensions created by the first rule is placed closest to
the dimensioned part.
Leave Current assembly in the Filter column for both rules.

Define automatic drawing settings 811 Define dimensioning

 5. To the define overall dimension rules, click the Overall dimensions row,
and click Edit rule.
6. In the Dimensioning rule properties dialog, define what to dimension,
where and how to place the dimensions, and which dimension properties
to use.
• Select the checkboxes above and on left side of the object, and also the
checkbox 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 812 Define dimensioning

 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 checkboxes above and on left side of the object, and also the
checkbox 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 property
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.

Define automatic drawing settings 813 Define dimensioning

 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, give the front view properties a unique
name and click Save.
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 open for further
modifications.

Define automatic drawing settings 814 Define dimensioning

 Define section view dimensions
A section view is also 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 property 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 checkbox 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 815 Define dimensioning

 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.

Connect view properties to views and save 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, give the drawing properties a unique

name and click Save.
In this example, the name cu_wall_panel is used.

Define automatic drawing settings 816 Define dimensioning

 3. Click OK and create the cast unit drawing.

Tekla Structures creates the cast unit drawing according your definitions in
different property 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 property file cu_wall_panel later on when you need
drawings with similar settings.

Define automatic drawing settings 817 Define dimensioning

 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.
2. Click Dimensioning in the options tree to open the Dimensioning
panel where you can select and then edit the dimensioning rules.

Define automatic drawing settings 818 Define dimensioning

 Create a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning
You need to create a drawing view filter to use the Filter dimensions
dimensioning type in view-level dimension creation in single-part, assembly
and cast unit drawings. The filter needs to be created on view level, because
you create the dimensions view by view.

Create a drawing view filter

You need to create a drawing view filter to use the Filter option in view-level
dimension creation in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings. The filter
needs to be created on view level, because you create the dimensions view by
view.

NOTE • If you want to improve the performance of dimensioning, check

if you have some rules that are not creating any dimensions and
remove them. Every rule consumes time even if it does not find
any objects to dimension.
• Optimize the filter so that it selects or handles only the relevant
objects.

1. In an open drawing, double-click the drawing view frame to open the View
Properties dialog.
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.
• Then add a filter row that selects all parts in a specific class, for
example.

Define automatic drawing settings 819 Define dimensioning

 4. Use Save to save the filter with a unique name.
5. Click Cancel to close the dialog.
Now you can select the drawing view filter from the filter list in the
Dimensioning rule properties dialog and use it for dimensioning. If the filter
is not displayed immediately after creation, refresh the list by closing and
opening the dialog box.

For more information about rule properties, see Dimensioning rule properties
(page 1022).

Define automatic drawing settings 820 Define dimensioning

 Create a filter for holes and recesses
You can create a filter for cut parts. The filter can be a drawing view filter or a
model selection filter.
To create a model selection filter for holes and recesses:

1. Click the Selection filter button on the Selecting toolbar.

2. In the Object Group - Selection Filter dialog, 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 checkboxes Selection filter and All drawing types.

Too see all available filter types, click the button

5. Save the filter with a unique name using Save as.

Define automatic drawing settings 821 Define dimensioning

 Create a filter for the main part of an assembly
When your sub-assembly consists of many objects, but you want to select only
the main part for dimensioning, you can create a filter for that.

Create an exclude filter for dimension tag

Often several objects need to be excluded from dimension tag content. You
can exclude everything else from the tag content, except the parts that you
want to include.

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’.

Define automatic drawing settings 822 Define dimensioning

 Create an exclude filter for stirrups in section views
The view-level dimensioning currently dimensions reinforcing bar polygon
points along the center line of the reinforcing bar. You can filter,
where stirrups (shape 14) are excluded but all other reinforcing bars are
dimensioned.

Below is an example of a stirrup in section view. In some cases, the resulting

dimensions are created similarly regardless of the hook type.

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.

Dimensioning method of shapes, holes and recesses

The logic and functionality of shape dimensions, hole dimensions and recess
dimensions in view-level dimensioning is clear and predictable. The definition,

Define automatic drawing settings 823 Define dimensioning

 which geometry is shape, hole or recess is done only once for the object to be
dimensioned, and that definition is used in all drawing views.
The definition of shape and hole is done by looking at the shadow of an object
in three directions X, Y and Z in the following way:
• Points along the outer edge of the shadow are dimensioned as a shape.
• Inner loops in the shadow will be dimensioned as holes.
Additionally, a regular polygon with at least 8 points is considered as a
circular hole. For example, a polygon cut with round corner chamfers is
recognized as a circular hole.
• All other geometry points that are not visible in the shadow, will be
dimensioned as recesses.
In the image below there are some examples of each geometry type:

1. Holes
2. Recesses
3. Shapes

Examples
Below is an example of a shape in a model object and the dimensions in a
drawing:

Define automatic drawing settings 824 Define dimensioning

 Below is an example of a hole in a model object and the dimensions in a
drawing:

Define automatic drawing settings 825 Define dimensioning

 Below is an example of a recess in a model object and the dimensions in a
drawing:

Define automatic drawing settings 826 Define dimensioning

Define automatic drawing settings 827 Define dimensioning
 See also
What are automatic view-level dimensions (page 800)
Dimensioning rule properties (page 1022)

Various scenarios of using different dimensioning types

Depending on what you want to dimension and how, you can create different
sets of dimensioning rules to get what you need. Have a look at the examples
scenarios below.

Use view-level dimensioning only

In this scenario, dimension types suitable for precast objects are used only.
Each rule creates one dimension line on selected sides of the cast unit
or assembly. In the image below, four rules have been defined and four
dimension lines are created. Only the first rule (shape dimensions) is
configured to create dimensions on all sides. Other rules are configured to
create dimensions only on two sides. Rules are executed in the order they
appear in the list; the topmost rule first, then the second, and so on. The first
rule is closest to the part being dimensioned.

Define automatic drawing settings 828 Define dimensioning

 Use both view-level dimensioning and integrated dimensioning
Both view-level and integrated dimensioning methods are used.
In this example, integrated, overall and shape dimensions are created for both
top and front view.

Define automatic drawing settings 829 Define dimensioning

 Use integrated dimensioning only
In this scenario, integrated dimensioning is used for creating the reinforcing
bar dimensions.
When you select Integrated dimensions as the Dimensioning type and
click Edit rule in the View Dimensioning Rules dialog, the Dimensioning
Properties dialog is displayed. Go to the Reinforcement dimensions tab and
define the desired properties. On the General tab there are some options
for controlling dimension properties, and you can load object level dimension
properties for various dimension types. Save the changes with Save or Save
as to save the properties file for later use.

Define automatic drawing settings 830 Define dimensioning

 When you return to the View Dimensioning Rules dialog by clicking
Close, you can attached the new integrated dimensioning properties to the
Integrated dimensioning rule.

Define automatic drawing settings 831 Define dimensioning

 Add automatic view-level dimensions using Integrated
dimensioning type
In the Dimensioning dialog, 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.

Add dimensions using Integrated dimensioning type

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, select the view and the
properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Dimensioning.
5. Select Integrated dimensions as the dimensioning type, select the
desired dimensioning rule properties, and click Edit rule.
6. Select the dimensions to create and adjust the related 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 (Part dimensions tab (page 1040)).
• 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 (General tab (page 1040)).

Define automatic drawing settings 832 Define dimensioning

 • 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 (Position dimensions tab (page 1040)).
• On the Bolt dimensions tab, select the bolt dimensions to create,
combine bolt dimensions and select the side for the dimension (Bolt
dimensions tab (page 1040)).
• On the Dimension grouping tab, group dimensions and adjust the
related settings (Dimension grouping tab (page 1040)).
• On the Sub-assemblies tab, create dimensions for parts in sub-
assemblies and adjust the related settings (Sub-assemblies tab
(page 1040)).
• On the Reinforcement dimensions tab, create dimensions for
reinforcing bar groups in cast unit drawings, add dimension marks
and adjust the related settings (Reinforcement dimensions tab
(page 1040)).
7. Save the dimensioning settings by clicking Save and close the dialog by
clicking Close.
8. Save the view properties by clicking Save and return to the drawing
properties dialog by clicking Close.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Group identical objects to the same dimension line

You can group identical parts, bolts, components, and cuts or shapes to the
same dimension line in integrated dimensioning. You also have the option to
include automatic dimension tags to grouped dimensions.
1. In the Dimensioning Properties dialog, 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 833 Define dimensioning

 TIP You can change the dimension tag contents (page 304) in the opened drawing
and include some more elements in the tag.

Add elevation dimensions

You can add elevation dimensions (level marks) in your drawings for the
start and end points of parts in integrated dimensioning. 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.
You can also add level marks manually (page 390).
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, click View --> Attributes 2.
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 elevations relative to the view plane, select view plane
from the Datum point for elevations list.
5. Save the drawing properties and create the drawing.
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++.

Define automatic drawing settings 834 Define dimensioning

 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 File --> Settings --> Advanced
options --> Dimensioning - parts . See below for an example of an elevation
dimension for a skewed part.

For more information about part orientation, see Define part orientation in
drawing views (page 770).

Create check dimensions

In integrated dimensioning, you can create additional dimensions, check
dimensions, to check the accuracy of dimensions. Check dimensions are

Define automatic drawing settings 835 Define dimensioning

 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 At depth set in part properties. 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 the table under the images for instructions on how to create the described
dimensions.
Check dimensions:

Knock-off dimensions:

Define automatic drawing settings 836 Define dimensioning

 To Do this
Create check dimensions between In the Dimensioning dialog, click Part
outermost work points (number dimensions and set Main part work
(1) in the image above) points to Yes.
Create check dimensions between In the Dimensioning dialog, click Bolt
outermost bolts (number (2) in the dimensions and set Extreme bolts to
image above) Assembly or Main part.
Create check dimensions from In the Dimensioning dialog, click Bolt
outermost work point to first bolt dimensions and set Extreme bolts to
(number (3) in the image above) Assembly or Main part and Extreme
bolts to work points to Yes.
Create horizontal and vertical In the Dimensioning dialog, click
check dimensions between the Position dimensions and set Main part
work points in a skewed brace skew position to Yes.
(number (4) in the image above
Create check dimensions between In the Dimensioning dialog, click
the work points, such as Position dimensions and set Position
the intersections of main and bolts to or Position parts to Working
neighbor part reference lines points or Both.
Create check dimensions to the In the Dimensioning dialog, click
bolt hole locations in the main Position dimensions and set Main part
part bolt position to On.
Create knock-off dimensions In the Dimensioning dialog, click
(number (5) in the image above) Part dimensions and set Knock-off
dimensions to On.

Define automatic drawing settings 837 Define dimensioning

 Example: Part dimensioning
Here are some examples of what the part dimensions look like in integrated
dimensioning with different settings selected on the Part dimensions tab.

Dimensioning setting Example

Internal dimensions set to None

Internal dimensions set to All.

Overall dimensions

Define automatic drawing settings 838 Define dimensioning

 Dimensioning setting Example
Main part shape (Shape
dimensions) set to On.

Bevel dimensions set to On.

Bevel angle set to Angle of cut.

Define automatic drawing settings 839 Define dimensioning

 Dimensioning setting Example
Bevel angle set to Angle of beam.

NOTE Weld preparation bevels and grooves are not dimensioned in drawings. Bevels
and grooves are dimensioned only if they have been modeled using cut
commands.

Example: Position dimensioning

Here are some examples of what the position dimensions look like in
integrated dimensoning with different settings selected on the Position
dimensions tab.

Dimensioning setting Example

Position parts to is set to None.

Define automatic drawing settings 840 Define dimensioning

 Position parts to is set to Main part.

Position bolts to is set to Working

points.

Secondary part is dimensioned By

bolt.

Secondary part is dimensioned By

part.

Define automatic drawing settings 841 Define dimensioning

 Secondary part is dimensioned By
both.

Secondary part is dimensioned By

bolt.
Secondary part dimension
direction is Neighbor part.
Position from is set to Work point.

(1) Running dimensions start from

the intersection of the main and
secondary part (=work point)
(2) Dimensions are aligned with the
neighboring part
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 Add minimum and

Define automatic drawing settings 842 Define dimensioning

 maximum position dimensions to
bolts (page 855).
Main part skew position is set to
Yes.

Skew position is set to angle.

Centered part is set to Internal.

Centered part is set to Position.

Define automatic drawing settings 843 Define dimensioning

 Centered bolt is set to Internal.

Centered bolt is set to Position.

Define automatic drawing settings 844 Define dimensioning

 Example: Closing dimension
Here are some examples of how Tekla Structures creates dimensions
in integrated dimensioning 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 845 Define dimensioning

 Closing option Example
Short dimensions is set to No.

Example: Combine dimensions

Here are some examples of how Tekla Structures combines dimensions in
integrated dimensioning 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 846 Define dimensioning

 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 847 Define dimensioning

 Combining option Example
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.

Option 4.5 uses a combination of option 5 for the main part and option 4 for
the secondary parts.
Distance 5’-0

Distance 1’-0

Define automatic drawing settings 848 Define dimensioning

 Combining option Example
Min distance 5’-0

Min distance 5"

Example: Combine bolt group dimensions

For dimensioning and marking purposes, Tekla Structures treats bolt groups
located close together in integrated dimensioning as one group on the basis of
the minimum number of dimensions to combine and format selected on the
Bolt dimensions tab.

(1) Bolt group 1

(2) Bolt group 2

Define automatic drawing settings 849 Define dimensioning

 Example: Forward offset
Here are some examples of how Tekla Structures places dimensions in
integrated dimensioning 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.

Forward offset set to a smaller value.

Example: Grid dimensions

Here is an example of how Tekla Structures creates dimensions in integrated
dimensioning with different options selected in the Grid dimensions area on
the General tab.

Define automatic drawing settings 850 Define dimensioning

 (1) Option Overall selected
(2) Option Individual spans selected

Example: Recognizable distance

Here is an example of how Tekla Structures uses the Recognizable distance
setting in integrated dimensioning. If you set value for Recognizable distance
on the General tab, and the asymmetry of the parts is smaller than the
distance you entered, a dimension is added.
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.

Example: Preferred dimension side

You can set the preferred dimension side for parts and bolts on the Part
dimensions tab and Bolt dimensions tab in integrated dimensioning. The

Define automatic drawing settings 851 Define dimensioning

 examples below show how the different settings for Preferred dim side look
like for part dimensions.

Example: Reinforcement dimensions

Here are some examples of how Tekla Structures creates dimensions for
reinforcing bar groups in integrated dimensioning with different options
selected on the Reinforcement dimensions tab.

Setting Example
Dimensions for reinforcing bar
groups is set to On, no dimension
tags specified in dimension
properties.

Define automatic drawing settings 852 Define dimensioning

 Setting Example
Dimensions for reinforcing bar
groups is set to On, dimension tags
specified in dimension properties.

Dimensions for reinforcing bar

groups is set to On, dimension tags
specified in dimension properties,
closing dimensions added to the edge
of the part in dimension properties
(Part edge set to Yes).

Add 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.
1. Click On the File menu, click Settings --> Options and go to Drawing
dimensions settings.
2. Set the units, format and precision.
3. Select the drawing types where you want to have the dual dimensions.
4. Click OK.

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.

Example
Below is an example of dual dimensions using the units mm and format ###.

Define automatic drawing settings 853 Define dimensioning

 See also
Define dimensioning (page 798)
Add dual dimensions manually (page 304)

Add dimensions to unfolded parts

In single-part and assembly drawings, you can control the dimensions Tekla
Structures adds for unfolded parts that have been created using View
Properties --> Attributes 2 --> Unfolded : Yes.
Use the advanced options in File menu --> Settings --> Advanced options -->
Dimensioning - unfolding .

To Do this
Create bending line dimensions for Set the advanced option
unfolded parts. XS_DRAW_BENDING_LINE_DIMENSIO
NS_IN_UNFOLDING=TRUE.
Create angle and radius dimensions Set the advanced option
for unfolded parts. XS_DRAW_ANGLE_AND_RADIUS_INFO
_IN_UNFOLDING=TRUE.
Set a prefix text for an angle Set the advanced option
dimension. XS_ANGLE_TEXT_IN_UNFOLDING_BE
NDING_LINE_DIMENSIONING=A=.
Set a prefix text for a radius Set the advanced option
dimension. XS_RADIUS_TEXT_IN_UNFOLDING_B
ENDING_LINE_DIMENSIONING=R=.

Define automatic drawing settings 854 Define dimensioning

 To Do this
For angle text dimensions, show the Set the advanced option
interior angle instead of the exterior XS_DRAW_INSIDE_ANGLE_IN_UNFOL
angle. DING=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_PRECIS
ION=10.
0.00= 1
0.50= 2
0.33= 3
0.25= 4
1/8= 5
1/16= 6
1/32= 7
1/10= 8
1/100= 9
1/1000= 10

See also
Dimension properties (page 1011)

Define automatic drawing settings 855 Define dimensioning

 Add minimum and maximum position dimensions to bolts
By default, Tekla Structures does not create minimum and maximum position
dimensions for bolts. You can use an advanced option to create the
dimensions.

To create minimum and maximum position dimensions for bolts:

1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Advanced options and go to the
Dimensioning - bolts category.
2. Set XS_BOLT_POSITION_TO_MIN_AND_MAX_POINT to TRUE .

Setting Example
Before setting the advanced option.

After setting the advanced option to

TRUE.

Create dimension line extensions

You can create line extensions for dimensions that have line arrows.

Limitations
Line extensions cannot be applied to dimensions that have different arrows
from line arrows, or to knock-off dimensions of the following type:

1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Options and go to the Drawing
dimensions settings.
2. Enter the length of the dimension line extension in the Dimension line
extension length for line arrow box.

Define automatic drawing settings 856 Define dimensioning

 Example

Line extensions added No line extensions

Change 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.
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Options, and go to the Drawing
dimensions settings.
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. If the dimension marks are overlapping, you can drag the
dimension marks (page 314).

Example
In the following example, dimensions are parallel to the dimension line and
zero is shown at the zero point.

See also
Dimension properties (page 1011)
What are automatic view-level dimensions (page 800)

Create exaggerated dimensions

You can exaggerate narrow dimensions to make them easier to read.

Define automatic drawing settings 857 Define dimensioning

 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 in the dimension properties.
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Options and go to the Drawing
dimensions settings.
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, all dimensions smaller than 10 mm can be
exaggerated regardless of the drawing scale.
4. Click OK.
5. Open a drawing and double-click a dimension.
6. In the Dimension line section, set Short extension line to No.
7. In the Exaggeration section, enable the exaggeration by setting
Exaggerate short dimensions to Specified.
8. Set the values for Direction, Origin, Width, Position and Height.
9. Type 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.
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:

Define automatic drawing settings 858 Define dimensioning

 See also
Dimension properties (page 1011)

Change the prefix in radial dimensions

You can change the dimension prefix in radial dimensions.

By default, the prefix of radial dimensions is R, for example, R 200.

1. Close Tekla Structures
2. Open the file dim_operation.ail located in ..\Tekla
Structures\<version>\messages\.

Define automatic drawing settings 859 Define dimensioning

 3. Change the prefix R to Radius:
string dim_operation_dim_radius_prefix{ ... entry =
("enu", "R ");};
string dim_operation_dim_radius_prefix{ ... entry =
("enu", "Radius ");};
4. Save the changes and reopen Tekla Structures.

See also
Add dimensions manually (page 252)

Add dimensions to plates

You can dimension plates using some advanced options in File menu -->
Settings --> Advanced options --> Dimensioning - parts .

NOTE The settings in the dim_planes_table.txt tell Tekla Structures

which dimensioning planes are possible for certain profile types, and
with the advanced options, you can fine-tune the dimension position.
The settings in the dim_planes_table.txt file are available for use
only when you have set the path to dim_planes_table.txt as a
value for the XS_PART_DIMENSION_PLANES_TABLE advanced option.
When you modify dim_planes_table.txt in environment folders,
after changing the file, you need to:
1. Restart Tekla Structures.
2. Re-create the drawings.
Otherwise, the changes will have no impact on the drawings.

To dimension plates using the advanced options:

To Do this
Dimension the plates to Set the advanced option
the edge that is nearest XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_NEIGH
to the neighbor part BOUR to TRUE.
Dimension the plates to 1. Set the advanced option
the leading edge of the XS_USE_PLATE_SIDE_POSITIONING to FALSE.
beams
2. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_N
EIGHBOUR to FALSE.
3. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE to
TRUE.

Define automatic drawing settings 860 Define dimensioning

 To Do this
Dimension the plates to 1. Set the advanced option
the leading edge of the XS_USE_PLATE_SIDE_POSITIONING to FALSE.
columns
2. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_N
EIGHBOUR to FALSE.
3. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE_IN_CO
LUMNS_ALSO to TRUE.
Dimension the plates to 1. Set the advanced option
the trailing edge XS_USE_PLATE_SIDE_POSITIONING to FALSE.
2. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_N
EIGHBOUR to FALSE.
3. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE to
FALSE.
4. Set the advanced option
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE_IN_CO
LUMNS_ALSO to FALSE.
Dimension the plates 1. Set the advanced option
using their original XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_N
reference points in the EIGHBOUR to FALSE.
model
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 the plates differently.

How dim_planes_table.txt and XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE

work together
• If you set all plate options (beam plates and contour plates) to FALSE in
dim_planes_table.txt as follows:
5, -1.0, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE
51, -1.0, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE
In this case, the dim_planes_table.txt file does not affect the plate
dimensioning at all, but the XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE
advanced option defines the location to be either right or left (but not
middle).

Define automatic drawing settings 861 Define dimensioning

 • If you enable both left and right & bottom and top options in
dim_planes_table.txt as follows:
5, -1.0, FALSE, TRUE, TRUE, FALSE, TRUE, TRUE
51, -1.0, FALSE, TRUE, TRUE, FALSE, TRUE, TRUE
In this case, you can still adjust which one is selected by using the
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE advanced option.
• If you set the dimensioning to the middle of the plates as follows:
5, -1.0, TRUE, FALSE, FALSE, TRUE, FALSE, FALSE
51, -1.0, TRUE, FALSE, FALSE, TRUE, FALSE, FALSE
In this case, the XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE advanced option
does not have an impact.

Examples
Below is an example of dimensioning plates to the leading edge.

Below is an example of dimensioning plates to the trailing edge.

Define automatic drawing settings 862 Define dimensioning

 In the following two examples, neighbor parts are blue, and the plate creation
points are shown.
In the first example, the following values are used:
XS_PART_DIMENSION_PLANES_TABLE= (no value given,
dim_planes_table.txt not used)
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_NEIGHBOR=TRUE
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE=FALSE
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE_IN_COLUMNS_ALSO=FALSE
XS_USE_PLATE_SIDE_POSITIONING=FALSE

Define automatic drawing settings 863 Define dimensioning

 In the second example, the following values are used:
XS_PART_DIMENSION_PLANES_TABLE= (no value given,
dim_planes_table.txt not used)
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_EDGE_NEAREST_TO_NEIGHBOR=FALSE
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE=FALSE
XS_PART_POSITION_TO_LEADING_EDGE_IN_COLUMNS_ALSO=FALSE
XS_USE_PLATE_SIDE_POSITIONING=TRUE

See also
Add automatic view-level dimensions using Integrated dimensioning type
(page 832)

Define automatic drawing settings 864 Define dimensioning

 Add dimensions to 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 activate and then edit
the dimension planes table dim_planes_table.txt.
1. On the File menu, click Settings --> Advanced options and go to the
Dimensioning - parts category.
2. Set the advanced option XS_PART_DIMENSION_PLANES_TABLE as follows:
XS_PART_DIMENSION_PLANES_TABLE=%XS_PROFDB%
\dim_planes_table.txt
This advanced option 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 under the environment
folder ..\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments in the
\profiles folder. The exact folder location may vary depending on your
environment.
4. Edit the file contents and save the file.
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 1
In this example, the hole dimension is set from the middle of the flange
instead of the flange edge for "I" Profile.
Open the file and edit the middle of the column to TRUE* in the ProfType 1
row line, save and restart Tekla Structures. However, when you generate the
new drawing, it will create the hole dimension from the middle of the flange.

dim_planes_table.txt
/*** DIMENSION PLANES TABLE for different profile types and sizes
***/
//Values: -1.0 in max size means no size limit!
/*** FLANGE WEB
ProfType, MaxSize, middle, left, right, middle, bottom, top
========================================================
***/
//I-profile - horizontal by reference line,vertical from top flange
1, TRUE*, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, TRUE, TRUE*

Define automatic drawing settings 865 Define dimensioning

 (1) Required dimension (middle of flange)
(2) Default dimension (edge of flange)

Example 2
Here is another 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

Define automatic drawing settings 866 Define dimensioning

 • 15 = ZZ profile
• 16 = CC profile
• 17 = CW profile
• 51 = polygon plate
• 999 = sketched profile
• 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.

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.

Define automatic drawing settings 867 Define dimensioning

 Add automatic dimensions to general arrangement
drawings
In the general arrangement drawing General - Dimensioning Properties
dialog, 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.

Dimension GA drawings
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> GA
drawing .
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click Dimensioning...
4. Select the dimensions to create and modify the related settings.
5. On the Grid tab, adjust the grid dimension and overall dimension creation
settings and the positioning of the dimensions.
6. On the Parts tab, adjust part dimension creation settings and the
positioning of the dimensions.
7. Click OK and create the drawing.

Object groups in dimensioning general arrangement drawings

You can use the object groups (selection filters) that you have created in
the model, or create the necessary groups through the Parts tab in the
General - Dimensioning Properties dialog using the Object groups button.
For example, you might want to create an object group for beams of a certain
size.

Dimension object groups on different dimension lines

You can use object groups to specify different objects to be dimensioned on
different dimension lines.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> GA
drawing.
2. Click Dimensioning, and go to the Parts tab
3. Add the desired object groups to dimensioning rules by clicking Add rule
and selecting the rule from the list in the Object group column.
4. If needed, you can create new object groups by clicking Object group. For
example, add object group rules for beams of different size.

Define automatic drawing settings 868 Define dimensioning

 5. 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.
6. 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, several beam groups were created, one for each beam size to
be dimensioned, then the position for the dimensions in different groups was
selected, and tags were added displayed for each group:

Example: Grid and overall dimensions

Here are some examples of what the grid and overall dimensions look like in
general arrangement drawings with different settings selected on the Grid tab.

Dimensioning setting Example

Define automatic drawing settings 869 Define dimensioning

 Dimensioning setting Example
Grid line dimensions = On
Overall dimension = On
Horizontal = Left
Vertical = above

Grid line dimensions = On

Overall dimension = Off
Horizontal = Left
Vertical = above

Define automatic drawing settings 870 Define dimensioning

 Example: 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 Outside
dimensions and Inside dimensions on the Parts tab.

Dimensioning setting Example

A value has been set for Outside
dimensions.

A value has been set for Inside

dimensions.

Define automatic drawing settings 871 Define dimensioning

 Example: Dimension 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 of the General
- Dimensioning properties dialog.

Example: Limit the number of outside dimensions

Here is an example of what the part dimensions look like when you set 3
as the value for the option Maximum number of outside dimensions on
the Parts tab in general arrangement drawing dimensioning properties. Tekla

Define automatic drawing settings 872 Define dimensioning

 Structures creates three dimensions outside the grid and the fourth inside the
grid.

Example: Position part dimensions

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.

In the example below, Positioning is set to Outside grid, which places all
dimensions outside the grid.

Define automatic drawing settings 873 Define dimensioning

 In the example below, Horizontal position is set to Left side, which places all
dimensions to horizontal parts to the left of the grid.

Define automatic drawing settings 874 Define dimensioning

 In the example below, Horizontal position is set to Right side, which places
all dimensions to horizontal parts to the right of the grid.

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.

Define automatic drawing settings 875 Define dimensioning

 In the example below, Vertical position is set to Above, which places all
dimensions to vertical parts above the grid.

Define automatic drawing settings 876 Define dimensioning

 In the example below, Vertical position is set to Below, which places all
dimensions to vertical parts under the grid.

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.

Define automatic drawing settings 877 Define dimensioning

 Example: Dimension anchor bolt plans
Here are some 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:

Define automatic drawing settings 878 Define dimensioning

 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 879 Define dimensioning

 If the column is rotated relative to the drawing, the rotation is also
automatically dimensioned. See the example below.

Define automatic drawing settings 880 Define dimensioning

 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 881 Define dimensioning

8.6 Define marks
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 called mark elements. By automatic marks we mean
marks that Tekla Structures creates in a drawing based on the mark properties
defined in the drawing properties.
The mark properties define what Tekla Structures shows in 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
• Bolt marks
• Neighbor part marks
• Surface treatment marks

Define automatic drawing settings 882 Define marks

 • Connection marks
• Model weld marks
• Reinforcement marks
• Pour object marks
• Dimension marks
• Section marks
• View label marks
You can modify the mark properties after creating the drawing, and add marks
manually in an open drawing.

To Click the links below to find out

more
Set up and add automatic marks for Add automatic marks (page 884)
building objects
Indicate whether to show and merge Adjust the visibility of automatic
marks marks (page 887)
Add frames around single mark Adjust text, frames and leader lines of
elements or around the mark itself, automatic marks (page 892)
adjust the appearance of the mark
text and leader line, and change the
unit and format of an element
Check how the location of the mark is Mark location (page 897)
affected by mark placement settings,
the type of the leader line, predefined
mark location and part orientation
settings, modeling direction of parts,
and drawing protection settings
Automatically merge part marks, Merge marks automatically
surface treatment marks or (page 901)
reinforcement marks
Show the mark frame and leader line Show mark frames and leader lines
of the hidden part with a dashed or a for hidden parts (page 896)
solid line
Set or change the unit and the Change unit settings for marks
number of decimals in measurement (page 906)
values for various mark elements
Use advanced options to define Define size in bolt marks using
the contents of the bolt mark Size advanced options (page 917)
element
Add level attributes in part marks Add level attributes in automatic part
and associative notes as user-defined marks (page 909)
attributes

Define automatic drawing settings 883 Define marks

 To Click the links below to find out
more
Add user-defined attributes and Add attributes in automatic marks
template attributes in marks (page 908)
Add custom graphical templates as Add templates in automatic marks
elements in marks, for example, (page 912)
add a template that changes the
unit and the number of decimals in
measurement values in a mark
Add symbols in mark from a specific Add symbols in automatic marks
symbol file (page 917)
Add a pull-out picture of a reinforcing Add pull-out pictures in rebar marks
bar in a reinforcement mark (page 921)

See also
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)
Mark elements (page 1063)
Define object protection and placement settings in drawings (page 750)
Add marks, notes, and texts in drawings (page 333)
Show pours in drawings (page 548)
Show pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in drawings (page 961)
Units and decimals in drawings, reports and templates (page 971)

Add automatic marks

You can set up automatic marks for building objects (parts, neighbor
parts, bolts, surface treatment, connections, reinforcement, and neighbor
reinforcement) and save the mark properties in a property file for later use.

You can do this the view properties dialog of single-part, assembly, and cast
unit drawings. For general arrangement drawings, automatic marks can be
defined on drawing level.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Do one of the following depending on the drawing type.

Drawing type Add automatic marks

Single-part, assembly and cast unit a. Click View creation in the
drawings: options tree on the left, select the

Define automatic drawing settings 884 Define marks

 Drawing type Add automatic marks
view and the properties that you
want to change, and click View
properties.
b. Click the mark type you want to
modify, for example, Part mark.
c. 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.

d. Add elements in the mark by

double-clicking the elements in
the Available elements list.
e. Modify the element appearance
(frame and font).
For length, height, spacing and
diameter elements, you can
adjust also the unit and format.
f. Use the Move up and Move
down buttons to place the
elements in the order you want.
g. Modify the appearance,
placement and visibility settings
on the Content and General
tabs. For example, adjust the
leader line.
h. Save the view properties by
entering a properties file name in
the box at the top and click Save.
i. Click Close to return to the
drawing properties.

Define automatic drawing settings 885 Define marks

 Drawing type Add automatic marks
General arrangement drawings: a. Click the mark type you want
to modify, for example, Part
mark....
b. 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.

c. Add elements in the mark by

double-clicking the elements in
the Available elements list.
d. Modify the element appearance
(frame and font).
For length, height, spacing and
diameter elements, you can
adjust also the unit and format.
e. Use the Move up and Move
down buttons to place the
elements in the order you want.
f. Modify the appearance,
placement and visibility settings
on the Content and General
tabs. For example, adjust the
leader line.
g. Save the mark properties by
entering a properties file name in
the box at the top and click Save
as.
h. Click OK in the subdialog to
save the changes, close the
subdialog and return to the
drawing properties.

Define automatic drawing settings 886 Define marks

 4. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Example
This is an example of a part mark.

1. Assembly position
2. Size
3. Mark frame
4. Profile
5. Mark element frame
6. Length

NOTE If you have created rebar marks automatically but you cannot see the marks,
recreate the marks or modify the view or drawing level settings for rebar or
neighbor rebar marks.

See also
Mark location (page 897)
Define placement settings for marks (page 756)
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)
Mark elements (page 1063)
Add templates in automatic marks (page 912)
Add symbols in automatic marks (page 917)
Add pull-out pictures in rebar marks (page 921)
Add attributes in automatic marks (page 908)
Define size in bolt marks using advanced options (page 917)

Define automatic drawing settings 887 Define marks

 Adjust the visibility of automatic marks
Using the visibility options in the mark properties you can indicate whether
the marks are displayed in a drawing. You can modify these settings before
creating a drawing, and also in an open drawing after creating a drawing.
To adjust the visibility of marks before creating a drawing:
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. For bolt marks and weld marks in assembly and single-part drawings,
adjust the following settings located at the bottom of the View creation
page. These settings affect all views in a drawing:
• The Weld mark visible setting controls the visibility of model weld
marks in assembly drawing views. The options are:
• In one view: Tekla Structures automatically finds the most relevant
view for showing the model weld marks. Every weld mark is shown
in a drawing in one view only.
• In all views: Tekla Structures adds the model weld marks in all
drawing views that contain the part with the weld.
• The Weld size limit setting filters welds of the defined size and bigger
out of all views in a drawing. This setting is available in single-part
drawings and assembly drawings.
• The Ignore bolt size setting filters standard-sized bolt marks out of
all views in a drawing, which means that Tekla Structures does not
display bolt marks of the defined bolt size in the drawings. This setting
is available in single-part drawings and assembly drawings.
4. Do one of the following depending on the drawing type. Note that all
settings are not available for all mark types.

Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings

Single-part, assembly and cast unit a. Click View creation in the
drawings: options tree on the left, select the
view and the properties that you
want to change, and click View
properties.
You need to adjust the setting
for all the views in the drawing
separately.
b. Click a mark type in the options
tree. For example, click Part
mark.

Define automatic drawing settings 888 Define marks

 Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings
• Go to the General tab and
select whether you want to
display marks by selecting
one of the Visibility in view
options. The available options
depend on the mark type:
• distributed: Distributes
the marks evenly in
the drawing view. Tekla
Structures only creates
marks that are not visible
in the other views.
• always: Always creates
marks in the view,
regardless of the settings
in other views.
Selecting the option
always might slow down
the drawing update during
opening, even if you
had deleted the marks
manually.
• Select preferred for one
view only in a drawing.
If you set other views
to distributed, the marks
are located only in the
view that has the setting
Visibility in view set to
preferred.
The option preferred
acts like the option
distributed, but the
preferred view has a
higher priority.
• none: Does not create
marks.
Note that if you want
to create your own
marks, always use the
distributed option.
• In Parts out of view plane,
select whether you want to

Define automatic drawing settings 889 Define marks

 Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings
display marks for parts that
are out of view plane:
• Visible: Displays marks for
parts outside the view in
the drawing.
• Not visible: Displays no
marks for parts outside
the view in the drawing.
• For bolt marks, select if you
want to show bolt marks in
main parts, secondary parts,
sub-assembly main parts, or
in sub-assembly secondary
parts.
For bolt marks, you can also
define the Ignore size, which
filters marks for standard-
sized bolts out of drawings.
Tekla Structures will not
display bolt marks of the bolt
size you enter here. Note that
this setting is also available in
drawing level properties at the
bottom of the View creation
page.
• For weld marks, select if and
how you want to show weld
marks in sub-assemblies and
hidden parts.
For weld marks, you can also
define the Weld size limit
to filter welds of the defined
size and bigger out of the
drawing. Note that this setting
is also available in drawing
level properties at the bottom
of the View creation page.
c. Click Save to save the changes
in view properties, and then
click Close to return to drawing
properties.
d. Click Save to save the drawing
properties, then click OK and
create the drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 890 Define marks

 Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings
General arrangement drawings: a. Click a mark type button in the
drawing properties dialog. For
example, click Part mark...
b. Go to the General tab and select
whether you want to display
marks by selecting one of the
Visibility in view options. The
available options depend on the
mark type:
• distributed: Distributes the
marks evenly in the drawing
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.
Selecting the option always
might slow down the drawing
update during opening, even
if you had deleted the marks
manually.
• Select preferred for one view
only in a drawing. If you set
other views to distributed,
the marks are located only
in the view that has the
setting Visibility in view set
to preferred.
The optionpreferred acts like
the option distributed, but
the preferred view has a
higher priority.
• none: Does not create marks.
Note that if you want to
create your own marks,
always use the none option.
c. In Parts out of view plane,
select whether you want to
display marks for parts that are
out of view plane:

Define automatic drawing settings 891 Define marks

 Drawing type Adjust mark visibility settings
• Visible: Displays marks for
parts outside the view in the
drawing.
• Not visible: Displays no
marks for parts outside the
view in the drawing.
d. For bolt marks, select if you want
to show bolt marks in main parts,
secondary parts, sub-assembly
main parts, or in sub-assembly
secondary parts.
For bolt marks, you can also
define the Ignore size, which
filters standard-sized bolts out
of drawings. Tekla Structures will
not display bolt marks of the bolt
size you enter here.
e. Click OK.
f. Click Save to save the drawing
properties, then click OK and
create the drawing.

See also
Adjust mark visibility in an existing drawing (page 372)
Merge marks automatically (page 901)
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

Adjust text, frames and leader lines of automatic marks

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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Do one of the following depending on the drawing type:
Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings:
a. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.

Define automatic drawing settings 892 Define marks

 b. Click a mark type in the options tree. For example, click Part mark.
General arrangement drawings:
• Click a mark type in the drawing properties dialog. For example, click
Part mark...
4. On the Content tab of the in mark properties, select one or several
elements from the Elements in mark list and adjust the element settings:
• To apply your changes in all of them, hold down Shift and click the last
element in the list to select all elements.
• To add a frame around the selected elements, click < Add frame.
• Select a Type and Color for the frame.
You can select a different frame type and color for each element you
add.
• Select the element text Color, Font and Height.
You can select a different color, font and font height for each element
you add.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
• 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.
5. Go to the General (or the Appearance) tab adjust the mark frame and
leader line settings:
• Select the mark frame Type and Color.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
• 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.
• 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.
6. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
view properties, and then click Close to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
7. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

See also
Adjust part mark leader lines with advanced options (page 894)

Define automatic drawing settings 893 Define marks

 Place reinforcement mark leader line associativity point automatically
(page 895)
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

Adjust part mark leader lines with advanced options

You can modify part mark leader line settings using advanced options. On the
File menu, click Settings --> 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 Set
when the leader line is shorter than XS_DRAW_SHORT_LEADER_LINES_OF_
defined with the advanced option PART_MARKS to TRUE (default) to
XS_DRAW_SHORT_LEADER_LINES_OF_ always draw leader lines in part
PART_MARKS_MINIMUM_LENGTH marks. When you set this 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 Set a value in millimeters for the
line. If the length is less than this advanced option
value, the leader line is not drawn. XS_DRAW_SHORT_LEADER_LINES_OF_
PART_MARKS_MINIMUM_LENGTH.
Define the leader line start position Set a value for the advanced option
for a leader line with a rectangular XS_MARK_LEADER_LINE_POSITION_TY
frame. PE_FOR_RECTANGULAR_FRAME.
Define the leader line start position Set a value for the advanced option
for a leader line of a mark without a XS_MARK_LEADER_LINE_POSITION_TY
frame and for a leader line of a mark PE_FOR_NO_FRAME.
with a mark element frame.
Define the length of the leader line Set a value for the advanced option
extension. XS_MARK_LEADER_LINE_EXTENSION_L
ENGTH.
Define the height of the arrow head in Set a value for the
the mark leader line. advanced option XS_MARK_LEADER_
LINE_ARROW_HEIGHT.
Define the length of the arrow head in Set a value for the
the mark leader line. advanced option XS_MARK_LEADER_
LINE_ARROW_LENGTH.

Define automatic drawing settings 894 Define marks

 See also
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

Place reinforcement mark leader line associativity point automatically

Tekla Structures places the associativity 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 associativity point.

• On the File menu, click Settings --> Advanced options and go to the
Concrete detailing category.

To Do this
Select an optimal place for the Set XS_ENABLE_REBAR_MARK_LEADER
associativity point. _LINE_BASE_POINT_OPTIMIZATION to
TRUE.
Define how far the other reinforcing Set a millimeter value
bars must be from the associativity for XS_REBAR_MARK_LEADER_LINE_
point in order for Tekla Structures to BASE_POINT_SEARCH_TOLERANCE.
place the associativity point.
Define the search step length while Set a millimeter value
searching for an optimal place for for XS_REBAR_MARK_LEADER_LINE
the associativity point along the _BASE_POINT_SEARCH_STEP_LENGTH.
reinforcing bar.

Example
An example showing optimized associativity points.

Define automatic drawing settings 895 Define marks

 See also
Adjust text, frames and leader lines of automatic marks (page 892)

Show 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 whether to show the mark frame and leader line of the hidden part with
a dashed or a solid line.

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in
the options tree on the left, select the view and the properties that you
want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Part mark.
5. In part mark properties, go to the General tab.
6. Use one of the following options:
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.

7. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
changes in view properties and Close to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
8. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 896 Define marks

 TIP With the advanced option
XS_OMIT_MARKS_OF_HIDDEN_PARTS_IN_GA_DRAWINGS you can omit the marks
of hidden objects in general arrangement drawings.

See also
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

Mark location
The location of the marks in drawings is affected by several settings, not only
the properties of the mark itself.

Setting Click the links below to find out

more
The placement settings in the mark Define placement settings for marks
properties (page 756)
The type of the selected leader line How leader line type affects part mark
and surface treatment mark location
(page 898)
How leader line type affects
reinforcement mark location
(page 900)
How merging affects reinforcing bar
group mark location (page 899)
The predefined mark location and Set a predefined location for
part orientation settings beam, bracing and column marks
(page 897)
Settings in the Options dialog:
Orientation settings
Indicate part orientation (page 933)
Protection settings Protect areas in a drawing (page 752)
The modeling direction of parts Part reference lines and part handles
Alignment of the marks Align selected drawing objects
(page 478)

See also
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

Define automatic drawing settings 897 Define marks

 Set 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. On the File menu, click Settings --> Options and go to the Orientation
marks settings.
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 (page 897)
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)
Indicate part orientation (page 933)

How leader line type affects part mark and surface treatment mark
location
Part marks and surface treatment marks have several types of leader lines
available for selection. The type of the leader line affects the location of the
mark.
For more information about annotation objects and leader lines, see Add
marks, notes, and texts in drawings (page 333).

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.

Define automatic drawing settings 898 Define marks

 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.
The direction of the X axis of the object defines if there
is a leader line or not. For example, column marks will
get a leader line in an XY plan view whereas horizontal
beam marks will get the mark along and in the middle
of the part face.

See also
Mark location (page 897)
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

How merging affects reinforcing bar group mark location

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.

Below 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

Define automatic drawing settings 899 Define marks

 Option Image Example
Parallel leader lines

Leader lines to one

point

Perpendicular leader
lines

Leader line to first and

last

See also
Mark location (page 897)
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

How leader line type affects reinforcement 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 900 Define marks

 For more information about annotation objects and leader lines, see Add
marks, notes, and texts in drawings (page 333).

Reinforcement leader Description

line type
Always creates a leader line.

Tries to find a space along the reinforcing bar for the

mark. If this is not possible, 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 the bar

outline. If there is not enough space for the mark, a
leader line is created.

See also
Mark location (page 897)
Merge marks (page 410)
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)

Merge marks automatically

You can let Tekla Structures automatically merge marks.
You can automatically merge:
• Part marks and surface treatment marks
• Reinforcement marks
For more information about mark properties, including merging settings, see
Mark properties in drawings (page 1053).
You can also merge marks manually. For more information, see Merge marks
(page 410).

Merged part marks

A merged part mark means that you have only one part mark for similar parts
in a drawing, instead of a separate mark for each of the parts. Merged part
marks indicate the number of included parts, and contain the defined part
mark contents, and the near side and far side information. The marks are
merged only in X direction of the main part.

Define automatic drawing settings 901 Define marks

 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
• You cannot merge part marks (assembly marks) that are not part of the
same assembly.
• Tekla Structures does not merge neighbor part marks.
Advanced options in merging marks
In merging part marks, you may find the following advanced options useful:
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

Example
In the example below, the part marks are merged in X direction of the HEA300
beam (main part).

Define automatic drawing settings 902 Define marks

 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, because
the marks are merged only in X direction (which in this example is horizontal).

Merge part marks automatically

You can merge part marks and surface treatment marks automatically to
reduce the number of marks in the drawing.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.

Define automatic drawing settings 903 Define marks

 3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in
the options tree on the left, select the view and the properties that you
want to change, and click View properties.
4. ClickPart mark .
If you want to merge surface treatment, click Surface treatment mark
instead.
5. On the General tab in the part mark properties, set Merge marks to On.
6. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
changes in view properties and Close to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
7. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Tekla Structures merges marks for identical secondary parts on both faces of
main parts.

Merged reinforcement marks

Tekla Structures can automatically merge similar reinforcement marks of bars,
and you can also merge reinforcement marks manually. Merged reinforcement
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 the following advanced options:
XS_MAX_MERGE_DISTANCE_IN_HORIZONTAL
XS_MAX_MERGE_DISTANCE_IN_VERTICAL

Merge reinforcement marks automatically

You can merge reinforcement marks automatically to reduce the number of
marks in the drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 904 Define marks

 1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type. You can merge reinforcement marks in cast unit drawings
and general arrangement drawings.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Cast unit drawings: Click View creation in the options tree on the left,
select the view and the properties that you want to change, and click View
properties.
4. Click .
5. Go to the Merging tab of the reinforcement marks dialog.
6. Select an option from the Identical marks in same cast unit list to
merge marks and create leader lines:
• One leader line to group creates one leader line for a group of
reinforcing bars.
• One leader line per row: Merges the marks and 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: Marks are not merged, an individual leader line is created
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.
7. If there are several possible merge directions, select the horizontal or
vertical from Preferred direction of merge.
8. Select the contents to be included in the merged reinforcement marks
from the Available elements list.
To ensure that merged reinforcement marks appear in the drawing,
always include Symbol separating blocks in mark as the last element
in the reinforcement mark. To omit the separating symbol, leave this box
blank, but still include the element in the mark.
9. If needed, add a frame around the single elements in the mark. You can
define the frame individually for each element.
10. Adjust the font, font height and the color of the mark text. You can adjust
these settings individually for each element.
11. Cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the changes in view properties
and Close to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK.

Define automatic drawing settings 905 Define marks

 12. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Example
In this example, three A φ12 L2000 marks are merged to a block, and six V
φ8 L650 marks to another block, and then these blocks are merged in the
following way:

(1) Single mark content

(2) Symbol separating the blocks
(3) Block prefix
(4) Distance between groups
(5) Block 1
(6) Block 2

Change 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. One
additional way to change the unit is to add individual settings at the end of
the [Link] file.

The contentattributes_global.lst file also defines default values for

attributes in templates created in Template Editor.
If you change the unit and format, save the changes for future usage in a
property file if necessary.

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

Define automatic drawing settings 906 Define marks

 settings of your own. By default, this file is located in ..\Program
Files\Tekla
Structures\<version>\bin\applications\Tekla\Tools\TplEd\setti
ngs, but often the location depends on your environment. The files are read
from different locations in a certain search order.
The container file [Link] lists all the files that contain
the actual attribute definitions. The order of the files included in
[Link] 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 1
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.
2. Click Part mark.
3. Add a Length element in the part mark.
4. Select Length from the Elements in mark list and adjust the unit and
format as required. For example, select mm and ###.##.
The unit and format settings only become available when you select the
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 can 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 907 Define marks

 Example 2
This second example shows a situation when you want a certain
project to have certain individual settings. In this case, you can copy
[Link] and contentattributes_global.lst to the
model folder, and add this individual setting at the end of the
[Link]. See the example below showing the included
global attributes and user attributes files, and the added DIAMETER setting.

See also
Mark elements (page 1063)
Add templates in automatic marks (page 912)

Add attributes in automatic 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 and template attributes in automatic and
manual marks.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in
the options tree on the left, select the view and the properties that you
want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Part mark.
5. In the mark properties dialog, double-click the User-defined attribute
element in the Available elements list to add it in the mark. You can use
the same element for adding template attributes.

Define automatic drawing settings 908 Define marks

 6. Enter the user-defined attribute name in the Mark content - user
defined attribute dialog exactly as it appears in the [Link] file.
Note that you need to write ASSEMBLY. or CAST_UNIT. in the beginning
depending on the material. For example, [Link]
or CAST_UNIT.[Link].
7. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
changes in view properties and Close to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
8. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.
You can also add user-defined attributes and template attributes in the marks
that you create manually (page 346) in an open drawing. The attributes
available for the selected building object type are listed in the element list.

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
Add level attributes in automatic part marks (page 909)
Mark elements (page 1063)

Add level attributes in automatic part marks

You can add level attributes, such as TOP_LEVEL,
BOTTOM_LEVEL, ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL, ASSEMBLY_BOTTOM_LEVEL, and
ASSEMBLY.MAIN_PART.TOP_LEVEL, in part marks as user-defined attributes.

The level attributes take the dimension format from the

[Link] file. To change the dimension format for a
dimension rule, change the dimension format in the dimension properties
property pane in an open drawing, save the dimension properties, and load
the changed dimension properties in the dimensioning rule that you use for
creating the dimensions in a view.
You can add level attributes in automatic and manual marks.
To change the dimension format and add level attributes:

Define automatic drawing settings 909 Define marks

 1. In an open drawing, click to open the property pane, and select
Straight dimension from the property pane object list.
2. Select MarkDimensionFormat from the properties file list at the top.
3. Change the unit, precision and format as desired.

4. Click Save to save the changes in the MarkDimensionFormat file.

5. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
6. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
7. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, select the view and the
properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
8. Click Part markPart mark.
9. In part mark properties, double-click the User-defined attribute element
to add it to the mark.
10. Enter the attribute name in the Mark content - user defined attribute
dialog.
You can enter the following values:
TOP_LEVEL
TOP_LEVEL_UNFORMATTED
TOP_LEVEL_GLOBAL
TOP_LEVEL_GLOBAL_UNFORMATTED
TOP_LEVEL_PROJECT
TOP_LEVEL_BASEPOINT
BOTTOM_LEVEL
BOTTOM_LEVEL_UNFORMATTED
BOTTOM_LEVEL_GLOBAL
BOTTOM_LEVEL_GLOBAL_UNFORMATTED

Define automatic drawing settings 910 Define marks

 BOTTOM_LEVEL_PROJECT
BOTTOM_LEVEL_BASEPOINT
ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL
ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL_UNFORMATTED
ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL_GLOBAL
ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL_GLOBAL_UNFORMATTED
ASSEMBLY_BOTTOM_LEVEL
ASSEMBLY_BOTTOM_LEVEL_UNFORMATTED
ASSEMBLY_BOTTOM_LEVEL_GLOBAL
ASSEMBLY_BOTTOM_LEVEL_GLOBAL_UNFORMATTED
CAST_UNIT_TOP_LEVEL
CAST_UNIT_BOTTOM_LEVEL
and/or the following:
ASSEMBLY.MAIN_PART.TOP_LEVEL.
11. Click Dimensioning in the options tree.
12. Select a dimension rule from the list and click Edit rule.
13. Select MarkDimensionFormat from the Dimension properties list.
14. Save the dimensioning rule by clicking Save and click Close.
15. Save the view properties clicking Save.
16. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Example
In the following example, TOP_LEVEL and ASSEMBLY_TOP_LEVEL have been
added in the mark.

Define automatic drawing settings 911 Define marks

 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.

See also
Add attributes in automatic marks (page 908)
Units and decimals in drawings, reports and templates (page 971)

Add templates in automatic marks

You can create custom graphical templates (.tpl) with Template Editor and
add them as elements in all types of marks, dimension marks and associative
notes in all drawing types.
In mark templates, you can include detailed information of an embed or
assembly, such as the sub-material 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.
To add templates in dimension marks or tags, you need to modify the
dimension properties in the property pane in an open drawing. You can save
the dimension properties, and then take the saved properties into use when
you create automatic dimensions (page 804).

Define automatic drawing settings 912 Define marks

 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.
Limitations: Mark templates do not support image files like the other
graphical drawing templates.
Before you add a template in a mark, ensure that the template you use does
not contain any margins.

Add templates in marks

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in
the options tree on the left, 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, 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. If
you have not created a template yet, or want to edit the template, you can
do that from here by selecting Create new... or Edit...
Remember that if you edit the template here, the change affects all
drawings that have marks containing the changed template.
7. Click OK to return to mark properties.
8. Save the mark properties for later using a unique name.
9. Do one of the following depending on the drawing type:
• Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
changes in view properties and Close to return to drawing properties.
• General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.
11. When necessary, copy the saved mark properties files from the
<model>\attributes folder into your firm or project folder.

Define automatic drawing settings 913 Define marks

 TIP The mark templates are by default searched from the following folders in the
following order:
%XS_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY%\mark
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 of a template in a mark

Example 1: Create a mark template containing separate value fields

and text elements
You can use decimals instead of fractions in your part marks in the US
environment Imperial role by using a mark template. The template contains
separate value fields and text elements that change the fractions to decimals,
and change the number of decimals.
1. Follow the steps 1 - 5 in "Add templates to marks" above so that you have
double-clicked the Template element in the Available elements list .
2. In the Mark content - template dialog, click Create new.
This starts the Template Editor.
3. Click File --> New and create a new graphical template.
4. Click Insert --> Component --> Row .
5. Select PART as the content type.

Define automatic drawing settings 914 Define marks

 6. Click Insert --> Text , enter L and place it inside the row you just added.
7. Click Insert --> Value field and place the value field on the right side of
the L text.
8. In the displayed Select Attribute [Part] dialog, scroll down to PROFILE
- Profile, open the profile tree, select the HEIGHT - height property and
click OK.
9. Double-click the value field. In the Value Field Properties dialog, change
the settings as follows:
• Unit: inch
• Decimals: 1
• Length: 8
10. Click OK.
11. Click Insert --> Text , enter X as text and place it on the right side of the
value field.
12. In the similar way, add another value field for the width information
(WIDTH - Width profile property).
13. Click Insert --> Text and add the second X between the value fields.
14. 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
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 to see the template you created.
18. Select the template and click OK.
19. Save the mark properties for late use with a unique name.
20. Do one of the following depending on the drawing type:
• Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
changes in view properties and Close to return to drawing properties.
• General arrangement drawings: Click OK.

Define automatic drawing settings 915 Define marks

 21. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Example 2: Create a mark template containing a formula in the value

field
You use decimals instead of fractions in your part marks in the US
environment Imperial role by adding a formula in the mark template value
field.
1. Follow the steps 1 - 5 in "Add templates to marks" above so that you have
double-clicked the Template element in the Available elements list .
2. In the Mark content - template dialog, click Create new.
This starts the Template Editor.
3. Click File --> New and create a new graphical template.
4. Click Insert --> Component --> Row .
5. Select PART as the content type.
6. Click Insert --> Value field , and place the field.
7. In the displayed Select Attribute [Part] dialog, click the Formula button.
8. 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","i
nch",2)
9. Double-click the value field to open the Value Field Properties dialog.
10. 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.
11. Click OK.
12. Click Edit --> Properties and minimize the height and the width of the
row.
13. 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.
14. In Tekla Structures, click Refresh list in the Mark content - template
dialog to see the template you created.
15. Select the template and click OK.
16. Save the mark properties for later use with a unique name.
17. Do one of the following depending on the drawing type:

Define automatic drawing settings 916 Define marks

 • Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
changes in view properties and Close to return to drawing properties.
• General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
18. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Add symbols in automatic 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in
the options tree on the left, select the view and the properties that you
want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Part mark.
5. In mark properties, double-click Symbol in the Available elements list.
6. In the Mark content - symbol dialog, 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 mark properties for late use with a unique name.
10. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
changes in view properties and Close to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
11. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

See also
Add symbols in drawings (page 428)

Define automatic drawing settings 917 Define marks

 Define size in bolt marks using advanced options
You can use certain advanced options to define the contents of the bolt mark
Size element in different types of drawings.

To change the bolt mark Size element content, go to File menu --> Settings
--> Advanced options --> Marking - bolts .

NOTE • 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 Do this
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in bolt marks. XS_BOLT_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE.
For GA-drawings, 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 workshop XS_SHOP_BOLT_MARK_STRING_FOR_
bolts. SIZE.
For GA-drawings, set a value for the
advanced option
XS_SHOP_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.
For GA-drawings, 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 slotted hole marks. XS_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_S
IZE.
For GA-drawings, set a value for the
advanced option
XS_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_S
IZE_IN_GA.

Define automatic drawing settings 918 Define marks

 To Do this
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in slotted hole marks for XS_SHOP_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_
workshop bolts. FOR_SIZE.
For GA-drawings, set a value for the
advanced option
XS_SHOP_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 for site XS_SITE_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_
bolts. FOR_SIZE.
For GA-drawings, set a value for the
advanced option
XS_SITE_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_
FOR_SIZE_IN_GA.
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in marks for oversized bolt XS_SHOP_OVERSIZEDHOLE_MARK_ST
holes (workshop). RING_FOR_SIZE.
For GA-drawings, set a value for the
advanced option
XS_SHOP_OVERSIZEDHOLE_MARK_ST
RING_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA.
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in marks for oversized bolt XS_SITE_OVERSIZEDHOLE_MARK_ST
holes (site). RING_FOR_SIZE.
For GA-drawings, set a value for the
advanced option
XS_SITE_OVERSIZEDHOLE_MARK_ST
RING_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA.
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in marks for tapped bolt XS_SHOP_TAPPEDHOLE_MARK_STRIN
holes (workshop). G_FOR_SIZE.
For GA-drawings, set a value for the
advanced option
XS_SHOP_TAPPEDHOLE_MARK_STRIN
G_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA.
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in marks for tapped bolt XS_SITE_TAPPEDHOLE_MARK_STRIN
holes (site). G_FOR_SIZE.
For GA-drawings, set a value for the
advanced option
XS_SITE_TAPPEDHOLE_MARK_STRIN
G_FOR_SIZE_IN_GA.

Define automatic drawing settings 919 Define marks

 To Do this
Define the contents of the size Set a value for the advanced option
element in hole marks. XS_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE.
For GA-drawings, 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 workshop XS_SHOP_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_
bolts. SIZE.
For GA-drawings, 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 hole marks for site bolts. XS_SITE_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_
SIZE.
For GA-drawings, set a value for the
advanced option
XS_SITE_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_
SIZE_IN_GA.

You can use any combination of text and the following options as the value for
the above advanced options. You can use the options in any order, and make
calculations.
• BOLT_NUMBER
• DIAMETER
• LENGTH
• [Link]
• 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

Define automatic drawing settings 920 Define marks

 • BOLT_FULL_NAME
Enclose each option in % characters.
To use special characters, enter a backslash (\) followed by an ASCII number.
With length-type options, but not in calculations, you can specify the number
of decimals. For example, [Link].2 shows (tapped) hole diameters
with two decimals.

Example
Example of using the advanced options:
XS_LONGHOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE=D%[Link]%
(%[Link]+LONG_HOLE_X%x%[Link]+LONG_HOLE_Y%)
XS_SITE_HOLE_MARK_STRING_FOR_SIZE=D%[Link]%
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".

Add pull-out pictures in rebar marks

You can add a pull-out picture for a reinforcing bar in the rebar mark to
illustrate the shape and dimensions of the bar in the drawing.
Pull-out pictures can be added in automatic and manual created rebar marks.

NOTE A pull-out picture is designed only for cases when a tapered group
contains bars having the same number of legs. If you have a tapered
group containing bars with a different number of legs, split the group
to smaller groups using property modifier.

TIP To change the leader line length, color, line type, or representation
of a pull-out picture, open the (page 1107) file located in the
system folder defined by the advanced option XS_SYSTEM and edit
the following lines: PullOutLeaderLineMinLength, PulloutColor,
PulloutVisibleLinetype and PulloutRepresentation.

Add pull-out pictures in automatic rebar marks

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.

Define automatic drawing settings 921 Define marks

 3. Cast unit drawings: Click View creation in the options tree on the left,
select the view and the properties that you want to change, and click View
properties.
4. Click Reinforcement mark in the options tree.
5. To add a pull-out picture in the rebar mark, double-click the Pullout
picture element in the Available elements list.
6. In the Pullout picture dialog, define the pull-out picture settings.

For more information about the settings, see section "Pull-out picture
settings" below.
7. Click OK.
8. Save the mark properties for future use with a unique name.
9. Cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the changes in view properties
and Close to return to drawing properties.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Define automatic drawing settings 922 Define marks

 Add pull-out pictures in rebar marks manually
1. In an open drawing containing reinforcement and rebar marks, double-
click a rebar mark.
The rebar mark properties are displayed in the property pane.
2. In the mark editor preview, click a location the mark where you want to
add the pull-out picture.

3. To add a pull-out picture element in the mark, click the New element
button in the editor and select Pullout picture.
4. In the Pullout picture dialog, define the pull-out picture settings.

For more information about the pull-out picture settings, see "Pull-out
picture settings" below.
5. Click OK.
6. To apply the changes to the rebar mark, click Modify in the property pane.
Tekla Structures adds the pull-out picture in the mark.

Define automatic drawing settings 923 Define marks

 Pull-out picture settings

Setting Description
Scale by Select the scaling option:
• Auto auto-scales the pull-out
picture.
• One factor and Two factors scale
the pull-out picture according to
the values that you enter.
The scale of the pull-out picture is
relative to the scale of the drawing
view. For example, if the drawing
view scale is 1/10 and the pull-
out picture scaling is 2, the actual
scale of the pull-out picture in the
drawing view is 1/5.
Mirror Mirror pull-out pictures horizontally
or vertically. To mirror, click the
mirroring button:

Mirroring is available only in object-

level properties, in One factor and
Two factors modes.
Rotation In , select the rotation of the pull-
out picture: Automatic, Plane or
3D. If the pull-out picture is 3D,
and you select Automatic, Tekla
Structures automatically shows the
pull-out picture in 3D.
End marks Select the desired shape of bar ends
in the pull-out pictures.

Dimensions Select Dimensions to show bar

dimensions in the pull-out picture.
Exaggeration Select Exaggeration to show
reinforcing bar hooks more clearly in
the pull-out picture.

Define automatic drawing settings 924 Define marks

 Setting Description
Bending radius Select Bending radius to show the
bending radius in form of diameter of
the bending roll.
Bending angle Select Bending angle to show bar
bending angles in the pull-out picture.
Coupler/end anchor symbols Select Coupler/end anchor symbols
to show graphical symbols
representing the rebar couplers and
end anchors in pull-out pictures.
Placeholders Select Placeholders to show
placeholders instead of dimensions in
pull-out pictures.
In the Pullout picture dialog in object
level rebar mark properties, the
Placeholders option is only available
if the
XS_ENABLE_PULLOUT_PLACEHOLDER
S advanced option is set to TRUE. In
the Pullout picture dialog in the
view-level rebar mark properties, this
option is always available.

Examples

Define automatic drawing settings 925 Define marks

 A 3D pull-out picture showing the bending radius:

Placeholders shown instead of dimensions:

See also
Mark elements (page 1063)
Draw rebar pull-out pictures with Draw rebar pull-outs application (page 513)
Draw rebar pull-out pictures with Rebar pull-out picture and marking
application (page 517)

Define automatic drawing settings 926 Define marks

8.7 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
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.

To Click the links below to find out

more
Define what is shown in a part and Define automatic drawing part
how the part is shown properties (page 927)
Define what is shown of neighbor Define automatic neighbor part
parts and how the neighbor parts properties (page 932)
are shown. You can also control the
visibility of the neighbor part bolts.
Also check some examples of the part
settings.
Indicate the part orientation by using Indicate part orientation (page 933)
part marks, by including compass
direction in marks, and showing
orientation marks and connecting
side marks
Check and change part and neighbor Part and neighbor part properties in
part properties drawings (page 1087)

Define automatic drawing part properties

You can define what is shown in a part and how the part is shown.

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in
the options tree on the left, 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 part representation, whether to show
inner contours, hidden lines, own hidden lines, center lines, and reference
lines, and which additional markings to show.

Define automatic drawing settings 927 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 A reference line is a line between the points from which a part is created.
Note that Bounding box is a good option to use with complex items
with an extrema box containing many polygons slowing down drawings,
because Bounding box makes drawings faster.
6. On the Appearance tab, select the color and type of the visible lines,
hidden lines, reference lines, section lines, own hidden lines, and center
lines.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
XS_CENTER_LINE_TYPE overrides the center line type set in the drawing,
view, or object level properties. XS_SECTION_LINE_COLOR_RGB overrides
the section line color set in the drawing, view, or object level properties.
7. On the Fill tab, set the part and section fill properties.
8. Do one of the following depending on the drawing type:
• Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
view properties. Then return to drawing properties by clicking Close.
• General arrangement drawings: Click OK to return to drawing
properties.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.
You can also change the part reference line type using the advanced
option XS_DRAWING_PART_REFERENCE_LINE_TYPE, and use the advanced
XS_DRAWING_POINT_SCALE to scale the points Tekla Structures uses to create
reference lines.

Example: Part representations

Here are some examples of what parts and items look like with different
settings defined in the View Properties dialog box.

Setting Example
Representation is set to
Outline.

Define automatic drawing settings 928 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 Setting Example

Representation is set to
Exact.

Define automatic drawing settings 929 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 Setting Example
Edge chamfers is
selected in Additional
marks.

Representation is set to
Symbol.

Representation is set
to Symbol with partial
profile.
You can change the
partial profile settings
Length and Offset from
middle point. In the
first example on the
right, the default values
are used. In the second
example, both the length
and the offset have been
adjusted.
Representation is set to
Bounding box.

Define automatic drawing settings 930 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 Setting Example

Representation is set to
Bounding box.

Representation is set to
Base box.

Representation is set
to Exact and Symbol
offset is set to 0.00.
Center line is selected.
Representation is set
to Exact and Symbol
offset is set to 10.00.
Center line is selected.
Hidden lines is not
selected. Hidden lines
for other parts are not
shown.

(1) Hidden lines is

selected. Part's own
hidden lines and part's
hidden lines that are
behind other parts are
drawn.
(2) Own hidden lines
is selected. Hidden lines
for the part covered by
the part itself are shown.

Define automatic drawing settings 931 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 See also
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)

Define 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in the
options tree on the left, select the view and the properties that you want
to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Neighbor part.
5. Select the desired visibility options on the Visibility tab.
• For more information, see Show neighbor parts in drawings
(page 778).
6. On the Content 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.
7. On the Appearance tab, select the color and type of the visible lines,
hidden lines, reference lines, section lines, own hidden lines, and center
lines. You can also select the bolt line color.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
XS_CENTER_LINE_TYPE overrides the center line type set in the drawing,
view, or object level properties. XS_SECTION_LINE_COLOR_RGB overrides
the section line color set in the drawing, view, or object level properties.
8. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view
properties. Then return to drawing properties by clicking Close.
9. General arrangement drawings: Click OK to return to drawing properties.
10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.
You can also change the neighbor part reference line type using the advanced
option XS_DRAWING_PART_REFERENCE_LINE_TYPE, and use the advanced
XS_DRAWING_POINT_SCALE to scale the points Tekla Structures uses to create
reference lines.

Define automatic drawing settings 932 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 See also
Define drawing parts and neighbor parts (page 927)
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)

Indicate part orientation

Part orientation marks indicate the erection direction of assemblies and cast
units. There are many ways available for indicating part orientation: by using
part marks, by including compass direction in marks, and showing orientation
marks and connecting side marks.
To check how the location of the mark is affected by mark placement settings,
the type of the leader line, predefined mark location and part orientation
settings, modeling direction of parts, and drawing protection settings, see
Mark location (page 897).

Use 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.
1. Select Drawings & reports --> Drawings properties --> Assembly
drawing .
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
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 File menu --> Settings --> Options --> Orientation marks
to have effect.
4. Click Save to save the properties and Close to close the dialog.
5. In the model, click Drawings & reports --> Numbering settings -->
Numbering settings and clear the Beam orientation and Column
orientation checkboxes.
When you do this, similar assemblies get the same number regardless of
the part orientation.
6. Go to File menu --> Settings --> 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 933 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 • 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
properties --> GA 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.
10. Create assembly (and single-part) drawings using the settings you
modified.
If you have not created a drawing earlier, the modeling direction of the
part that has the smallest id is used, except if the top-in-form face has
been defined.
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. 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.
• Also note that if you have set the advanced option
XS_UPSIDE_DOWN_TEXT_ALLOWED to TRUE, the text reading
direction indicates the part installation direction.

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:

Define automatic drawing settings 934 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 Show 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.
1. Check in which direction north is in the model by clicking File --> Settings
--> Options --> Orientation marks and checking Project north (degrees
counterclockwise from global x).
2. In the model, click Drawings & reports --> Numbering settings and
select the Column orientation checkbox.
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.

Define automatic drawing settings 935 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 Now the assembly or cast unit drawings show the face direction in the part
marks.

TIP To show compass direction in GA drawings, go to File --> Settings --> Options
--> Orientation marks and set Mark always to center of column in GA
drawings to No.

Show 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.

NOTE The orientation mark is not drawn if the part is perpendicular to the
view, for example, for columns in a plan view.

1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> Assembly
drawing.
2. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, select the view and the
properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
3. Click Part --> Content and select the Orientation marks checkbox.
4. Save the view properties and click Close.
5. Save the assembly drawing properties and click OK.
6. If needed, define which parts Tekla Structures considers to be columns,
braces or beams by setting the skew limits through File menu --> Settings
--> Options --> Orientation marks --> Skew limit .
7. 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

Define automatic drawing settings 936 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 • XS_HIDDEN_NORTH_MARK_SYMBOL
• XS_NORTH_MARK_SCALE
• XS_GA_NORTH_MARK_SYMBOL (general arrangement drawings)
• XS_GA_HIDDEN_NORTH_MARK_SYMBOL (general arrangement
drawings)
• XS_GA_NORTH_MARK_SCALE (general arrangement drawings)
8. 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.

Show 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.
Note that connecting side marks can be set from drawing view level properties
to secondary parts only (typically shear plates like shown in the example image

Define automatic drawing settings 937 Define drawing parts and neighbor parts
 below). The connecting side mark to the main part of the assembly can be set
on the object level in the drawing part properties.
1. Select Drawings & reports --> Drawings properties --> Assembly
drawing .
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click View creation in the options tree on the left, 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 checkbox.
6. Click Save to save the view properties.
7. Click Close.
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.

Define automatic drawing settings 938 Define drawing bolts

8.8 Define drawing bolts
Bolts are connecting objects that fasten parts or assemblies or attach to them.
You can change how the bolts are shown in drawings.

To Click the links below to find out

more
Change how the bolts are shown in Define automatic bolt properties in
drawings, and check representation drawings (page 939)
examples
Create user-defined bolt symbols Create customized bolt symbols
(page 941)
Check bolt properties Bolt properties in drawings
(page 1094)

Define automatic bolt properties in drawings

You can define what is shown for bolts and how the bolts are shown.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click View creation and check the Ignore bolt size setting. This setting
filters standard-sized bolts out of drawings, which means that Tekla
Structures does not display bolt marks of the defined bolt size in
drawings. This setting is available in single-part and assembly drawings.
4. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in the
options tree on the left, select the view and the properties that you want
to change, and click View properties.
5. Click Bolt.
6. 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.
For more information about user-defined bolt symbols, see Create
customized bolt symbols (page 941).
7. On the Appearance tab, select the color of the bolts.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
8. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view
properties. Then click Close to return to drawing properties.
9. General arrangement drawings: Click OK.

Define automatic drawing settings 939 Define drawing bolts

 10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

Examples of bolt representations

There are several representation options available for displaying bolts in
drawings. You can select the options from the Solid/Symbol list.
Note that there can be a difference in bolt representation depending on
whether the bolt is a workshop or site bolt, and also what kind of a symbol
has been defined in the [Link] file.

Setting Example
solid

exact solid

Symbol

Symbol2

Define automatic drawing settings 940 Define drawing bolts

 Setting Example
Symbol3 Example of a workshop bolt:

DIN symbol

See also
Define drawing bolts (page 938)
Bolt properties in drawings (page 1094)

Create customized bolt symbols

You can create your own bolt symbols in Symbol Editor 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.
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

Define automatic drawing settings 941 Define drawing bolts

 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 File --> Settings -->
Advanced options --> Marking - bolts as follows:
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, in the drawing view properties, select Bolt
--> Content --> Solid/Symbol --> User-defined symbol.

See also
Define drawing bolts (page 938)

8.9 Define hatches in drawings

You can use hatching on part faces, part sections or drawing shapes, such
as circles and polygons, to show different materials. You can also use hatch
patterns on surface treatment.
Hatch patterns are by default located in the hatch_types1.pat file in the
…\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments\common\system folder.
Hatch patterns are searched from the folders defined for the following
advanced options, in the following order: XS_PROJECT, XS_FIRM, XS_SYSTEM,
XS_INP.

Define automatic drawing settings 942 Define hatches in drawings

 You can also add hatch patterns to Tekla Structures:
• To add custom hatch patterns in the hatch_types1.pat file, see Create
custom hatch patterns (page 949).
• If you have a hatch pattern file (created in a CAD software, for example),
you can add it to Tekla Structures .pat file with a little modification, see
Adding custom fill patterns.

See also
Add hatches (fills) to parts in drawings (page 943)
Create custom hatch patterns (page 949)
Define automatic surface treatment in drawings (page 958)
Hatch pattern settings (.htc) for automatic drawing hatches (page 953)
Surface treatment hatch pattern properties ([Link]) (page 1099)
Colors in drawings (page 64)

Add hatches (fills) to parts in drawings

You can use hatches as fills in parts, neighbor parts, and cross sections in a
drawing. You can use automatic hatches or manual hatches.

Limitations
There are some limitations in the hatch background color usage:
• Background color does not work in conjunction with hardware hatches.

Define automatic drawing settings 943 Define hatches in drawings

 • 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.
You can also use fills in sketch objects (rectangles, polygons, circles). For more
information, see Draw sketch objects in drawings (page 447).
To add a fill to a part:
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in the
options tree on the left, 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 from the Type list. Select Automatic or a manual hatch
pattern.
To preview the hatches, click the ... button next to the Type list.
You can select the desired hatch by double-clicking it in the Hatches
window.

If you select Automatic, Tekla Structures uses the hatches defined in

the hatch schema file (page 953) (.htc). Each drawing type has its own
schema file.
The names of the schema files (page 953) Tekla Structures are defined in
the Hatching category of the Advanced options dialog:
XS_DRAWING_GA_HATCH_SCHEMA
XS_DRAWING_CAST_UNIT_HATCH_SCHEMA

Define automatic drawing settings 944 Define hatches in drawings

 XS_DRAWING_SINGLE_PART_HATCH_SCHEMA
XS_DRAWING_ASSEMBLY_HATCH_SCHEMA
6. Define a color for the hatch in the Color box.
You can define the color only after selecting a hatch first. You can use a
standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
7. Define a background color for the hatch in the Background box.
You can define the background color only after selecting a hatch first. You
can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64). If you select
None, the drawing background color is used as the hatch background
color.
8. In Scale, select whether to use automatic or custom scaling and rotation
for hatches.
If you select automatic scaling and rotation, Tekla Structures automatically
scales the hatch 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 ratio of x and y.
• 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. Then return to drawing properties by clicking Close.
10. General arrangement drawings: Click OK to return to drawing
properties.
11. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

NOTE If the hatches are not displayed in the drawing, check the session
history log for the following messages:
"Solid warning: Clipped part Id: XXXX was created with second fall
back and may contain overlapping volume and area."
"Solid warning: Pour Id: XXX was created with second fall back and
may contain overlapping volume and area."
Usually it is enough that you move a part or a cut a little bit,
maybe 1 mm, in any direction.

Example 1
In the example below, the following hatch options have been selected for cross
sections:

Define automatic drawing settings 945 Define hatches in drawings

 Scale: Custom
Scaling in direction x: 0.25
Scaling in direction y: 0.50
Keep ratio of x and y is selected.
Angle: 10.00

Cast-in-place and precast hatches use different automatic hatch depending on

the cast unit type. You need to select the appropriate cast unit type in the
concrete part properties.

Define automatic drawing settings 946 Define hatches in drawings

 Example 2
You can use the following fill types to represent insulation:
These hatch types can be scaled and rotated.

Hatch name Pattern

HARD_INS1

SOFT_INS

SOFT_INS2

Example 3
Below is an example of the usage of true gray shades in hatches:

Define automatic drawing settings 947 Define hatches in drawings

 The true gray shades are marked with red in the image below.

Define automatic drawing settings 948 Define hatches in drawings

 The gray scale colors (130 - 133) are also available for automatic hatches.

Some advanced options related to hatches

XS_HATCH_SCALE_LIMIT
XS_HATCH_SEGMENT_BUFFER_SIZE
XS_HATCH_PATTERN_LINE_LIMIT
XS_SET_HATCH_ORIGIN_INTO_VIEW_ORIGIN

See also
Define hatches in drawings (page 942)
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)
Hatch pattern settings (.htc) for automatic drawing hatches (page 953)

Create custom hatch patterns

You can add hatch patterns of your own manually in the hatch_types1.pat
file.

Add hatch patterns

1. Open the hatch_types1.pat file in a text editor.
The file is located by default in the …\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\system folder. Add
your own patterns in the file and save it to a folder defined in your
XS_PROJECT, XS_FIRM, XS_SYSTEM, or XS_INP folder.
For details on file location, see Define hatches in drawings (page 942).
Use the following syntax for your hatch pattern:
*pattern-name[, description]
angle, X origin, Y origin, X offset, Y offset, Dash1,
Dash2,,,DashN
2. Type the hatch pattern header line:

Define automatic drawing settings 949 Define hatches in drawings

 A pattern definition starts with a header row. This starts with an asterisk
(*) immediately followed by a name of no more than 31 characters (no
spaces allowed). The name can be followed by an optional description for
the pattern.
Syntax: *pattern-name[, description]
For example: *CHECKERED,Checkered plate
3. Type the rows for the pattern:
The rows following the header each define evenly spaced parallel lines
used to create the pattern. Only one row is required but more complex
patterns may require several rows.
angle, X origin, Y origin, X offset, Y offset, Dash1,
Dash2,,,DashN
Syntax:
0, 0.0, 0.0, 25.4, 25.4, 25.4, -25.4
90, 12.7, 12.7, 25.4, 25.4, 25.4, -25.4
See the example below for what this pattern looks like.
4. Save the .pat file.
Save the file to a folder defined in your XS_PROJECT, XS_FIRM, XS_SYSTEM,
or XS_INP folder.
A pattern with the defined header will appear in Tekla Structures in the fill
type lists in drawing object properties.
When you add the hatch in a drawing object, it is inserted at a particular
point (the pattern origin), which will be a point on the boundary of the
fill area. The area inside the boundary is then filled by infinitely repeating
the lines defined in each row of the pattern definition along the local X
and Y axes of the line. Each row in the definition can define a line with
different local X and Y axes and different starting points relative to the
pattern origin. In this way, a pattern can be developed consisting of any
number of lines drawn in any direction.

Example of a custom hatch in a drawing polygon

This example describes how to apply the CHECKERED pattern in a drawing
polygon.
The pattern is defined as follows:
*CHECKERED,Checkered plate
0, 0.0, 0.0, 25.4, 25.4, 25.4, -25.4
90, 12.7, 12.7, 25.4, 25.4, 25.4, -25.4
1. In Tekla Structures, create a polygon in a drawing.
The first point of the polygon will be the origin of the hatch pattern.

Define automatic drawing settings 950 Define hatches in drawings

 2. Double-click the polygon to open its properties.
3. Select CHECKERED as the fill type.
4. Set the scale in X and Y to 1 and the angle to 0.
5. Click Modify to apply the pattern.
The vertex surrounded by a red circle is the first point of the polygon and
hence the pattern origin.

• Consider the first line of the pattern definition:

0, 0.0, 0.0, 25.4, 25.4, 25.4, -25.4
• The 2nd and 3rd values define the X origin and Y origin. In this case,
both are 0, so this line starts at the pattern origin. The angle is 0, so the
line is oriented along its X axis. Since we have set the angle of the fill to
0 in polygon properties, this also corresponds to the global X axis of the
drawing.
• The 4th and 5th values (X offset and Y offset respectively) determine
where copies of the line are placed. The first copy of the line will start
25.4 units in X and 25.4 units in Y from the origin. This is illustrated by
the image below, where the black arrows represent the displacement

Define automatic drawing settings 951 Define hatches in drawings

 from one line to the next, and the blue and red arrows represent the X
and Y components of this displacement.

• The 6th and 7th values are optional. If a line definition contains only
5 values, the line is a continuous line with no gaps. Dashed lines are
created by adding pairs of positive and negative values. The positive
values represent the length of the displayed sections of the line, and the
negative values represent the length of the hidden sections. In this case,
the line consists of a line segment of 25.4 units followed by a space of
25.4 units.
This is illustrated in the following image:

Define automatic drawing settings 952 Define hatches in drawings

 • The second line is rotated by 90 degrees, so it is running away from the
pattern origin along the global Y axis of the drawing.
90, 12.7, 12.7, 25.4, 25.4, 25.4, -25.4
Its X origin is 12.7 and its Y origin is 12.7. This is illustrated in the following
image:

Hatch pattern settings (.htc) for automatic drawing hatches

The hatch patterns for material types and names in drawings are defined
in a hatch schema file .htc. Different drawing types (general arrangement,
assembly, single-part, and cast unit drawings) have their own schema files.

The hatch patterns defined in schema files are used when you set Type to
Automatic in the Fill section in the part or shape properties.
Hatch schema file name and location
The name of the schema file Tekla Structures uses for each drawing type is
defined in the Hatching category of the Advanced options dialog:
• XS_DRAWING_GA_HATCH_SCHEMA=[Link]
• XS_DRAWING_ASSEMBLY_HATCH_SCHEMA=[Link]
• XS_DRAWING_SINGLE_PART_HATCH_SCHEMA=[Link]
• XS_DRAWING_CAST_UNIT_HATCH_SCHEMA=cast_unit.htc

Define automatic drawing settings 953 Define hatches in drawings

 The default schema files are located in the ..\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\system folder. The
environment-specific schema files are located under the environments. The
exact file location may vary depending on the folder structure of you
environment files.
If you modify the hatch files and you want to used the modified settings file in
the current model only, save them to the model folder. If you want to use the
settings in all models, save the modified settings file in the firm folder.
Schema file syntax
Material type, Cast unit type, Material name, Hatch name,
Scale, Color, Automatic scaling and rotation
Examples:
CONCRETE,,hardware_SOLID,,130 (gray shade)
CONCRETE,Precast,C25/30,CONC,0.3,1 ("traditional" concrete Precast)
CONCRETE,CIP,C25/30,CONCRE,0.3,1 ("traditional" concrete CIP)
CONCRETE,,CROSS,2,1 (small crosses)
MISCELLANEOUS,Insulation,HARD_INS1,1,,1 (straight lines)
MISCELLANEOUS,Insulation,SOFT_INS,1,,1 (rounded lines)
MISCELLANEOUS,Insulation,SOFT_INS2,1,,1 (completely round)

Option Description
Material type STEEL, CONCRETE, TIMBER,
MISCELLANEOUS (case sensitive)
Cast unit type Precast or CIP. You also need to
define the cast unit type for concrete
parts in part properties.
Material name The material name defined for the
part in part properties in the model.
The character limit for the material
name is 32 characters.
Hatch name To check the hatch pattern names
and related hatch patterns, do the
following, for example: Go to the
Fill tab in view-level Part properties
and click the ... button next to the
Type list. Then click a pattern to
see its name in the Type list. The
selected hatch pattern is marked with

Define automatic drawing settings 954 Define hatches in drawings

 Option Description
a red frame. Hatch names are case
sensitive.

If you do not want to use any hatch

pattern for a material, leave the hatch
name field blank in the schema file.
Color You can enter a single color index
value (such as 160 for the standard
Tekla Structures red color) or a
specific custom RGB color. To specify
a custom color, enter the HEX value of
the color. For example, for a specific
shade of green, enter 0x00DC32.
Legacy Tekla Structures index colors:
BLACK: 0 (default)
WHITE: 1
RED: 2
GREEN: 3
BLUE: 4
CYAN: 5
YELLOW: 6
MAGENTA: 7
Standard Tekla Structures index
colors:
INVISIBLE: 152
BLACK: 153
RED: 160
GREEN: 161
BLUE: 162
CYAN: 163
YELLOW: 164
MAGENTA: 165
BROWN: 154

Define automatic drawing settings 955 Define hatches in drawings

 Option Description
DARK GREEN: 155
DARK BLUE: 156
DARK CYAN: 157
ORANGE: 158
GRAY: 159
GRAYSCALE 1: 130
GRAYSCALE 2: 131
GRAYSCALE 3: 132
GRAYSCALE 4: 133
NOTE: 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).
Scale Scale is a numeric value that Tekla
Structures uses to scale hatches.
Automatic scaling and Automatic scaling and rotation
rotation defines whether you want to use
automatic scaling and rotation.
TRUE: 1
FALSE: 0 (default)
Automatic scaling and rotation
requires additional processing, so use
it only when necessary.

Example of the cast_unit.htc file:

/**************************************/
/* Tekla Structures hatch schema file */
/**************************************/

/
**************************************************************************
****************************

Purpose
-------
This file is used to define the hatch patterns for different
materials for
Tekla Structures automatic hatching functionality. These settings
will be used
when the hatching option is set to "Automatic" in the drawing.

Syntax
-------
Material Type, Cast unit type, Material Name, Hatch name, Scale,
Color, Automatic scaling and rotation

Define automatic drawing settings 956 Define hatches in drawings

 Available options
-----------------
Material Type:
STEEL
CONCRETE
TIMBER
MISCELLANEOUS

Cast unit type:

CIP
Precast

Colors:
BLACK 0 (default)
WHITE 1
RED 2
GREEN 3
BLUE 4
CYAN 5
YELLOW 6
MAGENTA 7
GRAYSCALE 1 130
GRAYSCALE 2 131
GRAYSCALE 3 132
GRAYSCALE 4 133
INVISIBLE: 152
BLACK: 153
RED: 160
GREEN: 161
BLUE: 162
CYAN: 163
YELLOW: 164
MAGENTA: 165
BROWN: 154
DARK GREEN: 155
DARK BLUE: 156
DARK CYAN: 157
ORANGE: 158
GRAY: 159
GRAYSCALE 1: 130
GRAYSCALE 2: 131
GRAYSCALE 3: 132
GRAYSCALE 4: 133
- To use an RGB color, enter the HEX value of the color. For example,
for a specific
shade of green, enter 0x00DC32.

Automatic scaling and rotation:

TRUE 1
FALSE 0 (default)

Instructions for use

--------------------
- material and hatch names are case sensitive
- automatic scaling and rotation option requires additional
processing, so use it only when necessary

Examples
--------
CONCRETE,,hardware_SOLID,,130 (gray shade)
CONCRETE,Precast,C25/30,CONC,0.3,1 ("traditional" concrete
Precast)
CONCRETE,CIP,C25/30,CONCRE,0.3,1 ("traditional" concrete
CIP)
CONCRETE,,CROSS,2,1 (small crosses)
MISCELLANEOUS,Insulation,HARD_INS1,1,,1 (straight lines)

Define automatic drawing settings 957 Define hatches in drawings

 MISCELLANEOUS,Insulation,SOFT_INS,1,,1 (rounded lines)
MISCELLANEOUS,Insulation,SOFT_INS2,1,,1 (completely round)

**************************************************************************
****************************/

See also
Add hatches (fills) to parts in drawings (page 943)
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)

8.10 Define drawing surface treatment

You can add various types of surface treatment to steel and concrete parts in
the Tekla Structures model and show them in drawings.

The properties of the hatch patterns to use for each surface treatment type
are defined in the [Link] 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
Define automatic surface treatment in drawings (page 958)
Surface treatment properties in drawings (page 1097)
Surface treatment hatch pattern properties ([Link]) (page 1099)

Define automatic drawing settings 958 Define drawing surface treatment

 Define 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 surface treatment
properties in the model, and on the hatch properties defined in the surface
treatment hatch pattern properties file [Link].
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in the
options tree on the left, select the view and the properties that you want
to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Surface treatment.
5. On the Content 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.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
7. General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
8. Click Surface treatment mark, add the elements that you want to
include in the mark and adjust the appearance of the mark as required.
9. Do one of the following depending on the drawing type:
• Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the
view properties. Then click Close to return to drawing properties.
• General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
10. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

See also
Surface treatment properties in drawings (page 1097)
Surface treatment hatch pattern properties ([Link]) (page 1099)
Define hatches in drawings (page 942)

Define automatic drawing settings 959 Define drawing welds

8.11 Define drawing welds
You can define automatic weld settings to be used in a drawing before you
create a drawing. You can modify the settings in an open drawing after you
have created the drawing.
Before creating a single-part drawing or an assembly drawing, you can define
the representation, visibility and appearance properties (page 1121) for the
model welds. For general arrangement drawings, representation settings can
only be defined on view and object level, not on drawing level.

See also
Define automatic model weld properties in drawings (page 960)
Show welds in drawings (page 552)

Define automatic model weld properties in drawings

You can define what the model welds look like in your drawings before you
create the drawing.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part and assembly drawings: Click View creation in the options
tree on the left, select the view and the properties that you want to
change, and click View properties.
4. Click Weld.
5. On the Content tab, define the visibility settings:
• In Welds and Welds in sub-assemblies, select Not visible, Site weld
visible, Workshop weld visible, or Both visible.
• In Weld size limit, enter a weld size to filter out welds of that size and
smaller.
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.
Note that you can also set the Weld size limit for all views in the
drawing at one go at the bottom of the View creation page in
assembly and single-part drawing properties (page 984).

Define automatic drawing settings 960 Define drawing welds

 • In Representation, select Outline or Path, and enable Hidden lines
and Own hidden lines, if required.
6. On the Appearance tab, modify the color and line as required.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
7. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view
properties. Then click Close to return to drawing properties.
8. General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the
drawing.

See also
Model weld properties in drawings (page 1121)
Model weld mark properties in drawings (page 1079)

8.12 Define drawing pours

You can define automatic pour object settings to be used in a drawing before
you create a drawing. You can modify the pour settings in an open drawing
after you have created the drawing.
You can select whether to show pours and pour breaks in drawings, define the
desired pour object and pour break content and appearance. For pour objects,
you can also define the desired fill. Additionally, you can add automatic pour
object marks in your drawings.
You can change these settings also in an open drawing.
For more information, see Show pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in
drawings (page 961).

See also
Show pours in drawings (page 548)
Pour object and pour break properties in drawings (page 1114)
Add hatches (fills) to parts in drawings (page 943)

Show pour objects, pour marks and pour breaks in

drawings
You can show pour objects and pour breaks in general arrangement drawings.
You can also add automatic pour object marks.

Define automatic drawing settings 961 Define drawing pours

 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. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> GA
drawing .
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. In the properties dialog, click the View... button and set Show pours in
drawing to Yes, and click OK.
4. Click the Pour object... button to 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.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
• 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 whether you want to show 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. You can use a standard
color or a custom RGB color (page 64).
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
Show pours in drawings (page 548)

Define automatic drawing settings 962 Define drawing pours

 Pour object and pour break properties in drawings (page 1114)
Add hatches (fills) to parts in drawings (page 943)

8.13 Define drawing reinforcement and meshes

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, you can also
modify the bending schedules, rounding of bar dimensions, symbols in use,
and reinforcement appearance in the rebar_config.inp settings file.
Click the links below to find out more:
Define automatic reinforcement and reinforcement mesh properties
(page 963)
Automatic grouping of rebar sets (page 967)

See also
Reinforcement object properties in drawings (page 1100)
Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp) (page 1107)
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)
Add dimensions to reinforcement manually (page 263)
Add reinforcement marks manually in drawings (page 349)
Add pull-out pictures in rebar marks (page 921)

Define 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in the
options tree on the left, select the view and the properties that you want
to change, and click View properties.
4. Click Reinforcement (or Neighbor reinforcement).

Define automatic drawing settings 963 Define drawing reinforcement and meshes
 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. You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color
(page 64).
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. You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color
(page 64).
9. On the Rebar assembly tab, set the visibility of the rebar assemblies,
rebar assembly representation, the color and type of the visible lines, and
select the mesh symbol settings. You can use a standard color or a custom
RGB color (page 64).
10. General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
11. Click Reinforcement mark (or Neighbor reinforcement mark), add
the elements that you want to have in the mark and adjust the mark
appearance.
12. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view
properties. Then click Close to return to drawing properties.
13. General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
14. 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 can be changed. You can customize reinforcing bar
bent symbols (cross, circle, filled circle) by editing the symbol
file [Link], which in the default environment is located in
the folder ..\ProgramData\Trimble\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 (page 1107) by entering the following string in the file:
BentSymbolFile=my_new_symbols.sym
• If you wish to show embeds while hiding reinforcement, use the
XS_HIDDEN_LINES_UNHIDE_EMBEDDED advanced option.

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.

Define automatic drawing settings 964 Define drawing reinforcement and meshes
 Setting Example
single line

single line with filled ends

double lines

double lines with filled ends

filled line

stick

outline

Example: Hide 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 965 Define drawing reinforcement and meshes
 Setting Example
Hide lines behind parts is selected.
The reinforcing bar lines are hidden
behind other parts. In the image, the
hidden bar lines and shown dashed.

Hide lines behind other rebars is

selected. The reinforcing bar lines are
hidden behind other reinforcing bar
lines. In the image, the hidden bar
lines and shown dashed.

Example: Rebar assembly representation

Here are some examples of what rebar assemblies look like with different
settings selected on the Rebar assembly tab in Reinforcement or Neighbor
reinforcement properties.

Outline is selected. All sub-

assemblies of the rebar assembly are
shown as outline boxes.

Define automatic drawing settings 966 Define drawing reinforcement and meshes
 As individual rebar objects is
selected. All rebar objects in the
rebar assembly and sub-assemblies
are visible.

Sub-assemblies as outline, highest

level as individual rebar objects
is selected. All sub-assemblies are
shown as outline boxes and the
highest level of the rebar assembly is
shown as individual rebar objects.

See also
Reinforcement object properties in drawings (page 1100)
Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp) (page 1107)
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)
Define drawing reinforcement and meshes (page 963)

Automatic grouping of rebar sets for drawings

The reinforcing bars created by using the rebar set commands are
automatically grouped for drawing marking and dimensioning purposes. The
automatic grouping works both for simple, non-tapered groups as well as for
tapered groups.
Note that the automatic grouping of rebar set bars takes cast units into
consideration. If a cast unit consists of multiple parts, the bars are grouped
within the cast unit instead of the parts.

Preconditions for rebar group creation

Simple, non-tapered groups are created when:
• Bars are created by the same rebar set

Define automatic drawing settings 967 Define drawing reinforcement and meshes
 • Bars are side by side, placed radially, or parallel and distributed along a
curve
• Bars have identical properties, including length
• Bars have the same position number
Linearly tapered bars are grouped when:
• Bars are created by the same rebar set
• Bars have identical properties, except length
• Length of bars increases linearly
• Distance between each bar end and the tapering
line is less than or equal to the value set by
XS_REBARSET_TAPERED_LINEAR_GROUPING_TOLERANCE for the model, or
by the Tapered linear tolerance user-defined attribute for a rebar set or
property modifier.
• There are minimum of 3 bars in a group
Bars that are tapered along a curve are grouped when:
• Bars are created by the same rebar set
• Bars have identical properties, except length
• Length of bars increases by following the curve
• Distance between each bar end and the curve is less than or equal to the
value set by XS_REBARSET_TAPERED_CURVED_GROUPING_TOLERANCE for
the model, or by the Tapered curved tolerance user-defined attribute for
a rebar set or property modifier.
Spacing of bars is taken into account in grouping if the advanced option XS_
REBARSET_ENABLE_BAR_GROUPING_WHEN_SPACING_DIFFERS is set to FALSE.
Then only bars with same spacing are grouped, and each spacing zone of a
rebar set automatically creates a separate group. If the advanced option is set
to TRUE, spacing is ignored, and groups can contain bars from more than one
adjacent spacing zones.

Work with rebar set groups in drawings

Automatically created groups behave in the drawing similarly as the rebar
groups:
• There is only one mark for the rebar group, and the reinforcement mark
content comes from the content setting Group in Reinforcement mark
properties.
Note that if XS_REBARSET_USE_GROUP_NUMBER_FOR_BARS_IN_TAPERED_
GROUPS is set to FALSE, bars in tapered bar groups within rebar sets
do not have a common position number (GROUP_POS), so position
information is not included in reinforcement marks.

Define automatic drawing settings 968 Define drawing reinforcement and meshes
 • You can adjust the rebar visibility (page 1100) in Reinforcement
properties. For example, you can select to show bar in the middle of
group.
• You can use the following rebar-group-specific interactive dimensioning
commands (page 263) for rebar groups:
• Add mark --> Dimension mark in context menu.
• Add rebar dimension mark in Quick Launch.
• Associative notes (page 375) can be created.
Below is an example of an automatically created rebar group in a drawing. The
drawing uses rebar group visibility option bar in the middle of group, and
reinforcement mark option One leader line to group, and the dimensions
have been created with the command Add mark --> Dimension mark .

TIP If you want to fine-tune the automatic grouping, you can manually group and
ungroup rebar set bars by using property modifiers.
Create a property modifier for the bars that you want to group, and in the Rebar
property modifier properties, set Grouping to Manual.
If you need to ungroup automatically or manually grouped bars, create a
property modifier with Grouping set to No grouping.

8.14 Define drawing grids

You can show grids in all types of drawings. You can change the appearance
and visibility of the labels, label frames, and grid lines.

Define automatic drawing settings 969 Define drawing grids

 See also
Show grids in drawings (page 577)
Define automatic grid properties (page 970)
Drawing grid and grid line properties (page 1127)

Define automatic drawing settings 970 Define drawing grids

 Define 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.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation in the
options tree on the left, 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 and click Close.
General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
7. 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
Drawing grid and grid line properties (page 1127)

8.15 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 and decimal settings for various mark elements. You can use

Define automatic drawing settings 971 Units and decimals in drawings, reports and
templates
 contentattributes_userdefined.lst when you want to configure
settings of your own.

• 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 and dimension tags: Default unit settings
for dimensions and dimension tags are defined in the Options dialog on
the Drawing dimensions page.
• Level attributes in marks, such as TOP_LEVEL, and BOTTOM_LEVEL take
the dimension format from the [Link] file. For more
information about level attributes in part marks, see Add level attributes in
automatic part marks (page 909).
• Unit settings for reports/templates created with Template Editor:
Unit settings for reports and templates created in Template Editor can
be defined in the Value Field Properties dialog Format area or in
format functions. The default unit and decimal settings are taken from the
contentattributes_global.lst attributes file.
Format area:

Formula containing a format function:

Define automatic drawing settings 972 Units and decimals in drawings, reports and
templates
8.16 User-defined attributes in drawings
Many Tekla Structures dialogs contain user-defined attributes for various
objects. When you define a new user-defined attribute, make the definition
of the user-defined attribute unique. This is because a user-defined attribute
cannot have different definitions for different object types. In drawings, the
user-defined attributes can be used in templates, Document manager, and
marks, for example.

The user-defined attributes in the drawing are displayed when you click User-
defined attributes in drawing properties.
When you define new user-defined attributes
When you define new user-defined (page 974) attributes, you need to create
your own file in the company, project or firm folder. After adding your own
user-defined attributes, you need to use the Diagnose and change attribute
definitions tool to update the definitions in the model. The [Link] 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 [Link] files, the attribute from the first read
[Link] file will be used.
Tekla Structures reads the [Link] 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
Show user-defined attributes in Template Editor
In order to show the new user-defined attribute in Template
Editor, you need to add the user-defined attribute in a customized
contentattributes_userdefined.lst file and include the name of the
customized file in the [Link] file.
Make a copy of these modified files as the Tekla Structures installation always
overwrites these files.

See also
Add attributes in automatic marks (page 908)

Define automatic drawing settings 973 User-defined attributes in drawings

 Document manager (page 616)
Customize print file names (page 689)
Modify automatic user-defined drawing attributes (page 974)

Modify automatic user-defined drawing attributes

You can modify the user-defined attributes before you create a drawing. The
drawing UDAs may vary according to the environment.
1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
2. Load drawing properties that are as close to the ones you need as
possible.
3. Click User-defined attributes.
4. On the Workflow tab, enter project-specific information to be displayed in
drawings and in the Document manager.
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 block tab (general arrangement drawings), specify company,
project, and drawing information to be used in the title block of the
drawing.
8. General arrangement drawings: Click OK.
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 Document manager 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
Create a new user-defined drawing attribute (page 974)

Create a new user-defined drawing attribute

If you want to add a new line in the user-defined drawing attributes dialog in
drawings and a new column in Document manager, you need to create your
own [Link] and add a new user-defined attribute there. You also need

Define automatic drawing settings 974 User-defined attributes in drawings

 to do this if you want the user-defined attribute to be available in Template
Editor.

Before you start, close Tekla Structures.

1. Open the [Link] file located
by default in ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\inp.
2. Save the [Link] file in your model, project or firm folder.
3. Delete all user-defined attribute definitions from the [Link] 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 Document manager and in the
user-defined attributes dialog, set status_flag to yes.

6. Define the drawing types where you want to use the new tab containing
the new user-defined attribute.

Define automatic drawing settings 975 User-defined attributes in drawings

 7. Save and close the file.
8. Update the definitions of the user-defined attributes:
a. On the File menu, click Diagnose & repair --> Diagnose and change
attribute definitions .
The Diagnose and change attribute definitions dialog is displayed.

b. If there are conflicts between your [Link] and the default

[Link], select the definition in the area on the right and click
Change current settings to selected [Link] settings.
The definition of the user-defined attribute is updated in the model.
9. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type.
In this example, select GA drawing.
10. Click User-defined attributes...

Define automatic drawing settings 976 User-defined attributes in drawings

 The user-defined drawing attributes dialog of the general arrangement
drawing shows the tab you created.

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 Document manager and select User-
defined attribute .
14. Go to the new tab (My tab) and enter the needed information (the
designer name in the Designed By box).
15. Click Modify and close the dialog.
Document manager contains a column for the new user-defined
attribute, and the name of the designer is displayed:

See also
User-defined attributes in drawings (page 973)

8.17 Define customized line types in [Link]

You can define your own line types, and use them wherever line
type settings are available. The customized line types are handled the

Define automatic drawing settings 977 Define customized line types in

[Link]
 same way as other line types. The customized line types are defined
in the [Link] file in ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\inp. By default, the most
widely used line types are available in the file.
1. Open the [Link] file.
2. 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.
3. Define the length of a dash (-) using positive numbers.
4. Define the length of a space ( ) using negative numbers.
5. 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.
6. After you have defined the line type pattern, press Enter.

The [Link] 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 [Link] also in mapping the exported line types.

NOTE If you add new customized line types, you need to add corresponding
bitmaps to the appropriate \Bitmaps folder, for example, in
the ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla Structures\<version>\Bitmaps
folder, and name them dr_line_type_*.bmp, for example
dr_line_type_CENTER.bmp.

Example 1
Line type definition for DASHDOT is A, 12.7, -6.35, 0, -6.35
This string 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.

Define automatic drawing settings 978 Define customized line types in

[Link]
 Example 2
Below is an example containing definitions for dotted lines:
*DOT,Dot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A, 0, -1.5875
*DOT2,Dot (.5x) ........................................
A, 0, -0.79375
*DOTX2,Dot (2x) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A, 0, -3.175

Printed line types

Printing will look for the line type files in the model folder, and in the locations
specified by the advanced options XS_PROJECT, XS_FIRM, XS_SYSTEM and
XS_INP, in that order.

See also
Drawing sketch object properties (page 1124)

Define automatic drawing settings 979 Define customized line types in

[Link]
9 Drawing settings

There are a lot of settings in Tekla Structures that you mainly control in the
properties dialogs. There are also some additional settings files that you need
to modify in a text editor.
Click the links below to find out more:
• General arrangement drawing properties (page 981)
• Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing properties (page 984)
• Layout properties (page 988)
• View properties in drawings (page 990)
• Section view properties (page 1008)
• Dimension and dimensioning properties in drawings (page 1010)
• Mark properties in drawings (page 1053)
• Mark elements in drawing marks (page 1063)
• Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)
• Bolt properties in drawings (page 1094)
• Surface treatment properties in drawings (page 1097)
• Reinforcement object properties in drawings (page 1100)
• Pour object and pour break properties in drawings (page 1114)
• Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp) (page 1107)
• Placement properties for marks, notes, dimensions, texts, and symbols in
drawings (page 1118)
• Model weld properties in drawings (page 1121)
• Drawing sketch object properties (page 1124)
• Drawing grid and grid line properties (page 1127)
• Settings in the Options dialog: The Options dialog contains some settings
for controlling drawings.

Drawing settings 980

9.1 General arrangement drawing properties
On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> GA drawing .
You can modify the properties after creating the drawing by double-clicking
the drawing background.

For more information about creating and modifying general arrangement

drawings, click the links below:
Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings (page 17)
Create general arrangement drawings (page 121)
Create general arrangement drawings using saved settings in Master drawing
catalog (page 166)
The settings and options in the general arrangement drawing properties are
described below.

Setting Description For more information

Name The name of the drawing. Modify drawing names and
This name is shown in titles (page 209)
Document manager, and can
be included in drawing and
report templates.
The maximum length of
the drawing name is 32
characters.
Title 1, Title Titles are shown in the Modify drawing names and
2, Title 3 Document manager, and can titles (page 209)
be included in drawing and
report templates.
Use detailed Set to Yes to use the detailed Detailed object level settings
object level object level settings created in (page 95)
settings the Object level settings for
drawing dialog. To manage
detailed object level settings,
click Edit.
Layout... Select the drawing layout and Define drawing layout
define drawing sizes. You
Define drawing size and
can also select whether you
drawing view scale (page 746)
want to list hidden objects in
templates.
To open Drawing layout
editor, click Edit.
View... Define view properties, such View properties in drawings
as scale, neighbor part view (page 990)
extension, reflected view,

Drawing settings 981 General arrangement drawing properties

 Setting Description For more information
opening and recess symbol,
datum point elevation, part
shortening, view label, and
anchor bolt plan settings.
Detail view... Define detail view properties, Create drawing views
such as view label, detail (page 224)
boundary and detail mark
settings.
Section view Define the start number or Create drawing views
letter for the section view and (page 224)
symbol label for the section
views that you will manually
add to the GA drawing.
Dimension... Define dimension properties: Dimension properties
dimension type, units,
precision, format, placing, and
appearance.
Dimensionin Define grid dimensioning and General arrangement drawing
g... part dimensioning settings. dimensioning properties
(page 1051)
Part mark... Define mark properties, Mark properties in drawings
such as included elements (page 1053)
Bolt mark...
and element settings, mark
Model weld mark properties
Neighbor visibility, mark frame, mark
in drawings (page 1079)
part mark... leader line, and placing
settings. Mark elements (page 1063)
Surface
treatment Show pours in drawings
mark... (page 548)
Weld mark...
Reinforceme
nt marks...
Neighbor
reinforcemen
t marks...
Connection
mark...
Pour object
mark...
Part... Define part properties: part Part and neighbor part
representation, hidden line, properties in drawings
center line and reference (page 1087)
line visibility, additional mark

Drawing settings 982 General arrangement drawing properties

 Setting Description For more information
visibility, part appearance,
and fill settings.
Bolt... Define bolt properties: bolt Bolt properties in drawings
representation, bolt symbol (page 1094)
content, bolt visibility, and
bolt appearance settings.
Neighbor Define neighbor part Part and neighbor part
part... properties: visibility, part properties in drawings
representation, hidden line, (page 1087)
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 properties
treatment... properties: surface treatment in drawings (page 1097)
visibility, pattern visibility,
hidden lines visibility
and surface treatment
representation settings.
Weld... Define welding properties: Model weld properties in
weld visibility, weld size drawings (page 1121)
limit and weld appearance
settings.
Reinforceme Define reinforcement and Reinforcement object
nt... mesh properties: bar and properties in drawings
mesh representation and (page 1100)
visibility, bar and mesh
symbol, and bar and mesh
appearance settings.
Neighbor Define neighbor Reinforcement object
reinforcemen reinforcement and mesh properties in drawings
t... properties: bar and mesh (page 1100)
representation and visibility,
bar and mesh symbol, and
bar and mesh appearance
settings.
Reference Define reference object Show reference objects in
objects... visibility and appearance drawings (page 590)
settings.

Drawing settings 983 General arrangement drawing properties

 Setting Description For more information
Grid... Define grid visibility and Drawing grid and grid line
appearance settings. properties (page 1127)
Customize drawing grid labels
(page 579)
Pour Define pour break visibility Pour break properties
breaks... and appearance settings (page 1114)
Pour object... Define pour object visibility Pour object properties
and appearance settings. (page 1114)
Protection... Define protected areas to Protect areas in drawings
prevent text, marks, or (page 752)
dimensions from being placed
in these areas.
Filter... and Create and modify part filters Create new filters
Neighbor or neighbor part filters on the
part filter... drawing level.
User-defined Add customized information User-defined attributes in
attributes... to a drawing, such as drawings (page 973)
information related to
workflow, and comments.
This information can be
displayed in Document
manager, and you can use
it in report and drawing
templates and marks, and as
switches when customizing
print file names.
The user-defined attributes
and tabs shown in this
dialog are defined in the
[Link] file.
The availability of
the various user-defined
attributes depends on your
environment, configuration,
and role.

Drawing settings 984 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing

properties
9.2 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing
properties
On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type. You can modify the properties after creating the drawing by
double-clicking the drawing background.

For more information about creating single-part, assembly, and cast unit
drawings, click the links below:
Quick start to Tekla Structures drawings (page 17)
Create fabrication drawings (page 122)
The settings and options in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing
properties are described below.

Setting Description For more information

Name Define the name of the Modify drawing names and
drawing that is shown in titles (page 209)
the Document manager,
and that can be included
in drawing and report
templates.
The maximum length of
the drawing name is 32
characters.
Cast unit This setting is available for
definition cast unit drawings only.
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 GUID.
You can create drawings by
using the cast unit GUIDs.
The GUID determines the
marking of the drawing. You
can create several drawings
from identical cast units.
Title 1, Title Define titles that are shown Modify drawing names and
2, Title 3 in Document manager. titles (page 209)

Drawing settings 985 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing

properties
 Setting Description For more information
The titles can be included
in drawing and report
templates.
Sheet Used for creating several Create multiple drawing
number drawings of the same part sheets of the same part
as multiple drawing sheets. (page 203)
The number of sheets is not
limited.
Layout Select the drawing layout, Define drawing layout
and define drawing sizes,
Define drawing size and
autoscale, projection type,
drawing view scale (page 746)
view alignment and part
expansion settings. You can
also select whether you want
to list hidden objects in
templates.
To open Drawing layout
editor, click Edit.
View Define the drawing views to View properties in drawings
creation be created. From here you (page 990)
can move on to modifying the
Define the views to create
view properties for each view.
(page 762)
Here you can also define
Common settings for all
views:
• Weld mark visible
controls the visibility of
model weld marks in
assembly drawings. The
options are:
• In one view:
Tekla Structures
automatically finds the
most relevant view for
showing the model
weld marks. Every weld
mark is shown in a
drawing in one view
only.
• In all views: Tekla
Structures adds the
model weld marks in
all drawing views that

Drawing settings 986 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing

properties
 Setting Description For more information
contain the part with
the weld.
• Ignore bolt size filters
standard-sized bolts out
of drawings, which means
that Tekla Structures does
not display bolt marks of
the defined bolt size in
drawings. This setting is
available in single-part and
assembly drawings.
• Weld size limit filters
welds and weld marks of
the defined weld size and
smaller out of the drawing.
This setting is available in
single-part and assembly
drawings.
Section view Define section view Create views in drawings
properties. (page 224)
Section view properties
(page 1008)
Add and modify section
marks in drawings (page 391)
Detail view Define the start number or Create views in drawings
letter of the detail view and (page 224)
detail symbol label.
Add and modify detail marks
in drawings (page 396)
User-defined Add customized information User-defined attributes in
attributes to a drawing, such as drawings (page 973)
information related to
workflow, and comments.
This information can be
displayed in the Document
manager, and you can use
it in report and drawing
templates and marks, and as
switches when customizing
print file names.
The user-defined attributes
and tabs shown in this

Drawing settings 987 Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawing

properties
 Setting Description For more information
dialog are defined in the
[Link] file.
The availability of
the various user-defined
attributes depends on your
environment, role and
configuration.

9.3 Layout properties

On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties 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 dialogs are described below. All
the described options are not available for all drawing types.

Option Description
Drawing size tab
Layout Define the layout that you want to use.
Edit Open the Drawing layout editor to customize
drawing layouts.
List hidden objects in Select Yes to list hidden objects in templates. No
templates removes all 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 sets 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.
Drawing size If you selected Specified size, define the drawing
size here.
Scale tab
Autoscale Set Autoscale to Yes to let Tekla Structures
automatically select the suitable scale for the
drawing view.

Drawing settings 988 Layout properties

 Option Description
Main view scales When you use autoscaling, enter the denominators
of main view and section view scales and separate
Section view scales
them with spaces.
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 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 Set to Yes to place the views next to the main view.
with main view
If you select No, Tekla Structures places the section
Align end views with and end views in any available location.
main view
Expand shortened Set to Yes to stretch shortened views to fill up
parts to fit empty areas 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.

Drawing settings 989 Layout properties

 Option Description
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
Define drawing size and drawing view scale (page 746)
Define drawing layout (page 723)
Set drawing view projection type (page 767)
Define automatic section view properties (page 791)
Shorten or lengthen parts (page 782)
Include single-part drawings in assembly drawings (page 769)

9.4 View properties in drawings

In drawing view properties, you can check and modify the view properties.
All drawing view properties are described here. The view properties shown in
the drawing property pane differ to some extent from the view properties that
you open through the drawing properties dialogs or drawing ribbon, and the
properties may be named differently.

View properties in property pane

You can use the view properties in the property pane to quickly modify the
properties for the views you have selected in an open drawing or for the views
that you are going to create using the commands on the Views tab, or to load
predefined view properties, for example.
To open drawing view properties in the drawing property pane:
• In an open drawing, click a drawing view frame. If the drawing property
pane is not open, double-click the view frame. Double-clicking the frame
also opens the view properties dialog, which has more properties available.
• In the drawing property pane object list, select View.
All the view properties that are available in the drawing property pane are
described below.
For more information about drawing properties on different levels, see
Different levels of setting up and modifying drawing properties (page 83).

Setting Description
Save, load and search properties
in property pane

Drawing settings 990 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
• To load existing properties, select the
properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties, click
. You can also save the properties
with another name.
• To search for a property, start typing the
property name.
Size and placing
Scale Set the view scale.
Size Fit by parts: Tekla Structures fits the view
contents in the drawing view frame without
leaving any unnecessary space.
Define as distances: Depth down/Depth
up defines the view size along the x and
y axes of the view. X min / X max and Y
min / Y max define the depth of the view
relative to and perpendicular to the view
plane.
View extension for neighbor Enter a value by which to extend the view
parts so that neighbor parts are shown.
For more information, see Show neighbor
parts in drawings (page 778).
Reflected view Display load bearing structures, such as
columns and beams on a lower floor.
If you select this option, structures are
displayed with a continuous line, and if you
do not select this option, structures are
displayed with a dashed line.
Rotation around X or Y Modify the view angle of 3D views. Enter
the values for the angles in Y and X
directions. Rotation in a drawing view is
around the local axis. Value 0.0 for both
equals the front view.
Place Set the placing for the drawing view to be
fixed or free:
• Fixed: Maintain the views in the same
location during updates.

Drawing settings 991 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
• Free: Let Tekla Structures find a suitable
place for the view during updates.
For more information, see "Define
automatic free or fixed placement for
drawing views" (page 759).
Part representation
Cut parts If parts are very long and do not include
any details, you can shorten them.
Yes activates shortening. You can also
select to cut Only in x direction or Only
in y direction.
For more information, see "Shorten parts in
drawing views" (page 782).
Cut skew parts When selected, Tekla Structures cuts
skewed parts.
Minimum cut part length Define how long the part must at least be
to get shortened. The length of the part
must be at least twice the entered value.
Space between cut parts Define the distance between cut parts.
Unfold parts This setting is only shown for single-part
drawings. Yes shows and dimensions the
bend lines in the drawing.
For more information, see Unfold
polybeams in drawings (page 786)
Undeform parts Select this option to undeform
deformed parts and show the developed
(undeformed) shape of the deformed parts
in drawings.
For more information, see "Undeform
deformed parts in drawings" (page 787).
Show openings/recess symbol When selected, Tekla Structures shows
symbols in openings and recesses.
For more information, see "Show part
openings or recesses in drawings"
(page 788).
Base points and dimensions
Location by Select model origin, project base point, or
any base-point-defined coordinate system.

Drawing settings 992 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Location by uses the project base point as
the default value.
• Base point data can be used to set
the coordinate system for the view.
The base point can be used instead of
datum offset.
• When the base point is set, level
attributes and template attributes in
marks provide values in the specific
base-point-defined coordinate system.
• If you change the project base point Z or
the elevation value, the level value will
change accordingly when a drawing is
opened.
• This setting affects level marks and
attributes that end with _BASEPOINT.
Datum points for elevations Define the reference point for elevations.
Specified uses the value that you enter.
View plane measures reference points
relative to the view plane.
Dimension creation Creates the dimensions separately for the
selected view only. This option affects the
creation of the dimensions during cloning
and redimensioning of existing drawings.
The options are:
Automatically
Do not create
Clone
For more information, see Clone
dimensions in selected views only
(page 193).
View label

Drawing settings 993 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
View label editor

(1) Property file allows you to load and

save view label contents. To activate the
setting, click a label container in the editor.
(2) Click the Properties or Values button
to show either the property name or the
property value in the editor. These buttons
are only available when you have selected
an existing view in a drawing.
(3) A new, empty label container added
by using the New container button.
Use the new element button to add
elements in the container. Use the
handle to drag the container to another
location.
(4) Label containers around the view label
line. Click a label container to select it.
Use the New element button to add
new elements. Use the red delete button
in the upper-right corner to remove the
contents. To check the label container
position number, point the label container
handle.

(5) Use the New element button

to open the element list and select
the element to add. The element list
opens automatically when you click an
empty label container. You can also
search for elements. View labels do

Drawing settings 994 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
not accept any user-defined attributes,
template attributes, or custom properties.

Use the New container button to add

new containers. You may add up to five
containers. You can drag elements and
containers to new locations.
(6) The % button shows the current zoom
level. You can zoom in or out with the
middle mouse button. Click the % button
to zoom to the best fit.
(7) Label properties
Font
Font color, Font, Font height Define the font color, type, and height used
in the label.
Clicking ... gives more font choices.
You can use a standard color or a custom
RGB color (page 64).
Frame
Frame, Frame color Define the frame type and color for one or
several elements, or for the label container.
These properties become available when
you select an element or a label container.
You can use a standard color or a custom
RGB color (page 64).
You can also add the frame from the
element list.
Text placement
Alignment Define the label mark alignment: Left,
Center, or Right.
This setting is enabled when you have
selected a label mark in the label editor.
Text position Define the text position in the label.
This setting is enabled when you have
selected a label mark in the label editor.
X offset for text, Y offset for Define the text offset in the X or Y direction.
text
This setting is enabled when you have
selected a label mark in the label editor.
Symbol and line

Drawing settings 995 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Symbol, Color Size, Line length Define the symbol to be used in the view
label, the color and size of the symbol, and
the label line length.
The symbol options are:
None
Empty circle
Crossed circle
Custom

You can use a standard color or a custom

RGB color (page 64).
For more information about using custom
symbols, see the support article "How to
add two custom symbols in a view label".
Label placement
Vertical position Define the vertical position of the view
label:
Above places the view label at the top of
the view.
Below places the view label at the bottom
of the view.
Horizontal position Define the horizontal position of the view
label:
Left aligned to frame

Center aligned to frame

Right aligned to frame

Drawing settings 996 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description

Left aligned to restriction box

Center aligned to restriction box

Right aligned to restriction box

Direction marks
Mark type, Height Show view direction marks.
You can define view direction marks for
section views and end views only.
The options are None, Symbol, Label, and
Symbol and label. The label means the
view label.
You can also define a height for the mark.
If you try to use 0, you will get an error
message.

Drawing settings 997 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description

More
View View settings opens the view properties
dialog with more settings.
Object groups Object group settings opens the Object
level settings for view dialog for you
to define detailed object level settings
(page 95) for object groups.
Object group settings Enable the defined object group settings.

View properties in view properties dialogs

There are some view properties that are displayed in the view properties
dialogs only, not in the property pane. These properties can be used for
setting up the views and view properties before you create drawings, or when
you want to change some of the view properties for all views in a drawing, for
example.
To open the view properties dialog, depending on where you are:
• In the drawing property pane Drawing view properties, go to the More
section and click View settings.
• In an open drawing, double-click a view frame. This displays the view
properties for the current view.
• In the drawing ribbon, on the Drawing tab, click Properties --> View.
• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties and select the
drawing type. Then select View creation and a drawing view from the list,
and click View properties on the right.
• For GA drawings, on the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing
properties and select GA drawing. Then click the View... button.
All of the settings in all view properties dialogs are described below.

Drawing settings 998 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
View creation in the options tree When View creation is selected
in the options tree in single-part,
assembly, and cast unit drawings, you
can define the drawing views that
you want to create. From here you
can move on to modifying the view
properties for each view separately by
clicking the View properties button.
Views tab
View type and on/off columns Define the main views, section views,
end views, and 3D views that you
want to create. Use the Delete row
and Add row buttons to delete views
from or add views to the list.
• In View type, select the type of
the view 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 is not necessary in order to
show the dimensions. For section
views, Tekla Structures creates one
additional section view that shows
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

Drawing settings 999 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
part, if there are dimensions at
that end.
For more information, see "Define the
views to create" (page 762).
View label column Set the view name.
To show the view name in the
view label automatically, you need to
define it here.
View properties column Shows the current view properties
for the selected view. You can select
another view properties file from
the list, or check and modify the
view properties by clicking View
properties.
Note that if you have selected Auto
in the on/off column as the creation
method, Tekla Structures will use the
standard properties even if you define
another property file here.
Common settings for all views Define some common settings for all
views:
• Ignore bolt size filters standard-
sized bolts out of drawings, which
means that Tekla Structures does
not display the bolt marks of the
defined bolt size in drawings. This
setting is available in single-part
and assembly drawings.
• Weld size limit filters welds
and weld marks of the defined
weld size and smaller out of the
drawing. This setting is available
in single-part and assembly
drawings.
• Weld marks visible controls the
visibility of model weld marks in
assembly drawings. The options
are:
• In one view: Tekla Structures
automatically finds the most
relevant view for showing the
model weld marks. Every weld
mark is shown in a drawing in
one view only.

Drawing settings 1000 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
• In all views: Tekla Structures
adds the model weld marks in
all drawing views that contain
the part with the weld.
Recreate the drawing Yes recreates the drawing.
Attributes tab
Coordinate system Set the coordinate system of the
drawing views. The options are: local,
model, oriented, horizontal brace,
vertical brace, and fixed.
For more information, see "Change
the coordinate system" (page 770).
Rotate coordinate system Rotates the view around the x, y, or
z axis of the parts using the entered
Around X, Around Y, Around Z
values.
For more information, see "Rotate
parts in drawing views" (page 770).
Unfolded This setting is only shown for single-
part drawings.
Yes shows and dimensions the bend
lines in the drawing.
For more information, see "Unfold
polybeams in drawings" (page 786).
Undeformed Yes undeforms deformed parts and
shows the developed (undeformed)
shape of the deformed parts in
drawings.
For more information, see "Undeform
deformed parts in drawings"
(page 787).
Attributes 1 and Attributes 2 tabs in view properties dialog,
Attributes and Shortening tabs in the General - View Properties dialog:
Scale Set the view scale.
Reflected view Displays the load bearing structures,
such as columns and beams on a
lower floor.
Yes displays the structures with a
continuous line, and No displays
them with a dashed line.
Rotation around (in 3D views) Modify the view angle of 3D views.
Enter the values for the angles in

Drawing settings 1001 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
the Y 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: Depth down
and Depth up define the view size
along the x and y axes of the view.
X min / X max and Y min / Y max
define the depth of the view relative
to and perpendicular to the view
plane.
View extension for neighbor parts Enter a value by which to extend
the view so that neighbor parts are
shown.
For more information, see "Show
neighbor parts in drawings
(page 778)".
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 "Define
automatic free or fixed placement for
drawing views" (page 759).
Use detailed object level settings Set to Yes to apply the detailed object
level settings that you have defined
for the selected object groups.
Unfolded Yes shows and dimensions the bend
lines in the drawing. This setting is
only shown for single-part drawings.
For more information, see "Unfold
polybeams in drawings" (page 786).
Undeformed Yes undeforms deformed parts and
shows the developed (undeformed)

Drawing settings 1002 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
shape of the deformed parts in
drawing views.
For more information, see "Undeform
deformed parts in drawings"
(page 787).
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.
• Cut skew parts: Yes cuts skewed
parts.
Note that setting Cut skew parts
to No cuts secondary parts that
are skewed less than 5.7 degrees
in relation to the main part.
• 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.
• Space between cut parts defines
the distance between cut parts on
paper.
For more information, see "Shorten
or lengthen parts" (page 782).
Show openings/recess symbol Yes shows symbols in openings and
recesses.
For more information, see "Show part
openings and recesses in drawings"
(page 788).
Location by Select the model origin, project
base point or any base-point-defined
coordinate system. Location by uses
the project base point as the default
value.
• Base point data can be used to
set the coordinate system for the
view. The base point can be used
instead of datum offset.

Drawing settings 1003 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
• When the base point is set,
level attributes and template
attributes in marks provide values
in the specific base-point-defined
coordinate system.
• If you change the project base
point Z or the elevation value, the
level value will change accordingly
when a drawing is opened.
• This setting affects level marks
and attributes that end with
BASEPOINT.
Datum point for elevations Define the reference point for
elevations.
Specified uses the value that you
enter in Datum level. For example,
if the elevation is 5000 mm, and you
set the reference point to 200, the
elevation changes to 4800 mm.
View plane measures reference
points relative to the view plane.
Show pours in drawing This setting is only available in
the view properties of general
arrangement drawings.
Yes shows pours in drawings.
To enable pours in drawings, see
"Show pour objects, pour marks, and
pour breaks in drawings" (page 961).
Dimension creation method in this Clones the dimensions separately for
view the selected view only. This option
affects the creation of the dimensions
during cloning and re-dimensioning
of existing drawings.
The options are:
Automatically
Do not create
Clone
For more information, see Clone
dimensions in selected views only
(page 193).
Labels tab:

Drawing settings 1004 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Text Defines the view label text. Enter text
in fields A1-A5, or click the ... buttons
and select the label mark elements
and appearance.
For more information about view
labels, see "Define view labels and
view label marks" (page 765).
Symbol Define the symbol to be used in the
view label, the Color and Size of the
symbol, and label Line length.
The symbol options are:
None
Empty circle
Crossed circle
Custom
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
For more information about using
custom symbols, see the support
article "How to add two custom
symbols in a view label".
Label position Defines the vertical and horizontal
position of the view label.
• For Vertical:
Above places the view label at the
top of the view.
Below places the view label at the
bottom of the view.
• For Horizontal:
Left aligned to view frame

Center aligned to view frame

Drawing settings 1005 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description

Right aligned to view frame

Left aligned to view restriction

box

Center aligned to view

restriction box

Right aligned to view restriction

box

View direction marks Show view direction marks.

You can define view direction marks
for section views and end views only.
Select an option from the Show
marks list. The options for are
None, Symbol only, Label only, and
Symbol and label. The label means
the view label.
You can also define a Height for the
mark. If you try to use 0, you will get
an error message.

Drawing settings 1006 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
The following example shows the view
direction marks together with the
view label.

Other options in the view properties options tree:

Dimensioning Define view-level dimension settings
for each view separately.
For more information on
dimensioning settings, see
"Dimensioning rule properties"
(page 1022) and "Add automatic view-
level dimensions" (page 804).
Filter Define drawing view filters.
Neighbor part filter Define drawing view filters for
neighbor parts.
Protection Define protected areas to prevent
text, marks or dimensions from being
placed there.
For more information, see "Protect
areas in drawings" (page 752).
Marks Define view-level mark properties.
For more information, see "Mark
properties" (page 1053).
Objects Define view-level properties for the
following objects:
Parts and neighbor parts (page 1087)
Bolts (page 1094)
Surface treatment (page 1097)
Welds (page 1121)

Drawing settings 1007 View properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Reinforcement and neighbor
reinforcement (page 1100)
Reference objects (page 590)
Grid (page 1127)
Pour object and pour breaks
(page 1114)
Anchor bolt plan tab (General - View Properties)
Show as anchor bolt plan Yes shows the general arrangement
drawing as an anchor bolt plan.
For more information, see "Create
anchor bolt plans using saved
settings" (page 167).
Enlarged part view scale Define the scale used in the enlarged
part views.
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.

9.5 Section view properties

Section view properties in single-part, assembly, and cast unit drawing
properties define the section depth, section view direction, cutting line length
and color, and section mark contents and appearance for the automatically
created section views.

To open automatic section view properties:

• On the Drawings & reports tab, select Drawing properties, select the
drawing type, and select Section view in the options tree.
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background, and select
Section view in the options tree.
• In GA drawings, clicking the Section view button opens a dialog where you
can enter the section view and symbol start number or letter.

Drawing settings 1008 Section view properties

 Setting Description
Attributes tab
Fit by parts The Fit by parts setting shows the
whole part in the sections. This
setting works as an alternative to
the Section depth and Distance for
combining cuts settings.
Section depth Define the positive and negative
distances of the section view when
views are not combined.
Distance for combining cuts Define the distance range for
combining cut views.
Direction Define the view direction of the
section. The options are:
• Left section
• Middle section
• Right section
The available values are left or right.
Cutting line tab
Line Define the length and offset of the
cutting line.
Properties Define the color of the cutting line.
Section mark tab
Text Define the text on the section mark.
Click the ... buttons next to the text
boxes to open the Mark Contents
dialog and to modify the mark
contents.
Symbol: Color Define the color of the section mark
symbol.
Left symbol, Right symbol Define the left and right section mark
symbol.
Size Define the size of the section mark
left and right symbol.
x/y Define the offset of the section mark
left and right symbol.
Start number or letter of section Define the start letter or number
view and symbol label used in the section view label and in
the section symbol label.
You can enter any number starting
from 1 or any letter A - Z or a
- z (also shown in uppercase in

Drawing settings 1009 Section view properties

 Setting Description
the label). If you use letter, and
the entered string is longer than
one letter, only the first letter is
shown in the view label and section
symbol label. If you use numbers,
all entered numbers are shown. The
start number changes only if you
change it in the drawing properties
before creating a drawing, and if
you change the option in an existing
drawing and recreate the drawing, in
which case section view and symbol
labels for all automatically included
section views and all new section
views will change.

See also
View properties in drawings (page 990)
Define object protection and placement settings in drawings (page 750)
Define drawing views (page 760)
Define the views to create in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings
(page 762)
Create views in drawings (page 224)

9.6 Dimension and dimensioning properties in drawings

Dimension and dimensioning properties define what the dimensions look like,
and which formats, units etc. are used, and what is being dimensioned and
how.

Click the following link to find out more about dimension properties in
property pane and in GA drawings:
• Dimension properties (page 1011)
Click the following links to find out more about dimensioning properties
in view-level dimensioning:
• Dimensioning rule properties (page 1022)
• Dimensioning properties in drawings (Integrated dimensioning) (page 1040)
Click the following link to find out more about dimensioning properties in
GA drawings:
• General arrangement drawing dimensioning properties (page 1051)

Drawing settings 1010 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
Dimension properties
Use dimension properties to view and modify the appearance, placement, and
contents of the dimensions.

To open dimension properties:

• Click a dimension in an open drawing. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the dimension. The properties specific to the selected
dimension are displayed.
• In an open drawing, go to the Dimensioning tab, hold down Shift and
click one of the dimensioning commands. The center of gravity dimension
properties (page 316) are displayed in a dialog of their own.
• Select one of the dimension types from the drawing property pane object
type list. There are five sets of dimension properties available: Straight
dimension, Curved dimension, Angle dimension, Radial dimension, and
Rebar dimension mark.
• In an open drawing, go to Quick Launch, start typing dimension
properties, and select Dimension properties from the list. The
dimension properties dialog is displayed.
• To open the Dimension Properties dialog for general arrangement
drawings before creating a drawing, go to the Drawings & reports tab,
click Drawing properties --> GA drawing , and then click Dimension....
• To open the Dimension Properties dialog for general arrangement
drawings when the drawing is open, double-click the drawing background
and select Dimension....
All of the dimension settings are described below. Note that all of the settings
are not available for all dimension types.

Setting Description
Save, load and search
properties in property pane

• To load predefined properties, select the

properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties, click . You
can also save the properties with another
name.
• To search for a property, start typing the
property name.
Rebar (available for rebar dimensions only)

Drawing settings 1011 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
Dimension to Specifies whether dimensions are created
between All rebars or between the Start and
end rebars only.
Part edge Add closing dimensions to the edge of the part
in rebar group dimensions. This setting is only
available if Dimension to is set to All rebars.
Subgrouping Specifies whether subgroups are created for
different rebar spacings within a rebar object so
that dimension marks can display the subgroup
properties. Subgrouping is only available when
Dimension to is set to All rebars.
Extension line to visible Display extension lines to the visible rebars.
rebar
Tapered dimension type Specifies whether skewed dimensions have
Straight or Skewed representation.
Curved dimension type Specifies whether curved dimensions have
Straight or Curved representation.
Dimension line
Straight dimension Set the dimension type for straight dimensions.

Relative: Add point to point

dimensions.

Absolute: Dimension from a

common start point.

Relative and absolute:

Combination of point to point and common
start point.

US absolute: Dimension from a

common start point, which includes a running
dimension mark (RD).

US absolute 2: Similar to US
absolute, but it changes short dimensions to
relative.

Absolute with 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 the dimensions are long. This

Drawing settings 1012 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
option shows the absolute dimensions inside
the dimension lines.

Absolute with all relatives above:

Similar to Relative and absolute, but it places
the relative dimensions above the absolute.

Elevation Create an elevation

dimension at a picked point. This type is only
available in the dimension properties of manual
dimensions in drawing mode.
In X direction This setting is available in the GA drawing
dimension properties only.
Override the straight setting for horizontal
dimensions. 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.
Curved dimension Available for curved dimensions.
Define whether to use angle units or distance
units for curved dimensions.
Angle dimension Available for angle dimensions.
Define the appearance of angle dimensions. The
options are:
Degrees on side
Degrees at angle vertex
Triangle
Triangle with degrees
Gradians on side
Gradians at angle vertex
Triangle with gradians
You can use the advanced option
XS_ANGLE_GRADIAN_SIGN to define the desired
gradian sign for the options using gradians. "g"
is the default value.
Triangle base length Available for angle dimensions.
Define the base length of a triangle.

Drawing settings 1013 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
Line color Define the color of the dimension line.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).
Arrow Select the dimension line arrow type.

You can also create arrow types of your own, see

Customize dimension line arrows (page 320).
In the GA drawing dimension properties, you
can also separately select the dimension arrow
type for US Absolute dimensions and Level
dimensions.
Arrow height Set the height for the arrowhead.
Arrow length Set the length for the arrowhead.
Short extension line Define 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.
If you want to exaggerate (page 857)
dimensions, you need to set this option to No.
Dimension value
Font color Select the color for the dimension text.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).
Font, Font height Select the font to be used in the dimension text.
You can also change the font height.
Place on line (Place in Define how the dimension text is placed relative
GA drawing dimension to the dimension line: Above dimension line
properties) or On dimension line.
Background (Background Select Opaque to hide the area of the drawing
mask in GA drawing that is covered by the dimension text.
dimension properties)

Select Transparent to show the drawing content

in the dimension text background so that
drawing linework is visible.

Drawing settings 1014 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description

Frame Define a frame for the dimension text or select

None.

Underline

Rectangle

Rounded rectangle

Sharpened rectangle
Units Define the units used in dimensioning.
automatic uses the units defined in the model.
mm (millimeters)
cm (centimeters)
m (meters)
ft-in (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.
in (decimal) (inches, decimals used)
ft (decimal) (feet, decimals used)
Precision Define dimension precision.
The following are for defining precision with
rounding. For example, with precision 0.33 the
actual dimension 50.40 is shown as 50.33.
0.00
0.50
0.33

Drawing settings 1015 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
0.25
The following are for imperial units:
1/8
1/16
1/32
The following are for defining precision without
rounding:
1/10
1/100
1/1000
The following rounding options do the rounding
always in millimeters, regardless of the selected
unit:
2.50
5.00
10.00
Format Define the dimension format: the number of
decimals and their appearance.
###
###[.#]
###.#
###[.##]
###.##
###[.###]
###.###
### #/#
The following is only available for straight
dimensions:
## #/##.## #
Digit grouping (Use Select Yes to group long dimension values.
grouping in GA drawing
dimension properties)

Drawing settings 1016 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
Combine equal Combine equal dimensions. The options are Off,
dimensions 3*60, and 3*60=180.
The accuracy of combining equal dimensions is
0.1.
This setting is not available in GA drawing
dimension properties.
Minimum number to Define the minimum number of dimensions to
combine combine.
This setting is not available in GA drawing
dimension properties.
Show numeric value Select the checkbox to show the numeric value
in dimensions.
This setting is not available in GA drawing
dimension properties.
Tags and Content of tag (not available in GA drawing dimension properties,
or for some dimension types)

Drawing settings 1017 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
Dimension tag editor The Content of tag section is displayed when
you click a tag container.

(1) Available tag containers around the

dimension line. Click a tag container to select
it. Use the red delete button in the upper-right
corner of the container to remove the contents.
You can enter text or click the button and
select the desired elements from the element
list.
In tags, you cannot use template attributes such
as MODEL_TOTAL that refer to the whole model.
Tags only check the information from the object
in the drawing, and not from the whole model.
(2) Prefix tag
(3) Postfix tag

Drawing settings 1018 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
(4) Dual dimension tag
(5) Part count checkbox: When you click a tag
container, the Part count checkbox becomes
available. When you select the checkbox, the
selected tag shows the part count.
(6) Dual dimension checkbox: When you click
the dual dimension tag container (4), the
Dual dimension checkbox becomes available.
When you select the checkbox, dual dimensions
(page 304) will be applied.
(7) Property file: Load a set of predefined
dimension tag contents. You can also save the
tag contents.
(8) Object type: Define the type of the building
object that you are dimensioning. The options
are Part, Bolt, Rebar, Surface treatment, and
Pour object. This setting is not available when
you have selected a dimension in an open
drawing.
(9) Tag editor for adding content in dimension
tags. You can drag elements to another location
inside one tag container. Click the red delete
button in the upper-right corner to delete the
element.

(10) Element list. Click the button to open the

element list, and then select the elements to add
in the current tag container.
(11) The % button shows the current zoom
level in the preview. You can zoom in or out
by scrolling the middle mouse button. Click the
button to zoom to best fit.
(12) Search box for searching elements. Enter
the element that you want to locate. If you do
not find the desired user-defined attribute in the
list, you can type the name of the attribute in
the search box and press Enter to add it.
(13) If you have already added an element in a
tag, the element is marked with text In use in
the element list.

Drawing settings 1019 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
Font color, Font, Font Define the font, font color and font height for
height the whole tag or for the selected tag elements.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).
Frame, Frame color Define a frame and frame color for the whole
tag container or for a single tag element.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).
Units, Format Set the unit and format for length or diameter
elements.
Rotation Set the dimension tag rotation. The options are:
Parallel to dimension line does not rotate the
tag. This is the default value.
Perpendicular to dimension line rotates the
tag.
This setting is not available for the prefix,
postfix, or dual dimension tag.
Excluded tags Select a drawing view Filter that removes the
defined content from tags.
Curved dimension tag Available for curved dimensions only.
type
Select a tag type for a curved rebar dimension
line. The tag type controls how the tags are
aligned to the dimension. The options are:

Horizontal or vertical

Horizontal

Vertical

Horizontal or vertical with extension line

Follow curve

Follow along curve

Drawing settings 1020 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
Exaggeration (not available in GA drawing dimension properties, or for some
dimension types)
Exaggerate short Specified exaggerates short dimensions
dimensions (page 857) to make them easier to read.
Direction Select the direction of the exaggeration: Left /
Down, Right / Up or Both.
Origin Set the Origin:
: The origin is near the dimension line.
: The origin near the measured object.
Position Set the desired position for the exaggerated
dimension.

Plate side marks (not available in GA drawing dimension properties, or for

some dimension types)
Side mark type Specified creates plate side marks to plate
dimensions (page 304).
Select the left and right plate side mark type,
and specify the color, size and offset for the
mark. The offset means the distance of the mark
from the dimension line.

Automatic is only available in intelligent

drawings, that is when the advanced option
XS_INTELLIGENT_DRAWING_ALLOWED is set to
TRUE.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).
Placing
Dimension line spacing Define the space between parallel dimension
lines.
In manually created dimensions, this setting
works only if dimension Placing is set to Free.

Drawing settings 1021 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
Short dimensions Define the text location of short dimensions:
: text is inside the dimension lines
: text is outside the dimension line
Placing method • Free lets Tekla Structures decide the location
and direction of the dimension based on the
direction setting.
• Fixed allows you to place the dimension at
any point.
This setting is not available in GA drawing
dimension properties.
Negative Define the side of the dimensioned object on
direction,Positive which Tekla Structures places the dimensions.
direction
These settings are not available in GA drawing
dimension properties.
Position The position can only be defined if you have
selected Free as the placing method.

Distance s is the empty margin that you

want to leave around the dimension. This is
called Search margin in GA drawing dimension
properties.
Distance d min is the minimum distance of
the dimension from the part. This is called
Minimum distance in GA drawing dimension
properties.

Dimensioning rule properties

The following table describes the settings and options available in the
Dimensioning rule properties dialog. To open this dialog, select View
creation in a drawing properties dialog, then select a view row, and click View
properties --> Dimensioning --> Edit rule .
If you have selected Integrated dimensions as the dimensioning type, the
Dimensioning properties (page 1040) dialog box will be displayed instead.

Drawing settings 1022 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
Dimensioning rule properties

Setting Description
What is dimensioned Select 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 from the Measure from
list. Edge is the perimeter of the shadow of the
object, as defined in "Dimensioning method of
shapes, holes and recesses" (page 823).
Visible faces, parts separated: Create
dimensions only to faces that are visible in the
shadow of the object in that particular drawing
view.
Visible faces, parts merged: Dimensions only
the outside perimeter of an assembly, for
example, a truss.
All faces: Dimensions faces that are visible in
the shadow of the object when looking in three
main directions X, Y, and Z. In drawings, the
respective views are normally Front, Top and
End views. All faces is the default value.
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.

Drawing settings 1023 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
Setting Description
• 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.
• The Only objects on the selected sides
checkbox is displayed allowing you to only
dimension objects that are on a certain side
of the main part, for example, Front side.
By creating separate rules for each side
you can have front and back side objects
dimensioned on separate dimension lines.
The options are Front, Top, Start, Back,
Below, and End.
NOTE: The side is defined in the drawing
view coordinate system. For example, in
bottom view, the side closest to the viewer
is Front.
• Neighbor parts dimensions the neighbor
parts. Neighbor parts are typically connecting
parts, for example, columns in a beam drawing.
NOTE: The neighbor part dimensioning works
best if the view size is extended so that the
neighbor parts are fully visible in the view.
See an example of the neighbor part
dimensioning in the "Examples of dimensions"
section below.

Drawing settings 1024 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
Dimension line Control on which sides of the assembly/cast unit
locations and linking the dimensions will be created.

• 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 assembly/cast unit is
selected for the rule, one of the checkboxes will
be dimmed and you cannot select it.

• When you have selected one vertical and

one horizontal dimension line, the linking
checkboxes in the corners are activated, and
you can link the perpendicular dimension lines.
The checkboxes are dimmed by default.

• You can select objects for dimensioning from

the whole assembly/cast unit or only from one
half of the assembly/cast unit. If you do this,
objects in the other half will be ignored in

Drawing settings 1025 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
dimension creation. The default value is the
whole assembly/cast unit.

Place dimensions When you select this setting, the dimensions can
inside be placed inside a cast unit, assembly or part.
This is only visible for the dimensioning type Filter
dimensions.
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:

Drawing settings 1026 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description

• When Edge shape is selected, there are three

settings available for orientation. First two
settings work in the same way as the first 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

skew section when dimensions are 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

Drawing settings 1027 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
dimensions are not created along the skew section,
but horizontally and vertically instead.

Direction Defines where the origin points for the dimensions

are:
• The default values are left for the Horizontal
and bottom for the Vertical dimension.
•
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

Drawing settings 1028 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description

. 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), 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 created by using profiles
with prefixes D, ELD, ROD, EPD, O, PD, and
TUBE are recognized as round openings and
dimensioned. If you create the round hole using
round chamfers, for example, the hole will not
be dimensioned.
Dimension properties Select and apply dimensions settings defined in
a dimension properties (page 1011) file that has
been saved earlier. The default value is standard.
This file defines the used dimension properties,
such as dimension type, units, precision, format,
appearance, marks, and included dimension tags.
If you select Same on all sides, the settings
in the same dimension properties file are used
on all sides. If you deselect Same on all sides,
you can select and apply different dimension line
properties for Top, Bottom, Left and Right side.

Drawing settings 1029 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting 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.
• None: Does not create any dimension points to
the surrounding geometry
For certain dimensioning types or when you have
selected a specific option for Measure from, more
options become available:
• Bounding box: Uses the bounding box of an
object as the origin point for the dimensions.
This option is only available for dimensioning
methods Filter, Holes, Recesses, Secondary
parts, and Neighbor parts.
• Nearest edge: Uses the nearest edge an
object as the origin point for the dimensions.
This option is only available for dimensioning
methods Filter, Holes, Recesses, Secondary
parts, and Neighbor parts.
• And grid: Adds grid lines to the dimensions.
This option is only available for the
dimensioning methods Overall dimensions,
Edge shape, Filter, Secondary parts, Holes,
and Recesses.

Drawing settings 1030 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
• Midpoint: Uses the center point of an object
as the origin point for the dimensions. The
option is available when you have selected
Main part, Current part, or Part name for the
Measure from setting, and when you are using
one of the following dimensioning methods:
Filter, Secondary parts,Holes, Recesses, or
Neighbor parts.
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 same size
• By cutpart name
• No
Combine only objects Combines only the dimensions of objects that
that have the same are on the same horizontal or vertical line, or
dimensions of objects that have the same Z
X or Y coordinate
coordinate. By default, these options are not
Z coordinate selected.
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.
Preferred combining Sets the preferred direction for combining
direction dimensions if an object can be combined both in
horizontal and in vertical direction. X is the default
value.
Do not create Defines the minimum length of the dimensions
dimensions shorter for Tekla Structures to create them. 0 is the
than

Drawing settings 1031 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
default value, which means that all dimensions are
created.
Do not dimension Defines the minimum diameter for the holes for
holes smaller than Tekla Structures to 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 point (default) places the
dimensioning point to the first definition point
of the component. If you have used On
plane or At depth offsets when placing the
component, the component definition point is
not in the same location as the insertion point.
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.
Items Defines how items are dimensioned:
By reference point: Places the dimensioning point
to the first insertion point of the item.
As secondary objects: Creates item dimensions
similarly as parts are dimensioned. This is the
default value.

Dimension rule properties for spiral beam dimensioning

When you select dimensioning type Spiral beam dimensions, and click Edit
rule, a different Dimensioning rule properties dialog is displayed.

Setting Description
Straight dimensions Select predefined dimension properties. If none
of the available properties suit your needs,
Angle dimensions
open a drawing, in an open drawing, select the
Radius dimensions dimension type from the property pane object
list (Straight dimension, Angle dimension, or
Radial dimension), and edit and save the needed
dimension properties so that they are available for

Drawing settings 1032 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Setting Description
selecting in the spiral beam Dimensioning rule
properties dialog for the three dimension types.

Examples of dimensions
See below for examples of dimensions created with different settings in the
Dimensioning rule properties dialog.
Overall dimensions

Edge shape

Secondary part dimensions

Drawing settings 1033 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
Holes

Recesses

Distance to grid

Drawing settings 1034 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
Filter: Embeds

Filter: Surface treatment

Drawing settings 1035 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
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:

Drawing settings 1036 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
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 option 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:

Drawing settings 1037 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
If you want to get different size of reinforcing bars on separate dimension
lines, set Combine on one line to By position number:

Neighbor parts
The dimensioning process uses the whole model object to locate the
edges and corners where the dimensioning points should be placed. The
dimensioning process is not aware of the view boundaries, and when the
object extends outside the view boundaries, some dimensioning points might
be placed outside the view and automatically removed, because objects
outside the view boundaries are not allowed.
In the example below, the columns extend beneath the view boundaries and,
with the settings shown in the image, the horizontal dimensioning points of
the columns are placed on the bottom level of the column and thus removed.

Drawing settings 1038 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
For the vertical dimensioning, the top level of column is dimensioned, but the
bottom level dimension point is again outside the view boundaries and thus
removed.

After changing the dimensioning settings so that you place the horizontal
dimension line above, the dimensioning points are inside of view boundaries
and not removed. With vertical dimension line, the situation is still the same:
the bottom level point is outside the view boundaries and thus removed.

Add automatic view-level dimensions (page 804)

Create a drawing view filter for view-level dimensioning (page 818)
Dimension and dimensioning properties in drawings (page 1010)
Show spiral beams in drawings (page 505)

Drawing settings 1039 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
Dimensioning properties in drawings (Integrated
dimensioning)
Use the General tab in the Dimension Properties dialog to view and modify
the general settings of the dimensions. This dialog box is displayed if you use
Integrated dimensions dimensioning type in dimensioning.

General tab

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 to any parts. If the truss
welding is done some other way,
standard dimensioning is used.
Minimize Yes minimizes the number of views
that Tekla Structures creates.
Also check the settings in the drawing
View Properties dialog.
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
dimensions.
Option 4.5 uses a combination of
option 5 for main part and option 4
for secondary parts.
The Distance means the distance
within which Tekla Structures
combines internal dimensions.
If the distance between two details
is less than the defined Min
distance, Tekla Structures combines
the dimensions.

Drawing settings 1040 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
Close dimensions Close dimensions complete
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: Short Yes closes short dimensions.
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 offset Forward offset defines the distance
Tekla Structures uses to search for the
base point of 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 dimensioning: Recognizable distance defines the
Recognizable distance limit for dimensioning asymmetry
in secondary parts. In some cases,
it is important to look at the
asymmetrical relationship of 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 1041 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
Part mark on dimension line None creates no part mark on the
dimension line.
On assembly overall dimension
creates a part mark on the assembly
overall dimension line.
Between extreme bolts creates a
part mark on the dimension line
between the outermost bolts.
Main dimension position Defines the side on which Tekla
Structures places the Assembly
overall dimensions, Main part work
points, 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 position Sets the grid dimension position. The
values are:
Main view - above
Main view - below
Top view - above
Top view - below
Bottom view - above
Bottom view - below
Back view - above
Back view - below
All views - above
All views - below.
Dimension properties

Drawing settings 1042 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
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 Absolute Controls the type of mark used with
dimensions the dimension line in US Absolute
dimensions.
US Absolute dimensions are
dimension types US Absolute and
US Absolute 2 that can be
defined in dimension properties
(page 1011). If the advanced option
XS_USE_USABSOLUTE_ARROW_TYPE_
FOR_ABSOLUTE_DIMENSIONS is set
to TRUE, the arrow shape is
overridden for other types of
absolute dimensions as well.
Arrow shape: Level dimensions Controls the type of mark used
with the dimension line in level
dimensions.
Angle and radius 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.

Position dimensions tab

Option Description
Position bolts to Controls from where Tekla Structures
creates the part/bolt position
Position parts to
dimensions.
None creates no position dimensions.

Drawing settings 1043 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
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 point 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 bolt dimensions bolt hole
locations in the secondary parts.
By part dimensions edges of
secondary parts.
By both dimensions bolt hole
locations and edges of the secondary
part.
Secondary part dimension Aligns dimensions with the main or
direction neighboring part. Only for skewed 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 running Yes changes the direction of running
dimensions dimensions. With this option, you can
set the zero point to the end of a
member rather than to the start.

Drawing settings 1044 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
Main part bolt position On creates dimensions to the bolt
hole locations in the main part.
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 position
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.

Drawing settings 1045 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
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 dimensions On creates elevation dimensions.
Combine equal dimensions Combines equal dimensions. The
choices are Off, 3*60 or 3*60=180.
The accuracy of combining equal
dimensions is 0.1.
Minimum number to combine Defines the minimum number of
dimensions to combine.

Part dimensions tab

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 overall dimensions Once creates one overall dimension
for the main part.
All creates overall dimensions for
main parts in all views.
None creates no overall dimensions
for the main part.
The Assembly part overall
dimensions settings have some
effect on these options.

Drawing settings 1046 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
Assembly part overall dimensions Length only creates overall
dimensions for an entire assembly or
cast unit in the x direction only.
All dimensions 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 points On creates a check dimension
between the outermost work points.
Main part shape (Shape On creates dimensions to show the
dimensions) shape of a main part.
By default, Tekla Structures
automatically draws shape
dimensions on both ends of a beam,
even if the ends are symmetrical.
Main part radius dimensions On creates radius dimensions for
(Radius dimensions) curved chamfers and round holes in
the main part.
This option is available only if
you have set Main part shape
dimensions to 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.
Note that weld preparation bevels
and grooves are not dimensioned
in drawings. Bevels and grooves are
dimensioned only if they have been
modeled using cut commands.
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 dimensions On creates check dimensions from
the edge of the main part to the work
point.

Drawing settings 1047 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
Preferred dim side Sets the preferred view (front or side)
for part dimensions.

From the nearest floor level to part On creates dimensions indicating the
distance from the closest floor level to
the bottom and/or top of the parts.
From grid to part centerline On creates dimensions showing the
offset of a part from the grid to the
part center line.
From grid to part ends On creates dimensions showing the
offset of a part from the grid to the
near or far end of the part.

Bolt dimensions tab

Option Description
Main part bolt internal dimensions Creates internal dimensions for bolt
groups in the main part.
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 dimensions: Indicates whether the dimensions are
Skewed bolt group parallel to the part or the bolt group.
The choices are No dimensions, In
part direction, and In bolt group
direction.
Secondary part bolt internal Creates internal dimensions for bolt
dimensions groups in the secondary part.
The choices are None, Necessary,
Internal, and All.
Secondary part bolt internal Aligns the bolt dimensions with the
dimensions: Skewed bolt group secondary part or bolt group.
The choices are In part direction,
No dimensions, and In bolt group
direction

Drawing settings 1048 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
Distance between extreme bolts: Creates check dimension between the
Extreme bolts outermost bolts.
The choices are None, Main part,
and Assembly.
Distance between extreme bolts: Creates check dimensions from the
Extreme bolts to work points outermost bolts to the work points.
Yes creates the check dimensions.
Preferred dim side Sets the preferred view (front or side)
for bolt dimensions.

Combine bolt dimensions Sets the format of the combined bolt

group internal 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 combine Defines the minimum number of
dimensions to combine.

Dimension grouping tab

Option Description
Activate dimension grouping Selects the objects for 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.
Include part count in the tag Includes part count in the tag.
Do not display marks for the Does not display part marks for
grouped items 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.

Drawing settings 1049 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
Move down Moves the element lower in the list.
Update grouping when model Yes updates dimension grouping
changes automatically when the model
changes.

Sub-assemblies tab

Option Description
Dimension parts inside sub- Defines whether to dimension parts
assemblies 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 Defines the position from which the
from 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.
Extrema 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.

Reinforcement dimensions tab

Option Description
Dimensions for reinforcing bar On creates dimensions for reinforcing
groups bar groups. This also activates the
other selections on this tab.
Dimension mark settings Sets the mark type, which can be
dimension line, dimension mark,

Drawing settings 1050 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
tagged dimension mark, or variants of
these typical styles.
The Default environment contains
three predefined settings
files: rebar_dimension_line,
rebar_dimension_mark, and
rebar_tagged_dimension_mark
Clicking the ... button opens the
dimension properties, and you can
view the settings file and also change
the settings, if needed.

General arrangement drawing dimensioning properties

Use the Grid tab to view and modify settings for grid and overall dimensions,
and the Parts tab to view and modify settings for part dimensions in general
arrangement drawings.

To display GA drawing dimensioning properties:

• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> GA drawing
and click Dimensioning....
• In an open GA drawing, double-click the drawing background, and click
Dimensioning...

Grid tab

Setting Description
Grid line dimensions On creates grid dimension lines.
Overall dimension On creates the overall dimensions.
Dimension positioning: Horizontal Position the vertical grid and overall
dimension lines to the Left or Right
side of the drawing or on Both sides.
Dimension positioning: Vertical Position the horizontal grid and
overall dimension lines Above or
Below the drawing or Both.

Parts tab

Option Description
Maximum leader line length: Control how close the dimension
Outside dimensions lines are positioned to the parts
they are dimensioning. Defines that
the outside dimension lines take the

Drawing settings 1051 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
maximum leader line length from the
grid line.
Maximum leader line length: Inside Control how close the dimension lines
dimensions are positioned to the parts they are
dimensioning. Defines that the inside
dimension lines take the maximum
leader line length from the part
reference point.
Include parts not entirely in view On dimensions the parts partly
outside the view. Off will not
dimension these parts.
Maximum number of outside Specify the maximum number of
dimensions dimension lines allowed outside 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 dimensioning rules
Specify different object groups to be dimensioned on different dimension
lines. Use Add rule to add object group rules.
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

Drawing settings 1052 Dimension and dimensioning properties in

drawings
 Option Description
the Maximum number of outside
dimensions option.
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.
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.

9.7 Mark properties in drawings

In the mark properties of different types of marks you can view and modify the
settings affecting the mark content, placing, and appearance. You can adjust
the mark properties before creating a drawing and also in an open drawing.

Note that all of the listed settings are not available for all types of marks.
Furthermore, the mark properties in the drawing and view level properties are
to some extent different from the properties in the property pane, or may be
named differently.
For details about adding marks manually, see Add part marks manually in
drawings (page 346) and Add reinforcement marks manually in drawings
(page 349).
To open mark properties in the property pane or in a dialog:

Drawing settings 1053 Mark properties in drawings

• In an open drawing, click a mark. If the property pane is not open, double-
click the mark.
• Open the mark properties by selecting a mark type in the drawing property
pane object list. To be able to do so, do not select any objects in the
drawing.
• To open the mark properties in a dialog, in Quick Launch, start typing
mark properties, and then select the properties for the desired marks
from the displayed list.
On the drawing and view level, you can open the mark properties in any of the
following ways:
• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties, select the
drawing type, and go to the mark properties directly by clicking the button
of the respective mark (GA drawings), or go to the drawing view properties
and click the respective mark in the options tree (other drawing types).
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background, and go to the
mark properties directly by clicking the button of the respective mark (GA
drawings), or go to the view properties and click the respective mark in the
options tree.
• In an open drawing, go to Drawing --> Properties , select View and click
the respective mark in the options tree.

Mark properties in property pane

Most of the properties listed below are also available on the drawing and view
level.

Setting Description
Save, load and search
properties in property
pane

• To load existing properties, select the

properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties, click . You
can also save the properties with another
name.
• To search for a property, start typing the
property name.
Mark

Drawing settings 1054 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Mark editor view

(1) Click the Properties or Values button to show

either the property name or the property value in
the mark editor view. These buttons are available
when you edit an existing mark.
(2) The preview of the mark shows the elements
that you have added, and the representation that
you have selected for the mark. You can drag
the elements to another location. To delete an
element, click the red delete button in the upper-
right corner of the element.

(3) New element. Use the New element button

to open the element list and select the elements to
add in your mark. The available elements depend
on the type of the selected object. If your mark
already contains the element, the element has a
text In use. You can also search for elements. If
you do not find the desired user-defined attribute
in the list, you can type the name of the attribute in
the search box and press Enter to add it.
For more information about mark elements, see
"Mark elements in drawing marks" (page 1063).
(4) The % button shows the current zoom level in
the preview. You can zoom in or out by scrolling
the middle mouse button. Click the button to zoom
to best fit.
Font
Font color, Font, Font Define the font type, color, and height used in
height (Font settings in element texts.
the view and drawing
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
level properties)
color (page 64).

Drawing settings 1055 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Clicking ... gives more font choices.
To change the default mark font, use the advanced
option XS_MARK_FONT.
Inner frame, Outer frame (Frame around elements and Frame around
mark in the view and drawing level properties)
Frame,Frame color Define the frame type and color for one or several
elements, or for the whole mark.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).
The Inner frame setting is enabled only when you
have selected an element or an inner frame in the
visual editor.
Numeric value
Units and Format Change the units and format of the length and
diameter elements that you have selected in the
editor view.
Background Select Opaque to hide the part of the drawing that
(Background mask in is covered by the mark.
the view and drawing
level properties)

Select Transparent to show the part of the

drawing that is covered by the mark, so that line
work is visible, for example.

Drawing settings 1056 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Leader line Define the leader line type and line arrow type, and
how the leader lines are shown for merged marks.
Select one of the following Leader line types:

Leader line always uses a leader line.

Along line or leader line tries to find

a space along the part for the mark. If impossible,
Tekla Structures uses a leader line.

Along line places the mark always along

the part. Lack of space might cause the mark to
overlap other elements.

Inside part horizontal places the mark

always inside the part.

Inside part along part places the mark

always inside the part and parallel to the part axis.

Inside part horizontal or with leader

line 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.

Inside part along part or with leader

line 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.
Along part centered places the part mark
along and in the middle of a part face.

Parallel places the mark parallel to the

reinforcing bar.

Parallel or leader line places the

mark parallel to the reinforcing bar line. If there
is not enough space for the mark, a leader line is
created.
Merged marks If you are merging marks, or adding rebar group
marks, select one of the following Merged marks
Rebar group mark
or Rebar group mark options:

One leader line to group creates one

leader line for a group of objects.

Drawing settings 1057 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description

One leader line per row merges the

marks and creates one leader line for a row of
objects.

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.

Perpendicular leader lines allows you to

create marks with perpendicular leader lines to
rebar groups. Creates marks with leader lines to
each rebar in a group plane.
Leader line to first and last allows you to
create marks with perpendicular leader lines to
rebar groups. Creates marks to first and last rebar
in a group.
You can control the length of the perpendicular
leader lines with the advanced option
XS_MARK_LEADER_LINE_LENGTH_FOR_PERPENDI
CULAR ( File --> Settings --> Advanced options -->
Marking - general ). The default value is 0 mm.
Arrow Select one of the listed Arrow types.
Identical marks in This setting is for merged reinforcement marks.
same cast unit
One leader line to group creates one
leader line for a group of reinforcing bars.

One leader line per row merges the

marks and 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

Drawing settings 1058 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
mark. This option is only available in view and
drawing level properties
If you select No merge, you still need to define the
mark content for the marks that Tekla Structures
automatically merges.
Placing
The advanced option XS_MARK_INTELLIGENT_PLACING affects the mark
placing.
Alignment Select where you want to align the mark:
Left
Center
Right
Leader line
The Leader line option is available in the following
mark types: bolt marks, connection marks, part
marks, neighbor part marks, pour object marks,
reinforcement marks, neighbor reinforcement
marks, merged reinforcement marks, and surface
treatment marks.
Rotation Define the mark rotation.
Placing method Free allows Tekla Structures to search for the first
suitable location for the mark.
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.
For more information about placing various
annotation objects, see Placement properties for
marks, dimensions, notes, texts and symbols
(page 1118).

Drawing settings 1059 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Position (Quarter in the Define the areas where Tekla Structures searches
view and drawing level for a position to place the mark.
properties)

Distances

(1) Distance s (Search margin on the view and

drawing level) is the empty margin that you want to
leave around the mark.
(2) Distance d min (Minimum distance on the
view and drawing level) is the minimum distance of
the mark from the part.
(3) Distance d max (Maximum distance on the
view and drawing level) is the maximum distance
of the mark from the part.
Note that if you use high Distance s and Distance
d min values, the mark placement does not work
properly.

Additional mark properties on view and drawing level

Mark properties on the drawing and view level contain some additional
visibility settings that are not available in the property pane.

Setting Description
Content tab
Content On the drawing and view level, you need to select
additional information for certain types of marks.
• For example, for part marks, you need to define
part mark settings independently for main and

Drawing settings 1060 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
secondary parts, and for sub-assembly main
and secondary parts.
• For bolt marks, you need to select whether the
bolt marks are for site bolts or shop bolts.
• For reinforcement marks, you need to select
whether the reinforcement marks are for single
rebars, rebar groups, or for meshes.
General (or Appearance in some marks) tab
Visibility of mark Define the visibility of the marks in the view.
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 of the settings in other views.
preferred acts as distributed, but the preferred
view has a higher priority.
Select distributed to one view only in a drawing.
If you set other views to distributed, the marks
are located only in the view that has the setting
Visibility in view set to preferred.
The option none creates no marks.
Visibility of mark Define whether you want to show marks for parts
that are out of the view plane.
Parts out of view plane
Visible displays marks for parts outside of the view
plane in the drawing.
Not visible displays no marks for parts outside the
view plane.
Visibility of mark This setting is for part marks and surface
treatment marks.
Merge marks
On merges marks.
For more information about the merging distance
and other merging principles of the part marks,
see Merge marks (page 410). By default, the
maximum merging distance is 1200 mm from the
part.
Visibility of bolt marks Define the visibility of the bolt marks.
In main parts Visible displays bolt marks.
In secondary parts Not visible does not display bolt marks.
The following advanced options also affect the bolt
mark visibility:

Drawing settings 1061 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
In sub-assembly main XS_BOLT_MARK_IS_ALWAYS_VISIBLE
parts
XS_BOLT_MARK_IS_ALWAYS_VISIBLE_IN_GA
In sub-assembly
secondary parts
Ignore size This setting is for bolt marks.
Filters standard-sized bolt marks out of drawings,
which means that Tekla Structures does not display
bolt marks of the defined size in drawings.
There are some advanced options that can be
used in addition to the Ignore size setting so that
you first give the ignored size and then set the
advanced option:
XS_OMITTED_DIAMETER_TYPE defines if the
ignored size is the size of the bolt (value BOLT) or
the hole (value HOLE).
XS_OMITTED_BOLT_TYPE can be used for filtering
out ignored bolt marks on the basis of the bolt
standard. Enter the name of the bolt standard as
the value, for example, 7990. You can also use
wildcards, such as * or ?.
XS_OMITTED_BOLT_ASSEMBLY_TYPE can be used
for filtering out ignored bolt marks on the basis
of the bolt type. The values are SITE, SHOP, and
SITE_AND_SHOP.
Merging tab in the rebar mark properties
Preferred direction of
merge (on the Merging Merge vertical merges the marks in the
tab in the rebar mark vertical direction of the drawing.
properties)
Merge horizontal merges the marks in
the horizontal direction of the drawing.

See also
Level mark properties in drawings (page 1084)
Drawing weld mark properties (page 1073)
Model weld mark properties in drawings (page 1079)
Mark elements (page 1063)
Define marks (page 882)
Add automatic marks (page 884)

Drawing settings 1062 Mark properties in drawings

Add part marks manually in drawings (page 346)
Add reinforcement marks manually in drawings (page 349)
Delete marks for selected parts (page 385)
Add and modify detail marks in drawings (page 396)
Add and modify section marks in drawings (page 391)

Mark elements
Some elements can be added in all marks whereas some of the elements are
specific to a mark type. The common elements and the mark-specific elements
are listed below.
For information about mark properties, see Mark properties (page 1053).

Common elements in marks

There are some mark element types that can be used in most of the mark
types.

Element Description
Text Add a text element in the mark and
add your text there.
Symbol Open a dialog where you can change
the symbol file in use, and select a
symbol to add to the mark.
Template Add in the mark a custom graphical
template created in Template Editor.
Opens a dialog where you can
select the template that defines the
contents of the mark.
For more information about adding
templates in marks, see "Add
templates in automatic marks
(page 912)".
In mark templates, you can include
detailed information of an embed or
assembly, such as the sub-material
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 in templates using Template
Editor tools.
Add space < > Add spaces between mark elements.

Drawing settings 1063 Mark properties in drawings

 Element Description
Remove space<-- Add 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 .
Frame Add a frame around one or several
elements, or around the whole mark
depending on your selection.
User-defined attributes In the drawing and view level
properties, you need to enter the
Template attributes
attribute name in the displayed
dialog exactly as it appears in the
[Link] file.
In the property pane, add a
user-defined attribute or template
attribute in the mark by selecting it
from the list of available attributes. To
add a hidden attribute, type the name
in the search box and press Enter.
In marks, you cannot use template
attributes that refer to the whole
model, such as MODEL_TOTAL. Marks
only check the information from the
related object in the drawing and not
from the whole model.
View labels do not accept any
user-defined attributes, template
attributes, or custom properties.
For more information about adding
user-defined attributes or template
attributes in marks, see "Add
attributes in automatic marks"
(page 908).
Custom properties Add a custom property in the mark
from the list of available custom
properties.

Part mark elements

You can define part mark contents independently for main and secondary
parts and for sub-assembly main and secondary parts.

Drawing settings 1064 Mark properties in drawings

The following table lists all elements specific to part marks and neighbor part
marks.
For more information about part marks properties, see Mark properties
(page 1053).

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.
You can change the unit and format
of the length.
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

Drawing settings 1065 Mark properties in drawings

 Element Description
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
File menu --> Settings --> Options
--> Orientation marks .
Gage of outstanding leg Adds the hole gage.
You can control the format of this
option with the advance option .
Center-to-center distance Adds center-to-center distance in the
mark.
You can control the format of this
option with the advanced options
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN
_ONE_PART_STRING and
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN
_TWO_PARTS_STRING.
Rotation angle Adds the rotation angle of a spiral
beam in the mark. For other parts this
element gives an empty value.

Bolt mark elements

You can define bolt mark options independently for site and shop bolts.

Below is a list of the elements specific to bolt marks.

Element Description
Bolt length Adds the length of the bolt.
You can change the unit and format
of the length.
Bolt diameter Adds the bolt diameter.
You can change the unit and format
of the diameter.
Hole diameter Adds the hole diameter.
You can change the unit and format
of the diameter.
Hole depth Adds the hole depth
Material Adds the bolt material grade.

Drawing settings 1066 Mark properties in drawings

 Element Description
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 list.
Assembly type Adds the bolt assembly type.
Number of bolts Adds the quantity of bolts.
Slot length (x) Adds the slot length in the x or y
direction.
Slot length (y)
You can change the unit and format
of the length.
Slot length Adds the slot length.
You can change the unit and format
of the length.
Slot height Adds the slot height.
You can change the unit and format
of the height.
Size Adds the hole size.
You can change the unit and format
of the size.
You can also use certain advanced
options (page 917) to define the
contents of the bolt mark Size
element in different types of
drawings.
Countersunk Adds countersink in the countersunk
bolt marks.
Gage of outstanding leg Adds hole gage.
You can control the format of this
element with the advanced option
XS_GAGE_OF_OUTSTANDING_LEG_ST
RING.
Center-to-center distance Adds center-to-center distance.
You can control the format of this
element with the advanced options
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN
_ONE_PART_STRING and
XS_CENTER_TO_CENTER_DISTANCE_IN
_TWO_PARTS_STRING.

Drawing settings 1067 Mark properties in drawings

Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mark elements
You can define mark contents separately for single reinforcing bars, bar
groups, and reinforcement meshes.

NOTE To make the unit setting for the length attributes CC,
CC_CROSS, CC_DIAMETER_CROSS, CC_DIAMETER_LONG, CC_EXACT,
CC_EXACT_CROSS, CC_EXACT_LONG, and CC_LONG work in rebar
marks and tags, you need to set the unit type to 'Length'
in contentattributes_global.lst, which is the default value. If you
leave the unit type empty, filtering using these attributes works
but the unit settings do not. Here is an example line from
contentattributes_global.lst of a situation where the unit
settings work in drawings: CC_EXACT CHARACTER LEFT TRUE 20 0
Length mm.

Below is a list of the elements you can include in all reinforcement and
neighbor reinforcements marks.

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.
You can change the unit and format
of the length.
Number Adds the quantity of the bars.
Position Adds the reinforcement position
number.
Sequence position Adds the reinforcement sequence
number.
Assembly position Adds the position number of the
associated rebar assembly (page 544).
Shape Adds the shape of the bar or mesh.
Weight Adds the weight of the bar or mesh.
cc Adds the center-to-center spacing of
the bars. The options are:
• cc adds the spacing value if
spacing does not vary

Drawing settings 1068 Mark properties in drawings

 Element Description
• 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
You can change the unit and format
of the cc options.
Pullout picture Adds a pull-out picture of a bar to the
mark.
For more information about pull-out
pictures, see "Add pull-out pictures
in automatic reinforcement marks"
(page 921). You can also add pull-out
pictures in a reinforcement mark in
an open drawing.
Layer Adds the layer of the reinforcement.

Reinforcement and neighbor reinforcement mesh mark elements

You can define mark contents separately for reinforcement meshes.

The following elements are specific to the reinforcement and neighbor

reinforcement mesh marks, other elements are the same as for reinforcement
marks.

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.

Drawing settings 1069 Mark properties in drawings

 Element Description
cc You can define cc individually for the
longitudinal and crossing bars in the
mesh.
Adds the center-to-center spacing of
the bars. The options are:
• cc longitudinal/cc crossing adds
the spacing value if spacing does
not vary
• cc min longitudinal/cc min
crossing adds the smallest
spacing value of the bar group if
spacing varies
• cc max longitudinal/cc max
crossing adds the largest spacing
value of the bar group if spacing
varies
• cc exact longitudinal/cc exact
crossing lists all spacing values of
the bar group
• cc target lists all reinforcing bar
target spacing values
Diameter longitudinal Adds the diameter or size of the
longitudinal bars.
Diameter cross Adds the diameter or size of the
crossing bars.

Elements in merged reinforcement marks

Some extra elements are available for merged reinforcement marks, in
addition to basic reinforcement marks.

For more information about merging marks, see "Merge marks" (page 901).

Element Description
Block prefix Adds text or a value to the beginning
of each repeated block. Opens a
dialog 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.

Drawing settings 1070 Mark properties in drawings

 Element Description
%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.
Distances between groups Adds the center-to-center distances
between reinforcing bars or bar
groups included in a merged mark.
Opens a dialog where you can enter
the values.
Symbol separating blocks in mark Adds a symbol between the blocks
in the merged mark. Opens a dialog
where you can define the symbol.
The elements that appear before this
element on the mark content list
generate a block.

Connection mark elements

In connection marks, you can show the connection code, name, number, and
running number, the group they belong to, potential errors, and the related
DSTV code.

Below is a list of elements specific to connection marks.

Element Description
Code Adds the connection code. This is a
user-defined code you give for the
connection in the connection dialog.
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.
Group Adds the connection group.

Drawing settings 1071 Mark properties in drawings

 Element Description
Connection error Adds the connection error. The
numbers correspond to the
connection symbol colors:
• 1 = green
• 2 = yellow
• 3 = red symbol

Pour object mark elements

Element Description
Material Adds the defined pour material.
Pour number Adds the identifier that groups the pour objects in
the same group, for example, to be poured at the
same time.
Pour type Adds a property of the pour based on the name of
a part.
Concrete mixture Adds the defined concrete mixture.

Surface treatment mark elements

In surface treatment marks, you can show the name, material, Tekla
Structures-specific name, and the code of the surface treatment.

Element Description
Name Adds the name defined in the
Name box in the surface treatment
properties in a model.
Material Adds the surface treatment material.
Class Adds the class of the surface
treatment.
Code Adds the code of the surface
treatment option selected from the
Subtype list in the in the surface
treatment properties in a model.
For example, if the subtype is MF
Magnesium Float, the code is MF.
Surface treatment name Adds the full name of the surface
treatment option selected from the

Drawing settings 1072 Mark properties in drawings

 Element Description
Subtype list in the in the surface
treatment properties in a model.
For example, if the subtype is MF
Magnesium Float, the full name is
Magnesium Float.

Section and detail mark elements

In section and detail marks, you can show the name of the section/detail, the
name of the current drawing, and the name of the source drawing.

Element Description
Section name/Detail name Adds the name of the section or the
detail (A, B, C, and so on).
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 when moved Adds the name of the drawing where
the view is. This is shown only if the
view is not in the same drawing as the
section/detail mark.

View, section view and detail view label mark elements

In view labels, you can show the name of the view, section or detail, the view
scale, drawing name, and source drawing name.

Element Description
View name/Section name/Detail Adds the name of the view, section or
name the detail.
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 when moved Adds the name of the drawing where
the view has originally been created.
This is shown only when the view has
been moved from its original drawing.

Drawing settings 1073 Mark properties in drawings

Drawing weld mark properties
In drawing weld mark properties, you can view and modify the properties of a
weld mark that has been manually added in a drawing.

Unlike model weld marks, drawing weld marks do not have an associated
physical weld in the model, and you can only add drawing weld marks in an
open drawing. For more information about welds and weld marks in drawings,
see Show welds in drawings (page 552).
To open the drawing weld mark properties, do one of the following in an open
drawing:
• Click a manually created drawing weld mark. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the weld mark.
• Hold down Shift and click Weld mark on the Annotations tab.
• To open the drawing weld mark properties in a dialog, go to Quick Launch,
start typing "weld mark" and select Weld mark properties from the
displayed list.

Option Description
Save, load and search
mark properties

• To load existing mark properties, select the

properties from the list.
• To save the modified mark properties, enter a
new name and click .
• To search for a property, start typing the
property name.
Mark
Edge/Around Indicate whether only one edge or the entire
perimeter of a face should be welded.

Edge:

Around:
Workshop/Site Indicate where the weld should be created.

Workshop:

Site:

Drawing settings 1074 Mark properties in drawings

 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.
Reference text Additional information to appear in the weld
symbol. For example, information about the weld
specification or process.
Prefix a= design throat thickness, s= penetration throat
thickness, or z= leg length
Type The type of the weld. The following weld types are
available:

Fillet

Bevel groove single V butt

Bevel groove bevel butt

Square groove square butt

Single V butt with broad root face

Single bevel butt with broad root face

U groove single U butt

J groove J butt

Flare V groove

Flare bevel groove

Edge flange

Drawing settings 1075 Mark properties in drawings

Option Description

Corner flange

Plug

Bevel backing

Spot

Seam

Slot

Partial penet single bevel butt plus fillet

Partial penet square groove plus fillet

Melt through

Steep flanked bevel groove single V butt

Steep flanked bevel groove single bevel butt

Edge

Iso surfacing

Fold

Inclined
You can customize some of the weld type symbols
(symbols 20 - 26), see Customize weld type
symbols (page 552) for more information.

Drawing settings 1076 Mark properties in drawings

 Option Description
Size The size of the weld. If you select a partial
penetration weld as the weld type, you can enter
two sizes.
Partial penetration welds:

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.
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

Finished weld

Smooth transition
Effective throat The weld size used in weld strength calculation.
Root opening The space between the welded parts.
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
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

Drawing settings 1077 Mark properties in drawings

 Option Description
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 @.
Use these buttons to copy and to link together the
Above line and Below line property values.

Click the and buttons to copy values

between the Below line and Above line columns.

Click the button to switch the linking on or off.

The middle button is blue when the values are

linked. This means that if you change a value in
either of the columns, the corresponding value in
the other column also changes.
Font In Font color, Font, and Font height, define the
drawing weld mark font properties.
Background Select Opaque to hide the part of the drawing that
is covered by the mark.
Select Transparent to show the part of the
drawing that is covered by the mark, so that line
work is visible, for example.
Leader line
Line type, Line color Define the drawing weld mark leader line type and
color.

Single line

Double line
Placing
Placing method Free allows Tekla Structures to search for the first
suitable location for the weld mark.
Fixed allows you to place the weld mark in any
location.
When you use the option Fixed, the mark stays
where it is even though you update the drawing,

Drawing settings 1078 Mark properties in drawings

 Option Description
whereas with Free, Tekla Structures tries to find
the optimal place for the weld mark.
Position Define the areas where Tekla Structures searches
for a position to place the weld mark.

Distances

Distance s is the empty margin that you want to

leave around the mark.
Distance d min is the minimum distance of the
mark from the part.

Model weld mark properties in drawings

You can select the content that is displayed in model weld marks in drawings,
modify the appearance and visibility of the model weld marks, and select how
the weld marks are placed.

Model weld marks refer to the weld marks of the welds that have been
created in the model. You can also add model weld marks manually in an
open drawing. For more information about welds and weld marks in drawings,
see Welds in drawings (page 552). For a list of drawing weld mark properties,
see Drawing weld mark properties (page 1073).
To display model weld mark properties in an open drawing, do one of the
following:
• Select Weld mark in the drawing property pane object list.
• Click a model weld mark in the drawing. If the property pane is not open,
double-click the mark.
• To open weld mark properties in a dialog, go to Quick Launch, start typing
"welding mark" and select Welding mark properties from the displayed
list.

Drawing settings 1079 Mark properties in drawings

On the drawing and view level, you can display weld mark properties in any of
the following ways:
• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties, select the
drawing type, and go to weld mark properties directly by clicking the Weld
mark button (GA drawings), or go to drawing View properties and click
Weld mark in the options tree (other drawing types).
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background, and go to mark
properties directly by clicking the Weld mark button (GA drawings), or go
to View properties and click Weld mark in the options tree (other drawing
types).
• In an open drawing, double-click a drawing view frame and click Weld
mark in the options tree.

Weld mark properties in property pane

Most of the settings listed below are also available on drawing and view level,
but the name of the setting might be slightly different.

Setting Description
Save, load and search mark
properties

• To load existing mark properties,

select the properties from the list.
• To save the modified mark
properties, enter a new name and
click .
• To search for a property, start
typing the property name.
Mark
Weld number Activate the eye buttons to show
Edge/Around the information in model weld marks.

Workshop/Site These settings are common to above

line and below line. If the settings are
Reference text not activated, the related information
is not shown in the model weld mark.
Weld number: Tekla Structures
assigns a number to each weld when
the weld is created.
The maximum number of characters
that can be shown for Reference text
is 80, including one character for each

Drawing settings 1080 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
line of text. This limitation comes
from the model weld.
On the drawing and view level, you
need to select the needed checkboxes
or options.
Above line, Below line If the eye buttons for the
properties are not activated in the
Above line or Below line column
next to the following properties, the
properties are not displayed in the
model weld mark:
Prefix
Type
Size
Angle
Contour
Finish
Effective throat
Root opening
Length
Pitch
Use these buttons to copy and to link
together the Above line and Below
line property values.

Click the and buttons to copy

values between the Below line and
Above line columns.

Click the button to switch the

linking on or off.

The middle button is blue when

the values are linked. This means that
if you change a value in either of the
columns, the corresponding value in
the other column also changes.
Font
Font color, Font, Font height Define the weld mark font properties.
Background

Drawing settings 1081 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Background Select Opaque to hide the part of the
drawing that is covered by the mark.
Select Transparent to show the part
of the drawing that is covered by the
mark, so that line work is visible, for
example.
Leader line
Line type, Line color Define the model weld mark leader
line type and color:

Single line

Double line
Placing
Position Distance s (Search margin in the
view and drawing level properties) is
the empty margin that you want to
leave around the mark.
Distance d min (Minimum distance
in the view and drawing level
properties) is the minimum distance
of the mark from the part.
Note that if you use high Distance s
and Distance d min values, the mark
placement may not work properly.

Additional model weld mark properties on view and drawing level

Weld mark properties on the drawing and view level contain some additional
visibility and placing settings that are not available in the property pane.

Setting Description
Welds None displays no welds in the
drawing.
Welds in sub-assemblies (assembly
drawings) Site displays only site welds in the
drawing.
Workshop displays only workshop
welds in the drawing.
Both displays both site welds and
workshop welds in the drawing.

Drawing settings 1082 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Welds in hidden parts Select how to show the weld marks
for welds in hidden parts:
• None: If the part is hidden, the
weld mark is not drawn.
• Site: If the part is hidden, weld
marks for site welds are drawn.
• Workshop: If the part is hidden,
weld marks for workshop welds
are drawn.
• Both: Weld marks are always
drawn for hidden parts.
Weld size limit Enter a weld size to filter welds of that
size or smaller out of the drawing.
This is useful when you only want to
show non-typical welds in a drawing.
This option is also available under
the Common settings for all views
setting on the drawing level in single-
part and assembly drawings.
To set whether the weld size
limit 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_TYPES.
Place... Placing:
• free allows Tekla Structures to
search for the first suitable
location for the mark.
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 mark.
Quarter defines the areas Tekla
Structures searches for a space to
place the mark.

Drawing settings 1083 Mark properties in drawings

Level mark properties in drawings
Use the settings in level mark properties to view and modify level mark
contents, appearance, and placing.

To display level mark properties in an open drawing:

• Click an existing level mark in the drawing. If the property pane is not open,
double-click the level mark.
• Hold down Shift and, on the Annotations ribbon tab, click Level mark.
• Open the object type list in the property pane and click Level mark.
• To open the level mark properties in a dialog, in Quick Launch, start typing
"level mark properties", and select Level mark properties in the
displayed list.

Setting Description
Save, load and search
level mark properties

• To load existing level mark properties, select the

properties from the list.
• To save the modified level mark properties,
enter a new name and click .
• To search for a propery, start typing the
property name.
Mark
Prefix Display the text that you type in front of the mark.
Prefix for positive + displays a + character in front of the value.
value
Numeric value Define if the numeric values are visible or hidden.
Postfix Display the text that you type after the mark.
Font
Font color, Font, Font Define the level mark text font color, font type, and
height font height.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).
Frame
Frame , Frame color Define the frame type and color.

Rectangular

Drawing settings 1084 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description

Line

Round

Circle

Diamond

Hexagon

Triangle

Sharpened
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).
Background
Background To hide the part of the drawing that is covered by
the level mark, select Opaque. To show the part
of the drawing that is covered by the mark, select
Transparent.
Numeric value
Units Define the units used in level mark dimensions.
The available values are automatic, mm, cm, m,
foot - inch, inch and feet.
Precision Define the precision of the level mark dimensions.
Format Define the format of the level mark dimensions.

Digit grouping Define whether to use some grouping options to

represent the level mark dimensions.
Leader line

Drawing settings 1085 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Leader line Define the type of the leader line.
Leader line without arrow
Line with arrow
Leader arrow without line
No leader line
Arrow, Arrow height, Define the type of the leader line arrow, the arrow
Arrow length height, and the arrow length.

Placing
Rotation Define the level mark rotation.
Placing method Free allows Tekla Structures to search for the first
suitable location for the level mark.
Fixed allows you to place the level 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 mark.
Position Define the areas where Tekla Structures searches
for a position to place the mark.
This setting is only available if the selected Placing
method is Free.

Distances

Drawing settings 1086 Mark properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Distance s (search margin) is the empty margin
that you want to leave around the mark.
Distance d min (minimum distance) is the
minimum distance of the mark from the related
object.

See also
Add level marks in drawings (page 390)

9.8 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

Use the settings in part properties or neighbor part properties to check and
change the part or neighbor part properties. In the neighbor part properties,
you can also control the visibility and appearance of neighbor part bolts.
To go to part or neighbor part properties:
• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties , select the
drawing type and navigate to the part or neighbor part properties.
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing view frame, and click Part or
Neighbor part in the options tree.
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background, and navigate to
the part or neighbor part properties.
• Click a part in an open drawing. If the property pane is not open, double-
click the part.
• In Quick Launch, start typing part properties, and then select Drawing
part properties from the list.
• You can also access the part properties through the drawing property pane
object list.
Also see the following support article: Neighboring parts in drawings.
The following table lists all settings on all property levels (drawing, view,
object). All part properties do not contain all of the settings listed below.

Option Description
Save, load and search properties in
property pane

• To load existing properties, select

the properties from the list.

Drawing settings 1087 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

 Option Description
• To save the modified properties,
click . You can also save the
properties with another name.
• To search for a property, start
typing the property name.
Visibility Click the eye button to activate or
deactivate the options.
Inner contours Show the inner contours of a tube.
Hidden lines With the Hidden lines option you
can control whether hidden lines are
Own hidden lines
drawn. It affects both part's own
hidden lines and part's hidden lines
that are behind other parts. To draw
hidden lines in the first place, you
need to select Hidden lines.
With the Own hidden lines option
you can define whether part's own
hidden lines are drawn. Own hidden
lines are hidden lines of the part
covered by the part itself.
The Hidden lines and Own hidden
lines settings affect only the parts for
which they have been set.
To draw parts behind neighbor
parts using hidden lines, set
the advanced option XS_CONSIDER_
NEIGHBOUR_PARTS_IN_HIDDEN to
TRUE.
You can adjust the color and type
of the lines in the Representation
section.
Reference lines Show reference lines.
On the drawing and view level, you
have the following options available
for parts:
• Select the Main part: Beam, Plate
or Polygon check box to show
reference lines in main parts.

Drawing settings 1088 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

 Option Description
• Select the Sec part: Beam, Plate
or Polygon check box to show
reference lines in secondary parts.
You can adjust the color and type
of the lines in the Representation
section.
Center line Show center lines.
Note that the center line is only
shown for assembly main parts and
not for secondary parts when looking
from the cross section direction. If
the assembly is viewed from the side,
the center line is also shown for
secondary parts.
Note that the Symbol offset value
affects the size of the center line
cross. If the value is 0, the cross is not
visible.
On the drawing and view level, you
have the following options available
for parts:
• Select the Main part: Beam, Plate
or Polygon check box to show
center lines in main parts.
• Select the Sec part: Beam, Plate
or Polygon check box to show
center lines in secondary parts.
You can adjust the color and type
of the lines in the Representation
section.
Orientation mark Show orientation marks (page 933).
Connecting side mark Show connecting side marks
(page 933).
Pop mark Show pop marks defined in NC
settings.
Edge chamfers Show edge chamfers (page 490).
Fillet edge Show fillet edges (page 495).
Representation type Outline shows parts as solid objects.
Exact shows parts as solid objects.
This option also draws the fillet edges
and chamfers in the profile cross

Drawing settings 1089 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

 Option Description
sections. For some profiles, Outline
shows them as well.
Workshop form draws round tube
profiles as wrap-around templates.
Note that Workshop form can only
be used in single part drawings.
Symbol draws parts as lines. Type the
symbol offset in Symbol offset.
Symbol with partial profile shows
a partial profile of the part. You can
also adjust the length of the partial
profile (Partial profile length), and
the offset of the partial profile from
the middle point of the part (Partial
profile offset).
Bounding box draws parts as
boxes surrounding the actual profiles.
Bounding box is a good option
to use with complex items with
an extrema box containing many
polygons that slow down drawings,
because Bounding box makes
drawings faster.
Base box shows parts as boxes and
uses the h and b values from the
profile catalog as box dimensions.
Symbol offset Define the distance of the end points
of reference lines and center lines
from the end points of the object.
Note that the Symbol offset value
affects the size of the center line
cross. If the value is 0, the cross is not
visible.
Bolt representation This setting is only available on the
drawing and view level for neighbor
parts.
The options are:
solid
exact solid
Symbol
Symbol2
Symbol3

Drawing settings 1090 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

 Option Description
DIN symbol
User-defined symbol created in
Symbol Editor (page 428).
The DIN symbol option 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
Symbol content This setting is only available on the
drawing and view level for neighbor
parts.
Select whether to include hole or axis
in the symbol.
Neighbor parts This setting is only available in the
drawing and view level properties for
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.

Drawing settings 1091 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

 Option Description
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 This setting is only available on the
drawing and view level for neighbor
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 This setting is only available on the
drawing and view level for neighbor
parts.
Yes shows skew parts as neighbor
parts in the drawing, No does not.
Bolts This setting is only available on the
drawing and view level for neighbor
parts.
Yes shows the bolts in the neighbor
parts, No does not.
Visible lines Set the color and type of visible

lines. Click the button to select

a standard color or a custom color
(page 64).
Section lines Set the color and type of the section

lines. Click the button to select

a standard color or a custom color
(page 64).
XS_SECTION_LINE_COLOR_RGB
overrides the section line color set
in the drawing, view, or object level
properties.

Drawing settings 1092 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

 Option Description
Hidden lines Set the color and type of the hidden

lines. Click the button to select

a standard color or a define a custom
color (page 64).
Own hidden lines Set the color and type of the own

hidden lines. Click the button to

select a standard color or a define a
custom color (page 64).
Center line Set the Color and type of the center

lines. Click the button to select a

standard color or to define a custom
color (page 64).
XS_CENTER_LINE_TYPE overrides the
center line type set in the drawing,
view, or object level properties.
Reference lines Set the color and type of the

reference lines. Click the button

to select a standard color or to define
a custom color (page 64).
Bolts: Color This setting is only available on the
drawing and view level for neighbor
parts.
Sets the color of the bolts in neighbor
parts.
Fill To add a hatch to outer part faces,
use the Part faces area, and to add
a hatch to cross sections in section
views, use the Sections area.
Type Define the hatch type to be used.
Clicking the ... button next to the list
opens a preview of the hatch patterns
(page 943).
Automatic selects the hatch pattern
automatically from the hatch pattern
schema files.
None uses no hatch.

Drawing settings 1093 Part and neighbor part properties in drawings

 Option Description
Color Define the color for the fill.

Click the button to select a

standard color or to define a custom
color (page 64).
Background Define the background color for the
fill.
Background color selection is
disabled for hardware hatches.

Click the button to select a

standard color or to define a custom
color (page 64).
Background color can be set for
automatic hatches, but it has effect
only if the automatic hatch is not
defined for the material in the hatch
pattern schema file (page 953).
Scale Automatic scales and rotates the
hatch automatically.
Custom allows you to select the
scaling and rotation manually.
Scaling in X direction, Scaling in Y Define the scales in the X and Y
direction directions.
Keep ratio of x and y Retain the relative proportions in the
fill.
Angle The scaling angle rotates the hatch.
For example, Angle 0.0 is for
horizontal and Angle 90.0 for vertical
rotation.

9.9 Bolt properties in drawings

Use the settings in bolt properties to check or change the bolt content and
appearance.

To open bolt properties:

• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties, select the
drawing type, and navigate to bolt properties.
• To open view level bolt properties, in an open drawing, double-click the
drawing view frame and select Bolt in the options tree.

Drawing settings 1094 Bolt properties in drawings

• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background, and navigate to
bolt properties.
• Click a bolt in an open drawing. If the property pane is not open, double-
click the bolt.
• Select Bolt from the property pane object list.
• In an open drawing, go to Quick Launch, start typing bolt properties,
and select Drawing bolt properties from the list.
The following table lists all bolt settings on the view and drawing level and in
the property pane. All bolt properties do not contain all of the settings listed
below.

Option Description
Save, load and search properties in
property pane

• To load existing properties, select

the properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties,
click . You can also save the
properties with another name.
• To search for a property, start
typing the property name.
Visibility Select whether to show Hole and Axis
symbols in the drawing.
Symbol content (drawing or view
level properties) Click the eye button to activate or
deactivate the options.
Presentation type The options are:
Solid/Symbol (drawing or view level Solid
properties)
Exact solid
Symbol
Symbol2
Symbol3
DIN symbol
User-defined symbol
DIN symbol corresponds to German
standards (DIN). The only DIN
symbols you can control are:
• Symbol 24 for normal workshop
bolts

Drawing settings 1095 Bolt properties in drawings

 Option Description
• 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.
Color You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Visibility of bolts Control the visibility of bolts in
main parts, secondary parts and sub-
assemblies separately on the view
level, and in GA drawings also on
the drawing level. Visible shows
bolt group holes in main parts or
secondary parts. Not visible hides
the bolt group holes. In assembly
drawings you can also define whether
to show or hide bolt group holes in
sub-assemblies.
This setting is not available in the
drawing property pane.
To show or hide bolt lines that are
behind other parts, use the following
advanced options:
XS_DRAW_BOLT_HIDDEN_LINES_IN_SI
NGLE_DRAWINGS
XS_DRAW_BOLT_HIDDEN_LINES_IN_G
A_DRAWINGS
XS_DRAW_BOLT_HIDDEN_LINES_IN_A
SSEMBLY_DRAWINGS

Drawing settings 1096 Bolt properties in drawings

 Option Description
To show or hide own hidden lines in
bolts (the lines of the bolts covered
up by the bolt itself), use the following
advanced options:
XS_DRAW_BOLT_OWN_HIDDEN_LINES
_IN_SINGLE_DRAWINGS
XS_DRAW_BOLT_OWN_HIDDEN_LINES
_IN_GA_DRAWINGS
XS_DRAW_BOLT_OWN_HIDDEN_LINES
_IN_ASSEMBLY_DRAWINGS
Also take a look at the following
support article: Hidden bolts or studs
are not visible in GA drawing

See also
Define drawing bolts (page 938)
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)
Define automatic bolt properties in drawings (page 939)
Mark elements (page 1063)

9.10 Surface treatment properties in drawings

Use the settings in surface treatment properties to check or change the
surface treatment drawing properties. You can show in drawings the surface
treatment that you have added on parts in the model.

To open surface treatment properties in drawings:

• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties , select the
drawing type, and navigate to surface treatment properties.
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing view frame and select
Surface treatment in the options tree.
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background, and navigate to
surface treatment properties.
• Click a surface treatment in an open drawing. If the property pane is not
open, double-click the surface treatment.
• Select Surface treatment in the property pane object list.

Drawing settings 1097 Surface treatment properties in drawings

• In an open drawing, go to Quick Launch, start typing surface
treatment, and select Drawing surface treatment properties in the list.
The following table lists all surface treatment properties in the property pane
and in the drawing and view level propeties.

Setting Description
Save, load and search properties in
property pane

• To load existing properties, select

the properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties,
click . You can also save the
properties with another name.
• To search for a property, start
typing the property name.
Visibility The following settings are only
available on the drawing and view
level:
• Visible shows the surface
treatment in the drawing.
• Not visible does not show the
surface treatment in the drawing.
In the property pane, click the eye
button to activate or deactivate
the following visibility options:
• Pattern: Define whether the
surface treatment pattern is
shown.
• Hidden lines: Define whether
hidden lines in secondary and
neighboring parts are shown.
• Own hidden lines: Define
whether hidden lines in main
parts are shown.
These visibility options are available in
the drawing and view level properties
as check boxes.
Representation Define the representation style of the
surface treatment. The options are:
Outline
Exact

Drawing settings 1098 Surface treatment properties in drawings

 Setting Description
Workshop form
Symbol
Bounding box
Base box
Hidden lines Define the color and the type of the
hidden lines.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Visible lines Define the color and the type of the
visible lines.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).

See also
Define drawing surface treatment (page 958)
Modify building object properties (page 488)

Surface treatment hatch pattern properties ([Link])

You can change the properties of the hatch patterns for each surface
treatment type separately.

The properties of the hatch patterns are defined in

the [Link] file, located by default in ..\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\system . In addition to
this file, 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
can store [Link] 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 [Link] file is:

Surfacing Type, Surfacing Code, Hatch name, Scale, [Automatic
Scaling and Rotation]
Example:

Drawing settings 1099 Surface treatment properties in drawings

 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 type • 1 = concrete finish
• 2 = special mix
• 3 = tile surface
• 4 = steel finish
Surface treatment code This is the abbreviation used
in drawings and reports, for
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.
Automatic Scaling and 1=true
Rotation (optional)
0=false (default)

9.11 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

Use the options in reinforcement properties, rebar properties and rebar mesh
properties to check and modify the rebar, rebar assembly, and rebar mesh
visibility, appearance, and content. The neighbor reinforcement properties are
the same as reinforcement properties.

Drawing settings 1100 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

To open reinforcement properties:
• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties, select the
drawing type, and navigate to reinforcement properties.
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing view frame and select
Reinforcement in the options tree.
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background, and navigate to
reinforcement properties.
• Click reinforcement in an open drawing. If the property pane is not open,
double-click the reinforcement.
• Select Rebar or Rebar mesh in the property pane object list.
• In an open drawing, go to Quick Launch, start typing reinforcement
properties, and select Drawing reinforcement properties in the list. If
you want to open mesh properties instead, start typing mesh properties,
and select Drawing reinforcement mesh properties.
The following table lists all reinforcement properties on all property levels
(drawing, view, object).

Option Description
Save, load and search properties in
property pane

• To load existing properties, select

the properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties,
click . You can also save the
properties with another name.
• To search for a property, start
typing the property name.
Visibility of lines Click the eye button to activate or
deactivate the options.
Lines behind parts Hide the lines behind the parts. This
is useful, for example, with lifting
Hide lines behind parts (drawing
anchors where the reinforcing bar is
and view level properties)
partly outside the part.
If you wish to show embeds while
hiding reinforcement, use the
XS_HIDDEN_LINES_UNHIDE_EMBEDD
ED advanced option.
Lines behind other rebars Hide the lines behind other
reinforcement bar lines.
Hide lines behind other rebars
(drawing and view level properties)

Drawing settings 1101 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Option Description
Rebar content, visibility and representation:
Visibility of all reinforcing bars This setting is only available on the
drawing and view level.
Visible shows the bars.
Not visible does not show the bars.
Representation type single line draws a single line with
radiused bends.
Representation (drawing and view
level properties) single line with filled ends draws a
single line for parallel bars and filled
ends for perpendicular bars.
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.
stick draws a single line without
radiused bends.
Visibility of reinforcing bars in This setting is only available on the
group drawing and view level.
all shows all bars in a group or mesh.
first bar shows only the first bar in
the group or mesh.
last bar shows only the last bar in the
group or mesh.
first and last 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. Only applies to
bar groups.

Drawing settings 1102 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Option Description
Straight end Select symbols to be used at straight
ends.
Symbol at straight end (drawing and
view level properties)

Reinforcing bar end symbols are

always drawn in a solid line
type, regardless of the selected
reinforcement line type.
Only applies to reinforcing bars.
Hooked end Select symbols to be used at hooked
ends.
Symbol at hooked end (drawing and
view level properties)

Only applies to reinforcing bars.

Reinforcing bar end symbols are
always drawn in a solid line
type, regardless of the selected
reinforcement line type.
Mesh content, visibility and representation:
Visibility of all meshes This setting is only available on the
drawing and view level.
Visible shows the meshes in the
drawing.
Not visible does not show the
meshes in the drawing.
Representation type single line draws a single line with
radiused bends.
Representation (drawing and view
level properties) single line with filled ends draws a
single line for parallel bars and filled
ends for perpendicular bars.
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.

Drawing settings 1103 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Option Description
filled line draws a solid bar with
radiused bends.
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.
outline (ignore holes) ignores holes
and draws over them. Only applies to
reinforcement meshes.
Visible longitudinal bars all shows all bars in a group or mesh.
Visibility of longitudinal wires first bar shows only the first bar in
(drawing and view level properties) the group or mesh.
Visible cross bars last bar shows only the last bar in the
group or mesh.
Visibility of crossing bars (drawing
and view level properties) first and last 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. Only applies to
meshes.
Mesh symbol Define the mesh symbol to be used.
The mesh symbol appears in the
middle of the diagonal line.
Symbol 1

Symbol 2

Drawing settings 1104 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Option Description
Symbol 3

Mesh symbol size Define the size of the mesh symbol.

Rebar and mesh line properties:
Visible lines Define the color and type of the
visible lines.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Reinforcing bar end symbols are
always drawn in a solid line
type, regardless of the selected
reinforcement line type.
Hidden lines Define the color and type of the
hidden lines.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Rebar assembly properties:
Visibility of rebar assemblies This setting is only available in the
view level properties.
Visible shows the rebar assemblies.
Not visible does not show the rebar
assemblies.
Rebar Representation This setting is only available on the
view level.
Outline: All sub-assemblies of the
rebar assembly are shown as outline
boxes.

Drawing settings 1105 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Option Description
As individual rebar objects: All rebar
objects in the rebar assembly and
sub-assemblies are visible.

• Sub-assemblies as outline,
highest level as individual rebar
objects: All sub-assemblies are
shown as outline boxes and the
highest level of the rebar assembly
is shown as individual rebar
objects.

Visible lines Define the color and type of the

visible lines in rebar assemblies.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Reinforcing bar end symbols are
always drawn in a solid line
type, regardless of the selected
reinforcement line type.
Mesh symbol This setting is only available on the
view level.
Define the mesh symbol to be used in
rebar assemblies. The mesh symbol
appears in the middle of the diagonal
line.

Drawing settings 1106 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Option Description
Symbol 1

Symbol 2

Symbol 3

Mesh symbol size This setting is only available on the

view level.
Defines the size of the mesh symbol
in rebar assemblies.

Additional ways of modifying reinforcement

In addition to the settings in reinforcement properties, you can modify the
reinforcement in any of the following ways:
• Increase the size of the bend and end symbols (in drawing units)
using the advanced options XS_REBAR_BEND_MARK_SYMBOL_MIN_SIZE
and XS_REBAR_END_SYMBOL_MIN_SIZE in File menu --> Settings -->
Advanced options --> Concrete detailing.
• Use the advanced option XS_REBAR_REVERSE_END_SYMBOLS in File -->
Settings --> Advanced options --> Concrete detailing to change the end
symbols to a different direction.
• 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 (page 1107) file.

See also
Show rebar assemblies in drawings (page 544)
Define drawing reinforcement and meshes (page 963)
Part and neighbor part properties in drawings (page 1087)

Drawing settings 1107 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

Reinforcement settings for drawings (rebar_config.inp)
Tekla Structures uses the settings in the rebar_config.inp file in the system
folder (XS_SYSTEM), firm folder, or in the project 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
To modify the settings, open rebar_config.inp in a standard text editor.
The entries in the rebar_config.inp are listed and described below:

Entry Description
MergeOneFormat No longer used. Define these properties in the
MergeTwoOrMoreFormats drawing 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.

Drawing settings 1108 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Entry Description
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.
PullOutBendingRadiusAsM Set to 1 to show the pullout bending radii
ultiplier using 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.

Drawing settings 1109 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Entry Description
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
ngAccuracy dimensions. Default 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
dingAccuracy length. 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 file [Link], which in
the default environment is located in the
folder ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\co
mmon\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 [Link] file in
the ...\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\co
mmon\symbols folder.
StrandSymbolFile Points to the strand symbol file that
contains the available strand symbols. Affects
drawings.
By default, points to the [Link] file in
the ...\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\co
mmon\symbols folder.
UnbondingSymbolFile Points to the unbonding symbol file that
contains the available unbonding symbols.

Drawing settings 1110 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Entry Description
RebarMeshSize Template for rebar mesh size
="%CC_DIAMETER_LONG%/
%CC_DIAMETER_CROSS%-%CC_LONG%/
%CC_CROSS%-%LENGTH%/%WIDTH%"
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. The precision is
on calculated using the following formula: 1/value
= precision.
In metric systems, you may want to use the
values 1, 10, and 100, and in imperial systems,
the values 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32, for example.
PullOutDimensionUnit Defines the units to use.
Options:
• 0 = auto
• 1 = mm
• 2 = cm
• 3=m
• 4 = inch
• 5 = foot and inch
PullOutColor Sets the color for the pull-outs in
reinforcement marks.
Options:

Drawing settings 1111 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Entry Description
• 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
PullOutAngleColor Sets the color for the angle in pull-outs.
Options:
• 1 = black
• 2 = red
• 3 = green
• 4 = blue
• 5 = cyan

Drawing settings 1112 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Entry Description
• 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=
PullOutLeaderLineMinLen Sets a minimum length for the small leader
gth lines that 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
s showed multiple times for one bar.
Options:
• 0 = duplicate dimensions are not shown
(default)

Drawing settings 1113 Reinforcement object properties in drawings

 Entry Description
• 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.

9.12 Pour object and pour break properties in drawings

Use the settings in pour object properties and pour break properties in
general arrangement drawings to control the visibility and appearance of the
pour objects and pour breaks.

NOTE The options and functionality related to pours are only available if
pours are enabled in the model. You can enable pours 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.

Drawing settings 1114 Pour object and pour break properties in

drawings
WARNING 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 object properties

To open pour object properties in GA drawings:
• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> GA drawing
and then click Pour object...
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background and click Pour
object...
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing view frame, and select Pour
object in the options tree.
• Click a pour object in an open drawing. If the property pane is not open,
double-click the pour object.
• Select Pour object in the property pane object list.
• In an open drawing, go to Quick Launch, start typing pour object
properties, and select Drawing pour object properties in the list.
The following table lists all pour object properties on all property levels
(drawing, view, object).

Option Description
Save, load and search properties in
property pane

• To load existing properties, select

the properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties,
click . You can also save the
properties with another name.
• To search for a property, start
typing the property name.
Visibility In the property pane, click the eye
button to activate or deactivate
the following options:
Hidden lines: Define whether pour
object hidden lines are shown.

Drawing settings 1115 Pour object and pour break properties in

drawings
 Option Description
Own hidden lines: Define whether
pour object own hidden lines are
shown.
Edge chamfers: Define whether edge
chamfers (page 490) are shown.
Fillet edge: Define whether fillet
edges (page 495) are shown.
The visibility options are available on
the drawing and view level as check
boxes.
Visible lines Select the color and type of the visible
pour object lines.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Hidden lines Select the color and type of the
hidden pour object lines.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Fill
To add a hatch for outer pour faces, use the Part faces/Pour faces options,
and to add a hatch for cross sections in section views, use the Sections
options.
Note that some option names are slightly different in the view and drawing
level properties.
Type Define the fill type. To open a preview
to the hatch patterns, click the …
button next to the pattern list.
The Automatic option selects the
fill type automatically from the hatch
pattern schema files.
The None option leaves hatching out.
Color Define the color for the fill.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Background Define the background color for the
fill.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).

Drawing settings 1116 Pour object and pour break properties in

drawings
 Option Description
The Background selection is disabled
for hardware hatches, such as
hardware_SOLID or hardware_LINES.
The 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 Select between automatic and custom
scaling.
Automatic scales and rotates the fill
automatically.
Custom allows you to select scaling
and rotation manually.
Scaling in X direction, Scaling in Y Define the scales in the X and Y
direction direction.
Keep ratio of x and y Retain the relative proportions in the
fill.
Angle The scaling angle rotates the fill. For
example, Angle 0.0 is for horizontal
rotation and Angle 90.0 for vertical
rotation.

Pour break properties

To open pour break properties in GA drawings:
• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties --> GA drawing
and then click Pour breaks...
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background and click Pour
breaks...
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing view frame, and select Pour
break in the options tree.
• Click a pour break in an open drawing. If the property pane is not open,
double-click the pour break.
• Select Pour break in the property pane object list.
• In an open drawing, go to Quick Launch, start typing pour break
properties, and select Drawing pour break properties in the list.

Option Description
Save, load and search properties in
property pane

Drawing settings 1117 Pour object and pour break properties in

drawings
 Option Description
• To load existing properties, select
the properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties,
click . You can also save the
properties with another name.
• To search for a property, start
typing the property name.
Visibility In the property pane, click the eye
button next Hidden lines to show
or hide the pour break hidden
lines. This option is available on the
drawing and view level as a checkbox.
The following settings are only
available in the drawing and view level
properties:
• Visible: Pour breaks are visible.
• Not visible: Pour breaks are not
visible.
Visible lines Select the color and type of the visible
pour break lines.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Hidden lines Select the color and type of the
hidden pour break lines.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).

See also
Show pours in drawings (page 548)

9.13 Placement properties for marks, notes, dimensions,

texts, and symbols in drawings
Use the placing settings for annotation objects (dimensions, marks, notes,
texts, and symbols) to control how the objects are placed in a drawing.

You can set automatic placing properties for dimensions and marks before
you create a drawing. In an open drawing, you can define placing properties

Drawing settings 1118 Placement properties for marks, notes,

dimensions, texts, and symbols in drawings
for annotation objects that you create manually, and modify the placing
properties of the annotation objects that you already have in your drawing.
• In the property pane, select an annotation object in the object list. The
placing properties are located in the Placing section of the annotation
object properties.
• On the drawing and view level, open the annotation object properties first
and then click the Place... button.

Setting Description
Placing
Short dimensions Define the text location of short
dimensions:
Inside: Text is inside the
dimension lines.
Outside: Text is outside
the dimension line.
Dimension line spacing Define the space between parallel
dimension lines.
In manually created dimensions, this
setting works only if the Placing
property is set to Free.
Alignment Select where you want to align the
mark, text, or note:
Left
Center
Right
Leader line
The Leader line option is available
in following mark types: bolt
marks, connection marks, part
marks, neighbor part marks, pour
object marks, reinforcement marks,
neighbor reinforcement marks,
merged reinforcement marks and
surface treatment marks.
Rotation Define the mark rotation.
Placing method Free allowsTekla Structures to search
for the first suitable location for the

Drawing settings 1119 Placement properties for marks, notes,

dimensions, texts, and symbols in drawings
 Setting Description
annotation object. This also affects
the direction of the dimensions.
Fixed allows you to place the
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.
Negative direction,Positive Define the side of the dimensioned
direction object on which Tekla Structures
places the dimensions.
Direction (view level properties)
This setting affects the Free setting.
This setting is not available in GA
drawing dimension properties.
Distance s
Search margin (view and drawing
level properties)

Define the empty margin that you

want to have around the the
annotation objects.
Note that if you use a high Distance
s value, the annotation object
placement does not work properly.
Distance d min
Minimum distance (view and
drawing level properties)

Define the minimum distance of the

annotation object from the part.
Note that if you specify a high
Distance d min value, the annotation
object placement does not work
properly.
Distance d max
Maximum distance (view and
drawing level properties)

Define the maximum distance of the

annotation object from the part.

Drawing settings 1120 Placement properties for marks, notes,

dimensions, texts, and symbols in drawings
 Setting Description
Position Define the areas where Tekla
Structures searches for a position to
Quarter (view and drawing level
place the annotation object.
properties)

This setting is available for marks,

notes, and texts.
Weld placement depends on the
welding direction. Welds can only
be placed in certain sectors, so this
setting is not available for model
weld marks. However, this option is
available for manually added weld
marks in the final drawing.

The following image illustrates the Distance s, Distance d min, and Distance
d max properties of a mark:

(1) Distance s
(2) Distance d min
(3) Distance d max

9.14 Model weld properties in drawings

You can select which model welds are visible in drawings and drawing views,
and set the weld color and line type.

Drawing settings 1121 Model weld properties in drawings

To open weld properties in drawings:
• On the Drawings & reports tab, click Drawing properties, select the
drawing type, and navigate to weld properties.
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing view frame, and click Weld in
the options tree.
• In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background, and navigate to
weld properties.
• Click a weld in an open drawing. If the property pane is not open, double-
click the weld.
• In Quick Launch, start typing weld properties, and then select Drawing
weld properties from the list.
The following table lists all weld settings on all property levels (drawing, view,
object). All weld properties do not contain all of the settings listed below.

Setting Description
Save, load and search
properties in property
pane

• To load existing properties, select the

properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties, click . You
can also save the properties with another
name.
• To search for a property, start typing the
property name.
Welds These settings are only available on the drawing
(GA drawings) and view level.
Welds in sub-
assemblies Not visible does not display any welds in the
selected view or drawing.
Site weld visible displays only site welds in the
view/drawing.
Workshop weld visible displays only workshop
welds in the view or drawing
Both visible displays both site welds and
workshop welds in the view or drawing.
Weld size limit This setting is only available on the drawing (GA
drawings) and view level.
Enter a weld size limit to filter welds of that size
and smaller out of the drawing. This is useful

Drawing settings 1122 Model weld properties in drawings

 Setting Description
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.
The weld size limit can also be set for all views in a
drawing (page 984).
Visibility In the property pane, click the eye button to
activate or deactivate the visibility options.
Select whether to show Hidden lines or Own
hidden lines.
Representation Select Path or Outline.
Path

Outline

Weld solids are shown in drawings in the following

cases:
• Weld solids are shown in drawings for those
weld types that have real solid support. Welds
that have no real solid support are shown in

Drawing settings 1123 Model weld properties in drawings

 Setting Description
the model with a hexagonal placeholder, and in
drawings weld solids are not shown.
• Welds that have custom cross-sections are also
supported.
Visible lines Set the color and type of the visible weld lines.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).
Hidden lines Set the color and type of the hidden weld lines.
You can use a standard color or a custom RGB
color (page 64).

9.15 Drawing sketch object properties

You can draw many kinds of sketch objects (graphical objects) in your drawings
(lines, rectangles, polylines, polygons, arcs, circles, clouds) and use the sketch
objects for highlighting particular spots of interest, for example. In sketch
object properties, you can control the appearance of the sketch objects.

To open the properties of a sketch object, do one of the following:

• In an open drawing, go to the Drawing tab, hold down Shift and click any
of the sketch object commands.

• In an open drawing, click a sketch object. If the property pane is not open,
double-click the object.
• Select the sketch object from the property pane object list.
• You can also open sketch object properties through Quick Launch. For
example, start typing polygon properties, and then select Drawing
polygon properties in the list.
• Note that the Pattern line command has a property dialog of its own
(page 453).
The available settings vary depending on the sketch object type. All sketch
object settings are described below.

Drawing settings 1124 Drawing sketch object properties

 Setting Description
Save, load and search properties in
property pane

• To load existing properties, select

the properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties,
click . You can also save the
properties with another name.
• To search for a property, start
typing the property name.
Line
Line type or Type Define the line type of the object.
Line color or Color Define the color of the object lines.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
Bulge or Bulge for all lines Allowed values 0 - 1.
The bulge factor defines the curvature
of the curved segments of objects
using the following calculation:
Arc height = Line length * Bulge factor
Changing the bulge factor of a
polyline or polygon modifies all the
segments of that object.
Radius Define the radius of arcs and circles.
Arrow
Arrow Define the end arrow type for lines.
Position Define the arrow position: None,
Left, Right, Left and right.
Arrow height Define the arrow height.
Arrow length Define the arrow length.
Fill: You can use hatches (fills) also in sketch objects, such as rectangles,
polygons, clouds, and circles.
Type Define the fill type to be used in a
sketch object. Clicking ... shows the
available fill types.
Note that all settings are not available
for automatic or hardware hatches.
Color Define the color of the fill.

Drawing settings 1125 Drawing sketch object properties

 Setting Description
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
This setting is disabled for automatic
hatches.
Background Define the background color of the
fill.
You can use a standard color or a
custom RGB color (page 64).
This setting is disabled for hardware
hatches.
Angle Rotate the fill. Angle 0.0 is for
horizontal and 90.0 for vertical
rotation.
This setting is disabled for hardware
hatches and automatic hatches.
X offset for hatch Move the fill pattern inside the object
in the X and Y direction by the
Y offset for hatch
specified value.
This setting is disabled for hardware
hatches and automatic hatches.
Scaling in X direction Define the fill scales in the x and y
direction.
Scaling in Y direction
This setting is disabled for hardware
hatches and automatic hatches.
Keep ratio of x and y Retain the relative proportions in the
hatch pattern.
This setting is disabled for hardware
hatches and automatic hatches.
Position
Behind model objects Select to place the sketch object
behind model objects.
This setting is not available for all
sketch objects.

See also
Draw and modify sketch objects in drawings (page 447)
Create and add pattern lines in drawings (page 453)
Hide part face areas and outlines with cover-up tools (page 474)

Drawing settings 1126 Drawing sketch object properties

9.16 Drawing grid and grid line properties
Use the grid and grid line properties to check and modify the grid settings in
drawings. For example, you can modify the grid visibility, label placing, line and
label colors, and label font.

To open the grid or grid line properties in drawings:

• To show view-specific grid properties: In an open drawing, double-click a
drawing view frame and click Grid in the options tree.
• To show drawing-specific grid properties in a general arrangement drawing:
In an open drawing, double-click the drawing background, and click Grid....
• To show the grid or grid line properties in an open drawing, click the grid or
the grid line. If the property pane is not open, double-click the grid or grid
line. Ensure that you have the correct selection switch active: To modify

grids, use the selection switch Select grid , and to modify grid lines,

use Select grid line .

• You can also open grid or grid line properties by selecting Grid or Grid line
from the property pane object list.
• You can also show grid or grid line properties through Quick Launch: Go to
Quick Launch, type grid, and select Drawing grid properties or Drawing
grid line properties in the list.
The following table describes all grid properties that are available on the
drawing and view level, and in the property pane:

Option Description
Save, load and search properties in
property pane

• To load existing properties, select

the properties from the list.
• To save the modified properties,
click . You can also save the
properties with another name.
• To search for a property, start
typing the property name.
Grid lines

Drawing settings 1127 Drawing grid and grid line properties

 Option Description
Visibility (property pane) Visible shows the grids.
Grid (drawing and view level) Only grid labels visible shows only
the grid label and a short section of
the grid line.
Not visible does not show the grids.
This option is only available on the
drawing and view level.
Extension length Define the distance between the end
of the grid line and the label text.
On the drawing and view level, there
is a box for entering the value in the
Text placing section.
Line color, Line type Define the grid line color and type.
Color, Type (drawing and view level You can use a standard color or a
properties) custom RGB color (page 64).
Grid labels
Font color, Font, Font height, Frame Define the text color, font, font height,
type and frame type for the grid labels.
Color, Height, Font , Frame (drawing You can use a standard color or a
and view level properties) custom RGB color (page 64).
To show more font options, click
the ... button.
Placing Select the locations where to show
the grid labels by selecting the
Text placing (drawing and view level
checkboxes.
properties)

In the drawing and view level

properties, you can enter the length
of the grid line extension here.

Other ways to adjust grids in drawings

Additionally, XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_FIXED_WIDTH,
XS_DRAWING_GRID_LABEL_FRAME_LINE_WIDTH_FACTOR,
XS_GRID_TEXT_FONT, and XS_DEFAULT_FONT allow you to adjust the grid
labels further. You can also customize grid labels (page 579).

Drawing settings 1128 Drawing grid and grid line properties

See also
Define drawing grids (page 969)
Show grids in drawings (page 577)
Modify grids and grid lines in drawings (page 577)

Drawing settings 1129 Drawing grid and grid line properties

10 Disclaimer
© 2025 Trimble Inc. and affiliates. All rights reserved.
Use of the Software and of this Software Manual are governed by a License
Agreement which determines whether you are an authorized user of the
Software and the Software Manual. The warranties and disclaimers set forth
in the License Agreement apply to the Software and the Software Manual.
Neither the Trimble entity granting the license nor any of its affiliates assume
responsibility that the text is free of technical inaccuracies or typographical
errors. The right to make changes and additions to this manual is reserved.
Trimble and certain product names are registered trademarks of Trimble Inc.
in the United States, the European Union and other countries and may have
similar statutory protections. Trademarks of third parties are not mentioned in
this Manual to suggest an affiliation with or endorsement by their owners.
Elements of the software described in this Manual may be the subject of
pending patent applications in the European Union and/or other countries.
Portions of this software:
Portions of this software make use of Open CASCADE Technology software.
Open Cascade Express Mesh Copyright © 2019 OPEN CASCADE S.A.S. All rights
reserved.
FLY SDK - CAD SDK © 2012 VisualIntegrity™. All rights reserved.
This application incorporates Open Design Alliance software pursuant to a
license agreement with Open Design Alliance. Open Design Alliance Copyright
© 2002–2020 by Open Design Alliance. All rights reserved.
[Link] © 2017. All rights reserved.
RapidXml C++ library © All rights reserved.
FlexNet Publisher © 2016 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

Disclaimer 1130
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 open source software licenses, go to Tekla Structures,
click File menu --> Help --> About Tekla Structures --> 3rd party licenses
and then click the option.

Disclaimer 1131
Index

3 fold marks.............................................. 707

frames.................................................... 707
3D views hatches................................................... 943
examples................................................ 105 hyperlinks...............................................438
in drawings.............................................105 level marks............................................. 390
3D views links to images.......................................438
creating...................................................224 links to DWG/DXF files.......................... 438
in drawings.............................................224 links to other drawings.........................438
3D isometric drawings links to text files.................................... 438
examples................................................ 105 manual dimensions.............................. 252
3D views marks and notes................................... 335
in drawings..............................223,762,990 part marks..............................................346
rotating views........................................ 990 rebar marks........................................... 349
rebar pull-out pictures.................. 513,517
reinforcement marks.....................349,351
A revision marks....................................... 425
section marks........................................ 391
A3 single-part views in assembly drawings
printing................................................... 668 .................................................................250
printing (old printing).................... 696,697 special characters................................. 420
A4 surface treatment marks..................... 403
printing................................................... 668 surface treatment marks..................... 346
printing (old printing)............................695 symbols in drawings............................. 428
absolute dimensions................................ 1011 symbols in marks.................................. 917
appearance............................................ 857 symbols in marks.................................. 428
orientation............................................. 857 texts in drawings................................... 420
zero at start point..................................857 AI Cloud Fabrication drawings
Add surfacing symbols macro................... 428 collections.............................................. 134
adding creating...................................................129
associative notes................................... 375 fabrication drawing collections
bolt marks.............................................. 346 giving access.................................... 144
closing rebar dimensions..................... 272 managing access............................. 144
connection marks................................. 346 removing access.............................. 144
connection marks................................. 400 roles.................................................. 144
custom colors.......................................... 64
detail marks........................................... 396 FAQ..........................................................148
dimension points.................................. 323 libraries...................................................134
dimension points in anchor bolt plans.... managing access to collections........... 144
330 managing collections............................ 134
dimensions to rebars............................273 managing libraries................................ 134
dual dimensions....................................304 AISC weld marks..........................................552
fills...........................................................943

1132
aligning of reference objects in drawings.........590
associative notes................................... 478 of surface treatment.............................958
drawing views........................................ 791 arcs
drawing objects..................................... 478 adding in drawings................................447
drawing views........................................ 478 dividing................................................... 462
drawing views........................................ 244 sketch objects......................................1124
marks......................................................478 arranging
sloped dimension texts........................ 867 annotation objects................................ 477
symbols.................................................. 478 drawing views........................................ 244
texts........................................................ 478 marks......................................................477
alternative scales arrows...........................................................405
of drawing views....................................746 customizing............................................428
anchor bolts.................................................109 customizing symbol.............................. 320
anchor bolt plans dimensions.......................................... 1011
creating...................................................167 in dimension lines................................. 320
included objects.................................... 167 in leader lines........................................ 428
including assemblies............................ 167 in sketch objects..................................1124
properties...............................................990 leader lines.............................................419
dimensions............................................ 868 assemblies
angle dimensions including in anchor bolt plans............. 167
anchor bolt plans.................................. 167 rebars................................................... 1100
degrees.................................................1011 assembly drawings
gradians................................................1011 creating....................... 17,122,129,170,205
angles creating from groups of similar parts.170
in fills.................................................... 1124 dimensioning.......................................1040
sketch objects......................................1124 example of rails..................................... 112
annotation objects....................... 208,333,752 example of stairs...................................112
example of a beam assembly..............112
associative................................................80
arranging................................................477 freezing...................................................641
dragging................................................. 480 including single-part drawings............ 769
in drawings...............................................80 single-part views....................................250
independent............................................ 80 viewing direction of parts.....................770
placing.................................................... 750
associative annotation objects
modifying............................................... 382 associative notes................................... 375
appearance level marks............................................. 390
of marks............................................... 1053 modifying............................................... 382
of bolts....................................................939 updating................................................. 384
of frames................................................ 892
associative notes
of leader lines........................................ 892
adding.....................................................375
of mark text........................................... 892
edge chamfers.......................................375
of model weld marks in drawings.....1079
in drawings...............................................80
of neighbor parts.................................. 932
leader line types.................................... 375
of parts................................................. 1087
modifying............................................... 382
of parts in drawings.............................. 927
placing.................................................. 1118

1133
 adding to reference objects................. 590 bent plates
aligning................................................... 478 unfolding................................................ 786
deleting...................................................335 BMP files
leader lines.............................................419 customized line types........................... 977
supescript...............................................424 bolt marks
associativity points..................................... 895 adding.....................................................884
leader lines.............................................419 bolt marks
associativity elements.................................................917
broken associativity................................ 49 merging.................................................. 410
ghost associativity symbol..................... 49 modifying............................................... 382
in drawings...............................................49 visibility...................................................887
of drawing dimension points...............324 bolts
refreshing after cloning........................ 193 appearance............................................ 939
symbol...................................................... 49 combining dimensions......................... 832
attributes contents................................................. 939
drawing revisioning...............................645 customizing bolt symbols.................... 941
AutoDrawings dimensioning.......................................1040
creating...................................................154 examples................................................ 939
wizard files............................................. 154 in drawings.............................................939
wizard log............................................... 154 in drawings.............................................938
automatic properties............................................ 1094
dimensions..................................... 798,853 representation.......................................939
drawing size........................................... 746 symbols.........................................941,1087
drawing view scale................................ 746 bottom views
drawing views........................................ 762 creating...................................................224
marks.............................................. 882,884 in drawings..................................... 762,990
autoscaling in drawings.............................................224
of drawing views....................................746 boundaries
autosizing of drawing views....................................244
of drawings............................................ 746 building objects.............................. 80,208,487
AWS weld marks..........................................552 modifying............................................... 488
vs model objects......................................49

B bulge
sketch objects......................................1124
back views by print area (old printing).........................712
creating...................................................224
in drawings.............................................224
drawings.......................................... 762,990
C
background mask cast unit definition method
level marks...........................................1084 By cast unit ID................................ 170,205
marks....................................................1053 By cast unit position...................... 170,205
background color cast unit drawings
in drawings...............................................64 cast unit definition method................. 205
creating....................... 17,122,129,170,205
beams creating one by one.............................. 170
viewing direction in assembly drawings dimensioning.......................................1040
.................................................................770 examples of precast beams.................114

1134
 examples of precast columns..............114 using cloning templates in Master
examples of precast stairs................... 114 drawing catalog..................................... 193
freezing...................................................641 when to clone........................................ 193
categories which objects are cloned......................193
in Document manager......................... 616 closing dimensions..................................... 832
center lines closing dimensions
in drawing objects................................. 488 adding.....................................................272
center lines closing
in drawing objects...............................1087 drawings.................................................212
center of gravity cloud collection libraries
dimensioning......................................... 316 activating................................................ 134
chamfers in fabrication drawing cloud collections
adding marks.........................................490 .................................................................134
associative notes................................... 490 inactivating.............................................134
in drawings.............................................490 managing content................................. 134
in drawings.............................................465 opening.................................................. 134
showing.................................................. 490 overriding drawing layout and size.....134
change symbols removing................................................ 134
colors...................................................... 405 clouds....................................................405,446
hiding......................................................405 CLP files........................................................ 453
removing................................................ 405 COG
change clouds............................................. 405 dimensioning......................................... 316
changing symbols.................................................. 316
drawing revisions.................................. 645 collections
check dimensions....................................... 832 AI Cloud Fabrication drawings.............134
circles color palettes
adding in drawings................................447 deleting.....................................................64
sketch objects......................................1124 modifying................................................. 64
cloning templates....................................... 162 saving........................................................64
in Master drawing catalog....................182 color modes
modifying properties............................ 182 in drawings...............................................64
cloning colors
a drawing to a new sheet..................... 204 changing pen number (old printing)...714
checking cloned drawings.................... 193 custom...................................................... 64
cloning models...................................... 193 fills............................................................. 64
cloning templates..................................162 gray shades.............................................. 64
dimensions............................................ 193 in drawings...............................................64
drawings.................................................193 in hatches................................................. 64
drawings from Document manager... 193 in drawings.............................................467
examples................................................ 193 line width..................................................64
from Document manager.................... 616 of parts................................................. 1087
refreshing associativity after cloning.. 193 pen numbers (old printing)..................713
selected annotation objects and object RGB........................................................... 64
representations..................................... 483 standard................................................... 64
using cloning templates....................... 193 columns
using cloning templates from other viewing direction in assembly drawings
models....................................................193 .................................................................770
combining

1135
 dimension lines..................................... 331 drawing views from other drawings... 233
dimensions................................... 832,1040 section marks........................................ 391
sketch objects........................................ 450 sketch objects........................................ 463
compass direction of parts........................ 933 with offset.............................................. 463
complex lines [Link]..................................541
line types................................................ 453 cover-up tools..............................................474
configuration files creating
printing................................................... 687 3D views................................................. 224
configuring 3D views................................................. 762
documents included in Document AI Cloud Fabrication drawings.............129
manager................................................. 616 anchor bolt plans.................................. 167
connecting side marks assembly drawings............................... 205
showing in drawings............................. 933 assembly drawings........................ 122,129
symbols.................................................. 933 assembly drawings..................................17
connecting side marks back views.............................................. 224
showing in drawings........................... 1087 bottom views......................................... 224
connecting cast unit drawings..........................122,129
dimension lines..................................... 331 cast unit drawings............................17,205
connection marks color palettes........................................... 64
adding.....................................................884 curved section views.............................224
connection marks cut lines.................................................. 605
adding manually....................................400 detail views............................................ 224
deleting...................................................400 drawing revisions.................................. 645
modifying........................................382,400 drawing views........................................ 224
[Link]................................... 973 drawings....
contentattributes_global.lst.......................971 17,119,122,129,175,193,204,205
contents drawings in Master drawing catalog....
marks....................................................1053 160,170,193
of marks............................................... 1063 empty drawings.....................................166
of bolts....................................................939 end views............................................... 762
of drawing parts.................................... 927 fabrication drawings............................... 17
of drawings.............................................. 49 fabrication drawings......................122,129
of neighbor parts.................................. 932 fillet......................................................... 464
of parts................................................. 1087 front views..............................................224
of surface treatment.............................958 general arrangement drawings............. 17
coordinate system general arrangement drawings........... 616
changing.................................................770 general arrangement drawings....121,166
fixed........................................................ 770 main views............................................. 762
horizontal brace.................................... 770 manual dimensions.............................. 252
local.........................................................770 moment connection symbols...... 608,609
model......................................................770 round chamfer in drawing................... 465
oriented..................................................770 section views.................................. 224,762
vertical brace......................................... 770 single-part drawings............................. 122
coordinate systems single-part drawings............................. 205
user coordinate system (UCS)............. 261 straight chamfer in drawing.................465
copying top views................................................ 224
a drawing to a new sheet..................... 204 user-defined attributes in drawings... 974
detail marks........................................... 396 curved dimensions................................... 1011

1136
curved section views marks and notes................................... 335
creating...................................................224 moment connection symbols..............608
deleting...................................................224 rebar marks........................................... 349
custom colors selected part marks.............................. 385
adding.......................................................64 selected reinforcement marks............ 385
modifying................................................. 64 surface treatment marks..................... 403
saving........................................................64 tables from layout.................................218
custom presentations................................ 607 text objects.............................................420
custom section arrows............................... 391 unnecessary drawing files....................654
customizing detail boundaries........................................396
bolt symbols.......................................... 941 detail marks................................................. 224
dimension line arrow symbols............ 320 adding.....................................................396
drawing grid labels................................579 copying................................................... 396
leader line arrow symbols....................428 creating...................................................396
line types................................................ 977 detail symbols........................................396
master drawings....................................182 detail boundary..................................... 396
Master drawing catalog........................182 modifying............................................... 396
print file names (old printing)..............704 moving....................................................396
section arrows....................................... 391 detail symbols............................................. 396
weld type symbols................................ 552 detail views
cut lines creating...................................................224
creating...................................................605 deleting...................................................224
deleting...................................................605 detail marks........................................... 224
managing............................................... 605 in drawings.............................................223
updating................................................. 605 labels.......................................................224
moving to another drawing................. 233
detailed object level settings
D on view level.......................................... 990
detailed object level settings
DAT files.............................................. 541,1099 applying.................................................... 95
printing................................................... 687 creating.....................................................95
deck plans detailed object level settings....................... 83
examples................................................ 105 details
deformed parts adding.....................................................593
undeforming..........................................787 creating...................................................593
degrees...................................................... 1011 exploding................................................593
deleting in 2D Library.......................................... 593
connection marks................................. 400 inserting to drawings............................ 593
custom color palettes............................. 64 DG files
cut lines.................................................. 605 deleting...................................................655
dimension points.................................. 323 DG files......................................................... 649
dimensions............................................ 252 deleting...................................................654
documents from Document manager616 DIM files....................................................... 909
drawing revisions.................................. 645 dimension marks
drawing objects..................................... 476 adding.....................................................335
drawing views........................................ 224 deleting...................................................335
drawings.................................................655 dimension tags
file documents.......................................655 contents................................................. 252
marks......................................................346

1137
 elements.................................................252 combining.....................................832,1040
dimension points contents................................................. 252
associativity............................................324 coordinate system................................ 261
associativity in manual dimensioning 324 creating...................................................832
change associativity.............................. 324 creating manually..................................251
display associativity.............................. 324 creation method....................................990
dimension lines curved...................................................1011
combining.............................................. 331 customizing arrow symbols................. 320
creating extensions...............................856 defining rules.........................................804
customizing arrow symbols................. 320 deleting...................................................252
linking..................................................... 331 dimension marks.................................. 252
unlinking.................................................331 dimension tags...................................... 252
dimension marks dimension lines..............................263,332
dragging................................................. 314 dimension marks.................................. 263
modifying............................................... 304 dimension point associativity.............. 324
supescript...............................................424 dimension points.................................. 330
dimension points dimension tags...................................... 263
adding...................................... 272,323,330 dimensioning rule properties............1022
dragging................................................. 480 distance.................................................. 758
removing................................................ 323 dual dimensions....................................304
dimension rules elements.................................................252
applying.................................................. 804 elevations............................................... 832
creating...................................................804 enlarging................................................ 857
dimension tags exaggerating.......................................... 857
automatic tagging................................. 832 exaggerating selected...........................304
modifying............................................... 304 exaggeration.......................................... 304
dimensioning rule properties..................1022 examples.........................................828,832
dimensioning tool....................................... 828 exclude filter for dimension tag.......... 818
dimensioning excluding stirrups .................................818
properties............................................ 1010 extension line length............................ 304
rule properties.....................................1010 extension lines.................................... 1011
dimensions filter for holes and recesses.................818
absolute........................................ 857,1011 filter for main part of assembly...........818
adding.....................................................252 filters in rules......................................... 818
adding dimension points..................... 323 flipping outside dimensions................ 304
along part axis....................................... 261 format.....................................................909
along grid lines...................................... 261 formats.................................................1011
anchor bolt plans.................................. 868 forward offset.............................. 832,1040
angle..................................................... 1011 GA drawing dimension positioning.. 1051
appearance.....................................304,856 GA drawing part dimensions............. 1051
arrows...................................................1011 general arrangement drawings.........1051
automatic........ 798,804,823,828,853,1022 general arrangement drawings........... 868
automatic tagging................................. 832 grid dimensions.....................................868
bolts...................................................... 1040 grouping.............................. 832,1011,1040
center of gravity.................................... 316 hide dimensions in drawings...............467
check dimensions................................. 832 hole......................................................... 804
cloning in selected views......................193 in drawings...............................................80
closing........................................... 832,1040 in precast drawings...............................828

1138
in reinforcement....................................263 tags.................................................. 304,832
integrated...............................................828 types............................................1011,1040
Integrated dimensioning......................832 unfolded parts....................................... 854
knock-off dimensions........................... 832 units...................................................... 1011
level.......................................................1011 US absolute..........................................1011
level attributes.......................................909 view-specific...........................................804
location of short outside dimension texts dimension_arrows.sym.............................. 320
.................................................................304 dim_operation.ail........................................ 832
marks....................................... 304,314,832 dim_planes_table.txt........................... 860,864
maximum leader line length................868 direction marks
minimizing number of views............. 1040 in drawing views....................................791
modifying........................................251,304 symbols.................................................. 791
object groups.........................................868 direction
on view level.......................................... 804 view direction marks.............................791
on view level.......................................... 823 distance
overall..................................................... 804 dimensions............................................ 758
overall dimensions................................868 mark placing.......................................... 756
part dimensions.............................832,868 distances
parts in general arrangement drawings recognizable...........................................832
.................................................................261 distribution lines......................................... 263
placing...................263,750,758,1011,1118 dividing
plate side marks.................................... 304 arcs..........................................................462
plates...................................................... 860 lines.........................................................462
position dimensions...................... 832,855 Document manager....................................211
position properties............................. 1040 <<inv>> search...................................... 616
precision...............................................1011 categories...............................................616
preferred dim side................................ 832 cloning drawings................................... 616
prefix of radial dimensions.................. 859 cloning drawings................................... 193
profiles....................................................864 configuring UDAs.................................. 616
properties.................. 304,1010,1011,1040 configuring included documents........ 616
radial.....................................................1011 copying rows to clipboard.................... 616
recesses, shapes and holes................. 823 creating general arrangement drawings
recognizable distance.........................1040 .................................................................616
recreating for all parts.......................... 315 deleting documents.............................. 616
reinforcement........ 263,273,510,832,1040 filtering................................................... 616
reinforcing bar dimension lines.......... 263 finding associated drawings................ 616
reinforcing bar groups..........................263 finding associated model objects....... 616
relative..................................................1011 freezing...................................................616
removing dimension points................. 323 invariant search.....................................616
running dimensions..............................322 issuing.....................................................616
scenarios................................................ 828 locking.................................................... 616
search margin........................................758 log........................................................... 616
setting start point..................................322 marking ready for issuing.................... 616
settings..........................................832,1040 opening.................................................. 616
sloped..................................................... 867 revising drawings.................................. 616
specifying on view level........................ 800 searching................................................616
straight................................................. 1011 sorting.................................................... 616
sub-assemblies....................................1040 status messages.................................... 616

1139
 status flags............................................. 616 drawing layout
UDAs....................................................... 616 creating...................................................735
[Link]...........616 defining.................................................. 723
[Link].... example..................................................735
616 modifying............................................... 735
[Link] drawing layouts
t..................................................................... 616 creating...................................................724
[Link]..................... 616 deleting tables....................................... 218
double dimensions..................................... 304 drawing-specific changes..................... 218
DPROC files editing.....................................................724
AutoDrawings........................................ 154 excluding tables.....................................218
dragging drawing size.................................................746
annotation objects................................ 480 drawing versions
associative notes................................... 419 changing current version..................... 649
dimension points.................................. 480 keeping versions................................... 649
dimension marks.................................. 314 opening.................................................. 649
drawing objects..................................... 480 snapshots...............................................649
drawing views........................................ 244 drawing views
end of dimension line...........................332 aligning................................................... 244
grid labels...............................................480 arranging................................................ 244
grid labels in drawings..........................577 in model................................................. 236
handles...................................................480 modifying............................................... 244
leader line associativity point.............. 419 moving by dragging.............................. 244
marks......................................................419 rotating................................................... 244
sketch objects........................................ 480 view boundaries.................................... 244
texts........................................................ 420 drawing wizards
drawing properties modifying properties............................ 182
detailed object level settings................. 95 Drawing 2D Library
object level............................................... 95 details..................................................... 593
view level.................................................. 95 distributing.............................................593
drawing views DWG files................................................593
aligning................................................... 791 exploding details................................... 593
direction symbols..................................791 folders.................................................... 593
direction marks..................................... 791 images.................................................... 593
section views..........................................791 inserting details in a drawing...............593
drawing files limitations.............................................. 593
deleting unnecessary............................654 modifying details...................................593
Drawing list.................................................. 656 opening.................................................. 593
drawing views storing.................................................... 593
labels.......................................................765 Drawing content manager
view label marks....................................765 adding marks manually........................346
drawing objects Drawing content manager
deleting...................................................476 adding connection marks.................... 400
drawing layouts Drawing content manager
examples of pour drawings................. 548 adding marks.........................................335
drawing views deleting marks.......................................335
copying from other drawings.............. 233 hiding category types........................... 335
linking from other drawings................ 233 selecting marks and notes................... 335

1140
 selecting objects in drawing.................335 bottom views......................................... 990
drawing filters bottom views......................................... 224
in anchor bolt plans.............................. 167 cloning dimensions...............................193
in detailed object level settings............. 95 coordinate system................................ 990
drawing layout editor creating.................................... 224,762,990
defining drawing layout........................723 curved section views.............................224
drawing layouts............................................. 80 deformed parts..................................... 787
changing.................................................217 deleting...................................................224
selecting new......................................... 217 detail views............................................ 224
drawing mode dimensions............................................ 804
commands and controls.........................53 direction marks..................................... 990
user interface...........................................53 end views............................................... 990
drawing objects........................................... 333 front views..............................................990
aligning................................................... 478 front views..............................................224
annotation objects.................................. 80 labels.......................................................990
associativity..............................................49 lengthening parts.................................. 782
building objects....................................... 80 moving to another drawing................. 233
dragging................................................. 480 neighbor part visibility..........................778
loading saved properties........................95 of entire model view............................. 224
modifying properties.............................. 94 of reinforcement meshes.....................537
moving....................................................480 of selected area in a drawing...............224
reshaping............................................... 480 of selected area in model.....................224
resizing................................................... 480 part orientation..................................... 770
sketch objects.......................................... 80 projection type...................................... 767
drawing properties properties...............................................990
applying.................................................. 102 redimensioning..................................... 315
creating...................................................804 reflected views.......................................990
drawing property files.......................... 182 rotating parts......................................... 770
modifying automatic.............................717 rotation...................................................990
modifying in an open drawing...............93 scale.................................................746,990
modifying on view level.......................... 92 section views..........................................990
object level.......................................... 94,95 section views..........................................224
setting before creating drawings...........90 section view properties...................... 1008
drawing snapshots..................................... 213 settings................................................... 990
drawing view filters....................................... 95 shortening..............................................990
drawing view filters shortening parts....................................782
in dimensioning rules........................... 818 showing openings and recesses..........788
drawing views.........................................80,223 single-part views....................................250
3D views................................................. 990 size.......................................................... 746
3D views................................................. 224 top views................................................ 990
aligning................................................... 478 top views................................................ 224
anchor bolt plans.................................. 990 types....................................................... 990
arranging................................................ 233 undeforming..........................................990
assembly drawings............................... 769 unfolding................................................ 990
automatic............................................... 760 unfolding polybeams............................786
automatic settings................................ 760 view label symbols................................ 990
back views.............................................. 990 viewing direction of parts.....................770
back views.............................................. 224 [Link] 335

1141
drawing general arrangement drawings........... 105
defining layout.......................................723 gray shades.............................................. 64
[Link].........................................687 grid lines.................................................577
drawings grids.................................................577,969
dimensions............................................ 798 hiding and showing objects................. 467
adding texts........................................... 420 hyperlinks...............................................438
anchor bolt plans.................................. 167 integration with the model.................... 49
assembly drawing................................. 112 issuing............................................. 616,644
associativity..............................................49 layouts............................................... 80,217
automatic drawing settings................. 717 links to other drawings.........................438
autoscaling.............................................746 loading properties......................... 121,205
autosizing............................................... 746 locking.................................................... 640
basics........................................................ 17 managing............................................... 615
before creating........................................ 17 marking ready for issuing.................... 616
before creating...................................... 120 master drawings....................................182
black background.................................... 64 modifying................................................. 17
cast unit drawings................................. 114 modifying properties......................... 93,94
changing color......................................... 64 moving...................................................... 61
changing table sets............................... 218 multidrawings........................................117
cloning.................................................... 193 multiple drawing sheets of the same
cloning from Document manager.......193 part......................................................... 203
closing.....................................................212 names..................................................... 209
colors................................................. 64,467 object level settings.................................95
commands and controls.........................53 old printing............................................ 692
contents....................................................49 opening........................................... 211,616
creating...... 119,122,160,175,193,204,205 panning.....................................................61
creating AI Cloud Fabrication drawings.... pour properties................................... 1114
129 predefined settings................................. 17
creating for all parts..............................175 printing (old printing).................... 697,704
creating general arrangement drawings printing to multiple sheets (old printing)
......................................................... 121,166 .................................................................700
creating using saved settings.............. 170 printing (old printing)............................694
custom...................................................... 64 printing to PDF (old printing)............... 698
customized print file names (old properties.................................. 95,102,717
printing).................................................. 704 protection...............................................752
deleting........................................... 616,655 quick start................................................ 17
dimension properties......................... 1010 recreating............................................... 103
dimensioning properties....................1010 renaming................................................ 209
dimensioning rule properties............1010 revising............................................ 616,645
drawing objects....................................... 80 RGB........................................................... 64
drawing templates................................ 193 rule sets..................................................175
drawing size........................................... 746 saving......................................................212
drawing view scale................................ 746 setting properties before creating
editing.....................................................208 drawings................................................... 90
excluding tables from layout............... 218 settings............................................717,980
fold marks (old printing).......................706 single-part drawings............................. 109
frames (old printing)............................. 706 snapshots...............................................213
freezing...................................................641 standard................................................... 64

1142
 tables...................................................... 737 showing in drawings........................... 1087
text files.................................................. 438 editing
three levels of modifying........................83 drawings.................................................208
titles........................................................ 209 elements
to DWG/DXF files................................... 438 in marks............................................... 1063
to images................................................438 in bolt marks..........................................917
types....................................................... 104 in dimension tags..................................252
unfreezing.............................................. 641 in dimension marks.............................. 252
unissuing................................................ 644 in hole marks......................................... 917
unlocking................................................640 elevation views
updating.................................... 82,103,639 in drawings.............................................223
user-defined attributes................. 973,974 elevations
view filters................................................ 95 datum point........................................... 990
view-level properties...............................92 dimensioning......................................... 832
views...........................................80,760,762 embeds........................................................ 109
wizards................................................... 175 end views
zoom window.......................................... 61 aligning with main view........................ 791
zooming....................................................61 view direction marks.............................791
dual dimensions end views
adding automatically............................ 853 in drawings.............................................990
adding manually....................................304 in drawings.............................................762
DWG files......................................................737 enlarged views
adding links............................................438 adding dimension points (anchor bolt
in drawings....................................... 80,452 plans)...................................................... 330
in drawings.............................................438 enlarging
inserting to drawings............................ 593 dimensions............................................ 857
re-ordering in drawings........................452 erection elevation drawings
scaling options.......................................438 examples................................................ 105
searching................................................616 exaggerating
DWG/DXF files dimensions automatically.................... 857
adding in layouts...................................724 selected dimensions............................. 304
DXF files........................................................737 examples
adding links............................................438 bolts in drawings................................... 939
in drawings.............................................438 cast unit drawings................................. 114
in drawings...............................................80 cloning GA drawings............................. 193
scaling options.......................................438 custom hatches..................................... 949
dimensions in drawings....................... 272
general arrangement drawings........... 105
E integrated dimensioning...................... 828
integrated dimensions in drawings.... 832
edge chamfers part representation in drawings......... 927
adding marks.........................................490 precast fabrication drawings............... 114
associative notes................................... 490 printing (old printing)............................696
in drawings.............................................490 printing (old printing).................... 695,697
showing.................................................. 490 single-part drawings............................. 109
edge chamfers view-level dimensioning....................... 828
adding associative notes...................... 375 exploding
in drawings.............................................927 details in 2D Library.............................. 593
edge chamfers

1143
 plug-ins...................................................607 filtering
sketch objects........................................ 450 examples in dimensioning................... 818
extension lines in dimensioning rules
dimensions............................................ 304 exclude filter for dimension tag.... 818
length......................................................304 excluding stirrups ...........................818
extrema holes and recesses.......................... 818
in drawing views....................................224 main part of assembly.................... 818
in drawing views....................................244 in Document manager......................... 616
neighbor parts.......................................500
normal parts.......................................... 500
F using drawing filters in anchor bolt plans
.................................................................167
fabrication drawings filters
creating using AI and cloud collections.... drawing filters..........................................95
129 in detailed object level settings............. 95
managing collections............................ 134 view filters................................................ 95
managing libraries................................ 134 finding
fabrication drawing cloud collections associated drawings in Document
adding drawings to............................... 134 manager................................................. 616
creating...................................................134 associated model objects in Document
duplicating............................................. 134 manager................................................. 616
opening.................................................. 134 documents............................................. 616
removing................................................ 134 drawings......................................... 616,656
removing drawings............................... 134 firm folder
renaming................................................ 134 for images and symbols....................... 428
fabrication drawings fixed
creating............................................. 17,122 coordinate system................................ 770
face direction of parts................................ 933 dimension placing.................................252
FAQ dimension placing.................................758
AI Cloud Fabrication drawings.............148 dimensions............................................ 263
file names drawing main views.............................. 770
customized print file names (old printing mark placing.......................................... 756
.................................................................704 view placing............................................759
in printing (old printing)....................... 704 flipping outside dimensions...................... 304
fillet edges fold marks (old printing)............................ 706
in drawings.............................................495 fold marks
showing.................................................. 495 adding.....................................................724
showing in drawings........................... 1087 in printed drawings...............................707
fillet folding printed drawings (old printing).... 706
creating...................................................464 foldmarks (old printing)............................. 706
fills font height
adding.....................................................943 printing................................................... 668
adding in parts...................................... 942 format
angles................................................... 1124 dimensions............................................ 909
cross sections........................................ 943 level attributes.......................................909
of parts................................................. 1087 forward offset
offset.....................................................1124 dimensioning.......................................1040
parts........................................................943 forward offset..............................................832
sketch objects......................................1124

1144
foundation plans.........................................167 isometric drawings................................105
frames (old printing)................................... 706 plans....................................................... 105
frames slab plans............................................... 105
adding.....................................................724 general arrangement drawings
around marks........................................ 892 creating.....................................................17
in printed drawings...............................707 general arrangement drawings
framing plans creating in Master drawing catalog.....166
examples................................................ 105 creating using ribbon command.........121
free defining automatic view properties.... 764
dimension placing.................................252 dimension positioning..........................868
dimension placing.................................758 dimensioning.......................................1051
dimensions............................................ 263 dimensioning along part axis.............. 261
mark placing.......................................... 756 dimensioning parts along grid lines... 261
view placing............................................759 dimensioning parts partly outside the
freezing view......................................................... 868
and associativity.................................... 641 freezing...................................................641
and cloning............................................ 641 grid dimensions.....................................868
assembly drawings............................... 641 maximum dimension leader line length
cast unit drawings................................. 641 .................................................................868
drawings.................................................641 maximum number of outside
effect on drawings................................ 641 dimensions............................................ 868
general arrangement drawings........... 641 neighbor parts............................... 500,778
single-part drawings............................. 641 neighbor reinforcement....................... 500
unfreezing.............................................. 641 number of outside dimensions...........868
front views overall dimensions................................868
in drawings.............................................762 part dimensions.................................... 868
front viewing direction views....................................................... 764
assembly drawing views.......................770 getting started with drawings......................17
front views ghost outlines..............................................467
creating...................................................224 gradians..................................................... 1011
in drawings.............................................990 graphical objects
in drawings.............................................224 properties............................................ 1124
graphical templates
in marks..................................................912
G graphical objects
adding in drawings................................447
GA drawings......................................... 105,261 in drawings.............................................452
creating...................................................166 re-ordering............................................. 452
defining automatic view properties.... 764 gray shades
general arrangement drawings in drawings...............................................64
creating in Document manager.......... 616 grid labels
general arrangement drawings in drawings.......................................... 1127
3D views................................................. 105 grid labels
anchor bolt plans.................................. 105 dragging................................................. 577
deck plans.............................................. 105 in drawings.............................................577
erection elevation drawings.................105 grid dimensions
examples................................................ 105 in general arrangement drawings.......868
foundation plans................................... 105 grid labels
framing plans.........................................105

1145
 dragging................................................. 480 syntax..................................................... 953
grid lines hatch_types1.pat................................. 942,949
hiding in drawings.................................577 hidden lines
labels in drawings............................... 1127 in drawing objects................................. 488
modifying in drawings.......................... 577 hidden lines
properties in drawings....................... 1127 in drawing objects...............................1087
grid UDAs..................................................... 579 reference objects.................................. 590
grids hidden parts
customizing labels in drawings........... 579 listing...................................................... 467
GA drawing dimensioning..................1051 showing frames and leader lines........ 896
hiding in drawings.................................577 hiding
in drawings.............................................579 change symbols.....................................405
in drawings..............................577,969,970 dimensions in drawings....................... 467
labels in drawings............................... 1127 drawing objects..................................... 467
modifying in drawings.......................... 577 drawing objects..................................... 467
moving grid labels in drawings............577 from drawing views...............................467
properties in drawings....................... 1127 grid lines in drawings............................577
user-defined attributes for customizing grids in drawings................................... 577
drawings.................................................579 objects from drawing views................. 467
grouped dimensions parts in drawings...................................467
tagging.................................................... 832 reinforcing bar lines in drawings.........963
grouping highlighting
dimensions................................... 832,1040 changes in drawings............................. 405
grouping dimensions............................832 hole dimensions
identical objects.................................... 832 examples................................................ 804
rebar sets in drawings.......................... 967 holes
dimensioning..................................804,823
HTC files...................................... 943,953,1099
H hyperlinks
adding in drawings................................438
handles in drawings...............................................80
dragging................................................. 480
in drawing objects................................. 480
hatch patterns
surface treatment............................... 1099 I
hatches identical objects
adding.....................................................943 dimensioning......................................... 832
adding in parts...................................... 942 images
automatic hatches................................ 943 in drawings.............................................452
defining custom hatches......................949 in drawings.............................................438
examples................................................ 949 in templates........................................... 428
hardware hatches................................. 943 re-ordering in drawings........................452
neighbor parts.......................................943 independent annotation objects
parts........................................................943 texts........................................................ 420
rotation...................................................953 independent annotation objects.............. 333
scale.................................................943,953 DWG/DXF files........................................438
schema files....................................943,953 hyperlinks...............................................438
settings................................................... 953 images.................................................... 438
sketch objects......................................1124 links.........................................................438

1146
 revision marks....................................... 425 customizing arrows...............................428
text files.................................................. 438 for reinforcing bar group marks..........899
INP files....................................... 654,974,1107 handle points.........................................480
user-defined attributes........................ 973 marks......................................................419
Integrated dimensioning............................832 modifying............................................... 480
integrated dimensioning part marks..............................................894
examples................................................ 828 plate side marks.................................... 304
introduction to drawings..............................17 setting with advanced options............ 894
ISO weld marks........................................... 552 types....................................................... 898
issuing lengthening
drawings......................................... 616,644 parts in model....................................... 782
parts in drawing views..........................782
level attributes
K marks......................................................909
level marks
keep drawing versions............................... 649 adding.....................................................390
key plans...................................................... 737 background mask............................... 1084
in drawings.............................................223 properties............................................ 1084
keyplans level dimensions....................................... 1011
adding in layouts...................................724 level attributes
knock-off dimensions................................. 832 units........................................................ 971
levels
drawing level............................................ 83
L object level............................................... 83
labels three levels of modifying drawings....... 83
detail views............................................ 224 view level.................................................. 83
drawing views.................................765,990 libraries
marks......................................................765 AI Cloud Fabrication drawings.............134
section views..........................................224 limitations in printing................................. 667
views....................................................... 224 limiting the number of outside dimensions
landscape in general arrangement drawings.......868
printing (old printing)............................695 LIN files.........................................................977
layers line types
reinforcing bars..................................... 511 in drawing objects....................... 488,1087
sketch objects........................................ 452 line weight (old printing)
layout editor changing.................................................714
adding tables......................................... 724 in printouts............................................ 714
creating layouts..................................... 724 line corners
editing layouts....................................... 724 printing................................................... 668
moving tables........................................ 724 line extensions............................................ 856
replacing tables..................................... 724 line properties
layouts printing................................................... 668
changing.................................................217 line thickness (old printing)
selecting new......................................... 217 pen numbers......................................... 713
table sets................................................ 738 line types
leader lines........................................... 333,900 of parts................................................. 1087
associative notes................................... 419 line weight (old printing)
associativity point location...................419 pen numbers......................................... 713

1147
lines drawings.................................................615
adding in drawings................................447 moment connection symbols..............608
customized line types........................... 977 manual dimensions.................................... 252
dividing................................................... 462 mark drawings ready for issuing ..............643
extending............................................... 460 [Link]...............909,971
patterns.................................................. 977 marking drawings ready for issuing......... 616
shortening..............................................460 marks
sketch objects......................................1124 adding............................................. 335,884
trimming.................................................460 adding symbols..................................... 428
linking adding templates.................................. 912
dimension lines..................................... 331 adding connection marks.................... 400
drawing views from other drawings... 233 adding manually....................................346
links adding surface treatment marks........ 403
hyperlinks...............................................438 adding symbols..................................... 917
in drawings...............................................80 adding template attributes.................. 908
to other drawings..................................438 aligning................................................... 478
to DWG/DXF files................................... 438 appearance.......................................... 1053
to images................................................438 arranging................................................ 477
to text files............................................. 438 automatic........................................882,884
listing hidden parts..................................... 467 bolt marks.............................................. 917
loading checking mark count............................ 335
drawing object properties...................... 95 color........................................................ 892
drawing properties................... 17,121,205 connecting side..................................... 933
location contents......................................1053,1063
of beam marks...................................... 897 deleting...................................................335
of bracing marks................................... 897 distance.................................................. 756
of column marks................................... 897 drawing weld mark properties.......... 1073
of end views........................................... 791 element unit settings............................906
of marks.......................................... 897,933 elements....................................... 892,1063
of section views..................................... 791 fixed placing...........................................756
locking font..........................................................892
drawings.................................................640 for bolt holes......................................... 917
LST files........................................................ 973 frames.................................................... 892
free placing............................................ 756
height......................................................892
M in drawings...............................................80
in drawing view labels.......................... 765
macro leader line arrows................................. 428
Exaggerate selected dimensions.........304 leader line types.................................... 898
macros leader lines.............................................419
adding surface treatment symbols in level marks................................... 390,1084
drawings.................................................428 location.............................897,898,900,933
Rebar layering marker..........................511 merging........................................... 410,901
Rebar classification............................... 511 model weld marks.............................. 1079
Rebar mesh view creator................537 modifying............................................... 382
main views orientation............................................. 933
in drawings..................................... 223,762 placing................................... 750,756,1118
managing properties..................................... 884,1053
cut lines.................................................. 605

1148
 quarter....................................................756 Master drawing catalog
reinforcement................................ 349,351 creating drawings..................................170
revision marks....................................... 425 master drawings
search margin........................................756 searching................................................181
settings................................................... 882 types....................................................... 162
showing frames and leader lines........ 896 maximum leader line length
supescript...............................................424 GA drawing dimensioning..................1051
text appearance.................................... 892 maximum number of outside dimensions
units........................................................ 971 in general arrangement drawings.......868
updating................................................. 384 maximum position dimensions................ 855
user-defined attributes........................ 908 merged marks
using templates.....................................912 merging.................................................. 410
view direction marks.............................791 merging
view-level properties.............................990 bolt marks.............................................. 410
visibility...................................................887 marks.............................................. 410,901
Master drawing catalog merged marks....................................... 410
searching................................................181 part marks...................................... 410,901
master drawings reinforcement marks.....................410,901
adding to catalog...................................182 surface treatment marks..................... 901
cloning templates..................................182 weld marks.............................................552
customizing catalog.............................. 182 mesh
modifying properties............................ 182 creating a drawing view........................537
removing from catalog......................... 182 in drawings.............................................963
rule sets..................................................182 in neighbor parts...................................963
saved settings........................................ 182 properties in drawings................ 963,1100
Master drawing catalog metric and imperial dimensions............... 304
creating drawings..................................160 minimizing
Master drawing catalog number of views in dimensioning.... 1040
adding master drawings.......................182 minimum position dimensions................. 855
adding thumbnail images.................... 182 model objects
applying object level settings...............182 vs building objects...................................49
cloning templates..................................182 model objects
copying master drawings to another in drawings.............................................487
folder...................................................... 182 model weld marks
creating drawings using cloning appearance in drawings....................... 552
templates............................................... 193 visibility in drawings..............................552
customizing............................................182 model welds................................................ 959
managing............................................... 182 in drawings.............................................552
managing folders.................................. 182 properties in drawings....................... 1121
modifying master drawing properties182 modeling direction......................................897
object groups.........................................182 models used for cloning............................ 193
removing master drawings.................. 182 modifying
removing drawings from folder...........182 annotation object properties...............382
removing associative notes................................... 382
master drawings from a folder......182 building objects in drawings................ 488
rule sets..................................................182 detail marks........................................... 396
saved settings........................................ 182 dimension properties........................... 304
wizard files............................................. 182 drawing grid line properties................ 577

1149
 drawing grid properties........................577 neighbor part marks
drawing grids......................................... 970 adding.....................................................884
drawing names and titles.....................209 neighbor parts
drawing view properties.......................244 in drawing views....................................778
drawings................................................... 83 in drawings.............................................932
leader line shape...................................480 in general arrangement drawings.......778
marks......................................................382 properties..................................... 932,1087
master drawing properties.................. 182 view extension....................................... 778
section marks........................................ 391 new printing.................................................668
symbol properties................................. 428 north marks
wizard files............................................. 182 showing.................................................. 933
moment connection symbols symbols.................................................. 933
creating........................................... 608,609 notes
deleting...................................................608 adding associative notes...................... 375
managing............................................... 608 numbering................................................... 120
updating................................................. 608
moving
detail marks........................................... 396
drawing views by dragging...................244
O
drawing objects..................................... 480 object groups
drawing views to another drawing......233 general arrangement drawing
end of dimension line...........................332 dimensions............................................ 868
section marks........................................ 391 in dimensioning.....................................868
multidrawings..............................................117 in GA drawing dimensioning............. 1051
creating empty multidrawings.............157 object level settings............................... 83,990
creating of selected drawings..............157 applying in Master drawing catalog....182
creating of selected parts.....................157 [Link]............................................ 973,974
updating................................................. 639 objects
multiple drawing sheets of the same part.... associative annotation objects............ 333
203,204 building objects..................................... 487
in drawings...............................................80
independent annotation objects.........333

N modifying in drawings............................ 94
shapes.................................................... 446
named size (old printing)........................... 712 offset
names dimensioning.......................................1040
drawings.................................................209 forward offset.............................. 832,1040
NC files in fills.................................................... 1124
searching................................................616 sketch objects......................................1124
neighbor parts opening
filtering................................................... 500 Document manager..............................616
in GA drawings.......................................500 documents............................................. 616
showing.................................................. 500 drawings.................................. 211,616,656
neighbor reinforcement PLT files.................................................. 668
in GA drawings.......................................500 openings and recesses
showing.................................................. 500 showing in views................................... 990
neighbor parts openings and recesses
in drawings.............................................927 showing in drawings............................. 788
view extension....................................... 990 orientation marks

1150
 showing.................................................. 933 merging........................................... 410,901
showing in drawings........................... 1087 modifying............................................... 382
orientation placing.................................................. 1118
of parts in drawing views..................... 770 rotation angle........................................ 505
of plates in drawings.............................770 showing frames and leader lines........ 896
showing.................................................. 933 spiral beams.......................................... 505
symbols.................................................. 933 updating................................................. 384
overall dimensions using templates.....................................912
examples................................................ 804 parts partly outside the view
overall dimensions dimensioning......................................... 868
in general arrangement drawings.......868 parts
overriding drawing layout additional markings in drawings......... 488
in drawing cloud collection library...... 134 appearance.......................................... 1087
overriding drawing size colors...................................................... 488
in drawing cloud collection library...... 134 compass direction.................................933
own hidden lines connecting side marks..........................933
in drawing objects....................... 488,1087 contents............................................... 1087
developed parts in drawings............... 787
dimensioning.......................................1051
P dimensions............................................ 832
drawing properties............................... 927
panning drawing representations...................... 927
drawings................................................... 61 drawing settings.................................... 927
paper size examples of drawing representations927
old printing............................................ 697 face direction......................................... 933
paper size (old printing)............................. 712 fill.......................................................... 1087
[Link].......................687 fills...........................................................943
part marks hatches............................................488,943
adding.....................................................884 in drawings..................................... 488,927
adding manually....................................346 lengthening in model............................782
automatic............................................... 884 lengthening in drawing views.............. 782
deleting...................................................346 line types...................................... 488,1087
level attributes.......................................909 line colors.............................................1087
properties...............................................884 orientation............................................. 933
user-defined attributes........................ 909 orientation in views.............................. 770
part dimensions properties..................................... 495,1087
in general arrangement drawings.......868 representation.....................................1087
positioning............................................. 868 representation in drawings..................488
part faces settings................................................. 1087
shown in front drawing view................770 shortening in model............................. 782
steel parts.............................................. 770 shortening in drawing views................ 782
timber parts........................................... 770 shortening in individual views............. 489
part marks visibility.................................................1087
adding templates.................................. 912 PAT files.................................................942,949
advanced options for setting leader lines Pattern line editor.......................................447
.................................................................894 creating pattern lines............................453
compass direction.................................933 pattern line files.................................... 453
deleting...................................................385 pattern lines
leader lines..................................... 419,894

1151
 adding in drawings................................447 printing................................................... 668
adding in drawings................................453 plug-ins
creating pattern lines............................453 exploding................................................607
file path.................................................. 453 polybeams
pattern line files.................................... 453 unfolding................................................ 786
symbol files............................................ 453 polygons
[Link]........................... 453 adding in drawings................................447
patterns sketch objects......................................1124
in hatches...............................................942 polylines
lines.........................................................977 adding in drawings................................447
PDF files sketch objects......................................1124
creating (old printing)........................... 698 pop marks
customizing file names.........................689 showing in drawings........................... 1087
printing................................................... 668 portrait
searching................................................616 printing (old printing)............................696
[Link]................................... 686 position dimensions................................... 832
pen numbers (old printing)........................713 maximum............................................... 855
pen numbers (old printing) minimum................................................855
changing.................................................714 pour breaks
placing in drawings.......................................... 1114
annotation objects................................ 750 modifying............................................... 548
associative notes.................................1118 modifying symbols................................548
dimensions............................750,758,1118 properties............................................ 1114
fixed.................................................252,263 showing in drawings............................. 961
free.................................................. 252,263 pour marks
marks..................................... 750,756,1118 modifying............................................... 548
notes....................................................... 756 pour objects
rebar dimensions.................................. 263 modifying............................................... 548
settings.................................... 750,756,758 pours
symbols.........................................756,1118 automatic settings................................ 961
texts...............................................756,1118 enabling in drawings.............................548
views....................................................... 759 examples of drawings and reports..... 548
welds.......................................................750 examples of pour reports.................... 548
plan drawings in drawings.............................................548
examples................................................ 105 in drawings.......................................... 1114
plate side marks pour breaks......................................... 1114
in dimensions........................................ 304 pour breaks............................................548
plates............................................................ 109 pour objects...........................................548
dimensioning......................................... 860 pour break symbols in drawings.........548
orientation in drawings........................ 770 pour objects.........................................1114
plot files properties in drawings....................... 1114
customizing file names.........................689 showing in drawings............................. 548
plotter showing in drawings............................. 961
sending to.............................................. 668 precast columns
plotting (old printing...................................692 in cast unit drawings.............................114
plotting (old printing)..................................699 precast stairs
PLT files in cast unit drawings.............................114
opening.................................................. 668 precast beams

1152
 in cast unit drawings.............................114 to file....................................................... 699
precast fabrication drawings..................... 114 to paper printer.....................................709
predefined drawing settings........................17 to PDF..................................................... 698
predefined reinforcement dimensions.... 263 XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG..694,697,712
preferred dim side...................................... 832 printing (old printing)
preferred scale adding printer instances...............710,711
of drawing views....................................746 examples................................................ 695
preventing fold marks.............................................. 706
automatic drawing updates.................103 in landscape...........................................695
print area h*b (old printing)...................... 712 line weight..............................................714
print paper size on A4.......................................................695
selecting................................................. 668 settings................................................... 702
Printer Catalog (old printing)..................... 709 to file....................................................... 710
Printer Catalog (old printing).... to PDF..................................................... 711
692,709,710,711 XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG..695,706,711
printer drivers (old printing)...............709,715 printing (old)
printer instances (old printing)..................715 examples................................................ 696
adding.....................................................709 in portrait............................................... 696
setting up............................................... 709 on A3.......................................................696
printer instances (old printing) XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG.................696
Abode postscript printer instances.....711 printing
adding............................................. 710,711 A3............................................................ 668
print-to-file instances............................710 A4............................................................ 668
printers (old printing)................................. 709 advanced options..................................689
printers (old printing)................................. 710 configuration files................................. 687
printers customizing file names.........................689
multiple printers................................... 668 font height..............................................668
one printer............................................. 668 limitations.............................................. 667
printing (old) line corners............................................ 668
A3 on A4................................................. 697 line properties....................................... 668
examples................................................ 697 printing order........................................ 668
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG.................697 settings................................................... 668
printing (old printing) settings files........................................... 686
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG.................709 settings search order............................ 686
adding printer instances...................... 709 switches for print file names............... 689
Color Table............................................. 713 to plotter................................................ 668
customized print file names................ 704 to a single printer.................................. 668
defining printer instances.................... 709 to multiple printers............................... 668
drawings.................................................692 to PDF..................................................... 668
hints and tips......................................... 715 to PLT...................................................... 668
line weight..............................................713 [Link]............................................... 654
multiple drawings with different sizes697 product_finishes.dat.................................1099
paper size...............................................712 profiles
pen numbers......................................... 713 dimensions............................................ 864
print area h*b........................................ 712 projection type............................................ 767
single drawings......................................694 properties
to file....................................................... 704 associative annotation objects............ 382
to multiple sheets................................. 700 associative notes................................... 382

1153
 automatic drawing properties............... 90
bolts...................................................... 1094 R
dimensioning.......................................1010 radial dimensions..................................... 1011
dimensions.......................................... 1010 changing the prefix............................... 859
drawing views........................................ 990 re-ordering
drawing properties.......................... 93,717 graphical objects................................... 452
drawing view-level properties................92 sketch objects ....................................... 452
drawings.................................... 17,121,205 ready for issuing......................................... 643
grids in drawings.................................1127 rebar marks
loading in drawings....................... 121,205 adding.....................................................335
loading in drawings.................................17 deleting...................................................335
marks............................................ 382,1053 rebar marks
meshes................................................. 1100 adding.....................................................349
model weld marks................................ 552 deleting...................................................349
neighbor parts.......................................932 rebar assemblies
parts......................................................1087 in drawings.............................................544
pour objects in drawings....................1114 rebar couplers
pour breaks in drawings.................... 1114 showing symbols...................................541
rebar assemblies.................................1100 rebar assemblies
reinforcement......................................1100 in drawings.............................................963
surface treatment in drawings.......... 1097 properties in drawings....................... 1100
symbol properties................................. 428 Rebar classification macro.........................511
property files rebar dimensions
drawings.................................................804 closing dimensions............................... 272
property files rebar end anchors
drawings.................................................804 showing symbols...................................541
protected areas........................................... 752 Rebar layering marker macro....................511
in drawings.............................................752 rebar marks
protection settings reinforcement tag................................. 388
annotation objects................................ 750 reinforcement tick.................................388
dimensions............................................ 750 rebar marks
marks......................................................750 adding pull-out pictures....................... 921
protection deleting...................................................385
of areas in drawings..............................752 Rebar mesh view creator macro............... 537
pull-out pictures rebar sets
settings................................................. 1107 automatic grouping in drawings......... 967
pull-out pictures [Link]........................541
in rebar marks....................................... 921 rebars
rebar couplers....................................... 541 adding marks.........................................349
rebar end anchors................................ 541 assemblies........................................... 1100
reinforcement................................ 513,517 dimensioning......................................... 273
dimensions............................................ 263
marks......................................................351
Q properties in drawings....................... 1100
pull-out pictures.............................513,517
quarter rebar_config.inp........................................ 1107
mark placing.......................................... 756 recesses
dimensioning......................................... 823

1154
recognizable distances............................... 832 closed dimensions................................ 832
recreating dimension lines..................................... 263
dimensions for all parts....................... 315 dimension marks.................................. 263
drawings.................................................103 dimension tags...................................... 263
rectangles dimensioning............................... 273,1040
adding in drawings................................447 dimensions............................................ 832
sketch objects......................................1124 hiding lines in drawings........................963
redimensioning in drawings.............................................510
on view level.......................................... 315 in drawings.............................................963
reference lines layer information in rebars.................. 510
in drawing objects................................. 488 marks......................................................351
reference models neighbor reinforcement....................... 963
in drawings...............................................80 properties in drawings................ 963,1100
reference dimensions.................................832 pull-out pictures.............................513,517
reference objects rebar coupler and end anchor symbols
adding associative notes...................... 590 .................................................................541
hidden lines........................................... 590 reinforcing bar layer information........511
in drawings.............................................590 representation.......................................963
own hidden lines................................... 590 showing in drawings............................. 510
showing in drawings............................. 590 reinforcing bar groups
reflected views dimensions............................................ 263
in drawings.............................................990 reinforcing bar group marks
refreshing leader line types.................................... 899
associativity after cloning.....................193 location...................................................899
reinforcement marks reinforcing bars
adding.....................................................335 adjusting the location........................... 511
deleting...................................................335 dimensions............................................ 263
merging.................................................. 410 hiding lines in drawings........................963
splitting...................................................410 in drawings..................................... 511,963
reinforcement marks layer information.................................. 511
adding.....................................................884 properties in drawings....................... 1100
leader line associativity points............ 895 relabeling
reinforcement drawing settings..............1107 detail views............................................ 244
reinforcement marks section views..........................................244
deleting...................................................385 relative dimensions.................................. 1011
leader line types.................................... 900 removing
location...................................................900 change symbols.....................................405
merging........................................... 410,901 dimension points.................................. 323
modifying............................................... 382 unnecessary drawing files....................654
splitting...................................................410 renaming
reinforcement mesh................................... 963 drawings.................................................209
creating a drawing view........................537 reports
in drawings.............................................963 examples of pour reports.................... 548
reinforcement units........................................................ 971
adding marks.........................................510 representation
adding dimensions........................ 263,510 of bolts................................................. 1087
adding marks.........................................349 of parts................................................. 1087
adding rebar pull-out pictures ............510 of bolts....................................................939

1155
 of reinforcement in drawings.............. 963
representations S
of parts in drawings.............................. 927 sample images
resetting adding to master drawings.................. 182
user coordinate system........................612 creating for Master drawing catalog...182
reshaping in Master drawing catalog....................182
drawing objects..................................... 480 saved settings
resizing in Master drawing catalog....................182
drawing objects..................................... 480 modifying properties............................ 182
drawing view boundaries..................... 244 saved settings...................................... 162,166
restriction box in creating drawings..............................170
in drawing views....................................244 saving
revising color palettes........................................... 64
drawings......................................... 616,645 drawings.................................................212
revision marks scale
adding.....................................................425 of drawing views....................................746
arrows.....................................................425 schema files
deleting...................................................425 hatches............................................943,953
placing.................................................... 425 syntax..................................................... 953
revision tables............................................. 737 search margins
revisions dimension placing.................................758
attributes................................................645 mark placing.......................................... 756
changing.................................................645 search order
creating...................................................645 symbol files............................................ 428
deleting...................................................645 searching
drawings.................................................645 documents in Document manager.....616
rich lines....................................................... 453 drawings in Document manager.........616
rotating master drawings....................................181
3D drawing views.................................. 990 section views
drawing views........................................ 244 aligning with main view........................ 791
drawing views........................................ 990 automatic............................................... 791
parts in drawing views..........................770 in drawings.............................................791
plates in drawing...................................770 properties...............................................791
RTF files view direction marks.............................791
adding a link in a drawing.................... 438 section views
rule properties in drawings.............................................990
in dimensioning...................................1022 in drawings.............................................762
rule sets................................................ 162,175 section lines
in Master drawing catalog....................182 in drawing objects....................... 488,1087
modifying properties............................ 182 section marks.............................................. 224
rules adding.....................................................391
dimensioning rules............................... 868 copying................................................... 391
in dimensioning.....................................804 creating...................................................391
running dimensions customizing arrows...............................391
swapping start point.............................322 modifying............................................... 391
moving....................................................391
properties...............................................791
section views

1156
 creating...................................................224 rebar assemblies in drawings............1100
cut box....................................................224 reinforcement dimensioning properties
cutting line............................................. 224 ...............................................................1040
deleting...................................................224 reinforcement drawing settings........ 1107
in drawings.............................................223 reinforcement in drawings.................1100
in drawings.............................................224 settings affecting the recreation of
labels.......................................................224 drawings.................................................103
moving to another drawing................. 233 settings search order............................ 686
properties............................................ 1008 sketch objects......................................1124
section marks........................................ 224 sub-assembly dimensioning properties
titles........................................................ 224 ...............................................................1040
selecting surface treatment hatch pattern
marks in drawings.................................335 properties............................................ 1099
objects in drawings............................... 335 surface treatment in drawings.......... 1097
selection filters shapes...................................................208,446
in dimensioning rules........................... 818 adding in drawings................................447
settings arcs..........................................................447
annotation object placement properties circles...................................................... 447
...............................................................1118 clouds..................................................... 447
bolt dimensioning properties............1040 dimensioning......................................... 823
bolt properties.....................................1094 lines.........................................................447
dimension properties......................... 1010 polygons................................................. 447
dimension grouping properties........ 1040 polylines................................................. 447
dimension properties......................... 1011 rectangles...............................................447
dimensions.......................................... 1040 short dimensions
drawing views........................................ 990 placing.................................................... 758
drawing weld mark properties.......... 1073 shortening
drawings............................................17,980 parts individual views........................... 489
GA grid and overall dimensioning parts in drawings...................................990
properties............................................ 1051 parts in drawing views..........................782
GA part dimensioning properties..... 1051 parts in model....................................... 782
grid lines in drawings..........................1127 showing
grids in drawings.................................1127 drawing objects..................................... 467
hatch patterns....................................... 953 edge chamfers in drawings..................490
level mark properties......................... 1084 fillet edges in drawings.........................495
mark appearance................................1053 grids in drawings................................... 577
mark contents..................................... 1063 layer information on rebars.................510
mark contents..................................... 1053 layer information on rebars.................511
mark properties.................................. 1053 model welds in drawing....................... 552
marks......................................................882 neighbor reinforcement....................... 500
mesh in drawings................................1100 neighbor parts.......................................500
model welds in drawings................... 1121 plate side marks in dimensions.......... 304
part dimensioning properties........... 1040 pour breaks in drawings.......................961
parts and neighbor parts................... 1087 pours in drawings.......................... 548,961
position dimensioning properties.... 1040 rebar coupler and end anchor symbols
pours in drawings............................... 1114 .................................................................541
printing................................................... 686 reference objects in drawings............. 590
printing (old).......................................... 702 reinforcement in drawings...................510

1157
 reinforcing bars in drawings................ 511 creating...................................................213
spiral beams in drawings..................... 505 drawings.................................................213
surface treatment in drawings.......... 1097 in Master drawing catalog....................182
single continuous lines snapshot overlay................................... 213
adding in drawings................................447 sorting
single-part drawings................................... 109 columns in Document manager..........616
example of embeds.............................. 109 special characters
example of plates..................................109 adding in texts....................................... 420
example of anchor bolts...................... 109 specified size
single-part drawing views.......................... 250 of drawings............................................ 746
single-part drawings spiral beams
creating...................................................170 dimensioning......................................... 505
single-part drawings in drawings.............................................505
creating........................................... 122,205 part marks..............................................505
dimensioning.......................................1040 rotation angle........................................ 505
freezing...................................................641 showing.................................................. 505
single-part views......................................... 223 splitting
size arcs..........................................................462
of drawings............................................ 746 circles...................................................... 462
sketch objects lines.........................................................462
hatches.................................................1124 polylines................................................. 462
in drawings.............................................452 reinforcement marks............................ 410
layers...................................................... 452 staggered intermittent............................... 552
properties............................................ 1124 start points
re-ordering............................................. 452 dimensions............................................ 322
sketch objects status messages
arcs..........................................................447 in Document manager......................... 616
circles...................................................... 447 status flags
clouds..................................................... 447 in Document manager......................... 616
combining.............................................. 450 straight dimensions..................................1011
creating...................................................447 sub-assemblies
dragging................................................. 480 dimensioning.......................................1040
exploding................................................450 superscript
in drawings...............................................80 associative notes................................... 424
lines.........................................................447 dimension marks.................................. 424
polygons................................................. 447 marks......................................................424
polylines................................................. 447 texts........................................................ 424
rectangles...............................................447 surface treatment marks
sketching tools..................................... 446,447 adding manually....................................403
in drawings.............................................452 deleting...................................................403
skew limits................................................... 933 modifying............................................... 403
sloped dimensions......................................867 surface treatment marks
snapping merging.................................................. 901
orthogonal............................................. 346 surface treatment marks
snapshot overlay adding.....................................................884
in drawings.............................................213 surface treatment marks
in model................................................. 213 modifying............................................... 382
snapshots surface treatment

1158
 hatch patterns..................................... 1099 symbol files............................................ 917
in drawings.............................................958 view direction........................................ 791
properties in drawings....................... 1097 viewing symbol files.............................. 428
showing in drawings........................... 1097 weld type................................................552
symbols.................................................. 428 SymEd...........................................................428
[Link]..............................................1099
switches
for print file names (old printing)........704
for print file names............................... 689
T
SYM files.... table sets
316,320,428,453,541,548,552,917,933,941, customizing............................................735
1094 tables
Symbol Editor.............................................. 428 DWG/DXF files........................................737
symbol files editing in Template Editor....................740
creating...................................................428 in drawing layouts.................................737
modifying............................................... 428 key plans................................................ 737
search order...........................................428 revision tables........................................737
symbol files..................................................917 table sets................................................ 738
dimension line arrows.......................... 320 title blocks.............................................. 737
pattern lines...........................................453 tags........................................................ 263,832
pour breaks............................................548 adding in dimensions........................... 252
symbols in dimensions........................................ 252
adding in drawings................................428 in dimensions.................................304,832
adding in marks.....................................428 [Link].................................. 977
adding in texts....................................... 420 [Link]........................................ 977
adding surface treatment symbols in template attributes
drawings.................................................428 adding in marks.....................................908
aligning................................................... 478 Template Editor............................ 737,740,912
associativity..............................................49 templates
bolt symbols................................. 941,1094 as tables in drawing layouts................ 737
bolts...................................................... 1087 cloning template library....................... 193
center of gravity (COG)......................... 316 cloning templates..................................193
change symbols.....................................405 editing in Template Editor....................740
changing current symbol file (.sym)....428 in marks..................................................912
connecting side..................................... 933 modifying tables....................................740
creating...................................................428 table sets................................................ 738
defining a firm folder............................428 units........................................................ 971
dimension line arrows.......................... 320 text files
in drawings...............................................80 adding in drawings................................438
in marks..................................................917 text files
in drawings.............................................428 in drawings...............................................80
modifying............................................... 428 text objects
modifying symbol files......................... 428 adding.....................................................420
north marks........................................... 933 adding symbols..................................... 420
orientation............................................. 933 deleting...................................................420
placing.................................................. 1118 dragging................................................. 420
rebar coupler and end anchor............ 541 in drawings.............................................420
symbol files............................................ 428 spaces between lines............................420
text

1159
 in marks..................................................892 bent plates............................................. 786
texts parts in drawings...................................990
adding.....................................................420 polybeams..............................................786
adding symbols..................................... 420 unfreezing drawings................................... 641
aligning................................................... 478 unissuing......................................................644
deleting...................................................420 units
dragging................................................. 420 changing.................................................971
in drawings....................................... 80,420 dimensions............................................ 971
placing.................................................. 1118 in drawings.............................................971
spaces between lines............................420 in mark elements.................................. 906
superscript............................................. 424 level attributes.......................................971
thumbnail images reports.................................................... 971
in Master drawing catalog....................182 templates............................................... 971
tips (old printing) unlinking
printing drawings.................................. 715 dimension lines..................................... 331
title blocks....................................................737 unlocking
titles drawings.................................................640
detail views............................................ 224 unnecessary drawing files
drawings.................................................209 deleting...................................................654
section views..........................................224 updating
top views cut lines.................................................. 605
in drawings.............................................762 drawings.................................... 82,103,639
top views moment connection symbols..............608
creating...................................................224 multidrawings........................................639
in drawings.............................................224 part marks..............................................384
top views weld marks.............................................384
in drawings.............................................990 user coordinate system
TPL files........................................................ 912 creating dimensions............................. 261
TplEd, see Template Editor........................ 740 in drawings.............................................612
trimming resetting................................................. 612
lines in drawings....................................460 setting.....................................................612
types toggling between two systems............ 612
dimensions.......................................... 1011 user interface
drawing types........................................ 104 in drawing mode..................................... 53
of master drawings............................... 162 user-defined attributes
grids in drawings................................... 579
user-defined attributes
U in drawings.............................................974
modifying............................................... 974
UCS user-defined attributes
in drawings.............................................612 adding in marks.....................................908
UDAs creating in drawings..............................974
in drawings.............................................973 in drawings..................................... 973,974
in Document manager......................... 616 location...................................................973
in drawings.............................................974 marks......................................................909
undeformed parts...................................... 787 search order...........................................973
undeforming showing in Template Editor................. 973
parts in drawings...................................990
unfolding......................................................854

1160
V relabeling section and detail views..... 244
rotating drawing views......................... 244
value fields visibility
in templates........................................... 912 bolt marks.............................................. 887
version control of marks................................................. 887
drawings.................................................649 of parts................................................. 1087
view labels of reference objects in drawings.........590
drawing views........................................ 765 of surface treatment.............................958
marks......................................................765 weld marks.............................................887
view boundaries visible lines
in drawing views....................................224 in drawing objects....................... 488,1087
resizing in drawings.............................. 244
view direction marks.................................. 791
view extension for neighbor parts............778
view extrema
W
in drawing views....................................244 weld marks
view filters adding.....................................................335
in detailed object level settings............. 95 deleting...................................................335
view properties weld marks
defining for general arrangement properties............................................ 1073
drawings.................................................764 weld marks
in drawings.............................................990 adding.....................................................552
view restriction box AISC weld marks....................................552
in drawing views....................................244 AWS weld marks....................................552
view-based dimensioning........................ 1022 dragging................................................. 552
view-level dimensioning ISO weld marks......................................552
in drawings.............................................800 merging.................................................. 552
view-level dimensioning model weld mark properties............... 552
examples................................................ 828 modifying........................................382,552
shapes, holes and recesses................. 823 staggered intermittent......................... 552
view-level properties updating................................................. 384
in drawings...............................................95 visibility...................................................887
viewing direction weld numbers
beams and bracings in assembly showing................................................ 1079
drawings.................................................770 weld symbols...............................................959
columns in assembly drawings........... 770 welding properties
views along grid lines in drawings.......................................... 1121
in drawings.............................................223 welds
views adding drawing weld marks.................552
aligning drawing views......................... 244 adding model weld marks................... 552
aligning drawing views......................... 791 automatic............................................... 959
arranging drawing views...................... 244 dragging weld marks............................ 552
drawing section views...........................791 in drawings..................................... 959,960
drawing views........................................ 762 mark properties in drawings............. 1073
fixed placing...........................................759 merging weld marks............................. 552
free placing............................................ 759 model welds...........................................552
in drawings..................................... 223,760 model weld drawing properties........ 1121
moving drawing views by dragging.....244 model weld mark properties............... 552
modifying............................................... 959

1161
 modifying in drawings.......................... 382
modifying properties............................ 552
modifying weld marks.......................... 552
not visible............................................... 552
placing.................................................... 750
properties in drawings......................... 960
weld marks.............................................552
weld seams............................................ 552
weld paths..............................................552
weld type symbols................................ 552
wizard files............................................182,203
wizards.................................................. 162,175
work point
check dimensions................................. 832
workshop drawings.................................... 109
assembly drawings............................... 112

X
XML files........................................ 335,616,686
[Link].................................................. 1094
XS_USE_OLD_PLOT_DIALOG........692,698,706

Z
zooming
in drawings...............................................61
level of detail............................................61
zoom window.......................................... 61

1162