Dear reader,
The economies of the world are finally starting to take an upward swing. As profit margins in the industry are still thin, Tekla believes that the economic conditions have in fact honed the competitive edge of our customers. So, it seems that we can all expect better financial results than what we have been experiencing lately. At the same time, benefits from BIM-based project cooperation are generating more and more visibility in the media, proving that our strategic efforts to promote the uniquely comprehensive Tekla BIM concept are paying off. As a result of Tekla’s continued investment in product development, 2011 will bring exciting new applications to implement BIM as a collaborative process easier than before. Once again I would like to thank you, the Tekla customers, partners and personnel, for your high commitment and motivation over the past year. We couldn’t have done this without you.
Wishing you the best of success in 2011,
Risto Räty
Executive Vice President, Tekla Corporation
Tekla Structures 17 is coming soon!
From a construction point of view, BIM requires many software functions. To provide a wide range of improvements to your workflow, Tekla Structures 17.0 will be ready to download in February 2011, making available such things as more interoperability and better use of Tekla Open API™, enhanced model-based project communication, and improved overall user experience.
In addition to more colors available for object representation and more Windows-like functionality, Tekla Structures 17 will include better commenting, clash checking, organizing, viewing, snapping, and project managing tools. There is even more interoperability with leading software systems such as Unitechnik, BVBS 2.0, BETSY, ELiPLAN, SDI, Trimble Robotic Total Stations, ArchiCAD, and Autodesk Revit, improved DSTV import/export connection to CNC machinery, as well as certified support for using a 3Dconnexion mouse.
Displaying parts with higher accuracy and producing more customized, reliable and automatic drawings, Tekla Structures 17 will be the precursor to your next successful project delivery!
Furthermore, Tekla Structures 17 introduces a fresh new product image and installation icons for different versions and applications.
Join our Wednesday Webinar 12 January 2011 to get a sneak preview of how you and your company can benefit from using Tekla Structures 17.
Download Tekla Structures 17.0 Release Candidate from the Tekla Extranet to have a proper look right now! If you want to keep up with the Tekla Structures 17 updates until its launch in February, select Alert me on the download page.
P.S. On the Macros dialog box there is a cool tool called Close Temporary Views that will close all open component windows automatically!
Sutter Medical Center IPD team wins Tekla Global BIM Award 2010
The winner of the Tekla Global BIM Awards 2010 competition, complied from the BIM project category and public votes, is the IPD team of Sutter Medical Center in Castro Valley, USA. Right from the very beginning of the project in 2008, the building was modeled by a unique 11-party IPD (Integrated project Delivery) team working together to create a completely coordinated and constructable 3D model that will eventually be passed onto the building owner for facilities management use.
Winner of the Steel category is Chennai airport expansion located in India modeled by Yugasoft. An office building at Catharina-Amaliastraat in The Netherlands, modeled by Hurks Delphi Engineering, won the Concrete category. The Finnish engineering office Ylimäki & Tinkanen with their model of a residential building in Helsinki, Finland, contracted by Skanska gained special recognition for exemplary BIM collaboration in an ordinary housing project. Read more about the Tekla Global BIM Awards 2010 winners on the model competition website
New blogs provide insight to Tekla Structures and BIM
In her new blog on the Tekla Extranet,
Katri from Tekla’s global helpdesk provides insightful answers and useful hints and tips on how to use Tekla Structures software more efficiently. In her first post Katri explains how to switch the Mini Toolbar off and on with a handy shortcut. “My motivation comes from solving problems and making things work,” says Katri. “I hate to see Tekla Structures users struggle with the same problems all over the world over and over again. When I’ve found a good solution to a user’s problem, I feel I must share this valuable piece of information and that’s why I’ve started the blog."
Read Katri’s Tips and Tricks blog on the Tekla Extranet
For those interested in building information model-based cooperation as the preferred process for the industry, there is a new blog site sponsored by Tekla,
www.bimsightblog.com, that presents advanced software technology provider’s conceptual insights as well as practical solutions on how to achieve an optimum BIM-based decision-making process. Read and comment on the most recent articles that discuss
BIM as building information management, the situation of
construction in the UK, and the
BIM to Field concept, for example.
Open BIM integration with all the software you’ll need at your desk or on site
Throughout the construction project, the building information models of different disciplines need to be coordinated. For your assistance, Tekla continues to work together with the most important software providers from the AEC disciplines (Architecture, Engineering, Construction). By enabling open communication between their respective software systems, Tekla and our partners collaborate continuously to introduce new features that allow Tekla Structures and other AEC software to communicate between each other more efficiently and seamlessly to improve the open BIM workflow:
Max Bögl chooses Tekla in Germany
As a result of an extensive evaluation process, Max Bögl Group, the largest private construction company in Germany, has decided to introduce Tekla BIM to their operations. The process of designing concrete elements for construction across the entire company will be handled at Tekla Structures, including the transferring of data to the production planning systems.
Read more about Max Bögl Group extending BIM workflow to include Tekla
Tune in to Tekla Structures channel on YouTube
Have you seen all of the Tekla Structures videos on YouTube? Plenty of videos are being published there monthly, both by Tekla people and our software users. The latest clips include Wayne Muir’s declaration on the BIM benefits of the Solaris redevelopment project and instructions on settings for drawing objects, for example. In addition, there is now an introduction to Tekla Structures available in Spanish!
Go see Tekla Structures channel in YouTube
Tekla presents cool BIM applications with Trimble at World of Concrete
Prepare yourself for the largest, most comprehensive commercial concrete and masonry event, the
World of Concrete, at Las Vegas Convention Center from 18 to 21 January 2011. In just five powerful days, you will access all the latest technologies, resources, and education you need to keep your business current, competitive, and concrete (pun intended). Now more than ever before it’s critical to be a part of your industry’s main event because Tekla together with BIM-to-Field partner
Trimble will present exciting new applications for building information model-based project collaboration – applications that will make your work much easier and faster than before. Come to Vegas to find out!
Tekla put up a good fight against software piracy in 2010
Clearly a breakthrough year for Tekla in the fight against software piracy, 2010 has brought along good results in terms of validated software licenses and expanding the scope of cooperation with the BSA in EMEA, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. ITCA is a new partner to support the cause.
Read more about Tekla's battle against software piracy
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011 from Tekla!
