Dear reader,
In the current economic situation, a company’s technological competence is a significant competitive factor to ensure a future in the AEC business. Those who are capable of using the most advanced tools efficiently will have the best chances to stay in business when costs are cut to a minimum and competition for projects is tough. At Tekla we’ll do our best to help you carry through the recession by introducing wider and more streamlined uses for the Tekla Structures software.


Tekla Structures 15 available now!A new version of Tekla Structures was launched at the end of March and is available for download on the Tekla Extranet. There will be no intermediate release this year, but service releases will be put out as need be. The second Service Release along with release notes will be soon available on the Extranet.

All Tekla Structures 15 configurations introduce noteworthy improvements, such as context-sensitive Mini Toolbar, better snapping, and more organized management of drawings.
 
The Tekla Structures Full configuration now includes Construction Management functionality, such as creating erection sequences, viewing model information and simulating schedules in 4D, as well as mapping scheduled tasks to objects in the model.
 
Learn more about your reasons to update

Tekla Structures Model ReviewerTekla has created a tool that allows members of the design and construction teams on a project to take more advantage of the BIM-centric Tekla Structures 3D model.

Tekla Structures Model Reviewer is a FREE Web Viewer-based tool for architects, engineers, contractors, fabricators, erectors, and owners. Tekla models can now be downloaded by all project participants, redlined, commented, and easily e-mailed back and forth for more efficient project collaboration.

The simple interface is designed so that even team members who have never used a CAD software can easily navigate and markup comments into the 3D model.
     
With the Tekla Structures Model Reviewer you can:

• Pan, rotate, zoom, and fly through the model
• See important part information
• Fly through a set of saved locations in the model to present it to the project team
• Use clip planes to slice through walls and crowded areas of the model
• E-mail models to other parties
• Create and manage markups (redlines) of specific areas in the model
• Visually track project statuses with different colors in the model

Download a FREE version of the Tekla Structures Model Reviewer
Tekla Structures Help Learning Center   
    
The Help menu within Tekla Structures has been developed to better answer your questions about the software.
 
In each version of Tekla Structures you will find updated online help and release notes at the top of the Help menu.

   
    
Tekla Structures Help menuPlease note that under the Learning Center you can find Top New Features, First Steps and Custom Component tutorials, and Keyboard Shortcuts, for example.
 
If you can’t find an answer to your question in the Help menu, you can use it to contact Tekla technical support by e-mail. 
  
  
  

During the first half of the year Tekla has published a set of Tekla Structures product bulletins on the Tekla Extranet (go to Product >Product Bulletins). The product bulletins contain important technical information that can affect a large number of users.

In addition, below you can find Tekla expert’s answers to three topical questions about Tekla Structures 15. There are more answers available on the Extranet (go to Self Learning > Questions and answers).

Q1: I like the idea of having different roles in Tekla Structures 15. However, in my company many users almost always use the same role, configuration and environment. Is there a way to skip the login dialog and have Tekla Structures start directly with the right role, environment and configuration setup?

A1: You can create a separate initialization file called, for example, bypass.ini. In that file you can define which role, environment and configuration you want to use when starting Tekla Structures. Add the path of your file to the Tekla Structures 15 shortcut and it will automatically start with the selected parameters. For more information, see Tekla Structures 15 Release Notes > Administrator’s Guide (available on the Extranet).

Q2: How can I minimize the downtime in the use of Tekla Structures in case my license server crashes and all my licenses are gone with the server? Is there a way to prepare or back up the licenses?

A2: With Tekla Structures 15 we’ve introduced a new version of Tekla Structures License Server (v 1.13). The new version enables backing up your license pool. After activating your permanent licenses, you can take a back-up copy of your trusted storage file that contains your license information. If your license server crashes, you can restore the licenses from the back-up copy. For more information, see Tekla Structures FLEXnet Licensing User Guide v1.13 (available on the Extranet).

Q3: I’m planning on investing in the 64-bit system. Which operating system, 64-bit XP or 64-bit Vista, do you recommend?

A3: Tekla recommends using Windows Vista as the 64-bit operating system. Vista is the mainstream 64-bit operating system, and therefore there’s a much better selection of drivers available. For more information, see Tekla Structures 15.0 Hardware Recommendation (available on the Extranet; go to Product > Hardware info).

Educating BIMThe building and construction industry is rapidly shifting towards the use of 3D building information modeling (BIM) tools. The transition from education to a work environment can be an overwhelming prospect for students, especially during a recession.

Tekla is working with educational institutes worldwide to provide students with a firm foundation in the use of the most advanced software that will help guarantee integrated project delivery as well as their future in the construction industry.
 
Read more about Tekla’s BIM education programs 
    

The Panorama Tower construction site was located in the middle of an existing commercial center in Espoo, Finland, and was therefore a challenging project for logistics alone. During the project, a number of new functions were utilized in the BIM environment implemented in the structural design to seek efficiency in both the site functions and building cost factors. Read more about how the use of Tekla Structures helped the Panorama project succeed

Since the middle of 2007, Perth-based Cardno Buckland has used Tekla Structures as their design and concept tool in several engineering projects. Tekla Structures enables them, for example, to clash check designs with equipment and check structure access. The company chose 3D modeling as a way of working to support Australian mining and commercial industries in moving towards BIM and 3D models as final delivery. Read more about how the use of Tekla Structures in conceptual and structural design can help engineering offices succeed

Heembeton factory“By linking Tekla Structures via Unitechnik to our automated production machinery, we aim to take a precast unit from final design through to manufacture by SAA control system in just a day,” says Hans Pieters, Operation Manager at Dutch Heembeton.

They have been the number-one precast concrete frame producer in The Netherlands for the last 40 years and hold 60% of the Dutch precast residential market. The company started to use Tekla Structures in 2007, updated to version 15 in the end of April 2009, and are positive about making their design-to-manufacture process faster than before.

Heembeton machinery“The learning curve with Tekla Structures is much better than with our previous system,” Pieters continues. “Compared to that, we are looking at a promising improvement in efficiency. Change management is now more in control and drawings are needed only for checking. For production purposes there is no hardcopy needed; everything is transferred by means of digital data.”

At Heembeton, the precast concrete data is transferred from the Tekla model via a Unitechnik link to the company’s ERP system and again via Unitechnik to SAA control system (Leit 2000), which controls the shuttering robot (SAA, Hobl & Sommer) and straightening and cutting machines. “The Unitechnik link works fine with Tekla,” confirms Pieters.

“We are strongly investing in this kind of development as there are big Dutch contractors seeking cooperation in BIM environment and we’re trying to get middle-sized contractors interested in 3D benefits too. Web-model functionality is of special interest to us; very soon our erection people will start to use the Tekla Structures Web Viewer model. We aim to reduce our preparation time from 14 to 10 weeks and increase our production volume from 7 to 10 concrete-frame houses in one week,” he concludes.

Cad’s weird dream goes on… luckily business has finally slowed down a bit and he can take a relaxing summer vacation!
Building Buddies 2/2009