Tekla Structural Designer

Concrete Design

Quick Start Guide

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Disclaimer

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Table of Contents
Disclaimer................................................................................................................................................. 3

1 Introduction......................................................................................................................... 7

1.1 The Interface................................................................................................................................................ 7

1.2 Basic functionality........................................................................................................................................ 8

1.3 Exercise details ............................................................................................................................................ 9

1.3.1 Structural details ........................................................................................................................................ 9
1.3.2 Loading details ........................................................................................................................................... 9

2 Modelling .......................................................................................................................... 10

2.1 Creating a new model................................................................................................................................ 10

2.2 Defining Construction Levels ..................................................................................................................... 10

2.3 Inserting the Architectural Grid ................................................................................................................. 10

2.4 Inserting additional grid lines .................................................................................................................... 11

2.5 Creating concrete walls ............................................................................................................................. 11

2.6 Creating concrete columns ........................................................................................................................ 12

2.7 Creating concrete beams........................................................................................................................... 12

2.8 Creating flat slabs ...................................................................................................................................... 12

2.9 Inserting slab openings .............................................................................................................................. 13

3 Loading and Combinations ................................................................................................. 14

3.1 Creating load cases .................................................................................................................................... 14

3.2 Applying loads............................................................................................................................................ 14

3.3 Creating load combinations....................................................................................................................... 15

3.4 Load envelopes .......................................................................................................................................... 16

4 Analysis and Design ........................................................................................................... 17

4.1 Analysing and Designing the structure ...................................................................................................... 17

4.1.1 Analysis and Design Options .................................................................................................................... 17

4.2 Reviewing the design status ...................................................................................................................... 18

4.3 Interrogating the analysis results .............................................................................................................. 18

4.4 Designing and checking individual elements ............................................................................................. 20

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4.5 Slab design ................................................................................................................................................. 22

5 Detail drawings .................................................................................................................. 25

5.1 Drawing settings ........................................................................................................................................ 25

5.2 Creating individual frame element detail drawings .................................................................................. 25

5.3 Creating schedules..................................................................................................................................... 26

5.4 Slab detailing ............................................................................................................................................. 26

6 Reports and Integration ..................................................................................................... 28

6.1 Generating reports .................................................................................................................................... 28

6.2 Managing reports and their content ......................................................................................................... 28

6.3 Integrating your model with another program ......................................................................................... 28

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1 Introduction
Welcome to the Tekla Structural Designer Quick Start Guide for Concrete.

This document offers brief guidance on the basics of using Tekla Structural Designer for concrete structures, using
a simple example. It is intended to accompany the Tekla Structural Designer e-Learning Quick Start Guide for
Concrete, which demonstrates the steps required to complete this example, as well as some other fundamental
concepts. You can view the e-Learning Quick Start Guide as many times as required.

Detailed information about each program command and setting is available in the Help System – this can be
accessed by pressing ‘F1’ on your keyboard when you have the program open, or by clicking the Help (?) icon in
the top right corner of the ribbon.

1.1 The Interface

Tekla Structural Designer has a single user interface that allows multi-material models to be built, analysed and
interrogated easily. All concrete and steel elements can be designed and a variety of reports and detailed
drawings can be generated, all within the same program. In comparison to using Fastrak and Orion, this should
make it a lot quicker and easier to learn and use, and it won’t matter what material you’re working in.

The main components of the interface are detailed below:

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 The Ribbon is located at the top of the screen and is split up into a number of tabs. Each ribbon tab is
labelled based on the type of action that can be carried out when that tab is selected. For example, the
Model ribbon tab allows you to create elements in your model, the Load ribbon tab allows you to apply
loads, etc
 The Quick Access Toolbar contains certain tools that can always be accessed, irrespective of which tab
you have selected on the Ribbon, such as Delete, Undo and Save
 The File ribbon tab contains standard options, such as New, Open, Save As and Exit. It also provides a list
of Recent Documents that you’ve been working on
 The Project Workspace contains numerous tabs that display different trees of information. The Structure
tree lists all elements in the model, as well as architectural grids, levels, frames, planes and more, and
also allows you to select and edit elements. Other options include the Loading tree, which compares load
applied against reactions, and the Status tree, which shows the status of various validations and analyses
completed
 The Properties window lists all properties associated with whatever item(s) are either selected in the
model, or are about to be created
 The Scene Views show various different views of the model, including 3D views, 2D plans, frames and
planes. These views can also display the model in different View Modes, including Structural, Solver,
Results and Review
 The Scene Content window controls the information displayed in the currently active Scene View
 The Loading drop list controls the active load case or combination, and allows you to either apply loads
within, or view results for, the selected option
 The Status Bar shows the units and design codes used by the open model, and allows you to switch
between View Modes
 The yellow Information Bar shows the currently active command and what the next step for that
command is

1.2 Basic functionality

 Selecting – When no command is active, you are automatically in Select

mode. If you want to edit an existing item, you must select it and then
edit its properties. To select an individual element, simply left click on
that object. If you place your cursor over multiple elements, the Select
Entity window will automatically appear; use the scroll buttons on your
keyboard to highlight the reference for the element you want to select,
and then left click. You can select multiple elements by holding the left
mouse button down and dragging a window around the objects from
left to right. Other select options are also available.
 Deleting – Clicking the Delete button, either on your keyboard or from
the Quick Access Toolbar, deletes whatever you currently have
selected. Alternatively, you can activate Delete first, then click on the
item to be deleted. You can also delete by dragging a window around
multiple elements.
 Navigating a scene view - Below are some of the basic ways to navigate a scene view
 Zoom – Scroll up or down using the mouse scroll wheel
 Pan – Press and hold the mouse scroll button down, then move the mouse
 Rotate (3D view only) - Press and hold the right mouse button, then move the mouse
 Exiting a command – Once you have finished using a particular command, you need to press the Esc
button on your keyboard to exit from that command. If you don’t do this, that command will remain
active for the scene view that it was activated in

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1.3 Exercise details

Base Plan and Structure 3D views

1.3.1 Structural details

 Design Code = United Kingdom (Eurocode)

 X direction bays = 5.0m, 2x3.0m, 5.0m, Y direction bays = 5.0m, 3.0m, 6.0m
 4 storeys of 3.0m
 Grade C32/40 concrete
 C-shaped 250mm thick core wall
 13 concrete columns, 300mm x 600mm, to be rotated 90° and automatically aligned
 Continuous concrete beam on left edge at each storey except the base, 300mm x 600mm
 Flat slab construction at each storey except the base, 250mm thick
 Void in the core wall and a 1m x 0.5m slab opening inserted on the first 3 storeys at (7m,10m)
 Additional slab in core wall and no slab opening on the roof level

1.3.2 Loading details

 Self-weight = Automatically applied

 Dead Slab Load (All storeys) = 2.0 kN/m2
 Dead perimeter Line Load (Storeys 1,2 and 3) = 3.5 kN/m
 Dead beam Full UDL (Storeys 1,2 and 3) = 4.5 kN/m
 Services Level Load (Storeys 1,2 and 3) = 1.0 kN/m2
 Imposed Area Loads(Storeys 1,2 and 3) = 3.5 kN/m2

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2 Modelling
All standard modelling commands are accessed from the Model ribbon tab

2.1 Creating a new model

Before creating a new model, the Settings and Materials commands on the Home ribbon tab should be reviewed
to ensure the required options are selected. New models take a lot of these settings to create their own model
settings for the new file, and can include information such as the default section sizes and the concrete grades.
Once the new file has been created, its model settings can be reviewed and amended via the Model Settings
command on the Home ribbon tab. Design code-based features in the program, such as automatically generated
Load Combinations, are based on the default Head Code setting also specified in these windows.

Clicking the New command will create a new blank file, ready for you to insert your model.

 Review the Settings and Materials, then create a new file based on the Exercise details
 Move on to the Model ribbon tab

2.2 Defining Construction Levels

New levels can be created by clicking the Construction Levels command:

 The Level and Spacing columns can be edited to specify storey heights and their Z coordinates
 The Type column defines the setting out position as T.O.S (top of steel), S.S.L (structural slab level) or
T.O.F (top of foundation) for entities placed on that level
 The Source column defines whether a
level is unique or a duplicate copy of
another defined level
 The Floor column determines if the level is
a floor or not and can affect imposed load
reductions
 The Name column allows you to give
levels more descriptive names
 The Slab Th. column allows you to define
the default slab thickness for each level

 Insert the construction levels based on the Exercise details in this document

2.3 Inserting the Architectural Grid

To insert most elements into a model, Grid Lines or Construction Lines are required. To define an Architectural
Grid, you can click on the drop down arrow below the Grid Line command and select an appropriate option.

 Click on the drop down arrow below the Grid Line command and choose Rectangular Wizard
 On the Levels and Grid Name dialog, define a Grid Name, then click Next

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 On the Select Origin dialog, accept the default (0,0) position for the bottom left corner of the grid, then
click Next
 On the Generate dialog, accept the default of All Lines, then click Next
 On the X direction extents dialog, select Irregular and enter the Lengths, as per the Exercise details, then
click Next
 Do the same for the Y direction extents dialog, then click Finish

2.4 Inserting additional grid lines

Now that the main architectural grid has been created, an

additional diagonal grid line can be inserted to complete the
layout.

 Ensure you’re working in the St. Base 2D plan view

 Click on the Grid Line command – if this has been replaced
with ‘Rectangular Wizard’, you can select Grid Line by
clicking on the drop down arrow underneath that option
 Left click on grid intersection (D,4)
 Left click on grid intersection (E,3)
 Press the Esc button to exit out of the grid line command,
as per the text in the yellow information bar

2.5 Creating concrete walls

Concrete walls can be inserted into a model in a Plan, Frame or

Structure 3D scene view, and are created by clicking the Concrete
Wall button. Once the Create Concrete Wall command is
activated, the wall’s properties can be defined in the Properties
window. These include the thickness, cover, top and bottom
levels, and how the wall is aligned in the plan view. Once the
Properties are set up as required, you can then insert them into
the model in a variety of different ways, including by left clicking
on the grid intersections at the start and end of the wall, or by
clicking on each of the grid intersections that define the wall’s
corners when working in 3D or a frame view.

 Click on the Concrete Wall command and review the Properties

 Insert the walls, as per the Exercise details

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2.6 Creating concrete columns

Concrete columns can be inserted into a model in a Plan, Frame or

Structure 3D scene view, and are created by clicking the Concrete
Column button. Once the Create Reinforced Concrete Column
command is activated, the column’s properties can be defined in
the Properties window. These include the section size, cover,
releases, top and bottom levels, and how the column is aligned in
the plan view. Once the Properties are set up as required, you
can then insert them into the model in a variety of different ways,
such as by left clicking on an individual grid intersection or by
dragging a window around a number of grid intersections when in
a plan view.

 Click on the Concrete Column command and review the Properties

 Insert the columns, as per the Exercise details

2.7 Creating concrete beams

Concrete beams can be inserted into a model in a Plan, Frame,

Sloped Plane or Structure 3D scene view, and are created by
clicking the Concrete Beam button. Once the Create Reinforced
Concrete Beam command is activated, the beam’s properties can
be defined in the Properties window. These include the section
size, covers, releases, and how the beam is aligned. Once the
Properties are set up as required, you can then insert beams into
the model in a many different ways, such as by dragging a window
around multiple columns, and beams will automatically be
inserted between them where a grid line already exists.

 In the Structure Tree, expand the option Levels, then double click on the options St. 1 (1) and St. 4 (Roof)
to create the 2D plan scene views for these levels
 Click on the Concrete Beam command and review the Properties
 Insert the beams on St. 1 and St. 4, as per the Exercise details

2.8 Creating flat slabs

Flat slabs can be created in a Plan or Structure 3D scene view, and

are created by clicking on the Slabs on Beams drop down button
and selecting Flat Slab. Once the Create Slab Item command is
activated, the slab’s properties can be defined in the Properties
window. These include the slab depth and diaphragm options.
Once the Properties are set up as required, you can insert the slab
panels into the model in a variety of ways, such as by left clicking
into an individual axis region, or by dragging a window around or
within a number of axis regions when in a plan view.

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 Ensure you’re working in the St. 1 2D plan view

 Click on the Flat Slab command and review the Properties
 Insert the slabs, as per the Exercise details
 Repeat this process for St. 4, ensuring that you also add an additional slab into the core wall area

2.9 Inserting slab openings

Once slabs exist in a model, slab openings can be inserted when

in a 2D view by clicking the Slab Opening button. Once the Add
Slab Opening command is activated, the opening’s shape and
angle of rotation can be defined in the Properties window. You
can then insert the opening by defining the opposite corners of
the opening, either by clicking on the plan view, or by using the
Pick Corner of Opening window.

 Ensure you’re working in the St. 1 2D plan view

 Click on the Slab Opening command
 Insert the slab opening, as per the Exercise details

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3 Loading and Combinations

All standard Loading commands are accessed from the Load ribbon tab

3.1 Creating load cases

The Loadcases in your model can be viewed and edited by clicking the Loadcases command. A number of
loadcases are created by default, including Self weight – excluding slabs and Slab self-weight, which are then
automatically calculated based on your model. New loadcases can be created by clicking the Add button in this
window, but the default loadcases are all that’s required for this model.

 Click onto the Load ribbon tab, click the Loadcases button to review them, and then click OK

3.2 Applying loads

To apply a load under a particular loadcase, you must first select an appropriate scene view, as some load types
can only be applied in certain views. If a load type can’t be applied in the scene view you have selected, then it
will be greyed out. You then need to select the loadcase that you want to apply the load under using the Loading
drop list. Once this is done, you can then select the appropriate load type, adjust their directions and magnitudes
in the Properties window, and apply the load to the model. The Scene Content window allows you to control
which load types are displayed.

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 Apply all loads to the model under the appropriate loadcases, as per the Exercise details – Refer to the e-
Learning Quick Start Guide for Concrete for a full demonstration

3.3 Creating load combinations

The Load Combinations in your model can be viewed and edited by clicking the Combinations command. New
combinations can be manually created by clicking the Add button in this window. You can then edit the Name of
the combination and control which load cases are included in it – this is done by selecting the required load case
in the Available Loadcases list and using the arrow buttons to move them into the Included list.

A series of code-based combinations can also be generated automatically by clicking the Generate button in this
window, which will then lead you through the Combination Generator. All that’s required for this model is a
single combination containing all of the default load cases, excluding EHFs.

 Click the Combinations button, add a Total Load combination and then click OK to confirm

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3.4 Load envelopes

The Load Envelopes in your model can be viewed and edited by clicking the Envelopes command. New envelopes
can be manually created by clicking the Add button in this window. You can then edit the Name of the envelope
and control which load combinations are included in it – this is done using a similar method to creating new load
combinations, by selecting the required combination in the Available Combinations list and using the arrow
buttons to move it into the Included list.

No envelopes are required for this exercise.

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4 Analysis and Design

All standard analysis and design commands are accessed from the Analyse ribbon tab and the Design ribbon tab

4.1 Analysing and Designing the structure

All of the various analyses that can be completed in the program can be accessed from the Analyse tab, and the
analysis results could then be interrogated. However, you can get Tekla Structural Designer to run multiple
analyses on the model and then design all concrete frame elements (excluding slabs) for gravity and lateral loads
in one go. This is done by clicking the Design Concrete (All) button on the Design ribbon tab. This process goes
through a series of steps, in part controlled by the Design Options, with the key steps mentioned below. You can
see which stage the analysis and design process is at by clicking the Show Process button in the bottom left
corner of the screen. Elements designed during this process will be designed for the worst case loading from all
sets of analysis results.

 Validation – The purpose of validation is to trap out problems that will likely cause the analysis or design
to fail. If any issues are found, they will be reported as either a warning or an error in the Status Tree.
Errors MUST be corrected to allow the analysis and design to be completed. You can double click on the
warning and error messages to locate the issues
 Load Decomposition – Slab loads are decomposed into the model frame using an FE mesh, ready for the
3D Analysis
 3D Analysis – This will analyse the whole stick-frame model at once, following the analysis and design
options
 Grillage Chasedown – This will complete a chasedown of load using the sub models of each floor, from
top to bottom, without the slabs being meshed
 FE Chasedown – This will complete a chasedown of load using the sub models of each floor, from top to
bottom, meshing the slabs at every level
 Auto Design – Once the structure is fully analysed, Tekla Structural Designer will perform a full Auto
Design of all frame elements in the model by default. All concrete columns and beams are automatically
placed into Design Groups based on various parameters as the model is created. All elements inside each
design group will be given the same reinforcement arrangement so that they all work for each others
worst case analysis and design results.

4.1.1 Analysis and Design Options

As with all analysis and design packages, it’s important to check the settings for the analyses and designs to be
completed before running them. This should ensure that the analysis results are accurate and correct, and that
the completed designs follow the parameters you want.

The Analysis Options contain key settings related to each analysis type available in the program, such as the
Modification Factors for E and I values, which will naturally affect the stiffness of the structure.

The Design Options let you control how the various elements are designed, allowing you to specify things like the
minimum and maximum bars sizes and spacings, bar patterns, link settings and ignorable force limits.

 Select the Analyse ribbon tab, click the Options button, review them and accept the defaults

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 Select the Design ribbon tab, click the Options button, review them and accept the defaults

 Click the Design Concrete (All) button, also found on the Design ribbon tab

4.2 Reviewing the design status

Once the Design Concrete (All) process is complete, the View Mode of your active scene view will automatically
change to the Review View mode, and the newly-created Review ribbon tab will be activated. This will show the
graphical design Status of each element in the model to see if they have passed or failed or if there are any other
issues with them.

Some other key points include:

 The Status Tree has become active in the Project Workspace, showing the status of the validations and
analyses completed – errors and warnings would also be displayed here
 The Status bar shows green ticks and red crosses to highlight completed analyses and designs
 The Review ribbon tab contains several other features to review and edit the model, including checking
which members are pinned and which are set to be auto-designed or check-designed
 The Slab Design Status will be ‘Unknown’ as slab design is completed in a separate process

4.3 Interrogating the analysis results

Once an analysis has been completed, the results can be interrogated by switching view mode to the Results
View on the Status Bar, and a newly-created Results ribbon tab will be activated. Here, you can choose which
analysis you want to view the results for, such as 1st Order Linear, and also select the type of results you want to
view, such as deflections, moment & shear diagrams, reactions, strip results and a variety of contours. The results

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displayed are dependent on the load case, combination or envelope selected in the Loading Drop List, and you
can adjust the scale of the diagrams using the Scale Settings.

If you are unsure why you are getting certain results, you can also try switching view mode to the Solver View on
the Status Bar, so you can see the actual analysis model that was analysed. This will give you a different insight
into the model and could allow you to spot the issue more easily.

 Change to a Results view mode and investigate some of the various results available
 Change to a Solver view mode and take a look at the analysis solver model

As well as being able to view the analysis results for the whole model, you can also view results for individual
elements. These can be accessed by hovering the cursor over the element in question, right clicking and choosing
Open Load Analysis View. A new scene view will be created, and a Loading Analysis ribbon tab will automatically
open. This will allow you to choose which results are displayed and from which analysis. The Properties window
also helps control the information displayed.

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 Try checking the Load Analysis View for one of the beams and columns in the model

4.4 Designing and checking individual elements

Tekla Structural Designer can autodesign all elements in the model at once, but you can also interactively design a
single member by right clicking over a frame element and choosing Design…

The Interactive Design will first perform a Check Design on that member, where it checks the element’s current
design against it’s current analysis results, and then allows you to:
 View the existing design status, and adjust various parameters, including bar sizes and links
 View the Interaction Diagrams for columns and walls only
 Preview a Detail Drawing of the element, and adjust the Drawing Options

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As you edit the design parameters, a check design is again performed instantly. Clicking the Check button in this
window also performs another Check Design, and will then allow you to view the check results in more detail, so
you can view the design calculations based on the edited design. Once Check is clicked, a Design Summary is
displayed. You can then drill down to view the appropriate checks on the left hand side and then expand the
calculations on the right hand side to see exactly why a particular element is passing or failing.

Once you are satisfied with the design of the element, clicking OK in the Interactive Design window will confirm
your changes and apply the selected reinforcement to both this element and all other elements in the same
Design Group. Therefore, you may find that if you have not interactively designed the critical element in a design
group, then other elements from that group may be updated to a Fail status.

 Try checking and editing the designs of a beam and a column

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4.5 Slab design

Slab design is an area of the program that is a work in progress, so there will likely be significant changes and
improvements in this area in future versions, though the general processes detailed below should remain
similar.

When slabs are initially created, they have several properties relating to reinforcement – this is known as their
background reinforcement, which will be placed throughout the whole panel. However, designing the
background reinforcement to resist all forces in the slabs would result in excessive reinforcement provisions, so a
variety of Patches of additional reinforcement are also required. Both the slabs and the patches are set to be
automatically designed by default. The placement of the patches is a manual process, so it is important to place
appropriately sized patches in the correct locations.

Patches contain a number of strips, some of which are set to design for the average design forces across their
widths, and others simply gather a maximum value. The patches also have a variety of properties allowing you to
control options like strip widths, bar sizes and their spacings. Patches are inserted into the model by first
selecting the patch command you want to use, then by either left clicking on an appropriate element, or by
dragging a window around multiple elements.

There’s a variety of different Patch types available, depending on the location of where the patch is to be placed,
and they’re found on the Design ribbon tab. They include:

 Patch Column – Placed on columns in flat slab models, to deal with local peak moments
 Patch Beam – Placed along beams, usually to deal with hogging moments
 Patch Wall – Placed along walls, with options associated with the position and span of the wall
 Patch Panel – Placed in the middle of slab spans to deal with local peak moments

The full intended slab design process is detailed on the following page.

Quick Start Guide Tekla Structural Designer

© Trimble Solutions Corporation | March 21, 2019 Concrete Design
 4 Analysis and Design 23 (28)

 Insert the Patches in the appropriate locations. It’s important to make sure the patch sizes are
appropriate – the easiest way to do this is to insert the patches whilst viewing the results contours to
ensure the peaks are contained within the patches. You should also ensure that both the slab panel and
patch minimum bar spacings are sensible before attempting the design
 Design the Slab Panels by clicking Check Slabs on the Design ribbon tab – Autodesign selects the
background reinforcement for the slab panels. The reinforcement is selected ignoring the forces that
develop within the slab patch areas of the slabs, but is placed throughout the whole slab panel
 Review and optimise the panel designs by using the Slab Reinforcement option on the Review ribbon
tab when in the Review View. The Slab setting in the Properties window should be set to Panel first, and
it will then allow you to rationalise the background reinforcement for all slab panels
 Design the Patches by clicking Check Patches on the Design ribbon tab – Autodesign selects the
additional reinforcement required in the slabs within the patch areas, taking into account the already
placed background reinforcement
 Review and optimise the patch designs by using the Slab Reinforcement option on the Review ribbon
tab when in the Review View. The Slab setting in the Properties window should be set to Patch first, and
it will then allow you to rationalise the patch rebar

Punching Shear Checks can also be added to specific columns and walls in a similar manner to adding patches,
using the Add Check command on the Design ribbon tab. These checks should be added once the slabs and
patches have been designed to ensure realistic reinforcement levels are considered during the punching checks.
Once inserted, they can then be checked using the Check Punching Shear command.

 Try inserting some patches into the model at St.1 to get the whole slab to work

Quick Start Guide Tekla Structural Designer

© Trimble Solutions Corporation | March 21, 2019 Concrete Design
5 Detail drawings

All currently available standard drawing commands are accessed from either the Draw ribbon tab or from the
right-click menu. This is another area of the program that is a work in progress, so there will be significant
changes and improvements in this area in future versions.

5.1 Drawing settings

Once elements have been designed, detail drawings of them can be created. All drawings are created based on
the Drawing Settings, which can be accessed by clicking the Edit option on the Draw ribbon tab. Additional
detailing preferences that affect the actual selection of reinforcement are found in the Design Settings, as
discussed previously. All of these settings allow you to control a wide variety of things, including what
information is displayed in each type of drawing, the colours of the different layers, section information, labels
and dimensions. The detail drawings will be generated as DXF files and will be displayed by exporting them to
another program, so you’ll need a program such as AutoCAD or TrueView to be able to view them.

 Go onto the Draw ribbon tab and review the Drawing Settings

5.2 Creating individual frame element detail drawings

Detail drawings of individual frame

elements can be generated by hovering
your cursor over the element in
question, right clicking and choosing
Generate Detailing Drawing. Once this
option is selected, you will be prompted
to specify the file name and location,
drawing type and style, and a drawing
scale. Clicking OK will then open the
appropriate program and generate the
detail drawing. You can also access this
option by clicking the Detail Drawing
button from within the element’s
Interactive Design window.

Depending on your drawing settings,

the detail drawings generated here will include an elevation of the element, a number of sections and a quantity
table.

Copyright © 1992 – 2017 Trimble Solutions Corporation. All rights reserved.

5.3 Creating schedules

Schedules can be created for Beams, Columns and Walls using the corresponding options on the Draw ribbon
tab. Once one of these options has been clicked, you will be prompted to choose which elements you want
included in the schedule, provided there is more than one of these element types present. You will then be faced
with similar options to those when creating a detail drawing, as detailed above.

 Try generating some detail drawings and schedules for the frame elements of your choice

5.4 Slab detailing

Detail drawings for slabs are also available from the Draw ribbon tab. The General Arrangement option provides
information on the general arrangement of the model, including member labels and slab thicknesses. The Slab
Detailing option can include information about background reinforcement and rebar information for the patches.

Quite a lot of information could be displayed in these drawings which may overcrowd the view and make it look
messy, unless you use one of the standard drawing types. As with the frame element detail drawings, the
information in the drawings can be controlled by the Drawing Settings.

 Try generating a general arrangement and slab detailing drawing for the slabs on St.1

Copyright © 1992 – 2017 Trimble Solutions Corporation. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 1992 – 2017 Trimble Solutions Corporation. All rights reserved.
6 Reports and Integration

All standard report commands are accessed from either the Report ribbon tab or the right-click menu.

6.1 Generating reports

There are a number of standard reports available using the Select drop down menu on the Report ribbon tab.
Once the required report is selected here, clicking the Show Report button will display the report in a new scene
view. Once the report is generated, there are a number of options on the Report ribbon tab, including:

 Settings – Control font and text size, margins, page numbering, etc
 Edit Header/Footer – Control the layout, labels and content of the report’s header and footer
 Navigation – Navigate through the pages of the report using the arrow commands, or by using the Report
Index to quickly get to specific pages, which will become available in the Project Workspace
 Export – Options to export the report to PDF, Word, Excel and Tedds for Word

6.2 Managing reports and their content

If you want to create your own custom report, or just edit the content of the standard reports, you can use the
Model Report or Member Report options on the Report ribbon tab. New report styles can be generated by
clicking Add and then entering a Report Name. Content available for inclusion in the report is listed under the
Chapters and Options list. Once the option required for the report is found, it can be dragged into the Report
Structure list, and then up or down that list to specify the order. Right clicking over the entries in the Report
Structure list allows filters to be applied to the content and items to be removed from the report.

6.3 Integrating your model with another program

If you’re interested in BIM Integration, there are several import and export options available on the Home ribbon
tab. You can currently import 3D DXF and .TEL files, as well as models from Tekla Structures, Revit, Fastrak
Building Designer and Orion, and there are export options for Tekla Structures, Revit and Robot. For more
information on this, please refer to the Tekla Structural Designer Help system.

Copyright © 1992 – 2017 Trimble Solutions Corporation. All rights reserved.