Customize the shape catalog

Tekla Structures
2019i
Tekla Structures

Customize the shape catalog

The Shape Catalog dialog box contains information on shapes. It is used for viewing shape properties, and for importing and exporting shapes.

The shapes you download from Tekla Warehouse or create using existing geometry in the model are also displayed in the Shape Catalog dialog box.

The catalog includes two default shapes: Default and Concrete_Default. Shapes are used in defining items. In Tekla Structures , items are similar to other parts, such as beams and columns. The main difference between items and other types of parts is that a 3D shape defines the geometry of an item, whereas a part has a 2D profile that is extruded to create the length of the part.

The shapes listed in the shape catalog are stored in the current model folder. There are two files for each shape: one .xml file stored in the \Shapes folder and one .tez or .xml file in the \ShapeGeometries folder.

If you have shapes that you would like to have available in the Shape Catalog dialog box for all new models that are created in your project or company, copy the corresponding .tez and .xml files to the correct subfolders ( \Shapes and \ShapeGeometries ) in the \profil folder under your project or firm folder.

Note:

If your project, company, or environment uses a common location for shapes that are used in several Tekla Structures versions including 2017i and older, use .xml format for shape geometry files. The compressed .tez files do not work in Tekla Structures 2017i or older versions.

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