Support articles
FLEXnet Licensing Help
What are you doing?
I am a new customer ready to activate my new license
I am updating to the latest version of Tekla Structures
I am moving my license to a new machine
Replacing licenses
Borrowing Help
Frequently Asked Questions
I am a new customer ready to activate my new license
This guide provides you with information on installing the FLEXnet licensing system and starting Tekla Structures with the licensing system.
FLEXnet is an activation-based licensing system provided by a
March 15, 2019
by Tekla Support US
Numbering Identical Objects in Different Phases
Sometimes, we may have identical objects within a model that must be released at different times, and therefore their numbering must be different. You can tell Tekla to number identical objects differently by assigning each object or set of objects to a separate section (phase), and then using the Phase numbering option in the General numbering settings. The advanced option XS_ ENABLE_ PHASE_ OPTION_ IN_ NUMBERING is available in Tekla 2018 and newer. It will activate the Phase numbering option within the Numbering Setup dialog box. The option will number all the objects in separate phases
March 13, 2019
by Tekla Support US
Tekla Model Sharing Overview
Tekla Model Sharing enables teams to collaborate on the same Tekla Structures project regardless of their location or time zone. Tekla Model Sharing adapts to any Internet connection speed, and you can even work offline. No additional hardware or software is required apart from Tekla Structures.
On this page, you can browse the topics in the product guide, view the video tutorial, check out troubleshooting articles and find other content related to Tekla Model Sharing.
March 12, 2019
by Tekla User Assistance
Changing the color of a PDF Reference File
PDF Reference files are often imported in a color that does not contrast well with the model's background color, thus making the reference file difficult to see. While you can Change the Color Settings of the model's background for better contrast, the color of the PDF reference file can also be changed by following these steps:
Original PDF Reference
Add an Object Group
Double-click on the background of your current 3D view to pull out the View Properties, and click on the Representation tab under the Representation section.
Click on the Object group... tab located at the bottom of the
March 12, 2019
by Tekla Support US
Tekla Structures 2019 US environments Release Notes
Table of Contents
Folder Structure Reorganization
Common to all US Roles
Steel Detailing Role
Partner Developer Notes
Administrator Release Notes
1. Folder Structure Reorganization
1.1 Environment folders
We have modified the environment to now contain both US Imperial and US Metric within one environment. See image below for reference, the environments have now been combined into one environment called USA.
Within the USA environment, we have 3 main folders, one which contains shared files between both US Imperial and US Metric called “Common” and then specific folders for settings that
March 12, 2019
by Tekla Support US
Complex Proxy or Custom Objects in DWG or DXF import files
The first thing to check for when a DWG or DXF reference file import is not visible in Tekla Structures is that the version in which the file was exported is compatible with the version of Tekla Structures being used. See the following article titled Supported AutoCAD versions DWG import. If you have checked that the version of the DWG or DXF reference file is compatible, and there is nothing showing up still, check if the file contains proxy objects or graphics. If it does, they must be removed from the file to make it viewable in Tekla. Instructions in this article titled DWG reference file
March 11, 2019
by Tekla Support US
Magenta change clouds did not appear on drawing after a model change.
Question:
I created several drawings and later I made a change to the model. I ran numbering and the drawing showed Parts modified in the Document manager. After I updated the drawing and opened it, no magenta change symbol clouds appeared.
Answer:
The magenta change symbol clouds will only appear if you go into the drawing while the issue flag in the Document manager turned on. You can look at the drawing list and see which drawings have been edited and which ones have the issue flag turned on.
March 11, 2019
by Tekla Support US
Vertical Columns top view are stacked instead of side by side
Question:
I created an assembly drawing of a column and it appeared horizontal, but I needed it vertical. I went into the Drawing Properties>View properties>Attribute Tab. I changed the option for the Coordinate System from local to model. When I do this my top view is above the column. I would like the top view to be to the left of the column How do I change this?
Answer:
With the properties set with the Coordinate system model, you will need to Apply these settings from the Drawing properties dialog. Next, close the drawing and use the command Select part in model from the list of
March 11, 2019
by Tekla Support US
Create a profile from a DWG file
Visible objects
When you view the DWG file, ensure that only the lines that you want to convert to a profile are visible. This means that there cannot be text, dimensions, XREF objects, leader lines, etc. The only thing visible should be the actual profile shape. You can delete the additional objects, or turn off the layers that contain the additional objects.
While simply turning off the layers may be an easier method to hide the unwanted objects, it is recommended to delete the unwanted objects. Once the profile is scaled up prior to the importing process, most of these objects will no
March 11, 2019
by Tekla Support US
DSTV2DXF - Holes smaller than 3/8 are showing/ exporting as 1 inch
Question -
Why do my holes in a DXF converted using the DSTV2DXF tool show as 1" when really they are 3/8"?
Answer -
Our DXF convertor defaults holes 3/8 and smaller to use a point value of 1" by default. The layer on the hole still says 3/8" which is what most plasma tables use.
For the machines that use the actual line or rather circle size you can adjust it so that the hole size is the actual size from the model. To change this you will need to go to "C:\Program Files\Tekla Structures\<version>\nt\dstv2dxf" or "C:\TeklaStructures\<version>\nt\dstv2dxf" (depending on
March 11, 2019
by Tekla Support US
Drawing takes a very long time to open
Question:
I am working in a project with several object level settings and takes around 20 minutes to open the drawing. How can I make sure I open this drawing in a quicker manner?
Answer:
Drawing speed can be affected by how many lines are shown on a drawing. Lines can be hidden behind other lines if a view depth is set to high. Changing the advanced options shown below can help speed up drawing opening time if this is the case.
Set these like below:
XS_DRAW_CAST_UNIT_INTERNAL_LINES=FALSE ->TRUE
XS_DRAW_CAST_PHASE_INTERNAL_LINES=FALSE ->TRUE
XS_HIDDEN_REMOVE_DOUBLE_LINES=TRUE ->
March 8, 2019
by Tekla Support US
Temporary Reference Points
To create a temporary reference point, you will first want to make sure you have your 'nearest to' snap function on.
Then you will want to activate a command, say for beams.
So with nearest to selected and in a beam (or relative part) command, hold down CTRL and then select the origin point, in this case at the intersection of the end of the beam and the gridline, then start tracking upwards along the grindline.
You can let off of CTRL once you select your starting point, then once you get to your desired distance you can select that point, which will be the first point of your beam. Then
March 6, 2019
by Tekla Support US
Centralized distribution of Tekla Structures 2019
Introduction
Tekla Structures consists of the following installations:
Tekla Structures software installation
Tekla Structures environmentregion- or company-specific settings and information that are predefined in Tekla Structures or that are defined by the userTo be able to use Tekla Structures, the user must install the software and for region-specific settings at least one Tekla Structures environment. The software installation includes the common and blank project environments and the global settings. The common environment and global settings form the basis for all other
March 4, 2019
by Software Deployment
Running multiple Tekla Structures sessions at the same time
Question:
Can I run multiple Tekla Structures sessions from the same version at the same time?
Answer:
We do not recommend using multiple Tekla Structures sessions. If you open two Tekla Structures sessions the second one cannot use .NET interface and you might see this warning: "Tekla Structures could not initialize .NET interface, another Tekla Structures is probably running.". Features implemented with Tekla Open API are not working in the second session.
If you for example try printing from two Tekla Structures sessions at the same time, it is either only working for the first
March 1, 2019
by Tekla Global Support
Check Dimension point validity
Question:
The option “Check dimension Point Validity” is not available in the Tekla version 2018.
Please advise how to activate this command.
Answer:
We have enhanced the command Associativity symbol in TS 17.0 & later,
At that same time, the commands Check Dimension point validity & Remove Dimension point invalidity Symbol removed from TS version 18.0,
both commands are no longer available.
Check Dimension point validity not showing the associativity symbol for the
newly creating dimensions if you did not click the same every time.
In the new Associativity symbol (Shift+A
February 28, 2019
by Trimble Solutions India
Point color
Question:
In my model, few points are showing in blue colour & rest of the points are showing in red colour.
I am working in TS2018.
I observed that the same construction point which shown in blue colour in one view is showing as red colour in another view.
What is the reason of this colour change for the same point in differnet views?
Answer:
In TS2018, You will get the point colour as blue if you are placing your point in plane and
you will get the point colour as red if you are placing your point , out to plane.
Because of the above reason, points are appearing in different
February 28, 2019
by Trimble Solutions India
How to find total number of parts in the selected assembly?
Question:
Is there any way to get the total number of parts of selected assembly without creating any reports?
Answer:
Yes, you can get the total number of parts of selected assembly by clicking the “ALT” key & by selecting any one of part of that particular assembly.
The total number of parts will be shown in the bottom right corner of the status bar, for an example
Ensure that any one of the Main selection switch should be switch on.
February 28, 2019
by Trimble Solutions India
Display the numbering result dialog box
Question:
How to display the numbering result dialog box before it save in model?
I can get this dialog box for few models & the same is not displaying for some other models.
Answer:
You should select the check box of Synchronize numbering with the master model(save-numbering-save)
in the Numbering Setup options to get the numbering result dialog box.
Ensure that the advanced option XS_DISABLE_CANCEL_DIALOG_FOR_SAVE_NUMBERING_SAVE should be False.
February 28, 2019
by Trimble Solutions India
Is it possible to find the system components with respect to component symbol colors like red, yellow?
Question:
Is it possible to find the system components symbol which are in Red, Yellow colours in the model to check further?
Answer:
Yes, it is possible to find the system components with respect to connection errors.
You need to use the template attribute CONNECTION_ERROR in filters, reports & organizer
as per your convenient to achieve your requirement.
You can download the filters for your reference
February 28, 2019
by Trimble Solutions India
How to search many components in Applications and Components?
Question:
How to search many connections in new Applications and Components (version 21.1 onwards)?
In previous versions, we can get the same by searching the connection numbers by typing the connection numbers
with space, for an example 141 17 (141 space 17)
Answer:
You can achieve your requirement by typing the connection numbers with “OR” in the search option among the connection numbers.
For an example, type 141 OR 17 OR 144 (141 space OR space 17 space OR space 144)Note:
You can use “or” otherwise “OR” during the search.
February 28, 2019
by Trimble Solutions India