Tekla Structures

Release Notes

Product version 18.0 SR 1

April 2012

2012 Tekla Corporation

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Contents
1

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes ................................................... 5

General.............................................................................................................................................................. 5
Zero inches in dialog boxes ................................................................................................................. 5
Modeling .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
User-defined attributes for bolts and welds .................................................................................. 6
Loading applied values from user-defined attributes standard file ........................................ 6
Surface treatment .................................................................................................................................. 6
Snapping ................................................................................................................................................... 6
Model Organizer ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Reinforcement ................................................................................................................................................ 6
Reinforcing Bar Shape Catalog .......................................................................................................... 6
Reinforcement adaptivity .................................................................................................................... 8
Analysis and design....................................................................................................................................... 8
Analysis models ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Deleting analysis parts ......................................................................................................................... 8
Drawings .......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Work plane and updating drawings .................................................................................................. 8
Section view boundary ......................................................................................................................... 9
Rotating drawing views ....................................................................................................................... 9
Showing grids .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Updates in associative notes .............................................................................................................. 9
Removing unnecessary drawing files ............................................................................................... 9
Panning in drawing mode .................................................................................................................... 9
Part marks ................................................................................................................................................ 9
Drawing filters ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Recreating drawings ............................................................................................................................ 10
Slotted holes .......................................................................................................................................... 10
Showing bolt groups ........................................................................................................................... 11
Dragging in drawings .......................................................................................................................... 11
Object level settings ............................................................................................................................ 11
Minimum cut part length .................................................................................................................. 11
Alignment tools .................................................................................................................................... 11
Multidrawings ....................................................................................................................................... 12
"Use columns" template setting in cast unit drawings ............................................................. 12
Rebar mesh view creator ................................................................................................................... 12
New template attribute for reinforcing bar groups: NUMBER_VISIBLE .............................. 12
Reinforcing bar group dimension plugin ....................................................................................... 12
Adjusting reinforcing bar location .................................................................................................. 13
Reinforcing bar marks ......................................................................................................................... 13
Actual or nominal reinforcing bar size .......................................................................................... 13
Circular reinforcing bar group hooks .............................................................................................. 13
Tapered reinforcing bar group dimension direction ................................................................... 13
Reinforcing bar end symbols ............................................................................................................ 13

Templates and reports................................................................................................................................ 14

Columns in templates ......................................................................................................................... 14
Start number for reinforcing bars ................................................................................................... 14
Creating reports .................................................................................................................................... 14
Area calculation for meshes ............................................................................................................. 14
Arcs and circles in DWG files added in templates ...................................................................... 14
Import and export........................................................................................................................................ 14
NC files .................................................................................................................................................... 14
IFC export ............................................................................................................................................... 14
CIM export ............................................................................................................................................. 14
HMS export ............................................................................................................................................ 15
Export EliPlan file (68) ........................................................................................................................ 15
Export Unitechnik (79) ...................................................................................................................... 15
Steel connections ........................................................................................................................................ 16
Column - 2 beams (14) ....................................................................................................................... 16
Tube gusset (20) ................................................................................................................................... 16
Tube crossing (22) ................................................................................................................................ 16
Stanchion curved (84) ......................................................................................................................... 16
Welded to top flange S (149) ........................................................................................................... 16
Joist to column, type 1 (161), Joist to column, type 3 (163), Joist to beam and column
(164) ..........................................................................................................................................................16
Steel modeling tools ................................................................................................................................... 16
Unfold surface (21) .............................................................................................................................. 16
Tapered column 2 (S44) ..................................................................................................................... 17
Tapered beam 2 (S45) ......................................................................................................................... 17
Concrete components................................................................................................................................. 17
Wall panel (64) ..................................................................................................................................... 17
Beam end reinforcement (79) ........................................................................................................... 18
Rectangular column reinforcement (83) ....................................................................................... 18

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release

Notes

This document explains new features, fixes and improvements in Tekla Structures 18.0 Service
Release 1. We recommend this service release for all Tekla Structures 18.0 users.

General
Zero inches in dialog boxes
Zero inches 0" are now shown even if the XS_DISPLAY_ZERO_INCHES advanced option is
not set.

TT75418

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

Modeling
User-defined attributes for bolts and welds
Previously, the user-defined attributes of bolts and welds had some incorrect default values in
the list box options. This has now been fixed.
TT74949
Loading applied values from user-defined attributes standard file
Loading applied values from user-defined attributes standard (.more ) files did not work
correctly if a dialog box was open. For example, if the column property dialog box was open, the
standard.clm.more file was not applied correctly when model was created or opened.
TT75128
Surface treatment
Adding surface treatment to complex planes has been improved.
TT71132
Snapping
It is now again possible to snap to the distant reference points of a part.
TT74220
Model Organizer
When defining the properties that are shown in the object pane, you can now define that both
reference object properties and report properties are shown under a certain property. Use a
semi-colon to separate the properties.

TT75890

Reinforcement
Reinforcing Bar Shape Catalog
You can now apply the reinforcing bars created with the Reinforcing Bar Shape Catalog into
multiple concrete parts at the same time. Previously, the reinforcing bars could only be applied
inside one concrete part at a time.
See below for an example before the fix: Reinforcing bars are applied to one part at a time.

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

See below for two examples after the fix: Reinforcing bars applied into multiple parts at a time.

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

TT74912
Reinforcement adaptivity
In 18.0 (and newer versions) the adaptivity sometimes failed when you changed the geometry
of complex profiles. This has now been fixed.
TT77070

Analysis and design

Analysis models
Analysis models are now saved when you save the model with Save As.
TT76619
Deleting analysis parts
Previously, deleting a large number of analysis parts from an analysis model was slow. This has
now been fixed. Deleting is now faster also when a large number of model parts are deleted
while the analysis model is active and also analysis parts have been selected.

TT76597

Drawings
Work plane and updating drawings
In Tekla Structures 18.0 final, if you set the work plane to any other coordinate than the model's
0 coordinate when creating or editing drawings, your drawings would update incorrectly. This
has now been fixed.
TT76527

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

Section view boundary

The section view boundary of the selected section view was not always highlighted in the
parent view. This has now been fixed.
TT75069
Rotating drawing views
Rotating a drawing view no longer moves the view far away from its original position.
TT75142
Showing grids
Grids were not show in a view that had a negative depth. The view plane was not inside the
view. This has now been fixed.
TT74460
Updates in associative notes
If an associative note was edited using the Mini Toolbar, the note was not updated after a
change in the model. This has now been fixed.
TT75256
Removing unnecessary drawing files
A new command Remove unnecessary drawing files was added in the Customize dialog box
under the Drawings category. You can use this command for removing drawing files in the
single user mode.
You need to have full privileges for using this command. The following line needs to be added
in the privileges.inp file:
action:RemoveUnnecessaryDrawingFiles
[who]

[who]

[access]

is everyone or Windows logon name, or domain name

[access]

can be none/view/full. In this case, set it to full.

When you use this command, ensure that nobody else is using the model at the same time.
TT74707
Panning in drawing mode
Performance improvement in panning in drawing mode caused quite often a checkerboard
effect. Now the checkerboard is visible only when the graphics are too heavy to be fully
rendered on panning.
TT76676
Part marks
Sometimes an application error occurred when part marks were updated. This has now been
fixed.
TT76340
Drawing filters
Drawing filters were not working correctly, as previous filter rules where used even though the
filtering dialog box contained no filter rules. This has now been fixed, and previous filter rules
are not used anymore.
TT73733

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

Recreating drawings
Now selecting No in the drawing recreation confirmation box works correctly, and the selected
drawings are not recreated.
TT74397
Slotted holes
Slotted holes are now shown correctly in the drawings, and the bolt marks contain slot
information. In some older versions, slotted holes were shown as round holes, and bolt marks
did not contain any slot information.
A slotted hole in a model.

In the following example, only round holes are visible.

In the following example, the slotted holes are shown correctly.

TT48909

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

10

Showing bolt groups

In drawings, if bolts are drawn as symbols, Tekla Structures now shows only those bolts that are
inside the view restriction box. In older versions, the bolts in a bolt group were not shown
correctly.
TT68823
Dragging in drawings
Sometimes dragging in drawings worked incorrectly and the whole drawing was moved. This
has now been fixed.
TT75004

When you dragged the view plane, the view was in some cases drawn in an incorrect place on
the sheet. The view was drawn correctly if you saved and closed the drawing and opened it
again. This has now been fixed.
TT75975

Object level settings

Object level setting for parts are now working also in the enlarged views of the anchor bolt plan
drawings.
TT75012
Minimum cut part length
The Minimum cut part length setting (View Properties > Shortening) was calculated
incorrectly in drawing cloning or update if there was a detail mark at the end of the view.
TT76476
Alignment tools
The alignment tools on the Alignment toolbar were not working. This has now been fixed.

TT74433

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

11

Multidrawings
Sometimes view placing was incorrect in a multidrawing if the selected drawings were split in
several multidrawings.
TT67165

If you had an assembly drawing in a multidrawing, and you used multinumbering, the assembly
drawing views were placed incorrectly after update. This has now been fixed.
TT76620

Multidrawings with layouts are now placed correctly, and the size of the included drawing is
correct (the same as that of the original drawing).
TT76625

View update in multidrawings has been improved, and views no longer move away from the
container box.
TT76931

"Use columns" template setting in cast unit drawings

An application error occurred when you updated a cast unit drawing containing reinforcement,
and had selected the Use columns check box in the drawing template Row Properties. This has
now been fixed, and the Use columns setting works correctly.
TT76564
Rebar mesh view creator
The RebarMeshViewCreator macro did not draw the mesh view in correct projection if the
mesh plane was not parallel to the main view coordinate system. This has now been fixed.
TT74749
New template attribute for reinforcing bar groups: NUMBER_VISIBLE
There is now a new context-specific template attribute NUMBER_VISIBLE for reinforcing bar
groups. When added in a mark, it gives the number of visible reinforcing bars in a view.
TT67347
Reinforcing bar group dimension plugin
The RebarGroupDimensionPlugin application is again available for use. This application offers
you altogether three dimensioning representations instead of one. It also allows you to adjust
the placing of the various elements in the dimension annotation more flexibly.
To use this application, add the RebarGroupDimensionPlugin command to a toolbar or to the
User menu through Tools > Customize in the modeling mode.
TT76258

The Rebar group dimension plugin dialog box now contains a new option for showing or
hiding the position text.

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

12

TT74383
Adjusting reinforcing bar location
The Adjust location command did not draw the reinforcing bar in the picked location if the first
or last reinforcing bar in the reinforcing bar group was outside view boundary. This has now
been fixed.
TT74408

The Adjust location command now works correctly also with tapered reinforcing bar groups.
TT67062

Sometimes extra dimension lines were drawn when you had selected the Adjust location
command for a reinforcing bar.
TT74264

Reinforcing bar marks

Reinforcing bar marks were not created if the reinforcing bar was placed at a customized
location (Reinforcing Properties > Visibility of reinforcing bars in group > Customized), or if
the Adjust Location command was used.
TT74263
Actual or nominal reinforcing bar size
In the drawing mode, the reinforcing bar diameter is now displayed in the same way as in the
modeling mode. By default the diameter is "actual". If the advanced option
XS_USE_ONLY_NOMINAL_REBAR_DIAMETER is set to TRUE in the Advanced Options category
Concrete Detailing, the diameter is "nominal".
TT75599
Circular reinforcing bar group hooks
Circular reinforcing bar group hooks were not created correctly in drawings. This has now been
fixed.
TT73244
Tapered reinforcing bar group dimension direction
Reinforcing bar dimension line, dimension mark and tagged dimension mark are now created in
the reinforcing bar group direction, not at an angle even if the group is tapered.
TT67642
Reinforcing bar end symbols
Representation of reinforcing bars that point away from the drawing is now changeable. You
can customize reinforcing bar end symbols (cross, circle, filled circle) in a symbol file by editing
the symbol file bent.sym, which in the default environment is located in
..\ProgramData\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\symbols. Or, you can create a new
symbol file in the same folder, for example, my_new_symbols.sym, and take it into use in the
rebar_config.inp by entering the following string:
EndSymbolFile=my_new_symbols.sym

TT67680

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

13

Templates and reports

Columns in templates
Templates that contain columns now work correctly.
TT74435

Vertical continuous column fill now works again in templates.

TT76125

Start number for reinforcing bars

In Template Editor, you can now select the start number attribute for reinforcing bars when
defining the attributes for a value field.
TT74815
Creating reports
There was an application error when you created a report containing the SUM(AREA) value. This
has now been fixed.
TT75419
Area calculation for meshes
Net and gross area calculations now take cuts into account in mesh area reports for rectangle
and polygon meshes if you have selected the Cut by father part cuts option in mesh properties.
When you select this option, polygon or part cuts also cut the mesh.
TT62814

Gross and net areas for bent meshes are now calculated correctly.
TT61962

Arcs and circles in DWG files added in templates

Arcs and circles in a DWG file do no longer get broken when the DWG file is inserted into a
template. However, avoid spline line types, ellipses and elliptic curves, and user-defined line
types in DWG files.
TT58036

Import and export

NC files
Assembly parts are now collected only once and the number of parts in NC files is correct.
TT65740

The IK block information in NC files is now shown correctly. Previously, if round holes were far
away from beam start points the inner contour dimensions were not shown properly.
TT75414

IFC export
IFC properties in Timestamp format are now displayed correctly in the Inquire object dialog
box. Previously, they were shown as 0.00.
TT63905
CIM export
In some cases, there was an application error when you tried to export a manufacturing model.
This has now been fixed.

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

14

TT75777
HMS export
The nibbed end (NE) of a slab was not exported if the slab had a cut in the end points. Now it is
exported correctly, including the depth.
TT74844

The extension .sot is now always added to the export file name if there is no extension in the
filename.
TT71325

Export EliPlan file (68)

NET weight is now exported correctly instead of GROSS weight.
TT74995
Export Unitechnik (79)
You can now define on the Reinforcement tab that loose reinforcements, being part of a mesh,
are exported as reinforcing bar type 8. The loose reinforcement is collected by its class. You can
define the class.
TT75025

You can now define on the Reinforcement tab that loose reinforcements, being part of a mesh,
are exported as reinforcing bar type 8. The loose reinforcement is collected by its class. You can
define the class.
TT75025

You can now set the Output file structure on the Main tab to 1 SLABDATE block with n parts.
Using this option all similar wall shells will be defined within the block SLABDATE, instead of
being defined in a separate block SLABDATE per wall shell.
TT72738

All slab parts are now taken into account when forming a contour in a cast unit. Previously,
with the 1 SLABDATE, n parts layer type export option, only the thickest slab part was taken into
account.
TT74387

The total element thickness and the production thickness (in mm) in the SLABDATE block are
now exported correctly as the total thickness of the exported cast unit.
TT74917

When exporting turned double walls, the second shell is now moved to the pallet top side.
TT74924

Previously, embeds in double wall panel were exported twice, in both layers. This has now been
fixed.
TT74947

The installation identifier set on the Embeds tab now functions for the embeds defined in
Opening embed classes.
TT74420

'Zero-Offset X-axis in mm' and 'Zero-Offset Y-axis in mm' in the SLABDATE block are now taken
into account.
TT74953

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

15

Steel connections
Column - 2 beams (14)
The beams are now cut correctly. Also, the limit value for the gap between the end plate and the
beams is now calculated correctly.
TT74719
Tube gusset (20)
The distance between the connection plate and the secondary part is now created correctly.
TT69422

You can now define the end plate properties separately for each end plate.
TT69426

You can now define the distance between the gusset plate and the connection plates on the
Brace conn tab.
TT69424

Tube crossing (22)

Chamfering the connection plate created a gap between the connection plate and the tongue
plate. This has now been fixed.

TT70546

Previously, a gap was created between the brace and the connection plate even if you defined
that a gap should not be created. This has now been fixed.
TT73639

Stanchion curved (84)

Previously, the part prefix defined on the Parts tab was shown as the assembly prefix in part
properties and the assembly prefix defined was not shown at all. This has now been fixed.
TT74976
Welded to top flange S (149)
In some cases, the secondary beam top flange was cut so that the cut could not be removed.
This has now been fixed.
TT75276
Joist to column, type 1 (161), Joist to column, type 3 (163), Joist to beam and column (164)
The bolt group dimension options on the Stabilizer Angle Bolts tab now match the bolt
dimensions created in the model.
TT61712

Steel modeling tools

Unfold surface (21)
When unfolding assemblies, the assembly main part is now always used as the source part of
unfolding.
TT71292

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

16

Cuts are now positioned correctly in unfolded plates. Previously, when using the One plate
option for the unfolded plate, the cuts were not positioned correctly.
TT71830

Line cuts are now created correctly in the unfolded parts.

TT71838

Tapered column 2 (S44)

The column is now rotated according to the actual work plane.
TT69634

You can now create the column on the web and flange edges on either side of the picked point.

TT74493
Tapered beam 2 (S45)
On the Picture tab, you can now define in percentages or degrees how much the beam is
sloped.
TT69930

Concrete components
Wall panel (64)
The Transverse Mesh tab name has been changed to Mesh. There is a new option for Mesh
creation direction on the tab. You can select to create Longitudinal or Transverse meshes. The
default is Longitudinal.

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

17

TT74414
Beam end reinforcement (79)
You can now control the position of bar 4 by defining the offset from the edge on the Bars tab.
The default is centered for single reinforcing bars and 100.00 mm for multiple reinforcing bars.
TT74837
Rectangular column reinforcement (83)
The range from where intermediate links are created is now correctly calculated from the inner
edge of stirrups.
TT67259

Tekla Structures 18.0 SR1 Release Notes

18