Tekla Base Tools 15.0
Introduction
As an international company, we decided to develop this piece of software with regard to our customers that use Tekla Structures as their primary designing tool. This enables Tekla Structures users to utilize the planning tools of IMPACT Project and Production. By importing the model to IMPACT, time and effort is saved, and the software works for the user and not the opposite. In the newest version of Tekla base tools, we evolved our interface and added new setting features that allows a higher quality of communication between the two software packages.
In this wiki, the basic´s of the software is described, and definitions of all functions are given. A step by step example with images is described in the last section of the wiki. If you are an advanced user, please see the description of our newest features on the Settings and Status tabs.
Functions
Before we start with the description of the functions, it is very important to mention that IMPACT Tekla Base Tool works alongside Tekla Structures, which means that if Tekla is not open, it will give an error on the log (“No Tekla Structures is running”). Thus, have Tekla Structures open at all times, when using Tekla Base Tools. It is recommended to open your project in Tekla first and afterwards the IMPACT software that you need.
The figure above shows the interface of Tekla Base Tools. It can be seen that the software has a tool bar (on the upper left side) with 3 different functions (Tekla, Base Tool and IMPACT). It is easily understandable that each one of them manipulates the software that is named after.
Tekla
Get Selected | After selecting the elements designed in Tekla, the function imports them in TBT. You can select either the whole structure or just one element. An example is being given at the end of the document. Important: You have to select Level before you press the function so that the elements can be attached. |
Update Selected | If some changes have occured on Tekla after inserting the elements in Tekla Base Tools, it allows updating the selected elements that have been updated. |
Update all | It updates the whole model from Tekla, even if there are not any changes |
Reset | It clears all the elements that have imported in TBT and you can start another project. Important: If your elements have been imported to the IMPACT Project Manager, this function does not affect them, which means that any of the previous work is kept in your selected project Database. |
Base Tool
Convert to IMPACT | After inserting the elements and map them a definition (this part is explained on the mapping section), then by using this function, all selected items are converted to IMPACT definitions. |
Convert and put to IMPACT | This function converts the items to IMPACT definitions and at the same time import them to IMPACT Project Manager. |
Update selected from Tekla | If some changes have occurred on Tekla after inserting the elements in TBT, it allows to update the selected elements that have been changed. |
Update all from Tekla | It updates the whole model from Tekla, even if there are not any changes. |
Update all from IMPACT | It updates the whole model from Project Manager, even if there are not any changes. |
Remove Selected | Removes the selected items. |
Visibility |  |
Sorting |  |
IMPACT
Put to IMPACT | This function imports to IMPACT Project Manager all the selected elements. Important: Remember to convert all the elements to IMPACT before using this function. |
Update Selected | It updates the whole model from Project Manager, even if there are not any changes. |
Projects and Defaults
Standard | Select the Data Base of your company |
Project | Select the Project that you want to insert the Tekla Model. Important: Make a new Project before you open Tekla Base Tools and it will be updated in your data base. |
Prefix | You can define the element mark before you import the elements into IMPACT. |
Start index | If you want your elements have a specific starting number, this is where it can be defined. See the example for more information. |
Slabs' Definition | If your element is a slab (already defined into IMPACT database), select the definition from the database and convert into IMPACT. |
Assemblies' definition | If your element is an assembly (from Tekla), select the matching profile from your database and convert into IMPACT. |
Profile/Component Maps
If your element description does not apply to any of the previous categories, then there is the possibility to map them into the Project Manager by using the next two functions: Profile Maps and Component Maps.
Component Maps allows us to import the elements into IMPACT Project Manager as Linked elements or Prestressed linked elements.
Profile Maps allows us to import the elements into Project Manager as all the different categories that IMPACT can recognize, such as Beams, Prestressed beams, Columns, Prestressed Slab, Hollow Core, Wall, Insulated Wall, Sandwich Wall, Linked Element and Prestressed Linked Element.
In order to enter the definition of the selected element from Tekla Structures, you select the map definition and press Set on the bottom of the window. Do not forget to convert the selected element into IMPACT afterwards. For more details and pictures please see the example section.
Settings
The Settings tab has been updated from the previous Tekla Base Tools version and now has the possibility to transfer .pdf drawing files, as well as PXML reinforcement files.
Profile | You can either use the same profile attributes from Tekla or create new ones. |
Element Mark | This function allows you to either import element marks from Tekla Structures, generate automatically new or define your own (from the project and defaults tab). |
Planning Lock | Controls updating and converting elements that have already been planned in IMPACT. This means that if you decide to use a planning lock when you update, elements already planned in IMPACT will not be updated. (Choice between rough and fine planned locks) |
Transfer Drawings | All the pdf drawings created in Tekla structures, are being transferred to Impact Project Manager. Important: You can open the drawings of the elements into Project Manager only on Project Manager’s PDF Viewer. |
Transfer PXML | If there are reinforcement PXML files created into Tekla structures, now you can import them into IMPACT Project Manager. Important: You have to write the exact name of the folder that contains the PXML files that you need to import in PM (In the picture above the folder name is "PXML"). |
Status
The status tab is a new feature and it allows us to connect the status from Tekla Base Tools to the Tekla Status. If you do not want to set any statuses for the Project you can select the “Do not set status” function.
If you select the command “Always set status” As it is possible to match the statuses made in Tekla with all the Statuses that are available in the IMPACT Project Manager. Therefore, if an element is on the stage as” design checked” in Tekla, you can still import that status to Project Manager, by selecting the name accordingly.
Furthermore, you can click of the box and set the element “Ready for Production” and you can also map the drawing status.
An example of Drawing Statuses are illustrated in the following picture.
