The Next Generation of Tekla

Tekla has been a big name in the steel industry for quite some time. In fact, Tekla’s structural engineering software dates back to the late 1960s. Decades and many milestones later, Tekla is still going strong. One of the more recent major milestones was in 2011 when Tekla Corporation was acquired by Trimble, an international technology company with headquarters in Silicon Valley. Just last year in 2016, Tekla rebranded as Trimble, and in March of this year, Trimble announced three new versions of its software for structural engineering, fabrication and construction teams: Tekla Structures 2017, Tekla Structural Designer 2017 and Tekla Tedds 2017.

“In these new Tekla versions, we focus on improving communication and modeling methods because these are directly tied to the productivity of core tasks within large workgroups and projects,” said Jari Heino, general manager of Trimble’s Structures Division. “The software provides a variety of completely new tools for users to expand their scope of work and collaborate with project stakeholders to ensure that the entire team is on the same page.”

Tekla Structures 2017

The new version of Trimble’s BIM software for general design touts next-generation methods and improved design communication. Users now have more control over direct modification, which means that an accurate structural model can be produced more quickly and easily. This enables projects to reach the downstream processes like detailing and drawing production sooner, which ultimately means a quicker route to the final construction phase. As for communication, Basepoint allows team members across trades to effectively communicate within the BIM workflow by providing accurate, up-to-date coordinates. There is also a new plug-in for live algorithmic modeling in conjunction with a graphical algorithm editor, Rhino/Grasshopper.

There are also additional improvements for use with concrete and precast concrete. Increased flexibility when creating and modifying reinforcements for different concrete shapes, along with the pour unit feature that helps manage all pour-specific information, will be welcome additions to concrete designers. The new release also aids in the information exchange between detailing and production of precast concrete fabrication with new data transfer links to production management.

The steel detailing phase has been improved with full support for direct modification of bent steel plates, which allows users to create simple bent gussets, folded profiles, spiral stringer plates, transitional duct sections, complex folded panels and more.

An accurate 3D model doesn’t ensure a successful project without the ability to create drawings of the parts and components that make up a project. The new version of Tekla Structure helps to ensure that design intent is communicated clearly by enabling more flexibility in the shaping of drawings, and a new 2D library eliminates repetitive work.

Tekla Structural Designer 2017

Tekla Structural Designer is Trimble’s analysis and design (A&D) software that allows designers to establish the best structural solution for the application at hand. The new version includes features that aid in foundation design, like making foundation design more efficient by automating the number of piles required, together with comprehensive calculations and material take-off within a single model. There are also new wind load processes that are meant to help designers speed the calculation of wind load on complex-shaped buildings.

Tekla Tedds 2017

Designed with the goal of improving engineering productivity and quality, Tekla Tedds automates repetitive structural and civil calculations, and aims to reduce the risk of errors. The 2017 release includes a large addition of new calculations and enhancements across various design codes. New steel column and base plate design is supported for both Eurocodes and U.S. codes. Microsoft Word can also be used to create project documentation, including calculations, sketches and notes.

Tekla Software by Trimble