Tekla Structures is a

building information modeling Building information modeling (BIM) is an approach involving the generation and management of digital representations of the physical and functional characteristics of buildings or other physical assets and facilities. BIM is supported by vario ...

software able to model structures that incorporate different kinds of building materials, including steel, concrete, timber and glass. Tekla allows structural drafters and engineers to design a building structure and its components using

3D modeling In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based Computer representation of surfaces, representation of a surface of an object (inanimate or living) in Three-dimensional space, three dimensions vi ...

, generate 2D drawings and access building information. Tekla Structures was formerly known as Xsteel (X as in

X Window System The X Window System (X11, or simply X) is a windowing system for bitmap displays, common on Unix-like operating systems. X originated as part of Project Athena at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1984. The X protocol has been at ...

, the foundation of the

Unix Unix (, ; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multi-user computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, a ...

GUI).

Features

Tekla Structures is used in the

construction industry Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the ...

for

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

and concrete detailing, precast and cast in-situ. The software enables users to create and manage 3D structural models in concrete or steel, and guides them through the process from concept to fabrication. The process of shop drawing creation is automated. It is available in different configurations and localized environments. Tekla Structures is known to support large models with multiple simultaneous users, but is regarded as relatively expensive, complex to learn and fully utilize. It competes in the BIM market with

AutoCAD AutoCAD is a 2D and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) software application developed by Autodesk. It was first released in December 1982 for the CP/M and IBM PC platforms as a desktop app running on microcomputers with internal graphics control ...

, Autodesk Revit, DProfiler and Digital Project, Lucas Bridge, PERICad and others. Tekla Structures is

Industry Foundation Classes The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) is a CAD data exchange data schema intended for description of architectural, building and construction industry data (ABCII). The IFC file format is based on ISO 10303-21 standard and definitions of ABCII are ...

(IFC) compliant. Modeling scopes within Tekla Structures includes Structural Steel, Cast-in-Place (CIP), Concrete, Reinforcing Bar, Miscellaneous Steel and Light Gauge Drywall Framing. The transition of Xsteel to Tekla Structures in 2004 added significant more functionality and interoperability. It is often used in conjunction with Autodesk Revit, where structural framing is designed in Tekla and exported to Revit using the DWG/ DXF formats.

Applications

Engineers have used Tekla Structures to model stadiums, offshore structures, pipe rack structures, plants, factories, residential buildings, bridges and skyscrapers. Tekla Structures was used in the construction design for various projects around the world, including: *Grandstand Replacement,

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, about north of Orlando, Florida, Orlando. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race ...

(USA) *Frontstretch Grandstands,

(USA) * Denver International Airport Expansion (USA) * San Jose Earthquakes Stadium (USA) * BB&T Ballpark (Charlotte, USA) *Spillway Replacement,

Manitoba Hydro The Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board (), operating as Manitoba Hydro, is the electric power and natural gas public utility, utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba ...

(USA)KGS Group Tekla North American BIM Award
KGS WebsiteManitoba projects win in North American BIM Awards
Construction Canada, September 5, 2012 * National Stadium Roof, Singapore Sports Hub (Singapore) *Red Bear Student Center, University of Saskatchewan (Canada) * Troja Bridge (Prague) *

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...

Supermarket (Sheringham, UK) *

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

Stadium (Australia) *Canopée des Halles, Forum des Halles (Paris, France) * Sutter Medical Center (California, USA) *Expansion, Chennai International Airport (India) * Dongdaemun Design Plaza (Seoul) *

Capital Gate Capital Gate, also known as the Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi, is a skyscraper in Abu Dhabi that is over tall, 35 stories high, with over of usable office space. Capital Gate is one of the tallest buildings in the city and was designed to incline 1 ...

(Abu Dhabi) *Midfield Terminal Complex, Abu Dhabi Airport (Abu Dhabi) * King Abdullah Financial District (Saudi Arabia) *King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Saudi Arabia) * National Museum of Qatar (Qatar) * Hilton Garden Inn (UAE) *Puuvilla Shopping Centre (Finland) *

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

(Atlanta, GA) * Optus Stadium (Perth, Australia) Tekla Structures was used extensively for the steel design of

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

. Files exported from Tekla facilitated faster steel fabrication. One of the architects, Jeff Schofield, stated that "it was the right time in history and we had the right technology to make this happen". The

Spillway Replacement was designed using Tekla Structures to "successfully model and co-ordinate its design", a project that won the TEKLA 2012 North American BIM Award for "Best Concrete Project". It was the "first hydroelectric project that has seen steel, concrete, and rebar fully detailed using Tekla Structures".

Stable version release - history dates

*Tekla Structures 16.0 - March 2010 *Tekla Structures 17.0 - February 2011 *Tekla Structures 18.0 - March 2012 *Tekla Structures 19.0 - March 2013 *Tekla Structures 20.0 - February 2014 *Tekla Structures 21.0 - March 2015 *Tekla Structures 2016 - March 2016 *Tekla Structures 2017 - March 2017 *Tekla Structures 2018 - March 2018 *Tekla Structures 2019 - March 2019 *Tekla Structures 2020 - March 2020 *Tekla Structures 2021 - March 2021 *Tekla Structures 2022 - March 2022 *Tekla Structures 2023 - March 2023 *Tekla Structures 2024 - March 2024 *Tekla Structures 2025 - March 2025

References

{{Building information modeling Computer-aided design software Building information modeling Construction software

Features

Applications

Stable version release - history dates

See also

References