Tekla is fully committed to delivering our software users new and improved functionality every year, no matter the economic situation. The new features in Tekla Structures 15 will let you model and detail more intuitively, enhance your drawings and other output, as well as improve project collaboration through improved interoperability and visualization.

Tekla Structures 15 has been developed to help you build an accurate illustrative 3D model faster and more easily. See for yourself and learn quickly by clicking through the Top New Features tutorial. To learn even more, continue to First Steps with Tekla Structures interactive tutorial

New 64-bit Tekla Structures

In addition to the traditional 32-bit version, Tekla Structures 15.0 is available also as a 64-bit version.

The 64-bit Tekla Structures enables you to create and handle considerably larger models than before. The improved capability is gained through memory processing, since the 64-bit Tekla Structures is able to utilize all the memory that is available in the hardware and the operating system.

Handle larger models with 64-bit Tekla - See Video!

Snapping Improvements

• You can now snap to extension lines and intermediate points. This reduces the number of clicks you need and speed up modeling.
• You can snap to any position when you are snapping in an orthogonal direction.
• Your snap settings are now kept when you save the model.
• You can now snap to the extension lines of other nearby objects. This can be useful, for example, when you want to align objects with one another.
• When snapping in orthogonal directions, the mouse pointer automatically snaps to positions at even distances in the given direction. This means that you no longer have to enter numeric coordinates when snapping to positions.
• Temporary reference points can now be used in combination with orthogonal snapping.
  This makes the creation of temporary reference points much easier than before. You can
  create as many reference points as needed.

New Snapping Features - See Video!

New Mini Toolbar - See Video!

New Mini Toolbar

With the new Mini Toolbar, you can quickly modify the most common properties of model objects.

The Mini Toolbar appears next to the mouse pointer when you select an object and fades out when you move the mouse further away or change the selection. You can change the position of the toolbar by dragging it and locking it to a new position with the lock button in the top right corner.

The toolbar contains property fields and commands, including a new tool for copying properties between objects. All properties are copied, not only the ones shown in the toolbar. If you select multiple objects, the toolbar shows the conflicting values in gray. If you select different object types at once, only the relevant properties are shown.

Displaying dimensions for objects

In Tekla Structures 15.0 dimensions and dimension lines are displayed when you create a new model object and pick the start point and the intermediate or reference points for the object.

Dimensions are displayed differently for the dimensions between the picked points and for the dimensions between intermediate or reference points. Dimensions stay visible when you zoom the model, or when you move a part using handles.

The dimension displaying makes it easier to create objects of desired lenght and to check their dimensions.

Displaying dimensions - See Video!

Filter Referance Model Objects

In Tekla Structures 15.0 you can quickly split reference models into reference model objects. This makes using reference models faster and easier than before.

After you have split the reference model into reference model objects, you can use the ID number and attributes of the reference model objects for example in filtering and reports.

Filter Referance Model Objects - See Video!

Show Only Selected

Show Only Selected command is a way to highlight the slected parts in a model by making the rest of the model transparent or hidden. By default the model is set to transparent. To hide it completely, hold down the Shift key while selecting Show Only Selected.

This feature is particularly useful when you need to locate a clashin a big model, or when you only want to show a certain phase.

Note the shortcut for the command: Ctrl + 5

Show Only Selected - See Video!

Modify Web Viewer Tooltips

Enable better cominication between the project participants by modifying the tooltip info box for Web Viewer models. You can do this by creating a report in the Template Editor.

Save the report into
\environments\<your environment>\template\tooltips folder.

Modify Web Viewer Tooltips - See Video!

New Master Drawing Catalog

Master Drawing Catalog is a fast, efficient and more controlled
way of creating drawings. In Master Drawing Catalog, all drawing creation commands are available in one centralized location.

Master drawing is a Tekla Structures drawing or set of drawing properties that is used for creating new drawings that look the same as the master drawing. There are several types of master drawings:

• Cloning templates are Tekla Structures drawings that you have added in Master Drawing Catalog from Drawing List. You can also use cloning templates from other odels.
• Saved settings are saved sets of drawing properties. These are the drawing property files that you have saved in the drawing properties dialog boxes.
• Sets of rules on how to create new drawings for different object types. These rule sets are combinations of selection filters and settings that define which parts to include in the
  drawing,and which drawing properties to use. You can use the existing AutoDrawings wizard files or create your own rule sets.

Master Drawing - See Video!

New Cover-Up Tools

Tekla Structures 15.0 introduces two new tools for quickly hiding model object outlines in drawings: Draw Cover-up Area and Draw Cover-up Line . These commands are available in the Shapes menu, and you can also add them on your toolbar using the Customize dialog box.

You can drag the created cover-up objects to another location and resize them by dragging the handles.

Improvements in Leader Lines

Most of the drawing objects (texts, symbols, associative notes, many marks) now have improved leaderlines. When you create an object with a leader line, it looks the same as before.

Now you can modify the shape of the line by first dragging from the middle point of the line, and then dragging further from the created anchor points and new middle points.

Cover-up Tools- See Video!

Improvements in Chamfering Part Edges

Edge chamfers are new kind of object that cut the corners of a part. They can be used to show weld preparations or to model edge chamfers for concrete parts.

Now the edge chamfers also remove material. Use the part representation options and Edge chamgers on/off option to define how edge chamfers are displayed in the drawing.

You can now define the line type for edge chamfers in the new Drawing objects section. Use this to show the part exactly as it looks in reality.

It is now easier to add associative notes to edge chamfers: just point the origin for the leader line and location for the note.

Edge chamfers - See Video!

Add Images to Drawing Templates - See Video!

Inserting an Image into a drawing template

Now you can add graphics in your drawings by inserting them in graphical templates (.tpl) using Template Editor. The inserted graphics are shown in your drawings in the Drawing Editor, and they are also displayed in the printed drawings and exported DWG files. This makes adding company logos is a lot easier than before, and you won't need special fonts anymore.

Tekla Structures supports the following image formats in graphical templates: ..bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, .tif, .tiff, and .png.

New Symbols for Opening and Recesses

Now you have more variety in the usage of symbols in drawing part openings and recesses.

Three new advanced options have been added for this purpose in Tools > Options > Advanced Options > Drawing Properties:

• Use XS_USE_CROSS_FOR_OPENING_SYMBOL to select how the openings/recesses are shown and the symbols to be used.
• Use XS_USE_OPENING_SYMBOL_IN_BORDER_HOLES to select whether to use the opening/recess symbol in openings located at part borders.
• Use XS_USE_OPENING_SYMBOL_IN_CORNER_HOLES to select whether to use the opening/recess symbol in openings located in part corners.

New Symbols for Opening and Recesses - See Video!