First, we will create four columns on gridline 1 and add floor beams and a sloping beam, or rafter, between them.
After that we will create the construction points needed to create floor joists and roof purlins.
We will copy the completed portal frame and points.
Utilizing a sloping work plane and view planes, we will model roof purlins.
Finally, we will create horizontal eaves bracing on gridlines C and F.
Steel column s
Create external columns
We will first create twoW30X108 columns on gridline 1 atC/1 andF/1.
2. Click on theSelect button to open theSelect Profile dialog box.
3. Select theW30X108from the profile tree and clickOK.
If you double click on a profile in the Select Profile dialog box, it will apply that profile to the column properties and close the Select Profile dialog box.
You can select the profile for a part from theSelect profil e dialog box that opens next to theProfile field in the part properties dialog box.
You can also type a profile name in theProfile field in the part properties dialog box.
4. On thePosition tab change the bottom elevation to-1’-7”1/2 and the top elevation to 66’-3”.
User-defined attributes provide extra information about a part. Attributes can consist of numbers, text, or lists. Some examples are: Comment, camber, existing, On Hold, RFI information, Preliminary Marks, and bought out items.
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properties › User-defined attributes
Note that the bottom of the column is 1’-7-1/2" below zero (0"). This takes into account for the grout that will be added later (1-1/2") as we want the end point of the column to be at the underside of the base plate when we apply the base plate component.
5. Click App ly .
6. Pick grid intersectionC/1 to create the first column.
7. On theParameters tab, change the top elevation to59’-8.
8. Click App ly.
9. Pick the grid intersectionF/1 to create the second column.
Create floor support columns
We will now create twoW18X97 columns to support the floor steel at gridsD/1 andE/1. The Create Column command should still be active, but if not, simply single-click on theCreate Column button to reactivate it.
1. Set the profile and top elevation properties as shown below.
Attrib utes tab:
Position tab:
2. ClickOK to apply the properties and close theColumn Properties dialog box.
3. Pick the grid intersections atD/1 andE/1 to create the columns.
4. Right-click and selectInterrupt to end the command.
The visibility of objects in views depends on the work area, view depth, view setup, and view filter. You can also temporarily hide parts in a view by using theHide tool (on the pop-up menu).
In the pictures hereafter, all the model objects created may not always be visible.
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and hiding objects
Floor beams
Create floor beams
Next, we will create the floor beams on column line 1. These beams will be adjusted down 2-1/2” to allow for joist bearing.
Always model beams in a 2D plane view to ensure that the handles get created at the correct elevation. The handles of the beam (yellow and magenta squares) will be located in the view plane that was used to model in the beam. The beam properties will then locate the actual beam profile in relation to these handles (reference line) and the workplane.
1. Open theBLDG 2 PLAN AT EL. 23’-6” view.
2. Press the"Ctrl+4" hotkey to change the object representation toRendered.
In rendered views, use the shortcuts Ctrl+1...5 and Shift+1...5 to set the desired representation for parts in the model or components which we will create later.
3. Double-click on theCreate beam icon to open the Beam Properties dialog box and activate the command.
4. EnterW24X76 for the beam profile.
These beams need to be lowered for joist bearing. They can either be moved into position after they are modeled in, or the position tab values can be modified.
5. On thePosition tab, change thePosition / At depth to:Behind with2"1/2 offset and clickOKto apply the properties and close the dialog box.
Changing theOn plane or At d epth positions on thePosition tab adjusts the location of the steel in relation to the handles and the workplane.
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› Creating and modifying parts › Modifying the position of a part
› Creating and modifying parts › Modifying the position of a part
It really makes very little difference whether you locate beams using offsets or by simply moving them into position. Sometimes there may be speed
advantages to be gained by modeling one way rather than another.
6. Turn on theSnap to lines and edges snap switch.
7. Hover over grid line 1 between grid lines C and D as shown below, and notice how the line illuminates with an arrow to show where the beam will be created and also the
8. Click to create the beam automatically and see that it appears at the correct level in the 3D view simultaneously.
Note that it is very important to input beams from left to right and bottom to top. Tekla Structures will consider the first end input in the model as the left end on the drawings. This will make the marked end of the beams on the erection plans be the left and bottom to match US standards.
9. Continue creating the beams along grid line 1.
10. Right-click and selectInterrupt to end the command.
11. Turn off the Snap to li nes and edges snap switch.
Roof Beam
Now we will create aW30X99 beam at the roof between the two outside columns that we created.
Create beam
1. Open theBLDG 2 EL EVATION ON GRID 1view. 2. Double-click on theCreate beam icon.
3. Load theBeam properties – we do this to clear out the changes we made on the position tab for the floor beams.
4. EnterW30X99 for the beam profile and clickOKto apply the properties and close the dialog box.
5. In theBLDG 2 EL EVATION ON GRID 1 view pick gridCat66’-3”and then gridFat 59’-8”.
Work points for floor joists and roof purlins
After inputting the steel along 1 line, we will layout points for modeling the floor infill joists and the roof purlins. These points can be placed in either a plan view at the steel elevation or an elevation view along this column line. We will use theBLDG 2 EL EVATION ON GRID 1 view.
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Equal spaced work points fo r floor beams First, the floor joist spacing.
1. Double-click on the Ad d po in ts o n li neicon.
2. Type4and click Ap ply.
3. At the 23’-6 elevation, select the grid intersection ofC/1, thenD/1 to create five equal spaces (4 points).
4. Repeat at the bay between grid intersectionsE/1 andF/1.
5. Back in theDivided Line Points dialog box, change the number of points to5 and click OKto apply the properties and close the dialog box.
6. Pick the grid intersectionsD/1, thenE/1 to create 6 equal spaces (5 points) in that bay.
7. Right-click > Interrupt .
These points could have been modeled in either the plan view or the elevation view. When a point is in the same plane as your view, they appear yellow.
When they are out of the current view plane, they are red.
We can now use the grid intersections C and 66’-3” and F and 59’-8” to create the work points for the first and last roof purlins. To make sure the points are in the correct position,
we will work in the BLDG 2 ELEVATION ON GRID 1 view.
Because the points need to follow the sloping beam, they cannot be entered in a plan view – since the current plan views have flat planes, the points would also
come in at a constant elevation.
First a nd last joist wor k points
1. Double-click on the Ad d po in t alo ng ext ensi on o f two p ic ked po in ts icon.
2. Type-2-0” and clickOKto apply the properties and close the dialog box.
Create extension point adds or subtracts a point along a line that you specify by clicking two points in the model. The points that are clicked by you in the
model define the direction vector; the value you enter defines the distance from the second selected point. A positive or negative value defines the direction along the defined vector. A positive value means the extension point to be added will further away from the first point clicked, negative means back towards the first point clicked.
3. Pick grid intersectionC and66’-3” and thenFand59’-8”. 4. Repeat, picking the points in the reverse order.
5. Click on theMeasure Distanc e (F) icon and click on the top of column atC/1 then the work point to check that the point was created at the correct location. Place the temporary dimension by clicking a final time in space above the beam.
Divide the working poi nts in 12 segme nts
Using the Ad d po ints on li ne command, divide the space between the two work points that you just created into twelve equal spaces (11 points).
1. Double-click to open theDivide d li ne points dialog box.
2. Type11and clickOKto apply the properties and close the dialog box. 3. Select the two work points created previously.
4. Right-click > Interrupt .
Crane Beam Suppo rt Stubs
Next we will add crane girders to the framing.
Create Stubs
1. Double-click on theCreate beam icon.
2. Load theBEAM properties.
3. EnterW18X40 for the profile size and clickOK to a pply the properties and close the dialog box.
4. In theBLDG 2 EL EVATION ON GRID 1 view, pick the grid intersectionC and50’-10”. 5. Move the cursor to snap in the y direction (activate theSnap to neare st points option).
6. When the autosnap feature reaches3’-0”, click to create the beam.
When using the autosnap feature, the accuracy of the displayed dimensions is based on how far you are zoomed in the view. The further in you zoom, the
more accurate the dimensions will get.
Practice the use of Polar Tracking in order to fully maximize your modeling speed. Remember relative and absolute snaps can also help you to locate items or points in your model.
Copy to other column
Now we will copy the crane support to the column on F line by using theCopy Special >
Mirror command.
To make it easier to mirror parts, the work plane can be changed to match the 2d view we are working in.
1. In theBLDG 2 EL EVATION ON GRID 1 view, click on theSet wor k plane parallel to view plane icon, and then click in view background.
The coordinate icon will change to show the X-Y directions in this view.
2. Select the crane beam andright-cli ck > Copy Special > Mirror.
3. This opens theCopy - mirror dialog box.
4. In the view, pick two points on the grid at two different elevations between grid lines D and E to define the mirror line. TheX0, Y0 and Ang le fields automatically change based on these 2 points.
5. ClickCopy, thenOK. 6. Right-click > Interrupt . Set the work plane back to Buildi ng
Now we can set the work plane back to the skewed, flat plane so we can continue modeling.
1. Open theBLDG 2 PLAN AT EL. 0’-0 view.
2. SelectView > Set Work plane > Parallel to View Plane 3. Click in the background of the view.
The work plane is now set square to the skewed building.
Copy the column l ine 1 fram e and th e points
We will now copy the columns, the rafter and the points to gridlines 2 through 7.
Copy the members
1. Select the columns, the rafter, the beams, and the points by dragging a box from the lower right to the upper left around the parts.
2. Right-click and selectCopy special > Linear .
3. Pick two points to show the translation vector (19’-8” in x direction).
4. Type the number of copies (6).
5. ClickCopy.
6. Right-click > Interrupt to cancel the command andOK to close the dialog box.
Model Floor Steel
The next step is to model the rest of the floor steel at the 23’-6 level in the first bay.
Set pro perties for the flo or beams 1. Double-click on theCreate beam icon.
2. Load theBeam properties.
It is a good idea to Load the proper settings after modeling a member of different properties so that all settings for numbering, material and position are all reset.
3. EnterW24X76 for the beam profile and click App ly.
4. In theBLDG 2 PLAN A T EL. 23’-6” view, place the beams along column lineC through F, between grids1 and2, working from left to right at each location.
Next, we will model the infill joists in each bay.
5. In the beam properties dialog box, load theJoist properties.
6. Enter18K for the joist profile and click Ap ply.
Joists in Tekla Structures are for representation only; they are not intended for fabrication. While this is possible in Tekla Structures, the process is not covered in the Steel Basic course.
You can also model joists so that there are higher than the supporting beam by entering -2”1/2 in the Position > At Depth field. This is helpful when modeling in roof joists and only the top of rafter elevations are known.
7. Pick the joist work point near grid intersection C1 at the commandPickfirst position . 8. At the command: Pick second point, pick the work point near grid intersection C2.
Notice that as you drag the icon to the second point of the beam, a dimension displays to indicate the part’s current length. The same dimension will appear again if you click and highlight a part in the model.
9. Right-click > Interrupt
10. Highlight the joist and Right-clic k > Copy.
11. Pick the endpoint of the joist, then the next work point to set the new copied location.
12. Repeat up to column line F, selecting all of the work points that we created earlier.
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Copying an object
Set Sloping Work Pla ne for Roof Purlins
The next step is to model the Z-Purlins on the sloped roof. To place the parts in the correct plane we will first change the work plane (which currently is flat) to the roof slope.
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Shifting the work plane
Set work pl ane to the roof slo pe To set the work plane to the roof slope:
1. Open the 3d view.
2. Pick theSet Work usi ng three points icon, or go toView > Set Work Plane > Using Three Points
3. Pick the top of the column at gridC/1as thesrcin .
4. Pick the top of the column at gridC/2to define thepositive x direction . 5. Pick the top of the column at gridF/1to define thepositive y direction .
The work plane is now positioned to the top plane of the rafter.
It is a good idea to use the top of columns since their elevations are set in the column properties whereas the end of the roof beam was picked manually. To snap to the top of a column, just hover the cursor near the edge of the column shaft, and the endpoint that becomes visible is the top of the column.
TheSet work plane to pa rt to p plane command sets the work plane parallel to the part plane (front, top, back, or bottom) on the center line of the part.
Without adjustedwork planework plane With adjusted work planework plane
True plan view
We will now make a true plan view of the roof manually by creating a view on the sloped work plane. We can also use this true plan view in drawings.
Working in a true plan view makes it easier to model sloped objects since the grids are also shown in the true plan.
The part positioning, copying, etc, however, always comply with the work plane coordinate system no matter in which view you perform the commands.
Create true pl an view
1. PickView > View Properties…
2. LoadthePlan View pre-defined settings and complete the properties as shown below, then clickOKto apply the properties and close the dialog box.
Home › Instructions › Modeling Guide › Setting up the workspace › Views Home › Instructions › Modeling Guide › Setting up the workspace › Views 3. SelectView > Create View of Mod el > On Work Plane.
The new view is created. The grid is also shown in the true plan view plane. Notice that because you are now looking directly at the sloping roof, your columns may look a little odd because they are effectively skewed in this view.
Other “Create View” commands allow us to double click on the icon to open up the properties dialog box and activate the command at the same time. This is not possible when creating a view from the work plane. You have to apply the view properties before activating the “Create View” command.
You can also turn on the grid in the work plane in your 3D view by selecting
‘work plane’ on your Snapping toolbar. This grid displays as a dark red color.
Create Roof Purlins
We will now create the roof purlins by using theCreate beam tool.
Create Purlins
1. Double-click on theCreate beam icon.
2. Load thePurlin_Z properties.
3. Select a1000Z300-71 profile from theCanam Z Sectio ns for the purlins.
4. ClickOKto apply the properties and close the dialog box.
5. Pick the work point near grid intersection C/1 at the commandPickfirst position . 6. At the command:Pick second point , pick the work point near grid intersection C/2.
7. Right-clic k > Interrupt.
8. Open theBLDG 2 EL EVATION ON GRID 1 view and notice that the purlin is not oriented correctly – the bottom leg should be facing down the slope.
The direction of the bottom flange of the purlin is determined by the direction in which the purlin was modeled. We cannot change this orientation in the Beam Properties dialog box.
There is a tool in Tekla that allows us to switch the locations of the yellow and magenta handles so that we don’t have to remodel the purlin.
9. Select the purlin and go toTools > Macros, then select theGlobal radio button at the
9. Select the purlin and go toTools > Macros, then select theGlobal radio button at the