Use filtering when you want to perform an operation on several objects or properties at the same time. Filters are particularly useful for complicated models that contain a large number of objects.
You can create two types of filters: view filters and selection filters. Tekla Structures contains several standard filters you can use.
Example Create a selection filter for a rule set in the Master Drawing Catalog to automatically create drawings of desired objects. For example, if you only want to produce drawings of the beams in the model, use a selection filter to select the beams.
This section is for advanced users.
Filtering objects using a view filter
View filters define which objects are displayed in a view, based on object properties. The work area, view depth, view setup, and object representation settings also affect the visibility of objects.
To filter objects using a view filter:
1. Double-click the view to open the View Properties dialog box.
2. Select a filter from the Visible object group list box.
3. Click Modify.
Only objects allowed by the filter are displayed.
Filtering objects using a selection filter
Selection filters help you select objects in a model. To use selection filters on an object, the object must be visible in the relevant view. The selection switches also affect which objects you can select.
To filter objects using a selection filter:
1. Select a filter from the Available selection filters list box:
2. Select all or part of the objects in the model.
Only objects allowed by the filter can be selected.
Creating a view filter
To create a view filter:
1. Double-click the view to open the View Properties dialog box.
2. Click Object group... to open the Object Group - View Filter dialog box.
3. Modify the filter settings.
a Click Add row.
b Select options from the Category, Property, and Condition list boxes.
c In the Value list box, type a value or select one from the model.
d Add more rows, and use the And/Or options or parentheses to create more complex rules.
4. Select the check boxes next to all filter rows that you want to enable.
The check boxes define which rows of the filter are enabled and effective.
5. Type a unique name in the field next to the Save as button.
To have the filter appear at the top of the list, right after the standard filter, use capital letters in the filter name.
Creating a selection filter
To create a selection filter:
1. Click Edit > Selection Filter... to open the Object Group - Selection Filter dialog box.
2. Modify the filter settings.
a Click Add row.
b Select options from the Category, Property, and Condition list boxes.
c In the Value list box, type a value or select one from the model.
d Add more rows, and use the And/Or options or parentheses to create more complex rules.
3. Select the check boxes next to all filter rows that you want to enable.
The check boxes define which rows of the filter are enabled and effective.
4. Type a unique name in the field next to the Save as button.
5. Click Save as to save the filter.
Filtering examples
This section gives some examples of filters that you can create.
The same filtering techniques can be used for both view and selection filters. You can use wildcards to shorten filter strings.
See also Wildcards (p. 176)
Filtering beams and columns
Before you start, create an empty view or selection filter.
To filter beams and columns:
1. Click Add row twice to add two new rows.
2. Fill in the part names, BEAM and COLUMN.
3. Select the Or option. The filter is now looking for an object that has the Name BEAM or COLUMN.
4. Enter a unique name in the field next to the Save as button.
5. Click Save as.
Filtering parts in specific phases
Before you start, create an empty view or selection filter.
To have the filter appear at the top of the list, right after the standard filter, use capital letters in the filter name.
1. Click Add row.
2. Fill in the part phases, 1 and 2. Separate the strings with a blank space.
3. Enter a unique name in the field next to the Save as button.
4. Click Save as.
Filtering out parts that have a certain profile
If you only want to select certain parts, create a complement filter to filter out the remaining parts.
Before you start, create an empty view or selection filter.
To filter out parts that have the profile BL200*20:
1. Click Add row.
2. Fill in the profile, BL200*20.
3. Select Does not equal from the Condition list box.
4. Enter a unique name in the field next to the Save as button.
5. Click Save as.
Filtering out reference models
Before you start, create an empty view filter.
To hide certain reference models using a view filter:
1. Click Add row.
2. In the Category list box, select Reference object. 3. In the Property list box, select Id number. 4. In the Condition list box, select Does not equal.
5. In the Value list box, enter the ID numbers of the reference models you want to hide.
To hide several reference models, separate their IDs with spaces.
6. Enter a unique name in the field next to the Save as button.
7. Click Save as.
Wildcards
You can use wildcards to shorten filter strings. A wildcard is a symbol that stands for one or more characters. Tekla Structures uses the following wildcards:
Possible values in filtering
You can create filters that contain several properties. You can also have multiple filtering values for each property.
If you use multiple values, separate the strings with blank spaces (for example, 12 5). If a value consists of multiple strings, enclose the entire value in quotation marks (for example,
"custom panel").
By using conditions, parentheses, and the And/Or option you can create filters that can be as complex as needed.
Empty values are matched to empty properties in filtering.
Template attributes in filtering
Wildcard Description Example
* (asterisk) Matches any number or characters
HE* matches all parts with a profile name that begins with the characters "HE".
You can also this symbol at the beginning of a word:
*BRAC*.
? (question mark) Matches a single character
HE?400 matches parts with profile names such as HEA400, HEB400, and HEC400
[ ] (square brackets) Matches whatever is enclosed in the brackets
L[78]X4X1/2 matches parts with the profile names L7X4X1/2 and L8X4X1/2
The characters * and ? can also be used in object names. If the object name you want to filter contains * or ?, enclose * or ? in square brackets.
For example, to find the profile P100*10, enter P100[*]10 in the filter field.
When you create rules between objects that represent different categories, use the And option when possible to avoid potential problems with more complex rules.
This section is for advanced users.
You can select objects according to template attributes. To do this, select Template from the Category list box, and then select the desired template attribute from the Property list box.
Use the following units when filtering template attributes, even when using the US Imperial environment:
If the category you have selected is Assembly, the property you have selected is Assembly type, and you select the option Select from model... in the Value list box, Tekla Structures returns the value as a number. The number indicates the type of assembly in question.
The following table lists the numbers and the corresponding assembly types:
Bolts and welds in filtering
Tekla Structures follows these principles when filtering bolts or welds:
•
If the category you have selected is Bolt or Weld, Tekla Structures uses the phase number of the actual bolt or weld in filtering.•
If the category you have selected is Assembly or Object, Tekla Structures also uses the phase number of the secondary part for filtering bolts and welds.•
If the bolt or weld is connected only to one part, Tekla Structures uses the phase of that part in filtering.Copying a filter to another model
To copy a filter to another model:
1. Select the filter you want to copy.
To check which unit Tekla Structures uses for a particular template attribute, use the Select from model... option in the Value list box.
Value Assembly type
The filters you have created are located in the model’s attributes folder. View filters have the file name extension *.VObjGrp, and selection filters have the file name extension *.SObjGrp.
2. Select where you want to copy the filter.
•
To make the filter available in another model, copy the file to the attributes folder of the destination model.•
To make the filter available in all models, copy the file to the system folder.3. Restart Tekla Structures.
Deleting a filter
To delete a filter:
1. Delete the filter file located in the model’s attributes folder.
View filters have the file name extension *.VObjGrp, and selection filters have the file name extension *.SObjGrp.
2. Restart Tekla Structures.