Recently, Trimble introduced Tekla® Structures 21, the latest version of its building information modeling (BIM) software for the engineering and construction markets.
According to company materials, with advancements in interoperability, drawing control, usability and performance, Tekla Structures 21 improves industrial and commercial construction project workflows across construction disciplines. The new version delivers benefits to structural steel and precast concrete designers, detailers and fabricators, concrete contractors and general contractors, and enhanced collaboration with Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) design engineers, architects and others.
AECCafe Voice spoke with Mark Allphin, P.E., business manager for Steel at Tekla, Inc., a Trimble Company, about the new version and what it means for engineering and construction professionals.
AECCafe Voice: Would you say Tekla Structures 21 is a more complex BIM like Revit or one that more stakeholders, other than those actually creating and adding to the model, can take advantage of? It looks like it allows more freeflow of information with stakeholders.
Mark Allphin: Tekla Structures is both of these. It is a fully functional BIM software platform with a construction level detail capacity unmatched anywhere in the AEC software industry. Tekla Structures also offers various configurations that fit varying levels of user requirements. For instance, there are configurations for adding/modeling the full level of detail required for fabrication and construction. And, there are configurations for simply viewing and adding additional information to model objects already created. This allows project stakeholders to use the detailed model to track and manage project status and tasks, and communicate those with the rest of the project team.
AECCafe Voice:What are the most profound additions in this release?
MA: There are two new online services released with Tekla Structures 21: Tekla Model Sharing and Tekla Warehouse.
Tekla Model Sharing is a fast, secure way to share information and collaborate.A new service from Tekla, it allows project team members to work on the same Tekla Structures model from any location or time zone for faster and more flexible project delivery. Tekla Model Sharing works for all sizes of projects, both online and offline. The model data is stored safely and transferred encrypted, according to the highest security protocols.
Tekla Warehouse is a new free online BIM library of Tekla Structures add-ons, libraries and templates to help users achieve more efficient workflows and higher quality projects. The warehouse includes applications, custom components, parts, profiles and materials such as steel and concrete grades, rebar, mesh, shapes and templates for Tekla Structures. Manufacturers can upload their products and tools to the Tekla Warehouse, allowing Tekla Structures users to build models with the highest accuracy and exact material information for planning and procurement. All content is easy to find, import, install and share internally and globally.
Also, there are numerous modeling and drawing enhancements, a few of which are as follows…
Simpler, More Efficient Modeling — Tekla Structures 21’s new “what you see is what you get” direct modification makes modeling more intuitive and user friendly. Drawing construction lines, circles and points and placing custom parts is straightforward, and editing the position is easy and immediate. The Tekla Structures Organizer tool allows users to use the accurate, object-based material data in the model for quantity take-offs, while automation eliminates tedious manual counting or post processing. Improvements in the precast concrete floor layout make it easier to create and detail precast slabs. With mesh bars, reinforcement modeling is also easier, more efficient and reliable.
Drawing Control and Automation – Tekla Structures 21 provides greater control over drawings by simplifying the processes of navigating, printing
And viewing drawing properties. Tekla users also can now give customized company-specific dimensions to their own standard parts, such
as bolts and embeds. Tekla’s view level control of dimensioning automates working with assemblies like handrails, cast units and
sandwich walls. Welds and weld marks in drawings support customization and weld paths can be shown in single-part drawings.
Better Concrete Pours — Tekla Structures 21 makes modeling cast-in-place concrete and modifying pour breaks easier and more reliable. Because concrete pour information is now automatically inherited after a pour break, no vital information will be lost.
AECCafe Voice: How has integration improved between this release and Revit?
MA: Our integration with Revit has been augmented in two ways with this release. Our link with Revit has been updated to provide deeper data transfer, enabling more information to be referenced and even accessed on drawings. Also, we have enhanced our IFC Change Management functionality allowing more control in the detection, management and accommodation of changes between subsequent IFC files exchanged with other project participants. This works very well in a Revit-to-Tekla and vice versa workflow where model coordination is the focus.
AECCafe Voice: Does the product integrate with the BIM software of other companies such as Bentley BIM?
MA: Absolutely. Tekla is a primary supporter of the Open BIM initiative and Building Smart, which means we are dedicated to comprehensive IFC model exchangebetween software platforms. However, we also offer integration with software such as Bentley’s ISM technology, Autodesk’s Revit platform, and Trimble SketchUp Pro via direct integration links. In addition, Tekla is a Trimble Connected product enabling data flow within the complete suite of Trimble Buildings software applications.
AECCafe Voice: Can you describe a common workflow for the use of this product?
MA: In all seriousness, this could be a near endless answer because of all the various workflows that are in use today. However, the most common workflow would be similar to the following: A Structural Engineer first uses Tekla Structures to create a conceptual design model, either from scratch or from a ‘seed’ model provided by an architect using Revit or Archicad. The Engineer can also link with various structural analysis & design software, including the recently released Tekla Structural Designer, to refine the model for the design loads. The model can then be passed to various trade detailers and sub-contractors, such as steel and rebar detailers, so that they can add the appropriate level of detail necessary for fabrication. This includes the production of shop drawings and CNC data that will drive automated machinery in the shop. This detailed, construction-level model can then be passed to the general contractor, sub-contractors and other project participants for use in further coordination, execution and tracking of the project including reporting and model colorization for project status of individual assemblies/pours. And, now with the release of Model Sharing for Tekla Structures 21, this can all be hosted in a cloud environment for access by all parties. Tekla Structures provides a complete model solution for cradle-to-grave design, fabrication and construction of the building structure.
AECCafe Voice: Is there a way for users to focus on one specific area of interest of the building model without having to access the entire building model? Please describe.
MA: Yes, there are tools within Tekla Structures for categorizing and ‘partitioning’ the project based on area, level, material, etc. so that a user may quickly isolate only the portions of the model that they need at that time. This is achieved with the Organizer tool which is automated and has also been enhanced in v21.
David Burczyk, Segment Manager Field Solutions at Trimble, spoke with AECCafeVoice about the the company’s Rapid Positioning System, that includes Trimble RPT600 Layout Station, for layout of points and to capture them as-built measurements, and Trimble Field Link 2D software that runs on a performance tablet to control the layout station.
Looking back on 2014, there were a number of important developments that rocked the AEC world. Here are our takes on what were the most telling announcements of the year:
John Bacus, director of SketchUp product management at Trimble, discussed with AECCafe Voice the new SketchUp 2015.
SketchUp Pro 2015’s Rotated Rectangle Tool draws rectangles that don’t have to be perpendicular or parallel to a default axis.
1. Do you see the IFC import as the most important addition to the new release, SketchUp 2015? And if so why?
IFC import has certainly captured the attention of many of our users in the construction industry, but SketchUp 2015 contains quite a few other important features as well. I like to think of SketchUp releases as offering a balance of new features, general improvements and core performance tuning. That said, with the addition of an IFC importer, SketchUp is now capable of participating in open building design and construction processes in some important new ways.
The IFC importer plays a key supporting role in a comprehensive new working style that we’ve been building into SketchUp for the last three releases— what I’ve been generally referring to as “information modeling.” The idea is that users should be able to work as quickly and efficiently with attributes and other non-graphical metadata on their models as they can with the model’s raw geometry. We want to extend the fast and loose sketching qualities of SketchUp beyond the ‘look’ of things and into their functional semantics.
Importing an MEP reference model in SketchUp Pro using Trimble Connect
Earlier this week, Trimble and Frank Gehry announced that they have entered into a strategic alliance to collaborate by further connecting the office to on-site construction technologies. The terms of the strategic alliance are that Trimble has acquired Gehry Technologies, the software and consulting services arm of the company that has powered Frank Gehry’s visionary designs while tracking client’s cost and schedule requirements. To make things clear for this audience, Gehry Partners is the architectural firm of Frank Gehry. Gehry Technologies, is the international leader in technology-driven project delivery founded in 2002 by Frank Gehry, that provides BIM, 3D project collaboration and project delivery around the world.
Trimble announced this week at a media briefing that it has acquired privately-held Manhattan Software, a real estate and facility management software leader, headquartered in London. The acquisition is not replacing any technology but it does extends Trimble Buildings’ portfolio of design-build-operate (DBO) solutions by providing building owners, facilities and real estate managers with integrated, end-to-end property, asset and facilities management systems.
Manhattan Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS) provides an enterprise solution for planning and managing any organization’s real estate portfolio of buildings and assets. The deep functionality of the Manhattan IWMS is designed for the entire facility lifecycle to maximize resource utilization while reducing the total cost of occupancy (TCO).
Marcel Broekmaat, market manager, Project Controls at Trimble Buildings, talked about Trimble’s Vico Office R5 that offers integrated BIM workflow for construction management.
Duane Gleason, product manager, Vico Office at Trimble Building, and Marcel Broekmaat, market manager at Vico Office at Trimble Building, spoke recently about the release of Trimble Document Controller Standard, a standalone 2D/3D application designed for construction firms that are looking for a better way to manage drawings and models. The new application allows project stakeholders to understand design changes and be able to manage issues that might increase cost or risk. Capabilities include: 2D/3D change management, issues tracking, integrated reporting, and the ability to map 2D documents to coordinated 3D models in a hybrid environment.
The Exhibit Floor tells a part of the story of any architectural conference. At the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Conference in Chicago two weeks ago, you walk in, and the first booths you see contain windows, doors, facades, all necessary features of a built environment. Toward the back are the software vendors, which provide the design and conceptual tools to make the building a reality.
AECCafe, in the form of Editor, Susan Smith, will be at the AIA National Convention in Chicago June 26-27th.
What that means is that our focus remains on architecture, engineering and construction from a CAD and Building Information Modeling perspective. As I ready for this conference, I would like to hear from more CAD and BIM companies to have an awareness of your booth presence and events you might be hosting.
The areas we cover are quite vast: building information modeling, visualization, CAD, 3D printing, document management, project management, laser scanning, conceptual design, integrated project delivery, and specifications.
If you wish to set up a meeting during the convention, please contact me at susan.smith@ibsystems.com. Look forward to seeing many of you there!
