Add links in drawings
You can add the following kinds of links in drawings:
- Links to text files
- Links to other drawings
- Hyperlinks to internet (url) addresses
- Links to DWG/DXF files
- Links to images
Add links to rich text files
You can insert a link to a text inside a frame in a drawing. First you create a .txt or .rtf file in WordPad, and then add a link to it in a Tekla Structures drawing. Tekla Structures adds the text using some basic formatting settings you can set in the file itself, and some of the properties in Text File Properties.
If you change the text in the text file, it will change in all drawings containing a link to the text file.
Limitation: The .rtf texts need to be created with WordPad.
Examples
In the following example you can see that the text file may contain bulleted lists, numbered lists, colors, italics, and bold, and you can change the font of the desired text parts.
In the following example, the scaling type is No scaling. The text wraps when you change the size of the frame by dragging the handles, so that the text always fits the frame. The font size does not change.
In the following example, the scaling type is Scale to fit. If you change the text frame size by dragging from the handles, the text does not wrap, and the font size changes automatically so that the text fits the frame.
Add links to other drawings
You can insert a link to another drawing in a frame in a drawing. Tekla Structures adds the link to the drawing using the properties in Drawing Link Properties.
You can open the linked drawing by double-clicking the link.
Note that you can also open drawing link properties from Quick Launch: start typing drawing link and select Drawing Link Properties from the displayed list.
Example
In the example below, Scale to fit has been selected, and the link contains the name of the drawing.
Add hyperlinks
You can add hyperlinks to internet addresses (URLs) or files within a frame in a drawing.
Note that you can also open hyperlink properties through Quick Launch: start typing hyperlink properties, and select Drawing hyperlink properties from the displayed list.
Example
In the example below, Scale to fit has been selected. The internet address for the hyperlink is shown.
Add links to DWG and DXF files
You can insert a DWG or DXF file inside a frame in a drawing as a link. Tekla Structures adds the DWG or DXF file link using the properties in DWG/DXF Properties. When you modify the original file, Tekla Structures also modifies all the linked instances in drawings.
Tekla Structures supports AutoCAD version 2018 and earlier in DWG/DXF links. The added dwg/dxf files also support AutoCAD control codes, such as %%u for underscore, or %%c for a circle diameter dimensioning symbol ø.
If you want to insert DWG files as reference models in your model, see Insert a reference model.
Add links to image files
You can insert a images inside a frame in a drawing. Tekla Structures adds the image link using the properties in Image properties. When you modify the original file, Tekla Structures also modifies all the linked instances in drawings.