1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Material catalog to open the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
2. Select a material type, for example, steel.
3. Right-click and select Add Grade.

   A new material grade is added under to the material type you selected.

4. Change the material grade name by clicking the grade and entering a new name for it.
5. Enter the material grade properties.
6. Click OK to save the material grade and close the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
7. Click OK in the Save confirmation dialog box to save the changes.

You can add new material grades by modifying a copy of an existing, similar material grade.

1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Material catalog to open the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
2. Select a material grade that is similar to the one that you want to create.
3. Right-click and select Copy Grade.

   A copy of the material grade with the name COPY is added to the material tree.

4. Change the material grade name by clicking the grade and entering a new name for it.
5. Modify the material grade properties.
6. Click OK to save the material grade and close the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
7. Click OK in the Save confirmation dialog box to save the changes.

You can modify existing material grades using the material catalog.

1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Material catalog to open the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
2. Select a material grade in the tree and modify its properties.

   • Use the General tab for entering three alternative names for the material. The names are usually the material names used in different countries or standards. The tab also contains the profile and plate density values.

   • Use the Analysis tab for entering information on the properties used in structural analysis.

   • Use the Design tab for entering information on the design-specific properties, such as strengths and partial safety factors.

   • Use the User attributes tab for creating your own attributes for material grades.

     For example, you can define a paint layer thickness, or the maximum grain size of concrete using a user-defined attribute.

3. When you have finished modifying the material grade, click Update.
4. Click OK to close the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.

   Tekla Structures asks if you want to save the changes to the model folder.

5. Click OK in the Save confirmation dialog box to save the changes.

   The modified material catalog is saved in the current model folder and is available only for that model. To make the modified catalog available for all the other models, use export and import.

1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Material catalog to open the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
2. Select the material grade that you want to delete.
3. Right-click and select Delete Grade.
4. Click OK to close the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
5. Click OK in the Save confirmation dialog box to save the changes.

You can add user attributes and their values to the material grades. The user attributes can then be used, for example, in filtering.

1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Material catalog to open the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
2. On the User attributes tab, click Definitions to open the Modify Material Properties dialog box.
3. Click Add to add a new row.
4. To define a user attribute, click each item on a row.
   1. In the Category list, select a material category to which the user attribute is applied.
   2. In the Design code list, select a design code to which the attribute is added.
   3. In the Material type list, select a material type for the attribute.
   4. In the Quantity type list, select the type of information that the user attribute contains, for example, weight, area, ratio, or string.
   5. In the Order column, define the order in which the user attributes are shown in the dialog box. Smaller values are shown first.
   6. In the Property name column, define a name for the property.

      The name is saved in the catalog and can be used in reports and templates. When Property name is used in a template, MATERIAL.PROPERTY_NAME indicates where the property name appears.

   7. In the Label column, define a label for the attribute.
5. Click Update.
6. Click OK to close the Modify Material Properties dialog box.

You can replace the existing material definitions with your own definitions and use them, for example, in drawing part marks. Material definitions can contain text, numbers and symbols.

1. Save the symbol file user_material_symbols.sym in the symbol folder (usually the folder ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments\common\symbols\).
2. In a text editor, such as Microsoft Notepad, create a text file that contains your material definitions.

   Each row in the file defines a material. Use the following syntax: material_name symbol_file_name@n, where

   • material_name is the name of the material used in the material catalog

   • symbol_file_name is the symbol file name to be used

   • n is the number of the symbol.

   For example:

   
   S235JRG1	user_material_symbols@1	B
   S235JRG2	user_material_symbols@2	C
   S235JR	  user_material_symbols@0	A
   S275JR	  user_material_symbols@3	D
   S235JR	  user_material_symbols@4	E

   Warning:

   The order of material names in the definition file affects the conversion. Materials with more specific names must be listed before the ones with similar, but simpler names, such as S235JRG1, must be listed before S235JR. Otherwise they both get the same symbol.

3. Save the file for example with the name user_material_definitions.txt.

   All the named materials in the material catalog will be replaced with the ones defined in this file.

4. Set the name of the file as a value for the advanced option XS_MATERIAL_SYMBOL_REPRESENTATION_FILE in File menu > Settings > Advanced options > Drawing Properties as follows:

   set XS_MATERIAL_SYMBOL_REPRESENTATION_FILE=user_material_definitions.txt

   You can also enter a full path to the material definition file. Without the path, Tekla Structures searches for the file in the model, firm, project, and system folders.

If you do not want to export the whole material catalog, you can export a branch of the material tree, meaning all the material grades grouped under one material type, or a single material grade. Material catalogs are exported from Tekla Structures models as .lis files.

1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Material catalog to open the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
2. Select material grades to be exported.

   • To export a branch of the material tree, right-click the branch and select Export Grades.

   • To export a single material grade, right-click the material grade and select Export Grade.

3. Browse for the folder where you want to save the export files.

   By default, the file is saved to the current model folder.

4. Enter a name for the file and click OK.
5. Click OK to close the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
6. Click OK in the Save confirmation dialog box to save the changes.

Exporting and importing are used to merge material catalogs. Material catalogs are exported from Tekla Structures models as .lis files. Note that the Export command exports the entire catalog.

1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Material catalog to open the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
2. Click Export.
3. Browse for the folder where you want to save the exported file.

   By default, the file is saved to the current model folder.

4. Enter a name for the file and click OK.
5. Click OK to close the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
6. Click OK in the Save confirmation dialog box to save the changes.

Material catalogs are imported to Tekla Structures models as .lis files. You can move an exported .lis file to any model folder and import it to an existing material catalog.

1. Open the model to which you want to import a material catalog.
2. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Material catalog to open the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
3. Click Import.
4. Browse for the folder that contains the import file, and select the file.
5. Click OK.

   If a material with a same name as the material being imported already exists, the Import confirmation dialog box appears and you have three options:

   • Replace: The existing material is replaced with the imported material.

   • Merge: Material properties that are different in the import file are added to the existing material. All the other properties remain unchanged.

     Use this option to import only certain elements of the material catalog, such as user attributes.

   • Leave: The existing material is not replaced and the material definitions in the import file are ignored.

   If you select the Apply for all check box, Tekla Structures uses the same option (Replace, Merge, or Leave) for all the existing materials that have the same name as the one being imported.

   If a user attribute with a different definition already exists, you are prompted to Replace or Leave the existing attribute.

6. Click OK to close the Modify Material Catalog dialog box.
7. Click OK in the Save confirmation dialog box to save the changes.