Work with BCF Topics in Tekla Structures

BCF topics are notes that are added to a linked Trimble Connect project. BCF stands for BIM Collaboration Format and it is an open industry standard from buildingSMART International. Using the BIM Collaboration Format (BCF), you can communicate project-based issues between different BIM applications, such as Tekla Structures, Tekla PowerFab and Trimble Connect, as well as other third-party applications. BCF topics are stored and managed in a Trimble Connect project.

Before you can start adding BCF topics in Tekla Structures, your model needs to be linked to a Trimble Connect project. See instructions here: Link a Tekla Structures model to a Trimble Connect project.

BCF topics can be used with .tekla, .ifc, and .trb files that are created from a Tekla Structures model and uploaded to Trimble Connect.

A .tekla file that is created when you upload the current Tekla Structures model to a Trimble Connect project. Using a .tekla file is the preferred way of working.

If you are using Tekla Model Sharing with a Trimble Connect project, the model is automatically uploaded when you write out or create a new baseline. Note that if the .tekla file is uploaded to a Trimble Connect project for the first time after using the Write out or Create baseline commands, you need to write out the changes again. This is needed because after a .tekla file is uploaded, an .xml file with a model ID is created in the model folder.
An .ifc file that is created from a Tekla Structures model and uploaded to a Trimble Connect project.
A .trb file that is created from a Tekla Structures model when exporting to Tekla PowerFab and uploaded to a Trimble Connect project.

Create and modify BCF topics

Before you begin adding BCF topics in Tekla Structures, ensure that your model is linked to a Trimble Connect project.

Use topics to communicate, assign, track, and resolve issues within a project. You can view all the topics that you have created or that have been assigned to you in the Tekla Structures BCF Topics side pane.

On the Trimble Connect ribbon tab, click BCF Topics.

The BCF Topics side pane opens and displays the BCF topics added to the Trimble Connect project.
To create a new BCF topic, click the plus button.

The New topic page opens.
Fill in the fields.

The Title field is mandatory.
Assign the topic to a user or a user group.

The BCF topics are shared with all project members by default, but you can select a user or a user group to whom you want to assign the BCF topic with a due date when it needs to be resolved.
Use Add references to add references to documents or links.

A topic can reference multiple documents or links. You can add, for example, a PDF file as a reference.
1. Click Add references.
2. On the Add references page, select the type of reference that you want to add:
  - Under , select the desired reference file from the list of project files.
    Attached project files always point to the latest version of the file stored in the Trimble Connect project.
  - Under , browse for a desired reference file to add a new file.
  - Under , enter the display text for the desired link and the URL.
3. Click Add references.
4. To add or remove reference files:
  - To add more reference files, click to open the Add references page.
  - To remove a reference file, click next to the file.
  You can also work with the references on the References page after the BCF topic has been created.
Use Add models to add model files, if needed.

To enable the collaboration workflow using BCF topics, you need to have a model uploaded to a Trimble Connect project. The preferred way of working is to upload your model as a .tekla file. If you have already uploaded a .tekla file to the linked Trimble Connect project, you do not need to use the Add models option.

If you are using an .ifc or a .trb file instead of a .tekla file, use the Add models option to select the file that contains the objects associated with the BCF topic that you are creating in Tekla Structures.

Note that if you are using .ifc or .trb files, you need to manually associate each BCF topic with an .ifc or a .trb file when you create BCF topics in Tekla Structures. You can associate your BCF topics with multiple .ifc or .trb files at once.

In Trimble Connect, the association happens automatically, and therefore the Add models command is not available in Trimble Connect. When BCF topics are created in Trimble Connect, Trimble Connect knows which models are visible in the view and stores this information with the BCF topics. These BCF topics will work correctly in Tekla Structures.
1. Click Add models.
2. On the Add models page, select the type of model file that you want to add:
  - Under , select the desired model file from the list of project files.
  - Under , browse for a desired model file to add a new file.
3. Click Add models.
4. To add or remove model files:
  - To add more model files, click to open the Add models page.
  - To remove a model file, click next to the file.
  You can also work with the models on the Models page after the BCF topic is created.
Click Save.

A view is always automatically added to each new topic.

The saved BCF topic is immediately synchronized to Trimble Connect.

You can then continue by adding, for example, comments and views with graphical markups and measurements.

In Trimble Connect, you can see the BCF topics on the BCF Topics page of the linked project.

If you want to further edit a BCF topic in Tekla Structures:


To	Do this
Define which topics are shown on the Topics page in BCF Topics side pane	In the BCF Topics side pane, click the arrow under Topics and select the option. By default, the Active topics are shown.
Sort the topics	In the BCF Topics side pane, click at the top of the side pane and select the sorting option. The default sorting order is by Creation date.
Edit a topic	You can edit topics that you have created or that have been assigned to you. In the BCF Topics side pane, select the BCF topic that you want to edit. The topic opens on its own page. Click Edit. Adjust the BCF topic information according to your needs. To save the changes, click Save.
Assign a topic	You can assign topics that you have created or that have been assigned to you. In the BCF Topics side pane, select the BCF topic that you want to assign to someone. The topic opens on its own page. Click Edit. In the Assignee field, enter the names of the users or the user groups. Multiple users or user groups can be listed in the Assignee field. To save the changes, click Save.
Remove a topic	You can only delete the topics that you have created. Deleting topics from the project cannot be undone. If you delete a topic, the topic will be deleted for everyone to whom it has been assigned. All the data is also deleted. In the BCF Topics side pane, select the BCF topic that you want to remove. Click Remove. Click Delete.

Create measurements and markups

You can create measurements and markups in BCF topics and display the measurements and markups both in Tekla Structures and in Trimble Connect. To add measurements and markups in the current model, use the measurement and markup tools in the BCF Topics side pane.

Markups and measurements are saved in a view. You cannot add them separately in an already existing view.

You cannot edit the inserted measurements or markups in Tekla Structures. You can edit them in Trimble Connect and transfer them to Tekla Structures by creating a new view.


Option	How to use
Select the type of the measurement that you want to create.	Displays the distance between two points. In the model, pick the start point for the measurement. Pick the second point. Pick the point where you want to place the measurement.
	Show the coordinates of a single point. In the model, pick the point whose coordinates you want to show.
	Show the angle measurement between two points. In the model, pick the vertex point of the angle. Pick the first side of the angle. Pick the second side of the angle.
Select the type of the markup that you want to create.	Add a cloud markup. In the model, pick the center point of the cloud. Pick the second point. Picking the second point defines the size of the cloud markup.
	Add an arrow markup. In the model, pick a point for the arrow head. This point is the start point of the line. Pick the second point. This point is the end point of the line.
	Add a line markup. In the model, pick the start point of the line. Pick the end point of the line.
	Add a text markup. Text markup consists of text and a leader line. You cannot edit text after it has been inserted in the model. Type the text in the text field under the markup tools. In the model, pick the start point for the text leader line. Pick the point where you want to place the text.
	Draw a freehand markup. In the model, pick a point where you want to start drawing. Move the mouse to draw. To finish, left-click the mouse.
	Select the color for the measurements and markups. In addition to the predefined set of colors, you can use your own custom colors: Click the plus button to open the color picker. Define the suitable color. Use the color slider on the left to select the desired color and the transparency slider at the bottom. Then pick the desired shade in the color area with the color picker. Click Save to save the color to the list of Custom colors. The custom colors remain on the list of colors even if the model is reopened.
Remove all markups from the model.	Click the delete button at the bottom of the measurement tool list or the markup tool list to remove all measurements or markups from the model. You cannot delete single measurements or markups.

Add views

In the BCF Topics side pane, select the BCF topic to which you want to add views.
Click Views to open the views page.

You can see the views that have been added to the topic. A topic can contain multiple views.
To add a new view, click .

A new view is added to the topic. The view is taken from the visible model view.
To delete a view, click at the bottom corner of the selected view. Click Preview > Delete.

Deleting views cannot be undone.

Note the following:

When working with models uploaded from Tekla Structures as .tekla files, loading and saving topic views in Tekla Structures includes information about the selected and hidden objects.
When working with IFC reference models in Tekla Structures, loading topic views that have been created in Trimble Connect includes information about the selected and hidden objects.
When working with IFC files that have been inserted as overlay models in Tekla Structures, loading topic views that have been created in Trimble Connect includes information about the selected and hidden objects.
For BCF topics that have been created in third-party applications, loading topic views in Tekla Structures displays the selected and hidden objects in the model view.

Add comments

In the BCF Topics side pane, select the BCF topic that you want to add comments to.
Click Comments to open the comments page.

Comments from project members are listed as a comment thread showing who made the comment and when.
To add a new comment, click Add comment.
Type any comments. You can also add attachments or an image.
- Click to add attachments. Attachments can be project files or local files.
- Click to add an image of the current model view.
Click Comment.
To edit or delete a comment, select the comment and click Edit, or Delete > Delete.

Deleting comments cannot be undone.

Add markers

A marker can be used to specify the exact location of the topic in the model view by using x, y, and z coordinates.

You can add only one marker to each topic, but all model markers are displayed in the model.

In the BCF Topics side pane, select the BCF topic that you want to add markers to.
Click Models to open the models page.
To add a marker, click Add a marker and pick a point in the model where the marker is added.

The exact coordinates of the picked point are added to the marker.
To delete a marker, click next to the marker coordinates and select Remove.

Link model objects

If a topic is relevant to specific model objects, you can link the model objects to topics. The model object identifiers are saved to the topic data as references.

You can view the linked objects in both Trimble Connect and Tekla Structures with .tekla and .ifc files and overlay models.

Note that BCF topics are not yet supported in the Trimble Connect 2D viewer.

In the BCF Topics side pane, select the BCF topic that you want to add model objects to.
Click Models to open the models page.
To link the selected model objects to the topic, select the objects in the model and click Link selected.

The objects are linked to the topic. The total number of linked objects can be seen in the Linked model objects section title.
To view the linked model objects, click View model objects.

The objects are highlighted in the model view.
To remove some of the linked model objects from a topic, select the objects in the model and click Unlink selected.
To remove all linked model objects from a topic, click and select Unlink all.

Note the following:

When working with IFC reference models in Tekla Structures, objects linked to the BCF topics that have been created in Trimble Connect are highlighted.
When working with IFC files that have been inserted as overlay models in Tekla Structures, objects linked to the BCF topics that have been created in Trimble Connect are highlighted.

Use base points with BCF topics

BCF topic views in Tekla Structures are saved relative to the project base point. If no project base point is set, the global origin (0, 0, 0) is used as the reference.

To ensure BCF topics are displayed correctly when they are opened in Trimble Connect:

Set the project base point before uploading the model to Trimble Connect and before creating any BCF topics.
Keep the project base point unchanged throughout the collaboration. Changing it after models have been uploaded or BCF topics have been created can cause views to appear misaligned.
Use the same coordinate context when creating a BCF topic as was used for the attached model. If the model was exported with a specific base point, that base point should be the active project base point when creating the BCF topic.

Additional base points can still be used for IFC import and export. Switching between base points in the model does not affect existing BCF topics, as long as the project base point remains the same. If the project base point needs to be changed, the model must be re-uploaded to Trimble Connect, and all existing BCF topic screenshots and views must be recreated using the new base point. Previously created BCF topics will not update automatically and will no longer align with the model.

Note:

If a topic view appears out of place or the model is not visible when opening a BCF topic in Trimble Connect, it is likely caused by a mismatch between the project base point used when creating the BCF topic and the base point used for the attached model.

Export BCF topics

You can export BCF topics as .bcf files or in .pdf format.

Note that BCF files contain only the topic data. Topics often refer to models via 3D views. Therefore, models need to be exported separately, as the model files are not included in the BCF files.

In the BCF Topics side pane, select the BCF topic that you want to export.
Click at the top row of the topic and select Export.

The Export BCF Topics page opens.
Enter a name for the export and select the file format for export and the details to be included in the export.

Selecting Reference documents does not include the actual documents in the export, but a reference to the original document that is located in a Trimble Connect project.

When the export is ready, it is displayed in the Exporting topics section of the BCF Topics side pane.
To download the exported files, click See export history.

Exported files are available for download for 31 days after the export job is completed. After the time period, the download button expires, and the original export file is not available from the export history.

Change the language of the BCF Topics side pane

You can change the language of the BCF Topics side pane if needed. Note that changing the language in Tekla Structures does not affect the language of the BCF Topics side pane.

In Trimble Connect, go to your Trimble Connect profile.
In your Language Preference, select a language from the list.

This language selection is for Trimble Connect, and for the BCF Topics side pane in Tekla Structures.
Click Save.
Reopen the Tekla Structures model for the change to take effect.