Remote Access API

The Remote Access wizard enables the import of a Tekla Structural Designer model by any application from a remote computer via a secure, authenticated connection.

This connection proceeds once the Tekla Structural Designer user (acting as the server) is prepared to publish their saved model and the user of the connecting application (the client) is ready to receive it.

Crucially, the respective users must agree on a mutually convenient time for the transfer. This is because the Remote Access wizard is modal, meaning the Tekla Structural Designer model is locked and cannot be used for any other operations while the wizard remains open.

To connect to a Tekla Structural Designer using the Remote Access wizard

Open the model in Tekla Structural Designer.
On the BIM Integration ribbon, click Remote Access (highlighted below). This command will start the Remote Access wizard.

The Show advanced options tickbox will display the default configuration of the computers IP address and port ID. Although it is recommended that the defaults are used, a different IP address and port ID can be specified.
Click Next
Click Establish to enable a remote connection to Tekla Structural Designer.

Two options are presented for the connection information data, either Save or Copy.

You must save the Digital Identity xml file to a convenient location.

Use Copy to load the XML connection information data to the clipboard.

The digital identity xml file is a PEM (Privacy-Enhanced Mail) encoded file that stores connection parameters including the remote machine's IP address, port number and crucial security credentials such as the private connection key and the client and server certificates.

The remote connection is secured using Mutual TLS (mTLS) version 1.2. This means both the client and the server must prove their identities to each other. The XML file contains the necessary information to manage this two-way, encrypted authentication handshake. The data encryption is AES-256-GCM.

mTLS is a standard for zero-trust security, which assumes no one on a network should be

trusted by default. It's used to secure the most sensitive connections, like those between internal services in banking, healthcare and tech.

The XML connection file MUST be passed to the client using a suitably secure method. This may be via a password protected email or encrypted / secure cloud storage that is accessible to both the client and Tekla Structural Designer user. Please consult with your IT department if you have any questions or are unsure how to proceed.

The XML connection file is valid only for the session in which it was created. If the remote access dialog is closed the session ends and the previously saved XML connection file will be obsolete.

Please coordinate with the client and do not close or press Finish on the connection wizard until the data transfer session is complete.
Press Next to enable a remote connection to Tekla Structural Designer:
When the connecting application (the client) successfully connects to Tekla Structural Designer, you will see messages similar to the example below (with your specific user and machine details displayed):

Status information will be displayed in the user interface messages area during connection and transfer. The remote connection will connect and disconnect several times during a single transfer process.