Import a project from a Structural PANDA Import file

Structural PANDA is an intelligent, early stage, optioneering tool which can help to dramatically reduce the Embodied Carbon of building designs.

PANDA produces detailed engineering data for thousands of possible scheme options. The preferred designs can be saved and exported as raw data, carbon breakdown charts or as summary reports. PANDA now includes functionality to export solutions from PANDA directly into Tekla Structural Designer using CXL neutral file format.

Before importing a project from Structural PANDA, you are advised to be aware of the restrictions. Then, you can proceed to follow the detailed instructions to perform the import.

Restrictions

The following restrictions and limitations are in place for this version of the link:

No Glulam deck schemes are exported from Structural PANDA. When these schemes are selected within the software, the Export to Tekla Structural Designer command will be disabled.
Where concrete shear walls are being used for structural stability, please note that adjacent steel beams may overlap which will result in an error when validating the model.
- The workaround in this situation is to manually adjust the beam length so that no overlap occurs.
No Strip Base Wall foundations are created under concrete shear and core walls. These will need to be manually generated by the engineer.
Similarly, no piled foundations are created under concrete shear and core walls. These will need to be manually generated by the engineer.
All columns and foundations are created at the Base +0.000m level. This may cause a collision of elements error when ground bearing slabs have also been included in the scheme.
- The workaround here is to manually create a separate level for the top of foundations and adjust the base of any columns to suit the new level. This workaround will also adjust any generated foundations
Design schemes containing softwood joist decks and cross-laminated timber decks do not set the value of poisson's ratio correctly. The workaround is to select all timber elements and adjust the parameter value to a more suitable number.
Timber decks are imported with the deck located on top of the beam. The intention of Structural PANDA is to have the deck placed within the infill space between the steel beams. The top of the deck is meant to be in-line with the top of the steel beams.
This modeling style is not available within Tekla Structural Designer for steel floor layouts and some alteration may be necessary by the user.

Instructions

On the BIM Integration tab, click Structural PANDA Import.

The BIM Integration wizard opens.
Use the […] button to browse and select the appropriate CXL file.

The remainder of the fields are populated with the settings read directly from the file.
Click Next to continue.

The Import Options page allows you to select a first time import, or, you can elect to update the existing model. The page also shows settings related to the file. The units system and regional code are taken from the current Tekla Structural Designer, and the default level type is selectable. The level type can later be adjusted in the construction levels dialog if required.
Click Next to continue.

The Relocate Import Model page allows for models to be moved to around the datum position in Tekla Structural Designer from a real world co-ordinate. The extent of the model can be seen from the information displayed on the right hand side of the dialog.
Click Next to continue.

The Integration Filter will be displayed. The five options shown here allow you to verify if grids, levels etc. are to be imported. Please note that the settings held in the Delete Existing… and four Update… columns should not be used when performing a First Time Import and are only used when synchronizing changes into an existing Tekla Structural Designer model.
Click Next to continue.

Mapping of materials to recognized grades will be shown now. Here you can view the different materials recognized in the incoming CXL file and the options to alter materials with a more preferred grade.
Click Next to continue (if available).

Following on from Material mapping, the dialog for Decking mapping will be shown (if applicable). Again this allows users to view the decking types being imported and have the option of overwriting the details if required.
Click Finish

After the file has completed processing, the model will be displayed within the Structural 3D view and you can then proceed with validation of the structure before applying any analytical information.