New curved construction objects and other improvements

Tekla Structures 2019 introduces two new construction objects, construction arc and construction polycurve, and a new command to copy construction objects. Construction circles and lines have also been improved.

Construction arc

You can create construction arcs by picking three points in the 3D space in the model.

Start the Construction object > Arc command on the Edit tab, and then use the contextual toolbar to specify which set of point you want to pick:

For example, you can pick the center point, start point, and end point of the arc:

Or the start point, end point, and a point along the arc:

For more information, see Create a construction arc.

Construction polycurve

You can create 3D construction polycurves that pass through the points you pick and that can have straight and curved segments.

Start the Construction object > Polycurve command on the Edit tab. Use the contextual toolbar to switch between creating straight and curved segments, and then click the middle mouse button to complete the polycurve.

For more information, see Create a construction polycurve.

Copy construction objects with offset

You can copy construction lines, circles, arcs, and polycurves in the direction that you indicate, and using the offset values that you specify. For example, you can create new circles and arcs centered in the same location as the original circle or arc, and adjust the radiuses using the offset values.

For more information, see Copy a construction object with offset.

Modify construction objects

You can now change a construction line to an arc. Just drag the arc symbolat the line midpoint.

To change a construction arc to a line, delete the arc midpoint.

For more information on how to use direct modification handles to modify construction objects, see Modify a construction object.

Improvements in construction circles and lines

The command Edit > Construction object > Circle replaces the two previous commands Circle using center point and radius and Circle using three points.
You can now specify using the contextual toolbar which three points you want to pick in the 3D space in the model to create a construction circle. The contextual toolbar appears after you have started the command.
You can now change the line type of the construction lines and circles using their property panes.
The advanced options XS_CONSTRUCTION_LINE_LINE_TYPE and XS_CONSTRUCTION_CIRCLE_LINE_TYPE that were previously used for changing the line types have now been removed.
Construction circles now have the standard file.
You can also save other property files for construction circles.