Manage reference models in Trimble Connector

With Trimble Connector, you can manage two types of reference models: regular reference models and Connect overlay models. Reference models are part of the Tekla Structures model, and they can be downloaded from, or exported to Trimble Connect projects. Connect overlay models are lightweight reference models that are stored in the attached Trimble Connect project. Connect overlay models can be quickly attached to the Tekla Structures model to show model objects on top of the Tekla Structures model.

To start managing reference models, on the Trimble Connect ribbon tab, click Models.

The Trimble Connect - Models dialog box opens. Here, you can manage reference models on the Reference models tab, and Connect overlay models on the Connect models tab.

Upload reference models or reference model updates

You can upload both new Tekla Structures reference models or updated versions of Tekla Structures reference models to attached Trimble Connect projects.

New and updated reference models are marked in different ways:


Icon or label	Meaning
	The Tekla Structures reference model has not been uploaded to a Trimble Connect project.
	The newest version of the Tekla Structures reference model has not been uploaded to a Trimble Connect project.
	The reference model has the same version in Tekla Structures and in Trimble Connect.

Open the Reference models tab in the Trimble Connect - Models dialog box.
To upload a new reference model or a new version of the reference model to the Trimble Connect project, click the icon.

Download reference models or reference model updates

You can download and insert either new or updated reference models from a Trimble Connect project to a Tekla Structures model.

The reference models and their versions are marked with different icons depending on whether they are up-to-date:


Icon	Meaning
	The reference model has been updated in the Trimble Connect project after the last time that it has been downloaded to Tekla Structures. Click to download the latest version of the model.
	The updated version of the reference model has not been downloaded to Tekla Structures. Click to insert the version in the Tekla Structures model.
	The reference model version exists in the Tekla Structures model sub-folder but has not been inserted in the Tekla Structures model. Click to insert the version in the Tekla Structures model.
	The reference model has the same version in Tekla Structures and in Trimble Connect.

On the Reference models tab in the Trimble Connect - Models dialog box, double-click a folder.

A list of reference models in that folder is shown.
To show the versions of an reference model, click the arrow on the left side of the reference model name.
Do either of the following:
- Select the reference model that you want to download and click .
- Select the updated reference model version that you want to download and click .

The new reference model or the updated reference model version is downloaded to a Tekla Structures model sub-folder and inserted to the Tekla Structures model.

Create new folders for reference models

On the Reference models tab in the Trimble Connect - Models dialog box, click .
In the Select folders dialog box, double-click the project to see the folders inside the project.

If a folder has sub-folders, you can view them by double-clicking the folder.
Select one or more folders where you want to link the reference model and click OK.

You can also create a new folder by typing a name for the folder and clicking Create, or remove an existing folder from the list by hovering over the folder and clicking .

The selected folders are added to the Folders list on the Reference models tab in the Trimble Connect - Models dialog box.

Export Tekla Structures model objects as an .ifc reference model to a Trimble Connect project

You can create an .ifc coordination view 2.0 file from Tekla Structures model objects and export it to a Trimble Connect project. You can create the file from selected model objects, or from all model objects.

On the Reference models tab, double-click the folder where you want to add the exported .ifc model.
To start the export, click .

The Trimble Connect - Export IFC to Trimble Connect dialog box opens.
Enter a name for the exported model or model objects.

The name of the export needs to be unique within the project.
In the Export list, select if you want to export all model objects (All), selected model objects (Selected), or filtered objects (Filter).
- If you selected Selected, select the objects in the model view.
- If you selected Filter, select an existing filter in the Filter list, or click to create a new filter.
  
  For more information, see Create new filters.
Select which IFC export settings you want to use:
- To use existing IFC export settings, select the settings file in the IFC export settings list.
  
  The settings file needs to be located in the model \attributes folder, so that you can select it in the IFC export settings list.
- To create new IFC export settings, click on the right side of the IFC export settings list.
  
  For more information, see Export to IFC.
If you do not select a settings file, the .ifc model is created of parts only, not assemblies.

Note that if you do not define a settings file that specifies which object types you want to export, only surface geometry is exported.
Click OK.

When the .ifc model has been exported, you can download the reference model to the Tekla Structures model. Select the reference model in the Trimble Connect - Models dialog box, and click . After a successful export, the model is marked with .

If the Tekla Structures model has an updated version of the exported reference model, click to export the updated version of the reference model.

If you do not specify a settings file, the .ifc file only includes parts and grids. The .ifc file does not include assembly information, which means that you can export only main parts. You can add additional property sets by saving a property set through File > Export > IFC, use the file name ifc.xml.

If you have not defined where the .ifc model is positioned in the Export to IFC dialog box, the exported IFC model is placed in relation to the project base point in the Trimble Connect 3D view. If a project base point has not been defined, the model is placed in relation to the model origin.

Manage Connect overlay models in Trimble Connector

Connect overlay models are lightweight reference models that are not part of the Tekla Structures models, but can be used as overlays on top of Tekla Structures models.

Connect overlay models are saved in the Trimble Connect project, so you cannot use them in a Tekla Structures model unless the Tekla Structures model has been linked to a Trimble Connect project. Before you can start working with Connect overlay models, link your Tekla Structures model to a Trimble Connect project.

Open to the Connect models tab in the Trimble Connect - Models dialog box.
If necessary, do any of the following:
- To only show model objects that are within the current work area, select the Show inside work area only check box.
- To show a list of all folders and Connect overlay models in the Trimble Connect project, select Everything in project in the list at the top of the Connect models tab.
- To only show a list of folders and Connect overlay models that you can currently show or hide in this model, select Used in this model in the list at the top of the Connect models tab.

In the Connect model list, do any of the following:


To	Do this
Hide or show Connect overlay models	To hide an Connect overlay model, click on the left side of the model. To show an Connect overlay model, click on the left side of the model. To hide all Connect overlay models in a Trimble Connect folder, click on the left side of the folder. To show all Connect overlay models in a Trimble Connect folder, click . If a folder or its sub-folders do not have any Connect overlay models that can be shown in Tekla Structures, the arrow symbol is not shown next to the eye icon.
Adjust the scale and position of Connect overlay models	Select the Connect overlay model whose position you want to adjust. To show the model properties, click Properties at the bottom of the Trimble Connect - Models dialog box. Note that the properties are relative to the project base point. Changing the model position or scale in the Properties section are applied to both Tekla Structures and Trimble Connect. Type new values for the scale, position, or rotation of the model. To apply the changes to the Tekla Structures model view, click Modify. The properties are stored in Trimble Connect. To return to the initial scale and position of the model, click Reset.
Remove a Connect overlay model from the Used in the model list	Ensure that you have the Used in the model list open. Select the Connect overlay model that you want to remove. Click . Select Remove from used model tree. The Connect overlay model is removed from the Used in the model list. If you want to show the Connect overlay model again, switch to the Everything in project list and click . The Connect overlay model appears in the Used in the model list again.
Create a sub-folder for Connect overlay models under a Trimble Connect folder	Select the folder under which you want to add a sub-folder. Click . Select Create new folder. Name the folder and click Create.
Add a new Connect overlay model	Select the folder under which you want to add a new Connect overlay model. Click . Select Attach model. You can now show the new Connect overlay model in the Tekla Structures model view.
Zoom to an Connect overlay model	Select the Connect overlay model to which you want into zoom in Tekla Structures. Click . Select Zoom to model. Select the model view in which you want to zoom to the selected model. Click Yes to confirm zooming to the selected model view.