Create parametric profiles by sketching
You can create parametric user-defined profiles by sketching. You can change the dimensions of parametric profiles each time you use them in a model.
- Use the cross section sketch editor to create and modify sketched profiles.
- The Sketch Browser shows the objects of a sketched profile.
- Use the Variables dialog box to define the properties of a sketched profile.
Open the sketch editor
Sketch Browser
The Sketch Browser shows the objects (lines, arcs, circles, constraints, dimensions, and chamfers) of a sketched profile in a hierarchical, tree-like structure. The Sketch Browser automatically opens when you open the sketch editor.
When you click an object in the sketch editor, Tekla Structures highlights the object in the Sketch Browser, and vice versa.
The Sketch Browser displays the following information about a sketched profile:
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Extrusion type (0, 1, or 2) and thickness of the sketched profile
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Lines, arcs, and circles
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Constraints
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Distances and dimensions and their values
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Chamfers and their type (0=None, 1=Line ... 7=Line and arc) and dimensions.
Variables in sketched profiles
Use the Variables dialog box to define the properties of a sketched profile. Variables can define fixed properties, or they can include formulas, so that Tekla Structures calculates the property value each time you use the profile in a model.
The Variables dialog box automatically opens when you open the sketch editor.
The Variables dialog box functions the same way as the corresponding dialog box in the custom component editor. For more information on how to use variables, see Add variables to a custom component.