1. On the Drawings & reports tab, click Document manager.
2. Select from the list the drawings that you want to export.
3. Right-click and select Export.
4. In the Export Drawings dialog box, on the Export file tab, enter the export file name.

   If you are exporting several drawings, leave the file name box empty.

   The drawings are exported by default to the \PlotFiles folder under the current model folder. If you want to use another folder, enter the full path.

   Tekla Structures uses one of the following advanced options to define the names for the export files. The advanced option that is used depends on the drawing type:

   XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_A

   XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_C

   XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_G

   XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_W

   XS_DRAWING_PLOT_FILE_NAME_M.

5. Select the file type: DXF or DWG.
6. If you want to include a revision mark in the file name, select Include revision mark to file name.
7. Set the layer options on the Layer options tab:

   • Select the layer rules file.

     To add or modify layers, and to assign object groups to different layers, click Setup...

   • If you want to use advanced conversion to convert the type, color and weight of lines and layers, select Use advanced line type and layer conversion.

   • In the Conversion file box, enter the name of the file to be used in the conversion.

     By default, Tekla Structures uses the LineTypeMapping.xml file in the ..\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments\common\inp folder.

     If you need to define your own line type mappings, you can use the file LineTypeMapping.xml as a template when you create a conversion file of your own.

   • Select Include empty layers if you want to include empty layers in the export.

   • Select Object color by layer to have different colors on different layers.

8. Set the other drawing export options on the Options tab:

   • Set Drawing scale and Line type scale.

   • If you want to export the drawings so that the DWG/DXF content is grouped by object, select Export objects as groups. When you do this, Tekla Structures makes a new group for each object (part, mark, dimension line, etc.).

   • Select Cut lines with text if you do not want to display continuous lines in exported drawings, for example, to run the line through text or drawing marks.

   • Select Export custom lines as split lines to ensure that custom line types have the same appearance in the software you are exporting to and when printed. If Export custom lines as split lines is selected, custom line types are exported as solid lines that are split to several short lines. If Export custom lines as split lines is not selected, custom line types are exported as defined in TeklaStructures.lin.

   • Select Use paper space to export to both model space and paper space. The unscaled contents of the drawing views are exported into model space. The drawing layout is exported into paper space. The layout contains scaled viewports showing appropriate areas of the model space.

     When exporting to paper space, ensure that all objects in the view are inside the view frame. Objects that are partially outside the drawing view frame are not exported

9. Click Export.

You need to define the layers that are included in the exported DWG and DXF files.

1. On the File menu, click Export > Drawings.
2. In the Export Drawings dialog box, go to the Layer options tab and click Setup next to the Layer rules box.
3. In the Drawing Export Layers dialog box, click Modify layers.
4. To add a layer, click Add.

   You can add as many layers as you need.

5. Click the row of the new layer in the Name column and enter a name for the layer.
6. Click the row of the new layer in the Color column and select a color for the new layer.

   

7. Click OK.

You need to define which objects to export to certain layers in the exported DWG/DXF file. You can do this by using a selection filter for identifying the desired objects among all objects, and by creating a rule to export these objects to a certain layer.

1. Create a selection filter.
2. On the File menu, click Export > Drawings.
3. In the Export Drawings dialog box, go to the Layer options tab, and click Setup.
4. Open an object group by clicking the plus sign next to the group name.

   For example, click the plus sign next to Model Object.

5. Right-click a rule in the list and select Add Next Level Rule.

   For example, right-click Part.

   

6. Enter a name for the rule and select the selection filter that you created.

   

7. Click OK.
8. Double-click the row under the rule you just created and select the desired layer for it in the Select Layer dialog box.
9. Click OK.

   Tekla Structures maps the selected layer to the rule.

   

10. Save the created layer rule settings for later use by entering a name next to the Save as button and clicking Save as.

You can export all kinds of drawing objects to layers of their own.

1. On the File menu, clickExport > Drawings.
2. Go to the Layer options tab of the Export Drawings dialog box and click Setup next to the Layer rules box.
3. Under Mark in the Drawing Export Layers dialog box, select the layer rule of the mark you want to define to its own layer (part, bolt, connection, neighbor part, or reinforcement mark).

   Select Part mark.

4. Right-click Part mark and select Add Next Level Rule from the pop-up menu.

   This opens the Layer manager rules dialog box.

5. Enter a rule name (for example, BeamMark) and select a filter that you have created (Beam).

   

6. Click OK.

   Tekla Structures creates a new rule BeamMark. Now you can connect the new rule to a layer you have created for beam marks and use when exporting drawings.

If you want your layer settings to also be available in other projects, you can copy them to a firm or project folder.

1. On the File menu, click Export > Drawings.
2. Go to the Layer options tab and click Setup.
3. Define the required rule and layer settings.
4. Enter a name for the layer rule settings file next to the Save as button and click Save as.
5. Copy the file <your_layer_rule>.ldb from the \attributes folder under the current model folder to the firm or project folder.

You can use advanced conversion to convert the type, color and weight of lines and layers. This way you will get the line types that you want to use in the target software, for example, AutoCAD.