Manage overlay model versions

Tekla Structures
2022
Tekla Structures

Manage overlay model versions

You can have several versions of the same overlay models in your Trimble Connect projects, and view the differences between these versions in your Tekla Structures models. This way, you can see the progress of the project.

Note:

You need to save the new model versions with the same name and in the same folder as previous model versions.

Create overlay model versions

  1. Create a new version of the overlay model.

    You can use external software to create overlay model versions, such as ArchiCad or Autodesk Revit, to create IFC model versions, or upload the Tekla Structures model to the Trimble Connect project as a .tekla file.

  2. Do any of the following:
    To upload Do this

    A new model version in the .ifc format

    Do any of the following:
    • In the Trimble Connect - Models dialog box, open the folder where the previous model version is stored, and click next to the previous model version.

    • In Trimble Connect for Browser, open the folder where the original model is stored, and drag and drop the new version of the model to the folder.

    A new model version in another format

    1. In the Trimble Connect - Models dialog box, select the folder where the original model version was saved.

    2. Click and select Attach model.

    3. Browse to the folder where you saved the new model version, and select the model version.

    The model version is added to the selected folder.

  3. To see the overlay model versions, select the overlay model, and click Versions to expand the Versions section.
  4. Select which version of the model you want to show:
    To show Do this

    The newest version of the model

    Whenever the latest version of an overlay model is not shown, the symbol appears. The symbol is shown next to models whose old versions are shown, and folders in which you have saved the models whose old versions are shown.

    • Click next to the model or the folder in which the model is saved.

    An older version of the model

    • Click next to the version that you want to see.

Compare the differences between .tekla or .ifc overlay model versions

  1. In the overlay model list, select an overlay model that has at least two versions in the attached Trimble Connect project.
  2. At the bottom of the Overlay models tab, click Versions.
  3. In the Versions section, do any of the following according to your needs:

    To

    Do this

    Define the properties to be compared

    1. Click ... in the Versions section.

    2. In the Comparison sets dialog box that opens, select check boxes next to the properties that you want to compare.

      Only the selected properties will be used for comparing the model objects in the Changes list.

    3. To add new properties, click + and type the property name.

    4. To delete properties, click next to the properties.

    5. To save the currently selected properties as a comparison set for future use, select a settings file in the list at the top of the Comparison sets dialog box, or create a new settings file by typing a new name.

    6. Click .

    7. Close the Comparison sets dialog box.

    Define how precisely properties are compared

    1. Click in the Versions section.

    2. In the Property Set Comparison Tolerances dialog box, set the minimum units and values which will be considered as changes in properties.

    3. To save the current tolerances for future use, select a settings file in the list at the top of the Comparison sets dialog box, or create a new settings file by typing a new name.

    4. Click .

    5. Close the Property Set Comparison Tolerances dialog box.

  4. In the Versions section, show two versions of the model by clicking next to the model versions.

    Note that you can compare only two versions of an overlay model at a time. If you set a third model version visible, the oldest visible version is hidden automatically, and the comparison is updated to show the differences between the two visible versions.

    The changes between the versions are shown with the following colors in the model:
    • Added objects = green
    • Modified objects = yellow
    • Deleted objects = red
    • Existing objects that have not been modified = gray

  5. To show which properties of modified objects have changed, click the corresponding row in the Changes list.

    The changed properties are shown in the Property details side pane. Note that the side pane may not show changes in object rotation or location.

Compare the differences between overlay model versions in other formats

When you compare overlay model versions in formats such as .dgn or .dwg, the changes are shown by color-coding the objects in the overlay model.

  1. In the overlay model list, select an overlay model that has at least two versions in the attached Trimble Connect project.
  2. At the bottom of the Overlay models tab, click Versions.
  3. In the Versions section, show two versions of the model by clicking next to the model versions.

    Note that you can compare only two versions of an overlay model at a time. If you set a third model version visible, the oldest visible version is hidden automatically, and the comparison is updated to show the differences between the two visible versions.

The model objects are color-coded according to the changes that have been made. The newest version of an object is shown in green, while the previous version is shown in red. If the object is the same in both versions, the object is shown in yellow or orange, depending on the rendering option.

You can switch between different rendering options on the View tab to better see the changes and overlapping objects. The same structure is shown below with two different rendering options.

With the Components wireframe option:

With the Components rendered option:

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