Create a steel lofted plate
With lofted plates you can create rolled plates with varying shapes and plates with double-curved form, for example.
Prerequisites and examples of lofted plates
Before you can create lofted plates, you need to have construction objects in your model. Tekla Structures creates the shape of the lofted plate according to the geometry of the used construction objects, by connecting the start point of the first construction object to the start point of the second construction object. The end points of construction objects are connected in similar way.
You can connect the following construction objects as a lofted plate:
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construction line to construction line
For example:
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construction line to construction arc
For example:
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construction arc to construction arc
For example:
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construction circle to construction circle
For example:
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construction polycurve to construction polycurve
Create a lofted plate
Modify the shape of a lofted plate
Use direct modification dimension handles and dimension values to modify the lofted plate shape.
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Modify, for example, the height and radius of the lofted plate.
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For lines and arcs: drag the arc symbol at the midpoint of a line or an arc to modify the lofted plate shape.
Split a lofted plate
Note that you cannot split closed cylindrical or conical lofted plates.
Swap the end handle points to correct the geometry of a lofted plate
In some cases when you try to create a lofted plate, the geometry of the plate would become self-intersecting, meaning that the start and end points of the top and bottom construction object are opposite of each other. In these cases the plate is not created.
You can try to resolve the situation and create the lofted plate by changing the modeling direction of the construction lines or arcs.
With construction circles you can try to resolve the situation by moving either of the circles.
Unfold lofted plates
You can unfold lofted plates in single-part drawings. The unfolding works for lofted plates which have been created from single geometry to single geometry, and for tangential polycurve lofted plates.
Examples of unfolded lofted plates created from single geometry to single geometry:
Examples of tangential polycurve unfolded lofted plates:
Modify lofted plate properties
- If the property pane is not open, double-click the lofted plate to open the Lofted plate properties.
- Change the properties as needed.
- Click Modify.
Lofted plate properties
Use the Lofted plate properties in the property pane to view and modify the properties of a steel lofted plate. To open the properties, double-click the steel lofted plate. The file name extension of a steel lofted plate property file is *.lpl.
If you have customized the property pane layout, the list of properties may be different.
Setting |
Description |
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General |
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Name |
User-definable name of the lofted plate. The name can contain a maximum of 61 characters. Tekla Structures uses part names in reports and in Document manager, and to identify parts of the same type. |
Profile |
Profile of the lofted plate. |
Material |
Material of the lofted plate. |
Finish |
Type of finish. Finish is user definable. It describes how the part surface has been treated, e.g. with anti-corrosive paint, hot galvanized, fire retardant coating, etc. |
Class |
Use to group lofted plates. For example, you can display parts of different classes in different colors. |
Numbering series |
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Part numbering |
Part prefix and start number for the part position number. |
Assembly numbering |
Assembly prefix and start number for the assembly position number. |
Face type |
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Face type |
Select whether the top and bottom faces of the plate are flush with the plane. Perpendicular: The top and bottom faces of the plate are non-linear. |
Bounded by curved planes: The top and bottom faces of the plate are planar. |
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IFC export |
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IFC entity |
For IFC export, select the IFC entity type and subtype of the part. The available subtypes depend on the selected IFC entity. You can select the IFC4 subtype among the predefined options, or you can select USERDEFINED and then enter any text in User-defined type (IFC4). |
Subtype (IFC4) |
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User-defined type (IFC4) |
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More |
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UDAs |
Click the User-defined attributes button to open the user-defined attributes (UDAs) of the part. UDAs provide additional information about the part. |