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Add symbols in drawings

Tekla Structures
2024
Tekla Structures

Add symbols in drawings

You can add symbols in drawings as such and in marks, notes, object representations, and line arrows, for example. Symbols can be created and edited in Symbol Editor (SymEd). The file extension for symbols is .sym.

Add a symbol in a drawing

You can add symbols in an open drawing as such.

  1. In the drawing, hold down Shift and, on the Annotations tab, click Symbol and one of the following symbol commands:

    • Symbol: Add a symbol in the current drawing without a leader line.

    • Along line: Create a symbol along the line you define by picking two points. Then pick an insertion point for the symbol.

    • With leader line: Add a symbol with a leader line pointing to the point you pick first.

    Alternatively, select Symbol from the drawing property pane object list.

  2. Modify the symbol properties:
    • Symbol:

      The symbol preview shows the current symbol and indicates the symbol number and the name of the symbol file.

      Click to open a dialog box where you can select a new symbol or change the symbol file in use.

    • Color: Change the color of the symbol. You can use a standard color or a custom RGB color.
    • Height: Change the height of the symbol.
    • Rotation: Change the rotation of the symbol.
    • Frame: Change the frame type and color.
    • Leader line: Select the leader line type.

      Leader line

      Along line

      No leader line

    • Placing: Select the placing method, position, and areas around the symbol.
      • Placing method:

        Free allows Tekla Structures to search for the first suitable location for the symbol.

        Fixed allows you to place the symbol in any location.

        When you use the option Fixed, the symbol stays where it is even though you update the drawing, whereas with Free, Tekla Structures tries to find the optimal place for the symbol.

      • Position: Define the areas where Tekla Structures searches for a position to place the symbol.

        .

      • Distance s: Define the empty margin that you want to leave around the symbol.

        Distance d min: Define the minimum distance of the symbol from the object.

  3. Pick one to three points in the drawing to place the symbol. The symbol command and the leader line type you selected affects the number of points to pick.
    Tekla Structures adds the symbol using the properties you defined.

Add a symbol in a mark

You can add symbols in marks. You can select the symbol file to be used and the symbol to be added in the mark.

  1. In an open drawing, click a mark.
    If the property pane is not open, double-click the mark.
  2. In mark properties, in the visual editor, click the location where you want to add the symbol.
  3. To add the symbol, click to open the element list and select Symbol.
  4. In the Mark content - symbol dialog box, select the desired symbol file in the Symbol file list.
  5. Click the symbol you want to use.
    You can also enter the number of the symbol.
  6. Click OK.

    Tekla Structures adds the symbol in the selected mark location.

  7. Click Modify in mark properties.

    Tekla Structures adds the symbol in the mark.

Change the symbol file in use

You can change the currently used symbol file if the current symbol file does not contain the symbol that you need.

Do one of the following, depending on what you are working with.

Change the symbol file and the symbol used in a mark

  1. Double-click a mark in an open drawing.

  2. Double-click the symbol in the visual mark editor.
  3. In the Mark content - symbol dialog box, select a new symbol file from the Symbol file list and click OK, or double-click the file.
  4. Select the desired symbol.

Change the symbol file and the symbol for a symbol in a drawing

  1. Double-click the symbol in your drawing.

  2. In the symbol properties, click next to the Symbol box.
  3. In the Mark content - symbol dialog box, select a new symbol file from the Symbol file list and click OK, or double-click the file.
  4. Select the desired symbol.

Create a new symbol file

In addition to the default symbol files that are delivered with Tekla Structures, you can create symbol files of your own, and save them in model, firm, or project folder, for example.

If you decide to use your own files, you can add DXK_SYMBOLPATH in the options.ini file under the model folder and define your own symbol file folder paths there. The symbol files are read in a certain search order, see section "Symbol file search order" below.

  1. On the File menu, click Editors > Symbol editor.
  2. Click File > New.

    You can also open an existing symbol file, edit it and save with a new name.

  3. Create the symbol in the Symbol Editor.
    Sketch your new symbol with the Symbol Editor drawing tools.

    Draw the symbol with the Symbol Editor drawing tools. You can also import AutoCAD or MicroStation files, or draw a copy of an image in a bitmap file and use it as a background image in Symbol Editor.

  4. Click File > Save and save the symbol file in the folder that you use for keeping your symbol files, for example, in the model, firm, or project folder.

    If you opened an existing symbol file, use File > Save as, give the symbol file another name, and save it in the desired folder.

    For more information about working with symbols, see Symbol Editor User's Guide in PDF documentation.

Modify symbol properties

You can modify the properties of symbols in an open drawing.

  1. Click a symbol in an open drawing.
    If the property pane is not open, double-click the symbol.
  2. Modify the symbol color, height, rotation, frame type, frame color, and the leader line.
  3. Modify symbol placement settings.

    Here you can select to use free or fixed placing, and define the areas where Tekla Structures searches for a position to place the symbol, the empty margin that you want to leave around the symbol (s), and the minimum distance of the symbol from the object (d).

  4. Click Modify.
Tekla Structures modifies the symbol properties according to the changes you made in the symbol properties.

Customize leader line arrow symbols

If you do not find a suitable leader line arrow in the Arrow list in mark properties, for example, you can add an arrow of your own in the list.

First you need to create a new arrow symbol in the Symbol Editor, and save the created symbol in the arrow.sym file. Then you need to add the position of the new symbol in the arrow.sym to the arrow.txt configuration file, which tells which arrows are available for use in your environment.

  1. On the File menu, click Editors > Symbol editor to open the Symbol Editor.
  2. Open the arrow.sym file located in the common environment or in your own environment under the \symbols folder.
  3. Click an empty symbol slot and sketch your symbol with the Symbol Editor drawing tools.

    You can also import AutoCAD or MicroStation files through File > Import.

  4. When the symbol is completed, point the symbol slot to check the number of the new symbol at the bottom of the window.

  5. Save the arrow.sym file by clicking File > Save.
  6. Click File > Exit to close the Symbol Editor.
  7. Open the arrow.txt file located in the same \symbols folder as the arrow.sym file.

    The file contains a list of symbol numbers.

  8. Add the number of your symbol preceded by zero (0) in the correct position and separate it with a comma:

    016,017,018,019,020,021,022,023,024,032,048,049,101,102,110,200

  9. Click File > Save to save your change.
  10. Add an image of the arrow in the .bmp format in the ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla Structures\<version>\Bitmaps folder on your computer.

    Use the following format in the file name: dr_dialog_arrow_type_022.bmp.

    For more information about the locations of the \bitmaps folders, see DAK_BMPPATH.

  11. Double-click a mark in a drawing to open mark properties.
  12. Open the Arrow list, and you should see that the new arrow symbol is now available for use.

Note:

We recommend that you define a firm folder for symbols, because the default folders are overwritten when you upgrade to a newer version of Tekla Structures. Add the firm folder to the advanced optionDXK_SYMBOLPATH. For instructions about defining a firm folder, see the related section below.

Add surfacing symbols in drawings

You can add surfacing symbols in cast unit drawings using the Add surfacing symbols macro.

Before you start, ensure that you have an object that has surface treatment in the model, and that you have created a cast unit drawing of that object. Also check in the view properties that surface treatment Visibility is set to Visible.

  1. Open a cast unit drawing that has a part containing surface treatment.
  2. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to open the Applications & components catalog.
  3. Click the arrow next to Applications to open the applications list.
  4. Double-click Add surfacing symbols.
  5. In the Create surface symbols dialog box, select the texts that you want to include in the surface treatment symbol from the Available elements list and add the texts to the Elements in mark by clicking Add >.
  6. Select All Views to include the symbols in all drawing views, or Selected Views to include the symbols only in the views you select.
  7. Change the font settings, if necessary.
  8. If you selected Selected Views, select the views where you wish to have surface treatment symbols.
  9. Click Create.

Tekla Structures creates the surface treatment symbols according to the defined settings. You can change the symbol properties and the text afterwards in the text properties that are displayed when you double-click the symbol. For example, you can change the symbol file and number.

Symbol Editor

You can open Symbol Editor by clicking File > Editors > Symbol editor. In Symbol Editor, you can create new symbol files, and create and modify symbols.

The Symbol files dialog box in drawing mode allows you to change the symbol file in use. It also provides access to Symbol Editor.

We recommend that you have a look at the Symbol Editor User's Guide so that you get familiar with creating new symbols and modifying the existing ones. You will find a link to the guide on the PDF documentation page.

We strongly recommend that you do not modify the original symbol files delivered with your Tekla Structures application. If you need to modify any symbols, copy the original symbol file and work on the copy, keeping the original symbol file intact.

If your symbols are located in a protected folder, the symbols are read-only, because you cannot save a modified symbol in a protected folder if you are not an administrator. In this case, run Tekla Structures as administrator.

Symbol file search order

The symbol files (.sym) are searched from the following folders in the following order:

  1. All DXK_SYMBOLPATH folders

    The advanced option DXK_SYMBOLPATH is defined in the environment initialization file <your_environment>.ini and in the Tekla Structures initialization file teklastructures.ini.

    Alternatively, you can add your own DXK_SYMBOLPATH in options.ini under the model folder and define your own symbol folder paths there. Note that also the path settings in the <your_environment>.ini file need to be added there.

    The reading order of the .ini files containing the DXK_SYMBOLPATH definition:

    1. teklastructures.ini

    2. <your_environment> .ini

    3. options.ini

  2. Current model folder

    Add here any additional symbol files that you might need.

All symbol files that are found are available to be used in Tekla Structures. If there are duplicate file names, the first one found is used and the rest are discarded. If the model folder contains a symbol file that has the same name as another symbol file in DXK_SYMBOLPATH, the one in the model folder is discarded.

Example of overriding a symbol temporarily

If there is no permanent need to add your own symbol paths in the options.ini file in the model folder, you can temporarily override symbols. In this example, you will temporarily override the weld symbol with a customized symbol located in your model folder:

  1. Customize the symbol in ts_welds.sym first.
  2. Copy the edited ts_welds.sym in your model folder C:\TeklaStructuresModels\ <mymodel>
  3. Open the options.ini file located in your model folder, and add the line DXK_SYMBOLPATH=C:\ TeklaStructuresModels\<mymodel>; C:\TeklaStructures\2017\Environments\common\symbols; + possible other symbol folders in your local environment.

Define a firm folder for images and symbols

You can define a firm folder where Tekla Structures always searches for the images and symbols. When you store the images and symbols in this folder, you do not have to move them from folder to folder when you install a new version of Tekla Structures. Installing a new version does not replace the files in the firm folder.

Define the firm folder in the options.ini file under the model folder or user.ini using the advanced option XS_FIRM.

To define the firm folder for images and symbols in the options.ini file:

  1. Modify the options.ini file to include the advanced option DXK_SYMBOLPATH that points to the firm folder.

    The advanced option DXK_SYMBOLPATH may contain multiple paths separated by semicolons.

    Since Tekla Structures version 19.0, the folder path definitions like %DATADIR% or %XS_FIRM% in DXK_SYMBOLPATH have not converted the paths correctly when used in options.ini located in the firm folder. Currently in options.ini in the firm folder you need to write the absolute paths for DXK_SYMBOLPATH, like in the example below:

    DXK_SYMBOLPATH=C:\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla Structures\2020\Environments\common\symbols\;C:\firm\Symbols\;

  2. In Template Editor, click Options > Preferences > File Locations and enter the path to the firm folder also for Symbols, pictures.
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