You can create fixed profiles with a single cross section or with multiple cross sections.

1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Profile catalog to open the Modify Profile Catalog dialog box.
2. Right-click anywhere in the profile tree, then select Add Profile.

   A new fixed profile with the name PROFILE1 is created.

3. Define the properties of the profile.
   1. In the Profile name field, enter a new name for the profile.

      The profile name must be in upper case letters, with no spaces. Tekla Structures automatically converts lower case letters to upper case letters.

   2. From the Profile type list, select User-defined, fixed.
   3. From the Profile subtype list, select the cross section that you want to use.

      If you have created your own user-defined cross sections, you can use one of them.

   4. Under Equivalent type, select a profile type that matches the new cross section as closely as possible. This is important because some connections only work for certain types of profiles.

      The equivalent type and the profile dimensions, such as height and width, affect which connections can be applied to the profile. An unsuitable equivalent type or missing dimension values may result in problems with connections.

   5. Click Update.
4. Modify the dimension values.

   Always enter values for the dimensions Height h and Width b, as these values affect how Tekla Structures displays the profiles. If the values are 0, the part is drawn as a line.

5. Under Cross section, define a relative location for each cross section.
   1. From the Number list, select the number of the cross section.
   2. In the Relative location field, enter the location of the cross section.

      This value indicates the location of the cross section along the axis: 0.0 for the start end and 1.0 for the second end. If you only have a single cross section, select 1 for Number and enter 0.000 for Relative location.

   3. After defining each cross section, click Update.
6. Click Add to add more cross sections, if needed.
   • If you want to use a different cross section in the profile, select a new one from the Profile subtype list.
   • If you want to remove a cross section, select the cross section from the Number list, then click Remove.
7. Click OK to close the Modify Profile Catalog dialog.
8. Click OK in the Save confirmation dialog to save the changes.

You can create new fixed profiles by modifying a copy of an existing, similar profile.

1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Profile catalog to open the Modify Profile Catalog dialog box.
2. Select a fixed profile that is similar to the one that you want to create.
3. Right-click, then select Copy Profile.

   A new profile with the name <existing_profile_name COPY> is created.

4. In the Profile name field, enter a new name for the profile.

   The profile name must be in upper case letters, with no spaces. Tekla Structures automatically converts lower case letters to upper case letters.

5. Modify the profile properties on the General, Analysis, and User attributes tabs.

   • The General tab contains information about profile types and dimensions.

     Warning:

     Under Equivalent type, select a profile type that matches the new cross section as closely as possible. This is important because some connections only work for certain types of profiles.

     Always enter values for the dimensions Height h and Width b, as these values affect how Tekla Structures displays the profiles. If the values are 0, the part is drawn as a line.

     The equivalent type and the profile dimensions, such as height and width, affect which connections can be applied to the profile. An unsuitable equivalent type or missing dimension values may result in problems with connections.

   • The Analysis tab contains information about the properties used in structural analysis. The structure can be analyzed with different analysis software.

   • The User attributes tab is for viewing or entering user attributes for profiles.

6. Click Update.
7. Click OK to close the Modify Profile Catalog dialog.
8. Click OK in the Save confirmation dialog to save the changes.

You can convert an existing parametric profile into a fixed profile.

1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Profile catalog to open the Modify Profile Catalog dialog box.
2. Select a parametric profile from the list.
3. Right-click, then select Add Profile.

If necessary, you can modify existing fixed profiles using the profile catalog.

1. On the File menu, click Catalogs > Profile catalog to open the Modify Profile Catalog dialog box.
2. Select a fixed profile in the tree and modify its properties.

   • The General tab contains information about profile types and dimensions.

   • The Analysis tab contains information about the properties used in structural analysis. The structure can be analyzed with different analysis software.

   • The User attributes tab is for viewing or entering user attributes for profiles.

3. When you have finished modifying the profile, click Update.
4. Click OK to close the Modify Profile Catalog dialog.

   Tekla Structures asks if you want to save the changes to the model folder.

5. In the Save confirmation dialog, click OK to save the changes.