1. On the Steel tab, hold down Shift and click Bolt .

   The Bolt properties open in the property pane, and the following contextual toolbar appears:

   

2. Modify the Bolt properties, if needed.

   For example, the Bolt group settings affect the end result: the shape of the bolt group, the number of bolts in the group, and the spacing of the bolts. See the Bolt group shape section below for examples.

   To define the hole properties, use the Holes settings in the Bolt properties.

3. Move the mouse pointer over the parts in the model to see a preview of the bolts.

   With the options and where you use a part face, the edge of the part face that is nearest to the mouse pointer is selected as the basis for the preview. The bolt group direction will be perpendicular to this edge.

   Bolt heads are shown with crosses in the preview. For example:

   

4. To adjust whether dimensions are shown in the preview, click on the contextual toolbar. Then click Internal dimensions to show or hide the dimensions between the bolts in the group.
5. If you want to snap to part center lines when you place the bolts, click on the contextual toolbar. Then select whether you want to show the center lines for profiles, such as beams and columns, or for plates, or for both.
6. Choose how you want to create and place the bolts; click a button on the contextual toolbar to select one of the three methods, By face, By parts and face, or By parts and points. Then follow the related steps below.

   When you pick locations, you can use various snapping methods, such as numeric snapping, or you can create temporary reference points by holding down Ctrl.

   If you need to change the direction of the bolts by 180°, click on the contextual toolbar. Clicking only flips the bolt direction, but maintains the other bolt properties, such as the order of special holes and the hole locations.

   To	Do this
   Create bolts using a part face	On the contextual toolbar, click . Pick a location on a part face. To temporarily lock the edge direction, hold down Alt while you pick. Tekla Structures uses the Cut length value in the Bolt properties to select the parts to be connected. The part with the largest volume will be the main part, and the secondary parts will be in order that they are found.
   Create bolts based on the parts to be connected and using a part face	On the contextual toolbar, click . Select the main part, to which the secondary parts will be bolted. Select the secondary parts. Click the middle mouse button to finish selecting parts. Pick a location on a part face. To temporarily lock the edge direction, hold down Alt while you pick. Tekla Structures calculates the bolt cut length based on the selected parts and corrects the Cut length value in the Bolt properties.
   Create bolts based on the parts to be connected and by picking two points	On the contextual toolbar, click . Select the main part, to which the secondary parts will be bolted. Select the secondary parts. Click the middle mouse button to finish selecting parts. Pick a point to indicate the bolt group origin. Pick a second point to indicate the direction of the bolt group x axis. Tekla Structures determines the location of the bolt group using the following values: the bolt group x axis and the work plane. Dimensions are relative to the bolt group origin, which is the first point picked. Tekla Structures sets the x direction of the bolt group using the second point picked. It is important that the points you pick to create the bolt group are close enough to the parts you want to connect.

1. On the Steel tab, hold down Shift and click Bolt to open the Bolt properties.
2. Under Bolt group, select Array from the Shape list.
3. In the Bolt dist X and Bolt dist Y boxes, enter 0.
4. Create the bolt the same way you would create a bolt group. See the instructions in the table above.

Use the Auto bolt component to bolt parts and nearby parts, shim plates, splice plates, or other plates. Auto bolt follows the part rotation and finds the best rotation so that you do not need to set the work plane. With Auto bolt one bolt group can span many parts, for example, manage a splice as a single group.

1. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to open the Applications & components catalog.
2. Start typing auto bolt in the search box.
3. Double-click Auto bolt in the catalog to open the Auto bolt dialog.
4. Define the bolt properties.
5. If needed, you can show cut length as temporary lines to view where the bolts should be placed even if they are not created.

   • Select in the list at the bottom of the dialog to not show the temporary lines.

   • Select in the list at the bottom of the dialog to show the temporary lines.

   To delete the temporary lines, right-click the view and select Redraw view.

6. Click Apply.
7. Select the main part.

   Auto bolt uses this part to identify the best rotation. This part will be the main part of the assembly.

8. Select the secondary part.
9. Click the middle mouse button.
10. Pick the first and the second position to define the bolt group direction.

    

    

    The positions you pick define a line that is used to find all parallel part faces and the optimal plane and locations for the bolts. The plane is chosen as follows:

    1. The face with the longest projection of the line

    2. If there are two faces with equally long projections, the face which is closer to the line

    3. If there are two equally close faces, the larger face

    For example, with special part profiles, selecting points close to the wanted face ensures that the bolts are placed correctly:

    

An alternative way to create bolts is to first apply a component that includes bolt groups, and then explode the component.

1. Apply a component that includes bolt groups.

   For example, connect two beams, or a beam to a column, using a bolted end plate.

2. Explode the component.
   1. Select the component to explode.
   2. Right-click and select Explode component.

      Tekla Structures separates the objects in the component.

3. Modify the bolt group.
   1. Select the bolt group and double-click it to open the properties.
   2. Modify the properties.
   3. Click Modify.

You can change the parts a bolt group connects to.

1. On the Steel tab, click Bolted parts.
2. Select the bolt group.
3. Reselect the main and secondary parts.
4. Click the middle mouse button to finish selecting the parts.