Import shapes into Tekla Structures

You can import the following types of shape files:

dgn
dwg
dxf
ifc
ifcXML
ifcZIP
iges
igs
shapecatalog
skp
step
stp
tsc

When you import a shape into the shape catalog, Tekla Structures creates two files: one .xml file for shape attributes, such as the name and GUID, and one .tez file for geometric properties, such as coordinates. The files are saved in the current model folder under the \Shapes and \ShapeGeometries sub-folders.

The shape name that is shown in the shape catalog is determined as follows:

If you import a .tsc or .shapecatalog file, the shape name is read from the imported file.
If you import other file types, the shape name is the name of the imported file.

Tip:

You can also download shapes from Tekla Warehouse, or create shapes using existing geometry in Tekla Structures models.

Import shapes

When you use other modeling software to model shapes that you want to import into Tekla Structures, we recommend that you center parts around the origin and direct the parts along the x axis.

From Tekla Structures models you can also import shape catalog groups either with the shapes as .shapecatalog files or without the shapes as .ShapeCatalog.Groups.xml files.

Open the model into which you want to import shapes or shape catalog groups.
On the File menu, click Catalogs > Shape catalog to open the Shape catalog dialog.
To import shapes without the group structure into a certain group or sub-group in the shape catalog, select the group or sub-group on the left side of the dialog.

If you do not select a group, Tekla Structures imports the shapes into the Ungrouped group.
Click Import.
In the Import shape definitions dialog, browse to the folder that contains the files to be imported, select the files, then click Open.

Tekla Structures checks if there are duplicates in the shapes in the import files compared to the existing shape catalog.

In the Import dialog, you can see the Status of each imported shape, such as New shape definition or Shape name already exists. If a shape has already been used in the model, you can also see the Instances of the shape.
If shapes with the same name and GUID as the shapes being imported already exist in the shape catalog, replace or keep the existing shapes. In the Import dialog:
- Select Overwrite for each existing shape that you want to replace with a new, imported shape.
- Deselect Overwrite for each existing shape that you want to keep unchanged.
In the Import dialog, click Import.

Importing a large file can take several minutes.
Click OK to complete the import.

The groups that contain new or modified shapes are marked with on the left side of the Shape catalog dialog. The new or modified shape rows are highlighted in yellow in the list of shapes.
Click Save to save changes to the shape catalog.

Shape import has three possible results:

Tekla Structures imports the shape as a watertight solid shape. All solid operations are available.
Tekla Structures imports the shape as a non-solid shape. A non-solid shape means that the object might not be watertight. For example, it has holes, or is missing a face or an edge.
Import fails. The import can fail for several reasons, such as if the shape is very complex or has no volume. There might also be a tolerance difference between Tekla Structures and the original software that was used to create the shape. To find out why the import failed, check the session history log by going to File menu > Logs > Session history log.

The Solidity column in the shape catalog shows whether a shape is solid or non-solid.

Example: Import a shape from SketchUp Pro

This example shows how to import a solid 3D shape from Trimble SketchUp Pro to a Tekla Structures model.

Create an empty model in SketchUp Pro.

Delete any extra entities, such as the default person on the drawing area.
Create a group of entities.

Although Tekla Structures supports importing separate individual entities, we recommend you create a group of entities or a component in SketchUp.

All SketchUp groups and components should form watertight solids. Select the group or component and open Entity Info to check that the selection is a solid. SketchUp solids have a volume. If there is no volume listed, the selection is not a solid.
Select the group and click Solid Tools > Union to make the group of entities into a union of solids.

Your group becomes a single solid volume: a solid.
Place the solid in SketchUp so that it lies along the positive x axis (red), and halfway on both y (green) and z axes (blue). In Tekla Structures, the yellow and magenta part handles will align with the x axis used in SketchUp.

The location and rotation of the solid in SketchUp are important, since they determine how an item is inserted and positioned in Tekla Structures. Different positioning in SketchUp causes an offset in Tekla Structures.
Save the SketchUp file.
In your Tekla Structures model, open the Shape catalog dialog and click Import.
Select the SketchUp file.
Click Import.

Tekla Structures imports the shape to the shape catalog and you can use it to define the shape of an item or a concrete item.