AI-powered modeling with Tekla Model Assistant (Preview)

Tekla Model Assistant is an agentic AI tool integrated into Tekla Structures that uses natural language to perform modeling and drawing tasks. The assistant is context-aware and allows you to create model objects, such as beams and pad footings, modify object properties, and automate drawing operations such as creating GA drawings.

For example, you can ask Tekla Model Assistant to Create a 3x3 grid with pad footings at every intersection, or Set class 5 on all HEA300 beams, or Add part marks to all columns in this drawing.

You can customize Tekla Model Assistant by defining rules and skills, which are loaded from user, model, project, or firm folders. Additionally, you can use Tekla Model Assistant with Trimble Connect to download and import files from a Trimble Connect project.

To answer questions about how to use Tekla Structures, Tekla Model Assistant uses Trimble User Assistance information. It breaks down complex requests into individual steps and displays the progress as it processes your requests. Tekla Model Assistant automatically signs you in using your active Tekla Structures session's Trimble Identity.

Note that Tekla Model Assistant is a Preview feature. Preview features are primarily intended for evaluation purposes, providing an alternative approach to your typical workflow. For more information, see Preview features in Tekla Structures.

How Tekla Model Assistant works

The assistant reads your live Tekla Structures context, such as your selected objects and active views. This means you do not need to manually enter data or copy-paste information for the assistant to understand what you are working on.
The assistant can give an instant summary of the open model. The assistant can retrieve the number of parts, components, welds, and reinforcement. You can view the total model weight, number of different material types and profiles, and the overall size of the model in both metric and imperial units. This allows the assistant to answer questions such as What’s in the model, How heavy the model is, How many beams and columns are in the model, What are the used profiles and materials, and How big is the model without needing to process objects individually.
The assistant breaks down complex, large requests into a series of steps, using the output of one tool as the input for the next to perform a chain of actions. You can see which parts are finished, and update the remaining tasks at any time to match your project needs. It can handle workflows with multiple steps autonomously.
The assistant remembers more of your recent chat history instead of a limited number of messages. It keeps your current question and the most recent results ready to use, and only removes the oldest parts of the conversation if it needs to make more space.
The assistant is agentic, but it is not fully independent. The assistant will ask for confirmation before executing risky operations, such as deleting objects, and it will only perform actions based on your instructions.

Before you start using Tekla Model Assistant

Before you start using Tekla Model Assistant, note the following:

Tekla Model Assistant is available only for users with a Tekla Structures Diamond, Tekla Structures Graphite, or Tekla Structures Carbon subscription.
Tekla Model Assistant is delivered as part of the Tekla Structures installation and it is available in a side pane window in Tekla Structures. Ensure you have selected the Preview: Install the Tekla Model Assistant side pane checkbox during the Tekla Structures installation process.
You must be signed in with your Trimble Identity. Tekla Model Assistant uses your active Tekla Structures session for automatic authentication, meaning no separate login is needed within the assistant.
The tool supports both Metric and US Imperial environments. It automatically detects your environment settings (such as XS_IMPERIAL) to ensure that consistent units are used during modeling and drawing tasks.

Chat with Tekla Model Assistant

In the Tekla Structures side pane, click to open the Tekla Model Assistant - Preview side pane window.
Start typing your requests in the box located at the bottom of the window.

Describe what you want to do using natural language. For example: Show the differences in names and materials for the selected parts.

If you are working with specific objects, you can select the objects in the model before typing your request. Because Tekla Model Assistant is context-aware, it prioritizes your current selection. Alternatively, you can describe the objects in your request using natural language, such as all beams or the column at grid intersection C4.

Select the appropriate view before requesting view-related operations.

When working with drawings, ensure you are in drawing mode.

The assistant keeps your current question and the most recent results ready to use, and it only removes the oldest parts of the conversation if it needs to make more space.
Provide all necessary details and be specific in your requests to minimize misinterpretation.

The more detailed your requests are, the better the results will be.
You can also ask the assistant Tekla Structures related questions without performing any actions on the model.

For example: What reference model formats are supported?.
To customize your assistant, use custom rules or custom skills.

To preserve your preferences across different sessions, set your rules and skills to ensure that Tekla Model Assistant works more consistently across your sessions.

Tekla Model Assistant does not constantly monitor changes in the model or drawings in real time. However, the assistant can retrieve a short history of your recent manual changes in the model if requested.
- Custom rules are strict if-then instructions that the assistant automatically follows in every conversation.
  
  Use rules, for example, to enforce naming conventions, project standards, or team agreements. For example: Always use S275 as the default steel material when creating beams.
  
  Custom rules are saved in the rules.md file.
- Custom skills are step-by-step workflows that teach the assistant how to perform specific tasks.
  
  Use skills for tasks that involve multiple steps, such as creating a steel structure or adding pad footings to columns. For example: Create pad footings for the columns, taking into account their dimensions.
  
  Custom skills are saved in the skills.md file.
Custom rules and skills can be placed in user, model, project, or firm folders.

You can manage the rules.md and skills.md files directly through the Tekla Model Assistant side pane window.
1. Open the Tekla Model Assistant side pane.
2. Use a natural language request to view the files, for example: Show me my custom rules or Open skills.md.
3. You can then ask the assistant to add new instructions to the file or modify existing instructions. For example: Add a rule to always use material S355 for steel beams.
  
  The assistant provides a preview of the file content.
4. You can then approve the changes or refine them further.
Continue chatting with the assistant and try it out in your different workflows.

Always review the results of Tekla Model Assistant before proceeding with critical operations.
To give feedback on Tekla Model Assistant and help improve the tool, click in the side pane window.

Examples of actions that Tekla Model Assistant can perform


Action	Description
Create and modify objects and their properties	Create model objects such as beams, columns, plates, polybeams, pad footings, slabs, and grids. Modify object properties, such as profile and material. Set user-defined attributes (UDAs) on any object. You can apply the changes to an object or multiple objects simultaneously. Place model objects at grid intersections. Move, rotate, and mirror model objects. Delete objects. The assistant finds the matching objects, highlights them, and asks you to confirm the action before deleting them.
Insert and manage components in the model	Insert components on selected parts, including connections, details, and reinforcement components. Get a complete list of everything inside a component, such as parts, bolts, welds, cuts, and reinforcement. View details for up to five components at one time, including all of their specific settings and properties. Modify properties on existing components, such as plate thickness or step height in the assistant.
Find and select objects	Create model views. Filter objects and retrieve their properties. Show or hide objects.
Browse catalogs	Browse the profile catalog. View the full list of profiles or use wildcards. For example, type `HEB`, `IPE`, or `CHS`, to filter the results. Browse the material catalog. View the full list of materials or use wildcards, for example `S355` or B500, to filter the results. The assistant accesses your local catalogs directly, so it recognizes the exact same items available in your active session.
Work with reference models	Import reference models. List reference models. Create base points.
Run clash checks	Run a clash check in your model or on a specific selection of objects. Based on your request, the assistant filters and selects the elements to run the clash check against. The results are displayed in the Clash check manager dialog.
Create GA drawings	Apply drawing properties. Find drawings by properties, including by creation date or modification date. Add smart dimensioning rules. Modify part mark content. Filter and select drawing objects.
Retrieve model information	Retrieve the number of parts, components, welds, reinforcement, other uncategorized objects, as well as the total number of objects in the model. Retrieve the number of individual bolts and bolt groups. Retrieve the number of parts grouped by name, such as `BEAM`, `COLUMN`, or `PLATE`. View the total weight of all parts. Retrieve the number of different profiles and materials used in the model, including a detailed breakdown of the most common types. Report the overall dimensions of the model, providing the total length, width, and height of the structure in both metric and imperial units.

Examples of actions that Tekla Model Assistant cannot perform


Action	Description
Actions that Tekla Model Assistant cannot perform in the model	Undo actions. Create reinforcement bars. Modify bolt groups. Copy or paste objects. Open or interpret the content of IFC, DWG, or other files.
Actions that Tekla Model Assistant cannot perform in the drawings	Create single part or assembly drawings. Modify drawing layout, such as title block or sheet size. Add text annotations or symbols. Control view scales or view placement on the sheet.

Troubleshooting Tekla Model Assistant

If Tekla Model Assistant does not seem to work as expected or gets stuck, try these troubleshooting actions.


Problem	Solution
The assistant is not responding or seems stuck	Wait a moment for large operations to finish. If the assistant remains stuck, right-click in the assistant side pane window to refresh the session, or close and reopen the assistant side pane window. If the assistant is not following the conversation correctly, you can start a new chat session to clear the memory and start fresh.
The assistant starts to hallucinate or gets confused about previous steps	Start a new chat session. A new session clears all previous data. This ensures that the assistant is not affected by earlier conversations and allows you to start your next actions without any leftover context. Ask the assistant why it behaved in a certain way. This forces the assistant to explain the logic behind the actions. If you are unsure about a request, you can ask the assistant for clarification before it performs the action. For example: `What exactly are you going to do?`. You can then identify any misunderstandings before the assistant modifies your model.
An operation failed or produced the wrong results	Press Ctrl+Z in Tekla Structures before retrying a failed action. This prevents the assistant from building on top of previous errors and ensures that the problem does not become more complex. Tell the assistant what went wrong and try a more specific request. You can also ask the assistant to check recent changes using the GetRecentModelChanges command.
The assistant misunderstands your request	Rephrase your request more clearly or break complex tasks into smaller, individual steps. For example, instead of asking to set up an entire project, ask to create the grid first and then the columns. You can also explicitly say what you do not want to change.
The assistant cannot find specific objects	Select the objects manually in the model first and then tell the assistant to `use the current selection`. Alternatively, provide more specific criteria such as the profile, class, or material of the objects.
Tekla Structures appears frozen after an action	Tekla Structures processes one task at a time, wait for it to finish. Check if a dialog is open or if Tekla Structures is waiting for your input, for example to pick a point to position a part. You need to close or confirm these prompts before the assistant can continue.
The assistant repeats the same error	Create a custom rule to permanently define how the assistant should behave. For example: `Always ask for confirmation before modifying objects`. You can also create a custom skill to teach the assistant the exact workflow you want it to follow.