What is numbering and how to plan it
Before you can create drawings or accurate reports, you need to number all parts in the model. You do not need to number the model before you create general arrangement drawings.
Numbering is the key to the production output, for example, drawings, reports, and NC files. Numbers are also needed when you export models. Part numbers are vital in the fabrication, shipping, and erection stages of construction. Tekla Structures assigns a mark to each part and assembly/cast unit in a model. The mark includes part or assembly prefix and position number, and other elements, such as profile or material grade. It is useful to identify the parts with numbers to see which parts are similar and which different. Identical parts within a numbering series have the same number, which makes the planning of the production easier.
We recommend that you plan the numbering in an early phase of the project. If other users are using the same model, it is even more important to make a numbering plan that everybody in the project follows. You should have the numbering ready before you create the first drawings and reports.
When planning the numbering, it can be useful to number the model in phases, for example first floor of the building first, then the second, and so on.
Give start numbers in wide ranges so that you do not run out of numbers within a numbering series, and that any numbering series does not overlap with another. For example, start the first floor with the start number 1000 and the second with start number 2000.
If the numbering of a part or assembly is not up to date, a question mark (?) is displayed in the part label and in the Inquire object dialog box, for example: