Plan Level Mark

Purpose and description

This tool allows users to create a mark type callout on a plan drawing that will get the 3d elevation and call it out. It is based on the 3d intersection of a line from where the user picks the first point to the solid of the part the user picks in the drawing. The highest global elevation on the solid is given as output. The global z offset value is added to the solid intersection if the uda name is set in the dialog. The value updates when the drawing is updated as long as the plugin is not exploded manually by the user.

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System requirements

Installing Plan Level Mark

To install the application:

1. Have Tekla Structures closed during installation.
2. Run the msi package downloaded from Tekla Warehouse.
3. Reopen Tekla Structures once installation is complete
4. Before version 2016: A new toolbar icon which will launch the tool should now be visible when a drawing is opened. For 2016 version and newer: a new thumbnail under Ungrouped items in the Applications and components side pane will appear.

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Using Plan Level Mark

To use the application:

1. Open a CastUnit drawing where you would like to add plan level marks.
2. Start the tool from the new icon/thumbnail that has been added. This is not a macro but a drawing plugin so it can’t be started from the macros dialog box.
3. You will then be prompted to pick a part in the drawing in order to figure out which solid geometry to find the elevation from.
4. Then pick a point locating the head of the leader line and where to intersect the part solid in 3d along the plan view.
5. The user can drag the plan level mark, or select either of the two input points and change the position of the plan level mark after it has been inserted on the drawing.
6. The representation of the plan level mark and leader is controlled through the drawing associative note properties. The user can open the associate note properties dialog box and set color, linetype, frame, etc then save away those settings with a name.
7. The user can then open up the Plan Level Mark properties dialog box and type the name they save in the associate note properties dialog box, then modify existing plan level marks, or press Apply, to apply those settings for new plan level marks that will be added to the drawing. The tool doesn’t read the settings from the level marks property dialog box, just the text associate note dialog box.
8. The plan level mark is parametric and will update the elevation and other field data if the model has changed and the drawing is reopened. These are updated when the drawing is opened. The mark may disappear if the original ID/part instance that you selected to associate the plan level mark to in the drawing has been deleted from the model.
9. The user can add custom text data to the mark in the Mark Format String text box. Type any string in the Mark Format String text box you want to have for formatting of the first content of the mark. The key words ELEVATION will be replaced with actual 3d elevation, PART_MARK will be replaced with the actual part mark, ASSEMBLY_MARK will be replaced with the assembly mark. POUR_NUMBER will be replaced with the pour number. Here are a few examples:

10. In addition to the elevation it will also load the regular content specified by the associative note’s content. Note: Position from associative note content does not work, this must be specified directly in mark format string.
11. Datum Offset determines if it is to add the view datum offset value or the project uda global offset value to add to the model local z value for true level. This value is set to use the global project uda offset z for default.
12. Additional Offset is designed to be used to denote additional buffer distance where some objects might be on top of existing part solid but not modeled (e.g. cast in place topping on precast part). This value is 0 by default.

Error Information

• If the leader line is dragged away from the picked solid or it is otherwise unable to project down the point onto the solid you will get the text message: “No intersections found” for the mark level.
• If you pick something other than a drawing part you will get the message "No part found", or a fatal program exception error message depending on what is picked, this tool is intended for drawing parts as input only.

Additional information

• This tool is only designed to be used in a plan type view.
• The tool doesn’t replace level marks altogether but is more meant to be a supplemental tool where the out of the box level marks doesn’t provide the desired results.
• If the original part ID or instance is deleted from the model that the plan level mark was associated to on the drawing, then the plugin will be deleted from the drawing.