Create and manage construction lines
Construction lines serve a similar purpose to grid lines in that they facilitate the placement of entities.
- Construction lines are not associated with a specific architectural grid and therefore do not automatically repeat over multiple construction levels.
- Construction line names are not displayed in balloons at the ends of the lines.
Create a single construction line
If you want to create a series of construction lines which form a regular or irregular, rectangular or radial construction line system, the Rectangular Wizard and Sector Wizard are the fastest options.
- Ensure that the 2D view representing the construction level on which you want to create your construction line is active.
- Go to the Model tab.
- In the Construction Line list, select Construction Line.
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Select the point where you want the construction line to start.
Tip: The tooltip views the mouse pointer's exact coordinates. If the mouse pointer has not snapped to the required point, press F2 to type the exact coordinates of the required point.
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Select the point where you want the construction line to end.
Tip: The tooltip views either the absolute, relative, or polar coordinates of the end point, depending on whether the ABS, REL, or POL button is selected in the Status bar.
- To switch the display, click one of the other buttons.
Note: The construction line does not extend to infinity. Do ensure that the construction line is sufficiently long to meet your needs.Tekla Structural Designer creates the construction line between the selected points.
Create parallel construction lines
This option creates a construction line parallel to an existing one, but of a different length. To use this option, you must have at least one existing construction line in the current 2D view.
- Go to the Model tab.
- In the Construction Line list, select Parallel.
- Select the construction line to which your new construction lines will be parallel.
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Move the mouse pointer to the distance where you want to place the parallel construction line.
Tip: The tooltip views the distance of the dotted line from the initial construction line you selected in step 3. Press F2 to type the exact distance.
For more accuracy, you can zoom in.
- Click to locate the new construction line.
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Click the points where you want the new construction line to start and end.
The construction line is now created.
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Move the mouse pointer and place other construction lines with respect to the line you selected in step 3, or press
Esc to end construction placement.
Tip: To create parallel construction lines of the same length as the selected construction line, select the Parallel (quick) command.
When you create quick parallel construction lines, you can press F2 to define the distance between successive pairs of construction lines, separating the numbers with commas. If you have a number of bays that are at the same centers, then you can specify these as a single entry.
For example, you can specify bay centers of 18', 27' , 18' 6" , 18' 6" , 18' 6" and 27" as 18' , 27' , 3x18' 6" , 27".
Create perpendicular construction lines
To use this option, you must have at least one existing grid or construction line in the current 2D view.
- Go to the Model tab.
- In the Construction Line list, select Perpendicular.
- Select the construction line to which your new construction line will be perpendicular.
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Move the new construction line to the desired position and click to locate it.
Tip: The tooltip views the perpendicular distance of the dotted line from the middle of the construction line you selected. Press F2 to type the exact distance.
- Click the points where you want the new construction line to start and end.
- Move the mouse pointer and place other construction lines with respect to the line you selected in step 4, or press Esc to end construction placement.
Create a rectangular construction line system
- Ensure that the 2D view representing the construction level on which you want to create your rectangular construction line system is active.
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On the Model tab, in the Construction Line list, select Rectangular Wizard.
The Rectangular Grid Wizard opens.
- Define the origin of the construction line system either by clicking it in the 2D view, or by entering its coordinates in the Rectangular Grid Wizard.
- Click Next.
- Select if you want to create construction lines in the X direction only, in the Y direction only, or in both directions.
- Select the style that you want to use for the construction lines.
- Click Next.
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On the following pages, define the layout of constructions for the bays in the X and Y directions.
Note: You can define either a regular or an irregular construction layout:
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For a regular construction, define the number of bays you want to create and the bay centers.
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For an irregular construction, define the distance between successive pairs of construction lines, separating the numbers by commas. If you have a number of bays that are at the same centers, you can specify them as a single entry (for example, 3x18'6").
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- Click Next.
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Define the rotation of the construction either by moving the mouse over the 2D view and clicking, or by typing values into the
Rectangular Grid Wizard.
Tip: In the Rectangular Grid Wizard, you can specify the rotation with respect to either the construction line system's local x or local y direction. This is helpful if you are creating a construction line system that is not orthogonal.
- Click Next.
- Specify the angle between the axes with respect to either the X or Y axis system.
- Click Finish.
Create a radial construction line system
- Ensure that the 2D view representing the construction level on which you want to create your radial construction line system is active.
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On the Model tab, in the Construction Line list, select Radial Grid Wizard.
The Radial Grid Wizard opens.
- Define the origin of the construction line system either by clicking it in the 2D view, or by entering its coordinates in the Radial Grid Wizard.
- Click Next.
- Select whether you want to create the radial lines only, the arcs only, or both of these.
- Select the style that you want to use for the construction lines.
- Click Next.
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Define the layout of the arcs that you will create.
Note: You can define either a regular or an irregular construction layout:
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For a regular construction, define the number of bays you want to create and the bay centers.
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For an irregular construction, define the distance between successive pairs of construction lines, separating the numbers by commas. If you have a number of bays that are at the same centers, you can specify them as a single entry (for example, 3x10'6").
You can also select whether the arc construction lines are represented as curves, or as a series of straight lines between the points where the arc intersects the other construction lines created as part of this process.
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- Click Next.
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Define the layout of radial construction segments that you want to achieve.
Again, you can specify the reference of the first construction line, and how you want to increment the reference to give the references of the other radial lines that you create.
- Click Next.
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Define the rotation of the construction either graphically by moving the mouse over the 2D view and clicking, or by typing values into the
Rectangular Grid Wizard
Tip: In the Rectangular Grid Wizard, you can specify the rotation with respect to either the construction line system's local x or local y direction.
- Click Finish.
Create construction arcs
- Go to the Model tab.
- In the Construction Line list, select Arc.
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Select the point which lies at the center of the construction arc which you want to create.
The tooltip views the mouse pointer's exact coordinates.
- Click the points where you want the construction arc to start and end.
- Move the mouse pointer and place other construction arcs with respect to the line you selected in step 3, or press Esc to end construction placement.