Part reference lines and part handles

When you create a part in Tekla Structures, you position the part by picking points. These points are the part reference points. Part reference line is line between two reference points, and the reference line has part handles at the line ends. Part handles can be used to move a model object or to modify the model object’s shape or size.

Part reference lines

When you pick two points to position a part, the picked points form the part reference line, and part handles appear at the line ends. The position of a part is always relative to its reference points.

If you change the Position values of the part in the property pane, the part profile moves around the reference line; location of the reference line in the model does not move.

By default, the part reference line is invisible in the model. It may be useful to have it visible when snapping to the middle points of parts, for example.

To make the part reference line visible in the model, double the view to open the View Properties dialog box.
Click Display... to open the Display dialog box.
On the Advanced tab, select the Part reference line check box.
Click Modify.

The part reference line is displayed.

Note that when you create horizontal parts, such as beams, always pick points in the same direction, for example, from left to right, and from bottom to top (in positive x, y directions). This ensures that Tekla Structures places and dimensions the parts in the same way in drawings, and that part marks automatically appear at the same part end.

To ensure that beam rotation is correct in drawings, set part Rotation to Top in the part properties.

Part handles

Tekla Structures indicates the direction of a part with handles. When you select a part, Tekla Structures shows the handles. The handle at the part start point is yellow, the rest are magenta.

For information on how to select only the handles of a part, see Select objects.

If Direct modification is on, Tekla Structures displays the direct modification handles for the reference points, corners, segments, and segment midpoints of the selected part. These handles are blue.

Part handles and direct modification handles are not visible at the same time. If you do not want to use the direct modification handles, ensure that direct modification is switched off.

You can use the part handles to modify the length of a part, if you do not want to use direct modification.

To start modifying the length of a part using part handles, ensure that the Direct modification switch is not active.
Select the part.

Tekla Structures highlights the handles of the part.
Click one of the handles to select it.
Move the handle like any other object in Tekla Structures.

For example, right-click and select Move.

If Drag & drop is active, just drag the handle to a new location.

Swap part handles

You can change the modeling direction of a part by using the Swap handles macro. This changes the yellow start handle to magenta, and the other way around.

Select the part whose modeling direction you want to change.

Tekla Structures shows the part handles.
Go to Quick Launch, start typing swap handles, and select the Macro.Swap handles command from the list that appears.

Tekla Structures changes the modeling direction of the part, and swaps the start and end handles.