Different levels of setting up and modifying drawing properties

Tekla Structures
2021
Tekla Structures

Different levels of setting up and modifying drawing properties

In Tekla Structures, you can set up and change drawings and drawing properties on different levels, depending on how permanent and extensive changes are needed. You can change drawings on drawing, view and object level.

Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings

  • On the highest level, you can define drawing properties on drawing level:
    • The drawing-specific properties that you define in Drawing properties apply to the whole drawing: user-defined attributes for the drawing, detail view start number/letter, drawing-specific section view settings, some drawing-specific view attributes, drawing titles and drawing layout settings.
    • On the drawing level, you can also select the views that you want to create, and set view, dimensioning, protection, building object and mark settings separately for each view by going further to View properties for the selected view. For example, you can define that all marks have blue frame in the top view, or that model weld marks are shown in a front view. It is very important to save the view-level properties files in View properties to be able to connect the desired view properties to the views that you are creating.
    • You can modify the drawing level properties before you create the drawing and also change them in the created drawing.
  • You can also change drawing properties in single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings on view level:
    • Double-click a view frame in an open drawing, which opens View properties.
    • Change an object property. The change takes place only in the views that you have selected in an open drawing.
    • The object properties change in all objects of the particular type in the selected views. For example, if you change the mark line color, the mark line changes in all marks in the selected views.
  • Finally, you can change drawing properties on object level:
    • Double-click an object in an open drawing, which opens object-specific properties.
    • Properties change for the selected object only. You can change select several objects and change the properties in all of them.
    • The properties changed on the object level are no longer affected by any property changes on higher levels.

General arrangement drawings

  • On the highest level, you can change general arrangement drawing properties on drawing level Drawing properties and its subdialog boxes:
    • This way you can change the properties of all building objects, protected areas, marks, dimensions, and views in the drawing at the same time. For example, you can define that all marks have blue frame.
    • You can modify the drawing properties before you create the drawing and also change them in the created drawing.
    • The object properties change in all views and objects in that drawing, except for new views that you create after the drawing is created.
  • You can also change general arrangement drawing properties on view level:
    • Double-click a view frame in an open drawing, which opens View properties.
    • The changes take place only in the views that you have selected in an open drawing.
    • The object properties change in all objects of the particular type in the selected views. For example, if you change the mark line color, the mark line changes in all marks in the selected views.
  • Finally, you can change drawing properties on object level:
    • Double-click an object in an open drawing, which opens object-specific properties.
    • Properties change for the selected object only.
    • The properties changed on the object level are no longer affected by any property changes on higher levels.

Detailed object level properties

By saving the object property settings and combining them with drawing or view filters and drawing object types into detailed object level settings, you can also apply the object level properties on the drawing and view level. Note that detailed object levels properties on drawing level are available only in general arrangement drawings. Object level settings are a powerful tool: you can use the same property file for creating drawings and quickly change a particular property before you create drawings, for example, reinforcement color or mark frame shape. The object level settings override the property settings in the view and drawing properties. Changes in the object level settings applied on the drawing level are inherited to the view level if there are no object level settings defined on the view level. If you apply object level settings on the view level, they override the drawing level settings.

Recommended workflow

The recommended way of working is to work from top to bottom, from drawing level to object level:

  1. Set your drawing and automatic drawing view properties as close as possible to what you want by first attempting this on the drawing level.
  2. Then modify anything else that needs to be changed on the view level.
  3. Finally, if any further cleanup is necessary, you can make changes on the individual object level.

The modifications made on the drawing level remain when the drawing is recreated due to a model change.

Once you change properties on the view level you should not go to the drawing level properties and modify drawing properties there. This is because once you have changed a setting at one level, changing the same setting on the level above may for some settings negate the changes you have just made.

Example workflow in a general arrangement drawing

The following image illustrates the idea of the three property levels in a GA drawing. The frame color and the shape of the mark are used as an example.

  1. You change the mark frame color and shape for the whole drawing on the drawing level. The changes propagate to the view level and to the object level.
  2. You change the mark frame color and shape in the selected views. The changes take place in the selected views only. The properties do not change in the whole drawing.

    Note that if you change the frame color and shape on the drawing level after changing them on the view level for some of the views, the drawing level changes override the view level changes in all views. View settings behave differently: they are not overridden, for example, the view scale stays as you have set it for individual views.

  3. You change the mark frame color and shape in the selected marks. The properties do not change anywhere else. If you try to change the mark frame color and shape on the view or drawing level, the properties do not change in the marks that you changed separately.

Click the following links to find out more:

Set automatic drawing properties before creating drawings

Modify drawing properties of an existing drawing

Modify view-level drawing properties

Modify drawing object properties

Detailed object level settings

How Tekla Structures applies drawing properties in drawing creation

Recreation of drawings

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