Start Tekla Structures and open models using Tekla Launcher

Tekla Launcher is an alternative way to start Tekla Structures and to open and to create new models. Tekla Launcher allows the creation of models with all installed versions of Tekla Structures, although there are some limitations with older Tekla Structures versions.

Using the Tekla Launcher you can open and create models and open and join Tekla Model Sharing models without downloading and installing environments from Trimble Downloads. With the Tekla Launcher, the environments are stored and managed in a cloud service, ensuring that everyone working on a model is using the same environment with consistent settings and files. With the Tekla Launcher you have easy access to recent models, and you can create new models using readily available environments.

The Tekla Structures environments in the cloud service and those downloaded from Trimble Downloads are built from the same source, so the content of the environment files is the same.

Additionally, the Tekla Launcher supports project settings and company collections that have been created in the Project Settings Management Console, which is a web-based tool that lets you manage your project settings, environments, and other project files in the cloud. Once you have created your settings in the Project Settings Management Console, Tekla Launcher automatically retrieves the published settings from the cloud. This allows you to create new models where all users consistently apply the same project settings. Note that Project Settings Management Console is a preview feature, and all related functionalities supporting Project Settings Management Console have the preview status in Tekla Launcher.

Tekla Model Sharing models that have been created using the Tekla Launcher are restricted to the environment and environment version that they were created in. This ensures that all users collaborating on the shared model are using the same environment.

When you install Tekla Structures, two desktop icons appear:

that launches the Tekla Launcher startup screen.
that launches the classic Tekla Structures startup screen.

To use the Tekla Launcher to start Tekla Structures, double-click the desktop icon or select the Tekla Launcher from the Windows Start menu.

The first time you open the Tekla Launcher, a dialog where you select your Tekla Structures subscription opens. The subscription option that includes the highest level of features is automatically selected. If you have multiple subscriptions, you can switch between the subscriptions.

Create a new model in Tekla Launcher

You can create new models with all installed versions of Tekla Structures.

Go to the New tab.
To create a new model without using any model templates, go to the New blank model template and click Create.

The Create new dialog appears.
Enter a name and a description for the new model.
Select the installed Tekla Structures version.
Select the environment. Environments are filtered based on the selected Tekla Structures version.
- Custom (Preview): Custom environments contain project settings and company-specific environments. These are all cloud environments. The custom environments are created or managed by the company or the user.
  
  Environments that are locally available have an icon indicator and are shown on the top of the environment listing for quicker access.
  
  Select the upgrade behavior of the selected custom environment:
  - Use current version: The model is always created using the same version.
  - Use the latest minor and patch updates within the current major version: Use the latest version within the current major release. For example, if the model was created with version 2.0.0 and a new version 2.1.0 is available, the newer version will be used.
  - Use latest version: The model will be upgraded to the latest version when opened.
- Trimble: Official Trimble environments are provided by Trimble.
- Classic: Classic environments are installed locally on your computer or are created by users. You can download the environments from Trimble Downloads.
If you use the Custom (Preview) environments, select if you want to apply company settings that have been created in Project Settings Management Console.

Company collections are a customizable group of settings that are used when a new model is created.

Select the company collection and its upgrade behavior.
Add a thumbnail image for the model, if needed.
Click Create new.

If you selected a cloud environment, the environment is downloaded from the cloud.
Select a Role that is used in the model.

The availability of roles depends on your environment.
Click Select.

All data is downloaded during model creation and cached locally.

Tekla Structures is started and model opened.

Create a new model using a model template

If you want to create a model using a model template, select a suitable template on the New tab.

On the New tab, select a model template.

Model templates defined in XS_MODEL_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY in user.ini for different Tekla Structures versions are automatically imported to the Tekla Launcher. You can find these templates when you select the Only my company's templates checkbox.

Models uploaded to Project Settings Management Console are also available in Tekla Launcher.

Additionally, model templates in ..Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Trimble\Tekla Structures\<version>\UserSettings\ModelTemplates are imported to Tekla Launcher.

Each model template in Tekla Launcher has a card that displays the environment and role used in the template. If the card has a Trimble logo, the model template has been created by Trimble.

You can mark important model templates as favorites. Favorites are user-specific settings and saved on your computer for each Tekla Structures version.

You can use the search on the left to find model templates. You can search by text in the template name or description, or by region or industry.
Click Create.
Enter a name and a description for the new model.
Add a thumbnail image for the model, if needed.
Click Create new.

All data is downloaded during model creation and cached locally.

Tekla Structures is started and the model is opened.

Metadata for locally created model templates

Locally created model templates provide some metadata in the template-metadata.json file.

The supported metadata IDs are:

SupportedEnvironments, SupportedRegions, SupportedIndustries

SupportedEnvironments format is Environment{Role_b, Role_a}

example:
{
"metadataPairs":[
{
"MetadataDefinitionId":"SupportedEnvironments",
"Value":"SwitzerlandEnvironment"
},
{
"MetadataDefinitionId":"SupportedRegions",
"Value":"Switzerland"
},
{
"MetadataDefinitionId":"SupportedIndustries",
"Value":"All"
}
]
}

Use extensions in model templates

Model templates can import extensions, which are downloaded from Tekla Warehouse when creating a model. This requires a tsep-dependencies.json file.

{
  "name": "FinlandEnvDefinition",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "tsepDependencies": [
    {
      "id": "twh-concrete-bridge-reinforcement",
      "name": "Concrete Bridge Reinforcement",
      "version": "1.3.0",
      "guid": "u572366a7-aa30-42b0-96c8-53ac730c793e"
    },
    {
      "id": "twh-beam-extruder",
      "name": "Beam Extruder",
      "version": "^1.0.0",
      "guid": "ucf5de403-9487-42ba-8333-dab5302ed449"
    },
    {
      "name": "BEC Custom properties",
      "version": "1.0",
      "guid": "775c6138-bb20-4b3a-94d5-6f26810d81e3"
    }
  ]
}

You can treat content in Tekla Warehouse as immutable, meaning that once the content is uploaded, it cannot be modified. Immutable content is identified by an ID with the prefix twh, which ensures that package versions remain unchanged. Non-immutable content can still be used, but we cannot guarantee that if a version is replaced in Tekla Warehouse, clients can use the replaced version because of the caching of the extensions. Therefore, for non-immutable content, use only the GUID.

These are the upgrade rules:

x.y.z - specific version - you manage the updates
^x.y.z - upgrades the major version to the latest
latest - upgrade to the latest version

Open a recently used model in Tekla Launcher

Go the Recent tab.
Select a model in the list.
Click Open. Alternatively, double-click the selected row.

Tekla Structures is started and the model is opened.

Tekla Launcher opens the model using the same settings that were used most recently. This makes opening the model faster, because you do not need to select the role in the Role dialog.

Tip:
To quickly open a previously opened model, right-click the Tekla Launcher icon on the Windows taskbar or on the Windows Start menu.

Open any existing model in Tekla Launcher

Go to the Models tab.
Select a model in the list.
Click Open. Alternatively, double-click the selected row.
Select a suitable role in the Role dialog and click Select.

Tekla Structures is started and the model is opened.
If you need to perform other actions on the selected model, click the three dots next to the Open button and select an action.
- Open using another environment: Change the selected environment of the model. Note that when you save the model after changing the environment, this can affect the model setup and the model might get corrupted.
- Open model folder: Open the model folder in File Explorer in Windows.
- Modify model properties: Add a description and a thumbnail image for the model, or change the company settings and the upgrade behavior.
- Rename: Enter a new name for the model.
- Open using another Tekla Structures version: Select the Tekla Structures version in which the model is opened.
- Exclude from sharing: If you have a model that has been shared using Tekla Model Sharing, you can exclude yourself and your local version of the model from the sharing service.
- Pin model: Pin the model so that it always stays on top of the model listing.

Open a shared model in Tekla Launcher

You can open and join Tekla Model Sharing models on the Shared models tab. You can also see basic information about models that have been shared with you, such as the name of the project, the environment, and your Tekla Model Sharing role.

You can also open a shared model on the Recent or Models tabs.

Go to the Shared models tab.
To quickly open the model, click the open button .
To open the list of actions you can perform on Tekla Model Sharing the model, click the arrow on the left, next to the model name.
If you have the Owner role in the Tekla Model Sharing model, you can do the following:
- Open: Open the shared model.
- Track environment version/ Stop tracking the environment version: Check and change the environment and the environment version used in the model, and to enforce other users in the shared model to use the environment and the environment version that you have set.
  
  For models that have been created in the Tekla Launcher and then shared, the environment tracking is on by default.
  
  If environment tracking is not on, click Track environment version to change the environment in use and/or select the version of the environment. After making the changes, click Save changes. Select a suitable role in the Role dialog and click Select to open the model. Check that the model works correctly and write out the environment setup changes to the sharing service. Other users are prompted in Tekla Structures to restart the application and to read in. They are then enforced to use the environment and version that you have set.
  
  To stop the enforced usage of the same environment and environment version, click Stop tracking the environment version and select a suitable role in the Role dialog and click Select to open the model. Write out the changes. Other users are prompted in Tekla Structures to restart the application and to read in. They are no longer enforced to use the same environment or version as you.
  
  For more information, see Tracked environment versions for Tekla Model Sharing models below.
- Change environment version: Check and change the version of the environment used in the model. After making the changes, click Save changes. Select a suitable role in the Role dialog and click Select to open the model. Check that the model works correctly and write out the environment version changes to the sharing service. Other users are prompted in Tekla Structures to restart the application and to read in.
- Modify company settings(Preview): Change the company settings and the upgrade behavior.
- Open model folder: Open the model folder in File Explorer in Windows.
- Model information: Check the model's project properties.
- Model versions: Check the model versions of the shared model, and whether the type of the model version is update or baseline.
If you have any other role than Owner in the Tekla Model Sharing model, you can do the following:
- If you have not yet joined the model, you can click Join latest: Join the latest version of the shared model.
- If you have not yet joined the model, you can click Join a previous version of the shared model: Select any previous version of the shared model to join.
- After you have joined the model, you can click Open: Open the shared model.
- Open model folder: Open the model folder in File Explorer in Windows.
- Model information: Check the model's project properties.
- Model versions: Check the model versions of the shared model, and whether the version is an update or a baseline.
Select a suitable role in the Role dialog and click Select.

Tekla Structures is started and the model is opened.

Tracked environment versions for Tekla Model Sharing models

If you start Tekla Structures using the classic startup screen, there is no enforcement to use a specific environment or environment version with Tekla Model Sharing. This means that you can start Tekla Structures with any environment and join any Tekla Model Sharing model without restrictions. This flexibility can be beneficial but it may also lead to inconsistencies in shared models, for example, in a situation where two Tekla Model Sharing users are working on the same model using different environment versions.

The environment tracking in the Tekla Launcher enforces the Tekla Model Sharing models that have been created using the Tekla Launcher to be restricted to the environment and environment version in which they were created.

The following applies to Tekla Model Sharing models that have been created and shared in the Tekla Launcher:

Only those Tekla Model Sharing users who have the Owner role can change the environment and its version.
Only those Tekla Model Sharing users who have the Owner role can track and untrack an environment.
Changes to the environment and its version always need to be written out to the sharing service.
If the version of the environment changes, users are prompted in Tekla Structures to restart the application and to read in the new version of the environment.
Tekla Structures service pack updates do not enforce a new version of the environment. Those users who have the Owner role need to upgrade to the new version of the environment.

Explore sample models

On the Sample models tab you can explore sample models that are curated by Trimble and partners to show different workflows.

Sample models are created and maintained in the Project Settings Management Console, and they are downloaded from cloud on demand.

Adjust Tekla Launcher to your needs

Click to show the model listing as a table or as tiles.

You can sort the modes in the tiles view according to different sort criteria.
Use the search to find a model.
To change the model folder where Tekla Structures models are saved by default, go to .

By default, the models are saved in the TeklaStructuresModels folder. You can change the default folder by clicking Browse, or typing a new folder location.
In the upper right corner, click to give feedback on the Tekla Launcher and help to improve the tool.
In the upper right corner, click to switch to the classic Tekla Structures startup screen. The classic Tekla Structures startup does not use any of the cached environments that the Tekla Launcher uses, and you need to install the environments from Trimble Downloads on your computer.
In the upper right corner, click to open Project Settings Management Console where you can manage your project settings, environments, and other project files in the cloud.
In the upper right corner, click to show your subscription options and to switch to a different subscription, if you have multiple available. Note that only online subscriptions are supported.
In the upper right corner, click to change the language of the Tekla Launcher.
In the upper right corner, indicates that you are working in online mode and that you have access to the cloud environments enabled.

You need to have a license saved locally to use the Tekla Launcher in offline mode. When you close Tekla Structures, select the checkbox for saving the license. If you are in the offline mode, you can create a new model if you have locally installed environments, or you have cached environments. You can open a local model, but joining shared models requires an internet connection.

Tekla Launcher installation

Tekla Launcher is a lightweight installer. It installs files into the %localappdata%\TeklaLauncher folder, which also contains the application itself.

Tekla Launcher operates as a service, receiving automatic and continuous updates whenever fixes and new features are released. Available updates are displayed in the user interface. To download and install a newer version automatically, click Restart to install a newer version.. After the update, Tekla Launcher restarts automatically.

Table 1. Tekla Launcher file locations
Path	Function	Notes
..\Users\<user>\.tekla-launcher	Base path for Tekla Launcher data.	You delete this manually. Tekla Launcher will create the data as needed.
..\Users\<user>\.tekla-launcher\<version>	Cloud environment specific data, cloud XSDATADIR.	Each version of Tekla Structures saves its files separately to prevent conflicts between versions. Adding new files to this location is not allowed. You can delete this manually.
..\Users\<user>\.tekla-launcher\Caches	Cloud data cache.	You can delete this manually.
..\Users\<user>\.tekla-launcher\Caches\Collections	Cloud collections runtime area.	Tekla Structures reads files from this location. You can delete this manually.
..\Users\<user>\.tekla-launcher\Caches\EnvCache	Classic environments' cache.	Compressed files will be stored in this location. You can delete this manually.
..\Users\<user>\.tekla-launcher\Caches\EnvSandbox	Sandbox runtime area.	You can delete this manually.
..\Users\<user>\.tekla-launcher\Caches\ModelTemplatesCache	Local model template cache for offline use.	You can delete this manually.
..\Users\<user>\.tekla-launcher\Caches\PkgDef	Cloud package definitions' runtime area.	Tekla Structures reads files from this location. You can delete this manually.
..\Users\<user>\.tekla-launcher\Caches\Tsep	Cloud .tsep isolated location.	Tekla Structures loads extensions from this location. You can delete this manually.
%localappdata%\Trimble\Tekla Launcher	Tekla Launcher settings folder.	Create a backup before deleting this folder to keep your settings.
%localappdata%\Trimble\Tekla Launcher\TeklaStructuresLauncherSettings.xml	Settings file for Tekla Launcher. This file stores actions performed in the user interface.	Manual changes are not recommended because they can lead to serialization errors.
%localappdata%\Trimble\Tekla Launcher\Logs	Runtime logs for Tekla Launcher.	In case of errors, this log file is needed for troubleshooting.
%localappdata%\Trimble\Tekla Launcher\Cache	WebView2 cache, Tekla Launcher user interface.	You can delete this manually.
%localappdata%l\Trimble\Tekla Structures\<version>\Runtime	Tekla Structuresversion-specific .ini and other generated .ini files. role-xxxx.ini bypass-xxx.ini teklastructures-xxx.ini	New files are generated each time a model is opened or created. This ensures that Tekla Structures can run side-by-side with other versions. The files from the last five runs are saved.