First Look at Tekla Structures and Ecotect

This month, AECbytes starts by taking a detailed look at Tekla Structures, formerly known as XSteel, which has a long 40-year old history in the building industry, and now has users in more than 80 countries around the world. While the basic functionality of Tekla Structures is similar to that of other BIM applications for structural engineering, Tekla Structures also goes well beyond BIM by providing comprehensive capabilities for steel, precast, and rebar detailing, which extends its target audience to include detailers, fabricators, manufacturers, and constructors in addition to structural engineers. In the article on the BIM Fundamentals Seminar for Structural Engineers that was published last month, we saw how the firm, Gregory P. Luth and Associates, was using it to do analysis, design, drawings, and detailing in a single integrated process. Tekla Structures has been used on several “signature” projects around the world, including the Denver Art Museum, the Willis Building in London, and the Velodrome in Athens.

Up next are three Tips and Tricks articles: ArchiCAD's Powerful Clone Folders shows how to use a powerful, yet little-known and underutilized feature called Clone Folders in ArchiCAD to define viewing styles for different types of drawings and automate the creation of Views; High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imagery in Photoshop and 3ds Max shows how to create and process an HDR image in Photoshop CS3 Extended, and then use the result to render a scene with image-based lighting (IBL) in 3ds Max 9; and Integration of BIM with Structural Analysis Software: Some Cautionary Notes highlights some points that every structural engineer should be aware of while integrating the use of BIM with structural analysis.

Also on the agenda for the month is a feature article that provides an introductory overview of Ecotect, a popular energy analysis tool that architects can use in conjunction with their BIM models for creating more sustainable and environmentally conscious buildings.

Thank you!

Lachmi Khemlani

Editorials > November 2007