Three Things You Need to Know about Tekla 2020’s New Formwork Tools

In March 2020, we announced the release of Tekla 2020, the latest version of our structural Building Information Modeling (BIM) software solution for the construction industry. The updated version comes with tons of new features, enhancements and improvements that make workflows smoother and increase productivity, for a perfectly harmonized BIM structural workflow.

What’s new for Tekla Structures formwork tools

Efficiently managing temporary works such as formwork is crucial for carrying out construction work safely and on time.

To find out more about Tekla 2020’s main developments for formwork, we talked with Jyry Kuokkanen, our Technical Manager for Cast-In-Place Concrete. Here’s what he had to say about Tekla 2020 and the new formwork tools.

What is the most relevant improvement for formwork, and what does it mean in practice for Tekla users?

In general, Tekla Structures 2020 streamlines the use of formwork tools. One of the most significant improvements is that we’ve made formwork tools more accessible. The new tools are now ready to use out of the box, so you can start working smoothly without extra steps—no additional configurations or modifications required.

Formwork detailing can be a challenging task for concrete contractors, and one that many want to manage more efficiently themselves. This is why we are simplifying the process. Now, you can start using the tools from day one without additional installations.

What new features and improvements does Tekla 2020 offer?

The new version comes with many developments and improvements. Here are my top three:

Users have more control over how panels are set out. As a whole, Tekla software is now an even better tool for creating panels for walls and slabs, as well as accessories.
Some of our customers might not know that we have several tools included in the formwork placing tools for walls and slabs. We have improved these over the years, and each new version has included new developments for walls and slabs. Be sure to take a look so you don’t miss out on the benefits of these tools.
Last but not least, it gets faster and easier to prepare deliverables with every version release. This is thanks to our customers, whose feedback and ideas are vital to our development process. Many of our developments help them get better deliverables, such as quantity take-offs, drawings and models.

Something we always keep in mind is that many contractors “own the formwork” and want to be able to work independently. Our software—and specifically, our formwork tools—helps them keep control of formwork detailing and the process in general.

We continuously develop our formwork tools and our software in general, too. With this new release, we are providing several new features, big and small. My top three picks are on a general level, because many of our general developments have a positive impact on the formwork detailing process.

Who will benefit from these improvements? Why do you think concrete contractors should use Tekla 2020?

Anyone looking for a solution for the entire construction process will benefit from these improvements, as Tekla can be used for much more than formwork detailing.

If you’re using Tekla for only one or two stages of the construction process, like getting quantities or managing pours, you might be missing out on the biggest benefits. Tekla Structures offers so much more. It’s the only software on the market to provide a solution for the entire cast-in-place construction process. You can reach your full project potential by using everything it has to offer.

With Tekla 2020, you can automate your work, eliminate manual work and rework, reduce mistakes, and save time and money.