More Visualization, Precision, and Control with the Newest Tekla 2020

The new version of Tekla Structures was released in March 2020. This version comes with new features and improvements for Cast-In-Place, which makes modeling complex slabs and controlling drawing content more straightforward and precise than ever before. 

Boosting complex concrete modeling

Lofted slabs is a feature that can be a great alternative when modeling, for example, ramps and curved roofs. In past versions, this feature was limited to creating geometry using construction lines, circles, and arches. This new version adds support for polycurves, construction lines joining several arches and straight lines. This gives you greater flexibility for creating more-complex curved structures. The polycurves in this new version can have multiple radios along its length, and the radios and shapes can be modified easily using Tekla’s direct modification feature. 

Meanwhile, the edit shape feature has been further enhanced to make creating sloped slabs more straightforward. The 2020 version has a new way to convert Tekla parts into shapes in place. Also, each shape handle now displays coordinates (X, Y, and Z), which can be moved effortlessly.  The move by numerical input feature has been improved so that you can move handles in absolute or relative distances, as well as limiting movement to X, Y, or Z directions.

Other improvements include the ability to conveniently add triangulated vertices to faces in the shape by using the new Add Point feature, as well as to smoothly add rebar sets to these slabs with new features such as create rebar using guidelines.

What you see is what you get!

In this new version, we have been taking steps towards making drawing creation and editing a much more visual experience. There have been two significant improvements to eliminate guesswork and trial and error when modifying and editing drawings.

1. You can now visualize drawing views in the 3D model. You can manipulate the size, orientation, and direction of the view easily while in the model space. You can Isolate and highlight only those objects belonging to a view. When you save these modifications in the model, all drawings are updated accordingly.  
2. Creating drawing layouts has been entirely revamped. The new Layout Editor allows you to. 

- Create new layouts from scratch, easily, and intuitively.
- Drag-and-drop tables such as drawing title blocks and QTO reports to the drawing space.
- Save layouts to different drawing types and for various paper sizes.
- Control margins and space properties for drawing views.

Unleash the full power of Point Clouds

Point clouds is a feature that has gained much attention since we released it, and it keeps getting better. With this new version, we are adding additional options to change the appearance of the points, such as controls for color, depth perception, density, and size of the points. 

You will also be able to colorize points according to their elevation and how much they clash with Tekla Structures native objects. This allows you, for example, to check the flatness of poured slabs, how well your planned structure fits around your excavated area, or how much your model differs from as-built data. 

Experience improved performance, and control what you share

There are also several improvements in performance in version 2020, which will help you increase productivity. Working with drawings is significantly faster than in earlier versions.  This includes several operations such as opening drawing time, zooming and panning inside a drawing, and adding drawing annotations such as dimensions. 

Have you ever wanted to check what will be the contents of the next model sharing package you are about to share with your project team? If the answer is yes, this version has just the improvement for you.  It allows you to check what content you have created, modified, or deleted since the last time you shared your model’s changes. 

Find out more about Tekla 2020

Tekla 2020 is all about improving productivity so that your entire team can work together more efficiently. Are you ready to enjoy all the benefits of the newest version? Check here! 

You can also watch the recording of our webinar What’s New in Tekla 2020 for Cast-In-Place and learn more about Tekla Structures new features, improvements, and enhancements.