About the BIM Link

New for Service Pack 2 of Tekla Structural Designer 2022 (July 2022) comes an integration (written by Tekla with close cooperation from ourselves) with IDEA StatiCa Checkbot.  This update is available  for all new and existing customers with valid support contracts.  For more information refer to the release notes for this release and in particular this section.

How to use the link

We have created a model for you to use - you can find it here.

Open the model using Tekla Structural Designer 2022.2 or later, calculate all and then save it.

There are two steps in creating nodes with connections.

The first step is to create connections at nodes within Tekla Structural Designer:

Navigate to the Connections window (1) and then right mouse click within it and select Update Connections (2).

This populates the model with viable connections and they will be visible in the Connections window (3) and as connection boxes on each applicable node (4).

The second step, now that we have connections in the model is to export them to IDEA Connection via Checkbot.

There are three ways to do this:

1 - Right mouse click on an item in the Connection window and select Export Connection to IDEA StatiCa;

2 - Right mouse click on the connection box and select Export Connection to IDEA StatiCa;

3 - Navigate to the BIM Integration tab and select IDEA StatiCa.

The last option opens up the Tekla Structural Designer interface to Checkbot.

Geometry

In the list of project items under Connections and with a connection highlighted in Checkbot you can either right-mouse click and select Open or click the ribbon command Open to start designing, code-checking, and reporting.

The settings of members are taken from the original FEA/BIM application. You can, however, change the section size of any member on the main Checkbot screen, but this will break the link with FEA/BIM application in this session unless it's synchronized again.

The imported connection is opened in the IDEA StatiCa Connection application.

You may see none or different Load effects from your preferred FEA/BIM* solution depending on how the load case combinations have been defined.  By default, IDEA StatiCa will choose the most critical for code-checking purposes. (* Some BIM solutions are not able to store the load case combination results)

For more information on Load effects see here.

Design - Column baseplate

This is the second connection to be designed.

Select Con-3 at the bottom of the first internal column and press Open.

Apply a baseplate operation using the parameters below:

To connect the brace to the baseplate we shall use the Connecting plate operation, connecting this to both the column and the baseplate:

The gusset for the connecting plate should have a rounding on it of 40mm and the tongues 20mm.

That completes the connection for the column baseplate.

Calculate, Save and Exit this connection back to Checkbot.

You will see that there is another green tick next to the connection. This means that the connection is valid and has passed its code checks.

Synchronisation du modèle

De temps en temps, il y a des modifications de votre modèle MEF/BIM, par exemple une taille différente de section d'un élément ou des charges différentes. Il est possible de les synchroniser entre Checkbot et le modèle MEF/BIM.

Il y a deux alternatives :

• Synchroniser l'Élément actuel (si un ou plusieurs assemblages sont sélectionnés)
• Synchroniser le Modèle structural importé entier

Pour vérifier cette fonction, vous pouvez changer la taille ou forme de section d'un élément dans votre application BIM/MEF ou modifier un cas ou combinaison de charge, etc. : changez les poteaux pour une section plus petite. N'oubliez pas de réanalyser le modèle MEF.

Dans Checkbot, sélectionnez les attaches conçues (il peut y avoir plus qu'une) et puis Synchronisation au panneau Élément actuel.

Le projet dans Checkbot sera actualisé, la conception d'attache sera enregistrée mais les résultats ne seront plus valides. Vous pouvez voir que le poteau est actualisé – avec le même changement qu'au modèle MEF.

Il faut seulement vérifier les attaches en surbrillance encore une fois en sélectionnant Calculer au panneau Élément actuel. Veuillez noter que des changements plus significatifs du modèle peuvent exiger des étapes de validation supplémentaires pour les attaches affectées (comme ci-dessus).

Si les attaches ne donnent pas de résultats désirés, vous pouvez les rouvrir pour optimiser la conception (renforcer-les si elles échouent la vérification ou alléger si l'utilisation est trop basse).

You have successfully linked Tekla Structural Designer with IDEA StatiCa Connection via Checkbot.  You have also designed, checked, and reported on a connection before incorporating changes made in the original FEA model back into IDEA StatiCa Connection.