Tekla Structures: Hide/Show Specific Objects in Model

Models made in Tekla can get very crowded with objects. Working in such a model can get very difficult without hiding some of the objects. This can be done by applying filters.

Consider the reinforced concrete model below:
Blog_Tekla_TeklaSoftware_Filter
Everything is visible in this model:

  • Foundation
  • Foundation Rebars
  • Columns
  • Column Rebars
  • Beams
  • Beam Rebars
  • ….

Working in such a model can be quite confusing. By applying filter we will be able to hide the objects we don’t need and only display the objects we are trying to work with.


Contents

Step 1, Select the View:

The first step in applying a view filter is to select the view. This may seem like an unnecessary thing when you are working with only one view, but it can be very useful when you’ve got multiple views open.

Make sure you have View Selection enabled:
Blog_Tekla_TeklaSoftware_Filter_3
Click an empty spot on the view, until the red border appears around the view:
Blog_Tekla_TeklaSoftware_Filter_4
1- Right click then select properties

or

2- From the view tab select View Properties.


Example 1, Display Parts Only:

In this example only the concrete parts will be displayed in the model. The filter requires only one row:
Blog_Tekla_TeklaSoftware_Filter_2

( Category Property Condition Value ) And/Or
Object Object Type Equals Part

Result:
Blog_Tekla_TeklaSoftware_Filter_5


Example 2, Display Columns and Column Rebars Only:

Lets you would like to only view column and column rebars in the model. One method for achieving this would be to assign different classes to the different objects in the model . In the table below you can see the different classes assigned to the different objects in the model:

Object Type Location Class
Part Beam 1
Part Columns 2
Longitudinal Reinforcement Beam 3
Tie Beam 4
Longitudinal Reinforcement Column 5
Tie Column 6
Part Shear Wall 7
Longitudinal Reinforcement Shear Wall 8
Part Foundation 9
Bottom Reinforcement in Y Dir Foundation 10
Upper Reinforcement in Y Dir Foundation 11
Bottom Reinforcement in X Dir Foundation 12
Uppper Reinforcement in X Dir Foundation 13

In order to only display the column parts and their associated rebars we would need to use the filter below:
Blog_Tekla_TeklaSoftware_Filter_6

( Category Property Condition Value ) And/Or
Part Class Equals 2 And
( Reinforcing Bar Class Equals 5 or
Reinforcing Bar Class Equals 6 )

Note the start, end parenthesis and the and/or phrases.

Result:
Blog_Tekla_TeklaSoftware_Filter_7


Example 3, Show Parts With “User Field 1” Set to “1”:

All objects in the model accept user defined attribute. In the figure below you can see the user define attributes associated with  the columns parts:
Blog_Tekla_TeklaSoftware_Filter_8
These properties are mainly for the designers reference and will not directly impact the model. Using the filter below all parts with a “User Field 1” set to the value “1” will be displayed:
Blog_Tekla_TeklaSoftware_Filter_9

 

( Category Property Condition Value ) And/Or
Part User field 1 Equals 1 And
Object Object Type Equals Part

If you need assistance with your Tekla model, or you are looking for a Tekla Open API programmer to hire feel free to contact me. Also please visit my home page  www.software-solutions-online.com

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