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Version 14.0 is finally here!
To those of you that currently have a 2008Support and Maintenance Agreement withDowco/Tekla, this special issue of ConneXioncomes to you as part of the Tekla Structures 14.0package. Please do circulate these newslettersto all your Tekla Structures users as it contains aton of valuable and useful information.Please make sure that the 14.0 package containsthe following:
Tekla Structures 14.0 Software Installation CDQuick Installation GuideThank you CardKeyboard Shortcut Guide‘What’s new’ Flyer‘New Menus’ Flyer
Please carefully read through the very important section on ‘DongleKeys to Flexnet’ detailing steps on the dongle key return process.Tero Laine has an informative blurb on fabrication and the use ofTekla Structures with Peddinghaus machines. To add to this, healso has a section on Tekla Structures and Fabtrol. Lastly, browsethrough Ted Yuen’s instructive article on ‘Deleting Distant Objects’.Onward and Upwards!
Important Notice on FLEXnet LicensingBy Arvin Eugenio
The new activation-based licensing system – FLEXnet isnow available for Versions 12.0 to 14.0. Since FLEXnetlicensing will be replacing the hardware lock-passwordactivation system for these versions, we have detailedthe migration process in the steps listed below.
1. Customer sends a list of Dongles to be returned toDowco via email to [email protected]; note somecustomers may opt to keep some of their dongle keyswhich is allowable
2. Dowco will forward the list to Tekla and request for temporaryentitlements based on the number of dongles to be returned
3. Temporary entitlements will be forwarded to the customer for theirinstallation
4. Once entitlements have been activated and the licenses arerunning, customer will return dongle keys to Dowco
5. Upon receipt of Dongles, Dowco will send permanent entitlementsto replace the temporary ones
6. Dowco will forward all received Dongle keys to Tekla HQ
An entitlement is needed to activate license/s which is sent in the formof an html file. This lists all the Tekla Structures licenses you are entitledto use and includes the activation IDs for those licenses. Activation IDsare similar to passwords for hardware locks - the only difference being isthat it is only needed once during the activation process. Please refer tothe ‘Quick Guide to FLEXnet Licensing’ document that came with the14.0 package for installation instructions. If you have any questions orconcerns on the installation, please don’t hesitate to contact our SupportHotline – 1 866 773 6926 ext 2 or [email protected].
To avoid confusion during this process, it is important for you, thecustomer, to be sending the correct and accurate information on thedongle keys to be returned. This process will be taking place at a globalrate so please be certain to indicate only the hardware locks that youintend to send in. More importantly, only version 12 and 13 areFLEXenabled, so please take note of this when sending us the list.Updated service release packs* have to be installed for 12.0, 12.1, 13.0and 13.1 in order for FLEXnet to work properly. Please download theseservice releases from the Tekla Extranet prior to activation.
Note that Temporary entitlements sent out during this period of transitionwill expire in 30 days. It is critical that the hardware locks are returnedpromptly as soon as entitlements have been activated. We stronglyrecommend sending dongle keys to our office via traceable courier fortracking purposes. Dowco/Tekla will not be liable for keys lost in transit.
*Service Releases that need to be installed
Version 13.1 – Service Release 2Version 13.0 – Service Release 7Version 12.1 – Service Release 3Version 12.0 – Service Release 6
Dowco open house policy
Dowco Technology Services has decided to (officially) start an openhouse policy. In practice this means you can call our staff in Burnaby,Surrey or Missisauga offices and make an appointment to discusswhatever technical problems you may be having. Sometimes being nextto the person who knows the answers is better than trying to make thingsclear over the phone or email. So if you happen to be close to any ofthese offices, and you have issues which need clarifying e.g. beforeyour next project, do not hesitate to give us a call and suggest anappointment!
Open house policy applies only to customers having a valid maintenanceagreement.
ForewordBy Ewen Dobbie
Arvin Eugenio
Ewen DobbiePresident
In the past, you could buy Tekla Structures add-on to exportnative Peddimat files from Tekla Structures. These filesare similar to the NC-DSTV files used to control variousmachines used for sawing, coping and drilling beams andcolumns.Since Peddinghaus now officially supports the DSTVstandard for CNC files, the DSTV file has now become amore reliable way of communicating between TeklaStructures and Peddinghaus machinery - thus the add-onmodule is no longer required nor is it available anymore.
One common question about using DSTV with Peddinghaus is how to markthe “standard tools” used in Peddimat format. There is no need to worry aboutthat as Peddimat reads the tool sizes from the DSTV file in whatever order itappears in the file. This order, however, usually doesn’t match the Peddinghausstandard tool table.
When the Peddinghaus operator is ready to run the part or parts in question,Peddimat will grab the tool data from the Peddimat part file and automaticallyrearrange the tools to match the configuration in the Peddimat standard tooltable. The resulting CNC G-code file is created by Peddimat to match the toolarrangement in the standard tool table. (The original Peddimat part files remainunchanged.)
The Peddinghaus operator should not use the standard tools button for partsthat were imported through DSTV. This scrambles the data in the part file andshould only be used when programming parts manually.
The tool swapping method described above has been used by Peddimatfor a long time, but many people are still confused by it. The part data cancome from many different sources or different CAD systems. The toolswap routine in Peddimat allows part files from all these various sourcesto be combined into a part program that will match the standard tool table.
Linking Tekla Structures model with Peddinghaus machinery
Tekla Structures and FabtrolEwen Dobbie and I had the pleasure of attending the Fabtroluser days during the last week of April. This meeting washeld in beautiful Eugene, Oregon. The agenda coveredmany useful sessions on how to use Fabtrol for differentpurposes which helped clarify the Fabtrol workflow a lot forme. Especially interesting was the long session on linkingTekla Structures with Fabtrol. During this session, manytypical problems users run into when exporting either KISSfiles or Tekla Structures Fabtrol reports were discussed, andsolutions to those problems were provided by both Teklaand Fabtrol staff. Fabtrol users also aired their requests onhow to improve the link to transfer more information fromthe Tekla Building Information model (BIM) to Fabtrol.
Tekla and Fabtrol are working closely together, in order toimprove the link for ease of use. Tutorial Videos are also available in the TeklaExtranet on linking Tekla Structures with Fabtrol with the use of KISS files orFabtrol reports. You can find these videos by doing a search on ‘Fabtrol’ in theExtranet.
As a direct result of the user days, a new tool to help making easy exports toFabtrol was also released in Tekla Extranet. This .NET application makes iteasier to create and manage the exports required for Fabtrol from TeklaStructures as it relates to the Fabtrol Reports (the four v1.6 *.xsr files in USenvironments) used on the Fabtrol Detail Bill of Material and Advance Bill ofMaterial Projects. This application automatically creates the folder structure,CNC files, and DWG image files that accompany the reports for import intoFabtrol. Using it will help the detailer track what he has submitted to thefabricator from the model, and help prevent common errors or problemswhen generating the reports manually.You can download this applicationfrom Tekla Extranet, under Downloads => Extended applications => FabtrolReports Submittal Tool. All feedback for improvement on the usability, orany flaws in the work process presented here is welcome. Improvementswill still be made as the .NET API and scripting functionality improves infuture versions. Overall, participating in the Fabtrol user days was a veryuseful experience, and it was nice to see lots of Tekla Structures users there.During the meeting, these users, along with Fabtrol and Tekla representativestalked openly about the challenges everyone was facing and it was discussedas to how two software houses like Tekla and Fabtrol can collectively helpbuild a better future. See you there the next time!
Tero Laine
Tom Knight
One of the new features within Tekla Structures14.0 is the ability to find and delete objects thatyou cannot see. This is what may be referred to asdistant objects. Sometimes when we import modelsinto an existing project, there is a chance ofimporting unwanted material. This may gounnoticed and occurring several times which mayresult in an increase in model size. For example,in the picture on the top-right, highlighting a modelin focus may not include all the extra ‘garbage’ thatmay have been imported also.
To find out if there were extra parts that wereimported, use the ‘CTRL + A’ option, to determinethe real model count (see left-middle picture).
Deleting Distant Objects
You can also try to do a ‘fit work area’ command which may work.If it doesn’t you can now use the ‘Find Distant Objects’ command(see bottom-left picture).
After this command is done, a dialog box will pop up showing all theparts that are not visible (see bottom-right picture). You can highlightthe parts in the dialog box and do a ‘right mouse click’ and choosethe ‘delete’ option. These parts will be then deleted from the model.
For any questions, please email me at [email protected] or feelfree to contact me or any of our support staff at Toll Free1.866.773.6926 ext 2or email at [email protected].
Ted Yuen
Contributors: Ewen Dobbie, Arvin Eugenio, Rey Ople, Tero Laine, Tom Knight, Ted Yuen Editor: Ewen DobbieArt & Design: Thomas Cetnarowski - [email protected]: Tel. 604.629.6085The Dowco Technology Services Technical Support Team: Tero Laine – [email protected], Tom Knight – [email protected], Ted Yuen – [email protected], Rey Ople – [email protected],Robert Alexander – [email protected] Structures Sales Team: Ontario – Ted [email protected]; 905.565.9030 ext 7046 I Quebec: Christine Boutet – [email protected]; 519.910-9046Rest of Canada: Ewen Dobbie - [email protected]; Tel 604-606-5802 I Arvin Eugenio – [email protected]; Tel 604-629-6087 I Rohit Kooner – [email protected]; 604-606-5800 ext 7924Toll Free Number – 1.866.77.DOWCO (1.866.773.6926) ext 1 (SALES), ext 2(Tech Support)Administrative Assistant: Dorothy Smith – [email protected]; Tel. 604.606.5800 ext 5512 l Accounting: Judy Beckett – [email protected]; Tel. 604-606-5810
Dowco Technology Services Ltd. is a member of Dowco Group of Companies and is located at : 201, 5660 192 Street, Surrey, BC V3S 2V7
Visit the [email protected] Copyright 2008, Dowco Technology Services Ltd.
What happens if my license server gets stolen?The same situation applies as if your hardware lock/dongle key was stolen. As with dongles, the policy isthat every stolen will be replaced with a new one for$1,600.00cad + taxes each. A police report is requiredas a prerequisite. “Non-Theft” losses are charged at$7,500.00cad + taxes with an accompanying incidentreport or affidavit of loss. Dowco reserves the right tocharge the full license pricing for “unexplained” cases.
FLEXnet Licensing Situation 101:
CONNEXION - June 2008
MCAP Software &Services Financing
MCAP’s focus is to increase the overallfinancial success of your business. Inaddition to providing lease financesolutions on information technologyhardware assets, MCAP Leasing alsooffers 100% Software and ServicesFinancing.
Organizations are facing greater demand to acquire mission-critical enterprise solutions including ERP, e-business,customer relationship management (CRM) and systemsmanagement software, not to mention 3D Modeling andDetailing Software like Tekla Structures that tend to entaillarge front-end expenditures that can overwhelm informationtechnology budgets. MCAP assists by balancing the initialcost of acquisition and deployment with the long term benefitsof the implementation.
Their consultants have extensive training in the fields ofinformation technology, finance and accounting. They aresupported by a core group of internal and externalprofessionals, whose combined experience in the Canadianfinance market place exceeds over 100 years.
MCAP clients enjoy a variety of benefits including:
· Avoid large up-front costs. Our financing solutionsenable clients to match payments with therealization of business benefits from their softwareand service initiatives;
· 100% Financing. You can finance the total solution,including hardware, software and services on asingle invoice;
· Access to a renewable financial resource that willhelp to preserve and/or increase cash flow, simplifybudgeting and improve operating efficiencies whilereducing the total cost of ownership;
· Flexible repayment options that can be tailored tofit your unique situation.
Clients of all types and sizes have come to rely on theexpertise, knowledge and professional approach of MCAPLeasing, a flexible financing solutions provider, offeringsuperior service based on “earned” trust.
For more information, contact Dave Markel at:Tel: 877-422-9442 x3680 or 604-630-3680or email him at [email protected].
Keeping your customization when installing a newTekla Structures version
I sometimes hear users complain about how hard it is to upgrade to a newerversion because of fear of losing their custom settings. This process is alsoperceived to be tedious as the traditional way is to copy all your localization toseveral different folders in the version you’re upgrading to. You can howeverkeep all your customized files in one folder and don’t even have to worry whatcomes with the default Tekla environments.
Below simple steps for making it easy to upgrade and keep your customizedfiles always available:
1) First thing is to create a folder to the network so it is accessible for Tekla Structures users.This folder is to be used for all your customized files. Then define XS_FIRM variable to pointto that folder in your setup. So, use something like setXS_FIRM=\\TeklaStructures\OurSettings\ . This is just an example. Set the folder permissionsset so all Tekla Structures users have access to it. In some cases, you may want to leavewriting permissions only to a designated person if you do not want everyone to be able tochange your company settings.
2) Now move all your saved drawing and connection settings, customized objects.inp tabpages, reports, templates, profile, plotter, bolt and material catalogs etc. to that folder. Nowwhen you start Tekla Structures, these setup files are always available. Unless you want tooverride these company settings by creating a file with the same name under the modelfolder. Or then create ‘XS_PROJECT’ folders for e.g. projects done for specific customers.
3) The next time you install a new version with new environment, just addset XS_FIRM=\\TeklaStructures\OurSettings\ to your setup and you are good to go. All yourcustomizationwill be available and ready to use.
TIP to make it easier to use customized templates and reports:If you are using templates and reports done only with the new template editor (version 3.x),we suggest you to useset XS_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY=in your setup, as templates and reports are also searched from XS_FIRM. This will result inthe following search path for them:1) Model folder for any model specific templates2) XS_PROJECT for specific templates done for this customer you often work for3) XS_FIRM for templates always used by your company4) XS_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY_SYSTEM for default Tekla templatesAnd if you want to select only some of the default Tekla reports and templates to use, copythose ones to XS_FIRM folder and defineset XS_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY_SYSTEM=in the ini file.If you have any questions about customizing your Tekla Structures, do not hesitate to [email protected]
Rey Ople
