Putting its support behind freedom of choice, Tekla Corporation has incorporated an open Application Programming Interface (API) into the latest release of Tekla Structures, the popular structural design and engineering software tool.
“We want to promote the global adoption of open building information modeling,” says Ragnar Wessman, director of product management for Tekla Building and Construction. “[The new open API] facilitates the integration of different design applications, such as analysis and design software, into the modeling environment. The open API also makes it possible to develop additional functionality into the Tekla Structures platform.”
The API is based on Microsoft .NET technology, which has become the de facto standard among the largest AEC design and engineering applications.
Other new features in Tekla Structures 12 include automatic anchor bolt plans, and creation and processing of multilevel assemblies. “Anchor bolts are the one of the first drawings made in any project, so the new automation feature may save up to days on preparing plans,” says Wessman. “The modeling, processing, numbering, reporting and printing of multilevel assemblies not only saves time, but also reduces errors noticeably. There is a discernible trend towards pre-engineered buildings; therefore, these functionalities were deemed important.”
More information: www.tekla.com
--RSN