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TEKLA STRUCTURES EXTENSION

BASE PLATE APPLICATOR
I. General
Base Plate Applicator
Often times Structural Engineers define column schedules with corresponding base plate
details on their design drawings. In many cases the base plate thickness, width, height, number of
anchor rods, and anchor rod embedment are closely related to the column size also used in the
column schedule. The Base Plate Applicator allows detailers and engineers to accurately and
automatically apply different base plate components and settings to a selected group of columns in
the model. The columns may be different profile sizes, similar profile sizes but with different class
numbers, different rotations, and even different bottom of column elevations yet the Base Plate
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Applicator will automatically load the appropriate saved base plate settings and place the base plate
at the bottom start point of the selected columns that match a rule in the schedule. This saves a lot of
time for the user and helps increase the accuracy of the appropriate base plate details being applied
to the correct columns.
II. How to use
1. Inside the Tekla Structures interface go to the Tools>Macros menu, select Base Plate
Applicator, then Press the Run button. A dialog similar to above will appear. You can also click
on the icon that appears on the new toolbar created after the extension installation.
2. The Base Plate Applicator can be used in all native model authoring configurations and in any
environment of Tekla Structures. The xml file that controls the language strings displayed on
the dialog box can be customized and found in .\Version\messages\DotAppsStrings\Base
Plate Applicator.xml.
3. Select a column in the model, then press the new button on the toolbar. Notice the Profile
size, and the Class number are filled into the new rule just added to the list. The default
component name will be system component number 1047, and the default attribute name will
be standard. If you click the mouse into the Component Name or Attribute Name fields you
can change the component number to any of the typical system base plate components or you
can type the name of a custom component. The attribute names represent the named saved
settings you often see at the top of Tekla Structures dialog boxes near the save, save as, and
load buttons.
4. If you click the button at the far right side of the Attribute Name text it will open up a dialog box
showing all of the available saved attributes for that custom or system component found in all
of the Tekla Structures search path directories. Simply type or select the attribute name in the
list then just press the X (close) button on the dialog box or double click on an item in the list
you want to select. You will then see the selected attribute name written into the Attribute
Name field of the selected Base Plate Rule in the dialog box.
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5. If you select a column with a different profile size, or another column with the same profile,
but a different class number then press the new button again, you will see that another item is
added with a different profile or class number, but the previously selected items Component
name and Attribute Name are copied.
6. You can also select all of the columns in the model and then press the Create Rules from
Selected icon. This will then scan all of the selected columns for the Profiles and Classes used
and create a list of rules for those values. You can then go back and change the component
Name and Attribute files appropriate for each column profile and class.
7. The next step is to select the columns in the model that you would like to apply base plate too
and then press the Apply Base Plates button on the toolbar.
8. You can control which rules are activated in the list, by changing the checkbox value under
the A column. If a row is checked, the Base Plate Applicator will apply base plates to
selected columns matching that rule, if it is unchecked, then the Base Plate Applicator will skip
over that rule.
9. Essentially what the applicator does is it inserts the Base Plate Detail Component at the
Column Start Point (Yellow input point), it automatically loads the matching Attribute file, then
uses the attribute file name as the connection code found on the General Tab of the Base
Plate component. Note that at this point if there are existing base plate details applied to the
columns, additional details will be applied.
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III. Modifications to existing components
1. The application currently doesnt modify existing base plate components to changed settings
in the dialog box. What this means is if you have previously inserted base plates into the
model using the applicator, then change the settings in the dialog box, and try to reapply base
plates to the same column while the previous base plate details are applied, the application
will simply apply a new base plate detail to those columns while also having the previous base
plates on the column. If you have deleted all of the previously applied base plates, then apply
the new settings on those columns, then new details will be inserted.
IV. Known Limitations
Only custom component names and then system component numbers can be used. Plugins or
Details created using the Tekla Structures API cannot be applied at this time.