Steel and Precast Detailing Services

Author: admin

  • Tekla–AutoCAD: Interoperability Tool

    Tekla – AutoCAD Interoperability Tool

    Tekla licenses are pricey. About $30k + maintenance per license. That’s expensive. And if you had 10 licenses, or perhaps even 50 licenses, what if I told you that you needed: 30-50% less licenses than you currently hold? That’s a huge cost saving. If you only need 5 licenses, then you’ve saved $150k instantly, plus maintenance. You can now do that.

    AutoCAD licenses are significantly cheaper than Tekla.

    But if only the work you did in AutoCAD could be transferred into Tekla? That would save you some licenses.

    That’s just what I’ve done here in my latest project. You can check it out here:

    Tekla – Autocad Interop. from Tek1 on Vimeo.

    Thanks for visiting this page.

  • Converting Engineering Components to Detailing Components (Tekla API)

    Has anyone every given you a  model created form an engineering license and asked you to produce shop drawings from it? Well that’s incredibly difficult to make possibly. Because you can’t easily number parts.

    So I created a macro which makes life much easier (and faster) too.

    Here is a demo of how it works:

    Tekla Macro – How to Convert Engineering Components To Detailing Components from Tek1 on Vimeo.

    I will post the code in another post.

     

  • Tekla Open API Resources

    1. The Open API Reference.

    This was produced by Trimble and is the go-to place for information about classes and methods etc. There are some code examples also given. You can download it all from here. There are some basic code examples in there which is well worth investigating.

    2. Trimble Open API Examples:

    Extremely valuable. Thank you Trimble! If you want to see older examples, you’ll have to revert to another branch in the tree.

    3. Tekla ExtraNet

    A fairly good resource, but the problem is that in order to have access there, you need to pay maintenance. Not everyone wants to do that. Plus the forum is extremely restrictive in terms of what you can and can’t post.

    4. Tek1 Blog on the API.

    There is a wealth of Tekla Open API articles and resources on this site: you can read them here. It will be growing and growing with increasingly sophisticated plug-ins and I’ll be providing the code for you in the above pages.

    5. Teklanology Blog:

    You can checkout a blog from my estimable colleague.

    And you can learn much from there. Mr Dale doesn’t post everyday, but when he does, it’s good. Here is his GitHub page as well.

    6. Software Solutions – Tekla Blog:

    This provides you with some handy code examples.

    7. Tekla Application Library

    I love to pay out Trimble for their API but I must give them credit where due – here is an application library they created. But unfortunately, the documentation is lacking. I’m convinced that if you know how to use it, it will save you time.

    8. Tekla & AutoCAD Blog

    Check it out here!

    In my opinion it is a very nice blog – but I am partial to it, I confess. Learn some powerful techniques to manipulate the API, even though certain objects/methods are not exposed – there are ways around it! If you have any more suggestions, please feel free to post them here. And I will share it to the world. [Disclosure warning: this is my personal blog 😉 ]

    9. Cad Support Blog

    Looks like quite a nice blog with a few code samples to aid in your learning.

    10. RazorCX

    These guys are good. You can learn something from them. They’ve sprung up overnight and are stealing my thunder + positing videos and code too. I better up my game!

    11. Chris Keyack Playlist

    Keyack, my estimable Tekla Open API colleague has spent time working inside Tekla itself – so I’m sure you can find many nuggets of wisdom there.

  • How to run AutoCAD Commands and Macros Without a Dialog Box (AutoCAD tips)

    Have you wondered how you can run AutoCAD Commands without a dialog box. It is simple – add a “-” in front of the the command name

    For example if you type in “layer” as a command into your Autocad command line your layer dialog box opens up. But if you type in “-layer” there will be no dialog box.

    This is useful if you are trying to create your own AutoCAD macro. Just in case you cannot find the manage button (in older versions of AutoCAD) try switching to another work space. You should then find it. Here is the video from CADD Microsystems showing you how to create AutoCAD macros:

  • ERP for Precast

    Here is where we are going with precast ERP System.

    This will be a cloud based ERP system, based on Dot net, Entity frame works, and Ruby on Rails.

    Hosted on amazon elastic cloud, it is fully scalable, highly available system.

    Think of how much administrative work you can save on ordering scheduling, etc.

    We extract data from Cad files. This data is available for purchasing, scheduling,  production control, and quality control.

    We can customize this App for your specific requirements.

    Call us to learn more about how we can tailor the solution for your needs.

    Also API s are provided where by your software can consume data provided by the API in Json or XML format.

    Full security features are incorporated.

     Part I – Intro https://vimeo.com/209052384
    • Part II – Data Extraction https://vimeo.com/209052515
    • Part III – Data Querying https://vimeo.com/209053220
    • Part IV – API in Action https://vimeo.com/209053445

  • Past Precast Projects

    Here are some of the projects we’ve been involved with in recent times – as of this photo (2016-2017). What’s cool about it is that they’re all in the same place at around the same time.

    Rarely will you ever see them so closely located together, let alone in the same photo. Personally I thought it was pretty cool. (Please click on the photo below to get a close-up view).

    The projects that we’ve been involved with in recent times. Either detailing or tracing.

  • Grating Splitting

    Why use us for splitting floor plates?

      1. We are experts in splitting floor plates.
      2. Super fast turn around.
      3. Full check report.
      4. Output in Tekla or Autocad.
      5. You can utilize your Tekla license for more productive work.
      6. Cost effective.

    Inputs required

    1. Company name
    2. Job number
    3. Jobname
    4. Part start no
    5. Part name
    6. Grating specification
    7. Banded
    8. Maximum allowable unsupported
    9. Span if different from info on catalog
    10. Maxim width if different from catalog
    11. Panel to panel maximum gap
    12. Maximum cantilever length along load
    13. Bar direction
    14. Surface treatment
    15. Galvanized, painted etc
    16. Maximum allowable weight per panel
    17. Delivery date
    18. Estimated sq ft/sqm
    19. Nosing strip (if any)
    20. Is cross bar to be aligned?
    21. Welding instructions?
    22. Special instructions if any

    Deliverables

    1. Full set of Grating drawings with piece marks
    2. Over all plan with piece marks,
    3. Excel Check Report with data noted and issues identified, allowing you to easily verify the integrity of the drawings, highlighting:
      • Part Marks,
      • Grating specifications
      • Piece weight, Length and width checks, as well as checks against the grating direction and the maximum unsupported length/width, plus problematic panels highlighted.

  • Bubble Deck and Panel Detailing Tooling – AutoDimension Metal Curves

    Hi folks

    Demo of the Auto-dimension metal curve tool

    Auto Dimensioning Metal Curves from Tek1 on Vimeo.

     

     

    This post is a demonstration of the powerful tooling Tek1 has at its disposal. This will save you, the client: time and incorrect dimensions.

    This tool dimensions complex metal curves in a fraction of a second.  You can’t make a mistake – that is impossible because the computer does the heavy lifting. And it can’t take more than 10 seconds (maximum). Imagine dimensioning everything by hand. That would take forever!

    It allows our engineers and draftspeople to focus on the more important things: reading and interpreting drawings, and making good design decisions.

    with kind regards

     

     

    Ben

  • Bar Bending Schedules

    We have aquired CADDs rebar cad software, which is arguably the best tool to detail rebar. CADSRC is used for producing bar bending schedules.

    WE provide the precise details on bends, shapes and lap splices to meet the requirement of your specific project.  Project Constructrability is tackled while detailing, issues are highlighted. Detailed drawings are provided for the rebars. The detailed drawings provided by our rebar detailers often help our contractors to visualize the structures.  In fact, with these detailed drawings, the task of iron workers are highly simplified, as they know where to place and thus reduces the cost of installation.

    • Foundation details
    • Bar Bending Schedules
    • Bar listing
    • Total rebar estimation
    • Footing Detailing
    • I/S beams and Columns
    • Bar Bending Schedules

    Our detailers have a long track record of iconic projects working with top-tier fabricators, general contractors, engineers, owners and EPCM firms, where:Rebar

    • Our  global workforce enables us to acommodate large projects and schedulecritical surges.
    • We take pride in our reputation for quality, error free and timely delivery on complex projects.
    • We have captive detailing capacity. If we are fully booked out, we will tell so.
    • Our detailing office not a sweat shop. Detailers have high morale and take pride in the work do.
    • Our man power turnoverRebar-2 is the lowest in the Industry

    Our services include rebar detailing and estimating,

    Bar lists and shop drawings can be emailed or delivered via our internal application to manage construction projects. Items can be queried by your field personnel from they tablets, or phones.

    QR Coded drg Nos makes it easy to access information about items and status.

    Deliverables

    • Field Placement/Shop Drawings
    • 2D and 3D Modelling of Rebar
    • Connection Sketches
    • Bar Listing in ASA Format
    • Instant Access to Projects via our Interal project management tool
    • Weight and/or Cost Change Tracking and Submitting via our custom tool
    • RFI Generation for Questions and tracking with our custom tool
    • DGN Files Available to Customer