Instruction 1 (9)

Draft

Steel Column Scheduler Tutorial April 23, 2011

Tekla, Inc.



Atlanta Tel. +1 770 426 5105
114 Town Park Drive Suite 500 Fax +1 770 919 0574
Kennesaw, GA 30144 (Toll-free 1-877-TEKLA-OK)
USA

Steel Column Scheduler tutorial
4/23/2011
Michael Gustafson, Tekla Inc.

Overview
This tool creates a graphical column schedule drawing for structural steel columns. It reads selected
columns in the model and creates associated columns information in a schedule such as fonts, colors,
line work and even user-defined attributes.
Scope
It creates a schedule once. To update a schedule, it deletes what was placed before and replaces the
schedule with what is new from the model.
It works with multiple grid array systems in the model and recognizes single grids added to a grid array
system.
It schedules each column individually (ie, it does not group columns).
It places one schedule per sheet. To put more than one schedule per sheet, the user could possible
Link drawings together.
Installation & Launch
1. Use Tekla Structures 17.0
2. Run tool from toolbar installed or from Macros/ColumnScheduler.

3. Save away a GA drawing sheet name for column schedule. This can be loaded from the interface
later.



Instruction 2 (9)
Draft

Steel Column Scheduler Tutorial April 23, 2011

Tekla, Inc.



Atlanta Tel. +1 770 426 5105
114 Town Park Drive Suite 500 Fax +1 770 919 0574
Kennesaw, GA 30144 (Toll-free 1-877-TEKLA-OK)
USA

General tab

4. Layout - Pick desired GA drawing properties setting file to define a sheet layout. Create a new
one for column schedules if needed.
5. Scale - Pick Autofit by default and then set Margins on next Settings 1 tab.

6. Fill in level information

7. Save or Save As an attribute file.

Instruction 3 (9)
Draft

Steel Column Scheduler Tutorial April 23, 2011

Tekla, Inc.



Atlanta Tel. +1 770 426 5105
114 Town Park Drive Suite 500 Fax +1 770 919 0574
Kennesaw, GA 30144 (Toll-free 1-877-TEKLA-OK)
USA

Settings 1 tab

Set up the Settings 1 tab page. See below for descriptions. Note the definitions of:
Height Text height in mm
Section Height Row height or column width in mm

8. Margins - Margins are measured from edge of drawing sheet in mm

9. Name filter The Name field value will be used to filter out selected objects.
10. Title, Mark, Level, Location, Column marks, Grids see image below.
Instruction 4 (9)
Draft

Steel Column Scheduler Tutorial April 23, 2011

Tekla, Inc.



Atlanta Tel. +1 770 426 5105
114 Town Park Drive Suite 500 Fax +1 770 919 0574
Kennesaw, GA 30144 (Toll-free 1-877-TEKLA-OK)
USA


11. Writing Column Marks to model User-defined attributes Users have requested to write the
column mark generated from the tool to the model so that the GA drawings can call out the
column marks. This is possible be setting the Column mark fields as shown where the user
defined attribute is written into the second field. DESIGN_GROUP_MARK is the recommended
user-defined attribute since that is what is used with the Design Group Numbering macro.

12. Row and column size, floor level labels, steel column line work see image below.

Instruction 5 (9)
Draft

Steel Column Scheduler Tutorial April 23, 2011

Tekla, Inc.



Atlanta Tel. +1 770 426 5105
114 Town Park Drive Suite 500 Fax +1 770 919 0574
Kennesaw, GA 30144 (Toll-free 1-877-TEKLA-OK)
USA

13. Symbols Four symbols are definable in the column schedule. Symbol files are installed in the
environment system folder. The column base symbol can be offset vertically by specifying a mm
value in the right most field. This will allow the bottom base symbol to be more clearly shown on
the drawings.
14. Save or Save As an attribute file.

Settings 2 tab
Set up settings in Settings 2 tab page.
15. See below for descriptions. Note that template editor variables can be used instead of user-
defined attribute values if the UDA fields are null or blank (i.e, see BOTTOM_LEVEL example
below).


Instruction 6 (9)
Draft

Steel Column Scheduler Tutorial April 23, 2011

Tekla, Inc.



Atlanta Tel. +1 770 426 5105
114 Town Park Drive Suite 500 Fax +1 770 919 0574
Kennesaw, GA 30144 (Toll-free 1-877-TEKLA-OK)
USA

Create Drawing
1. Select columns in the model.
2. Toggle on which elevations to show in schedule.
3. Create.

4. An interface will open that allows the user to view what data will be generated on the column
schedule. Create schedule.

Instruction 7 (9)
Draft

Steel Column Scheduler Tutorial April 23, 2011

Tekla, Inc.



Atlanta Tel. +1 770 426 5105
114 Town Park Drive Suite 500 Fax +1 770 919 0574
Kennesaw, GA 30144 (Toll-free 1-877-TEKLA-OK)
USA

5. New drawing will open with updates.
6. Change Name and Title 1 in GA drawing properties. This name will show up in the column
scheduler tool when opened the next time.


Update Drawing
1. Select sheet in the list.

2. It highlights columns in model that were originally associated with this drawing. Select or unselect
columns to be added or removed from the sheet.
3. Update
4. Create schedule.
5. Drawing will open with updates.
Instruction 8 (9)
Draft

Steel Column Scheduler Tutorial April 23, 2011

Tekla, Inc.



Atlanta Tel. +1 770 426 5105
114 Town Park Drive Suite 500 Fax +1 770 919 0574
Kennesaw, GA 30144 (Toll-free 1-877-TEKLA-OK)
USA


Instruction 9 (9)
Draft

Steel Column Scheduler Tutorial April 23, 2011

Tekla, Inc.



Atlanta Tel. +1 770 426 5105
114 Town Park Drive Suite 500 Fax +1 770 919 0574
Kennesaw, GA 30144 (Toll-free 1-877-TEKLA-OK)
USA



Hints & Tips
User should set up margins first to maximize the size of the schedule. Then pick a maximum number of
column grids to fill up the drawing. If the user picks too many column grids per sheet, the columns will
run past.
Column grid call outs will measure from the nearest grid.