Object protection and placement settings in drawings

13. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.
When you use both autoscaling and autosizing at the same time, Tekla Structures follows the
steps below:
•
First Tekla Structures tries to find a drawing size where the drawing contents fit by first
trying to use the exact scale defined in View properties --> Attributes 1 and the
smallest drawing size defined in the current layout ( Drawings & Reports --> Drawing
Settings --> Layout --> Calculated/Fixed sizes ).
•
Then Tekla Structures increases the drawing size until it reaches the Preferred size
defined in Layout --> Scale .
•
If the drawing fits with the original scale, Tekla Structures tries to increase the scale
using the alternative main and section view scales you defined in Layout >Scale.
•
If the drawing does not fit to any of the defined scales, Tekla Structures starts to increase
the drawing size until the contents fit, using the fixed or calculated sizes or both. When
necessary, Tekla Structures changes to another appropriate table layout within the
current layout.
•
When the views fit, Tekla Structures begin to increase the scale again so that the final
drawing uses the largest possible scale.
See also Drawing size and drawing view scale on page 339
Drawing layout on page 326
View properties in drawings on page 529
Section view properties on page 532
7.11 Object protection and placement settings in drawings
When you create a drawing, Tekla Structures uses predefined rules for positioning annotation
objects such as marks and dimensions. The annotation objects are automatically placed in the
first suitable position considering the following settings:
•
The protected areas defined in drawing properties. How the protection settings are
applied depends on the drawing order of the objects in the drawing: the parts are drawn
first, then the marks and then the dimensions.
•
The placing and leader line type settings of the annotation objects defined in the
annotation object properties. Marks are usually drawn before dimensions, but if the
marks have leader lines, they are drawn after the dimensions.
•
The predefined mark location and part orientation settings for some marks.
•
The modeling direction of parts.
You can modify the placement settings and select the leader line type in the object level
dialog boxes of texts, notes, marks and dimensions. On the object level, you can select if you
want to use fixed or free placement. The protection settings for the whole drawing are also
considered when you add annotation objects manually.
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Object protection and placement settings in drawings
You can access the Protection Properties through the drawing properties dialog box:
When you create a drawing, Tekla Structures places the views in the drawing according the
settings in the drawing layout and view properties. In final drawings, you can select whether
to use fixed or free view placement of views.
See also Protected areas on page 344
Protecting areas in drawings on page 346
Defining placement settings for annotation objects on page 347
Defining automatic free or fixed placement of drawing views on page 349
Defining placement settings for dimensions on page 348
Placement properties for annotation objects on page 586
Protected areas
You can define protected areas in drawings to prevent text, marks or dimensions from being
placed in the area. When Tekla Structures places text, marks, dimensions or other annotation
objects in a drawing, it first checks the protection settings.
The drawing properties files contain predefined protection properties, which you may change.
When you load the drawing properties, the protection settings in the loaded file are applied
in your drawing.
Below is an example of the protection properties dialog with explanations of the selections.
1. With a selection like this, text and marks may overlap with part corners and edges, but
not with part content.
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Object protection and placement settings in drawings
2. With a selection like this, dimension values may not overlap with other dimension
arrowheads, lines or values.
The objects on the top define the areas to be protected, see descriptions below:
Column
Description
Part corners
Part edges
Part content
Text, mark or weld mark
Dimension arrowhead
Dimension line
Dimension value
Cutting line
Section mark
Weld arrow
Weld mark content
The objects on the left define which objects, or object elements, Tekla Structures cannot
place in the protected areas. See the descriptions below:
Row
Description
Text, mark or weld mark
Dimension arrowhead
Dimension line
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Object protection and placement settings in drawings
Row
Description
Dimension value
You can check which areas are protected by using the Draw Protect command. This
command is available in the Customize dialog box, and you can add it on a toolbar.
When you click the Draw Protect
button, the protected areas are shown with colors.
See also Protecting areas in drawings on page 346
Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 343
Protecting areas in drawings
To protect areas in the drawings:
To protect areas in drawings:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click Protection.
4. Select check boxes to indicate the areas that you want to protect from text, marks, weld
marks, associative notes, dimension arrowheads, dimension lines or dimension values.
•
For example, to prevent text, marks, dimensions or other annotation objects from
being placed over the inside area of parts, select the third check box on the first row.
The first row defines the placement of annotation objects, and the icon above the
third check box indicates the inside area of parts. With this setting, Tekla Structures
may place annotation objects on the corners and edges of parts.
•
If you clear the first two columns of check boxes, Tekla Structures does not protect
part corners and edges. This increases drawing speed and decreases the memory
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Object protection and placement settings in drawings
requirements. You can still protect these areas by using the third column of check
boxes for part protection.
5. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.
See also Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 343
Protected areas on page 344
XS_USE_CONVEX_PROTECT_AREA
Defining placement settings for annotation objects
You can define automatic placement settings for the annotation objects before creating a
drawing. You can modify the settings in an open drawing.
To define placement settings for annotation objects before you create a drawing:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click View creation, select the view and
the properties that you want to change, and click View properties.
4. Click an object that you want to adjust, for example Part Mark.
5. On the appropriate tab, click the Place button to open the Placing dialog box.
6. Adjust the placement settings. The options available in the dialog box vary depending on
the annotation object type.
•
In Minimum distance, enter the closest distance Tekla Structures should use to place
the drawing object.
•
In Maximum distance, enter the farthest distance Tekla Structures should use to
place the drawing object, for example, a mark. If no place for mark is found within
the specified distance, Tekla Structures will force the mark to that distance.
•
In Search margin, enter the minimum distance within which Tekla Structuress
searches for a space to place the object.
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Object protection and placement settings in drawings
•
To move marks away from each other, use Search margin, not Minimum distance.
Keep the minimum distance setting as small as possible to reduce the possibility of
marks overlapping.
•
Select the Quarter to define the areas Tekla Structures searches for a space to place
the object.
7. Single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings: Click Save to save the view properties.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.
See also Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 343
Placement properties for annotation objects on page 586
Defining placement settings for dimensions
You can control the space between parallel dimension lines and the location of the
dimension in relation to the object it is dimensioning. You can also select whether to place
short dimension text inside or outside the dimension.
In single-part, assembly and cast unit drawings, these settings can be defined only on object
level in an open drawing, saved into a dimension properties file and taken into use in
Dimensioning Rule Properties dialog box. In general arrangement drawings the settings can
be defined on drawing, view and object level.
To adjust dimension placement:
1. Go to the General tab of the Dimensions dialog box.
2. In Dimension lines spacing, enter the desired space between two parallel dimension
lines.
3. Select whether to place short dimension text inside or outside of the dimensions from
the Short dimension list.
4. Click Place.
5. In Minimum distance, enter the closest distance Tekla Structures should use to place the
dimension.
6. If Tekla Structures cannot place the dimension at the minimum distance, it moves the
dimension by the value you enter in the Search margin box. Tekla Structures tries to
place the dimension using the Search margin value until it finds a place for the
dimension.
7. Click OK to close the dimension placing dialog box.
8. Click OK.
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Remember that in addition to dimension placement settings, the placement is also
affected by Protection properties.Tekla Structures uses the protection properties to
prevent marks and dimensions from being placed in protected areas.
See also Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 343
Protecting areas in drawings on page 346
General dimension properties on page 533
Dimension appearance properties on page 537
Defining automatic free or fixed placement of drawing views
You can always maintain the views in the same location or let Tekla Structures find a
suitable place for the view during drawing updates using the Fixed or Free placement
setting.
In general arrangement drawings, this setting can only be defined on view level in an open
drawing.
To define automatic free or fixed placement of in single-part, assembly and cast unit
drawings:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Drawing Settings and select the drawing type.
2. Load the properties that you want to change.
3. Click View creation, select the view and the properties that you want to change, and
click View properties.
4. On the Attributes 1 tab, select one of the following options:
•
Set Place to Fixed to always keep the view in the same location when you update
the drawing.
•
Set Place to Free to let Tekla Structures find a suitable place for the view when you
update the drawing.
5. Click Save to save the view properties.
6. Click OK to return to drawing properties.
7. Click Save to save the drawing properties, then click OK and create the drawing.
Arrange Drawing Views only affects views where the Place is set to Free. Fixed views are
not moved.
See also Object protection and placement settings in drawings on page 343
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Object protection and placement settings in drawings