Tekla Structures review

Tekla Structures is the specialist pick for the structural side of construction design. Where Revit and Archicad model a building for documentation, Tekla builds constructible models detailed enough to fabricate. The Diamond subscription creates fully detailed multi-material 3D models and produces steel and concrete production drawings for parts, assemblies and cast units, while Graphite covers design models, general arrangement drawings, schedules and site layout drawings of reinforcement. Carbon is for planning and tracking design, detailing, production and erection. Exports feed steel CNC and MIS systems, rebar manufacturing machines and precast ERP and MES systems, and the program works with DWG, DXF and IFC reference models. Each plan includes Trimble Connect Business Premium and Tekla Model Sharing so distributed teams can work on one model. Trimble does not publish prices, and the 30-day trial disables drawing printing and exports, so plan a guided evaluation.

Who it is for

Structural engineers, steel and rebar detailers, fabricators and concrete contractors who need constructible models.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Multi-material 3D models detailed for fabrication in the Diamond tier
• General arrangement, rebar, anchor bolt and production drawings
• Exports to steel CNC, rebar manufacturing and precast ERP and MES systems
• Tekla Model Sharing for several users working on one model
• Analysis models, loads and analysis and design interfaces

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Goes further into fabrication detail than general BIM tools
• Strength: Material-independent plans for steel, concrete and precast
• Strength: Free 30-day trial of Diamond features
• Weakness: No published price; sold through Trimble
• Weakness: Specialist tool with a long learning curve
• Weakness: Trial disables drawing printing and exports

Key facts

• Subscriptions: Carbon, Graphite, Diamond
• Bundled: Trimble Connect Business Premium and Tekla Model Sharing
• License: Named user, usable worldwide
• Free trial: 30 days

Where it ranks

Tekla Structures is No. 9 in our Best Construction Design Software verdict.