computer science

Tekla

Tekla is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tekla rather than just read about it. In short: Tekla is a software product family that consists of programs for analysis and design, detailing and project communication. Tekla software is produced by Trimble, the publicly listed US-based technology company.

Key takeaways

Tekla belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tekla to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tekla from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Tekla is a software product family that consists of programs for analysis and design, detailing and project communication. Tekla software is produced by Trimble, the publicly listed US-based technology company.

History Between 1966 and 2015, Tekla Corporation was a software engineering company specialised in model-based software products for building, construction and infrastructure management. The company was listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange from May 2000 until February 2012. The name Tekla is a given name, used in the Nordic countries, in Poland and in Georgia. However, in this case it is an abbreviation of the Finnish words Teknillinen laskenta, which means technical computation. In May 2011, California-based business technology specialist Trimble Navigation announced a public tender offer to acquire Tekla for $450 million. The acquisition was completed in February 2012. In November 2013, Trimble acquired CSC, a UK-based engineering software company and Tekla's former business partner. This added Fastrack, Orion, and Tedds to their software portfolio. In November 2013, CSC was formally merged with Tekla. In January 2016, Tekla Corporation as an organization changed its name to Trimble.

Software Tekla engineering software has been around since the late 1960s. Tekla Structures is 3D building information modeling (BIM) software used in the building and construction industries for steel and concrete detailing, precast and cast in-situ. The software enables users to create and manage 3D structural models in concrete or steel, and guides them through the process from concept to fabrication. The process of shop drawing creation is automated. Along with the creation of CNC-files, files for controlling reinforcement bending machines, controlling precast concrete manufacturing, importing in PLM-systems etc. Tekla Structures is available in different configurations and localised environments to suit different segment- and culture-specific needs. Tekla Structural Designer is software for analysis and design concrete and steel buildings. Tekla Tedds is an application for automating repetitive structural and civil calculations. The software is used in engineering for creating output such as calculations, sketches and notes. Tekla BIMsight is a software application for building information model-based construction project collaboration. It can import models from other BIM applications using the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) format, also DWG and DGN. With Tekla BIMsight, users can perform spatial co-ordination (clash or conflict checking) to avoid design and constructability issues, and communicate with others in their construction project by sharing models and notes.

See also Comparison of CAD editors for CAE

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tekla

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tekla claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tekla before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tekla ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tekla

In research: Tekla appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tekla in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tekla is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Building information modeling, Companies based in Espoo, Companies formerly listed on Nasdaq Helsinki, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tekla outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tekla in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tekla means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tekla out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tekla in simple terms?

Why does Tekla matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tekla?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tekla.