Tekla Structures Profile Catalog -

For projects with an existing, heavily customized catalog, Tekla provides a "Convert Rules to Groups" tool to facilitate migration. This utility reads the legacy rules.lis and profiles.lis files and generates a new ProfileCatalog.Groups.xml file, which defines the group hierarchy for the new catalog. This file can then be placed in the appropriate profil\profiles folder for the software to load. This tool ensures a smooth transition, preserving custom organizational logic while moving to a more modern system.

Never alter standard profile prefixes (like W , HEB , or UB ) unless project specifications explicitly demand a unique naming convention for CNC fabrication machinery.

By default, every Tekla Structures installation includes a wide range of environment-specific standard profiles and generic parametric profiles relevant to the region and standard you are working in, such as AISC, British, or European steel sections. tekla structures profile catalog

Click "Update" to save the changes to the model folder, which updates the local profdb.bin 1.2.2. 4. Advanced: Creating Parametric and DWG Profiles For complex shapes, Tekla offers advanced tools:

Analysis: Houses structural engineering values like cross-sectional area ( ), moment of inertia ( ), and section modulus ( For projects with an existing, heavily customized catalog,

Pick the corner points of your desired shape directly in the model view. Define the center point alignment. Assign a profile name prefix.

These have set dimensions (like a standard W-shape). You can’t change their size on the fly; you simply select the specific size you need from the library. This tool ensures a smooth transition, preserving custom

: Pre-defined parametric shapes built into the software.

| Type | Description | Example Names | |------|-------------|----------------| | | Pre-defined from industry standards (AISC, British, European, etc.) | HE400B, IPE300, W12x26 | | Parametric | Defined by formulas; dimensions adjust based on inputs | I, L, C, RHS, TUBE | | User-defined (UDM) | Custom shapes drawn in the catalog editor or imported from DXF/DWG | Custom cold-formed section | | Recurve | Recurved profiles for special architectural shapes | Recurve trapezoidal | | Chamfered | Profiles with rounded corners (e.g., for corner posts) | Chamfered rectangle |

The new catalog replaces "rules" with , which are static, user-defined folders for organizing profiles. In the administrator's release notes, Tekla recommends making one group structure at a time for customization purposes. For instance, you could create a main "I profiles" group and then add sub-groups for different series like "HEA" and "HEB". After creating the structure, you can export just that specific group's definition to an XML file, which can then be shared and deployed across projects. This approach provides a much more straightforward and visual method of organization.

It calculates accurate weights and surface areas based on the profile geometry and material density. How to Modify and Customize the Catalog