tekla symed user’s guide

SymEd
User’s Guide
Product version 2.2
March, 2002

Copyright © 2002 Tekla Corporation
Copyright© 1992-2003 Tekla Corporation. All rights reserved.
This Software Manual has been developed for use with the referenced Software. Use of the
Software, and use of this Software Manual are governed by a License Agreement. Among
other provisions, the License Agreement sets certain warranties for the Software and this Man-
ual, disclaims other warranties, limits recoverable damages, defines permitted uses of the Soft-
ware, and determines whether you are an authorized user of the Software. Please refer to the
License Agreement for important obligations and applicable limitations and restrictions on your
rights.
In addition, this Software Manual is protected by copyright law and by international treaties.
Unauthorized reproduction, display, modification, or distribution of this Manual, or any portion
of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the full extent
permitted by law.
Tekla, Tekla Structures, Xcity, Xengineer, Xpipe, Xpower, Xsteel, and Xstreet are either regis-
tered trademarks or trademarks of Tekla Corporation in the European Union, the United States,
and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned in this Manual are or
may be trademarks of their respective owners. By referring to a third-party product or brand,
Tekla does not intend to suggest an affiliation with or endorsement by such third party and dis-
claims any such affiliation or endorsement, except where otherwise expressly stated.
Elements of the software described in this Manual may be the subject of pending patent applica-
tions in the European Union and/or other countries.
SymEd User’s Guide
i
Contents
Contents
Contents i

Preface 1
1 Getting started 5
1.1 Introducing symbol files 6
1.2 Installing and running SymEd 6
1.3 Introducing the workarea 8
1.4 Working with symbol files 13
1.5 Working with symbols 15
1.6 Setting program options 16
1.7 Working with SymEd windows 20
2 Drawing and editing symbols 23
2.1 Selecting and moving objects 23
2.2 Drawing primitives 27
2.3 Editing primitives 33
3 Using advanced functions 55
3.1 Importing DXF images 56
3.2 Using a digitizer tablet 56
ii
SymEd User’s Guide
Contents
4 Menu Reference 61
4.1 File menu commands 62
4.2 Edit menu commands 63
4.3 View menu commands 65
4.4 Insert menu commands 66
4.5 Misc menu commands 67
4.6 Options menu commands 68
4.7 Help menu command 70
4.8 Popup menu commands 70
Glossary 73
Index 77

SymEd User’s Guide
1
Preface
Introduction
This is the SymEd User’s Guide, which explains how to create and edit symbol
files using SymEd. Symbol files are used in Tekla applications.
A symbol file consists of up to 256 individual symbols made up of lines, arcs, cir-
cles, filled areas and text. These are called primitives.
Audience
This manual is aimed at administrators of Tekla applications who want to:
• create symbol files to be used in Tekla applications
• edit existing symbol files
We assume you are familiar with basic Windows commands such as starting and
closing applications and using application windows.
How to use this guide
This manual is meant to be both a textbook and a reference book depending on
your needs and level of familiarity with SymEd.
If you are new to SymEd, you start with Chapter 1, Getting started.
If you have the basics and want to get started with creating and editing symbols,
go to Chapter 2, Drawing and editing symbols.
If you want information about SymEd’s advanced features, go to Chapter 3,
Using advanced functions.
If you want information about SymEd menu commands, see Chapter 4, Menu
Reference, on page 61.
2
SymEd User’s Guide
Conventions used in this guide
Typefaces We use different typefaces in this manual to mark different types of items. In
most cases, the meaning is obvious from the context. If you are not sure what a
certain typeface represents, check it here.

• Any text that appears in the user interface is displayed using
bold
, for
example window and dialog box titles, field and button labels,
combo-box options and list box items.
• New terms appear in italic bold when they are used for the first time.
• Any text that you type into the user interface appears in "quotation
marks". For example, typing "romsim" into the
Font name
field.
• Italic is used for information that needs to be emphasized.
• Names of files and directory paths appear in
bold, for example:
.\DXK_Fontpath\romsim.fon
Noteboxes
A notebox is a shaded area that contains special information which must stand
out from the surrounding text.
There are four different types of noteboxes. They contain:
•Tips
•Notes
• Important notes and warnings
Different types of noteboxes contain different icons. Below are some examples:
A tip looks like this. It might introduce a shortcut or suggest
alternative ways of doing things.
This is a note. A note is to draw your attention to details that
may be overlooked.
Ver y important notes and warnings are marked with a stop
sign. Read these! They are to save you from making mistakes
or wasting your time.
SymEd User’s Guide

3
Organization
This guide is divided into four chapters and a glossary.
Chapter 1: Getting started
This chapter provides an overview of symbol files and how they are used in
Tekla applications. The chapter introduces SymEd and the workareas and basic
symbol file operations.
Chapter 2: Drawing and editing symbols
This chapter gives detailed instructions on selecting objects and drawing and
editing symbols.
Chapter 3: Using advanced functions
This chapter provides information about adavnced SymEd features such as
importing DXF images and using a digitizer tablet.
Chapter 4: Menu Reference
This chapter provides short descriptions of all SymEd commands.
Glossary
The glossary includes definitions for the most central terms and concepts in the
manual.
4
SymEd User’s Guide
SymEd User’s Guide
5
Getting started
1 Getting started
Overview
Introduction This chapter gives an overview of symbol files and how they are used in Tekla
applications, and discusses installing the SymEd software and starting and exit-
ing the program.
Audience This chapter is for beginners. Whatever plans you have for using SymEd, you
should start with this chapter.

You need to be familiar with basic Windows concepts.
Organization This chapter contains the following sections:
• Introducing symbol files (p. 6)
• Installing and running SymEd (p. 6)
• Introducing the workarea (p. 8)
• Working with symbol files (p. 13)
• Working with symbols (p. 15)
• Setting program options (p. 16)
• Working with SymEd windows (p. 20)
6
SymEd User’s Guide
Getting started
1.1 Introducing symbol files
Introduction A symbol file is a collection of individual symbols saved in a single file. A sym-
bol file can contain up to 256 symbols. A symbol is made up of primitives and
their combinations such as lines, polygon lines, arcs, circles, boxes, filled areas,
and text. You can identify the individual symbols of a symbol file with numbers
from 0 to 255. For detailed information about primitives and other shapes, see
Available primitives and shapes (p. 29).
Symbol file usage We use SymEd symbol files in Tekla Xproducts for creating user interface items.
The attributes of a symbol (line or fill color, for example) are defined at runtime,
or they can be set in the symbol file.
You can use symbol files to adjust symbols for your own needs. You can intro-
duce your own customized symbols without making changes in the Xproduct.
Tekla applications use SymEd symbol files in a variety of ways. Some applica-
tions (Tekla Xsteel, for example) use symbol files directly, others (Tekla Xpower,
for example) use a combination of symbol and presentation files created with
PresEd.
To find out how your Tekla product uses symbol files, refer to the product docu-
mentation.

1.2 Installing and running SymEd
This section contains information on how to install SymEd. The installation pro-
cedure depends on which Tekla application you are using. This section also cov-
ers hardware requirements and describes how to start and exit SymEd.
Do not edit the standard symbol files delivered in your
Tekla applications. If you need to edit any symbols, copy
the original symbol file and work on the copy, keeping the
original symbol file intact.
SymEd User’s Guide
7
Getting started
Installation
SymEd installation depends on which Tekla application you are using. With
some applications SymEd is installed automatically. With others, SymEd is
delivered as a part of an optional tools package.
The installation location will depend on the application and the type of your
application license:
• If you have a single-user license, SymEd is typically installed on
your local workstation.
• If you have a multi-user license, SymEd is typically installed on an
application server.
In some cases SymEd software may be delivered in a zip file. To install the soft-
ware from a zip file, extract its contents to a folder of your choice.
For detailed information on installing SymEd in your Tekla Xproduct, refer to
the product documentation.
Hardware requirements
SymEd supports three-button mouse devices and we suggest you use a three-but-
ton mouse or a wheel mouse. This makes selecting objects easier than when
using a regular two-button mouse.
If you use a two-button mouse, moving, resizing and rotating objects varies from

the procedures of a three-button mouse. For more details on using a two-button
mouse, see Selecting and moving objects (p. 23) and Moving, resizing and
rotating primitives (p. 38).
Starting SymEd
Starting SymEd depends on how it is installed:
• If SymEd is installed on an application server, you have a shortcut
on your desktop. To start SymEd, double-click the
SymEd
shortcut
icon. SymEd starts via a batch file.
• If SymEd is installed on your local workstation, you start by going
to the SymEd installation directory and double-clicking the
Symed.exe icon. In some Tekla products, you can start SymEd
directly from the product pulldown menu.
For detailed information on starting SymEd in your Tekla Xproduct, refer to the
product documentation.
8
SymEd User’s Guide
Getting started
Exiting SymEd
To exit SymEd, do one of the following:
•On the
File
menu, click
Exit
.
• Click the
Close
button on the upper right corner of the SymEd
program window.

SymEd asks for confirmation before exiting:
•Click
OK
to exit.
•Click
Cancel
to continue the current session.
1.3 Introducing the workarea
This section covers the SymEd program and zoom windows and their contents.
Program window
When you start SymEd, the program window appears:
File toolbar Symbol Library Symbol Edit
Status bar Primitive toolbarAttribute bar
Zoom toolbar
Workarea Workarea
Coordinate bar
Symbol slots
SymEd User’s Guide
9
Getting started
Symbol Library
Workarea
The Symbol Library Workarea shows the contents of the current symbol file, so
you can select symbols for editing. The Symbol Library Workarea is also
referred to as the Library Workarea.
Symbol Edit
Workarea
The Symbol Edit Workarea shows the selected symbol, so you can create new
symbols or edit existing ones. The Symbol Edit Workarea is also referred to as
the Edit Workarea.

Symbol slot A symbol slot is a container in the Library Workarea and contains a single sym-
bol. The Library Workarea has 256 symbol slots.
Toolbars
SymEd has the following toolbars:
•The File toolbar contains buttons for common operations such as opening
and saving symbol files.
•The Zoom toolbar contains buttons for zoom operations.
•The Primitive toolbar contains buttons for all SymEd primitives and
other shapes you can draw.
To view or hide toolbars, click
View > Toolbars
. A check mark in front of the tool-
bar name indicates that the toolbar is visible.
File toolbar
The
File
toolbar contains the following buttons:
Button Description Menu selection
New.
File > New
Open.
File > Open
Save.
File > Save
Cut.
Edit > Cut
Copy.
Edit > Copy
Paste.
Edit > Paste

Clear.
Edit > Clear
10
SymEd User’s Guide
Getting started
Zoom toolbar
The
Zoom
toolbar contains the following buttons:
Primitive toolbar
The
Primitive
toolbar contains the following buttons:
End command.
Misc > End command
Undo.
Edit > Undo
Redo.
Edit > Redo
Button Description Menu selection
Pan.
View > Pan
Zoom in.
View > Zoom In
Zoom out.
View > Zoom Out
Create new zoom window.
View > New Zoom Window
Turn zoom window into
magnifier.

View > Magnifier
Button Description Menu selection
Line.
Insert > Line
Polyline.
Insert > Polyline
Arc.
Insert > Arc
Fillarea.
Insert > Fillarea
Circle.
Insert > Circle
Box.
Insert > Box
Button Description Menu selection
SymEd User’s Guide
11
Getting started
Other controls
Attribute bar The Attribute bar shows object-specific information such as position and size of
the object. The fields that you cannot edit are inactive.
Coordinate bar The Coordinate bar shows the index number (0–255) of the current symbol and
the current coordinates of the mouse pointer.
Status bar The Status bar shows tooltips for the selected tool or button.
Zoom window
You can magnify symbols with the Zoom windows. You can create new zoom
windows in both workareas.
To create a new zoom window, do the following:
1. Click
View > New Zoom Window

.
2. Do one of the following:
• Left-drag over the area you want to view in the new window.
• Left-click to magnify the symbol to the next preset percentage,
centering the display around the point you click.
The following figure illustrates the zoom window:
Filled circle.
Insert > Filled circle
Filled box.
Insert > Filled box
Text.
Insert > Text
Button Description Menu selection
12
SymEd User’s Guide
Getting started
Zoom window
toolbar
The
Zoom
window toolbar contains the following buttons:
Button Description Menu selection
Pans inside any workarea or
zoom window.
View > Pan
Increases the displayed area.
View > Zoom In
Reduces the displayed area.
View > Zoom Out
Restores the previous view.

–
Restores the original view.
–
Magnifies selected workarea.
View > Magnifier
Creates a new zoom window.
View > New Zoom Window
Deletes the zoom window.
–
SymEd User’s Guide
13
Getting started
1.4 Working with symbol files
This section introduces basic file operations such as opening and saving symbol
files that are accessed via the
File
menu.
Creating a new symbol file
To create a new symbol file, do one of the following:
•On the
File
menu, click
New
.
•On the
File
toolbar, click
New
.
This creates a new, empty symbol file. Save the new symbol file using the

File > Save As
command.
Opening existing symbol file
To open an existing symbol file, do one of the following:
• Click
File > Open
.
•Press
Ctrl + o
.
•On the
File
toolbar, click
Open
.
This displays a file selection dialog box where you can select a symbol file.
Saving symbol file
You can save a symbol file under a new name or under the current name.
To save a symbol file under a new name:
1. Click
File > Save As
. A file selection dialog box appears.
2. Specify a file name and location and click
OK
.
If you already have a symbol file open, SymEd will ask if
you want to save changes to the current file.
If you already have a symbol file open, SymEd will ask if
you want to save changes to the current file.
14

SymEd User’s Guide
Getting started
This saves the current symbol file with a new name.
To save a symbol file under the current name, do one of the following:
•Click
File > Save
.
•Press
Ctrl + s
.
•On the
File
toolbar, click
Save
.
This saves the current symbol file with the current name. If you have not saved
the file before, a file selection dialog box appears so you can specify a file name
and location.
Reverting to last saved version
To revert to the last saved version of the current file:
• Select
File > Revert
.
This opens the previously saved version of the current symbol file. Note that all
unsaved changes made in the symbol file are lost.
If you specify an existing file name when saving a symbol
file, SymEd will overwrite the existing file without a
warning.
If you specify an existing file name when saving a symbol
file, SymEd will overwrite the existing file without a

warning.
SymEd User’s Guide
15
Getting started
1.5 Working with symbols
This section introduces the procedures of adding a symbol to a symbol file and
editing an existing symbol.
Adding a new symbol
To add a new symbol to an existing symbol file, you must select a symbol for
editing and then draw the symbol.
To add a new symbol:
1. Open the symbol file you want to edit.
For details, see Working with symbol files (p. 13).
2. In the Library Workarea, double-click the symbol slot you want to add a
symbol to. This selects the symbol for editing in the Edit Workarea.
For details, see Selecting and moving objects (p. 23).
If the Single Click Select option is on, you can select a symbol for editing by
single-clicking. For details, see Single Click Select (p. 19).
3. In the Edit Workarea, insert primitives and other shapes.
Use the
Insert
menu or the
Primitive toolbar
to select the primitive or another
shape. For details, see Drawing primitives (p. 27).
4. When you are done, click
File > Save
to save the symbol file.
Editing an existing symbol
To edit an existing symbol, you must select the symbol for editing and then edit

the symbol’s primitives and other shapes.
To edit an existing symbol:
1. Open the symbol file you want to edit.
For details, see Working with symbol files (p. 13).
2. In the Library Workarea, double-click the symbol slot you want to edit. This
selects the symbol for editing in the Edit Workarea.
For details, see Selecting and moving objects (p. 23).
3. In the Edit Workarea, edit the primitives and other shapes as needed.
You can edit the shapes, values and attributes.
For details, see Editing primitives (p. 33).
Use the zoom window to magnify the workarea if necessary.
For details, see Introducing the workarea (p. 8).
16
SymEd User’s Guide
Getting started
4. When you are done, save the file by selecting
File > Save
.
1.6 Setting program options
This section covers SymEd program options.
Automatic Redraw
If the automatic redraw option is on (default setting), SymEd updates all win-
dows after each user operation. On a slow computer, this feature may cause
unnecessary delays and you may want to turn it off.
To set the automatic redraw ON or OFF:
•Click
Options > Automatic Redraw
.
The check mark next to the
Automatic Redraw

menu option indicates that the
option is on.
Continuous Drawing
If the continuous drawing option is on (default setting), all the drawing tools are
continuous and must be ended manually.
To set the continuous drawing option ON or OFF:
•Click
Options > Continuous Drawing
.
The check mark next to the
Continuous Drawing
menu option indicates that
the option is on. You can draw several objects with the same tool without
reselecting the tool.
Temporary
continuous mode
If the
Continuous Drawing
option is off, you can still make the current drawing
tool temporarily continuous. This only affects the current tool; when you end
drawing by selecting another drawing tool, or click
End Command
, the
Continuous Drawing
option is turned off again.
To make a tool temporarily continuous:
1. Select a drawing tool.
2. Do one of the following:
•Click
Misc > Continuous

.
• Right-click and select
Continuous
.
3. Draw with the drawing tool.
SymEd User’s Guide
17
Getting started
You can draw several objects with the current tool without reselecting it after
each primitive.
Grid settings
The drawing grid is provided as an aid for drawing primitives. When the grid is
used, each click snaps to the nearest grid point. This means you can draw shapes
that are more regular than those drawn without the aid of the grid.
Grid size and tolerance
To set the grid size and tolerance:
1. Click
Options > Settings
. The following dialog box appears:
2. Set grid size and tolerance in pixels.
•The
Grid
setting defines the distance between the grid points in
the Edit Workarea.
•The
Tolerance
setting defines the snap distance (How close to a
grid point do you have to click in order for the click to snap to
the grid point?).
3. When you are done, click

Close
.
Activating the grid
Setting the grid size and tolerance does not automatically make the grid active.
To activate (or deactivate) the grid:
• Click
Options > Grid > Active
.
• The check mark next to the
Active
menu option indicates that the
grid is active.
• If the grid is active, all clicks during drawing operations will
snap to the nearest grid point as if the grid point had been
clicked.
18
SymEd User’s Guide
Getting started
Showing and hiding the grid
Activating the grid does not automatically make it visible. On the other hand, the
grid may be visible without being active.
To show or hide the grid:
•Click
Options > Grid > Visible
.
The check mark next to the
Visible
menu option indicates that the grid is vis-
ible.
Pick settings

This section covers the pick settings of the Edit Workarea, which affect selection
operations and certain input operations (cut and copy, for example).
Pick multiple The
Multiple
pick setting specifies whether a single click selects all primitives
within the click tolerance or only the nearest one.
To turn the multiple pick ON or OFF:
•Click
Options > Pick > Multiple
.
The check mark next to the
Multiple
menu option indicates that the multiple
pick option is on.
Pick partially The
Partially
pick option affects select operations you make by dragging. If the
option is on, all objects that are either completely or partially inside the drag box
are selected. If the option is off, all parts of an object must be inside the drag box
for the object to be selected.
To turn the
Partially
pick option ON or OFF:
• Select
Options > Pick > Partially
.
The check mark next to the
Partially
option indicates that the option is on.
Background image visibility

Selecting a background image file to display and actually displaying the image
are two separate operations. If you select a file using
File > Background image
, it
is displayed (or hidden) with the
Options > Background Image
option.
To turn the background image visibility ON or OFF:
•Click
Options > Background Image
.
The check mark next to the
Background Image
menu option indicates that the
background image is visible.
SymEd User’s Guide
19
Getting started
Single Click Select
When the
Single Click Select
option is on, you can select symbols in the symbol
file window by clicking once. If the option is off, you must double-click to select
a symbol for editing.
To set the
Single Click Select
option ON or OFF:
• Select
Options > Single Click Select
.

The check mark next to the menu option indicates that it is on.
Import transform
This command displays a dialog box in which you define the convertion settings
for imported DXF images. These include settings for scaling and x and y coordi-
nates.
To set the import transform settings:
1. Click
Options > Import Transform
. The following dialog box appears:
2. In the
Import Transform
dialog box, enter values for scaling and shifting the x
and y coordinates. When you are done, click
OK
.
•In the
Scale
field, enter the scaling rate. The value 1 means that
the DXF image is imported in its original size. The value 2
means that the image is imported in size which is twice as big as
the original.
•In the
Translate x
and
Translate y
fields, enter values for shifting
the x and y coordinates if necessary. The coordinate values are
calculated from the DXF file coordinates.
20
SymEd User’s Guide

Getting started
1.7 Working with SymEd windows
This section provides an overview of SymEd windowing operations.
SymEd has standard windowing operations available in most Tekla applications
and utilities. They include zooming, panning, and positioning the view of a win-
dow.
Redrawing a window
Redrawing an active SymEd window is useful if you are working on a slow
computer and cannot use the Automatic Redraw (p. 16) option.
To redraw the active program window, do one of the following:
•Click
Misc > Redraw
.
•Press
Ctrl + l
.
Creating new zoom windows
You can create independent zoom windows for either the Library or the Edit
work area.
To create a new zoom window:
1. Click
View > New Zoom Window
, or click
Create New Zoom Window
in
the
Zoom
toolbar.
2. Left-drag over the area you want to view in the new zoom window.
– or –

Left-click to create a zoom window with a preset amount of magnification.
The display of the new zoom window is centered around the point you click.
SymEd User’s Guide
21
Getting started
Panning, zooming and magnifying
Panning, zooming and magnifying operations are accessed via the
View
menu.
Panning You can pan over both workareas.
To pan:
1. Click
View > Pan
, or click the
Pan
button in the
Zoom
toolbar or a zoom
window.
2. Left-drag in the Library or Edit Workarea to pan, or
left-click to set the center point of the viewing window.
Zooming You can zoom in both workareas.
To zoom in:
1. Click
View > Zoom In
, or
click the
Zoom In
button in the
Zoom

toolbar or a zoom window.
2. Left-drag over the area you want to zoom in.
– or –
Left-click to zoom in to the next preset percentage.
The display is centered around the point you click.
To zoom out:
1. Click
View > Zoom Out
, or
click the
Zoom Out
button in the
Zoom
toolbar or a zoom window.
2. Left-click to zoom out to the previous preset percentage.
The display is centered around the point you click.
Magnifying You can turn a zoom window into a magnifier and magnify a part of either the
Library or the Edit Workarea in the zoom window.
To turn a zoom window into a magnifier:
1. Create a new zoom window as instructed above.
2. Click
View > Magnifier
, or click the
Turn Zoom Window Into Magnifier
button
in the
Zoom
toolbar or in the zoom window.
3. If you select the Magnifier tool from the zoom window, move the mouse
into the workarea displayed in the zoom window.

If you select the Magnifier tool from the Zoom toolbar or the
View
menu,
click the zoom window you want to turn into a magnifier and then move the
mouse into the workarea displayed in the zoom window.
4. Left-click to end the command