Tekla Structures glossary, 2018

REPLACED BY: Tekla Structures glossary, 2019

Tekla Structures glossary is a terminological glossary related to the building information modelling software Tekla Structures, and published and maintained by the software company Trimble Solutions (formerly called Tekla). The software and the accompanying glossary contain terminology from both construction and IT fields.

Tekla Structures is a BIM (building information modelling) software for creating, combining, managing and distributing data models of different structures. The software is used worldwide for planning and building stadiums, offshore structures, plants and factories, residential buildings, bridges, and skyscrapers, for example. The original language of the Tekla Structures software is English, and the software has been localised into many different languages, such as German, Russian and Chinese.

The glossary, for its part, is targeted especially to technical writers, user interface planners, marketeers, trainers, and software users. The aim of the terminology work is to clarify concepts by means of definitions and to give consistent recommendations on term usage both in the software’s user interface and its accompanying material, such as user assistance and marketing material.

Currently, the glossary comprises 571 concepts related to Tekla Structures, described in English. Relations between concepts are visualised by concept system diagrams. The content of each concept is described by means of a definition and supplementary notes. Usage recommendations are provided for the English terms.
The update cycle of the glossary goes hand in hand with that of the software. For example, in March 2018, new versions of both Tekla Structures software and the glossary were released. In this most recent update, new concepts were added to the glossary and existing concepts were brought up-to-date. In addition, whole new topics, namely spiral beams and rebar set, were introduced to the glossary.

As for the background of the project, the cooperation between the Terminology Centre TSK and the software company Tekla started at the end of 2006. The first version of the Tekla Structures glossary was published in 2009. In earlier update projects, taking place from spring 2010 to autumn 2016, the glossary was modified to reflect the software in its different development phases, as well as any new practices adopted in the interface. These update projects also took into account any feedback from software users.

The Tekla Structures glossary can be used via a number of means. First of all, on the Tekla Structures user manual’s web page, when a mouse pointer is held on a glossary term, a tool tip pops up. Secondly, on the same web page, there is a tool which makes it possible to search for the definition of any given glossary concept. And lastly, the entire glossary can be downloaded in PDF format.

The glossary can be accessed through the Tekla Structures User Assistance web page in the different formats.

Publisher: Trimble Solutions, 2018