Get started with Tekla Structures Open API

Prerequisites

You need a Tekla Structures license to develop with the Tekla Open API.

• If you do not have a license yet or you would like to develop for 3rd parties, buy a Tekla Partners Program Suite license by joining the Tekla Partners Program
• If you are a student, download free Tekla Structures Learning from Tekla Campus
• Or test Tekla Structures and Tekla Open API with a 30-day free trial

See the Policy page for a summary of the license terms. Read also the full-length copy of the End-User License Agreement at the bottom of the Policy page.

Looking to join the Tekla Partners Program?

Then fill out and submit an online application form. 

Apply now

Prepare your setup

1. To get started you will need to create a new Microsoft Visual Studio project
2. Then you should install Tekla Open API and add assemblies to your project as references
3. Next, add directives to the namespaces of Tekla Structures assemblies

Start coding

1. Watch how to create your first Hello World application

After watching the video you will know how the using statements let you reference to Tekla Open API and how to code and run a simple Tekla Structures application.

2. Edit existing code example

1. Take a look at this code example that creates a beam to the Tekla Structures model
2. Take the steps described in the code example and run your first Tekla Open API application. Or download the source code and then run the exe.
3. View the code and try to understand what's going on
4. Make some small changes to the code and run the application again

3. Take the interactive Tekla Open API Basics e-learning course

To get started with your own application development take the Tekla Open API Basics elearning course. The course will teach you the fundamentals of the Tekla Open API. 

The course contains six lessons. In the first lessons, you will learn what Tekla Open API is and create a new Microsoft Visual Studio project. The lessons will teach you how to work with different Tekla Structures model objects and their properties, and the last lesson gives an overview of 3D calculations and operations, and how to work with cuts and fittings.

If you are new to Tekla Open API, it is better to start from the first lesson and then move forward.

4. Take a series of exercises

Now you are ready to go through a series of self-learning exercises that help you learn and practice some basic concepts of the Tekla Open API. The exercises work through some typical issues you will face. You will implement an application that creates a building frame and produces drawings from that.

• Introduction to self-learning exercises
• Exercise 1: Create pad footings
• Exercise 2: Create columns on top of pad footings
• Exercise 3: Connect columns to pad footings
• Exercise 4: Create rebars to pad footings
• Exercise 5: Let the user select the profile for columns
• Exercise 6: Let the user select rebars for pad footings
• Exercise 7: Load steel materials from the catalog to the selection form
• Exercise 8: Add text to drawing
• Exercise 9: Browse through the drawings list and open a drawing

5. Download Tekla Open API training slides

To understand more deeply how Tekla Open API works download Tekla Open API training slides. Training slides are targeted at those who know Tekla Structures but do not know Tekla Open API, Microsoft Visual Studio, or C# programming language too well.