Get started with Tekla Tedds API

In this guide you will go through how to get started with Tekla Tedds API and how to utilize existing code examples when creating your own code.

Prerequisites

You need to have a Tekla Tedds license in order to use Tekla Tedds API. If you do not have a license yet, or you would like to develop and sell you applications for 3rd parties,  join Tekla Partners Program.

To join, fill out and submit an online application form.

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Get started

You can use the Tekla Tedds API with any programming language which supports COM (Component Object Model ). In this guide we are creating new .NET application project that references Tekla Tedds API.

For more information, check the Introduction to Tekla Tedds API.

If you want to automate a calculation, read first the Automating library calculations guide.

Create a new Microsoft Visual Studio project

To get started you will need to create an empty .NET application project in Microsoft Visual Studio. Follow the steps in this guide: Create a new project in Microsoft Visual Studio.

Install Tekla Tedds API and add assemblies as references

Tekla Tedds API package is available in NuGet.org. Use NuGet Package Manager in Microsoft Visual Studio to install or update Tekla Tedds API package. After installation you can use Tekla Tedds API assemblies as references in your Microsoft Visual Studio project. 

1. On the Tools menu, point on NuGet Package Manager and click Manage NuGet Packages for Solution.
2. Click the Browse tab, on the search box, search TeklaTeddsAPI (no spaces) and click on the first result. 
3. On the Project window, select the projects where you want to add the references.
4. From the Version list, select your Tekla Tedds API version. 
5. Click Install. Tekla TeddsAPI packages appear on the Installed tab, and also Solution Explorer shows the added packages.

Using Tekla Tedds calculator

The Tekla Tedds API uses an out-of-process COM server TeddsCalc.exe which means it can be used from both 32-bit and 64-bit processes.

Create an instance of the Calculator object or use the ProgId Tedds.Calculator.

To start using the Tekla Tedds calculator you must first initialize the Tekla Tedds system using Calculator.Initialize.  The arguments you need to pass will depend on your requirements. Refer to the Calculator.Initialize API Reference for more details.

Learn

Learn Tekla Tedds Calculator API by watching series of videos

The first 3-minute video shows you how to start coding with Tekla Tedds API. In this video you will learn how to start a new coding project in Microsoft Visual Studio that uses Tedds Calculator API.

The Tedds Calculator API allows you to calculate anything from a single mathematical expression to evaluating complete calculations.

The second video shows you how easy it is to use Tedds Calculation API to ask input values from a user and use those values to calculate any mathematical expression.

In the third video you will learn how to utilize the existing calculations from Tedds Engineering Library using the Tedds Calculation API.

The 4th video explains how to use the Tedds Calculation API to define the input for concrete beam design including the design forces. You will also learn how to query the designs themselves, and how to run the whole process without the calculations user interface.

In this last video of the series about Tekla Tedds API, you will see how to run multiple concrete beam designs in order to compare the results using the Tedds Calculation API.

Learn with code examples

1. Take a look at the TeddsApiTester example. Watch the video that demonstrates the application.
2. Download the source code
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
5. Then, move on to CubeExampleAPI that shows you how to use the Tekla Tedds calculator to work out the volume of a cuboid. The code example is available in C#, VBA, and VB Script. You will learn three basic principles allowing you to start integrating Tekla Tedds into your own software solutions. 
6. Next, learn how you can convert Tedds file to pdf by downloading the source code of TeddsTedToPdfConverter code example.