Available within Trimble Warehouse for all Tekla Structures users, the Envelope Layout tool makes it easy to generate a roofing, cladding or flooring zone within a 3D model. Trimble executive Dominique Flasquin explains how this extension came about and its many advantages.
When it comes to construction, layout is an essential step in anticipating the installation of a covering. Whether you're talking about building cladding, flooring or roofing, layout helps determine the quantities and materials required for the job. It also helps to optimize cutting and to place realistic orders with the various suppliers.
Good layout is synonymous with an efficient job site, with no surprises. But to achieve a satisfactory result, you need not only the right measurements, but also the right tools. For decades, building professionals relied on manual plans and calculations, before they could rely on digital solutions. While software for defining 3D envelopes has been around for a long time, what was lacking was an efficient, detailed solution for effectively associating a building's 3D model with a detailed envelope rendering. This is where Tekla Structures' Envelope Layout tool comes in.
The Calepinage Enveloppe tool, created by Trimble France
Dominique Flasquin is Production Engineer at Trimble France. In particular, he studies the specific demands of the French market to imagine and develop useful additions to the Tekla Structures software solution. "We carry out two types of development: those specifically requested by customers, and those we decide to design ourselves, because we feel they will be suited to the needs of a large number of users."
The Calepinage Enveloppe tool falls into this second category: in the course of his discussions with companies using Tekla Structures, Dominique Flasquin realized that when it came to modeling a building's envelope, some professionals were either using clever, but time-consuming, methods to do so within Tekla Structures, or they were using another, less relevant software package. In the latter case, they also lost out on the many advantages of their 3D model.
