How to use Tekla Structures' parametric and scripting capabilities to explore design alternatives automatically, reducing manual iteration and improving outcomes.
Tekla Structures provides two primary avenues for generative design: the built-in parametric components system and the Tekla Open API, which exposes the full model through a .NET interface scriptable in C# or Python via the pythonnet bridge.
Parametric components allow engineers to define families of structural elements that adapt to input parameters. A staircase component, for example, might accept floor-to-floor height and tread count and generate the full geometry automatically. Combining several components with parameter ranges and iterating across the combination space is a lightweight form of generative design that requires no custom code.
For more sophisticated exploration, the Open API allows external optimisation algorithms to drive model generation. A genetic algorithm can generate thousands of structural configurations, evaluate each against deflection limits and material cost, and converge on a Pareto-optimal set of solutions that a human designer can then review and refine. This approach has been used successfully for truss geometry optimisation and column grid layout in irregular floor plates.
