Table of contents
- What Are Tekla Shop Drawings?
- Why Tekla Shop Drawings Are Ideal for Commercial Projects
- What’s Included in Tekla Shop Drawing Packages?
- Tekla Features That Improve Drawing Quality
- Industries That Benefit Most from Tekla Shop Drawings
- Why Choose Tekla for Your Commercial Project?
- Our Tekla Shop Drawing Workflow
- Common Questions About Tekla Shop Drawings
- Looking for Tekla Shop Drawings?
Tekla shop drawings are essential to the successful fabrication and erection of commercial steel structures. Whether you’re building high-rises, warehouses, or retail complexes, Tekla-based detailing provides the precision, coordination, and compliance needed to avoid costly errors and delays.
In this blog, we break down what’s typically included in a set of Tekla shop drawings for commercial projects, how they streamline fabrication, and why they’re a vital part of any steel construction workflow.
What Are Tekla Shop Drawings?
Tekla shop drawings are detailed 2D outputs generated from a 3D Tekla Structures model. These drawings serve as the exact instructions for fabricating steel components, such as beams, columns, braces, and connections. They are based on architectural and structural design intent but go several steps further to ensure buildability and precision.
Unlike traditional CAD-based drafting, Tekla drawings are generated directly from the model, which reduces human error and ensures a live link between geometry and documentation. Any change to the model automatically updates associated views and details.
Why Tekla Shop Drawings Are Ideal for Commercial Projects
In commercial projects—where steel tonnage, complexity, and speed are high—manual errors and coordination gaps can lead to costly rework. Tekla shop drawings mitigate this by providing:
- Highly accurate fabrication specs
- Consistent drawing standards across trades
- Built-in clash detection and coordinated connections
- Direct integration with CNC machines and MIS systems
Learn more: Tekla Shop Drawing Services
What’s Included in Tekla Shop Drawing Packages?
1. Part Drawings (Single Part Drawings)
These are fabrication-ready drawings for individual components such as plates, stiffeners, or brackets. They include:
- Dimensions and tolerances
- Hole locations and diameters
- Material specifications
- Weld types and lengths
- Cutting instructions for CNC machines
Each part drawing includes part marks that correlate directly with the Tekla model and the Bill of Materials (BOM).
2. Assembly Drawings
Assembly drawings represent how individual parts come together to form a unit—like a beam with stiffeners or a column with base plates and splice connections. These typically include:
- Weld locations and types (fillet, groove, etc.)
- Bolt sizes, types, and torque requirements
- Assembly instructions and exploded views
- Clear marking for shipping and site reference
3. General Arrangement (GA) Drawings
GA drawings show the overall structure and placement of assemblies in the project. These drawings are often used by site crews and engineers for reference during erection and inspection.
GA drawings typically include:
- Gridlines, levels, and section cuts
- Member placement and orientation
- Clear labeling of member marks
- Erection sequences (where applicable)
These drawings are also crucial for BIM coordination and clash checks with architectural, MEP, and concrete models.
4. Erection Drawings
Erection drawings guide the site team during structural steel assembly. These include:
- Steel member locations with part marks
- Connection details and alignment checks
- Anchor bolt positions
- Bracing layout and sequence
- Crane pick points and lifts (optional)
They help avoid confusion at the construction site and ensure faster steel installation.
5. Anchor Bolt and Embed Plate Drawings
These are often required early in the project schedule and are crucial for foundation teams. Tekla drawings include:
- Exact anchor bolt layouts with coordinates
- Base plate orientation and holes
- Leveling/shim plates if applicable
- Embed locations and rebar coordination zones
6. Bill of Materials (BOM) / Material Take-Offs
Tekla generates accurate material lists directly from the model. These are used for procurement, fabrication planning, and inventory tracking.
BOM reports include:
- Member sizes and lengths
- Plate thicknesses
- Bolt and nut quantities
- Welding rods and consumables (if needed)
7. CNC and DXF Files
For automated fabrication, Tekla exports CNC-compatible files (DSTV, NC1, DXF) that can be directly fed into cutting and drilling machines.
This minimizes manual input, reduces waste, and shortens shop time significantly.
Tekla Features That Improve Drawing Quality
1. Intelligent Components
Tekla’s parametric components adapt to the geometry and automatically update shop drawings. For example, if a beam length changes, its cut lists and bolt spacing adjust accordingly.
2. Clash Detection
Before issuing drawings, detailers run clash checks to ensure that steel members, MEP systems, and embeds don’t conflict—preventing costly on-site fixes.
3. View Automation
Tekla can auto-generate views such as plan, elevation, isometric, and section based on pre-set rules. This saves time and ensures consistency across sheets.
4. Drawing Revision Control
Each revision is tracked and logged, ensuring teams work only with the latest drawing sets. Automated clouds and revision notes help project teams stay aligned.
Industries That Benefit Most from Tekla Shop Drawings
- Commercial office buildings
- Warehouses and logistics centers
- Retail and mixed-use developments
- Industrial facilities
- Hospitals and healthcare buildings
Explore related: Tekla Steel Detailing Services
Why Choose Tekla for Your Commercial Project?
Tekla isn’t just another modeling tool. It’s a full ecosystem designed for:
- Model-to-fabrication accuracy
- Real-time collaboration across disciplines
- Reduced RFIs and field issues
- Automated drawing generation
It helps engineers, fabricators, and contractors stay on the same page—from design through delivery.
Our Tekla Shop Drawing Workflow
- Input Review – We receive Revit, AutoCAD, or PDF design files.
- Modeling – Steel members, connections, and plates are modeled in Tekla Structures.
- Clash Checks – We coordinate with other trades using IFC and Navisworks models.
- Drawing Generation – GA, shop, and erection drawings are created from the model.
- Client Review – We issue drawing sets for comments and revisions.
- Final Delivery – DWGs, PDFs, IFCs, BOMs, and CNC files are submitted.
Common Questions About Tekla Shop Drawings
Do you need a Tekla license to view the drawings?
No. Drawings can be viewed as PDFs or in Tekla Web Viewer, which is free to use online.
What file types can be exported?
We provide DWG, DXF, NC1, IFC, PDF, and BOM spreadsheets depending on client needs.
Can you work from Revit models?
Yes. We import IFC or native Revit files and convert them into Tekla models for accurate detailing.
Are your drawings AISC or Eurocode compliant?
Yes. We follow region-specific standards including AISC, CISC, Eurocode, and others based on project scope.
Looking for Tekla Shop Drawings?
Whether you're developing a commercial office tower, retail complex, or warehouse, our Tekla shop drawings ensure accuracy from model to steel. We combine software automation with expert detailing to deliver precise fabrication outputs—on time and on budget.
Let’s talk about your next project or explore our Tekla shop drawing services now.