Overview
Tekla Structures Plugin Suite for BlueScope Steel NA. BlueScope Steel North America supports its flagship brands VP Buildings and BMP with pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) detailing in Tekla Structures. Manually placing proprietary framing details slowed schedules and invited errors.
Apps By TAP built a suite of 50+ custom Tekla plugins and tools that slash PEMB modeling time and lock in VP and BMP brand standards across every project.
The Challenge
- Accelerate PEMB modeling: Manual placement of proprietary framing details slowed schedules.
- Enforce brand standards: VP and BMP libraries needed airtight consistency across plants.
- Reduce human error: Repetitive bolt, plate and part-mark entry was prone to typos.
- Scale internal dev capacity: BlueScope sought experienced Tekla API engineers without a long ramp-up.
Our Approach
Custom plugins and tools
Custom connections and modeling tools built on the Tekla Open API encode BlueScope’s proprietary details, so detailers place complete, standards-compliant assemblies instead of individual parts.
Unified UI layer
XML-based ribbon panels give detailers one-click access to every tool and connection.
Rules-driven validation
Web-hosted ASP.NET Core services help clear up communication during the model-checking process across teams.
Continuous integration pipeline
Azure DevOps Pipelines compile and package the WiX installer with every pull request, so new tools reach detailers quickly and reliably.
Technology Stack
- C# and Tekla Open API – plugin and connection logic. This is the heart of our Tekla & SDS2 plugins service.
- XAML (WPF) – plugin dialogs and tools. See our desktop software service.
- ASP.NET Core micro-services and REST – shared validation and communication services.
- WiX Installer and Azure DevOps Pipelines – automated packaging and delivery.
Results & Impact
BlueScope detailers produce faster, error-free models while maintaining strict VP and BMP standards—freeing engineers to focus on complex design rather than data entry. The suite works alongside the cloud Tekla Web Service that generates drawings on demand.
