Xsteel 8.

0
Installation Guide
A quick start guide
to Xsteel 8.0

Your skill and our technology

forge the perfect partnership.

www.tekla.com
Tekla Xsteel 8.0 Quick Start Guide

Contents
About this guide 4
Installing Xsteel 5
Upgrading? 7
Useful Tips 9
Project planning 9
Getting Help 10

3
 Tekla Xsteel 8.0 Quick Start Guide

About this guide

This guide explains how to install Xsteel 8.0
and introduces the Help resources available
to you. It also includes some hints on
setting up projects in Xsteel 8.0.

The Release Notes on the installation CD

and in the online Help describe the changes
and enhancements included in Xsteel 8.0.
This symbol directs you to more
information in the Xsteel online
Help, which you can use once you
have installed Xsteel.

4
Tekla Xsteel 8.0
Installing Xsteel
Technical requirements
To install Xsteel 8.0 you will need:
q Xsteel 8.0 CD
To run Xsteel 8.0 you will need:
q Hardware lock
q Current password file
q Licenses for optional plug-ins
q Xsteel server name (multiuser only)
Before you start
q You need Windows Administrator
rights to install Xsteel.
Exit all other programs.
q
q If you have an earlier version of
Xsteel on your PC, Xsteel 8.0 will
use your current settings as the
default values during setup. You
should also read ‘Upgrading’ on
page 7 of this guide.
Remember to make a copy of Xsteel
8.0 files before you change or replace
them!
5
Quick Start Guide
How to install Xsteel
Follow these steps to install Xsteel. After
each step, click Next to continue. Dialog
box titles and buttons are shown in bold.
1. Insert the Xsteel installation CD into
your CDROM drive. If setup does not start
automatically, double-click the setup.exe
file on the CD. The InstallShield Wizard
dialog box appears, click Next to continue.
2. Type in your Customer information.
3. Select a Setup type to install:
Typical Xsteel program files
Hardware lock drivers
Plug-ins
(Xsteel prompts you to
confirm installation of each
component).
Compact Xsteel program files
Hardware lock drivers.
Custom Check the components you
want to install in the Select
Components dialog box.
4. In Choose Destination Location, use
Browse to locate or create the folder where
you want to install Xsteel (e.g. C:\Programs\
Xsteel\). Xsteel installs version 8.0 in its
own subfolder. Previous versions are not
overwritten.
Tekla Xsteel 8.0 Quick Start Guide

5. In Location for Xsteel models, use 10. If this is the first time you have installed
Browse to locate or create the folder where Xsteel on the PC, setup prompts you to
you want to save Xsteel models. install the device drivers for the hardware
lock (Sentinel drivers). You cannot start
6. Setup asks if you want to install the
Xsteel without these drivers. Click Yes to
multi-user option. If you click No, you can
install them.
install the multi-user option later.
If you already have older device drivers
If you click Yes, Xsteel prompts you for
for the hardware lock installed on the PC,
the network name of the Xsteel server
Xsteel prompts you to replace them. Click
where you store multiuser models. To find
Yes. You cannot launch Xsteel without
its network name, go to the Windows
the new drivers (they are compatible with
Control Panel > Network identification.
previous versions).
7. In Select Language, select the
11. In Select program folder, accept
language(s) you want in the Xsteel user
the default value (Xsteel 8.0). Xsteel
interface.
automatically creates this folder.
8. In Select Environment Components,
12. Start copying files displays the options
select the environment(s) (catalogs and
you have chosen, click Continue to start
standards) you want to use in Xsteel.
installing Xsteel, click Back to return to
9. In Select plug-in components, check previous steps. You will need to reboot your
Cold-rolled macros to install optional plug- PC once setup finishes.
in components. If you do not need to install
them, move on to step 10.
License File
Before you can use Xsteel, you need to
In Select Cold-rolled Plug in copy a valid license file (xswrk.dat) to the
Components, check the plug-ins Xsteel\8.0\nt\bin\ folder. Contact your sales
you want to install. These require an representative if you do not have one.
additional license. Please contact your
sales representative for more information.

6
Tekla Xsteel 8.0
Upgrading?
To make it easier for you to upgrade to
future releases of Xsteel, we have added a
user.bat file to store your personal settings.
Read “Startup batch file” (System
book, section 3.1).
Existing models
We recommend that you complete any
models you are already working on using
your current version of Xsteel. Once you
save a model in Xsteel 8.0, you cannot open
it in older versions.
Customizing Xsteel
If you have customized previous versions
of Xsteel (i.e. added or changed drawing
or report templates, catalog entries, user-
defined attributes, etc.), you will need to
transfer some information to Xsteel 8.0. To
find out what you need to do, answer the
following questions:
Have you used Xsteel environment
variables to customize Xsteel?
Yes: Cut and paste your modified entries to
the Xsteel 8.0 user.bat file.
No: Nothing to do, please continue...
Have you used firm or project folders?
Yes: Good, that makes your job easier. Add
the environment variables XS_FIRM and
XS_PROJECT to the user.bat file, giving the
paths to your firm and project folders. You
are done.
7
Quick Start Guide
No: You will need to manually copy
some information to Xsteel 8.0, please
continue.
If you want to learn how to
use firm or project folders, read
“Project and firm folders” (System
book, under section 3.3 Folders).
Have you created or modified drawing
or report templates?
Yes: Copy the *.rpt, *.tpl, and *.lay files to
Xsteel 8.0.
No: Nothing to do, please continue...
Have you added profiles, materials or
bolts to Xsteel catalogs?
Yes: If you want to use them
in Xsteel 8.0, follow the
instructions in
”Merging bolt catalogs” (System
book, section 4.4 Bolt and
assembly catalogs)
“Merging profile catalogs”
(System book, section 4.2
The profile catalog). This also
applies to material catalogs.
Have you customized or created any
conversion files?
Yes: Copy the relevant *.cnv files to
Xsteel 8.0.
No: Nothing to do, please continue...
Tekla Xsteel 8.0 Quick Start Guide

Have you configured CNC options?
Yes: Copy the following files to Xsteel 8.0:
machine#.ini
pop_mark_parts.inp
DSTV.bat
dtstv2dxf.cfg
No: Nothing to do, please continue...
Have you set up extra printers?
Yes: Copy the plotdev.bin file to Xsteel 8.0.
No: Nothing to do, please continue...
Have you defined any user attributes?
Read “Adding properties” (System
book, under section 3.3 Folders),
if you are not sure what this
means.
Yes: Copy the objects.inp file to Xsteel 8.0.
No: Nothing to do, please continue...
Have you created any connection
properties files using AutoDefaults?
Yes: Copy the connection properties files
and the defaults.zxt file to Xsteel 8.0.
Read “Connection properties files”
(System book, under Section 5.2
AutoDefaults setup).
No: Nothing to do, please continue...
Have you created AutoConnections?
Yes: Copy rules.zxt to Xsteel 8.0.
No: Nothing more to do.
If you need any help upgrading your
existing version of Xsteel, please
contact our local technical support
staff. You can find their contact
details in the Preface of the Modeling
book.

Have you saved any dialog box properties

to use with the Load command, either
manually or using Save Defaults?
Yes: If you have used firm or project folders
to store these files, you do not need to do
anything. If not, copy the relevant files to
Xsteel 8.0.
Read “File extensions” (System
book, Appendix D) for a complete
list of dialog box file extensions.
No: Nothing to do, please continue...

8
Tekla Xsteel 8.0
Useful Tips
Creating a shortcut
To add Xsteel 8.0 to the Windows desktop:
1. In Windows, click Start, go to
Programs > Xsteel 8.0 > (single user) or
(multiuser) > environment
(e.g. enu_european).
2. Right-click, then select Create shortcut
from the pop-up menu.
3. Drag the new shortcut to the desktop.
If you have several Xsteel setups on one PC,
you can create shortcuts for each one.
Improving performance
You can optimize system performance by
changing the default Windows values for:
a Virtual memory
a Display adaptor
Read “Optimizing system
performance” (System book,
Section 1.6) for instructions.
9
Quick Start Guide
Project planning
As you know, effective planning is critical
to the success of any project. We have put
together a list of topics from the Xsteel
online Help to help you get the most out of
Xsteel on your next project.
a “Multiuser mode” (System book,
Section 2)
a “Using Xsteel effectively”
(System book, Section 1)
a “Folders” (System book, Section
3.3)
a ”Printing” (Drawing book,
Section 7)
a “Catalogs” (System book,
Section 4)
a “Customizing Xsteel” (System
book, Section 3.4)
Do not copy models from previous versions
as the basis of an Xsteel 8.0 model. Even
if you delete all the model elements, using
this method may create a larger than
necessary model database, and very large
ID numbers.
Tekla Xsteel 8.0
Getting Help
Xsteel 8.0 includes complete documentation
in an accessible HTML-based help system.
Our online Help is a detailed guide to Xsteel
concepts, tools, commands, and features,
with plenty of examples. Use the F1 key to
access the online Help. If you have a dialog
box open, Xsteel takes you straight to the
related topic. Use the following tabs to
navigate Help in different ways:
> Contents - Online books
> Index - Alphabetical list of key
words
> Search - see Using Search.
> Favorites - see Adding Favorites.
You do not need an Internet connection to
use Xsteel online Help.
Using Search
To find a topic using Search:
1. Click the Search tab in the online Help.
2. Type in the word(s) to search for.
3. Click List Topics to perform the search.
4. Double-click a title to display that topic,
or click the topic title, then click Display.
Quick Start Guide
Search Tips
> The online Help searches for topics
containing all the words you enter.
> Enclose words in “ “ to search
for topics that contain the entire
phrase, e.g. “bolt catalog”.
> Click to refine your search
using AND, OR, NEAR, or NOT.
Help displays topics that:
AND Contain both words or phrases
OR Contain either word or phrase
NEAR Contain the words or phrases
within 8 words of each other
NOT Do not contain the word or phrase
Adding Favorites
To add a topic to your list of favorites in the
online Help:
1. Open the topic in the Search window.
2. Click the Favorites tab.
3. Click Add (bottom right of navigation
window).
More Help Resources
For more advice on technical issues,
contact your local Tekla support
professionals by phone or email.
Full contact details in the Preface
of the Modeling book.
Why not apply for a free Tekla extranet
account? It gives you access to our online
forum, tips & tricks, and much more.
Ask your sales representative for more
information.
10
11
12