How do I create a Bill of Materials or Material List in Tekla Structures?

Conditions

• A completed 3D model with defined structural members and connections exists.
• The 'Material list' template is available in the software's report library.
• The user has permission to modify the file name and extension.

Reasoning, step by step

1. Navigate to the 'DRAWINGS & REPORTS' tab on the top ribbon and click the 'Reports' button.
2. Scroll down the template list and select '350 Material list'.
3. In the 'Name' field, replace the default extension '.xsr' with '.xls'.
4. Click 'Create from all' to generate the report file for every object in the model.
5. Open the model folder via the Menu, navigate to the 'Reports' subfolder, and open the newly created .xls file in Excel.

Example

The speaker states: 'Now we are going to create the bill of material... Navigate to the DRAWINGS & REPORTS tab... select 350 Material list... replace here the extension dot xsr replace with xls... then create from all click on create from all.'

Common misconceptions

• Assuming that clicking 'Create' automatically produces a file that opens directly in Excel; the software defaults to a proprietary '.xsr' format, requiring manual intervention to change the extension to '.xls'.

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