Setup required
Adding tube parts to a quote is easy. However, there is setup involved before you can assign a material and calculate a price.
Tube materials need to be set up before you can assign them to a part, and they are cut on a machine with its own speeds and rules.
See the information in our tube cutting section for how to set up your Tempus Tools account to quote for tube:
Tempus Tools reads 3D models of tubes and structural profiles (angles, U channels, I-beams and T-beams), works out the profile type and size, and adds each part to your quote. See What tube and profile parts will Tempus Tools work with? for the full list of profiles and file types.
To add tube parts:
Create a new quote
or open an existing one.
Click the
button on the top right-hand side of the quoting window.
Select Upload Tube models:
Select Upload Tube models
This opens the tube upload screen:
Tube upload screen
To load your file(s), either:
Drag the file and drop it on the "Drop file here" text; or
Click the 'Select files' button to browse for and select the file.
Tempus Tools processes the upload. When it finishes, you will see the 3D render, and the parts grouped by type (for example, Rotary: Angle) and by profile size. Parts that Tempus Tools reads as sheet metal are grouped under Sheet metal.
A tube part visualised, with the material information listed on the right
Material: Tempus Tools matches each part to a material length automatically when the profile size and thickness are within 2%. Use Match Material to set the material for a whole group, or Select on a single part. You can also override the profile type and size when assigning a material, in case a measurement needs correcting.
Lastly, click the 'Send to quote' button to send the tube parts to the quote as separate line items:
Tube parts sent to the quote
Either upload button works. Upload Tube models and Unfold 3D models use the same engine, so you can upload tube parts through Unfold 3D models, and sheet metal parts through Upload Tube models. Each part is recognised and handled correctly.
Warning: an angle or U channel with the same wall thickness all the way round a bent corner could have been folded from flat sheet, so it is treated as sheet metal, not tube. Find out more.