jcogdell

@KingChaos I'm not sure how easy it would be to add to the dropdown options but you could set up a viewport style that is set to 1:15 scale. Then all yo would have to do is apply the style each time you want the custom scale.

What version of Vectorworks are you running? Chord snapping is a 2025 feature and isn't supported in older versions Another possible issue is have you attached the Truss chord info record correctly to the 3D ploylines for the chord snapping and numbered them in the record?

@Mike Wright This is a known issue that the rendering team is currently working to fix. There workaround, change the shaded render quality to medium and it should be correctly visible again in 3D

Hi Mike I believe it was done in preperation of the manufacturer giving us the structural data, which due to circumstances outside of our control was significantly delayed. Any truss that displays a grey heatmap after calculation is using the default rigid cross section.

The truss is using a place holder Cross section, which although it is named doesn't actually have any structural data, so it uses the Rigid default. This means that braceworks will calculate the loads acting on the trusses, and transmit the loads to hoists but can't calculate how the truss responds to the loads, hence why the chain shorten doesn't work correctly. @JamesB1 I had a play with the file, the reason you care getting the error messages is that you have second order analysis turned on, this setting controls if hoists (and connections like truss crosses) will fail if they get a load/force applied to them in a way they aren't designed for. This combined with the lack of Braceworks cross section for the truss is causing the odd behaviour, normally if their is a full cross section themn you would use the chain shorten field on the hoists or the compensate drops setting to correct the issue being highlighted but since thats not possible with the rigid crossection the 4 hoists then fail. The solutin in this case is to turn of the second order analysis and your system will work.

@ilijahmora Can you post the file? (either here or if its confidential DM it to me directly)

There is also the cable tools learning path on the Vectorworks University which has videos covering creating cable parts and managing them.

From your image it looks like you have the simplified geometry class of the truss truned on, which displays the trusses outer bounding box. Check the Rigging-Truss-Simplified class visibility

@negen From the image you haven't defined the type of cable connecting the strobe to the power distro, since the cable and connector are needed to track the electrical flow path this is likely why there isn't a power calculation. Try changing the cable to a 16a single phase and recalculating.

As long as you don't need the structure to calculate in Braceworks (which is hardcoded to only allow one cross section in a system) then you can set the sleeveblock up to connect to multiple truss types. Right click on the sleeve block and use the customize truss symbol data context command In the truss properties dialogue there is a connectable with field. Normally this will only have a single truss type in it but you can add other truss types, use a comma as a seperator.

You can enter a new value in the maximum allowable tilting box. I'll make a VE to have the default changed to 0.5 kNm,

As part of update 4 there is a new section at the bottom of the Braceworks preferences that controls how the rotational calculations are done. The threshold was preasent previously but not user contollable. The feature provides more control over the rotational calculation settings (especially the threshold which was insanely low previously) and more info about the results to make it easier to balance the trusses.

Personally I set the threshold to somewhere between .3kNm or .5kNm, which equates roughly to an imbalance rotational weight of 30 to 50kg applied at 1m distance from the trusses center line. This enables the balance to be out by the weight of 1 or 2 moving lights (fairly common). For me this is the optimum in most cases but the key thing to remember is that this is a warning and will not prevent the system being safely hung, just that it may not work as the designer has intended.

Yes the content for power planning is basicly the same, There have been changes to the cable tool and power info dropdown menu behaviour in update 4 that make them easier to use, but the basic content is the same. The only thing to remember convert the libraries (using the batch convert command) for use in 2025.

Hi Juan I'm sorry but there are no solutions to these issues in 2023, daisy chain power calcualtions wasn't supported in that release and the power planning palette itself is wasn't in a really useable form, with lots of bugs and issues. We have since changed our approach to power planning and have brought the development inhouse. In Vectorworks 2025 the power planning palette has been replaced with the create power schematic command which is based on ConnectCAD technology. This has enabled us to fix most of the issues related to to cable and power planning, as well as start the process of adding missing features like daisy chain power calculation, which was added in update 4.