Scott C. Parker

At the moment, calculating midspan is not supported due to unknown twisting reactive forces on the middle area of a truss. When I'm calculating the loads on truss that need to connect at midspan locations, I fake it by inserting a corner block. Obviously, this is a workaround and does not offer accurate load calculations and the structural integrity of the truss sticks themselves. It does give you ballpark estimates to start discussing needs with your production team. As with ground support calculations, I would love to have midspan calcs offered. It's on our lists and we know users want it. No idea when/if it may come about.

Have you tried giving ChatGPT an example script and then ask it to make a new script for a new function based on the sample you feed it? Something like, Here's an example. Please write me a new one to do X based on the example.

Also try adding a new truss in a new drawing and see what happens.

We're seeing the truss when opened in 2021. Please try toggling the VGM cache off and restarting Vectorworks. You should find the setting in the document prefs, first tab

What service pack and build of VW are you running? Where did the update come from and how did you do the update? Can you share the file itself? What happens when you draw your items in a new blank file?

What happens if you do this in a new file based on one of the spotlight template files? Would you mind sharing your file? I'd like to see what you're doing. Thanks, Scott

I fake this by using a dead hang drop on the opposite side of the hoist. I had to edit the Top Hook of the hoist and assign it a class to hide it.

Big question, did it all work before you did the editing of the stock symbols?

Are you able to share a file with the original and modified truss objects? Which truss are you trying to use? What lighting unit are you attaching?

Try this, Right Click in the window and choose Reload. If that doesn't work, save, close, and reopen the file. You should be good to go. This is a known issue on our list.

A few thoughts: Is your backup folder in the cloud? Might you have a permissions issue? Could the folder be locked for one reason or another? If the backup preference hits a folder it can't write to, it might cause it to turn off the setting.

@Nicholas LazzaroThank you for your process description. I've added the need to follow the hoist when in the up position to my list of needed improvements to the cable planning and layout tools. We have another forum post in which to post power related questions and suggestions. Those of us working on the power tools tend to see those sooner than the general trouble shooting forum. https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/100551-power-planning/page/2/#comment-457000 Thanks, Scott

This is also on our list of improvements. Keep these suggestions coming please. They're terrific. Thanks, Scott

Well, you would need to compare the two workflows and see which one works best for you. Sam's tools allows a free preview for a set period of time. Yes, they do differ. Tools in VW are developed over different timelines depending on user needs and software capabilities. The square footage of drapes came about after user suggestions that the tool take the published weight of soft goods, as listed on various drape company websites, and calculate the total weight based on the curtain finished sizes. @C. Andrew Dunning is the foremost expert on how this works. Putting per panel weights into the LED screen tool has been suggested and is on our list of wishes for improvement. When I need to calculate LED screen weights, I often add a distributed weight using the rigging load tool after I've figured out how much my LED wall weighs from an excel worksheet. These are all great suggestions and we keep track. Keep them coming.. Best, Scott

You can create a report for each truss system. A bit time consuming, but it's the way to go. When I was doing more show drafting, I used a third party plugin made by @Sam Jones which has a command to do this same thing. It gathers and reports weight of everything selected. Still, one truss system at a time, but wicked fast. I made a 30 second video a while back showing how it works. https://youtu.be/GD300L0gqVo

hello Wood, We don't, yet. It's on a list, so to speak. When I was laying out rigging systems I would convert my hoists into lighting devices which gave me a lot more control for power and data. I could then insert cable lengths into a cable data field for each and put them on the paperwork. 'm working on plans (no dates to share I'm afraid) to bring cabling, power planning and control to hoists and controllers. I'd like to hear more about what you tried to include in the controllers you attempted to build. As for your putting cable info into the notes field, how do you do that now? Manually? I have a suggestion. Reach out to @Sam Jones, one of our third party developers, and ask him about how his cable tools plugin can help. Here's a screenshot I just whipped up to show you what I do using his plugin. The combination of data tags to show the notes field, in which the cable name/number is inserted, and the cable worksheet give me both the cable/hoist info and cable lengths. Best, Scott

This is the only place people will get responses from VW folks on a regular bases. The various FB groups are hit and miss. I tend to answer questions in FB groups when I can, but this VW forum was created specifically for Braceworks.

Can you expand on this? I've not run into a limit.

I tend to do the exact opposite. Not right, not wrong. just differ for my needs. Except for section views. Those I dimension in the viewport annotations. Basic reason for me to add dimensions to design layers (and control via classes) is to maintain what viewports see when items on stage are updated. Since I may have several viewports on various sheet layers, it saves me from having to visit all the viewports when something changes in the design layer.

FYI, we have a new forum board devoted to Data Tags here: https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/forum/186-data-tags/ You have the settings correct, but need to click on Add to Definition to insert the string. When you do, you'll notice that the settings you have are slightly different than the current setting in the Current Tag Field Definition window. You could also manually edit the top line string and change the 0 to a 2.

Unfortunatly, becuase clamps do not offer ratings against the pipe itself slipping out of the clamp, Braceworks cannot offer reliable calculations.

You should be able to do the inverted bridle.

Personally, I always set to the thing that can't be changed by anyone for any reason, the floor. Added to that, when riggers are setting trim before the stage is in place, they'd have to do the math if I set to the stage deck. I've also shot myself in the foot playing with layer hieghts with regards to trim heights of all sorts of things. With that said, it's not hard to snap a few extra measurements in my section view paperwork to help with onsite math.

@mjm Is there a possiblity that those particular lights are below the LED stage in their stacking order? Have the lights been deleted, or hidden? Can you test via converting when in a side view?

This is not working as expected for me in 2023 either. Posting a bug report about it.