Validated cross-sectional data by truss vendor

[Brent.A]

Hey Braceworks amigos!

 

For 12" plated truss I have been using Tomcat. Recently heard that Tomcat isn't sharing it's cross sectional data.

IS THAT TRUE?

 

Amongst my various discomforts with Braceworks having truss symbols with valid, real world, properties ranks high on the list. Does anyone know which vendors are confirmed legit for sake of cross sectional data?

 

Any responses warmly received. Happy holidays to all.

Edited December 23, 2022 by Brent.A

[JustinVH]

@Brent.A This is 100% true that Tomcat will not share the data with us. We have been informed by them that we will never be given this data for two reasons. The first is because of liability reasons with the calculations being incorrect and the potential collapse of a rig if Braceworks said it was okay and the second is that the company which certified the truss initially will lose money as Braceworks users can use the software to make sure the rig is close before sending for actual certification by a structural company. If users only need to have one certification performed as opposed to several along the design phase there is lost revenue. 

 

For US truss manufacturers the only company that has provided us certified data that has been turned into Braceworks data is Christie Lites. A large portion of EU truss companies have provided the data as the EU is a far less litigious region. All we can say to do is to contact Tomcat and their parent company Area 4 directly and express your displeasure about not having this data and that you will have to look into alternative truss that is compatible with the software. This was done with Tyler truss and we are in the process of completing what is needed to get the data into Vectorworks after an initial holdout. 

 

Ultimately, this will come down to the users of both Vectorworks and Tomcat truss to complain enough to the manufacturer for them to realize that they could lose customers as a result. Feel free to DM me is you have any more questions.

[Brent.A]

Hey Justin,

 

Thank you for the response. Happy holidays.

 

Well then let me start out with, GO HUNTLY CHRISTIE. Thank you for sharing the truss data. I work with B type truss quite a bit and knowing it has valid data is an additional reason to use it.

 

Otherwise, I feel hosed that none of the truss I use hour to hour and day to day (while working in the USA) is valid while using Braceworks. That is almost a non-starter.

I can't imagine there is anywhere near enough groundswell by Braceworks users to get any of these truss makers to share data. The collective ooomph of US Braceworks users won't move that needle. We would need a company like Encore to mandate that for their institutional level usage.

 

Curious how other FEA software creators manage the liability of their products use? I'm sure these are all very delicate questions that you can't really drill into in a public forum 🙂 I understand, and again, appreciate your response.