Truss tool mayhem

[MartinBlomberg]

Hi,

 

How do I make the truss align without messing around manually? The red "arrows" tend do align up with everything BUT the way I want them. I often need to change the roll and rotation manually. If I connect corners the way I want them the corner flip already connected trusses to become rolled, and hence use the 3D info instead of the 2D symbol. If I flip the symbol around it won't fit, or the entire system will be rolled. Or am I just a fool here? I personally think this tool is hard to use, but I assume it's because lack of knowledge. Could someone, once and for all, please teach me how to make truss boxes, GS and so on, without have to manually flip symbols around all the time and still use the truss tool like it's intended? Straight trusses are no problem, but as soon there are corners involved I tend to mess up.

 

Many, many thanks 😃 Martin

 

[Scott C. Parker]

Would you please post a sample file with the truss included? It'll be easier to help if we can play with what you're using.

[MartinBlomberg]

Sure @Scott C. Parker, it's not too much though, just a few Global-trusses that I started to put together.

Not sure this file will do much help, but thanks! 😃 

Truss example.vwx

[MartinBlomberg]

On 7/14/2023 at 1:57 PM, Scott C. Parker said:

Would you please post a sample file with the truss included? It'll be easier to help if we can play with what you're using.

Hi again! Would you by any chance have a clue what's going on? Am I just a rookie here or is something not really straightforward with vertical trusses? Now I'm working on a vertical LED GS system but every time I attach the truss to the base it flips upside down, and hence put the truss below the actual base plate. I'm thinking, might @jcogdell have a clue since you're the master of trusses 😃 ? 

 

Many thanks all!

[Mark Aceto]

The workflow has to be:

1. Connect all horizontal truss and CB’s
2. Connect vertical truss

 

Think of the vertical truss as hoists (same order of operations to vertically support the horizontal grid).

[MartinBlomberg]

20 minutes ago, Mark Aceto said:

The workflow has to be:

1. Connect all horizontal truss and CB’s
2. Connect vertical truss

 

Think of the vertical truss as hoists (same order of operations to vertically support the horizontal grid).

Ah, that's a good one. I'll try this one out straight away 😃

Thanks!!

[Mark Aceto]

8 hours ago, MartinBlomberg said:

Ah, that's a good one. I'll try this one out straight away 😃

Thanks!!

 

I do a lot of ground supported structures, so before I discovered that, I wanted to throw my computer at a wall. It makes sense but, as a best practice, it's not very well documented. For me, a lot of the confusion is that's not the sequence of how we're gonna build those ground supported structures onsite (typically a goal post, a tower, connect them with a horizontal, wash, rinse, repeat).

 

BTW the other thing I'll sometimes do is put the towers (and ballasts) on a different layer (at least until everything is connected in the drawing. Just depends... 

 

There were also few big improvements to BW in 2023 that allow for editing truss systems with much less aggravation.

[MartinBlomberg]

18 hours ago, Mark Aceto said:

 

I do a lot of ground supported structures, so before I discovered that, I wanted to throw my computer at a wall. I feel exactly the same, haha! 😃

 

It makes sense but, as a best practice, it's not very well documented. For me, a lot of the confusion is that's not the sequence of how we're gonna build those ground supported structures onsite (typically a goal post, a tower, connect them with a horizontal, wash, rinse, repeat). I guess one has to think the other way around then..

 

BTW the other thing I'll sometimes do is put the towers (and ballasts) on a different layer (at least until everything is connected in the drawing. Just depends... Will that help the connection process somehow?

 

There were also few big improvements to BW in 2023 that allow for editing truss systems with much less aggravation. I don't own BW for the time being, but that's good news!

Many thanks!!

[Mark Aceto]

6 hours ago, MartinBlomberg said:

BTW the other thing I'll sometimes do is put the towers (and ballasts) on a different layer (at least until everything is connected in the drawing. Just depends... Will that help the connection process somehow?

 

I don't recall exactly why I would do this but keep it in your back pocket if you get frustrated with a particular drawing / workflow.

 

6 hours ago, MartinBlomberg said:

There were also few big improvements to BW in 2023 that allow for editing truss systems with much less aggravation. I don't own BW for the time being, but that's good news!

 

I believe the same improvements are built into Spotlight. If I'm not mistaken, the only things SL is missing are calculating and reporting. Maybe a few tools? But the auto-connect operations should all be built in. Specifically, there were improvement to dragging and reconnecting various selections in a system that use to have very unexpected results (to say the least).

[Scott C. Parker]

@MartinBlomberg I played with your file. Finding the "sweet spot" for attaching corners can be frustrating, but once found, the assembly works without having to do the rotating you mention. Making this easier is on our list of needed improvements.

Here's a video from my playing with your file.

 

 

[MartinBlomberg]

On 7/27/2023 at 6:53 PM, Scott C. Parker said:

@MartinBlomberg I played with your file. Finding the "sweet spot" for attaching corners can be frustrating, but once found, the assembly works without having to do the rotating you mention. Making this easier is on our list of needed improvements.

Here's a video from my playing with your file.

 

Thank you!