Custom Eurotruss ST symbol has issues with Bracworks

[aheininen]

Hi

 

I have customized ST 3m symbol that gives strange results when system includes three or more hoists and point loads. Symbol has been modified from stock symbol. Adjustments has been made to total weight and appearance. 3m long symbol as silver or 2m black symbol from same set works as it should. I'm wondering what is wrong with this one and how corruption(?) has happened. Can some one more knowable take a look?

Test file attached, file includes systems with custom and stock symbol, two hoists, three hoists and four hoists. 

 

 

Custom ST symbol Braceworks error.vwx

 

 

I know that I probably need to fix this modifying stock symbol again, but I'm interested how to avoid this happening again in future.  

[Mike Wright]

I deleted the truss one piece at a time, replacing it with the same symbol as I went, after doing this, it worked fine.

 

Did you perhaps adjust the settings of the symbols after you had inserted them or something?  Seems like maybe VWX got confused along the line

 

[aheininen]

I can't get it to work even if I delete and replace truss pieces.

 

First tries were after user report without any modifications to symbols, symbols were inserted from workgroup folder according to users screenshot of problem and calculated.

 

I get more funky results when point loads are changed to lighting objects of same weight. Specially when fixtures are snapped to chords. 

I have un-selected Second Order Analysis in Braceworks Preferences to get calculation results.

These are Influence lines on last funky system. Deflection is +324,94mm in the middle of trusses.

[Scott C. Parker]

7 hours ago, aheininen said:

These are Influence lines on last funky system. Deflection is +324,94mm in the middle of trusses

Please post a sample file so that the collective can take a look. It’s best to copy the problem items into a new file to keep the file small and avoid any NDA issues at hand. Please use a definable file name. We get so many named “sample.” 🙂
Thanks, Scott

[aheininen]

Sample file in on the opening message. Didn't do new file on later test to avoid confusion with files.

[Scott C. Parker]

47 minutes ago, aheininen said:

Sample file in on the opening message. Didn't do new file on later test to avoid confusion with files.

I'm looking for the file with the results after you tried @Mike Wright's suggestions.

[aheininen]

Updated file.

Custom ST symbol Braceworks error.vwx

[Scott C. Parker]

@aheininen I'm going to forward your file to the engineers to take a look. When I built a duplicate system from scratch using the same items in the file, I got reasonable numbers. I don't know what I did differently from what you likely did.
I drew the truss run with your truss and used the hoist symbol in the file. I then duplicated each light and place them as they have various weights assigned to each. Custom ST symbol Braceworks error (1) Copy 1.vwx

[Scott C. Parker]

On 2/23/2026 at 2:10 PM, Scott C. Parker said:

your file to the engineers to take a look.

@aheininen It turns out the truss in question are not actually aligned along the truss centerline. Looking at the Y axis, the two are not exactly in line, minute as it is. Zooming in to the edge of the truss shows it's slightly out of alignment. We don't know how this happened, but redrawing the truss fixes the issue. As does zooming way in and realigning the truss using the corners and re-snapping the hoists.

 

[aheininen]

Thanks for looking in to this.

 

Could be also my fault somewhere sometime.

 

I have to correct this with customizing stock symbol again. Not a huge task.

 

Thanks!!  Have nice weekend!