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Is it possible to insert a drop between a pipe and a truss?


Peter Neufeld

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Hello,

In a particular venue there are loads of 3m fixed lighting bars in the ceiling that can take 400kg. I can replicate this in Braceworks if the connection to the ceiling is done via short dead hangs. In real life they also hang small 1/4 ton motors and small truss for various items off these pipes. I can not get Braceworks to insert a drop between a pipe and a truss.

 

Does anyone know if it's possible, and if not I suppose I will make it a wish. Snapshot and file enclosed.

 

Cheers,

Peter

Screen Shot 2018-12-21 at 10.04.33 am.png

Fixed grids 1.vwx

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Thank you very much Jesse for your reply. This is certainly allowed here in Australia as long as the load doesn't exceed the recommendations of the fixed house grid of course.

 

 In fact I have done, seen and been a part of hundreds of shows mainly in hotel ballrooms or smaller exhibition halls where trusses are routinely rigged off fixed lighting bars all the time! This is a very common practise.

 

There is an absolutely massive number of venues and production companies who work in fixed grid scenarios. This particular venue is the largest casino ballroom in Australia and they have three licences of Spotlight. They clearly have a need for Braceworks - but not if it doesn't work for them! 

 

Cheers,

Peter

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

It was fairly common when I first started here in Europe in the mid 90's as well. If I am remembering correctly there were a couple of nasty accidents where Aluminum pipes got used instead of steal this and led to the current standards.

 

However as you say there are a lot of venues around the world that use the fixed grid scenario and I agree that we must be able to provide a solution for this with Braceworks. I'll start a feature enhancement request to add this.

 

Gruße

Jesse

 

 

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Thanks once again Jesse - please do an enhancement request!

 

For someone of my vintage since the 80's I have seen all kinds of rigging both correct and simply not. This is precisely why Braceworks is so exciting with it's 'black and white' calculations. No second guessing. If it could be used for fixed grid scenarios all the better. In fact I would suggest that this type of rigging (fixed grid)  is more common on an everyday basis for potential Braceworks users than the 'big' rigging for touring shows etc that Braceworks is currently aligned to.

 

Cheers,

Peter

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Peter,

To answer you original question, YES you can.

You must have the two items perfectly aligned along the center line for the drop tool to make connections. Your truss and pipe are not aligned. Choose both and use the Align tool and pick Center. Once they are perfect, and I mean to the zero of a mm, the tool will connect the two. Braceworks doesn't care if you're aligning apples and bananas, just so long as the centers align to give it a cross-hair connection point.

Your drawing froze VW for me, so I made the drawing shown from scratch. Attached for your entertainment.

Hint, turn on the Display Center line checkbox in the OIP for the truss and pipe.

Best, Scott

2018-12-21_11-06-16.png

AlignedDrops.vwx

Edited by SCParker
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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Hi Scot

Nice catch.

I tried this with Peters own file earlier and also again just now with yours Scot and I think I know what is going on.

In Peters original file he has used the old straight truss tool to create his truss, where as Scot you used the new insert truss tool with a section of Thomas truss.

The truss created by the old create truss tool does not seem to allow the connection from pipe down to truss. I just tested it again by starting from scratch using the old create truss tool and it is definitely causing the problem. I'll start a bug report

Cheers

Jesse

 

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Thanks to both Scott and Jesse for helping. It is good to know it is possible but at the moment not with the Straight Truss tool. It's a minefield!

 

Cheers and Merry Christmas.

 

Peter

 

PS Don't know why it froze for you Scott, I'm on Mac are you seeing this in Windows?

Edited by Peter Neufeld
Changed PS re Mac/PC
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