Braceworks preferences

Safety Factors

Sets the value of factors that are added to calculations to increase safety

Preset Safety Factors

Select a safety preset that conforms to standard safety codes; when a preset is selected, no custom modifications are permitted

All Loads/Temporary Loads/ Permanent Loads

Adds an additional multiplication factor to all loads (this factor is added to all calculations as a last calculation step), or only to loads categorized as temporarily or permanently installed

Load Categories

Adds an additional multiplication factor to the available load categories; each one can specify permanent or temporary as a sub-category for those particular load types

Cable Flat-Fare

Accounts for cable weight, without having to draw all of the cables

Truss

Adds the specified weight to all trusses (truss, straight truss, curved truss) to account for the additional weight from cables

Pipe

Adds the specified weight to all lighting pipe objects or pipe symbols to account for the additional weight from cables

Calculation Settings

Second order analysis

Causes calculations to fail when ropes/chains receive forces they cannot support; deselect this option to ignore these failures, which allows the calculations to continue

Compensate drops

Automatically shortens drops to compensate for upper structural deflections (simulates the leveling off of lower structures)

Automatic scaling

Rescales influence lines so that they display optimally after every calculation

Include references

Allows rigging objects from referenced files to participate in calculations

Maximum Allowable Deflection

Sets the upper limit of deflection before it is considered to be “large” deflection; if this threshold is exceeded, a warning is shown. For some systems (especially very long truss lines with few supports), large deflections can occur without affecting the accuracy of the results, and this value may require adjusting.

Geometry Accuracy

Adjusts the geometric accuracy of the model; increase the value to compensate for inaccuracies, loosening the tolerance. If the value is set too high, some items will be omitted from calculations.

Influence Line Classes

Active class

Places influence lines in the currently active class

Same class as structural element

Places influence lines in the same class as the associated truss or other rigging object

Select class

Select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class

Use Standard Class

Select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class; the standard suggested class is selected by default

Combine standard class and truss name

Adds the name of the cross section to the selected class name

Label Classes

Select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class. The standard suggested label classes are selected by default.

FEM object classes

Creates additional FEM (Finite Element Model) objects and adds them to the drawing after a calculation; when deselected, no FEM objects are created. Since creating the FEM objects can take time, and they are required only in special cases, they are not created by default.

Select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class. The standard suggested object classes are selected by default.

Load classes

To control the appearance and visibility of point loads and distributed loads, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class. The standard suggested load classes are selected by default.

Reset

Restores the default class settings for the items in the tab

Color hoists

Select how to display the workload applied to hoists and bridles

Color Hoists based on

Absolute Workload: Creates a gradient map for hoist/bridle colors, ranging from 0 to 100% of the workload.

Relative Workload: Creates a gradient map for hoist/bridle colors, from the lowest to the highest workload.

Threshold: Creates a color map with defined categories to represent low, high, and overloaded hoists/bridles.

Color truss results

Select how to display the workload applied to trusses

Color Truss Results based on

Absolute Workload: Creates a gradient map for truss colors, ranging from 0 to 100% of the workload.

Relative Workload: Creates a gradient map for truss colors, from the lowest to the highest workload.

Threshold: Creates a color map with defined categories to represent low, high, and overloaded trusses.

Influence line values: Shows the colors for the value of a selected influence line, rather than a workload. Select a force (normal or shear), torsional moment force, or bending moment force for coloring. The minimum value receives the Low workload color, and the maximum value receives the Overloaded color.

Workload Threshold Assignment

Low workload

Click the color box to select a color to represent low workloads

High workload

Enter the threshold percentage to represent a high workload, and click the color box to select its color

Overloaded

Enter the threshold percentage to represent a workload overload, and click the color box to select its color