Anyone using Braceworks

[egilson1]

So as the title states is anyone using Braceworks? We've started to use it for a project and I have to admit, it's pretty powerful. I'm curious what think about it.

I do realize not many people might respond, as the price tag is very high which will limit the availability to many users.

For those who don't know, Braceworks is a FEA (Finite Element Analysis) for calculating rigging loads.
http://www.vectorworks.net/products/features/braceworks

Ethan

 

[cbrandt]

I really like the options. I was impressed by the ease of use as demonstrated at LDI. I've got it in my budget this year to add a single license. I've just been pretty put off by the price tag. I'm currently being quoted at the braceworks renewal at twice what my full vectorworks renewal is. Even though the software is quite powerful, it seems a little on the high side for price. Just means I'll probably put it off until I have a specific application.

 

[egilson1]

A little show and tell of what you can do with Braceworks.

40' 1.5" schedule 40 pipe batten on 4 lift lines. End points are 36" from end of batten with the middle two equally spaced between them. Load is a UDL of 30lbs/ft.

In the top is a front view. The influence line you see is the deflection of the pipe.
The second image is a top view and shows the load distribution on each of the lift lines.

Ethan

 

[DavidJones]

I've been meaning to look into it when I have some time at work. For me it is going to be a matter of how quickly it gets things done, and if it is significantly faster and better than using a pencil and paper or a spreadsheet. A lot will depend on how well it integrates to my existing Vectorworks workflow.
There are lots of tools that I don't use in Vectorworks because they seem to be designed for people who only do 1 or 2 shows every few months where you can spend a ton of time creating cable layouts and circulating maps. Using a lot of the spotlight tools actually take longer than just doing the show in real life without them.

How well does it work? The one problem I see in vector works a lot, is that the info in various fixtures/objects is incorrect. Wrong weight, wrong channel count etc. Motors and trusses also have incorrect weights; I know in the long run it's probably worth it, but I feel like I waste a lot of time just fixing basic info in order for Vectorworks tools to function.