Managing Load Combinations

Load combinations serve two purposes; they can be used as a filter in the Load Overview dialog box to display and select (or exclude) specific load types. A multiplication factor can be specified for the items in the combination, increasing their importance in calculations, for safety or other reasons. Load combinations are created based on either layer or class names.

To create and specify a load combination:

1. Select Braceworks > Load Overview.

The Load Overview command is available for Vectorworks Spotlight software but is not present in the Spotlight workspace. It can be added to the Spotlight workspace (see Customizing Workspaces).

The Load Overview dialog box opens.

2. Click the Load Combinations tab.

3. Select whether the combination will be layer or class based, and then click Manage.

The Manage Load Combinations dialog box opens.

►    Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Load Combinations	Lists existing load combinations and their descriptions
New	Opens the Load Combination Properties dialog box, to create a new load combination
Edit	Edits the currently selected load combination name and/or description
Delete	Deletes the currently selected load combination

4. Click New.

The Load Combination Properties dialog box opens.

5. Enter the name of the load combination and optionally, provide a description.

6. Click OK to return to the Manage Load Combinations dialog box.

7. Click OK to return to the Load Combinations tab.

8. The classes or layers display in the table on the right, along with columns showing the current multiplication factors for each load combination.

Click the Hierarchical Display Mode button to toggle the hierarchical display of classes.

9. To use the load combination for filtering purposes only, leave all multiplication factors at 1. To change a multiplication factor, double-click in one of the cells of the table. (Several cells can be selected at once for editing.)

The Load Combination dialog box opens. Specify the multiplication factor.

►    Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Load Combination	Displays the load combination where the multiplication factor applies; select a different load combination for the layer or class if needed
Layer/Class	Displays the layer or class name where the multiplication factor applies
Factor	Enter the multiplication factor. To exclude an item, enter a multiplication factor of 0 (zero).

10. Click OK to return to the Load Combinations tab.

11. On the Load Summary and or Load Details tab, select the Load combination from the Calculation list.

Depending on the class or layer of the object, the weight of the object is multiplied by the specified factor for the class or layer and the selected load category.

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List Box Functionality

Load Overview

Performing Load Combination Calculations

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