Drawing rigging points

A Rigging Point object delivers a method to indicate which of the venue’s rigging points will be used to hang the Hang Structures required by the show, or where in the venue’s ceiling rigging points must be “created” (by standard rigging techniques using baskets, shackles, stringers, bridles, etc.) in order for those hang structures to hang where required. In other words, in WYSIWYG, the Rigging Point is the “point in the ceiling” to which a chain fall’s hook is attached. Position Names can be assigned to Rigging Points in order to help identify which hang structures hang from them; this is useful in general, and required, if the Rigging Points List Report is to be of use.

When you insert a Rigging Point from the Draw menu, a dialog box appears where you can specify its name and properties. The available symbols are Lighting, Audio, Video and Scenic, and further options are available within the Rigging Point’s Properties window.

Notes:

• Automatic replacement of truss rigging points: “Truss Rigging Points” refer to Rigging Point symbols that are available for insertion from the Symbol section of the Library Browser.

A rigging point that is drawn in CAD have more capabilities than a Truss Rigging Point symbol that was inserted from the Library Browser. WYSIWYG will automatically replace inserted Truss Rigging Point symbols with drawn Rigging Point objects whenever a file is loaded or merged. Any shortcuts to Truss Rigging Point symbols will be removed when a file is loaded or merged.

• You can display the text of the Rigging Point object with a background in Wireframe views, Plots and Layouts if you enable the Show Label Background for Rigging Point text option in the General tab of the Document Options window. The label background will cover the parts of objects directly below the Rigging Point text. Clear this checkbox to display the text label of the Rigging Point without a background, and the parts of the object directly below the Rigging Point text will not be covered.
• New plots update: The replacement of Truss Rigging Point symbols do not automatically update New Plots in the file. To remove the Truss Rigging Point symbols from New Plots, each New Plot must be updated using the Update New Plot command (right-click or use the Options menu).

Drawn Rigging Point objects are standard CAD items which will appear in New Plots immediately.

• Rigging Point reports: The “Rigging Points by Position” report on the Truss Rigging Point symbols will be replaced automatically when a file is loaded or merged. The new version will report on drawn Rigging Point objects.

The “Rigging Points List” report (which does not group Rigging Points by the Position column) will be added automatically if it does not already exist in the file.

• Rigging Point spreadsheet: DATA mode displays information of all your Rigging Points in spreadsheet format. For information on Rigging Point spreadsheets, see Rigging point spreadsheet in DATA mode.

To draw a rigging point

1. From the Draw menu, choose Rigging Point.

The Rigging Point button.

Result: The New Rigging Point window appears.

2. In the New Rigging Point window, type the name for the new rigging point in the Name box.
3. From the Layer drop-down list, select which layer to insert the new rigging point.
4. Select the Show non-editable layers indicated by * checkbox to display the non-editable layers in the drop-down list.
5. In the Label Height box, type the size of the label name when displayed with the symbol.
6. In the Symbol Size box, type the size of the rigging point symbol.
7. From the Symbol Type drop-down list, select the type of rigging point to display. The options are Audio, Lighting, Scenic and Video.
8. From the Show Coordinates drop-down list, select the coordinates to display with the symbol or select None to display no coordinates.
9. From the Coordinate Format drop-down list, select to display the coordinates in a Single Row or Multiple Rows.
10. From the Position drop-down list, select a previously saved position, or click the ellipsis button to open Position Manager and create a new position.
11. In the Capacity box, type the maximum load which can be hung from the rigging point, and then select the unit (pounds “lbs” or kilograms “kg” or metric tons “t”) from the drop-down list beside it.
12. In the Load box, type the actual load of the object that will hang from the rigging point. The unit that was selected for Capacity also applies to Load.
13. Click OK.
14. Click to place the new rigging point in the drawing.

Tip: You may click Insert Multiple to insert multiple rigging points in succession.

Quick Rigging Point Tool

After Rigging Point objects have been created, the Quick Rigging Point Tool allows you to quickly assign data and attributes to them without having to open the properties of each rigging point change. Quick Rigging Point Tool will apply repetitive and incremental information automatically for all your rigging points.

To use the Quick Rigging Point Tool

1. From the Tools menu, choose Quick Tools > Quick Rigging Point Tool.

Result: The Quick Rigging Point Tool window appears.

2. In the Quick Rigging Point Tool window, select the attributes you want set or change, then specify the corresponding values.

• Rigging Point Name: Select this optional checkbox and type a name for the Rigging Points you created.
• Rigging Point Number: In this box, type the initial value for the starting Rigging Point. The value will increment automatically according to your click sequence.
• Symbol Type: Select this checkbox and select from the drop-down list the type of symbol to display for the Rigging Points.
• Capacity: Select this checkbox, type a maximum load value which can be hung from each rigging point, and then select the unit (pounds “lbs” or kilograms “kg” or metric tons “t” or Keep Units) from the drop-down list box beside it.
• Load: Select this checkbox, type the actual load value that will hang from each rigging point, and then select the unit (pounds “lbs” or kilograms “kg” or metric tons “t” or Keep Units) from the drop-down list box beside it.

Result: The attributes that are going to be assigned are displayed at the bottom of Quick Rigging Point Tool window.

3. Click OK.

Result:

• The Quick Rigging Point Tool closes and your cursor will show a “Q”, the Prompt Line and Instruction Tooltip shows the settings which will apply to the next Rigging Point to be clicked.
• Clicking the Rigging Points will replace the properties with the options and values set in Quick Rigging Point Tool.

Rigging point properties

The properties of a Rigging Point object that was created can be changed in the Properties window.

Rigging Point

Properties that affect the type of symbol, how the symbol and coordinates are displayed.

• Symbol Size: Type the new value to change the size of the Rigging Point symbol.
• Symbol Type: Select Audio or Lighting or Scenic or Video from this drop-down list.
• Bridle: Select this checkbox to indicate and display the Rigging Point object with a bridle sling symbol.
• Hatching: Select the hatching style for the Rigging Point symbol from this drop-down list.
• Primary: Select the option for the hatching color from this drop-down list.
• Object Color: Use the color that was set for the object.
• Custom Color: Select this checkbox to enable the Color Select box and specify your custom hatching color.
• Secondary: Select this checkbox and select Object Color or Custom Color to display the Rigging Point symbol with an alternate hatching color.

Name

• Name: Type a new text to change the name of the selected rigging point.
• Height: Type a new value to change the size of the label name.
• Show Name: Select this checkbox to display the rigging point with the label name. Clear this checkbox to display the rigging point without a label name.
• Text Justification: Specify how the label name aligns.
• From the Horizontal drop-down list, select the horizontal alignment of the label name.
• From the Vertical drop-down list, select the vertical alignment of the label name.

Location

• Type the new values for X, Y and Z to change the position of the selected rigging point object.
• Show Coordinates: Select from this drop-down list to change the coordinates to display or choose not to display the coordinates.
• Coordinate Format: Select from this drop-down list to display the coordinates in a Single Row or Multiple Rows.
• Height: Type a new value to change the size of the coordinates label text.
• Text Justification: Specify how the coordinates align.
• From the Horizontal drop-down list, select the horizontal alignment of the coordinates.
• From the Vertical drop-down list, select the vertical alignment of the coordinates.
• Position Name: Select a different saved position from the drop-down list or click on the ellipsis button to open Position Manager and create a new position.

Load

Properties that affect how to indicate the weight load and capacity of the selected rigging point.

• Capacity: Type a new value to change the maximum load which can be hung from the rigging point, and then select the unit (pounds “lbs” or kilograms “kg” or metric tons “t”) from the drop-down list.
• Load: Type a new value to change the actual load that will hang from the rigging point. The unit that was selected for Capacity also applies to Load.
• Height: Type a new value to change the size of the Load label text.
• Text Justification: Specify how the maximum load text aligns.
• From the Horizontal drop-down list, select the horizontal alignment of the maximum load text.
• From the Vertical drop-down list, select the vertical alignment of the maximum load text.
• Show Capacity: Select this checkbox to display the maximum load capacity of the rigging point object.
• Show Load: Select this checkbox to display the actual load that will hang from the rigging point.

Font

Properties that affect the font of the displayed text.

• Use Document Defaults: Select this checkbox to reference the font settings applied on the Wireframe Details tab in Document Options. Clear the checkbox to make specific changes to the font of the selected rigging point.
• Font: This option is enabled when Use Document Defaults is cleared. From the Font drop-down list, select a different font for the label, and then select the check boxes to specify Bold, Italics and Underline.
• Notes: In the text box, type additional information about the selected rigging point.
• Show in Shaded View: Select this checkbox to display the selected rigging point object in Shaded view.

Exporting rigging points as dwg/dxf

Rigging points export to 3D DWG/DXF files from WYSIWYG. When exported, a Block is created for each type of Rigging Point symbol in the WYSIWYG file. Each Rigging Point is represented by a Block Reference (insertion).

When a DWG/DXF file is re-imported, WYSIWYG automatically interprets all Block References for the Blocks as Rigging Point objects. The name, symbol type, symbol size, and other properties of the previously exported Rigging Point will be set correctly for the Rigging Point objects in WYSIWYG.

To export rigging points to 3D dwg/dxf

See Exporting dwg/dxf files.