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vRigger Learning Center

This also applies to cable, chain, and webbing.

Gear that is anchored includes anchors, rocks, trees, tripods, trucks, etc.

A "bight" is a simple loop in a rope that does not cross itself.

A "bend" is a knot that joins two ropes together. Bends can only be attached to the end of a rope.

A "hitch" is a type of knot that must be tied around another object.

"Descending devices" (e.g., ATCs, Brake Bar Racks, Figure 8s, Rescue 8s, etc) create friction as their primary purpose. The friction in descending devices is always considered when calculating forces.

The "Safety Factor" is the ratio between the gear's breaking strength and the maximum load applied to the gear (e.g., 5:1).

General Options

The General page in the vRigger Options dialog allows you to change various program preferences. To reset the options to their default values, click the Defaults button.

Options

  • connecting gearAllow non-opening gear to connect. When checked, gear that doesn't open (e.g., the eye on an anchor) can connect to other gear that doesn't open. This option was used to connect the anchor and load shown to the right.
  • Always display the Opacity property. The Opacity property in the properties pane allows you to specify how transparent an item is. By default, the Opacity property is only available for a few items (e.g., the shapes, smoke and flames, water spray, and inserted pictures). However, when this option is selected in the Options dialog, the Opacity property is available for all items.
  • Always display "rotator on a stick". When checked, a "rotator" handle is displayed above the selected gear. When unchecked, the rotator handle is only displayed when multiple items are selected.
  • Automatically send error/usage information. Enabling this checkbox permits vRigger to send information to our computer programmers. This information helps us minimize bugs and improve vRigger. The information is not shared or used for marketing purposes. We encourage you to keep this option enabled.
  • Display copyright notice on systems. When checked, a copyright notice will be displayed next to systems that are copied or printed. Learn more about copyrights and vRigger images.
  • Enable the rope arrangement commands. When this option is checked, five additional commands are available that control the drawing order of individual rope segments.
  • Enable sounds. When checked, gear will make sounds when it connects and disconnects.
  • Reload last file on startup. When checked, the last file you worked on will be opened when you launch vRigger.

    The option to reload the last file will be available in a future version of vRigger. If you own version 13.1, you can contact us to see if a prerelease version of vRigger is available that includes the option to reload the last file.

  • Use hardware-accelerated graphics. When checked, vRigger uses hardware on your video card to display graphics. When unchecked, Windows emulates the graphics hardware using software. Software emulation can be slower than hardware rendering, but it improves compatibility on some computers (e.g., Macintosh computers that are running Parallels or computers that are accessing vRigger using remote access software such as Microsoft Remote Desktop).

Undo options

  • Disable undo/redo. This setting disables the undo/redo commands and improves computer performance when many pieces of gear are displayed.
  • Enable undo/redo. This setting enables the undo/redo commands.
  • Temporarily disabled undo/redo. This setting turns off the undo/redo commands until a new file is opened. It is helpful if you want to temporarily improve computer performance without permanently disabling the undo/redo commands.