topic Re: Ladder Cage entry in Advance Steel Forum

Ladder Cage entry

shane.doyleNLUPQ — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 18:10:13 GMT

We're trying to make a standard caged ladder. As all cage ladders should be, the lowest hoop should be larger than those above it giving a larger entry way into the cage and having it flare a bit to the next smaller cage hoop. If we try to set the bottom cage hoop to be larger, the box turns red and the connecting bars are not attached. This should be standard for caged ladder yet it doesn't seem to work. The last thing we want to do is delete the box and have to manually model it. That would defeat the entire purpose. See attached model

Re: Ladder Cage entry

robertwmerriman2 — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 20:11:27 GMT

Hi @shane.doyleNLUPQ

Can you remember which variable made the box go red, I have done a quick test and it is possible to have a first cage with a different dimension, I just cant get your ladder to go back so the box isnt red

Re: Ladder Cage entry

shane.doyleNLUPQ — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 18:18:48 GMT

I believe it was the radius. If I made the bottom hoop the same size as the others it worked, but I need that to be larger and flare to the smaller size at the next hoop up.

Re: Ladder Cage entry

Masibanda-CE — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 19:04:05 GMT

As Rob says it is possible I've done it heaps. Take a look at how your radius dimension affects the hoop bending back to the rails or where the vertical bars contact the hoop. It's probably one silly setting somewhere that is not liking something about your combination of input, and once your box goes red there's no getting it back other than an "undo" or deleting and re-inserting. That's been my experience anyway.

Cheers,

Gary

Re: Ladder Cage entry

xenocatalyst — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 04:14:31 GMT

I was excited when i started using advance steel to find that there was a button that did a ladder and cage all at once.

when i got to testing it i was sadly disappointed.

None of the cage types comply with our standard, the brace cant be edited and unless you have a straight ladder you cant have a brace at the top of the ladder, well you can if you offset the top one but then the spacings are incorrect. essentially this macro saves no time at all.

Re: Ladder Cage entry

mick-CNF — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:36:45 GMT

Have a look at the PowerPack by Graitec.

There is a ladder function that is way better.

Re: Ladder Cage entry

shane.doyleNLUPQ — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 12:36:31 GMT

We gave up on Advance steel a few years ago. We had nothing but problems with it. We switched over to revit which also doesn't work 'as advertised'.