01
Set up a scenario
Beam, two-hoist truss or overhang — drag loads along it, toggle truss self-weight and chain weight, or drag a bridle apex between two anchors.
Free · A Squaresmile app
The bridle calculator that teaches you the math.
RiggingSense turns stage statics into something you can grab: drag loads across a truss and watch the hoist readings move, drag a bridle apex and watch leg tension explode at flat angles — with every formula solved step by step using your numbers.
Free app, free to sign up
11 languages · kg, kN & lb
A learning tool — not a certification tool
Live demo — drag the slider: bridle angle45°
At 45° each leg carries 0.71 × the load. Drop below 30° and every leg carries more than the whole load.
How it works
Grab the rig. Watch the numbers. Read the math.
02
Watch it react
Reactions, leg tensions and bending moments update live. Uneven hoists get flagged; a load past the last hoist triggers the uplift lesson.
03
Read the math
The "Show the Math" panel solves every step with your numbers substituted in — no black box, ever.
04
Train your intuition
Adaptive quiz, levels 1–9: estimate first, get graded, then walked through the full solution. XP, streaks, badges.
Features
The statics course you never got, as a tool.
Beam & truss sandbox
Ground beams, two-hoist trusses and overhangs on one engine — with self-weight, chain weight, skew warnings and the classic tipping-truss uplift case.
The bridle module
Geometry-driven: drag the apex, read per-leg angle, length, tension and its vertical & horizontal components — with the landmark curve every course opens with.
Step-by-step math
Every calculator walks the formula with your numbers, line by line. Locale-aware formatting in 11 languages, kg / kN / lb.
WLL & safety factors
MBS ÷ safety factor = WLL, hoist classes (D8, D8+, C1) in plain language, and a live check against your sandbox's worst hoist load.
Gamified training
Start easy, level up as you get better — tolerances tighten from ±15 % to ±5 %. Wrong answers open the full explanation and the glossary.
Share & print
Every scenario is a link — send "solve this rig" to a colleague. Named saves sync to your account; print a clean scenario sheet.
Who it's for
For everyone who learned rigging on the job.
Stagehands & riggers
Put numbers under your intuition — why the upstage motor reads more, and what a 30° bridle really does.
FOH & monitor engineers
Understand what your PA hang does to the truss and the points, and speak the rigger's language at load-in.
Tour & production managers
Read span tables, WLLs and rigging plots with confidence — and know which questions to ask before signing off.
FAQ
Quick answers.
Is this a certified rigging calculator?
No — deliberately not. RiggingSense teaches the statics; real rigs are verified by certified riggers and engineers against manufacturer data and the applicable standards (DGUV V17/18, SQP2, DIN EN 17206). The tool says so on every page and every printout.
What math does it cover?
Beam and truss reactions (including overhangs and uplift), superposition with self-weight and chain weight, maximum bending moment, two-leg bridle tensions (symmetric and asymmetric) with force components, and WLL = MBS ÷ safety factor.
Does it work on a tablet?
Yes — it is designed for tablets and desktops (768 px and up). Dragging is touch-friendly, and every drag has a keyboard and numeric-input equivalent.
What units does it use?
kg by default because that is how the trade talks, with kN or lb one toggle away — and a glossary entry explaining the kg vs. kgf vs. kN distinction properly.
Ready when you are
Understand your next rig, don't just trust it.
Create a free Squaresmile account and you're in — one login unlocks RiggingSense and every other Squaresmile app.
