STAGE BUILDING

Stage design in SketchUp.

Build a stage by the height people will walk on, not by tube lengths. Then dress it, roof it and lay out the site around it, all in the same model.

Loading capture…A complete event stage modelled in SketchUp with Structure+: a stage deck with stairs, a large LED wall, moving heads on overhead truss, flown line-array speakers and side LED screens.
STRUCTURE+ / WORKFLOWA complete stage in SketchUp
Full size

Start from the deck height.

Build Stage asks for the finished walking-surface height: 600, 900, 1200, 1800 or 2400 mm, or another height you type. Choose a deck size (2000 × 1000, 2000 × 2000, 1000 × 1000 or 1500 × 1000 mm) and direction, hover the ground and click to pin it. Check the feet, the finished level and the support parts, then click to build.

To extend, hover an existing deck edge. The next deck inherits its level, and supports and forks are shared. Where no stock combination reaches the height, a custom standard is used and shown in orange for fabrication review.

Raised levels and stairs.

  • Raised levels: in Build Stage, choose Raise by. A 600 mm deck raised by 600 mm gives an upper surface at 1200 mm, with short legs standing on the lower deck.
  • Staircase: from any deck edge, with width, position, step rise and tread depth. Both end risers are shown before you build.
  • Handrails on both sides, left or right, at the height you set.
  • Edit Staircase changes a finished flight in one step.

Skirts and drapes.

  • Stage Skirt: flat, soft folds or deep pleats round the edges you pick, with openings for stairs.
  • Pipe & Drape: click a floor path; the run divides into equal bays with shared corner uprights.
  • Hanging Drape: hang fabric from a straight truss chord or between two points.
  • Choose fabric and custom colours; fabric quantities exclude sewing allowances.

Auto Roof: a canopy from four supports.

Choose Gable, Mono or Pyramid and the ridge direction, then set the peak or fall, eave overhang, tower cutout and fringe drop. Click four recognised Structure+ truss supports and click again. The roof frame and membrane are separate groups, so you can keep editing either.

Loading capture…Auto Roof in SketchUp: a gable stage roof on a box-truss ground support with four towers and outriggers, beside the Structure+ Auto Roof panel with gable, mono and pyramid options.
STRUCTURE+ / ROOFAuto Roof in SketchUp
Full size

Around the stage.

  • Barrier Run: steel crowd barrier lines in 2000, 2300, 2500 or 2600 mm sections, with flat or bridge feet.
  • Cable Ramp: cable crossings filled with whole five-channel ramp sections and end ramps.
  • Mojo Barrier: Mojo or Mojo G2 lines, with the 45° corners put in at each turn.
  • Mojo Gate: snake runners, gates and doors in a Mojo line, with each door’s swing drawn on the ground.

Planning, not engineering.

Fork, deck and jack dimensions are planning values, not manufacturer-certified specifications, and automatically added ledgers and braces are not a complete bracing design. Structure+ is for visual planning. It does not calculate loads, working load limits or capacities, and it does not certify that any structure or rig is safe. Those decisions stay with you and the qualified people signing off the job.

Watch it in SketchUp.

EVERY TOOL IN EVERY PLAN

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Scaffold, truss, stage, rigging and LED tools in the SketchUp model you already use. One Windows computer, from RM18.80 a week.