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).
The Unbalanced Forces dialog is displayed after calculating forces on a system that is not balanced. In this context, "balanced" refers to having equal forces on either side of gear. This dialog displays the gear that cannot be balanced. The unbalanced gear is also selected on the workspace to help you identify it.
The system shown below is unbalanced because one of the loads weighs 100 lb and the other weighs 200 lb. In the real world, the 200 lb load would move down and the 100 lb load would move up, until the 100 lb load hit the pulley.
If the pulley in the above system had at least 50% friction, this system would be balanced. The pulley's friction would then prevent the 200 lb load from moving down.
The system shown below is "unbalanced," because nothing is preventing the load from falling. You need to either connect the end of the rope to something that will pull on the rope (e.g., a hand, winch, rescuer, etc), connect it to an anchor, or set the friction in the brake bar rack to 100%
Some systems are reported as "unbalanced," because the gear is positioned in an impossible location. For example, in this next system, the load simply cannot "float" above the brake bar rack.
The cause of an unbalanced system can be as simple as having an unanchored load located next to a valid system. In this next system, nothing is supporting the load which will prevent vRigger from calculating forces.
Remember that gear that is unbalanced will be selected by vRigger to help you identify it.