Super Curved Scaffold — User Manual

1. Overview

Super Curved Scaffold is a spline-driven curved scaffold generation tool provided by the SuperStage plugin. It is the curved version of Super Scaffold — the scaffold is no longer arranged in straight lines, but bends and unfolds along an editable spline curve.

After dragging this Actor into the scene, you can drag spline control points in the viewport to adjust the curve shape, and adjust scaffold structural parameters in the Details panel. Most changes trigger an editor preview update.

Differences from Straight Scaffold

Feature	Super Scaffold (Straight)	Super Curved Scaffold
Planar Shape	Rectangular grid	Curved along spline
Direction Definition	Two orthogonal X/Y directions	Along-spline direction + depth direction
Path Editing	Controlled by span count and bay size	Freely adjusted through spline control points
Bay Size	X/Y individually set fixed values	Auto-divided equally along spline, fixed value in depth direction
Panel Orientation	Always axis-aligned	Automatically follows curve tangent direction

Use Cases

Curved stage/curved audience platform construction preview
Circular/semi-circular lighting platform design
Irregular booth/runway structure planning
Curved grandstand weight and counterweight estimate reference

2. How to Add to Scene

Search for "Super Curved Scaffold" in the UE editor's "Place Actor" panel
Drag it into the viewport scene
Select the Actor and you will see a green spline curve running through the scaffold structure
Adjust parameters in the Details panel

Editing the Spline Curve

After selecting the Actor, find the SplinePath component in the Details panel
In the viewport, spline control points are displayed as white cubes
Drag control points to change the curve shape
Right-click a control point to select "Add/Delete Spline Point"
Modify the tangent handles of control points to adjust curve curvature

Default Curve: The Actor is created with a symmetrical curved spline (3 control points), with a span of approximately 6m and arc depth of approximately 1.5m.

3. Parameter Reference

3.1 Structure Parameters

3.1.1 Span Count Along Spline

Meaning: The number of spans (equal segments) along the spline curve direction
Range: 1 ~ 1000 (slider 1 ~ 150)
Default: 6

How It Works: The system divides the total arc length of the spline curve into the specified number of segments. For example, if the total spline length is 600cm and span count is set to 6, each segment's arc length is approximately 100cm. In practice, the tubes are straight segments used to approximate the curve. More spans = smoother curve.

Usage Tip: Curves with larger curvature usually need more spans to look smooth. Start with 100~150cm arc length per segment as a modeling reference.

3.1.2 Span Count Depth

Meaning: The number of spans in the direction perpendicular to the spline curve (i.e., the scaffold's "thickness" direction)
Range: 1 ~ 500 (slider 1 ~ 60)
Default: 2

Note: The depth direction is always perpendicular to the tangent direction of the spline curve. If set to 1, the scaffold only has 2 rows of uprights (one front, one back). If set to 2, there are 3 rows of uprights.

3.1.3 Layer Count

Meaning: The number of layers in the vertical direction
Range: 1 ~ 100 (slider 1 ~ 25)
Default: 3

Note: Identical to straight scaffold. Total scaffold height = Base Height + Layer Count × Layer Height.

3.1.4 Bay Size Depth

Meaning: The distance between two adjacent rows of uprights in the depth direction
Unit: centimeters (cm)
Range: 30 ~ 3000 cm (slider 50 ~ 600)
Default: 207 cm (built-in reference bay)

3.1.5 Layer Height

Meaning: The vertical spacing between each layer of ledgers
Unit: centimeters (cm)
Range: 30 ~ 2000 cm (slider 50 ~ 500)
Default: 200 cm (2m)

3.2 Tube Dimensions

3.2.1 Main Tube Diameter

Meaning: Outer diameter of steel tubes used for uprights and ledgers
Unit: centimeters (cm)
Default: 4.83 cm (48.3mm built-in reference tube diameter)

3.2.2 Brace Tube Diameter

Meaning: Outer diameter of diagonal brace tubes
Unit: centimeters (cm)
Default: 4.83 cm (48.3mm built-in reference value)

3.2.3 Base Plate Size

Meaning: Diameter of the circular base plate at the bottom of each upright
Unit: centimeters (cm)
Default: 15 cm

3.2.4 Base Height

Meaning: Vertical distance from the ground to the first layer of ledgers
Unit: centimeters (cm)
Default: 30 cm

3.2.5 Deck Thickness

Meaning: Thickness of the top deck panels
Unit: centimeters (cm)
Default: 3.2 cm (built-in reference thickness)

3.3 Visibility Toggles

3.3.1 Diagonal Mode

Option	Description
None	No diagonal braces displayed
Exterior Only	Diagonal braces displayed only on outer faces of the scaffold (front/back faces along the spline direction + both end faces)
All Faces	Diagonal braces displayed on all faces

Note: The "outer faces" of a curved scaffold are defined as: the inner face (depth index=0) and outer face (depth index=max) along the spline direction, plus the capping faces at both spline endpoints.

3.3.2 Show Base Plates

Default: Enabled ✅
Description: Displays flat circular base plates at the bottom of each upright

3.3.3 Show Top Deck

Default: Disabled ❌
Description: Lays deck panels on the top layer. Panel shapes automatically adapt to the curve curvature — each panel is trapezoidal/parallelogram, with long sides along the spline direction (chord length) and short sides along the depth direction

Curved Panel Characteristics: Since panels are arranged along a curve, outer panels are slightly wider than inner panels. Panel orientation (rotation angle) automatically follows the spline tangent direction.

3.3.4 Show Counterweights

Default: Enabled ✅
Description: Stacks concrete counterweight blocks next to each base, offset outward along the depth direction
Counterweight Specifications: Built-in concrete block size 40×20×12cm, 25kg each

3.3.5 Center Depth

Default: Enabled ✅
Description:
- Enabled: The scaffold is symmetrically distributed with the spline curve as the center in the depth direction. For example, depth span count=2, bay size=200cm, extends 200cm to each side from the spline centerline
- Disabled: The scaffold extends in a single direction to the right from the spline curve position

3.4 Load Parameters

3.4.1 Load Class

Uses the same built-in load classes as straight scaffold. The values reference EN 12811-1 uniformly distributed load classes for statistics estimates; they are not proof of real structural capacity.

Option	Uniform Surface Load	Use Cases
Class 1	0.75 kN/m²	Inspection only
Class 2	1.50 kN/m²	Light work platform
Class 3	2.00 kN/m²	Built-in default option
Class 4	3.00 kN/m²	Heavy storage platform
Class 5	4.50 kN/m²	Masonry work platform
Class 6	6.00 kN/m²	Heavy masonry platform

3.4.2 Additional Load

Meaning: Additional load applied
Unit: kilograms (kg)
Default: 0 kg

3.5 Materials

Parameter	Affected Range
Tube Material	All steel tubes (uprights, ledgers, diagonal braces)
Deck Material	Top deck panels
Base Plate Material	Base plates
Counterweight Material	Counterweight blocks

Estimate Note: Weight estimates for curved scaffold account for tube length differences caused by curvature. Ledger lengths along the spline direction are calculated segment by segment from chord length, and panel area is estimated from trapezoid area.

3.6.3 Spline Statistics

Field	Description
SplineTotalLength (cm)	Total arc length of the spline curve
BaySizeAlongSpline (cm)	Average arc length per segment along the spline direction = Total Arc Length ÷ Span Count Along Spline

4. Spline Editing Tips

4.1 Creating Common Curves

Semicircle: Pull the middle control point to one side to form a semicircle
S-Curve: At least 4 control points, alternating offsets to both sides
U-Curve: 3 control points, large offset at the middle point
L-Shape Corner: Add control points closely arranged at the corner

4.2 Controlling Curve Smoothness

Increase span count: More spans along the spline mean shorter tube segments and a smoother curve
Adjust tangents: Dragging tangent handles of control points changes local curvature
Equal spacing: Evenly spaced control points produce more uniform curvature

4.3 Notes

The spline curve only affects the planar shape of the scaffold on the XY plane; the Z direction is always vertical
Extremely small curvature radii (tight bends) may cause tube overlap; maintain reasonable bend angles
After modifying spline control point positions or tangents, the scaffold automatically rebuilds

5. Common Usage Examples

Example 1: Curved Audience Grandstand

Spline shape: Semicircular, span approx. 15m
Span Count Along Spline: 12
Span Count Depth: 3
Layer Count: 2
Bay Size Depth: 200cm
Layer Height: 200cm
Load Class: Class 4

Example 2: Curved Lighting Platform

Spline shape: Shallow curve, span approx. 10m
Span Count Along Spline: 8
Span Count Depth: 1
Layer Count: 3
Bay Size Depth: 150cm
Layer Height: 200cm
Diagonal Mode: Exterior Only

Example 3: Circular Runway

Spline shape: Large curvature curve or approximate arc
Span Count Along Spline: 20
Span Count Depth: 1
Layer Count: 1
Bay Size Depth: 200cm
Layer Height: 100cm

6. Notes

Spline modifications trigger rebuild — After dragging spline control points or adding/deleting control points, the scaffold updates in the editor
Tubes are linear approximations — Tubes along the spline direction are straight segments, not truly curved tubes. More spans = better approximation
Depth direction is always perpendicular — The depth direction is always perpendicular to the spline tangent direction at the current position (projected onto the XY plane); uprights are always perpendicular to the ground
Panels auto-adapt — Top panels automatically calculate trapezoidal shapes and rotate to align with the curve direction
Counterweight direction — Counterweights are offset along the spline's right vector direction, following the curve orientation
Performance note — With large span counts along the spline (>30) and large depth span counts and layer counts, the total component count can become very large

⚠️ Disclaimer: All weight and load calculation data is for pre-visualization reference only and cannot replace calculation and review by a professional structural engineer.

Last updated Aug 30, 2026 · 9 min read