Hi, does anyone know or has heard of any software that can visualize where your scope mount and pier are in relation to each other when in use so you may be able to guesstimate when and if your scope and pier will collide?
If you can find dxf or dwg files for your equipment or draw simply as box assemblies in cad, you could rotate a block of the assembly to see how it looks.
I suppose this would be useful in planning an installation or designing an offset pier top.
Seems like a lot of work where you can slew in ascom eqmod and set limits in the toolbox.
I used SketchUp and made a model of the telescope and the RA and Dec axis of the mount. I can then rotate about either axis and see where the scope sits at various positions. It was quite useful for seeing where the Newtonian eyepiece would be and checking pier height and person clearance in the observatory. I've only used Sketchup for this so it's pretty crude but helpful.
I found a short tutorial about how to set the limits through the ascom eqmod toolbox after a near miss. I am not sure why some tutorials which are otherwise good suggest disabling the limits without suggesting they are reset.
Next time the camera stopped a 10 mm from the pier so ,although it interrupted my image run, I think it was a success.