Stairs are the true test

[digitalcarbon]

of a softwares capability.

please see

[digitalcarbon]

a few more pics

[digitalcarbon]

in no way I'm i suggesting a stair tool to do this

but the 3d ability of custom modeling

[Guest Wes Gardner]

I'll race ya...

Just kidding!

I love all those older details...

Edited October 30, 2015 by Wes Gardner

[Cadplan Architecture]

Ha, many of us just wish that the stair tool could be improved, we still use the old simple stair tool as the one in the tool sets is a bit complex and time consuming to use

[Markvl]

I'm slowly but surely building my own stair models to put in our construction plans. There are some pros and there are some cons too but I figure, once I've got a stair model done, I always have it and its tweakable.

As for your pics digitalmechanics, you'd need some serious nurbs curves to do that. LOL They don't build them like they use to and codes don't allow for those old stair designs, short treads, railings and all.

But wouldn't it be amazing if you could push, pull and bend a stair design kinda like a subdivision object. So imagine you start with a straight flight of stairs with your min. and max. established but then be able to change the shape?

The stair tools needs a good overhaul.

[digitalcarbon]

just look at the ceiling underneath. how would you even make that? it seems like there is some basic geometry that if you could model all the trim then you could say "follow" trim

[Tom Klaber]

We tried for a week to properly model the underside of a curving stair. We got close, but it was VERY difficult.

On site they simply used plaster netting to pin the points.

Other programs seemingly have better stair tools. I would love a more interactive live stair model that I could work with.

[Jim Smith]

Nice.

Sometimes with complex shapes it's faster to build than to model. We modelled a water feature that emerged from a stair. The Stair was the work of a large firm using both ACAD & Revit & some kind of Engineering Software. Even importing their geometry took weeks of time between hand sketches & VW 3D work for us to provide the client an image to sign off on.

Stainless Steel fabrication in the shop to make the water feature took less a week and site installation took a day, and testing & commissioning another half day.

What I would really, really like is a stair tool that quickly & easily gave one a graphic result that looks like it came out of GRAPHIC STANDARDS, or my old Drafting Textbook. I use the Stair tool to assist with the math and generally use the resulting stair to make a 2D Plan & a 2D Elevation & Section. As a general rule we do not put 3D stairs into the model as they look poor & are a time sink.

[Tom Klaber]

We do the same.

We use the tool to help calculate the geometry, but then we redraw the stair to match our graphic standards.

Also we have found that the stair tool is fragile and there have been several times where all stair objects because corrupt.

[AlanW]

The simplest way to do the soffit is to draw a nurbs curve clicking on all the bottom back corners of the treads for each side of the stair and then loft between and you get the smooth bottom to the stair.

HTH

[Jim Smith]

Let me add the caveat that we have NOT used the Stair tool in 2016 yet. I will try it in an new project and see how it behaves.

[AlanW]

About 30 min work to get to this.

[Art V]

+1 for an updated stair tool, though the one in Architect is supposedly better than the one in Landmark.

I just wish that similar tools would be the same in all design series, i.e. if there is a stair tool then it should be the same in all design modules that have a stair tool. (read: the best one of a module should be in the other modules as well without being stripped down to a somewhat less useful version).

[Tom Klaber]

About 30 min work to get to this.

Yeah. The top is not too hard for VW. It is getting a nice underside that was difficult that had the proper slab relationship which was hard for us.

[AlanW]

What you do is draw a Nurbs curve from each front corner point of the treads for the outside and inside of the stair. Then draw 1 across the bottom between the ends of the nurbs.Then loft with the Birail sweep mode and select solid and you get this. Then lower it to the bottom. Or trace the bottom edge of the stair treads.

The bits poking out of the stair on plan you can trim off with the split tool.

HTH

Edited November 3, 2015 by Alan Woodwell

[taoist]

Hello everyone.

Good thread on stairs.

Yes, I miss the old style of stairs also.

Have not seen any since I lived in N.E.

For what it is worth,

Here is a site for stair parts for Vectorworks.

http://www.newenglandstairworks.com/cad-models/

Rod

[AlanW]

You could also use the no rail mode for lofting. Draw a nurbs curve (or polyline and concert to nurbs and ungroup) along the edge of each tread then select all and hit lofting and no rail mode then lick on the outside of each nurbs line you drew and they will join with a line, than again use solid.

See attached. I have lowered the one on the stair by 20mm to show that it is in line with each tread which will be the same for the soffit.

HTH