CHAPTER 10
Stairs, Ramps, and Railings

A whole chapter just for stairs, ramps, and railings? You bet! If you think about it, there could be hundreds of combinations of stair and railing systems. As a matter of fact, you very seldom see two sets of stairs that are exactly the same. Kind of like snowflakes, isn’t it? Okay, it’s nothing like snowflakes! But you get the point.

Creating stairs by using the Rise/Run function
Creating a winding staircase
Creating a custom railing system
Creating custom stairs
Adding ramps

Creating Stairs by Using the Rise/Run Function

To start off, this chapter will address the makings of a staircase, from commercial stairs to those with a more residential feel with wood members, balusters, and spindles. During this procedure, you will see how Revit brings stairs together. After you create a common staircase, you will move on to winding stairs, custom railings, and of course, ramps.

Before you begin, I should mention that there are some features about stairs in Revit that you will love, and some (or lack of features) you will not. As you create the stairs, keep in mind that Revit cannot always provide enough functionality to re-create every type of stair you may encounter.

In this section, you will focus on creating a staircase by using the traditional Rise/Run method. Then we’ll discuss modifying the actual boundary of the stairs, which allows us to create a more unusual shape than out of the box.

To begin, open the file you have been following along with. If you did not complete Chapter 9, “Ceilings and Interiors,” go to the book’s web page at www.sybex.com/go/revit2012ner. From there you can browse to Chapter 10 and find the file called NER-21.rvt.

The objective of the following procedure is to create a staircase by using the Rise/Run method:

1. In the Project Browser, go to the Level 2 floor plan.
2. Zoom in on the radial entry in the east wing, as shown in Figure 10.1.
3. On the Circulation panel of the Home tab, click the Stairs button, as shown in Figure 10.1.
4. You will now be put into the Sketch Mode for the stairs you are about to design, as shown in Figure 10.2.
5. In the Properties dialog box, change Base Level to Level 1.
6. Change Top Level to Level 2.
7. Change Multistory Top Level to Level 5 (see Figure 10.3).
8. On the Draw panel of the Modify | Create Stairs Sketch tab, be sure that Run is selected.

FIGURE 10.1 Click the Stairs button on the Circulation panel of the Home tab.

FIGURE 10.2 The Modify | Create Stairs Sketch Mode

NOTE

By setting the base to Level 1 and the top to Level 2, you are giving Revit the dimensions it needs to calculate the rise of the stairs. When you add the multistory height, Revit will take the calculation from Levels 1 and 2, and then bring it up to the additional floors. Be warned, if the floor-to-floor dimension changes in one of these levels, you have a problem. You will then have to create a new staircase starting at the offending level.

FIGURE 10.3 Changing the Element Properties of the stairs
9. Pick the intersection of the floor edge and grid 3.1 for the first point of the stairs. This spot is labeled 1 in Figure 10.4.
10. Move your cursor to the right. You will be able to see a faint display indicating that you have a certain number of risers created and a certain number remaining.
11. When you see that nine risers have been created, with nine risers remaining, pick the spot labeled 2 in Figure 10.4.
12. Move your cursor straight up (north) until you get to the grid intersection labeled 3 in Figure 10.4. When you see this, pick the third point.
13. Move your cursor to the left, all the way past the floor landing. Revit reports that you have 18 created, 0 remaining (see Figure 10.5).
14. When you see the second flight completed, pick the last point. Revit draws both flights as well as the landing (see Figure 10.6).

f1004.tif — **FIGURE 10.4** Adding the L shape to the stairs

f1005.eps — **FIGURE 10.5** Make sure your cursor is way past the end of the stairs.

f1006.tif — **FIGURE 10.6** The stairs have been laid out.

With the basic layout completed, it is time to take a look at the perimeter of the stairs. If you are looking for any architectural design outside of the basic box that you get when you place a staircase, you’ll want to edit the boundary.

Modifying Boundaries

With the main stairs in place and laid out, you can now start modifying the profile. Given that this is a five-tiered, multilevel staircase, the boundary will be somewhat limited, but not to the point where you can’t make something pop out of your design.

To modify the boundary, follow along:

1. On the Modify | Create Stairs Sketch tab, click the Boundary button, as shown in Figure 10.7.

FIGURE 10.7 The Boundary button on the Draw panel
2. On the Draw panel, click the Start-End-Radius Arc button, as shown in Figure 10.8.
3. Draw an arc on the outside of the landing at an 8´–0˝ (2400mm) radius, as shown in Figure 10.8.

f1008.tif — **FIGURE 10.8** Add a radius to the outside of the landing.

With the radius drawn in, it is important to pause at this point. What you have here is an extra line. Similar to sketching a floor, if you have any overlapping line segments or gaps, Revit will not let you continue. Also, if you have any extra lines, Revit will not let you continue.

Let’s clean up the stairs:

1. Click Modify or press the Esc key twice and then select the straight green line at the outside of the landing.
2. Press the Delete key on your keyboard. The line is removed.

Your stairs should look exactly like Figure 10.9.

With the boundary in place, it is time to select the railing system you are going to use. Out of the box, Revit provides only four choices. You will select one of those choices for this staircase, but you will add to the list later in this chapter.

f1009.tif — **FIGURE 10.9** The completed boundary

Adding Default Railings

Revit provides only four railing systems as a default. You can choose one of these four railings to apply to the staircase during the Sketch Mode of the stairs.

Follow this procedure to apply a railing to the stairs:

1. On the Modify | Create Stairs Sketch tab, click the Railing Type button, as shown in Figure 10.10.

FIGURE 10.10 Click the Railing Type button
2. In the Railings Type dialog box, select Handrail – Pipe, as shown in Figure 10.11.
3. Click OK.

With the railings in place, you are on your way to completing this staircase. As a matter of fact, round one seems to be done.

FIGURE 10.11 Select Handrail – Pipe in the Railings Type dialog box
4. To complete the stairs, just click Finish Edit Mode on the Modify | Create Stairs Sketch tab.
5. Go to Level 1. Your stairs should look like Figure 10.12.

f1012.tif — **FIGURE 10.12** The stairs as displayed in the plan

Normally, when you are dealing with a large, multistory staircase, you should check it out in 3D to make sure all went off as planned. This case is no exception!

1. Click the Default 3D View button on the Quick Access toolbar.
2. In the 3D view, zoom in on the radial entry.
3. Select the radial wall and right-click.
4. From the context menu, choose Hide In View Elements.

You should now examine your stairs (see Figure 10.13).

f1013.tif — **FIGURE 10.13** The stairs in 3D with the radial entry “peeled back”

Here’s a problem: the railing just stops dead at the stringer. This may have been acceptable practice around the time, say, when the wheel was still on the drawing boards. We need some kind of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance here at the bottom of the stairs. To accomplish this, follow along with the next procedure.

To begin, go to the book’s web page at www.sybex.com/go/revit2012ner. From there you can browse to Chapter 10 and find the file called ADA-Pipe.rfa. You can then download it to your computer. Now perform the following steps:

1. On the Insert tab, click the Load Family button.
2. Browse to the directory where you stashed the family you just downloaded, and load ADA-Pipe.rfa into your model.
3. Go to the Level 1 floor plan.
4. Zoom in on the bottom of the stairs.
5. On the Work Plane panel of the Home tab, click the Reference Plane button.
6. On the Place Reference Plane tab, click the Pick Lines button, as shown in Figure 10.14.
7. Offset a reference plane 9 1/2˝ (237mm) to the left of the bottom riser, as shown in Figure 10.14.
8. Draw another reference plane from the center line of the bottom railing to the left about 2´–0˝ (600mm), as shown in Figure 10.14.
9. On the Home tab, click the Place A Component button.
10. In the Properties dialog box, select ADA – Pipe.
11. Press the spacebar once to rotate the family into place, so it is oriented as shown in Figure 10.15.
12. Place the family at the intersection of the two reference planes, as shown in Figure 10.15, and then press Esc twice or click Modify.

f1014.eps — **FIGURE 10.14** Add two reference planes as indicated here.

f1015.tif — **FIGURE 10.15** Placing the family in the intersection

Extending the Railings

You have just added a family to finish off the stairs at the bottom. The next step is to extend the railings on the stairs to meet the new family. There is one obstacle, though: the railing on the stairs already has an ending post. The trick is to remove the default ending post, and replace it with the custom ADA post you just loaded into your model.

The objective of the next procedure is to extend the railings on the stairs to the ADA posts you just added to the model:

1. In the plan, select the bottom railing, as shown in Figure 10.16. Make sure you are not selecting the stairs.

FIGURE 10.16 Selecting the railing, not the stairs
2. In the Properties dialog box, click the Edit Type button.
3. Click Duplicate.
4. Call the new railing Entry Stair Railing.
5. Click OK.
6. In the Baluster Placement row, click the Edit button, as shown in Figure 10.17.

At the bottom of the Edit Baluster Placement dialog box, you’ll see a Posts category. Within the Posts category is a chance to place a post at the start, end, or corner of the railing:

1. For the Start setting, select None from the list, as shown in Figure 10.18.

FIGURE 10.17 Click Edit next to Baluster Placement

FIGURE 10.18 Setting the start of the railing to None removes the post that Revit provides only at this end of the railing.
2. Click OK twice.
3. Select the railing on the inside of the stairs.
4. In the Type Selector, change the type to Entry Stair Railing.

It’s time to stretch the railing on the stairs to meet up with the family. This procedure is best done in plan view, where you can see exactly how far you need to stretch the railing:

1. Select the bottom (south) railing.
2. On the Modify | Railings tab, click the Edit Path button.
3. Click the Align button on the Modify | Railings Edit Path tab, as shown near the top left of Figure 10.19.
4. For the first alignment, pick the back edge of the family you loaded, as shown in Figure 10.19.
5. Now, pick the magenta railing line. (When you hover over the magenta line, you will see an endpoint icon. When you do, click it.)

The magenta line will extend to the family (see Figure 10.19).

FIGURE 10.19 Aligning the end of the railing to the new family

Notice that the line seems off center. Don’t worry about this—it will line up when you finish the sketch.
6. Click Finish Edit Mode.
7. Go to a 3D view to make sure the railings align (see Figure 10.20).

f1020.tif — **FIGURE 10.20** Check out the railing in 3D to ensure proper alignment.

It would be nice if this were the only place that this railing extension needed to go. The rest of the procedure will step you through the process of adding this extension to the inside railing and then copying it up to the other levels:

1. Copy the ADA – Pipe family up to the inside railing. Make sure you go straight up, as shown in Figure 10.21.
2. Select the inside railing.
3. On the Modify | Railings tab, click the Edit Path button.
4. Click the Align button.
5. Align the magenta line with the ADA – Pipe family, as shown in Figure 10.21.
6. Press Esc twice and then select both families.
7. On the Modify | Generic Models tab, click the Copy To Clipboard button on the Clipboard panel (it is the third panel from the left).
8. Choose Paste Aligned To Selected Levels, as shown near the top left of Figure 10.22.
9. Pick Levels 2, 3, and 4, and then click OK. Does your staircase look like Figure 10.22?

f1021.eps — **FIGURE 10.21** Copying and aligning the inner railing to the ADA family

It’s getting close, but it seems as though there is nothing keeping people from falling off the second, third, fourth, and fifth levels! I don’t know about you, but I think this is the perfect place to put a separate railing and tie it into the existing stair railing.

f1022.tif — **FIGURE 10.22** The copied families

Landing Railings

Railings, of course, can be drawn independently from a stair. Tying the railing into the stair, however, requires a little more patience. That being said, it becomes obvious that Revit reflects the real world when it comes to railings. If you have a railing that is difficult to build, it will probably be difficult to model. Also, if you arrive at an intersection that cannot be physically accomplished in the field, then guess what? You will struggle trying to get it into Revit.

To add some railings at the landings and tie them into the stair railings, follow these steps:

1. In the Project Browser, go to the Level 2 floor plan.
2. On the Home tab, click the Railing button, as shown in Figure 10.23.

FIGURE 10.23 Click the Railing button on the Circulation panel of the Home tab.
3. Make sure that Type is set to Handrail Pipe.
4. On the Draw panel, make sure the Pick Lines icon is selected.
5. Change the Offset to 10 1/2˝ (262mm) on the Options bar.
6. Pick the front edge of the floor, as shown in Figure 10.24. The sketch line should now be set back from the edge of the landing with a 10 1/2˝ (262mm) clearance.
7. The magenta line is going to be way too long. Select it and drag the grip down to the point shown in Figure 10.24.
8. At the bottom of the railing, select the grip and drag it out of the wall as well. When you are finished, click the Finish Edit Mode button (see Figure 10.24).

NOTE

You can have only one continuous railing at a time. If there are gaps in the railing, it won’t work. For example, the second floor is going to need three separate railings.
9. In the Properties dialog box, click the Edit Type button.
10. Click Duplicate.

FIGURE 10.24 Adding the first railing segment
11. Call the new railing Landing Handrail.
12. Click OK.
13. In the Baluster Placement row, click the Edit button.
14. In the Posts field, change the Start and End Post to None (as shown in Figure 10.25).
15. Also, just above the Posts field, change the Justify option to Center (again, see Figure 10.25).
16. Click OK twice.

Your railing needs to be centered on the reference plane. It may or may not be. If it is not, select the railing. You will see a blue flip grip (double-arrow grip) in the middle of the railing. Pick it, and your railing will flip (see Figure 10.26).

f1025.tif — **FIGURE 10.25** Configuring the railing for the landing

f1026.tif — **FIGURE 10.26** The railing centered on the reference plane

The next step is to create a railing between the two stair sections. This process can be a tad tricky, but once you get the progression, you will see why it needs to be done in the following manner:

1. On the Home tab, click the Railing button.
2. In the Properties dialog box, make sure Type is set to Landing Handrail, and click OK.
3. Using the same 10 1/2˝ (262mm) offset, draw the sketch of the railing as shown in Figure 10.27.

FIGURE 10.27 Adding the railing to the middle of the stair landing
4. Click Finish Edit Mode. Figure 10.28 shows the finished railing.

Now that the two railings are in place, you can use basic editing commands to create an occurrence of the railing on the other side of the stairs. You can either mirror the railing on your own, or if you wish, you can follow along with these steps:

1. Select the south railing, as shown in Figure 10.29.
2. Click the Mirror – Pick Axis button on the Modify | Railings tab.
3. For the reference, pick the center reference plane.
4. Make sure the railing is abutting the north wall.
5. Select the north railing, as shown in Figure 10.30.
6. On the Modify | Railings tab, click the Edit Path button.
7. Draw a connecting piece, as shown in Figure 10.30.
8. After the railing is sketched in, click the Finish Edit Mode button on the Mode panel to the right.

f1028.tif — **FIGURE 10.28** The finished railing

f1029.tif — **FIGURE 10.29** Mirroring the railing to the north side of the stairs

f1030.tif — **FIGURE 10.30** Adding the connecting piece to the railing

At this point, it is a good idea to check out your railing in 3D because you are about to copy it to the levels above.

It’s copy time! The next objective is to copy these three railings up to the next three levels. You can proceed on your own and use Copy/Paste Aligned, or you can follow along with this procedure:

1. In the Project Browser, go to the Level 2 floor plan.
2. Select the three railings you added to Level 2. Because you just created this railing type, you can select one and use the right-click menu option Select All Instances to save time.
3. On the Modify | Railings tab, click the Copy To Clipboard button on the Clipboard panel.
4. Click Paste Aligned To Selected Levels.
5. Select Levels 3, 4, and 5, and then click OK.
6. In the Project Browser, go to the Level 5 floor plan.
7. Delete the bottom (south) railing.
8. Select the smaller, middle railing, as shown in Figure 10.31.
9. On the Modify | Railings tab, click the Edit Path button.
10. Extend the line down to the south wall, as shown in Figure 10.31.
11. On the Mode panel, click Finish Edit Mode.
12. Save the model.
13. Check out the model in 3D (see Figure 10.32).

f1031.eps — **FIGURE 10.31** Extending the railing to complete Level 5

f1032.tif — **FIGURE 10.32** The entry stairs and railing

Phew! You have built a set of stairs. The good thing is that it’s one sweet staircase. The bad thing is that you used all the default layouts and materials. It’s time to get into some more complicated shapes and styles.

Tags: Autodesk Official Training Guide

Aug 3, 2021 | Posted by admin in Building and Construction | Comments Off