Given coding requirements and the fact that the rules change from region to region, the design and detailing of stairs has always been one of the more difficult tasks for architects and designers. Toss in the many different types of stair construction, and you've added even more time to the task. Autodesk® Architectural Desktop 3.3, with its intelligent AEC Stair and Railing objects, now makes stair design easier, quicker, and less prone to error.

In this tutorial, we'll use these intelligent objects to design a stair enclosure, with stair, slab, and landing, and create its section automatically.

Note: To be comprehensive this tutorial covers the creation of custom Profiles and Slab Edge Styles, but normally, you will have already created a library of these items, making for an even faster design.

The Stair Enclosure
1. Start a new drawing using the Aec arch [imperial] template, and select the Work-3D Layout.

2. Change to model space by selecting the MODEL or PAPER button at the bottom of the screen (below the command line). If the button reads PAPER, you are in paper space.

3. Select the Line icon from the Draw toolbar and draw the shape shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Draw this figure using the Line command.

Figure 2: Offset the bottom line 3'-0" as a basis for the landing.

4. Select the Offset icon from the Modify toolbar and offset the bottom line 3'-0" (see Figure 2), which we'll use later for making a landing.

5. Select the Convert to Walls icon from the Walls toolbar, and select the outer lines of the enclosure.

6. Enter N at the command line to leave (not erase) layout geometry. Press the Enter key, which brings up the Wall Properties dialog box.

7. In this dialog box select the Style tab.

8. On this tab, select the CMU-8 wall style and then select the Dimensions tab.

9. On that tab change the Justify drop-down list to Right (this assumes that you have drawn the walls in a clockwise direction) and click OK to close the command.

You have now created the wall enclosure for your stairway (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Use the Convert Walls icon to automatically convert lines to walls.

1. Select the Convert to Slab icon from the Slabs toolbar, select all the walls, and press the Enter key.

2. Enter N at the command line to leave (not erase) layout geometry, and press the Enter key.

3. At the command line enter T for Top and press the Enter key.

4. At the command line enter L for Left and press the Enter key.

5. At the command line accept the default (Left or Right—it doesn't matter) and press the Enter key, which brings up the Slab Properties dialog box.

6. At the Slab Properties dialog box select the Style tab and choose the Standard style.

7. Select the Dimensions tab, change the A-Thickness to 5", and click OK.

You have now created the floor slab for your stairway, but it is at the top of your wall. To remedy that:

8. Select the floor slab, right-click, and select Slab Properties from the contextual menu that appears to bring up the Slab Properties dialog box.

9. In this dialog box select the Location tab.

10. Set the Insertion Point Z: to -5".

11. Click OK.

You have now moved the 5"-thick floor slab to the base of the stair enclosure.

(If you had drawn the enclosure as a polyline initially, you could have converted that to a slab and wouldn't have needed to move it later.) For the meantime, try the first method, to practice making and modifying slabs from walls.

The Stair Runs
1. Select the Add Stair icon from the Stairs-Railings toolbar to bring up the Add Stairs dialog box.

2. In this dialog box set the following parameters:

• Style: Standard
• Shape: Multi-landing
• Turn Type: ½ Landing
• Width: 3'-0"
• Height: 8'-0"
• Justify: Left

3. With the Object Snap set to Intersection, pick the four points shown in Figure 4 and the stair will appear.

Figure 4: Selecting four points automatically creates the stair.

My Standard stair style has previously been set to:

• Tread Thickness: ¾"
• Riser Thickness: ½"
• Nosing length: 1"
• Landing Thickness: 3"

You can create as many different styles as you wish, or you can right-click the stair, and select Edit Stair Styles from the contextual menu that appears to set the stair defaults to the same as mine.

The Upper Entrance Landing
1. Change to the Work-3D layout tab, create three viewports, and activate the Top View viewport.

2. Select the stair; right-click and select Customize edge from the contextual menu that appears.

3. At the command line, enter G for Generate polyline.

4. Click on an inner edge of the stair run to create a polyline on the floor slab (see Figures 5 and 6).

Figure 5: Use the Customize edge command with the Generate polylines command to generate a polyline from the stair.

Figure 6: Use the generated polyline as a guide for creating the landing.

5. Turn off the A-Flor-Strs and A-Wall layers.

6. Using the generated polyline locate where the upper entrance slab will meet the back of the stair.

7. Select the Add Slab icon from the Slabs toolbar, which brings up the Add Slab dialog box.

8. In this dialog box select the following:

• Style: Standard
• Mode: Projected (make sure the slope angle is zero)
• Thickness: 4"
• Base Height 8'-0"
• Justify: Top

9. With the Object Snap set to Intersection, pick the six points shown in Figure 7 to create the 4" upper entrance landing 8"-0" above the floor slab.

10. Erase the original enclosure construction lines and turn on all layers (see Figure 8).

Figure 7: Pick the six points to generate the landing slab.

Figure 8: All layers turned on and stair shaded.

If you look at the edge where the upper entrance slab meets the stair, you will notice that that edge needs a nosing (see Figure 9).

Figure 9: The slab edge needs adjusting where it meets the top stair riser.

Creating a Custom Slab Edge
1. Using the Rectangle command, create a 1" wide by ¾" rectangle.

2. Select Desktop > Profiles > Profile Definitions from the Main toolbar, which brings up the Style Manager dialog box.

3. In this dialog box, select the New Style icon and create a new style called 1x34 Nosing. (One can't use " or / in a style name.)

4. Right-click the icon next to this new style, and select Set From… from the contextual menu that appears.

5. Select the Rectangle created in Step 1.

6. Enter N at the command prompt, and press the Enter key.

7. Select the upper-right corner of the rectangle for the insertion point.

8. Click the Apply button when you return to the Style Manager dialog box, and then close the dialog box.

9. Select Design > Slabs > Slab Edge Styles from the Main toolbar to reopen the Style Manager dialog box.

10. Select the New Style icon and create a new style called Upper Slab Nosing.

11. Right-click on the icon next to the new style, and select Edit from the contextual menu that appears to bring up the Slab Edge Styles—Upper Slab nosing dialog box.

12. In this dialog box select the Soffit check box, pick Upper Slab Nosing from the Profile drop-down list, and set the settings shown in Figure 10.

13. Click the OK button

Figure 10: Use the Slab Edge Styles dialog box to create the tread riser nosing.
(click image to enlarge)

14. Select Design > Slabs > Edit Slab Edges from the Main toolbar.

15. Select the Slab edge facing the upper stair run and press the Enter key to bring up the Edit Slab Edges dialog box.

16. Set the settings shown in Figures 11 and click OK (Figure 12).

Figure 11: Use the Edit Slab Edges dialog box to set edge Style and Overhang distance.
(click image to enlarge)

Figure 12: The completed upper tread nosing.
(click image to enlarge)

You have now completed the stair and stair enclosure.

A QUICK SLICE Section View
There are several ways to make a section in Autodesk Architectural Desktop 3.3. Here is one of them:

1. Activate the Top view.

2. Select Desktop > Utilities > Quick Slice from the Main toolbar.

3. Select all the objects with a window selection and press the Enter key.

4. Pick two points that create the desired section (see Figure 13).

Figure 13: Use the Quick Slice command to create a section.

5. Select the polyline created by the QUICK SLICE command, and move it to the side.

6. Change to the Work-3D Layout, and place your views (see Figure 14).

Figure 14: The section created by the Quick Slice can be exploded and more detail can be added.

Conclusion
With a little practice, you will find that this tutorial goes very quickly. It is a good idea to create a series of edge styles and profiles; having these at the ready greatly increases your speed. Although QUICK SLICE is an interesting way to get a section, in a future tutorial we will use a Live Section that can be updated as changes are made to the model.

Good Luck, EG.