topic Stair hidden lines overlap creating wrong linetype in Modeling

Stair hidden lines overlap creating wrong linetype

PVBergkrantz — Thu, 25 May 2023 14:42:30 GMT

Hello! I'm trying to work with the new stair tool in AC21 but am having some issues. I manage to draw the stair and adjust the steps etc as I want but the graphic representation is bothering me a bit: when setting the stair to be hidden (with or without break mark) AC draws two lines for each step, I guess the top on the riser and the bottom, almost overlapping. However when I give the hidden lines a linetype say dash-dotted, in some scales these two lines overlap with a slight offset, making a dash-dotted line seem dashed or sometimes completely solid.
In this image I changed the linetype to a zig-zag and you can see that there are indeed two lines per step, one above and one below the fill, and that they seem to be going in different directions because the pattern does not perfectly overlap.

In AC21's standard stair there is set to be a white fill on the hidden part of the stair, which in effect covers the second line, getting rid of the problem, but I would like the hidden part to be transparent and only show the lines.

Is there a way to hide the secondary lines, or change their direction to make the linetypes overlap perfectly, or some other solution to this? When the lines become solid in some scales it creates confusion.

Re: Stair hidden lines overlap creating wrong linetype

Laszlo Nagy — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 01:46:36 GMT

So one line is the Tread Line, the other is the Nosing Line.
I think their display in your case is controlled by Model View Options (MVO) settings.
Go to the MVO Settings Dialog, and go to the "Detail Level of Stair and Railing Symbols" panel.
There you can change the setting in the "Nosing Line" to "None" and it will not be displayed in either the "Visible" or the "Hidden" part (maybe it is currently set to "Hidden Parts Only").

Re: Stair hidden lines overlap creating wrong linetype

PVBergkrantz — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 07:46:03 GMT

Hey, thanks for the reply. That's what I thought as well, but the settings seem to do nothing, at first. Then I discovered I could select another symbol for the stair under the Stair Settings>Floor plan display>Grid>Grid settings. I chose "Plan symbol stair 21" instead of "Built-in stair grid" which was the default for the starter file favorites. With this new symbol the settings have an effect, and I can also set different line types for the nosing line and tread line, as well as turn it off completely in the MVO.

However! It was not the nosing line that was the problem, there are still two lines for each tread, I'm guessing upper and lower edge. This is quite visible if you put a zig-zag linetype on the tread line.

However version 2! The lines seem to overlap much better and with a dash-dotted line they no longer appear solid in any scale, so my original problem was solved, and with the new plan symbol I also have the option to show no tread at all in hidden parts which is even more close to what I wanted. I hope this might help someone else struggling with similar issues.