Modeling
About Archicad's design tools, element connections, modeling concepts, etc.

Custom railings to stairs in AC20

Anonymous
Not applicable
How do you customise railings please?

I'd like a simple handrail (oval) with square balusters that are fixed to the treads (open string).

I'd read this

https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/guides/archicad-20/archicad-20-reference-guide/elements_of_the_vir...

but wondered how I could change profiles etc for handrails and balusters.
6 REPLIES 6
Erwin Edel
Rockstar
https://www.youtube.com/user/Archicad/playlists?sort=dd&shelf_id=16&view=50 there have been more and more ArchiCAD21 tutorial videos popping up on the youtube channel lately, maybe one of them shows you how?
Erwin Edel, Project Lead, Leloup Architecten
www.leloup.nl

ArchiCAD 9-26NED FULL
Windows 10 Pro
Adobe Design Premium CS5
Anonymous
Not applicable
Thanks but I am working on Archicad 20.

I'm keen to get a thorough understanding of stairs & railings in Archicad but have the goal posts moved with AC21 stairs and railings? I.e. if I learn the ins and outs of them in AC20, will it be different again in AC21?
David Maudlin
Virtuoso
thompsonmp wrote:
but have the goal posts moved with AC21 stairs and railings? I.e. if I learn the ins and outs of them in AC20, will it be different again in AC21?
Yes. AC 21 has new Tools (Stair and Railing) with a completely different approach.

David
David Maudlin / Architect
www.davidmaudlin.com
Digital Architecture
AC27 USA • iMac 27" 4.0GHz Quad-core i7 OSX11 | 24 gb ram • MacBook Pro M3 Pro | 36 gb ram OSX14
Erwin Edel
Rockstar
Ah, I'm sorry the railing tool is new in ArchiCAD21, I just read railing and went on from there.

The stairmaker is very limited in what you can achieve in custom settings and quite crude.

You can ussually use it to give a simple impression of what the intended end product should look like, but if you want accuracy you are going to have to try the library parts (which are also limited, but at least have more variety to choose from), or model it yourself using complex profile walls/beams, collumns, morph etc
Erwin Edel, Project Lead, Leloup Architecten
www.leloup.nl

ArchiCAD 9-26NED FULL
Windows 10 Pro
Adobe Design Premium CS5
Erwin Edel
Rockstar
http://www.leloup.nl/images/projects/interieur%20&%20meubel/volendam/volendam6.jpg
Example of a stair I modelled in ArchiCAD16 or 17, rendered in artlantis 4 at the time. Using morph for the handrail, complex profiles for the posts, stair treads, carpet details, etc.
Erwin Edel, Project Lead, Leloup Architecten
www.leloup.nl

ArchiCAD 9-26NED FULL
Windows 10 Pro
Adobe Design Premium CS5
Barry Kelly
Moderator
If custom railings is going to be a part of your work then I would look at jumping to 21.
So much easier to customise railings there.
Otherwise you are stuck with railing objects or constructing them yourself from columns, profiles, morphs, etc.

Attached image (courtesy of Central Innovation (GS Australia)) is just one example of what can be done with the new railing and stair tools.

Barry.
fancy_balustrade.jpg
One of the forum moderators.
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