Wishes
Post your wishes about Graphisoft products: Archicad, BIMx, BIMcloud, and DDScad.

stair maker

Anonymous
Not applicable
Hello
Everybody happy with stair maker?
We are not...most of our corrupted files have something to do with it, we tried almost all possibilities, never got any acceptable printable technical (1/50) drawing with the tool (ok the simplest one maybe if you like the text it creates...) nor an acceptable "not so detailed" 3d with a concrete slab (nice smooth bottom surface...). We always have to put the 3d in a template layer and finish with an exploded 2d drawing (tons of segmented lines)
I am not even talking about the sections you get, especially with curved railing (even the simplest one)
10 years ago, I discovered a nice tool, assuming the level of the architectural CAD, now, it is a lame duck. Did I miss some future improvement?
My wish? Less automatism and much more flexibility especially for the connection with railing and the shape of the treads (at least the first tread) ...and an acceptable geometry of curved slab bottom and railing
93 REPLIES 93
__archiben
Booster
Philippe wrote:
Everybody happy with stair maker?
We are not...
i don't think that you are the only one! stairmaker has never really cut it for me.

essentially, it's a graphical user interface for making a GDL script of a certain type. and although there are other graphical 'scripters' out there, nothing really beats coding something like that yourself. (i can't - i'm still a GDL beginner!)

i am currently attempting to script my own stair (with little success) for the very reasons that you state: graphically, i want my stair to manifest itself far better than those included at present in order that i don't have to explode it into many many different elements.

~/archiben
b e n f r o s t
b f [a t ] p l a n b a r c h i t e c t u r e [d o t] n z
archicad | sketchup! | coffeecup
Stephen Dolbee
Booster
This tool needs much improvement IMHO. Only the simplest of stairs works well (and most of our stairs aren't very simple). We can only hope for more flexibility in the future.

Steve
AC19(9001), 27" iMac i7, 12 gb ram, ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb, OS 10.12.6
Aladar Kish
Contributor
It used to be better. Lost a lot of time trying to make a decent u-shaped simple stairs with v.8.1.
U-seless?... E-ssential!
AC 4.2 - AC 24 7006 FRA
mac OS 11.6.7
Rob
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
I fully agree guys, it is a quite “ancient” tool and it should get seriously updated otherwise it will be just a fancy icon on the tool bar which I am scared to click on now to face desperation and cursing over it...
::rk
Anonymous
Not applicable
It does seem that a function that is elevated to the lofty status of a toolbar icon should be more fully developed. StairMaker still acts like a quirky add-on. A simple solution would be to create a stair sub-type in gdl with special functions for handrails etc. A program called speedikon (I know some of you have seen me write of this before) had such a feature and it was remarkably easy to create stairs (relatively speaking that is, the environment for creating the parts was not very advanced - it required a text editor and DOS based compiler).

I am imagining something that would be able to make its own holes in the floors, create proper symbols on each story, and incorporate built-in functions for treads, risers, nosings, handrails & balustrades.

While I am on the subject, it seems to me that Graphisoft needs to take a close look at the library part subtype hierarchy. Looking at it just now makes me concerned that it is being created on an ad-hoc basis. It is vitally important for the future that a clear, consistent, and comprehensive system be established for ordering and specifying the functions of the libraries. Perhaps this is happening already behind the scenes (and presumably in connection with the IFC standards) but the types I see presently don't seem to reflect a comprehensive system.
Stephen Dolbee
Booster
Philippe wrote:
Hello
Everybody happy with stair maker?
We are not...
Has anyone purchased Stairbuilder by Theometric? If so, are you happy with it-does it produce the kind of stairs you require? It seems a little pricey, but we have their D&W Builder 3.5 and love it!

Thanks,
Steve
AC19(9001), 27" iMac i7, 12 gb ram, ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb, OS 10.12.6
Rob
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
Oh yes, we've got stair/window/door builder. I must admit it is a quite complex library part but (I can't help it) the user interface is "ugly" and messy as it gets. Anyway back to the stairbuilder... basically you can build really wide range of stairs, which is the most important and I think it is only complex solution (to the degree) for making a stair at the market right now. So, I suppose it is worth of buying. However it is just a GDL script which has just "limited" capabilities. We would really need something that is based on (at least) add-on resources with the certain logic features as Matt has mentioned above.
::rk
Anonymous
Not applicable
IMHO the only thing that has improved in stairmaker since it's creation is that you no longer have to purchase it as a separate add-on, the reason for this is painfully obvious. Even if all the bugs were fixed it still couldn't create a stair worth placing in the model, especially if you need to cut a section or create an elevation with it, at least not a stair acceptable by US standards anyway. I have done lot of stair work, everything from the mundane to monumental and there is nothing that stair maker can create that even comes close to the standard methods of stair construction in the real world. This tool needs to be scrapped and created from the ground up if it's ever going to be usable for creating stairs. One of the other drawbacks to it is that you can no longer remove it from the toolbox by tossing it in the trash, where it belongs.

On a positive note: I must say that it dose make one hell of a quick bermuda roof though, it even gives you a nice plum cut at the eaves.
Anonymous
Not applicable
Hello
I checked stairbuilder, maybe nice but object oriented with all the rigidity of them. In my point of view stairs should be in the same level that walls, roofs, slabs, with possibilities to adjust dimension and modify by drawing (the way GDL toolbox works in 3d, maybe) not by checking hundred of option little boxes. I know stair is the tough 3d guy of the building process, I do not expect detailed work for a first shoot, at least simple but realistic stairs we can print in a 1: 50 scale (1" = 4' for whoyouknow)
Anyway, nobody around seems happy with that for a long time. Quite amazing! Are stairs not important for you, much more than some gadget goodies? Maybe GS has difficulties or good reasons to not develop a stair tool; can we hear something from AC gurus or developers?