Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Whether you use Stair By Component or Stair By Sketch, the stairs you create will be
associated with a base level and top level. You can also assign offset distances to the base
and top levels, which allow the stairs to start or end later or sooner depending on the design.
Because the stairs remain associated with these datum objects, if the datum objects are adjusted
or the offsets are redefined, the stairs will automatically adjust within the calculated rules. This
means that if the height reduces, the riser count will remain but each riser will be shorter. In
other words, the footprint or plan of the stair will remain unchanged. If the height of a stair
run increases and an automatic adjustment would violate the maximum riser height, you will
receive a warning that the actual number of risers is different from the desired number of risers.
In other words, the footprint of the stair will not change automatically. It is up to you to edit the
stair to add more risers where you feel they are appropriate.
Before we discuss the basic component of stairs and railings, download and open the file
c15-00-Stair-Rail.rvt or c15-00-Stair-Rail-Metric.rvt from this topic's companion
website at
www.sybex.com/go/masteringrevit2015.
Working with Stair Components
Using either the Stair By Sketch or Stair By Component tool, the basic elements of a stair are
similar. The main part of the stairs—the risers and treads—is called the
run
in Revit. The
structural elements that hold the run in place are known as
stringers
in the Stair By Sketch tool,
and they are called
supports
in the Stair By Component tool. Finally,
landings
are addressed as
unique elements in the Stair By Component tool. In the Stair By Component tool, each of these
three basic elements (run, support, landing) is defined with its own unique type properties.
When you use Stair By Sketch, they are all defined in the properties of each stair type.
Run
The critical parts of a run are the construction, material definitions, and tread and riser
settings. There are two system families for runs in the default project template: Monolithic
Run and Non-Monolithic Run. A monolithic run is essentially a single material for the stair,
stringer, tread, and riser. Typically, monolithic runs are used for cast-in-place and precast
concrete stairs, whereas non-monolithic runs are for stairs made of wood, metal, and various
other materials.
Support
The supports for an assembled stair usually take one of two forms. In Revit, these
are referred to as
carriage
(open) or
stringer
(closed), as shown in Figure 15.5. Carriage and
Stringer are system families you can find in the Project Browser under Families > Stairs. After
you select either the Carriage or Stringer option in the stair type properties, you can select
one of the respective support types. For example, the Right Support property may be Carriage
(open) and the Right Support Type value would be Carriage - 2” Width. You cannot customize
a stringer or carriage profile when you use the Stair By Sketch tool.
Landing
Landings are the transitional elements between runs. As such, one of the main
settings in the type properties for a landing is Same As Run. With this setting enabled, you are
left with only the identity data and the material property for monolithic landings. If the Same
As Run setting is disabled, you can treat the landing as another tread with the same opportu-
nities to apply a thickness and a nosing profile.
