create curved stairs

[mikeshick]

Does anyone know how to create curved semi-circle stairs like the attached image?

[MarySeufert]

Good question... I tried the apply to linework tool and this is what I got:

Doesn't seem to accept stringer paths that meet. I would suggest using 3d solids or mass elements to represent what you want to see.

~ Mary

[John.W.Mumaw]

Here's one way to do it.  I gave up trying end up with a decent stair path.  I left the linework in the file so you could see what I did.  I made sure to let it end with a tread.  BTW lots of fatal errors trying to get to this point.

John

[MarySeufert · Accepted solution]

Finally got it to work... Created two stair tread polylines and stair path. Used apply stair tool properties to linework -> select Treadprofile option and select the linework. Modify the properties to end with landing. No errors along the way. Here's the pic and file (ACA 2012).

~ Mary

[mikeshick]

All beeee!  That's great.  I always thought that creating staircases by linework required stringer lines on both side of the stair case as well as a single line at each riser, whereas you outlined the treadprofile.  That worked flawlessly.

So...another question I wonder, how do many of you out there get deeper and deeper into ACA.  I've been through Paul Aubin's book, which was tremendous...but there is so much more in the program. 

Thanks for the help!

[MarySeufert]

Yeah, I banged my head against the stringer path issue too, first reply was the result. ACA doesn't like it when the stringer paths are coplanar. After a good nights sleep I tried the treadprofile method.

I use Google... everytime I hit something I don't know how to create or manipulate, I do a search and read through all those answers. I been reading through a lot of ARCHIdigm.com pages recently.

I just started using ACA full time about three months ago. My main task right now is to set up ACA for my firm, so I have pretty much jumped head first into it! Before that I only used the dirt moving verticals... C3D and LDT.

[jmcintyre]

Hey Mary, great to hear some firms are still moving to ACA. All I hear these days is revit this or revit that. Are you able to share the reasons why you're not changing to revit?

[MarySeufert]

Pretty simple reasons. We are a small AEC company, so cost is a huge factor. ACA is no longer in a test mode at Autodesk like Revit is, so the cost is much less. Of course you don't see the huge leaps in functionality as a result. We also don't want the hassle of a separate file format. I need to easily share my ACA design in Civil3D and vice versa. Having to go through an export process isn't something we wanted to do. Revit may be great, but a new file format every year is a hard pill to swallow. Also, our main client in the end owns our drawings and wants them to be functional in DWG format.

~ Mary

[mikeshick]

What a great conversation.  I happen to be nearly in the same boat.  I'm a licensed civil engineer....having begun 13 years ago in the survey (ACAD 14 w/ Softdesk, then LDT), then I spent some time doing civil engineering (LDT again)...then moved into structural engineering, architecture, and civil (Using ACA and C3D).  So I too go back and forth between the two softwares.  I've been on the cusp of making a jump (possibly to Revit) hoping to get better modeling functionality.  But I haven't felt comfortable making the move. 

In most of my research, it appears that modeling works best in ACA if you use a single project file (i.e. Nathan Ellery @ Aussie ACA) or using Vision Rez...but I have really dislike architectural and structural projects in a single file.  I've fallen in love with the project navigator, for better or worse 🙂  I've also hear from others that Revit simple will not give a great advantage for custom residential and light commercial, which is all I do.  Most of my work is really more annotative in nature, rather than modeling, which I think ACA far exceeds Revit in (to my understanding), and modeling and rendering has only been a very small part of the services we usually are asked to provide.

Anyhow...I'm interested in what others think on this...and I can apprecitate what you are saying, Mary...because I didn't want to have to use two different file formats, either.  Occassionally, I'll open up civil dwg's in ACA and sometimes architectural and structural dwgs in C3D.   I like being able to do that.

[MarySeufert]

LOL, we are PEs working as Architects too. We do mostly light industrial steel frame buildings, remodels and civil site work. All of the employees here used to work at the same civil firm before the crash and have come together to be a more diverse design firm. Civil work is pretty dead here (Sacramento), so to survive you have to do everything else too.

I would like to learn Revit's strengths, but for now ACA does everything we need and more.

~ Mary

[mikeshick]

That is worth a good laugh.  Hey...I'd love to chat with you all...and possibly we could become resources to each other.  I mostly work a single man shop, occassionally subbing out work.  If you'd like, you can email me at smokiibear at gmail.com 

[cupax]

Hi there.

We are a small architectural firm and recently upgraded to ACA after a huge research of all other BIM software. Why?

There are some points:

- cost

- ACA is Autocad based so all of us were "good to go" after just 2 days training by ourselves

- The logic behind ACA is identical as plain Autocad with xrefs, blocks, viewports, sheets...

- Any time you want, you can switch back to basic Autocad

- All our contractors work with Autocad

- Huge amount of dynamic blocks we developed over the years

- We use Autocad also for concepts, schemes, basic 2D, we create whole presentation boards for competitions, what usualy is done in Illustrator. Also, now I'm evaluating Sketchbook software and I think we'll go with it. It integrates in ACA and it's a killer combination for presentations!

So we just decided it's no worth adopting a completely new software for something that Autocad with an ACA "upgrade" does just fine.

[jmcintyre]

I wish I could find (and work) for a company like yours here. In my city i's no revit experience, no job.