@jfjacques wrote:
1) First off, I don't want my landing to be set to a level, I would like it to be set to a workplane. Is this possible?
Stairs span Levels with or without offsets, that includes their landings. You can't break apart the inherent relationships that stairs and how their component elements relate to them. It might be more flexible for you to use floor slabs for exterior concrete work.
2) The "relative height" of my landing seems to lock at different multiples if I create a landing along with another stair. Any way to shut this off.
A landing is another riser, and their height is determined by the stair parameters for maximum riser height. Stairs are defined by types and each type can have different rules. If you need taller or shorter risers create a new type and increase or decrease the maximum riser height.
4) When I connect a new landing w/in a preexisting stair, I keep getting an error message telling me this is invalid... Essentially I just want to make a landing that plays off the final step. If I make sure the landing does not touch the stair, this message away goes most of the time, though sometimes it doesn't and I can't make the landing at all.
You can sketch a Landing instead if that is easier to define. It sounds like you might be better off working with Floors instead (some argue Roofs are more flexible as exterior concrete slabs, I usually use Floors but have used Roofs too). You can create floor slabs at each landing and just put stairs between them instead.
5) Does someone have a good resource explaining calculation rules?
If you're referring to the Stair Calculation option, it uses fairly long standing code factors to help define proper riser/tread ratios. For example Revit's is based on this logic from Architectural Graphic Standards.
My other older self here: http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/46056
