Tutorials for modifying railings?

[PhilvK]

Can anyone please direct me to a tutorial (or a series of them) that could shed light on the things I am trying to do shown below? I’ve watched a bunch of them, but can’t find the answers to the questions I’ve listed. Thanks!

1. I want to change the start and end posts to circular 1.5” but don’t see that size as an option. How do you add different post sizes to the rail system?
2. I figured out how to have vertical balusters instead of horizontal rails, I think….just set the rail heights to 0”, correct?
3. Can the intermediate rails extend as shown here under the rail extensions, or does a new railing need to be created?
4. How do you get the horizontal rails to be trimmed out at the vertical posts?

[jrfrost · Accepted solution]

There are good tutorials on Linda.com or SolidProfessor. Below are the answers to your questions.

1. You can change the post or baluster profiles under “Edit Type”>”Baluster Placement” at the bottom of the window you can change the profile of your start, corner, and end posts.
2. To add vertical balusters, navigate to the same place as question 1 and at the top of the window, you can edit the baluster offset, profile, pattern, etc. To remove the horizontal rails, go to “edit Type”> “Rail Structure” select all the rails and delete them.
3. To extend the guard rail, instead of adding an extension to the top rail, remove the extension. Edit the path of the entire rail family and just draw the extension you want to the start or end of the rail.
4. Click “Edit Type”> “Baluster Placement” at the bottom of the window where you can edit the start, corner, and end posts, under “Offset” the Start Post and End Post are probably set to 0’- 0 ½” and –0’-0½”, set those to 0’-0”

[PhilvK]

JRFrost – Thank you for your responses! With your help, I’ve modified my rail to get is closer to what I want to end up with, see below. I did have to create a new 1.5” baluster for the start and end posts as there wasn’t one that size in the default family. Also, I do have a subscription to Lynda.com but haven’t been successful in finding a video that discusses these basic settings specifically. If you have the patience, I still have a few questions:

1. Is there a way to edit the stringer so that I get a 2” extension past the treads at the top and bottom?
2. When I change the Offset values for the Start and End Posts, the end positions of the horizontal rail seems to remain in place. Is that correct?

Thanks again.

[jrfrost]

I'm glad that helped.

1. There isn't much you can do with the stringer. If you edit the stairs, then click on the stringer, in the Properties Browser there are some "Lower and Upper End Cuts" you can try. You can't really add an extension to a stringer though.
2. Yes. The horizontal rails extend to the center of the start and end posts.

[PhilvK]

1 - I did try the various end cuts - no luck. I also found an old post that says that it (modifying stringers) possibly can be done in sketch mode for stairs, but not component stairs.

2 - In the sketch below, I changed the offset of the posts to sit on the stringer better, but am seeing that the horizontal rail ends don't move with the post adjustments. Shouldn't the rail ends move with the posts. Is there another setting controlling this?

[PhilvK]

I was able to get the stringers to extend past the nosings by using Stair by Sketch and modifying the path, but:

1. As mentioned in my earlier posts, when I adjust the start and end post offsets to be able seat the posts better on the stringer, the middle horizontal rail protrudes from the posts! They already stick out before I change the offset.
2. I was also able to get a clean transition of my top rail to the end post by setting the top extension to “floor”, but I can’t seem to find a way to get a middle rail at the top.
3. Here I do get the middle rail, but this version was created by not using the extension and editing the stair path. I don’t however get a clean fillet between the top rail and the end post (see #4)
4. How would you achieve a fillet here?

This is the one most basic of stair and rail configurations, and I hope it is just me that is preventing it from being easily created in Revit. I haven’t seen anything yet close to it in the tutorials, but will keep searching.