Revit 2012 - Stairs and Railings

by John Flanagan

Every Revit user that I have spoken too has experienced at one time or another some difficulties when creating stairs and railings. Even a simple stair run as illustrated in diagram 1 can be frustrating, especially when the top riser doesn’t line up perfectly with the floor it’s cutting through (sound familiar).

The difficulties are exemplified by the fact that there are so many components that have to be exact for the stair to be “correct” (i.e. Risers, Treads, Stringers, Balusters, Railing, and all mounting hardware and spacing).

Diagram 1

The link below lets you access a short video demo outlining a best practice approach to creating a straight stair run with attached railing. This is very handy for new Revit users who are unfamiliar with Stair and Railing dialogue boxes.

http://screencast.com/t/BWXY2KPMbK

Revit Adaptive Railing

 
When it comes to creating great looking stairs and railings all users regardless of their level of expertise will find the following very useful. The bottom link offers a step by step guide to stair railing placement.

The link below lets you access a short video demo outlining a more flexible approach; download the free Adaptive Railing Component Family at:

http://revitstickynotes.blogspot.com...e-railing.html

http://whatrevitwants.blogspot.com/2010/09/custom-railing-connections-in-10-steps.html