Quick Design libraries
StairDesigner’s Quick Design libraries are the source of various elements we need to edit our designs.
There are three libraries, accessible via the Libraries menu:
Materials
The Materials library stocks all materials that can then be associated with any part of the design. The Materials library window is shown below:
Each material has the following parameters:
- Price: this is used for the material and cost report
- Weight: also used for the material and cost report
- Appearance:
- Colour as shown in the 3D view
- Transparency
- Brightness
- Texture: an alternative to colour, source an image file as the texture of the material; adjust the file specifications for different effects
Go to Tools > Folders to view the location of the Textures folder:
★ Tip ★
The transparency option can be useful when you would like to view hidden parts in a solid 3D render.
For example, make the stringboard semi transparent to view the construction of the steps and risers.
Changing the material associated with a part can be achieved in the Properties menu. As usual, you can change all parts or a single part.
Note that you can expand the Material sub menu for full control of all parameters.
Alternatively, it’s possible to quickly apply material changes for all parts via Manufacturing methods.
More information:
Essentials: manufacturing methods
Note the library management icons highlighted below:
From left to right, the options are:
- Green +: add a new material
- Red x: delete a material
- Duplicate: a fast way to set up materials with similar characteristics
- Rename
Curves
The Curves library is shown below:
These curves can be accessed to shape steps. We’ll look at this in the Step shapings library directly below, also go to this page for information on the application of these curves.
More information:
There are two ways to create a new curve:
Editing window
Click on the green + icon, then add points inside the editing window, and select OK.
Guidance for editing:
- Click on the grid to add consecutive points to create your shape
- Shapes can be made of multiple straight lines, curves or both
- Click twice on a point to delete it
- For accuracy use the coordinate system to place points, after each coordinate is input click on the green arrow to apply
- Click on a line (it turns blue as shown in the image above) then drag to create a curve
- Create curves either side of a point, then click and drag points to combine the curve and shape
Import DXF file
It’s also possible to import a polyline as a DXF file, click on the Import icon to do that, also highlighted above.
Step shapings
The third and final library is the Step shapings library.
This holds full shapes for steps and can be applied to any or all steps. Click on the link below for details on how to apply these step shapes.
More information:
The library includes a range of example shapes with a standard 1m size. They are applied to an actual design proportionally.
Note that the editing window has some extra features compared with the Curves library:
- Apply icon (highlighted above), follow the link above for details
- Bezier curves with handles (marked with a circle and also highlighted), drag the handle away from the anchor point, and up/down to edit a smooth curve
- Ability to add a curve from the Curves library
When right clicking on the green line additional commands are available:
Options include:
- Convert the line to a Bezier curve for further editing if required
- Smooth both ends, acts across adjacent sections, a very useful automation
- Apply a curve from the Curves library, see below
The Curves library has been created purely to support the Step shaping feature. If Apply a curve is selected, this window appears:
- Select a curve from the Curves library
- Determine which side of the step shape to apply the curve to
- Invert and turn round
- Scale
And finally, once a Bezier curve has been created another right click of the mouse will give access to further options:
- Convert into a line segment converts the curve into a straight line
- Mentioned already, Smooth both ends is an extra tool to smooth the curve into an adjacent curve or line for neatly