Archicad Workshop: Mastering Stairs and Railings

Our latest Archicad workshop focuses on a critical yet often overlooked aspect of architectural modeling: stairs and railings. These elements play a vital role in both the functional design and aesthetic expression of a building — and mastering them can significantly improve your design workflow.

This session is designed to be valuable for all user levels, from beginners getting to grips with Archicad's interface to advanced users looking to refine their technique. The workshop walks through both the foundational concepts and advanced configuration settings, helping you better understand how to create and customise stairs and railings efficiently and accurately.

Starting with Stair Basics

We begin the workshop by looking at key stair concepts in Archicad:

• Creating a stair is as simple as two clicks: your first click starts the stair, and the second click finishes it.

• You can choose your reference line (left, center, or right), just like with other Archicad tools.

• When opening the stair settings, you’ll notice the tool operates hierarchically — similar to the Curtain Wall tool.For example, your stair flight and landing settings affect the options available further down the settings panel.

We also look at floor plan display options, including how stairs are represented in both 2D plans and 3D views, as well as reflected ceiling plan settings.

3D Visualization & Editing

When viewing a stair in 3D:

• The blue reference line is clearly visible, showing how the stair was constructed.

• Clicking different parts of the stair gives you different editing palettes — similar to how other Archicad tools work.

• You can also toggle the railing reference line on/off under the On-Screen View Options, making it easier to edit on plan view.

Modeling Different Stair Types

We then move into hands-on modeling:

Straight Stairs

• Simply define the first point and second point — and you’re done.

• Depending on your reference line (left, right, center), Archicad places the stair accordingly.

• While drawing, a dynamic editing palette appears, letting you define stair runs, landings, and shapes in real time.

U-Shaped Stairs

• Create U-shaped stairs by defining multiple points.

• Archicad will automatically insert intermediate landings as needed.

• You can customise the number of landings and configure their placement.

U-Shaped with One Landing

• To create a U-shaped stair with just one landing (instead of two), you define your segments carefully, and Archicad builds the appropriate geometry.

After exploring the stair tool, the workshop transitions into working with railings — a highly flexible and parametric tool in Archicad that pairs seamlessly with stairs but is also useful in many other design contexts, such as balconies, walkways, ramps, and retaining walls.

Key Concepts & Settings

• Associative Behaviour: Railings can be linked to stairs, slabs, or other elements. When associated with stairs, railings follow the stair geometry automatically — including landings and turns.

• Reference Lines: Similar to stairs, railings use a reference line (inside, center, or outside), which determines placement and editing behaviour.

• Modular Structure: Railing components are managed in a hierarchical system — posts, rails, balusters, and panels are all defined in segments, allowing for fine-grained customisation.

• Railing Styles: Users can save and reuse railing favourites or create their own custom profiles for different design types (e.g., glass panel railings, steel balusters, timber posts).

Practical Demonstration

In the workshop, we demonstrate:

• How to create a railing from scratch on flat ground.

• Associating railings to stairs with a single click, and adjusting segments to suit complex layouts.

• Editing components individually or in groups (e.g., changing only the start or end post type).

• Applying custom cross-sections and profiles for rails or posts.

• Modifying railing height, spacing, and materials for both visual presentation and compliance with design standards.

Pro Tips from the Workshop

• Use editing hotspots to adjust lengths and positions dynamically in both 2D and 3D.

• For custom designs, take advantage of complex profiles to create bespoke post shapes or decorative panels.

• Turn off railing reference lines in the on-screen view options if they clutter your working view — or enable them for precision editing.

Final Thoughts

This blog is designed to help you understand, customize, and master stairs and railings in Archicad. Whether you're working on residential layouts, commercial stairwells, or detailed 3D models, this toolset will significantly improve your workflow.

Be sure to reach out to TotalCAD for any of your Archicad support requirements. info@totalcad.co.za