General Configuration

Select either an existing symbol or a standard configuration as the basis for the stair. This selection sets initial parameter values that can be edited to create a custom stair.

Symbol Selection

If a stair symbol was selected in Active Def on the Tool bar, the symbol name displays here. Otherwise, to use an existing stair from the resource libraries, click Symbol Selection; from the Resource Selector, double-click a resource to activate it.

Select Standard Configuration

If no symbol is selected, select an initial stair configuration that most closely matches the type of custom stair to create. The Select a Stair Configuration dialog box opens; select one of the configurations. If there are any current stair parameters that should be saved and transferred to the new stair, select the category or categories from Transfer Settings From Current Stair.

General Settings

Component

Select whether to create a 2D only or hybrid 2D/3D object

Class

To control appearance and visibility, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class

Orientation

For stairs with oblique/winder treads, specifies the side of the stair with the shortest tread depth; for L- and U-Stairs, determines the direction of travel

General Geometry

Specify overall parameters for the stair configuration. These general parameters can be set here or on the Geometry tab. 

Values entered here are also set on the Geometry tab. For stairs with multiple flights, the Stair Width value entered on the General tab is applied to all flights on the Geometry tab. Locking the Stair Width on this tab also locks the widths of individual flights on the Geometry tab; however, the widths of each flight can also be locked or unlocked individually.

Use the Reshape tool to manually reshape a stair for more precise alignment with adjacent architectural features; the stair's unlocked parameters update automatically. See Reshaping stairs.

Lock button

For any parameter, locks the parameter value, forcing unlocked parameters to recalculate to automatically adjust

Preview

Displays a preview of the current stair configuration

Preview for

Select either a detailed or schematic view for the preview

Stair detail status

(in parentheses)

Stair details may be hidden at certain layer scales, depending on the detail display setting on the Display tab of the document preferences (see Document preferences: Display tab).

Depending on the setting, the status indicates whether stair details will display for stairs in the drawing, or shows the scale required for the details to display.

View

Select a view for the preview from the list of standard views; 3D views are not available for a 2D only stair

Render Mode

Select a render mode for the preview from the list of available modes

Calculate

Forces the stair object to recalculate based on the current set of parameter values

Previous Stair

Loads the parameter values of the most recently created stair

Save as Symbol

Creates a symbol based on the current settings

Use minimum/maximum values

Enables the use of minimum/maximum settings for the stair angle, tread depth, riser height, and step length.

Normally, this option should be enabled to create stairs with valid proportions and settings that meet standard requirements. However, during the initial design phase, it may be convenient to temporarily disable the settings while exploring various geometry and design possibilities, particularly when reshaping stairs with the Reshape tool.

Edit

Opens the Min./Max. Settings dialog box; see Setting minimum and maximum values for stair geometry