Creating Curved or Spiral Staircases

QUESTION

I would like to add curved stairs or add a spiral staircase to my plan. How can I do this?

ANSWER

Curved staircases can be created in Chief Architect using the Curve to Left and Curve to Right stair tools. In addition to these tools, straight staircases can be curved by holding down the Alt or Option key on your keyboard. Spiral staircases are best created using the Spiral Staircase objects located in the library.

To use the curved stair tools

1. Select Build> Stairs> Curve to Left  or Curve to Right  from the menu, then click once in a floor plan to add curved stairs at that location.
   
   
   
2. To move, resize, or rotate the stairs, click the Select Objects  tool, select the stairs, and use the edit handles that display to adjust the stair to your liking.
   
   
   
3. A Radius Reference can be set for curved stair sections, and you can specify a value using the Radius input field located within the Staircase Specification.
   
   
   
   

   In X16 and newer versions, once you have made stylistic changes to your staircase you can add it to your User Catalog for future use. Please see the appropriate resource located in the Related Articles section below to learn more.

To curve a straight staircase

1. Select Build> Stairs> Draw Stairs  from the menu, then click and drag to draw a run of straight stairs.
   
   
   
2. Using the Select Objects  button, click on the staircase to select it.
   
   
   
3. With the staircase selected, hold down the Alt key on your keyboard if you're on a Windows PC or the Option key if you're on a Mac, left-click on the top or bottom edit handle located on the staircase, then drag the edge in any direction to curve the staircase.
   
   
   
   

   Note: The Alt/Option key and the right mouse button/action are shortcuts for the Alternate edit behavior. If you would like to enable this edit behavior for the left mouse button/action, navigate to Edit> Edit Behaviors> Alternate.
   
   In addition to the Alternate edit behavior, stairs can be converted from straight to curved, and vice versa, using the Change Line/Arc edit tool.

   
   Multiple stair segments can also be connected to each other. Try placing one stair segment and then creating another from the end point of the first. Once done, curve one of the segments, and notice that the additional, connected stair remains unchanged.
   
   
   
   
   Stairs can also be broken into multiple segments with the Add Break  tool. Segments are denoted by their segment number and have separate edit handles for each section.
   
   
   
   

   In X16 and newer versions, once you have made stylistic changes to your staircase you can add it to your User Catalog for future use. Please see the appropriate resource located in the Related Articles section below to learn more.
   

   
   

To place a spiral staircase from the library

1. If it's not already open, select View> Library Browser  to open the library, then browse to Core Catalogs> Architectural> Staircases> Spiral.
   
   
   
2. Click on one of the spiral staircases to select it.
   
   
   
3. When you move your cursor into the drawing area, it will display the Fixtures (Interior)  icon. Click once to place the selected spiral staircase at that location.
   
   
   
4. Once placed, you can use the edit handles to move, resize, or rotate the staircase as desired.
   
   
   
5. Finally, take a Camera view to see the results.