For many of our LiveHome 3D projects we required a type of stair not available in the program’s built-in library. Sometimes we were able to find a stairway in the 3DWarehouse that fit the need, but in other cases we came up empty and I was left to building the staircase by hand.

This was always a labor intensive process filled with trial and error because it was hard to create the stringers and handrails at the right angle and length.

For our latest project I needed a 20′ high exterior staircase for a tree house and I wasn’t looking forward to buildng it by hand. Then I had the idea to build it in a different orientation and rotate it at the end, and suddenly building the staircase was very easy.

I started building it just as if it were being constructed out of wood. The first step was to build a riser using a building block rectangle. The standard stairway has a rise of 8″ and a tread of 10″, so my first block for the riser was 1″ x 7″ x 4′ since I wanted the stairway to be 4′ wide.

Again using a building block rectangle, I built the tread with dimensions of 10″ x 1″ x 4′. To add a bullnose, I used Edit Contour to pull one end into a semicircle. It was then positioned next to the riser.

I grouped the riser and the tread, and then duplicated them, positioning each duplicate so they stepped up.

With the correct number of riser/tread groups added, group all of those together, and then raise the elevation of the group to add room for the first stringer. My stringer was going to be 2″ thick, so I raised the elevation to 2″

Then draw the stringer using a building block polygon. I found it helps to layout some guides, and then just eyeball the diagonal lines. You could also build a rectangle, rotate it, and then edit the contour to cut off the parts a carpenter would. That’s one thing that’s always helpful to keep in mind, that the building blocks are like raw lumber that can be manipulated into the shapes you need.

With the first stringer created, I duplicated it and then raised the elevation to move it into the position for the other side.

To add the spindles, I used the horizontal cylinder with dimensions of 1.5″ x 3′ x 1.5″. Duplicate and place the spindles how ever you want to lay them out. Then group them together. Duplicate the group, and change the elevation of each group so they are centered in the stringer, or however you want them.

Now group everything and raise the elevation just a bit to give you room to add the handrail since it’s going to project out a bit further than the stringer. You can either build your own handrail, or do what I did, import one from the 3dwarehouse. Using the Type and Representation button, I had to rotate 90° on the Y-axis. Then I changed the length and in the plan view, rotated it to match the angle of the tops of the spindles.

I duplicated the handrail, and then adjusted the elevation of both of them so they were centered on each row of spindles.

One important point here. Since we’re going to merge everything in the next step, if you want to have more than one texture applied to the stair assembly, do it now. In my example, I added different textures to each component so I could change them later if needed.

With your textures applied, select all, and then merge all of the components into one object. I always prefer to make a copy first so I always have the invidual units available if I want to go back and make a small change.

After you’ve merged the components into one assembly, you can use Type and Representation to rotate it 90° on the x-axis so that it is in the correct orientation for your building.

In the case of my tree house, I wanted the stairs to double back so I only had to build a third of the height, and then joined the 3 sections with a pair of landings.