Hi - I've got Platinum v10. For my purposes, I do not need mm accuracy, but do need things to look right in visual presentation. The interesting bit for one of the properties is an oval stairwell and stairs over three flights that follow one side of the oval. This is a fantastic feature that I wish to work on. I am happy to upgrade if this gives a better answer - but how can I get a visually good staircase & as important, is there a way I can edit/change/add new railings/rails/poles/finials? I appraciate that stairs have a different intelligence to an normal object, so have mucked about building a straight and complete stair, then deleting all other drawing features and importing to 3D workshop etc., but still haven't found a way to achieve desired ends. Haven't seen any similar queries on FAQs or anywhere in the Forum, so any direction gratefully received. I can send a plan view if that is any value.. Grateful thanks CliffH

Patricia Hi & many thanks. V. helpful and inspiring that you can maintain this level of comitment as says product must be sound. yr image #19 shows the problems of patching stair sections together, which I need to improve on, so it looks as though the whole staircase needs developing in 3d workshop. I will upgrade (again) to as4000. Your image #13 also helps as have similar terrace requirements. My "Punching" ability, which I'm fully aware is going to involve some frustrated efforts, needs to be at a quite high level as am hoping a picture will represent the proverbial 1000 words - all my workers are chinese and I can't even swear well enough in Chinese to let them know what I don't want. Much less command the detail for what I do want. Is there a way to build my stairs in normal plan mode, export the stairs and import into workshop so I can edit, or do you recommend I just bite on that particular biullet and start from scratch in workshop? Sorry to be a pest, but if I use as4000 am I wandering into workstation demands? At present am using a pretty average desk top with tons of ram and disk, and even my lap top, which works surprisingly well thus far. Thanks again, Forum makes a huge difference to my ability to plan even while still so ignorant. with regards CliffH

tnks patricia. Plan images sent. I wonder if i could invoke Kyle's help in this general area? e.g. could something like TKE Plans Plus be used to export a splodged together stairrun that nevertheless had the main features attached and use a format such that stairs could be imported back into 3d workshop for editing rather than creation - thus hopefully saving a lot of work in wokshop? regards Cliff

Regarding the design of Cliff staircase, is exactly as the image I attached, as I stated above The "Convert To" feature was implemented with Punch AS 18 V6 (right clicking), and all the following versions of Punch (for Windows) have this feature Punch Platinum V8 and Punch Platinum V10 have the Convert to button Please, see attached Patricia

In addition, I recommended Cliff (by e-mail) ready to use balusters and newels ready to use 3DS sets There are many free models in the web, and they can be imported in the 3D workshop Patricia

Cliff

Actually, I don't agree with some of the above concepts

The first thing you should understand is the difference between the 3D objects and the entities developed in the Punch main program
A staircase developed in the 3D workshop has the same properties of a 3D chair, this means that they are objects
Punch uses the concepts of information management, so if you create a staircase in the main program, the materials will appear (and you can modify the characteristics) in the Framing Editor. And of course, this information will appear in the Estimator. These events, as I stated, will happen only if you develop the staircase in the main program, not with the 3D workshop

Turbocad is a good CAD program (I use it), however it is not a home design program. A CAD program and a home design program mean 2 different concepts. The focus of the CAD packages is on drawing and precision, the Home Design programs (like Punch) are focused on design. This means that if you draw a rectangle in CAD, this can be a wall, or a machine, or just a rectangle. In Punch, a wall means a wall, it will have all the properties of a wall and you'll see a wall in 3D. The difference is the program's capability to understand what you are drawing.

Now, lets see your staircase issue, again.
Please check the image attached

To use the convert to tool to create a curved staircase, you need to create the right 2D shape--> in this case, I used a 2D curve (one of the tools of the detail tab. I added a rectangle to show the floor
I converted the curves in 2 staircases and the rectangles in 2 floor pieces (12").
Say the rectangles are showing the upper floor of a house
The unit of the left--> the top of the floor is at 96"--> therefore, I selected the staircase--> properties bar--> I set the height of the staircase at 96"--> you can see the staircase specs below the first step (width, # of steps, etc)
The unit of the right--> the top of the floor is at 140"--> therefore, I selected the staircase--> properties bar--> I set the height of the staircase at 140" (as you can see in the image)--> press ENTER in your keyboard--> you can see the staircase specs below the first step (width, # of steps, etc) --> these specs are different from the unit of the left
Other specification as the steps' properties, skirt walls, etc can be set also in the properties bar (always press ENTER in your keyboard after a modification in the properties bar)

So, as you can see, there are more resources in Punch than a 3D image ;-)

Hope this helps

Patricia