FloorPlan User Forum

General Category - V.16 and Earlier => V12 - V16 Looking for Help? => Topic started by: Bjorn on December 08, 2011, 10:49:38 PM

Title: Stairs issue - how to show stairs on main floor, leading down to basement
Post by: Bjorn on December 08, 2011, 10:49:38 PM
I don't know if this issue has been posted before, but I have trouble getting the stairs to show the correct way in 2D view and print.  I am using Home and Landscape Delux v.14 so I don't know if this has been fixed on recent versions.
Basically, I am working on designing a ranch-style house (main floor and basement).  As far as I know, the stairs can only have a positive height -- in other words "only go up", forcing me to draw the stairs on the basement level, which in turn makes them show semi transparent on the main floor level.  I have made a band-aid solution by drawing the stairs on the main floor and "elevating" them down to the basement.  However, this is obviously causing the stairs to be represented with the architectual properties "mirrored", such as cut line and up-arrow.
Please see picture for illustration of the problem.

Does anyone know if there is a way to correctly draw the stairs on the main floor and have them go down to the basement?


Thank you,
Bjorn
Title: Re: Stairs issue - how to show stairs on main floor, leading down to basement
Post by: Allan Chesney on December 08, 2011, 11:16:21 PM
Hi Bjorn,

This is not a bug.  All you are seeing is the Dimming effect that is applied to other locations (basement in this case) so you can see the objects on the location you are working on easily, without the other locations interfereing too much.

All you have to do is change the Dimming setting on Settings / Program Settings / Workspace.  It is probably on 80% dimmed.  If you set it to zero it will look just the same as the rest. Just turn the dimming down when you want to print.  By the way you can turn off the 'cut line' if you don't want it.

Allan
Title: Re: Stairs issue - how to show stairs on main floor, leading down to basement
Post by: Bjorn on December 08, 2011, 11:36:39 PM
Hi Allan,
You are correct that I have the dimming set really high, actually at the max 95%.  However, when I turn it down to the lowest 5%, all the objects on the other floors will be visible and blend with the current floor making it not possible to print (see picture).  I guess I could use the filters to turn off everything but the stairs on the basement level, but is there a different solution that you would think of?

Does anyone know if this will be addressed in future releases?


Thanks,
Bjorn
Title: Re: Stairs issue - how to show stairs on main floor, leading down to basement
Post by: Allan Chesney on December 09, 2011, 04:48:15 AM
Hi Bjorn,

I think it is designed that way purposely.  Stairs would probably be the only situation where this would arise, as you are looking through the opening to the other location.  All you have to do, as you indicated, is to go to the display filter, select the Basement only, use the 'Display None' button, then turn stairs on again.

You could also try the Hidden Line view. Normally the plan is shown as Wireframe view, so you see the other locations but dimmed. Hidden line will show only the things not hidden by something else. You should see the stairs through the opening in the Ground Floor that way.  However you would obviously have to turn the roof and ceiling off, or they will obscure everything else.

Allan
Title: Re: Stairs issue - how to show stairs on main floor, leading down to basement
Post by: Draft Patrick on December 09, 2011, 09:07:06 AM
Hi Bjorn,

Versions 15 and 16 have the "Import CAD file" option, so you can export you staircase to CAD and then--> import it again as symbol --> place it in the upper floor. In this way, the stairs will appear twice in 2D, but just once in 3D
For version 14 (if memory helps) you can try to import the staircase symbol as *.DXF using the Object Wizard

Hope this helps

Pat