Home Design Software by SoftPlan

Flared Stairs Added

SoftPlan Version 12 has added the ability to now draw a set of Flared Stairs. In previous versions this was not available. There are two methods, which can be used within in the program in order to draw Flared Stairs. The first is by utilizing Softplan’s stair symbols.

Select Draw > Stair > Flared
Position the cursor within the drawing area at the location where the bottom of the stairs is to be, and click.
Move your cursor in the direction that the stairs would climb, and click.

· SoftPlan will place a pre-defined Flared Stair symbol on your drawing. From this point you can edit the properties of the stair to suit your specific situation.

In the event where the pre-defined stair symbol is not desired, you are able to refer to the Stair Sketch option in Softplan, as in previous versions.

Select Draw > Stair > Sketch > Flared.
Position the cursor within the drawing area at the location where the bottom of the stairs is to be, and click.
Move your cursor in the direction of the approximate stair width, and click.
Now move your cursor in the direction that the stairs would approximately climb, and click.

· SoftPlan will place a Flared Stair on your drawing screen, and at the same time open the Stair properties edit menu in order for you to enter exact values for your stairs.

Curved Landing Edge

SoftPlan Version 12 has added the ability to edit a landing to include a curved edge.

In order to demonstrate this feature, we will first need to create a landing. Once we have done this, we can proceed to edit it, and configure our curved edge.

Select Draw > Stair > Landing > Landing.
Quickly sketch a landing to the approximate size required (this can always be dimensioned and modified later).
Once the landing has been drawn, select Edit > Edit Item.
Click on the edge you would like to modify to be curved. The Landing Edge menu will open.
In the Deflection field, enter the value, which you would like the edge to deflect or protrude. Select OK.
Softplan will re-configure the landing edge based on the value you have specified. Not only this, but it will also re-configure the landing framing beneath to match the new curved edge. Once you have added your curved edge, you can proceed with the completion of your stair design.

Stairs can be Formed Together with Various Stair Segments via Reference Points

Version 12 of SoftPlan has improved the stair features of the program. Individual Stair Types (Angled, Curved, Foldback, Straight and Flared) now have the ability to join together to form more complicated stairs. Each stair now contains a reference point, located on the one end of the stair. This gives the stairs the ability to join with other stair sections, creating a component stair. This enhances the program's ability to include more complicated stair designs, as all individual stair sections act as a Whole Stair which allow an edit of properties that affect the entire stair design. You can also edit each stair section individually for unique properties for Width, Tread Depth, Railings and Options.
Component stairs can be created in several ways:
When a stair section is drawn, it can be edited to add additional components by selecting the Top or Bottom button under Add Component. This will add a straight stair component to the existing component. When sketching a stair type next to an existing stair type, they will snap to each other and automatically form a component stair. If two stair sections are already drawn, moving one to the other will automatically join the two together to form a component stair. Exploding component stairs turns them into individual stair types. A cleanup will again join the stairs together to form a component stair.

Angled Stairs have Separate Width for Upper and Lower Risers

SoftPlan’s angled stairs offer editing flexibility that will allow for separate widths to entered for both upper and lower risers. Previously an angled stair’s width was uniform for both the upper and lower risers. To modify, do the following:

1. Select Edit > Edit Item. When an angled stair is selected for editing, the point which is selected is important in determining what section of the stair is to modified. For example, selecting the lower straight section of stair will allow for editing of the width of the lower section in addition to the whole stair.
Select the lower run of stair.
Select the Straight Tab in order to edit the lower Straight set independent of the Whole Stair.
Change the width field.
Select OK.

Tread Depth Added to Stair Option Defaults

SoftPlan Version 12 has added an additional option to the Stair Options dialog for Tread Depth. This option can be used to specify the default depth of the treads that will be used after a stair is sketched in. This option applies to Straight, Flared and Foldback stair types. This option was not available in previous versions.

Select File > Drawing Options > Material Dimensions > Stair Options.
Specify a desired depth for the stair treads in the Tread Depth field.
Select OK to close the Stair Options menu.
Select Draw > Stairs > Sketch > Straight
Sketch in a run of straight stairs. The Tread Depth will equal the value specified in the Stair Options menu.

Please Note: This option only applies to stairs that are sketched. Stairs drawn from a Stair Library will use the Tread Depth that was set when the stair symbol was originally created.

Tread Thickness Added to Stair Options

New to SoftPlan Version 12 is the ability to define the tread thickness for stairs with Stair Options. This option allows for stairs to each have their own tread thickness based upon what the user defined option is set to at the time of the stair being drawn. Previously SoftPlan used a uniform 1.5” tread thickness for all stairs, both interior and exterior.
To access, select File > Drawing Options > Material Dimensions > Stair Options. Input the Tread depth. Select Draw > Stair > Sketch. SoftPlan will factor the tread depth in to the riser height.

Center Stringer Option Added

Version 12 has added a new option for stairs. In the Stair edit dialog there is an option available to add a center stringer. When this option is checked, a center stringer will be added to the stair. It will not be seen in plan view, but can be seen on the underside of the Stair in SoftView.
To select this option pick Edit> Edit Item. Click the From button on the desired stair. This will display the Stair Edit Dialog. In this menu check the box Center Stringer and click OK. The center stringer will be added.

Riser Height Added to Stair Option Defaults

SoftPlan Version 12 has added the ability to set a default stair riser height. This allows you to define an initial riser height for stairs, before you begin drawing. In turn this eliminates having to edit a stair afterwards in order to modify the riser height.
Select File > System / Drawing Options > Material Dimension > Stair Options. The Stair Options dialog appears allowing you to assign your default Riser height. Once a value has been assigned, all manually drawn stairs will have a default riser height coinciding with what was assigned.

Changing the Number of Risers on a Stair Maintains the Tread Depth

When you edit an existing run of Stairs and change the Number of Risers, the Stair Run will change to accommodate the change in the number of risers. This allows the Tread Depth to be maintained. Previous versions would have maintained the Stair Run and altered the Tread Depth to accommodate the change to the number of risers. Because the Tread Depth is often established first to meet code requirements, a change to the number of risers for the stairs no longer affects the Tread Depth.
Open a floor plan that has a stair drawn. Select Edit – Edit Item and click on the stairs. Edit a new value for Number under the Risers group. When the new number of risers has been entered, the Stair Run is updated to reflect the change, while the Tread Depth remains unaffected.
This change applies to Straight Stairs, Foldback Stairs and Flared Stairs.

Default Stringer Depth Increased

Version 12 has increased the default stringer depth for stairs to 9.5”. Previous versions of SoftPlan had a smaller stringer depth.
Draw a straight run stair. Edit the stair and make sure the ‘Open Stringer’ option is not checked. If the ‘Open Stringer’ is checked, the stringer will only display the bottom edge. Add a Section Line through the stair and generate a cross section. Make sure that ‘Background’ is checked.

Stairs can be Added and Recalled from Libraries, Like Symbols

SoftPlan Version 12 has added pre-defined stair symbol types for use within your drawings. This allows you to place a common stair type quickly in your drawing, by simply selecting the appropriate stair symbol.

Select Draw > Stair.
Upon selecting Stair, you must select the stair library to use from the available list. These include Angled, Concrete, Curved, Flared, Fold Back, or Straight.
Select Straight.
From the Stair Symbol menu select the straight stair symbol, and select OK.
Much like placing a symbol, click to define the starting point (bottom) of the stair, and move your cursor in the direction the stair is to climb.
Click again to place the stair.

Angled and Curved Stairs Display Their Minimum and Maximum Tread Width

Version 12 reports the minimum and maximum dimensions for the tread widths on an angled or curved stair on the Edit dialog box. This can be used to check maximum and minimum dimensions to meet code requirements.
Angled Stair
Select Draw > Stair > Sketch> Angled. Select Edit > Edit item and click the From key on the angled stair. Input the information for the staircase in the Edit dialog that displays. The Minimum and Maximum Tread widths are calculated by the program based on the input of the stair.
Curved Stair
Select Draw > Stair > Curved > Curved Left or Curved Right OR Select Draw > Stair > Sketch> Curved Select Edit > Edit Item and click the From key on the curved stair. Input the information for the staircase in the edit dialog that displays. The Inside and Outside Tread widths are calculated by the program based on the input of the stair.

Stairs Drawn from a Stair Library Automatically Set Their Total Rise

Stairs drawn from the stair library will automatically set their Total Rise if a subfloor is detected on the drawing.
Load a drawing that has a subfloor; check the Joist depth, Subfloor thickness and wall height. Add one of the stairs from the stair library and do a cleanup. Edit the stair, the Total Rise will include the Height of the wall, 9’-1”, default Floor Joist Depth, 9.5” and default Subfloor Thickness, 0.625”.
Note: The default Total Rise used in the sample image is 8’-10.125”.