Standard Presentation of Stair Construction Drawings in Revit
In Revit, the way stairs are displayed often differs significantly from traditional construction drawings. In this guide, we will explore how to adjust stair representation through settings to better match standard construction documentation.
1. Standardizing the First Floor Staircase Display
By default, the first floor staircase in Revit uses dashed lines to depict steps and railings located above the current floor plan section, as shown in Figure 1.1. However, these elements are typically omitted in construction drawings. To remove them, you can adjust the visibility settings.
Open the Floor Plan Visibility/Graphics settings (shortcut VV), locate the Stairs and Railings categories under the Model category, then expand each by clicking the plus sign. Uncheck the Above subcategory to hide these elements above the cut plane, as demonstrated in Figure 1.2. Click OK to apply the changes. The staircase plan will then update as shown in Figure 1.3.
Figure 1.1 First Floor Staircase Plan
Figure 1.2 Disabling Visibility of Model Elements Above Cut Plane
Figure 1.3 Updated Staircase Plan After Visibility Adjustment
2. Stair Annotations on Intermediate Floors
When stairs are displayed on intermediate floors using default settings, a dashed line appears above the stairs, indicating the upper portion is beyond the current view, as seen in Figure 1.4. However, this default marking does not fully align with construction drawing standards and requires further refinement.
Figure 1.4 Default Stair Display on Middle Floors
Step 1: Change the Stair Break Symbol to a Double Zigzag
Select the staircase, then open the Type Properties. Under the graphic settings for the stair, change the cut mark type to a double zigzag line, as illustrated in Figure 1.5. After applying this change, the stair section symbol updates to a double break. Note that one side of the section mark may appear above the cut plane, causing the opposite section line to display as dashed (see Figure 1.6), which cannot currently be modified through settings.
Figure 1.5 Adjusting the Cut Mark Type
Figure 1.6 Double Break Stair Section Representation
Step 2: Add Directional Arrow Symbols Indicating Stair Path
When stairs are duplicated, the directional arrow showing stair path is often missing because it is an annotation element, not part of the model or view that gets copied. To add the missing arrows, insert the Stair Path annotation symbol manually.
Go to the Annotate tab, select Symbol, then choose Stair Path. Click on the corresponding staircase to place the arrow annotation, as shown in Figure 1.7.
Figure 1.7 Adding the Stair Direction Arrow
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