Stair software features
Stair Building made easy with StairDesigner
From site dimensions to workshop plans in a few minutes !
- Gain time and money
- Cut out design and mark up errors
- Stop unnecessary work
- Easy to learn and even easier to use
Take a look at this this video for a rapid over view of StairDesigner possibilities:
To read my review of StairDesigner and see a video demonstration click below:
<Click here to see my StairSoftware ReviewPage>
A brief over view of StairDesigner software
StairDesigner is a versatile stair design software. You can build spiral stairs, straight flights, turning stairs with winders, curved stairs, central cut string stairs and more. stair Designer can be used for wood, metal or stone stairbuilding. Special functions are included for drawing stair parts (wood or marble) covering concrete stairs.
StairDesigner enables you to quickly input stair dimensions and automatically calculates the stairs to standard building regulations.
StairDesigner uses special algorithms to calculate and optimised stringers and step shapes and positions. This makes turning stairs with winders easy and safe to use. Stair Designer can build stairs with cut strings, boxed strings, straight, curved and wreathed.
StairDesigner calculates automatically all the stair parts, strings, steps, risers, newel posts, spindles and hand rails. The plans, parts and cutting lists can be printed out in a workshop folder and full size part templates can be printed as workshop mark ups for cutting and machining. DXF files can be exported for CAD/CAM programs and CNC routers.
StairDesigner builds real 3D models with wood textures and lighting and transparency.
A Few StairDesigner features
Stair wells & Flights
- Calculates spiral and helicoidal stairs.
- Up to 7 Flights per stair.
- Each flight can have its own length width.
- variable angles for first and last steps.
- Variable angles between each flight.
Automatic calculations and verifications
- Calculates step height, going and tread line.
- Verifies des 3 paramètres H, G, et Tread line, with Mini et Maxi values.
- Quick wizard Fonction optimizes the number of steps and flight lengths.
- Automatic and optimized dividing of balusters for closed and cut strings.
Balancement / winders and dancing steps
- Automatic step balancing function. Gives optimized steps and stringers.
- Fully parametric balancing function , work on groups, fix steps, works on any shape staircases.
« S » shape stairs:
With StairDesigner draw any shaped stair with up to 7 flights at any angle, any turn, each with its own specifications.
Draw S shaped stairs, L shaped stairs, U shaped stairs, any shaped stairs.
Steps and Risers
- Move and rotate any step individually.
- All assembly details are parametric, thickness, overlaps, recesses, etc….
Strings, Newel posts, and Handrails
- Fully parametric straight, curved, wreathed, closed or cut strings.
- Parametric newel posts, handrails and balusters
Calculate and draw a quarter turn stair with winders:
Starting from on site dimensions that are input into StairDesigner. The program calculates the stairs , optimizes the number of steps, the step height and going and draws the plan.
- Design time : about 30mins
Building a 3D model and printing out different 3D views:
StairDesigner builds automatically the 3D model. you can view the model in all its details to verify the design and export different views for commercial documentation.
Time to build the 3D model : 0mins
Workshop drawings and folder :
Once the plans drawn up StairDesigner creates automatically :
- workshop folder with a plan drawing and separate drawing for each stair part..
- full size workshop templates
- DXF files for CAD/CAM and CNC machining
Time to print workshop folder : 5 to 10 mins
Workshop templates:
Cutting lists:
StairDesigner automatically prints out the cutting lists with :
- Dimensions of each part.
- Total weight and price of the raw materials.
- Total volume of wood.
Time to print cutting lists : 1 mins
and here’s the finished stair,
You can down load all the drawings workshop documents and DXF files for this stair from my free download page “Stair drawings”
Test Drive STAIRDESIGNER for FREE :
Just fill in the form below and click “Submit”
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If you would like to buy StairDesigner :
<Click here to buy STAIRDESIGNER>
If you need more information and a demo:
<Click here to read a StairDesigner review and play a video demo>
Don’t forget to look at my complementary stair software “download page” and the other posts for more information on using StairDesigner and other related free software downloads.
Here are some other articles on stair design:
Civil Engineering Softwares Books: STAIR DESIGNER
StairDesigner Pro is a polyvalent straight, helicoidal, and balanced stair design software , used in the wood, marble, stone, and metal industries.It allows a quick stairway parameters entry.
Beautiful Stairs
But we came across a stair designer who does this brilliantly. Watch how the stairs from Scale Nilur not only just gel with the rooms but also become design elements themselves. stair design. If you need more on stairs.
Design soft myhouse 7.51.090
Stair designer with the new stair designer it is very easy to design and place stairs in your design you can use the various templates or start from scratch and design your own custom stairs. roof designer the myhouse roof designer.
Hello,
This is Rose writing from http://www.huliq.com. I visited your blog and liked your content.
Would you be interested to send us a guest post on any of the issues related to the topics that you cover in your blog. We will publish it in our site http://www.huliq.com
In return with each guest blog we will give one link in the author’s biline back to your blog. We only ask that the guest post ( we prefer it be a news coverage, sources can be Google News, CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo News, BBC and others) be a unique story and not be published in your blog.
HULIQ is indexed by Google News and Google requires that the length of the unique news is at least 5 paragraphs. We desire it to be at least 6 paragraphs if possible. And that all need to be a unique content. Once you send us a new story totally unique we will immediately publish it with you link in it, and within 15 minutes it should be indexed by Google News.
Please let me know if you may have any questions about http://www.huliq.com.
If you want to consult the topic with me first that’s perfectly fine as well.
Many thanks
Your product looks interesting.I have a stair business selling and
installing balustrade parts.This could be a good tool for my business as
I could give better visuals to my customers.My main question at this point is do I need any other software (autocad?)to use your software?
Also what are the computer requirements to run this program.
I look forward to a response soon.
Thanks,Garrett
StairDesigner doesn’t draw all the stair parts that you might want to put into your design. The best way to add other parts is to open the 3D draws in AutoCad or any other 3D software, you can use a free 3D program like SketchUp if you want although you get better images with other software, and then add pre drawn parts to your design. If your orgaise your work well this works very well.
If you ever want to see a reader’s feedback
, I rate this article for 4/5. Decent info, but I just have to go to that damn yahoo to find the missed bits. Thanks, anyway!
Hi, what is the price for your staircase software. And does it have to work with AutoCAD or not? Looking forward to your soonest reply.
The price of the international version is 1230 euros or approx: $1700 US. StairDesigner is a stand alone software package that doesn’t need AutoCad but can be interfaced with any standard CAD/CAM system using DXF files.
Hello!
First of all I have to say that your blog is a great resource for StairDesigner software and I like the content that is available.
I recently started to use StairDesigner myself and love it for it’s simplicity to use and overall performance. The thing is there is always a need to edit the stair model in AutoCad. What I was wondering is do you maybe have any tips or tricks on how to edit for instance a stringboard from the initial 3d dxf export? I would appreciate any help. Thanks!
Hi Luke,
Thanks for the comment.
To get workable construction drawings I usually only edit the 2d DXF (general viex and parts). It’s usually easy and straight forward.
If you have any specific problems send me a email detailling your question and I’ll try to answer.
To get an over view on DXF editing you can also download the “Using StairFile” document from my free downloads page.
best regards
Ness
Hello .( sorry for bad english i’m german)
I’m using stairdesigner for a year or so and im still having one big problem with this software.
This is whats not good :
When you draw a stairs with a post in it , for example a stairs with two flights some of the steps end in the post.
When i export or print al the parts for really getting started making the stairs from any wood, the steps don’t have a “nose” or something on the place the steps go in to the post.
The steps do have a nose where the go in to the string on 90 angle but they dont go in on 90 angle into the post.
So routing the post with a router can only be done in 90 angle and not following the step front.
Did i make myself clear or is my english so bad no one understands my problem.
thanks already
A sad german carpenter
Hi,
Looks promising but there is no form to fill out displayed on the page I see to download the demo version.
Regards,
Tom
Hi Tom,
Look on the right side bar at the top.Fill in your name and email and just click the Submit button.
Hello, Thanks for your question. Its true that the step recessed into the posts do not have the nosing cut perpendicular to the post face. But the step recess is marked out on the post ok, and it is easy to apply a square on the step edge and mark out a perpendicular cut from the intesection of the nosing with the post face.
I usually find that when marking out and machining by hand its easier to not activate the Perpendicular Step penetration in String Board parameter and cut the nosing “manualy” after machining.
Hope this is of help.
best regards
Ness Tillson
Hi there, Im interested in trying out this software, what limitations does the demo version have?
Thanks
Darren
Hi Darren,
The demo version has all the functionality of the full version except printing and DXF export. Other wise it will calculate and draw the stairs and stair parts in 2D and 3D. If your would like to try the print outs and the DXF file exports you can use my StairFile service where for 50 euors you can send me the StairDesigner file and I send you back the print outs in PDF and the DXF files so you can build the stair.
Hope this is helpfull
best regards
Ness
I would like to try your stair software. I’ve been building wood stairs for 10 years. I have a fair amount of automated (CNC) routing and “open” stringer equipment, but I need to gain a competitive edge by saving time and money on producing “cut lists” from “onsite” measurements for different stair styles.
Earl
Hello Earl,
StairDesigner generates automatically the cut list from the stair design. You can try the demo version by fillling in the form on the right hand side of this page. I you need to have the cut list and the DXF files you can use the StairFile service on the STAIR SERVICES page of this site. Hope this is helpfull; If you need any other information don’t hesitate to contact me.
Best regards
Ness
Hi iwas wondering if you could help me. I am looking for a stair program that will enable me to quickly, on site be able to render a 3-d drawing and change the material on the stair ie: oak maple walnut etc and at the same time change the railing to glass wrought iron etc. I am strictly selling stairs and have very little to do with the manufacturing other than submitting the work order to any supplier i choose .Thanks for all the help you could give.
Hi John,
With the demo version of StairDesigner you can do nearly all of that for free. You can just type in the dimensions and StairDesigner will calculate the stairs and give you a 3D model that you can render with the wood you like. This gives a very quickly a good idea of the stair design but unfortunately you can’t add glass or wrought iron. All the other stair design programs I know are much more expensive ( 3k to 5k and +)than StairDesigner and organized around manufacturing and most will not give 3D rendering of glass or wrought iron. For quick on site modeling StairDesigner is very good. For more precise modeling with glass and wrought iron I suggest using the 3D model from SD and editing it in another design program like Autocad, 3D studio or even Sketch UP, if you don’t need very fancy rendering. This can be too long to do on site and you’ll probally have to do it at the office and send the rendered version on to your customer later.
hope this is helpful
Ness
I Ness.
I want to thanks you for your email and your tutorial, it’s very useful. I build stairs only occasionally and i think that SD software and Stair File Service is wonderful for me.
I’m studying SD tutorial and SD software, soon i buy a stair file service for a new stair that I have to make. I have some problems with the strings because I normally use only rough lumber, cut strings in chestnut, and here there isn’t prefinished panel in chestnut, but I’m studying this problem.
Excuse me for my Italenglish!!
Best regards and Merry Christmas
Paolo Cartosio
What does this software cost for a full version ?
Hi Rob,
the software costs 1255.80 euros, with one years full support. Support includes helping you or making for you your own stair templates.
To buy StairDesigner just go to the Stair Services page on this blog or click here:
i have one question … why the last step is smaller then the rest of steps?
Hi Emilian, The last step is a landing step and enables the stair to met the landing joist while giving an assembly point for the last riser. If you don’t need a last step just enter 0 in the Landing step parameter in the StairWell Parameter’s dialogue box. Ths stair will be calculated without the last step but the program will draw a 60mm step. This step is not added to the cutting list and you can just ignore it.
thanks admin
I have just downloaded your demo version of stairbuilder. I am a designer drafter/builder in Australia and could use this program.
I dont build alot of stairs but weh I do this program will be handy for my cutting list. I have been working with a left angle dog leg stair but require a landing inbetween both flights instead of winding stairs. How would I do this?
Cheers
Hi Adam, To ass landings you have to right click on the step you want to change into a a landing and select “landing step” in the menu. Then right click again and select “step propertises” to modify the dimensions of the landing. Look at my article “Strair software to modify stair plans” there’s a video that shows how to add a landing to a quarter turn stair. You can also download the manual and tutorial from the download page.
best regards
Ness
thank u very much.
Dear gentlemen:
I have been learning and practicing with StairDesigner V6.04 software installed on an XP Professional platform. I am trying to understand
and learn the art of designing and building stairs.
I experiment problems as to including landing steps in a design.
I have not been able to stablish the necessary conditions to include a
landing step in a design, and therefore no landing step is created in the design.
Please advice wheter there are special sonditions to include said
landing step in any design. Otherwise, pleae indicate me how to
proceed to include one or more landing steps in a designs.
Thank you in advance.
Truly,
Asiel
Hello Asiel, Installing landings is a simple operation when you know how. Take a look at the article “stair-software-to-modify-stair-plans” on the right side bar. There’s a video and I explain how to install a landing in a stair with winders.
all the best
Ness
Hi Mr. Ness
Thanks for sending mails. Ur mails are valuable and language is simple, so that a layman in wood workscan easily understand.
thanks and glad to receive ur reply.
Anybody that has been around the US stair business knows there are only a few software packages available that will suit the requirements of the US market. And these are not free. All of the budget software I have seen is designed for the european market which consist of straight stairs or winders. And all Post to Post. (The lack of risers or use of safety risers in the visual display is a dead givaway to the european market.)
Dont waste your time if you build stairs for the US market with cheap software. We use StairCon. They have an office in the US dedicated to how we build stairs. (curved, flairs, over the post, all fittings and connection.)
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your comment. I dont know how US carpenters build stairs and I think you are probably right in saying that StairDesigner is not perfectly adapted to your building methods. But this software reamains very versatile and can be of help in calculating and designing any stair. Of course specific details need to be added or adjusted using some CAD software but StiarDesigner is still of great help and is realy cheap in comparison to most stair software. It al depends on the time you need to spend on stair design. A small company making 1 or 2 stairs a month may not want to invest in high end software.
What is the cost for this software.
Vince S.
HI Rob, StairDesigner costs 1255.80 euros for a full professionnal version. To buy a version you can use the PayPal button on the Stair Services page of this web site. Here’s the link: http://stairdesignsoftware.net/stair-services. Send me your user code and I’ll send you back an activation code.
Best regards
Ness