June 6, 2012

New Railing Functionality in Revit Architecture 2013

In coordination with the Ideate Inc. YouTube video on Autodesk Revit Architecture 2013 – Component-based Stairs, this blog describes how the Revit Architecture 2013 Railing tool has undergone a few improvements along with the new Component Stair tool.

Railing enhancements have been made to make the creation of railing elements more accurately. These new enhancements include a new handrail and top rail sub-category that can include the addition of extensions to these two elements. Extension options include a wall, post, and floor extension. Figure 1.


Figure 1

Top Rails and Hand Rails are selected for editing by using the [Tab] key to cycle through the elements within the railing. Once selected, the rails are pinned in place and must be unpinned in order to make modifications to the railing. In addition to using the built in railing extensions, custom extensions can be created through the use of sketching.

Another improvement made to stairs includes adjusting the transitions of railings between landings and runs. Figure 2. Transitions used can be defined through the use of pre-established settings such as simple and gooseneck. Figure 2.


Figure 2

When modifying the handrail elements, handrail supports may be added, and manipulated allowing control of their placement along the rail. Figure 3. Like other elements within Revit, edit the supports by first using the [Tab] key to select these new features. 

Figure 3

These are only a few of the things that can be accomplished with the Revit Architecture 2013 Railing tools. Remember to review the instance and type properties of these elements as you are reviewing them as there are many properties that can be adjusted to create your custom railing elements. Good Luck!

Don’t forget to look through other great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2013 releases for Revit MEP, Revit Structure, Civil 3D, AutoCAD, Navisworks, 3ds Max Design and more: ideateinc.com/2013



Ron Palma
AEC Solutions Application Specialist

Ron has 23+ years of experience in the AEC industry as a designer, lead project designer, trainer and CAD manager. His instructional background includes Autodesk Certified Instructor, trainer, support technician, educator at Portland Community College and Clackamas Community College, and a U.S. Army certified instructor. Follow Ron @RonPalmaAEC.

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