[Tutorial] Industrial staircase handrail.

[simon le bon]

Industrial staircase handrail.

Hi

Have you ever tried to draw the curved part of a handrail?

It is not a big deal but I have spent a couple of hours to find the way to draw these complex curves, and as this can deserve generic purposes I go up my sleeves and give it to you

simonlebon

[simon le bon]

First some examples grabbed on the net and the link for DC StairCaseBuilder from Howard Leslie a Dynamic Component that can be used to help model Staircases
(not tested but seemingly very interesting)

Industrial staircases

Industrial stairs

Materials

Theory

simon

[simon le bon]

In the process I have used , I have detached a particular case which I call "The simple way"

This particular case fixes two parameters.
1)the horizontal part of the handrail begins by a flat pure quarter of a circle. This way we only have to determine the curve for the remaining quarter.
2)The climbing handrail must axes above the perpendicular axis exiting from the flat quarter of circle I just have talking about. This way the curve we have to draw can bend as a simple arc instead of a "S" curve (and we obtain this way a final shape much better adapted and beautiful)

(the case to avoid:)

I assume you know the need and the use of the following Plugins:
-> Fredo6 BezierSpline (and its 20 sheets PDF !!)
-> Didier Bur Projections Tools
-> Rick Wilson Weld
->Didier Bur Lines to Tubes
I assume also you know how use "Intersect with the model" by entering a group, select all and intersect, in order to recover the path of the intersection..

Basically, my way is to project plane curves on semi cylinders and reversely.
All modifications are made on plane curves.
The understanding of the process, turns around the ability to imagine a flat curve projected in 3D. Please understand and note the necessity to make our original flat curve with endings tangent to the axes..
,..and a remark: it goes better if every part of the construction set is turned as a group!!



simon.

[simon le bon]

Still simple: a double deck handrail:

Cleaning to keep the part of the curve we want is a mess in its middle part. So I prefer put a construction point on each strategic node, delete everything between, and redraw the missing part with line tool (and weld afterward)

*s

[simon le bon]

Come back to the first exercise, but this time with a complete control on the total curve! This is "The long Way"
The problem is that the curve projected from plane to 3D and from 3D to plane generates problematic aliasing. The tip is to repair the curve on the plane stage of the curve.

*simonlebon

[jim4366]

Thanks for sharing.

[Gaieus]

One of those great, epic ones again, Simon, thanks!

Indeed, a seemingly easy thing explained "scientifically"!

[simon le bon]

Thank you sirs!

Dear Gaieus,
What a pleasure to see the "Watching Man" always on deck;-)
and thanks for the nice compliment

simon

[Gaieus]

I saw it yesterday already but did not want to comment to make 100% sure you finish the series of posts without interruption!

[watkins]

Dear Simon,

Is this something you could put in to a .pdf document, perhaps as a follow up to the individual postings. Similarly, for all all you other brilliant tutorials. Thank you for you enthusiasm and generosity.

Kind regards,
Bob

[simon le bon]

Dear Bob,
I'm touched by your kindness
Sure I can make a PDF. I have discovered the possibility to edit nicely a pdf into Open Office. I'm going to find the time this week.
++ Simon.

[Jeff Hammond]

Nice study Simon
I'm on a phone right now but when I get to a computer later tonight, I'll try some things that might make this a lot easier (or at least give a different way of looking at it)

I'm know I can get a smooth & tangent curve in there very quickly but as to it being the proper shape, we'll see

[dale]

Hey Simon
Thanks as usual. You are such a great contributor.
Cheers

[Pilou]

Cool tut variations!

I have discovered the possibility to edit nicely a pdf into Open Office.

I am interested by this sort of operation
"How to modify an existing PDF"

[Jeff Hammond]

so i tried what i was thinking earlier and it does work.. i did this curve in 10 seconds using fredo's BezierSpline.rb (Uniform B-Spline)

railBend.skp

railBend.jpg

[simon le bon]

so i tried what i was thinking earlier and it does work.. i did this curve in 10 seconds using fredo's BezierSpline.rb (Uniform B-Spline)

10seconds!!!!
I am on phone i need to see that this evening!
Hey Jeff, you've also killed my tut in 10 seconds
simon

[ely862me]

No plugin used,just native tools.

[Jeff Hammond]

No plugin used,just native tools.

lol..

that's how they would probably be built as well.. straight tubes with 90 deg bends on the ends then welded together on site.

[simon le bon]

Hi Jeff,
I have Su6 & Su7 and can't read your Su8 skp solution
But I guess you have used something like this way:

Hi Eli,
I recognize with great pleasure your special spirit which works to find the simplest way. Your solution is very clever in its simplicity . I agree with Jeff to think that this way has been used usually in construction.

Hi Bob,
I ask myself if we need a pdf right now? Or may be one including Jeff and Eli solutions !?

Hi Pilou,

I have discovered the possibility to edit nicely a pdf into Open Office.

I am interested by this sort of operation
"How to modify an existing PDF"

In fact I haven't found the possibility to "edit" or modify a pdf within Open Office! I have just found that we can edit a complex text with pictures and links(+-?) and record it as a decent pdf. Hum! this is not exactly the same.

++simon.

[Jeff Hammond]

Hi Jeff,
I have Su6 & Su7 and can't read your Su8 skp solution
But I guess you have used something like this way:

oops.. once again i forgot to save as something that everyone can view .. here's a v6 file.

railBend_v6.skp

it's pretty much what you've imagined it to be except i only used 4 points to define the curve. (as you only need 2 points to make a tangent blend to a line)..

it's something i discovered about the uniform b-spline..(in part due to eli's problem solving in a different thread).. here's a post of mine in which i do the same thing to create a tangent (and somewhat editable) complex surface blend using uniform b-splines..

viewtopic.php?p=267047#p267047

[the video from that thread:]

[simon le bon]

Dear Jeff,
you show the interest of Uniform B-Spline I have missed until now!!
here page 4 from pdf tutorial relatives to B-Spline and Order parameter:

I know your video I have already watched several times
But your tritubes shows also very well the extension of your technique.

(Re I wanted to relate your realization in wood but the pictures are no more available )

a tip: when the curve is drawn, right clic and edit curve. Then use tab to call Order parameter and change it without leaving the edit mode until you find the good one

++simon

[Jim]

Maybe too simple for accuracy?

[simon le bon]

Hey hey! Dear Jim,

You win with the "synthetic" (is it the good word?) simplicity of your solution.
Now that we see it, we ask ourself how can it be possible to have missed it!!

I think I have initiate with the worst solution . Noway it is a good tutorial thread. Very instructive for each one I guess.

++simonlebon

[Pilou]

Last Jim's solution is perfect if you want not a blend progressive jonction between the 2 ends straight cylindric lines

[irwanwr]

i was thinking the way Jim did it too, before i got my eyes onto his post.
did i miss something there? like the vertical tube joining that rail and the stair below it?

i mean shouldn't that curvy rail on the joining plane have horizontal alignment to each other?

Image 3.jpg

Image 4.jpg

[simon le bon]

Hi Irwan,

it is silly but I don't understand exactly what you mean (I'm french with low english language)

I have initiated something which is an unnecessary complex solution, and each one had bring his own one, that bringing the interest of the thread.

Whatever, I am still pleased with the result of this unique curve that I had tried to make fitting artistically to the rails...

and also a bit proud of the UV mapping of these barrels made with a little series of phone pictures

Happy New Year

simon>.

[irwanwr]

hi Simon

it is silly but I don't understand exactly what you mean (I'm french with low english language)

i know you are French. i always win easily if i play for French in Sid Meier's Pirates (irrelevant)

yes, it's a good image indeed. what rendering application did you use for it?

by the way, how is your graphic adapter now? any luck with the artifacts on the screen yet?

happy new year, Simon.

[ed] i think what Elisei did up there is the same thing that Jim did.

[simon le bon]

Hi Irwan

what rendering application did you use for it?

No rendering in this case. All is simply SketchUp!

by the way, how is your graphic adapter now? any luck with the artifacts on the screen yet?

I'm still searching.
With your Video Memory Test (which is a portable handy little app) I know that my GPU ram is clean

I'm now going to upgrade my video drivers..

Hum! You still haven't the reply to your previous question..

With my best, simon.

[irwanwr]

[ed] congratulation with the test result, Simon. the next step for more comprehensive diagnose then

Hum! You still haven't the reply to your previous question..

what question?