First look at some balusters added to the previous railing with the new baluster algorithm. Overall it seems pretty solid however there are a couple things that jumped out at me.
Currently the segment span or usable span calculated is from center of post to center of post. This is fine when the posts are similar in diameter to the balusters however when they are not, as in the image show, the placement of the balusters next to the posts seems a bit tight or crowded, it needs more breathing room.
I could try to have it auto calculate this breathing room but I though it might be better to provide the user with yet another parameter (ie. baluster inset) so that the user can fine tune this inset if desired.
Additionally the inset would be symmetrically applied so it stands to reason that I also provide a horizontal offset or shift parameter as well. Granted this inset and offset would be applied to all rail segments the same, which in some cases would not afford enough granularity for the user.
I already have a parameter called āOffsetā so I will need to relabel that to āVert. Offsetā and this new parameter labeld as āHorz. Offsetā.
Thoughts? I am not a āfinish carpenterā or someone who has actually built these type of intricate assemblies in real life so I am just kind of throwing mud at the wall right now.
I did purchase this book back in 2018, but I seem to have misplaced it:
Does anyone have any good recommendations for books or texts that really get into the weeds on building balustrades and stairs?
The improvements to the stair module have been great going back to your last big push. The railings will be very welcome. I think exterior steps and railings are an equal need. I may have one set of interior stairs but can have several decks and railings on one project. Many of my homes have rustic finishes with timber entries, Green& Green / American Revival type interior railings.
I do love building stairs. Its like a piece of furniture!
I think you already have it as far as the mechanics of your assemblies. Where you have a āBoxā at landings the floor module can make those easy enough. I simply add actual framing and hide the landing in the assembly. Each design will have too many challenges to solve i believe especially when it comes to trim and moldings. Im looking forward to using the new handrail additions. Using it will identify needed tweeks.
Iām also looking forward to working with the handrails, having these feature included now will give the user so much flexibility allowing them to created very detailed staircaseās. Adding the option to position the balusters on the Stringer or string cap in the future would be a great addition ( icing on the cake )
Iāve added in an an auto-clearance calculation for the balusters that are adjacent to posts so I think I have that mostly under control now but some additional logic may need to be added depending on feedback from everyone.
Here is a first look at these various railings with shoerail added.
The offset option for each post position allows one to have the shoerail cut by the posts or rest underneath the posts. Iām trying to make this as flexible as possible. Also I created the four standard LJ Smith profiles beyond the very basic rectangular profile.
Due to the fact that there is quite a bit of boolean subtraction that can happen with the interaction between the posts and the handrail/shoerail combo, regenerating a railing can take a while, especially if it is much more than about five or six segments. I guess its a tradeoff between simplicity and ornate details.
The only way to squeeze more performance out of the boolean subtraction is to convert it to a more low level C++ routine, I may consider that.
I spent the better part of today trying to figure out ways to make the boolean subtraction more efficient. In the end my best solution was to create a square ācutterā in place of the actual (ornate) post which does significantly help.
Now I just need to do a few more checks and throw the kitchen sink at this thing:
Iām sure there will be quite a few fires to put out after I get this into the hands of the power users. Additionally I havenāt even broached the topic of deck, glass and cable railing so there is still a lot to do.
