Hi Dave
No, I Really Really, don't want another "dongle" to manage.
I've been waiting for a comparison between the two by someone else or response from Cadimage which has not been posted yet.
I've just finished a test stair concept, suggested by Steve Jepson here:
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=153283&highlight=stairs#153283
For the test I revisited a double winder stair I had simply "slabified" when frustrated with AC stair almost two years ago.
I'm slow, so can't judge by this, but it took me way too long (around 4hrs) on this first set of double residential winders that are to be carpeted making the stair parts, plywood pieces etc so that I have a close "how it's constructed" model. (Would like to get this down to an 1hr someday).
I’m trying to learn a working style that what I model can be cut almost anywhere and be true to structural. Steve’s concept struck a cord there for me.
I did not worry this first one, how long it took or parts joining in section, which some did.
Also complicating things, (and the reason I chose this stair) was that I had cut both inside corners of the double winder to 45 degrees. This was in part to make it easier to get furniture up and around two corners, of a narrow, 36" stair, but also helped to get 6” min tread width.
Of course this made making the parts more complicated.
One of the main time sinks was I couldn't get different roof framing parts to completely SEO when trying to use them as stringers. Some of the treads would cut the stringer but others would not.
I ended up using "roofs" as stringers and that work almost flawlessly, except:
I wish there was a way to get parts to SEO sideways (left/right) not just up or down.
(I could put a “block” there and SEOed the piece I wanted gone and put block on hidden layer.) Maybe next structural test stair.
Am I missing something about sideways SEOing if wanted?
If anybodies got some tips on this I would like to hear them.
lec
ps
Maybe GS could modify/adopt concepts from curtain wall tool to a structural stair tool?
Ralph?