I'm learning prop editing, and I really struggled with stairway ramp construction. I googled the forum, and googled some more, running lots of experiments between googlings. After two weeks, I was unsuccessful trying to build a working single flight stairway to the second floor level (approximately 1000 y units above ground floor level.) Then I ran across Tom_H_Decorator and his partner _Indis_, of the Visual Identity deco firm. They straightened me out and showed me how to build perfect stairway ramps quickly, no muss, no fuss, and working the first time, every time.
First, Tom's blog:
Tom_H_Decorator's ProfileHe's posted a 5-part installment covering some of his deco techniques. He covers stairway construction in part 2, I believe.
Indis furnished an alignment tool (below) that makes alignment ridiculously easy and completely goof proof.
In summary, based on Tom's method and _Indis_' alignment tool, here's the procedure I worked out to build multi-flight stairways.
1. Use the Court Floor prop, texture double-sided, collidable on.
2. Start with a sloped ramp starting with the court floor's collision zone (NOT the court floor itself!) just beneath floor level. Set the length of the court floor section to whatever's appropriate to get to your desired level. (I build and place my horizontal landiing, just to use as a target, and adjust the length of the sloping court floor to match. A bit of cut-and-try is required but you can slightly vary the amount you sink the sloping section's collision zone beneath the floor to ease the task.
For a 1-story ramp that meets a horizontal landing y=1000 above the floor level, I used a Court Floor section scaled on the X dimension at 2.50, sloped upward at 30 degrees, and placed 328 y units above floor level.
3. Proper alignment requires you to see the collision zones for both the slope and the landing at the same time.
Here's Tom's method:
a. Lock all open prop editor objects.
b. Right-click the landing, select Properties, then CLICK ON THE PROP EDITOR WINDOW. Don't click on the Properties choice itself; just hover the mouse over it. If you've done it right, you'll see the landing's red collision zone outlines. Those outlines will continue to be visible as you select and work with other props. In fact, you must close the prop editor to make them go away.
2. Attach _Indis_' tool to a Sign 01 prop. Move it so the landing's TOP red collision zone outline is exactly at the center of the tool.
3. Select the sloping section, then click Place. Watching the alignment tool, move the sloping section until it's TOP collision zone outline is also exactly at the center of the alignment tool.
That's it! You've built a single flight stairway ramp as easy as that. Test it by walking up and down a few times just to ensure that there are no glitches you need to jump over, or holes you fall through.
Building a ramp that slopes up from the landing requires a slightly different alignment. Here's the method I worked out:
1. Select the landing again, as you did before. Move the alignment tool until the landing's BOTTOM collision zone outline is centered.
2. Select the sloping section that will continue your stairway upward from the landing. Move it until the edge of the court floor, NOT ITS COLLISION ZONE, is centered in the alignment tool.
That completes the riser from the first landing.
For my own stairway ramp, my second flight sloping section consisted of another court floor prop scaled 2.00 on the x dimension, tilted upward at 30 degrees, and placed 1478 y units above the ground floor level.
Finally, you want to place another landing at the top of the second flight riser. Use the same procedure you did to connect the first riser to the first flight; align the TOP red collison zone outlines using _Indis_' tool.
Test your stairway ramp by walking up and down both flights to assure yourself that your stairway will work perfectly. Once it is, you can skin the stairway with pretty stairs and railings, then set the court floor props to Invisible.
Notice that your two-flight structure contains all the pieces you need to build any conceivable staircase. With nothing more than cloning, changing y-axis angles by 90 degrees and alignment with Indis' tool using the mehods above, you can build anything from a grand balustrade for your mansion's entryway to a many-story stairway with a central well for an apartment building, hotel, club, or other building.
Hope this procedure helps you build any stairway ramp structure you need. No more elevators!
Many, many thanks to Tom_H_Decorator and _Indis_. They have been a tremendous help, not only with the development of this procedure, but helping me to solve many other prop editing problems. They have been incredibly kind and patient with this newcomer.
Have fun!
Joe
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