Building circular stairs in LDD

[alan_muhl]

I am building a cirdular stair and rotating the highest step to fit over the next lower step. What I am finding is that I can do it easily with several steps and then with the next step, the program won't allow me to rotate that step. Instead, it tries to rotate the entire world below the composite structure. If I remove the one stud round plate attached to the end of the step that stops the step rotation when it meets the step below, the program will allow it to rotate. And then, to complicate matters, when I go one step higher, it allow me to rotate again. Does anyone know what is happening and is there a way to consistently rotate?

[Superkalle]

I'm not sure I fully understand, but I think I do

LDD will rotate very differently depending on which rotation point is selected. Sometimes clicking an element several times will change the rotation point. You have to simply alternate between the rotation points this way to find the one the works.

If this didn't answer your question, please provided screenshots of your problem.

[Leanne]

I've have exactly the same problem. I found by changing the angle and zooming in to the part that I wanted to rotate helps. I kept the 1x1 stud on and initially connected it at a 90 degree angle from the plate it was placed on. Clicking on the corner of the plate also seemed to help.

[tiammath]

I've never had any problem rotating bricks while builind round stairs, and I've build many of them (see below for a couple examples).

[Superkalle]

I've never had any problem rotating bricks while builind round stairs, and I've build many of them (see below for a couple examples).

Nice work

[Calabar]

I've never had any problem rotating bricks while building round stairs, and I've build many of them (see below for a couple examples).

Very good work with the stairs.

I'm looking for a replacement for this stair, whose main piece is not available in LDD.

Have you made something suitable for that? Or any other did?

[Aanchir]

Very good work with the stairs.

I'm looking for a replacement for this stair, whose main piece is not available in LDD.

Have you made something suitable for that? Or any other did?

Place a 2x2 turntable on one end of a 2x6 plate, and then cover the rest of the 2x6 plate's studs with a 2x4 tile. This will be the construction for each individual stair. That should give it a similar enough shape and size, although it would not be a perfect replacement in all situations (some builds involve 1x2 jumper plates underneath the bottom stair in positions that might not be possible with stairs that aren't hollow underneath).

[DLuders]

@ Calabar: There is a nice spiral staircase on the Lego DesignByMe Gallery; I did a search for the term "Staircase" and the LDD .lxf file popped up for download. Maybe you could adapt it to your needs.

[tiammath]

Like Aanchir said, you have this one :

Or, this one. But stairs are linked to the walls and not the round center.

[Superkalle]

I renamed this topic, since it's more and more becoming a topic for staircase templates

[Calabar]

@tiammath

I was thinking about something link the second third stair.

I'll modify that (I hope, at least!) so that the steps will be linked to the central column and, if it is not a problem for you, I'll post it in the topic of replacement pieces for LDD.

[tiammath]

No problem

[Calabar]

The assembly seems more difficult than expected.

I'm wondering if the best choice is to built a unconnected stair!

I'd like to maintain the 2x2 round column as pivot and connect steps to it, but it seems an impossible goal.

[tiammath]

Yeah, I already spent much time on it and wasn't able find a way to keep the steps connected to round bricks in the middle.

Here's my lastest creation. Which is not as close as I hoped, but it's not so bad.

Edited June 5, 2011 by tiammath

[Calabar]

Not so bad, right!

Did you measure it?

It seems 1/2 stud smaller than it should be (speaking about radius).

PS: note that the original stair need 9 steps to reach 180 degrees angle.

[tiammath]

No, I didn't measure it.

Here's one that is 180°, but with 10 steps. And another one with 9 steps.

Note : I see only 8 steps on the original stairs. Are each step 2 plates high ?

Edited June 5, 2011 by tiammath

[Calabar]

yes, two plates hight!

NOTE: with 8 steps you can obtain a coverage of 180 degrees, but in order to have a step starting inline with the first, you need the a 9th.

[EDIT]

Here are my experiments.

The final stair is the one on the right, based on the one on the left.

Unfortunately, as I told before, its steps are floating.

Here is the .lxf file.

[tiammath]

@Calabar

Managed to link each step to each other, in your MOD.

Here the modified LXF file

Edited June 5, 2011 by tiammath

[Captain Becker]

Well, this is my way to build them, though at you might want to get a little sneak peak to my LDD Project

Captain Becker

[Calabar]

@tiammath

Great Idea!

Unfortunately it seems the change makes the stair a little oversize, so that it don't fit in narrow spaces anymore.

[tiammath]

Well, yeah. Just noticed there's actually a little problem with the last step. But, since it's the last step it could be linked to the center pillar instead of the other steps, so we can get rid of the little gap.