Changing Railings to use Cable, Glass, or Decorative Panels

Reference Number: KB-00926
Last Modified: October 7, 2020

The information in this article applies to:

Home Designer Professional or Home Designer Architectural or Home Designer Suite



QUESTION

How can I apply a cable, glass, or decorative panel from the Library Browser to my railings and stairs?

Cable railings applied to a hallway and staircase


ANSWER

Cable, glass, and other decorative panels can be applied to railings using the Railing Specification dialog and the Staircase Specification dialog.


To specify panels in the Railing Specification dialog

  1. Use the Select Objects  tool to select the railing, and then click on the Open Object  edit tool to display the Railing Specification dialog.

    If the majority of railings in your plan are going to be cable or panel railings, it would be more efficient to apply the steps mentioned in this section to your Railing Defaults. From the menu, click Edit> Default Settings and expand the list for Walls to edit the Railing defaults.


  2. Go to the Rail Style panel and select the Panels radio button.

    Rail Style Panel of Railing Specification


  3. On the Newels/Balusters panel, click on the Library button located next to the Type drop-down in the Panels section.

    Newels/Balusters Panel of Railing Specification


  4. In the Select Library Object dialog that displays, browse the library to locate a panel type that you would like to use, select it, and click OK to return to the Railing Specification dialog.  

    Select Library Object Dialog Box

    • Cable railing panels can be found in Home Designer Core Catalogs> Architectural> Fences and Railings> Cable.

    • Glass panels can be found in Home Designer Core Catalogs> Architectural> Fences and Railings> Glass.


  5. While still on the Newels/Balusters panel, make any additional adjustments as necessary, e.g., Railing Height.


  6. Select the Materials panel and choose the appropriate materials for each aspect of the railing.


  7. When you have completed making changes, click OK to confirm the changes and close the dialog.


  8. Take a Camera view to see the results.


To specify panels in the Staircase Specification dialog

  1. Using the Select Objects tool, select the Staircase that needs to change, and click on the Open Object edit tool.


  2. On the Railing panel of the Staircase Specification dialog that displays, select Panels. There are also settings on this panel to Include Top Rail and Include Bottom Rail.

    Railing Panel of Interior Staircase Specification Dialog
  3. On the Newels/Balusters panel, click on the Library button button located next to the Type drop-down in the Panels section.

    Newels/Balusters Panel of Interior Staircase Specifcation Dialog


  4. In the Select Library Object dialog that displays, browse the library to locate a panel type that you would like to use, select it, and click OK to return to the Staircase Specification dialog.  

    Select Library Object

    • Cable railing panels can be found in Home Designer Core Catalogs> Architectural> Fences and Railings> Cable.

    • Glass panels can be found in Home Designer Core Catalogs> Architectural> Fences and Railings> Glass.


  5. While still on the Newels/Balusters panel, make any additional adjustments as necessary, e.g., Panel Thickness.


  6. When you have completed making changes, click OK to confirm the changes and close the dialog.


  7. Take a Camera view to see the results.

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