Ramps
A ramp is the stair’s sibling: the same baseline drawn from the bottom, the same perpendicular turns and merged U-landings — but a sloping plate instead of steps.
Draw one
Section titled “Draw one”- Click Ramp on the toolbar.
- Click the bottom, then each turn, then the top.
- Double-click to finish.
| Type a number + Enter | length of the current flight |
| Shift | lock to an axis at 90° |
| Esc | step back |
A live gradient readout follows the cursor, so you can see it crossing 1:16 before you commit rather than afterwards.
Two ways to set the gradient
Section titled “Two ways to set the gradient”| Mode | What is fixed | What is derived |
|---|---|---|
| Rise | total height to climb | the gradient of each flight |
| Slope | a gradient, e.g. 1:16 | the total height reached |
In Rise mode the height is shared out in proportion to flight length, so every flight ends up at the same gradient — which is what you want when a ramp has to land on a given floor level.
In Slope mode you fix the gradient and the ramp climbs as far as it climbs.
Vertical reference
Section titled “Vertical reference”| Top | the level you drew is the running surface |
| Center | the level runs through the middle of the plate |
| Bottom | the level is the underside |
Top is the default because that is the drafting convention: the level you dimension is the surface someone drives on.
Parameters
Section titled “Parameters”| Field | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 1 500 mm | Czech accessibility decree 398/2009 |
| Gradient | 1:16 | same |
| Landing | 1 500 mm | same |
| Waist | 150 mm | thickness, measured perpendicular |
The defaults follow Czech accessibility requirements, so a ramp drawn without touching anything is compliant by construction.
Warnings
Section titled “Warnings”The dialog checks a few things and says so in a yellow box, live as you type and again when you confirm:
- width under 900 mm — below the international minimum
- gradient steeper than 1:16, 1:12 or 1:8 — graded, so you can see how far out you are
- flight longer than 9 m without a landing
They are warnings, not refusals. Sometimes a ramp in an existing building cannot comply and you still have to draw it.
The opening above
Section titled “The opening above”Same as for stairs: right-click, Archeform → Cut Slab Opening Above.
In IFC and in drawings
Section titled “In IFC and in drawings”Exports as IfcRamp with Qto_RampFlightBaseQuantities and Pset_RampCommon.
The required slope is written into the property set in radians, as the schema
expects. PredefinedType follows the shape — straight run, quarter turn, half
turn.
In plan the 3D body is hidden and replaced by a symbol: outlines of the flights and landings, a break line at the cut plane, and the direction arrow.