Hello guys! Modeling a norman style castle using mostly terrains. Ran into a tiny snag. What's the easiest way to make a spiral staircase going up the inside of the tower? I saw a tutoraial on spiral stairs a while ago but don't remember where. Does someone know where it is? It used multireplication I think. Or if anyone knows if the Norman's used a different kind of stair for their towers. Thanks, Lyrra

I have one that works pretty well though it is a fairly large file .. It is more of a ruined tower than one that is fresh but the technique goes pretty much the same.. can't see the stair part that well in this shot but I think you will get the picture I don't know where the tutorial is offhand but I can probably talk you trough making one if you want ...Good luck

I think the tutorial you are thinking of is by Ed Baumgarten's site. You can find it in the web resources section on the right side of this page. If you are wanting to do what I think you are then his tutorial will work if you can get the inside size of the stairs to match the outside size of the tower. You will want to delete the inside handrail probably also, or both of them. But then that's up to you, either way his tutorial should work for what you want.

Oooh. Macbeth that's a great shot. More in that series around? :) Nice tapestry. I just had a chat with an historian who tells me that the Normans used stone stairs in towers and the towers were relativly narrow so the stairs almost filled it. They also have a heavy rope handrail along the outside wall held by iron eyepin like things and sometimes by stone ones. The steps are fairly wedge shaped, so I think back to my terrains. I don't fell like haveing each step booleaned. Trying to keep the object count down to a dull roar. As for interior steps the first flight up was almost always wood (so it could be burned or chopped away) and the risers were different heights to make it harder to climb them. Clever. Terrains again - don't have to worry about getting the heights exact too! The baumgarten site was the one I was thinking of. Thanks! And the multireplication thing shuld do the trick. Thanks guys, Lyrra

Thanks Lyrra ... Nope, no more shots for that one ... I normaly do singular things but I am glad you like it .. I went with the terrains and repeated them a bunch of times and rotated them so they fit. Believe with step/repeat or something ... You seem to have it down but I would like to see the finished product S