How to Attach a Railing to an Irregular Slab in AutoCAD

In AutoCAD, you may sometimes need to add a railing to an unusually shaped slab or section of a drawing, for instance, as part of a balcony that extends from the edge of the building. Rather than drawing and positioning the railing manually, you can use AutoCAD’s “Pick Lines” feature, which allows you to attach a new object to an existing line on the drawing, offset by any distance you specify.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Launch AutoCAD. Click the large application button in the top left of the window, then click “Open.” Browse to the folder containing your project, click its icon once, then click “Open” to load it into AutoCAD.
   • 2
     Select the layer containing the slab to which you want to add the railing, then use the Zoom In tool – which looks like a magnifying glass with a “+” sign inside -- to get a closer look at it on the screen.
   • 3
     Click the “Home” tab if it is not already selected, then click “Railing” from the Circulation panel. After you select this, the ribbon will change to show you the various options available in defining railings. Select the “Pick Lines” option from the Draw panel, which looks like a line with a grip at both ends and with a mouse pointer in the middle of it.
   • 4
     Choose an offset value in the options bar, just below the ribbon and to the far left of the screen, in the “Offset:” text field. This determines the distance from the edge of the slab that the railing will be attached. Type in your desired value and press “Enter.” Note that you can try a test run, then “Undo” and set another offset value if you don’t like the results.
   • 5
     Hover the mouse over one of the lines that makes up your irregular slab. Note that whatever side of the line your mouse pointer hovers over, a dashed line is displayed. This indicates the position at which the railing will be set. Ensure you place it on the correct side of the slab and then click the left mouse button to place the railing.
   • 6
     Repeat step five for all the edges of the slab. Press “Esc” twice to exit the Railing mode when you are done – the railing is now attached to the slab.