Starting with Advance Steel 2012 you can assign user sections for the structural element of the stairs - "the stringer". This option allows you to use any section shape for this type of element, completing the current sections library.
Create a user section using the "Generate selected section" option and use the "Update defaults" command from the "Tools" ribbon to update the database with the new section. For example a "C asymmetric" user section is created having the section name "CAsymHook250x150" and the class section name "CAsymmetric-Hook".
With Management Tools, open the database "AstorProfiles": Table Editor\Open ODBC\AstorProfiles.
In the AstorProfiles database search for the "ProfileMasterTable" table using the filter. In this table you can find the new user section. From the "TypeNameText" column copy the internal name assigned to the user section "Usr CAsymmetric-Hook".
In the same database AstorProfiles search for the definition table of the profile, whose name is similar with the internal name of the section, "USR_CAsymmetric-Hook". From the column "Section name" copy the section name "CAsymHook250x150".
In the AstorRules database search for the table "RULE_StairStringerUserSections" using the filter.
To add a new line in the "RULE_StairStringerUserSections" table follow these steps:
⇒ "DefaultProfile" column must be filled like: "Usr CAsymmetric-Hook#@§@#CAsymHook250x150" where "Usr CAsymmetric-Hook" is the internal name of the section from the "ProfileMasterTable" table from the AstorProfiles database; "#@§@#" is a unique separator which is used to add any new section; "CAsymHook250x150" is the section name from the definition table of the profile "USR_ CAsymmetric-Hook" from the AstorProfiles database.
⇒ The "Note" column is completed optionally; for example it can contain information about the section type. This information does not appear in the "Stair" joint.
Create a joint Stair in Autodesk Advance Steel and from its properties choose the previously defined user section.
