Version 4.5.2b - 05.09.2026

- Added the following (L.J. Smith) rosettes: LJ7037, LJ7027, LJ7026, LJ7033.
- Fixed a floating point rounding error in the "Move Segment" tool.
- Enabled handrailing fittings (ie. rosettes) for the start and end of a handrail when no post at these locations is selected.
- Added a left and right half-post component into the newel post library.







I tested out a half post because I've seen stair railings that terminate like the image below:

Tutorial 86: Stair Railing

I spent the better part of today trying to figure out ways to make the boolean subtraction more efficient.  In the end my best solution was to create a square "cutter" in place of the actual (ornate) post which does significantly help.

However if the face count of the "cutting" post is under 100 then I just use the original post geometry.  I've noticed that some of these ornate posts can have over 400 faces or polycounts.

Now I just need to do a few more checks and throw the kitchen sink at this thing:

I've added in an an auto-clearance calculation for the balusters that are adjacent to posts so I think I have that mostly under control now but some additional logic may need to be added depending on feedback from everyone.

Here is a first look at these various railings with shoerail added.








The offset option for each post position allows one to have the shoerail cut by the posts or rest underneath the posts.  I'm trying to make this as flexible as possible.  Also I created the four standard LJ Smith profiles beyond the very basic rectangular profile.

Due to the fact that there is quite a bit of boolean subtraction that can happen with the interaction between the posts and the handrail/shoerail combo, regenerating a railing can take a while, especially if it is much more than about five or six segments.  I guess its a tradeoff between simplicity and ornate details.

The only way to squeeze more performance out of the boolean subtraction is to convert it to a more low level C++ routine, I may consider that.

I think I have the post algorithm mostly worked out now.  The PTP posts use boolean subtraction against the hand rail since we can't be certain of their contact angle or if they are square, round or some other non-standard geometry (custom components). 

The problem with boolean subtraction is that if you are a dealing with a lot of rail segments and posts it can slow things up a bit.  I may have to rethink this or have a way to disable the boolean subtraction for those who prefer performance over cosmetics.

After some more updating of the new railing tool code and some additional logic, here is an OTP rail with various fittings and various corner conditions:

I've never really advertised my extensions too much, most of my customers are word of mouth and since I am now fairly well known in the SketchUp community the need to advertise has never really been something I've worried about.

However, what many people don't know is that for students and educators I am practically giving away my extensions for free.  Couple that with either an educational license for SketchUp or SketchUp Make 2017 (free and can be used for non-commercial work) one can be modeling with all of the Medeek extensions and its not going to break the bank.  To that end I have put together this small Youtube Short (video), hopefully it is well received. 

Version 4.5.1 - 04.22.2026
- Enabled custom components as baluster shoes for vertical and OTP handrails.
- Added the following (L.J. Smith) baluster shoes into the baluster shoe component library: LI_ALFSH01, LI_ALR010, LI_ALRD201, LI_ALSQ301, LI_ALSQPL1, LI_PROCOL.





I took the time today to carefully model a few of these baluster shoes since they are fairly simple geometry and it is always fun to get my hands dirty with some actual modeling and take a small break from the code.

Well... I thought I was done with balusters and newel posts, but I'm not quite there yet.

The problem is that with metal or iron balusters they are often installed with a shoe as shown below:



My current algorithm installs balusters just like they are installed in real life:


First I trim the top of the original baluster component/group and then I have to trim them individually for each of their bottoms because the balusters may intersect the treads at different heights hence their heights/lengths will be different. 

Because of this a predefined shoe positioned at the base of the baluster component may work for one location (ie. no trimming required) but then it will be removed in subsequent baluster locations.

What this means in practice is that a shoe (if that option were enabled) needs to be a completely separate group/component just as it is in real life.  My algorithm needs to position it individually in the Z-dir just as I trim each baluster bottom individually.

Arguably, there is a lot going on with stairs, the guys that install these must be real craftsmen, I certainly take my hat off to them.

Version 4.5.0 - 04.20.2026
- Enabled custom components as posts for OTP handrails.
- Enabled "profile cutting" of posts for OTP handrails.
- Modified the bottom trimming algorithm for balusters to better accommodate complex baluster components.
- Added one additional ornamental iron baluster into the baluster component library.
- Added one OTP newel post into the newel post component library: LJ4270_43







I will readily admit configuring OTP handrails with their associated posts and fittings is a bit tricky, adjusting the various offsets takes a few iterations to really hone things in.