Stair Conventions

[Aval Penworth]

Yeah, the smaller and/or darker stairs are the lower steps. All full bright (not included in Ravs sample) stairs means 'up from this level.'

[ravells]

Yeah, the smaller and/or darker stairs are the lower steps. All full bright (not included in Ravs sample) stairs means 'up from this level.'

But then if they were up from this level, wouldn't the base of the stairs be shadowed?

[Aval Penworth]

Yea

But then if they were up from this level, wouldn't the base of the stairs be shadowed?

Well you might thinks so, but when you see stairs just depicted as full bars with no shading, it means up. I remember having the discussion with my father (an architect) 20 years ago. Thats just how it is for that particular convention. Diminishing stairs are down. Full stairs are up. (but there is no shading or tapering for up, just for down) The thinking is that if we are looking at this level then the symbols are relative to this level. If stairs taper or are shaded for both up and down then it is more confusing.

If you are using the shading method it tells you that one end is lower that the other, but it is not immediately apparent whether it leads up or down from where you are. If you rotate the stairs 180 in your samples they would mean the opposite. So that means that if you enter the stairs from the north instead of the south the symbols are misrepresentative.

Does that make sense?