# AutoCAD exercise: stairs in plan > Draw a straight flight of stairs in plan in AutoCAD: ten treads from one line and a rectangular array, the arrow going up and dimensions. Free, step by step. Draw a straight flight of stairs in plan, in centimetres: 280 long and 100 wide, ten treads of 28, and the arrow that shows the way up. The drawing's dimension scale is set for a plan in centimetres, so its dimensions read at this size. One tread's edge is drawn; a rectangular array places the others. - **Exercise:** Beginner · Architecture · 2D - **Commands:** [`RECTANG`](https://mellowcad.com/docs/commands/rectang.md), [`LINE`](https://mellowcad.com/docs/commands/line.md), [`ARRAYRECT`](https://mellowcad.com/docs/commands/arrayrect.md), [`PLINE`](https://mellowcad.com/docs/commands/pline.md), [`DIMLINEAR`](https://mellowcad.com/docs/commands/dimlinear.md) - **In the editor:** [Open it with its drawing](/draw?drawing=stairs), dimensioned beside where you draw yours ## The drawing A straight flight of stairs in plan, 280 by 100 centimetres, its arrow pointing up the flight. ## Step by step The engine draws each step and writes its history as you would type it: the prompts in AutoCAD 2027's order, with the same option letters. After a command's first point, a typed point is measured from the last one, as dynamic input measures it, and the history writes it with @; \# measures from the origin. ### 1. Draw the outline On the Outline layer, [`RECTANG`](https://mellowcad.com/docs/commands/rectang.md) from `0,0` to `280,100`: the flight's outline. 1. Draw the outline ```text Command: RECTANG Specify first corner point or [Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]: 0,0 Specify other corner point or [Area/Dimensions/Rotation]: @280,100 ``` ### 2. Draw the first tread The first tread's edge, a [`LINE`](https://mellowcad.com/docs/commands/line.md) from `28,0`, `0,100` up, and Enter. 2. Draw the first tread ```text Command: LINE Specify first point: 28,0 Specify next point or [Undo]: @0,100 Specify next point or [Undo]: ``` ### 3. Array the treads [`ARRAYRECT`](https://mellowcad.com/docs/commands/arrayrect.md) copies it along the flight: pick the line and press Enter, then choose `COUnt`, `9` columns and `1` row, and `Spacing`, `28` between the columns and `1` between the rows, which does nothing with a single row. `eXit` keeps it as an associative array, which its grips edit later. 3. Array the treads ```text Command: ARRAYRECT Select objects: 1 found Select objects: Type = Rectangular Associative = Yes Select grip to edit array or [ASsociative/COUnt/Spacing/COLumns/Rows/Levels/eXit]: COU Enter the number of columns <4>: 9 Enter the number of rows <3>: 1 Select grip to edit array or [ASsociative/COUnt/Spacing/COLumns/Rows/Levels/eXit]: S Specify the distance between columns or [Unit cell] <1>: 28 Specify the distance between rows <150>: 1 Select grip to edit array or [ASsociative/COUnt/Spacing/COLumns/Rows/Levels/eXit]: X ``` ### 4. Draw the arrow [`PLINE`](https://mellowcad.com/docs/commands/pline.md) from `14,50`, along the flight to `226,0` further on; then `Width`, `10` at the start and `0` at the end, and a last segment of `24,0`: the arrowhead. Enter ends it. 4. Draw the arrow ```text Command: PLINE Specify start point: 14,50 Current line-width is 0.00 Specify next point or [Arc/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]: @226,0 Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]: W Specify starting width <0.00>: 10 Specify ending width <10.00>: 0 Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]: @24,0 Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]: ``` ### 5. Dimension it On Dimensions, [`DIMLINEAR`](https://mellowcad.com/docs/commands/dimlinear.md) three times: the length below, the width on the right and one tread, 28, above. 5. Dimension it ```text Command: DIMLINEAR Specify first extension line origin or : 280,0 Specify second extension line origin: @0,100 Non-associative dimension created. Specify dimension line location or [Text/Angle/Horizontal/Vertical/Rotated]: Dimension text = 100 Command: DIMLINEAR Specify first extension line origin or