How do I use the Create Shape Custom Profile option in Aspire: deep dive workflow, the leg rule, and troubleshooting?

Overview

The Create Shape - Custom tool is the most flexible of the five Create Shape tools. Instead of a built-in dome, angle or flat profile, you draw the exact cross-section you want as an open vector. The software applies that profile to your closed boundary vector(s) to create the 3D component. This is how you make accurate molding profiles, bowl interiors with a specific curve, furniture profiles and any shape with an exact side-view requirement. For the other four Create Shape tools, see the entry on how the Create Shape tool works. For combining a custom profile with nested vectors to make frames, see the entry on using Create Shape with multiple nested vectors.

The Vectors You Need

Custom Profile needs a selection of:

1. One or more closed vectors: the outline(s) of the shape in plan view
2. One additional open vector: the profile, drawn as the cross-section

Select all of them before clicking Apply.

How the Profile Vector Works: the "Above the Line" Rule

The software builds the shape from the part of the profile vector that is above the straight line joining its two end points. This is why the profile should usually have a leg.

Example: if you draw an S-curve profile whose end points are at the same height, the line joining them is horizontal, and everything above it defines the shape. A profile with a leg gives a predictable result that matches your drawing. A profile without a leg is interpreted differently from how you drew it (the official documentation shows both and the different results).

Drawing a profile with a leg:

1. Draw the molding or bowl cross-section
2. Add a short line at the base of the profile so the end points sit where you expect the base of the shape to be
3. Keep the vector open

Profile Placement: Which Side?

A forum report (from an experienced user of the software maker's forum) says the profile always runs on the interior of the closed boundary vector, with the left point of the profile vector placed on the perimeter. That is a working hypothesis rather than documented behavior, so test it:

1. Draw a simple test profile and apply it
2. If the profile faces the wrong way (outside instead of inside), mirror the profile vector horizontally and apply again
3. The start point of the vector is reported not to decide which end goes on the perimeter

Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Draw the closed boundary vector(s) in the 2D view (the plan-view outline of the shape)
2. Draw the custom profile as an open vector:

• Left end at the perimeter reference, right end toward the center
• Add a leg at the base
• The height of the profile controls how tall the component is, and you can also set the final height with the Scale option in the form

3. Select all the vectors: the closed vector(s) and the open profile
4. Open Create Shape - Custom
5. Click Apply and check the preview in the 3D view
6. If needed, edit the profile with Node Editing, then reselect the vectors and click Apply again
7. Adjust Limit, Scale, Base Height, Fade or Tilt as needed. Blend To Inner Vectors is available on this form when you use nested vectors.
8. Click Start New Component or Close

Common Applications

Architectural Molding Profiles

Draw the room or panel outline as the boundary and the molding cross-section (ogee, cove, bead, ovolo) as the profile. You get a consistent molding around the perimeter.

Bowl Interior

Draw the bowl opening circle as the boundary and the interior curve (rim to base) as the profile. For a two-sided job, repeat on the other side with careful registration so the top and bottom match.

Raised Letter with a Specific Edge Profile

Use a letter outline as the boundary and a short angled or beveled profile as the cross-section.

Decorative Frame Members

Use a rectangular frame outline as the boundary and a decorative molding profile as the cross-section.

Replicating a Physical Molding

Photograph or scan a cross-section of the molding, import the image, trace the silhouette as an open vector, add a leg, and use it as the profile with your own border vectors.

Troubleshooting Common Failures