How do Tilt and Fade work in the Create Shape tools in Aspire, and how do I use the anchor point controls?

Tilt and Fade are available on all five Create Shape tools (Flat, Round, Angled, Smooth and Custom). They let you add directionality and depth variation to a component without permanently altering its base profile, and they can be re-edited until the component is baked. Both are set in the 3D view.

Tilt

Tilt sets a direction and angle to tilt the shape up in Z, like lifting one edge of a flat table. It applies over the whole component.

How to set it:

1. Check the Tilt option in the Create Shape form
2. Click Set Anchor
3. Click two points in the 3D view:

• First click = the pivot point, which stays at zero (does not move)
• Second click = the direction of the component that will be tilted upward, the point that is raised

4. Set the angle by clicking the arrow next to the value and using the slider, or type a value and press the Space Bar to apply

Key rules:

• You can tilt toward any direction by choosing your two anchor points accordingly
• Tilt is useful for raising part of one component above another where they overlap, without raising the whole component

Angle examples (starting points to try): 5 degrees is a gentle lean, 15 degrees is a clearly visible tilt, and 30 degrees is a dramatic rise on one side.

Use cases:

• Make a plaque background appear to recede into the distance
• Create a wedge-shaped base component
• Give a raised letter panel a perspective lean for visual interest
• Simulate a sloped ground plane or hillside in a landscape relief
• Raise a curling leaf tip or other raised edge

Fade

Fade reduces the height of the component linearly from one point to another, "fading out" the component across a defined direction.

How to set it:

1. Check the Fade option
2. Click Set Anchor, then click two points in the 3D view:

• First click = the point that stays at the current height
• Second click = the point the component fades down toward

3. Set the fade percentage. It is the amount you want to reduce the depth by (click the arrow next to the value for a slider, or type a value)

Key rules:

• Fade is applied linearly between the two anchor points
• 100% fade means the component drops to zero height at the second anchor point; 50% tapers it from full height to half height; 25% is a subtle gradient that keeps 75% of the height at the far end
• Useful for creating depth overlap illusions: lower one component so it appears to go behind another
• Fade and Tilt can be combined on the same component

Fade vs Tilt at a Glance

When to use Fade:

• Making a component appear to recede into the background behind another component
• Creating a soft transition where a raised design tapers into the surface, or feathering the edge of a component so it blends into a background texture
• Overlapping components where you want one to appear to go behind the other without cutting it or using Subtract mode
• Feathers, leaves and petals that taper at their tips

When to use Tilt:

• Raising part of a component above an overlapping component without raising the whole thing (more targeted than Base Height)
• Creating the impression of a component emerging from or diving into a surface
• Adjusting depth relationships between overlapping elements

Common mistakes:

• Using Base Height to raise an overlapping component when Tilt would be more targeted. Base Height raises the entire component, Tilt raises only the needed edge
• Reading the Fade percentage backwards. It is the amount you reduce the depth by, so a low percentage barely changes the shape and 100% fades the component all the way to zero at the second anchor
• Forgetting to click Set Anchor and click the two points before expecting the fade or tilt to take effect

Tilt in the Form or in Component Properties

You can set Tilt (and Fade) in two places.

• In the Create Shape form: tick Tilt, click Set Anchor, click the pivot and the raised point in the 3D view, set the angle and click Apply. You can keep editing the shape with Apply until you close the form.
• In Component Properties, after creating the shape: create the component without tilt and close the form, select the component in the Component Tree, open Component Properties (double-click the component), tick Tilt and set the anchor points and angle.

Component Properties settings are dynamic: they do not make permanent changes, so you can change them at any time, combine them (for example Fade plus Tilt) and reset them. A common approach is to apply Tilt in Component Properties while you are still experimenting, because you can change it later without recreating the shape. If the tilt is part of a final, committed design, setting it in the Create Shape form is fine.

Editing Tilt and Fade Later

• Tilt and Fade set in the shape form stay dynamic. You can change or reset them in Component Properties at any time until the component is baked
• In the 3D view, select the component and use the Additional Settings icon below it to reach Combine mode, Fade, Tilt and Appearance. The direction is set by clicking in the 3D view
• To apply further tilt or fade on top of existing ones, click Bake in Component Properties to make the current values permanent, then apply new ones
• Tilt and Fade applied to one component do not change other components on the same level

Pro Tips

• Tilt + Fade together: Tilt gives angle, Fade gives depth taper, which is useful for creating a sense of perspective on flat panels
• For sign design with overlapping components, create the components flat, fade the background component in Component Properties so it "goes behind" the main relief, and only bake at the end of the project so everything stays adjustable