Troubleshooting Create Shape in Aspire: why won't Apply activate, and why does my shape look wrong?

Overview

Create Shape is one of the most-used 3D tools in Aspire and also one of the most common sources of beginner frustration. The Apply button staying gray, shapes disappearing and shapes coming out the wrong size all have specific, fixable causes. In 12.5 there are five separate tools (Flat, Round, Angled, Smooth and Custom), each with its own form. This entry covers the common failure modes. For how the tools work when nothing is going wrong, see the entry on how the Create Shape tool works.

Problem 1: Apply Button is Gray

The Create Shape tools build a component from one or more closed vectors. If the selection is not valid, Apply stays inactive.

Most common causes:

Open Vectors

If any vector in your selection is open (a gap or a break), it cannot be used as the shape outline.

Fix:

1. Select the vectors and use the Join Open Vectors tool (press J to open the Join Vectors form)
2. Look for tiny gaps you cannot see, or zero-length spans
3. Use the Vector Validator tool to find problems

Several Open Vectors Not Joined

Four arc segments that look like a closed shape are not closed until they are joined. Each arc is its own open vector.

Fix: select all the arcs and join them, then check the result is a single closed vector.

Vector on a Hidden or Locked Layer

A vector on a layer that is hidden or locked may not be selectable.

Fix: make all layers visible and unlocked, then select again.

Bitmap Selected Instead of a Vector

When a vector sits on top of an imported bitmap, a click can select the bitmap. A bitmap is not a valid Create Shape input.

Fix: drag a selection box around the vector instead of clicking, or select the vector from the layer it is on. (Dragging from left to right selects only objects fully inside the box.)

Grouped Vectors

Grouped vectors may not join correctly. Ungroup them first (press U), then join.

Problem 2: Shape Disappears When You Click a Different Vector

Cause: the current preview is replaced when you change the selection without saving it.

Fix: click Start New Component before selecting the next vector. It saves the state of the current component, deselects everything and starts again on a new component. The values in the form are kept.

Related buttons: Apply creates the shape from your settings and lets you keep editing it. Reset removes the current shape (and keeps your selection) so no component is created from it. Close returns you to the Modeling tab, and Ctrl+Z removes the shape you just created.

Problem 3: The Flat Tool Has No Shape Height Control

The Flat tool (Create Shape - Plane) makes a flat plane, so it has only Base Height (the height of the plane), plus Fade, Tilt and the combine options. It has no profile, Limit or Scale controls because there is no profile to scale. Hold Shift when you click the Flat icon to create a Zero Plane the size of the material instead of a plane from the selected vectors.

Problem 4: Shape is Much Shorter or Taller Than Expected

Cause 1: the Profile angle sets the angle of the edge, and a higher angle gives a steeper shape. For the same vector, the final height depends on that angle and on the size of the vector, so a wide vector gets taller than a narrow one at the same angle.

Cause 2: Base Height adds a flat base plane below the profile, so it adds to the total height.

Fix: use Limit to cap the height, or Scale to scale the shape to the height you enter (the Height box appears once Scale is selected). Total Height shows the result and updates the Scale and Base Height values if you edit it.

Problem 5: Custom Profile Shape Looks Wrong

See the entry on the Custom Profile option for full troubleshooting. Quick checks:

• The profile vector must be open (not closed)
• Select the closed vector(s) and the open profile together
• The profile should usually have a leg
• If the shape faces the wrong way, try mirroring the profile

Problem 6: Component Appears Then Vanishes from the 3D View

Possible cause: the component's combine mode is Subtract (or another mode that removes height), so it removes itself from the composite.

Fix: check the component's combine mode in the Component Tree and try Add or Merge.

Problem 7: Applying Typed Values

The documentation for the Tilt angle says to type the value and press the Space Bar to apply it. If a typed value in a form field does not update the preview when you press Enter, try the Space Bar.

Problem 8: Multiple Vectors Selected, Wrong Shape

Create Shape can use several closed vectors at once (for example outer plus inner for a ring). If extra vectors are selected by accident, the shape can come out unexpected.

Fix: press Esc to deselect all, then select only the vectors you want.