Why is my Extrude and Weave result wrong in Aspire: troubleshooting direction, vector type, weave, and component extrusion problems?

Overview

Extrude and Weave is a powerful modeling tool and a common source of frustration when results come out wrong. It uses one or more vector drive rails to define the path, and extrudes either vector cross-sections or a 3D component along them. Most failures fall into a few groups: the wrong vector type for the cross-section, rail direction problems, the weave not showing, and component setup errors. This guide covers the common ones. For how the tool works when nothing is going wrong, see the entry on how Extrude and Weave works.

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Problem 1: The Cross-Section Must Be an OPEN Vector

The most common mistake. To be used as a cross-section, a vector must be open. If it is a closed loop the tool will not accept it.

How to check: press N to enter Node Editing on the cross-section. A closed vector is a continuous loop with no end points. An open vector has end points, and its start node is shown as a green square.

Fix: in Node Editing mode, right-click a node and choose the option to cut the vector, which opens the vector at that point.

Typical open cross-sections: a half-circle (not a full circle), a D-shaped rope profile, a simple arch, a molding profile drawn as an open path.

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Problem 2: Rail Direction is Wrong

The shape extrudes backward, starts at the wrong end or looks reversed.

Cause: the drive rail's direction arrows point the wrong way. The extrusion starts at the green start node square and follows the arrows.

Fix:

1. With the tool open and the rail selected (shown orange), right-click directly on the rail vector line
2. Choose Reverse Rail
3. The arrows reverse. Click Apply to preview the result.

For closed vectors you can also change where the extrusion starts:

• Right-click an existing node on the rail and choose Make Start Point
• Or right-click anywhere on the rail and choose Insert Start Point, which creates a new node that becomes the start point

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Problem 3: Weave Has No Effect, or Looks Wrong

The Weave checkbox is ticked but the result looks like a plain extrusion.

Cause 1: the rails do not cross. The Weave option raises and lowers the shape only where drive rail vectors cross over. If your rails do not cross, there is nothing to weave.

Fix: make sure the drive rails cross each other (a figure 8, a crossing grid or interleaved loops).

Cause 2: Z Under and Z Over are both 100%. With equal values there is no visible difference between over and under.

Fix: set Z Over above 100% and Z Under below 100%. The official example uses 70% Z Under and 130% Z Over.

Cause 3: the over/under order is backward. The order of the weave is set by the direction of the first vector you picked as a drive rail.

Fix: right-click the first drive rail you selected and choose Reverse Rail to swap which crossings are raised and lowered.

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Problem 4: Cross-Section Will Not Attach to the Rail

Possible causes:

• The cross-section is closed (see Problem 1)
• You have not clicked Use Selection after selecting the rails
• The cross-section is on a locked or hidden layer

How attaching works: select the open cross-section vector in the 2D view, then click on the drive rail. A check mark shows a valid place to attach. Two cross-sections are always created when you attach the first one, one at the start and one at the end. A colored node at one end of each cross-section also shows which direction the cross-section is "hung" across the curve.

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Problem 5: Shape Twists or Looks Sideways

Cause: the cross-section is oriented the wrong way relative to the rail.

Things to try:

1. Check the colored node on each cross-section preview, which shows the direction it is hung across the curve
2. Flip the cross-section vector (for example mirror it) and apply again
3. Add more nodes to a tightly curved rail, or split a very complex rail into shorter pieces and extrude them separately (test suggestions)
4. Try the Sweep between spans option, which makes the shape flow from a particular span or node in one cross-section to the same one in the next

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Problem 6: Smooth Option, Blocky vs. Flowing

By default the shape flows smoothly through each cross-section. Right-click a cross-section and untick Smooth to make the shape go straight from cross-section to cross-section. The middle node of the cross-section preview in the 2D view is blue when smooth and white when not.

Too boxy? tick Smooth. Too organic for architectural work? untick it.

Also check Create sharp corners. When ticked, the tool makes a sharp corner where the drive rail has discontinuities (such as the corners of a rectangle). When unticked, the shape rounds around them.

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Problem 7: Weave Percentages Cause Ugly Distortion

Cause: the Scale Shape option stretches or squashes the cross-section at the crossings, which can exaggerate or reduce detail.

Fix: switch to Add Base. It keeps the height of the original cross-section or component and raises it by adding material underneath, so the strands keep a consistent shape. It usually gives a taller final component than Scale Shape.

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Problem 8: Component Extrusion, Cannot Select the Component

When Use a Component is selected, the component can only be chosen from the drop-down list inside the form. You cannot click it in the views or the Component Tree. By default the list shows the first component in the tree, or the selected component if the form was opened with a single component selected. The component's X direction controls how it flows along the drive curve.

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Problem 9: Cannot Edit Vectors While the Form is Open

Fix:

1. Click in the white space of the 2D view to focus it
2. Press N (Node Editing) or T (Transform mode). The rails deselect and the button changes to Reselect Rails.
3. Make your edits
4. Click Reselect Rails, which selects the vectors in the same order as before, then click Apply

If you click a different vector without Reselect Rails, the tool loses its selection.

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Problem 10: Weave Inside a Bounded Area (Oval, Sign Shape)

The weave component extends across the whole design.

Fix:

1. Draw the oval or boundary vector
2. Select the weave component, then the boundary vector last
3. Use Clear Component Outside Selected Vectors in the Modeling tab
4. The weave is trimmed to the boundary

For the toolpath, a 3D finishing toolpath with the boundary vector is a reasonable start, and a shallow weave may not need a roughing pass (test on scrap).

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Celtic Weave Gadget Vectors

If you made the vectors with the Celtic Weave gadget, select the weave pattern vectors as the drive rails (not the cross-section), then select the cross-section separately and attach it. The cross-section must be open.

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Quick Checklist Before Applying

• Cross-section is an OPEN vector
• Rail direction arrows point the right way
• For weave: the rails cross each other, and Z Over differs from Z Under
• Smooth and Create sharp corners are set for the look you want
• If using a component: selected from the drop-down inside the form