Procedural shapes in Event Design App are simple geometry — Rectangle, Circle, Triangle and Text — that you draw straight onto the canvas with the Shapes tool, then size exactly in the properties panel (the settings panel on the right). Use them to block out a 10 × 6 ft platform, mark a dance-floor zone or add a floor label without searching the catalog.
Sometimes you don't need a realistic model — you need a 10 × 6 ft platform, a dance-floor zone, or a "WELCOME" label on the floor, now. The Shapes tool draws simple geometry straight onto the canvas, so a layout can say what it needs to without a hunt through the catalog.
📺 Add Procedural Shapes and Text — a rectangle, circle, triangle and text label, start to finish.
Each shape is drawn from a drag on the canvas.
Switch to top view (a clear plan keeps it easy to see).
In the bottom toolbar, open Shapes. You'll see Triangle, Rectangle, Circle and Text.
Pick one and drag across the canvas to draw its first footprint. For a circle, drag outward from the center.
The new shape is selected automatically and its settings open in the properties panel, titled for the shape, such as Rectangle Shape.
[SCREENSHOT 1 — Shapes menu open with the four options]
⚠ Shapes aren't available while wall editing is open. The Shapes button is disabled then. Close the Walls panel first.
Your drag is only a starting point. Type the real numbers (size, dimensions) in the panel:
Shape | Size fields |
|---|---|
Rectangle | Width, Depth |
Triangle | Width, Depth |
Circle | Radius, Sweep (degrees) |
Text | Text Content, Width, Depth |
Every shape also has Extrude Height, the height of the shape above the floor.
⚠ The footprint and the height use different units. Width, depth and radius use your plan's length unit (feet, in the lesson). Extrude Height is in inches. A "12" there is twelve inches, not twelve feet.
⚠ A circle takes a radius, not a diameter. For a six-foot dance floor, enter 3.
Extrude Height of 0 makes a flat shape, lying on the floor like paint. Raise it for a platform, riser or block.
Examples from the Academy lesson:
Object | Size | Extrude Height | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
Rectangle | 10 ft × 6 ft | 12 in | Indigo |
Circle | Radius 3 ft, sweep 360° | 24 in | Teal |
Triangle | 8 ft × 6 ft | 18 in | Amber |
Text "WELCOME" | 10 ft × 2.5 ft | 0 (flat) | White |
The Sweep field sets how much of the circle is drawn, from 1 to 360 degrees. Leave it at 360 for a full disc.
Open Shape color and pick a color. Distinct colors keep several shapes easy to tell apart and select, especially on the dark canvas. You can also choose a texture (Choose Texture), and Fill Opacity controls how solid the shape looks.
💡 For text, contrast beats style. White on the floor reads clearly. Keep the message short, and check the whole word, not just the first letters.
Use Move to position a shape, dragging an axis handle for a small, controlled adjustment. Use Rotate to turn it in the floor plane. The outline changes direction, but the width and depth in the panel stay as typed.
Rotate with a purpose. A full circle looks identical when turned, so don't bother. A text label does change, so after turning it, confirm the word still reads.
Then switch to perspective and orbit down enough to see the sides. In the lesson the rectangle is 12 in tall, the circle 24 in and the triangle 18 in, while the text stays flat. Top view can't show extrusion, so make this check before you call a layout finished.
[SCREENSHOT 2 — Perspective view of the four shapes showing different heights]
Select the text object (a floor label or sign) and change Text Content in the panel. The limit is 64 characters. Size it with Width and Depth. If the lettering is hard to read, check size, orientation, height and contrast, in that order.
Use shapes for placeholders, zones, platforms (stage, riser, dance floor), scenic panels and quick measurements. Use a catalog model when recognizable detail matters, like a real chair or a furnished table. See Search and place catalog models.
Shapes and text are scene objects, so they save with the plan. Save, wait for saving to finish, return to the project and reopen the plan. Click each shape to confirm its panel still shows the dimensions, height and color you set.
My shape is flat and I wanted a block. Extrude Height is 0. Enter a height in inches.
My shape is much taller than I expected. Extrude Height is in inches, while the footprint is in feet. Check the unit label.
My circle is twice the size I wanted. You entered the diameter. The field is Radius.
The Shapes button is disabled (greyed out). Wall editing is open. Close the Walls panel.
I can't click my text label. Thin or rotated lettering is easy to miss. Drag a Selection Box around the text, leaving the other shapes outside it. The panel should then confirm a single Text Shape.
I can't read my label. Check Width and Depth, then rotation, then Extrude Height, then color contrast.
My shape looks different after I rotate it. Rotation is in the floor plane. The panel dimensions don't change, only the orientation.
Open Shapes in the bottom toolbar, choose Rectangle, and drag across the canvas in top view. Then type Width and Depth in the properties panel and raise Extrude Height for thickness. A 10 × 6 ft platform 12 inches tall uses Width 10 ft, Depth 6 ft and Extrude Height 12.
A shape is flat when Extrude Height is 0, so it lies on the floor like paint. Enter a height to turn it into a platform, riser or block. Extrude Height is entered in inches, while Width, Depth and Radius use your plan's length unit, so a 12 means twelve inches, not twelve feet.
The Circle shape takes a Radius, not a diameter. If you enter the full diameter, the circle comes out twice as wide as intended. For a six-foot dance floor, enter 3. The Sweep field, from 1 to 360 degrees, sets how much of the circle is drawn; leave it at 360 for a full disc.
The Shapes button in the bottom toolbar is disabled while wall editing is open. Close the Walls panel and the button becomes available again, so you can pick Triangle, Rectangle, Circle or Text. Finish or close your wall edits before drawing shapes.
Open Shapes, choose Text and drag across the canvas in top view, then change Text Content in the properties panel. The limit is 64 characters. Set Width and Depth to size the lettering, keep Extrude Height at 0 for a flat label, and use white or another high-contrast color to stay readable.