Adding shapes can help facilitate the process of building templates, workflows, and procedure-driven diagrams. A variety of basic shapes are available that, when placed, offer additional functionality to assist in curating content.
Adding a Shape
To add a basic shape to a workspace:
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From the workspace toolbar, select
(Shapes). -
Choose a shape from the Basic shapes menu.
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Hover your cursor over the workspace area where you want the shape to appear, and a blue preview will appear.
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Click to place the shape, and the Shape toolbar appears.
The Shapes and Icons panel stays open in your workspace, even once a shape is placed. This enables you to seamlessly add multiple shapes without interrupting your workflow.
BluePro Tip: To quickly add or edit text on an individual shape, double-click or hit enter/return on your keyboard after selecting the shape to enable text editing. The text toolbar appears. Save time by selecting multiple shapes, then
(Edit text) to make bulk text changes. Read Adding Text to a Workspace to learn more.
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Select and drag the shape’s anchor points to resize or change the shape’s direction. Holding the Shift key while resizing locks the shape’s aspect ratio.
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You can also rotate the shape when selected by clicking on
(Rotate) and moving the object around.
Shape Toolbar (Left to Right):
Use the shape’s toolbar to customize the appearance of your shape, pin your shape, add a reaction or comment, and more.
Expand to learn more about all options in the Shape Toolbar.
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
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Change the shape of a placed object |
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Provides several colors to apply to the shape. You also can select a custom color. |
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Customize the border of your shape |
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Allows you to include text. You must select the shape to enter text (you may need to double-select twice depending on the current zoom (or scroll) level). Note that when you add text to one shape, the same formatting is applied to the next shape(s) you create. Formatting options for your text, including font type, alignment, size, style (such as bold and italics), and color, appear once you add text. You can also turn the Reduce to fit feature on or off. When on, it automatically reduces the text size to fit within the shape’s borders. When turned off, any long-form text alters the shape’s height. |
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Locks the shape to its current workspace location. |
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Gives you the option to add a reaction. For example, a thumbs up to the object. |
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Create or view comments associated with the shape. |
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Access additional shape options. |
Related Questions
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Can I quickly connect shapes or other objects using lines?
Yes, you can! Read more about Lines, Line Connectors and Modifying Line Routing. -
What other shapes are available to use?
You can discover more shapes and icons available to use. Check out Using the Shapes and Icon Library.
Ready to apply what you’ve learned? Go to Bluescape Home. 