Troubleshooting

Solutions to common issues, grouped by symptom.

Selecting and editing

Can't select an area

1. Wrong tool -- selection needs the Select tool (W). The Select Rack tool (E) selects rack bays, not areas.
2. Area is locked -- a locked area can't be moved or reshaped. Select it and use Unlock in the area menu's Actions row (left side of the canvas).
3. Another area is on top -- overlapping areas can block clicks. Use the Layers controls (Bring Forward / Send Backward) on the one in front.
4. Auto-generated zones -- a dock's staging area and an egress clearance zone have managed shapes; their geometry follows their door.

Everything is read-only

If someone else has the drawing open, you get read-only mode: a banner appears and only Pan and Orbit work until the lock clears. If your own session loses the lock while you have unsaved changes, the app forks your work into a separate autosave drawing rather than discarding it -- look for it in your drawings list.

Selection keeps disappearing

Clicking empty canvas deselects, Escape deselects and returns to the Select tool, and switching views drops the selection.

Display

Rack isn't showing in an area

1. No storage type set -- select the area and click the rack button under Storage Options in the area menu.
2. "invalid elevation configuration" in the label -- the elevation doesn't fit, usually storage taller than the top-of-storage height (clear height minus min clearance). Reduce levels or heights, or fix the building inputs.
3. Area too small -- a sliver of floor may not fit a single bay plus its aisle. Try moving it or making it larger
4. "Elevation exceeds building clear height" banner -- click Go to elevation and bring the elevation back under the cap.

Dimensions aren't showing

1. The area's Show Dimensions toggle (Display Options row in the area menu) controls its edge dimensions.
2. Custom dimension lines come from the Measure tool (Q) and live on the plan view.
3. Aisle and door dimensions are drawn automatically and regenerate when the layout re-solves -- they can't be turned on per line.

Colors look wrong

Border and background swatches live in the area menu on the left. Elevation frame and beam colors are set in the elevation menu and carry to the plan and exports.

Canvas is blank

Check the view dock at the bottom of the canvas -- you may be on an empty elevation view. Zoom to Fit (toolbar) reframes whatever the view contains.

Rack layout

Symptom	Likely cause	Where to fix
Too few bays	Area too small / aisle width	Resize the area; aisle width in the storage flyout
Rows the wrong way	Orientation	Storage options flyout -- orientation
Gaps at columns	Column clearance	Frame/Beam Buffer on the building; "Ignore building
		cols" checkbox in the flyout ignores columns entirely
Wrong vertical fit	Elevation	The area's assigned elevation (levels, heights)

A few bays need a different elevation

Use the Select Rack tool (E): select the bays, right-click, and assign the override from the context menu. The same menu clears overrides. Structural changes to an elevation that's overridden this way warn you first.

Saving and loading

Changes aren't saving

1. Ctrl+S saves to the cloud; watch for an error toast.
2. Check your connection -- cloud save needs it. The local copy still holds your work until you navigate away from the page or refresh.
3. If the drawing is locked by someone else, you're in read-only mode (see above).

A drawing won't load

Refresh the page and confirm you're signed in. If a specific drawing fails while others open fine, contact support (below) rather than repeatedly retrying.

Exporting

The PDF doesn't contain what I expected

PDF export always goes through the Export Options dialog -- pick the sheets and options there; nothing exports if the dialog is dismissed, and the Export button tells you if no sheets are selected. Labels, dimensions, and colors export as they're shown per view.

The DXF opens oddly in CAD

The DXF is real-world scale in INCHES, organized into layers (building, columns, grid, storage, doors, elevations). If geometry looks tiny or huge, check your CAD import units; free viewers like LibreCAD open it fine.

Performance

Very large or intricate drawings can get heavy. Save first, close other tabs, and keep your browser current. If a specific action is reliably slow, file it with Found a bug? (see Getting help) -- the report carries the drawing with it, which is exactly what diagnosing a slowdown needs.

Getting help

• F1 shows the keyboard shortcuts.
• Ask Clark -- "how do I..." questions get answers grounded in the documentation, and he can highlight visible controls on screen.
• Found a bug? in the Help modal (F1) files a report from inside the app: it notifies support and includes a copy of the open drawing, so the problem can be diagnosed in the exact drawing where it happened. Use it for anything drawing-specific -- no attachments or reproduction steps needed. (It needs a drawing open to file against.)
• For everything else, email support@bluevellum.com with: what you were doing, what happened instead, your browser and OS, and a screenshot if it helps.