---
title: Add Menu
order: 5
---

`Shift + A` adds Chisel shapes. With the Chisel tool active it opens Chisel's own **Add Chisel Primitive** menu; with any other tool, Blender's Add menu carries the same shapes under **Chisel**, and two more actions under **Chisel Actions**.

A new shape appears at the 3D cursor, selected and active. Its size and turn can be changed right after, in the [redo panel](#the-redo-panel).

## Add Chisel Primitive (Chisel tool)

![the Add Chisel Primitive menu, a Blender curve selected: From Curve is available](../assets/shifta-menu.webp)

| Entry | Makes |
|---|---|
| **Cube** | A [Box](../primitives/shapes/box.md) |
| **Oblong** | An [Oblong](../primitives/shapes/oblong.md) |
| **Ngon** | An [Ngon](../primitives/shapes/ngon.md), a square of four points to start |
| **Trapezoid** | A [Trapezoid](../primitives/shapes/trapezoid.md) |
| **Prism** | A [Prism](../primitives/shapes/prism.md) |
| **Sphere** | A [Sphere](../primitives/shapes/sphere.md) |
| **Cylinder** | A [Cylinder](../primitives/shapes/cylinder.md) |
| **Cone** | A [Cone](../primitives/shapes/cone.md) |
| **Capsule** | A [Capsule](../primitives/shapes/capsule.md) |
| **Torus** | A [Torus](../primitives/shapes/torus.md) |
| **Outline** | An [Outline](../primitives/paths/outline.md): a closed outline of points, extruded |
| **Tube** | A [Tube](../primitives/paths/tube.md) through points |
| **Rail** | A [Rail](../primitives/paths/rail.md): a section swept along points |
| **Lathe** | A [Lathe](../primitives/paths/lathe.md): a profile of points turned round an axis |
| **From Curve** | A Tube, an Outline or a Lathe from each selected Blender curve, point for point. Greyed out until a plain Blender curve is selected. See [From Curve](../primitives/paths/from-curve.md) |
| **Text** | A [Text](../primitives/text.md) shape. With a plain Blender text object selected, it turns that object into a Chisel Text instead of making a new one |

## Blender's Add menu ▸ Chisel

![Blender's Add menu with the Chisel submenu open](../assets/add-menu-chisel.webp)

With any other tool active, `Shift + A` opens Blender's Add menu. Its **Chisel** submenu holds the same entries as Add Chisel Primitive.

## Blender's Add menu ▸ Chisel Actions

![Blender's Add menu with the Chisel Actions submenu open](../assets/add-menu-actions.webp)

| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Convert to Mesh** | Turns the selected Chisel shapes into a polygon mesh, see [Convert to Mesh](../operations.md#convert-to-mesh) |
| **Bake Maps** | Bakes texture maps of the active shape, see [Baking](../render-engine/baking.md) |

## The redo panel

Right after an add, the redo panel (bottom left of the 3D View, or `F9`) holds the new shape's starting size and its turn. Changing a value rebuilds the shape in place.

![the redo panel of a Cylinder](../assets/add-redo-cylinder.webp)

| Entry | Settings (default) |
|---|---|
| **Cube** | **Size** (`2 m`) |
| **Oblong** | **Size** (`2 m`) |
| **Ngon** | **Size** (`2 m`): the side of the starting square |
| **Trapezoid** | **Size** (`2 m`), **Cap** (`0.5`, 0 – 1): the top's size against the base |
| **Prism** | **Size** (`2 m`), **Sides** (`3`, 3 – 8), **Angle** (`60°`, 5° – 175°, three sides only): the apex angle |
| **Sphere** | **Radius** (`1 m`) |
| **Cylinder** | **Radius** (`1 m`), **Depth** (`2 m`) |
| **Cone** | **Radius 1** (`1 m`, the base), **Radius 2** (`0 m`, the top), **Depth** (`2 m`) |
| **Capsule** | **Radius** (`1 m`), **Depth** (`2 m`, the straight part) |
| **Torus** | **Major Radius** (`0.7 m`), **Minor Radius** (`0.3 m`) |
| **Outline** | **Depth** (`1 m`) |
| **Tube** | **Tube Radius** (`0.2 m`) |
| **Rail** | **Radius** (`0.2 m`) |
| **Lathe** | **Angle** (`360°`, 0° – 360°): how far the profile turns |
| **Text** | **Text** (`Text`): the words, **Depth** (`0.2 m`) |

Every entry also has **Align**, the new shape's turn:

| Align | The new shape lines up with |
|---|---|
| **World** *(default)* | The world axes |
| **View** | The 3D View, facing you |
| **3D Cursor** | The 3D cursor's rotation |

Sizes have no upper limit; the minimum is `0.001 m` (Radius 2 and a Capsule's Depth can be `0`).