Troubleshooting

This section covers common issues and their solutions when working with the Decal Spline Tool.

Decal Visibility Issues

Decals not visible

Problem: Decals are not showing up on the spline.

Cause: Camera distance, material issues, or parameter settings.

Solution:

• Move the camera closer - Many decals are only visible when very close to the spline
• If still not visible, try loading a different decal material
• Reset all parameters to their default positions
• Check that the decal material is properly loaded
• Verify that the decal spline is enabled and active

Spacing and Distribution Problems

Decals too close together or irregularly spaced

Problem: Decals are not evenly distributed along the spline.

Cause: Spacing settings incorrect or component ordering issues.

Solution:

• Adjust the spacing slider in the tool window
• Reorder components in the list if necessary
• Check that decal properties are set to reasonable values
• Reset spacing parameters to defaults and adjust gradually

Material and Template Issues

Decal materials not loading

Problem: Can’t select or apply decal materials.

Cause: Material file corruption or unsupported formats.

Solution:

• Check that the decal material file is not corrupted
• Verify the material is in a supported format
• If the user provided the decal, check it in the source software
• Try loading a different decal material to test
• Check console for material loading errors

Scale and Rotation Problems

Scale/rotation controls not responding

Problem: Variation controls for scale and rotation don’t work.

Cause: This may indicate a bug in the tool.

Solution:

• Check that the controls are properly enabled
• Verify that the decal template supports these variations
• If the problem persists, this may be a bug - report it
• Try resetting all parameters to defaults

Performance Issues

Tool becomes slow with many decals

Problem: Tool becomes unresponsive when working with complex decal patterns.

Cause: Too many decal instances or very long splines.

Solution:

• Reduce the number of decal instances along the spline
• Break long splines into shorter segments
• Simplify complex decal patterns
• Reduce the number of different decal types

Spline Visibility Issues

Decal spline disappears

Problem: Spline becomes invisible or can’t be found.

Cause: Spline may be off-screen, or have color/lighting conflicts.

Solution:

• Use the “Go To Spline” button to locate and focus on the spline
• Check if the spline is underground or positioned off-screen
• Adjust lighting or color settings if there are visibility conflicts

Session Management

Decal splines disappear between sessions

Problem: Work is lost when restarting the tool.

Cause: Splines are designed not to persist between sessions by default.

Solution:

• Decal splines do not have a recovery system
• Work must be recreated if lost between sessions
• Consider saving work frequently or documenting settings

Parameter Reset

Decal properties not working as expected

Problem: Decal behavior is unexpected or parameters seem wrong.

Cause: Parameters may be set to extreme values.

Solution:

• Reset all parameters to their default positions
• Adjust settings gradually from defaults
• Check that variation controls are within reasonable ranges
• Verify that the decal template supports the desired properties

When to Report Bugs

If you encounter any of these issues, they may indicate a bug:

• Scale/rotation controls not responding
• Material loading completely failing
• Tool window freezing without performance cause
• Undo/redo history not working properly
• File corruption or unreadable data

Recommendation: Reload the tool and try again. If the problem persists, check the console for error messages and report the issue with specific steps to reproduce.