Assemble the Machine: Building with Merge Shapes in Storyline

This project was my response to an eLearning Weekly Challenge focused on using the new Merge Shapes feature in Articulate Storyline. What started as a quick creative experiment turned into a surprisingly satisfying puzzle-building experience!

 

 

 The Build: Creating the Machine

I began by designing the main machine using Storyline’s Merge Shapes functions, combining, subtracting, and intersecting shapes to form unique components. The process felt a bit like digital metalwork, piece by piece forming into something that actually looked mechanical!

Some shapes were built entirely with merge functions, while others were enhanced using Storyline icons to save time, a little creative shortcut that kept the project moving while maintaining consistency in style.

 From Design to Functionality

Once the main machine was built, I duplicated the slide to use as a reference layout. This duplicate became my “blueprint”, essential when I began disassembling the machine to turn it into an interactive drag-and-drop activity.

Each part was separated, turned into a draggable object, and then matched to its original position using drop states. Having that duplicate slide open side-by-side made it much easier to ensure perfect alignment and placement, and saved a lot of trial and error.

The Final Interaction

Learners are invited to assemble the machine by dragging each piece into its correct position. Once everything’s aligned, the machine powers up, a small visual and audio payoff for the effort!

You can check out the full example in the Storyline file I’ve uploaded with this article.

Lessons Learned

• Merge Shapes is an underrated powerhouse — perfect for creating custom illustrations directly inside Storyline.
• Always duplicate your “complete” layout before disassembling — it’s the best visual guide when rebuilding drag-and-drop interactions.
• Blending icons and shapes keeps things efficient without sacrificing creativity.

Shout-Outs

A big thanks to the Articulate Community — your shared examples and feedback are such an incredible source of learning and inspiration. And of course, gratitude to the eLearning Weekly Challenges team for sparking these creative build experiments in the first place!

Disclaimer:
The voiceover in the example was AI-generated, and I used ChatGPT for story brainstorming and script development support.

 

Blog Post: https://niamha.wordpress.com/2025/09/04/assemble-the-machine/

Check it out in Articulate Review here: https://360.articulate.com/review/content/8902c41c-3cc3-40cb-808f-2f572a34f0b0/review 

About Me: https://niamha.wordpress.com/about/