by Bolt Factory·Modeling
Images © Bolt Factory. Used for product review; image policy.
BoltFactory ranks among the more popular add-ons in the blender_extensions library. It earns its place by turning bolt and nut creation into a menu-driven task, with the added ability to revisit and change the parameters after an object has been created.
BoltFactory adds bolts and nuts to Blender scenes, exposing options for the thread, bit type and head design. A limited selection of metric presets is included, and their correctness — for example the thread pitch — should be verified before use in a production environment. The GUI panel provides a dropdown for choosing between nut and bolt, alongside numerical inputs for the various dimensions.
Objects are added from Add -> Mesh -> Bolt and appear in the Scene Collection. An existing object can be adjusted later through the context menu's 'Change Bolt' option, which reloads the original creation parameters; any manual mesh edits are removed because the object is freshly generated. From version 0.5.0 (2024), bolts are generated at real-world dimensions regardless of a project's Unit Scale setting, so the default M3 bolt is 8 mm rather than 8 metres.
BoltFactory was part of Blender 4.1's bundled add-ons and now lives on the Extensions platform from Blender 4.2 onward. It is maintained by the community with no support expected, and its source code is hosted on projects.blender.org.
BoltFactory is best for blender modellers who need to add bolts and nuts with adjustable thread, bit type and head parameters.
BoltFactory is completely free to download and use.
BoltFactory is compatible with Blender 4.2 LTS and newer, where it is hosted on the Extensions platform. It was previously part of Blender 4.1's bundled add-ons within the Add Mesh category, and older versions remain available on the extensions platform if an earlier build is needed. Take care when updating nut or bolt objects created in older files, since the mesh generation code may have changed between versions of the add-on.
BoltFactory adds a bolt from the Add -> Mesh -> Bolt menu, placing a new 'Bolt' item in the Scene Collection. Bolts are very small — the default is only 8 mm tall — so make sure large objects are not obstructing the world origin or 3D cursor, otherwise the new object may sit hidden behind them. Zooming in, or using Numpad . to centre on the object, helps you locate it.
BoltFactory lets you adjust an existing object through the context menu's 'Change Bolt' option, a feature introduced in 2019. Selecting it reloads the original creation parameters so the dimensions can be modified. Be aware that any manual edits made to the mesh are removed, because the object is freshly generated from those parameters. This is worth noting when working with bolts saved in older files built with a different version of the add-on.
BoltFactory is listed as free here and released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. The extension requires no special permissions in Blender. It is maintained by the community, with no support expected, and its source code is hosted on projects.blender.org for anyone who wants to review changes, test builds or contribute. For current licensing details, check the developer's page.
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