by Milad_Kambari·Modeling
Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.
Dovetail Key earns its place in the Superhive library by turning a drawn line or freehand curve into a working male-and-female lock-and-key joint, backed by a bmesh core built to hold up on dense sculpts and a solver you can match to your printer.
Dovetail Key is a Blender add-on aimed at 3D printing. Draw a line across a model and it splits into printable parts joined by a strong, self-locking dovetail key, in two clicks and with no manual booleans. Only the geometry under your stroke is cut, so the rest of the model stays untouched.
Version 2 adds Freehand Cut. Toggle it on and draw any curve across the model, and the cut follows your stroke exactly to give two pieces along a completely custom seam. This allows curved seams that hide along natural lines of the model and organic splits on characters and sculpts. Built on bmesh, it handles heavy, dense sculpts and stays solid even on million-polygon meshes.
The joint builds a male peg and female socket with print-ready clearance so the halves lock together without glue. You can auto-size the key to the cut cross-section or switch to Manual for scale, height and depth, tune clearance, taper, height and the solver (Fast, Manifold or Exact), and preview scale, height and orientation before committing. Undo Last Cut and Delete All Cuts keep the workflow non-destructive.
Dovetail Key is best for blender users preparing resin and FDM prints that are too big for the plate, including action figures, busts and statues split into clean parts, cosplay props and large costume pieces, and modular kit-bashing assemblies that need to come apart.
Dovetail Key is completely free to download and use.
Dovetail Key lists support for Blender 4.2 through 5.2, and it is marked as Blender Extension compatible. It installs as an add-on and is distributed under the GPL license. If you are running a version within that 4.2 to 5.2 range, it should work for you. For versions outside that window, or for the most current compatibility details, check the developer's page before installing, since supported versions can change over time as the add-on is updated.
Dovetail Key added Freehand Cut in Version 2. Alongside straight lines, you can toggle Freehand and draw any curve across the model, and the cut follows your stroke exactly. Your hand-drawn path becomes a smooth cutting blade that slices clean through to give two pieces along a completely custom seam. This lets you make curved seams that hide along natural lines of the model and organic splits on characters and sculpts, and it stays rock-solid even on million-polygon meshes.
Dovetail Key is built on bmesh to handle heavy, dense sculpts without crashing, which the developer contrasts with manual booleans that crash on dense models. The cut and the dovetail key are built instantly, with only the geometry under your stroke touched, so the rest of the mesh stays intact. It is described as staying rock-solid even on million-polygon meshes, which covers the high-poly figures, busts and statues it targets for 3D printing.
Dovetail Key gives adjustable control over the joint so you can match it to your printer and material. You can tune clearance, taper and height, and choose a solver from Fast, Manifold or Exact. The key can auto-size to the cut cross-section or switch to Manual for full control over scale, height and depth, and a live preview lets you check scale, height and orientation before committing. Flip auto-swaps the male and female sides so the fit lands where you want it.
Dovetail Key is listed as free in this catalog, though this is a listing status rather than a permanent guarantee. Licensing and any current pricing can change, so check the developer's page for the latest terms before you rely on it. The add-on is distributed under the GPL license and is marked as a Blender Extension. Documentation is available, and a demo video shows the tool in action.
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