by CodyWinch·Modeling
Images © CodyWinch. Used for product review; image policy.
Lineworks earns its place in the superhive library for adding rigged, surface-following lines to characters and pairing them with a rig that controls their look. Its design around a linked asset pipeline, including support for linked collections, fits Blender character workflows that rely on linked assets.
Lineworks adds rigged line strips and grease pencil lines to characters in Blender. The lines follow the surface of the character based on where they are placed, and each set comes with a rig that gives control over the look of the lines.
The add-on works only with mesh objects, so curves, NURBS and metaballs will not work. Linked mesh objects and linked collections containing mesh objects do work, and Lineworks is built with a linked asset pipeline in mind, letting you add rigged lines even to a linked collection. Lines cannot follow parts of a mesh generated by modifiers, so a mirror modifier must be applied first, though subsurf and multires modifiers cause no issues.
Once lines are created you cannot delete the model's geometry without breaking the rig, but you can move existing geometry and add new geometry safely. Destructive modifiers such as Build, Decimate and Remesh cause issues. Lineworks is supported on Blender 2.80 and above, and a mask modifier bug was fixed in Blender 2.82 and later. A demo video is available.
Lineworks is best for blender character artists who want to add rigged, stylized line strips and grease pencil lines that follow a mesh character's surface.
Lineworks is completely free to download and use.
Lineworks is supported on Blender 2.80 and above and will not be brought to 2.79. The listed Blender version range runs from 2.8 through 5.1. A bug that could cause the mask modifier to prevent Lineworks from functioning properly was fixed in Blender 2.82 and later; on earlier versions you would need to create a dummy object solely for the lines or remove the mask modifier. Check the developer's page for current version details before installing.
Lineworks cannot add lines that follow parts of a mesh generated by modifiers, so a character with a mirror modifier needs that modifier applied before you can get lines on the other half. Subsurf and multires modifiers cause no issues. Destructive modifiers such as Build, Decimate and Remesh will also cause problems with Lineworks. If you plan to use it, applying or avoiding these modifiers on the areas you want lined is the safer route.
Lineworks lines can only be used with mesh objects, so curves, NURBS, metaballs and similar object types will not work. Linked mesh objects and linked collections containing mesh objects do work, and Lineworks is built with a linked asset pipeline in mind, so you can add rigged lines even to a linked collection. If your character is made of non-mesh geometry, you would need to convert it to a mesh before applying Lineworks to it.
Lineworks builds a rig tied to your character's geometry, so you cannot delete any of the model's geometry after the lines are created without breaking that rig. You can, however, move the existing geometry around and add new geometry safely. Keeping the original geometry intact while adjusting or extending it is the way to avoid problems once Lineworks has been set up on your character in Blender.
Lineworks is listed as free here. For current licensing details, including the GPL license it ships under, check the developer's page. Pricing and license terms can change over time, so the developer's page is the most reliable place to confirm what applies before you download it. Lineworks works as an add-on for Blender 2.80 and above, with a listed version range up to 5.1.
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