by Haoyan Shi·Modeling
Images © Haoyan Shi. Used for product review; image policy.
Earns its place for turning curve vertex selections into swept and profile surfaces without leaving edit mode, with parameter controls for sweep mode, twist and thickness. Compatible across a wide span of Blender versions from 2.83 to 4.0.
Quick Rail Sweep & Profile Extrude adds curve-based surface generation to Blender's edit mode. You select the vertices of the rail curves and the generation curves, and if the rail and generation curves are connected, you activate the connection vertex. A right-click and the rail sweep option build the surface, and a panel in the bottom-left corner exposes the parameters.
The add-on handles three curve configurations. One generation curve with one rail curve sweeps the generation curve along the rail to form a surface. One generation curve with two rail curves guides the generation curve by both rails at the same time. Two generation curves with one rail curve produce a transition surface between the two generation curves, guided by the rail.
Parameters cover the sweeping Mode, a Parallel factor that controls whether the sweep stays parallel or follows the rail curve's tangent, Swap to exchange the generation and rail curves, Twist for additional rotations while sweeping, Shape evenly for uniform thickness on profile surfaces, and Flip Normals to reverse the generated surface's normal. It runs across Blender 2.83 through 4.0 under a GPL license.
Quick Rail Sweep & Profile Extrude is best for blender users generating rail sweep and profile surfaces from curve selections inside edit mode.
Quick Rail Sweep & Profile Extrude is completely free to download and use.
Quick Rail Sweep & Profile Extrude is listed for a broad range of Blender releases: 2.83, 2.9, 2.91, 2.92, 2.93, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6 and 4.0. That range spans the 2.x series through the 3.x releases up to 4.0, so it fits into many existing Blender setups. Check the developer's page for the most current version details before installing.
Quick Rail Sweep & Profile Extrude works in edit mode. You select the vertices of the rail curves and the generation curves, and if the rail and generation curves are connected, you activate the connection vertex. Then you right-click and choose rail sweep to generate the surface. After it's created, you can adjust the result using the parameter panel in the bottom-left corner, which exposes settings such as Mode, Twist and Flip Normals.
Quick Rail Sweep & Profile Extrude offers three curve configurations. With one generation curve and one rail curve, the generation curve sweeps along the rail to form a surface. With one generation curve and two rail curves, the generation curve is guided by both rails at the same time. With two generation curves and one rail curve, it builds a transition surface between the two generation curves, guided by the rail curve.
Quick Rail Sweep & Profile Extrude is listed as free in this catalog and is distributed under the GPL license. Pricing and licensing terms can change over time, so for the current details or to support the developer directly, it's best to check Haoyan Shi's page. The add-on has been published for over two years and works across Blender versions from 2.83 to 4.0.
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