by hodgson3d·Modeling
Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.
Earns its place for automating a fiddly task, recovering curves from tube geometry, that becomes impractical by hand across hundreds of tubes. The cyclic-geo limitation is worth knowing up front, but the edge-ring workaround keeps it usable.
Tube2Curve addresses a common cleanup task in Blender: turning tube or pipe geometry back into curves. With a single click, it converts all selected tubes into a curve, or edge, running down the centre of each one. The tool handles open tubes as well as Ngon and triangle capped tubes, and works across cylindrical geometry generally. It can even convert a tree mesh into curves.
Alongside the main converter, the addon includes a bonus tool that separates curves by loose parts, a function not available in vanilla Blender. Both tools sit under 3dView > Object > TubeTools as of v1.2, accessible from the N-panel. One limitation to note: the converter does not work on cyclic geo, so tubes need a start and an end. For a continuous cyclic tube, splitting a single edge ring lets the script run as expected.
Tube2Curve is part of a larger addon called H3D Toolkit. The tool automates a process that is otherwise tedious when dealing with hundreds or thousands of tubes, such as when ingesting assets from other artists or vendors who work with tube geo rather than curves.
Tube2Curve - Convert Tube/Pipe Geo Back To Curves With 1 Click is best for artists converting tube or pipe geometry back into curves in Blender, especially when handling large numbers of tubes or ingesting assets built as tube geo rather than curves.
Tube2Curve - Convert Tube/Pipe Geo Back To Curves With 1 Click is completely free to download and use.
Tube2Curve lists support for Blender versions 4.2 through 4.5. If you are running a build in that range, the addon's tools should be available once installed. For versions outside that window, compatibility is not stated, so it is worth checking the developer's page before installing. The addon is released under the GPL license, and the current tools are located under 3dView > Object > TubeTools as of version 1.2.
Tube2Curve does not work on cyclic geo, meaning tubes need a clear start and an end. If you point it at a continuous cyclic tube, the script will fail. The workaround is straightforward: split a single edge ring on the cyclic tube, and the script will then run as expected. Aside from that, the tool handles open tubes, Ngon and triangle capped tubes, and cylindrical geometry generally, and it can even convert a tree mesh into curves.
Tube2Curve's two tools are located under 3dView > Object > TubeTools as of version 1.2. Both the tube-to-curve converter and the bonus tool for separating curves by loose parts sit under that same tab, accessible from the N-panel inside Blender. The main tool converts all selected tubes to a curve or edge down the centre with a single click, while the bonus tool covers separating curves by loose parts, which is not available in vanilla Blender.
Tube2Curve is listed as free in this catalog. Pricing and licensing can change over time, so for the current terms it is best to check the developer's page directly. The addon is distributed under the GPL license. It is also worth noting that this tool is part of a larger addon called H3D Toolkit, so if you are after the wider set of features, the developer's page is the place to look for details.
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