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Is there a way to extrude an object or shape along a path/curve, so you get a solid object? For example, a rectangle shape along a curve to get a long bendy sidewalk.

I feel this was in an older version of blender, but I can't find it now.

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  • $\begingroup$ Also see How can I duplicate a mesh along a curve? $\endgroup$
    – iKlsR
    Sep 13, 2013 at 0:18
  • $\begingroup$ A more traditional extrude along curve add-on can be found here: blenderartists.org/forum/… $\endgroup$
    – user5836
    Aug 31, 2014 at 0:33
  • $\begingroup$ here you are <3 ---> Bevelling a Curve $\endgroup$
    – user27048
    Jun 28, 2016 at 13:21
  • $\begingroup$ The legendary Blender tendency of not doing things like the rest of the world... extruding curve A along curve B is actually "beveling" B with A: "Things are different, however, when you bevel the curve—that is, use some two-dimensional shape as a cross-section, and the line curve becomes a guide for extruding the shape into the third dimension". Source linked by user27048. $\endgroup$
    – mins
    Apr 4, 2022 at 10:03

2 Answers 2

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Bevelled curve

Use a bevel object in the curve properties > Geometry panel.

bevel object settings

You can use any curve to define the cross section of another curve. Make sure they are in separat objects because the object origin of the cross section curve will be extruded along the main curve. As you can see, you can put all kinds of independent curves into the Bevel Object

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    $\begingroup$ Sweet! How do you make those square shapes? $\endgroup$
    – Kirbinator
    Sep 13, 2013 at 23:40
  • $\begingroup$ is that a question or a comment? (: $\endgroup$ Sep 13, 2013 at 23:44
  • $\begingroup$ Question, I'm unsure how to get sharp edges with paths. $\endgroup$
    – Kirbinator
    Sep 13, 2013 at 23:53
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    $\begingroup$ I know it is an old question but I had it too in 2017 and the answer is here blender.stackexchange.com/questions/18014/… $\endgroup$ Jan 26, 2017 at 20:06
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    $\begingroup$ Note, the shape to project along the curve must also be a curve, not a mesh plane. $\endgroup$ Jun 3, 2018 at 22:54
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You can use an Array modifier combined with a Curve modifier:

enter image description here

The Merge option merges duplicate vertices so that the resulting object stays as one mesh.

enter image description here

Note that when using the Fit Curve option in the array modifier, you may have to apply the scale to ensure this works correctly (CtrlA> Scale).

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    $\begingroup$ While this is very useful, and I'm likely going to do this to approximate what I need, I was more looking for something that works like 3DS-Max's Lathe, but in a line. E.G. A curve operating on another curve. $\endgroup$
    – Kirbinator
    Sep 13, 2013 at 14:26
  • $\begingroup$ The benefit of using modifiers to achieve this is that it's a non-destructive method: you can turn it on and off, change settings etc. while the original curves stay the same. $\endgroup$
    – R. Navega
    Sep 21, 2017 at 4:28
  • $\begingroup$ I like it. But it's pretty weird and buggy at points, especially with tight curves $\endgroup$ Aug 22, 2019 at 15:37
  • $\begingroup$ This method works in blender 2.9, whilst the other answer, unfortunately, does not - there is no more "Geometry" tab in object properties (unless I am missing something quite obvious). $\endgroup$
    – shybovycha
    Oct 15, 2021 at 2:15
  • $\begingroup$ @shybovycha, it's in the 'Object Data Properties' tab, not the 'Object Properties' tab. When using curves, the icon looks like a green curve with squares on its end points. The 'Geometry' section is in there. $\endgroup$
    – Tynach
    Nov 26, 2021 at 19:39

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