Extruding PROFILES ALONG PATHS in Blender!

In this video, we check out a way to extrude profiles along different curves inside of Blender! This works a lot like the follow me tool in SketchUp, but these extrusions are live and adjustable, allowing you to create profiles, lathe objects, and more!

[@privateerburrows]

Finally understood the process. I had done this kind of extrusion before by following step by step videos, but never really understood well enough to do it the next time without searching for help again; but I think this time I got it. What was missing for me was the concept that two curves are needed for this. Thanks man!

[@imadethiscomment5663]

Whenever I think I'm getting good at using Blender, there are always things I didn't know you could do that blow my mind! Thanks man, you're awesome.

[@terryc1734]

EXCELLENT again ! thank you for taking the time and effort to make this. Probably the best set of tutorials I've seen. Keep up the great work and thank you again ! :)

[@brucemarshall1439]

Just WOW!!! The depth of this program never ceases to amaze me. I've only been using it for a little over a week but it seems to be almost limitless!! Please keep showing us more "tricks" and thank you!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Will do! :)

[@aphynx816]

Excellent tutorial, easy to understand even as a begginer, you have all my respect!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Hi everyone! Let me know what you think about this tool in the comments below! (Or if you have any questions :) )

[@hackercop]

This tool is brilliant! thank you for making this video!

[@TheCGEssentials]

@@starchamber7700 Curious - why say something like this?

[@krys5847]

One of the best tutorials I've seen! Very clearly explained, perfect pace, just amazing. Subbed and going to stalk your channel now for more tips. Thank you!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad you liked it!

[@Jake-co7rt]

Awesome! I can see a whole new set of possibilities opening up!

[@TheShittyBeatles]

This video was super helpful for making a curb. Some things took a little fiddling to understand but you got me there. Thank you so much.

[@fadilcincir8112]

Justin my man! I am very happy to watch one of your videos again :) I grew up with your videos in sketchup now same is going on with blender. Thanks alot!

[@bobscaricatures8581]

Thank you so much your videos are the best tutorials I've seen for Blender. You're the Daddy!

[@1mclv]

Just amazing, thanks for the quick and easy to follow tutorial

[@ronaldbell7429]

I knew this could be done but not how. Thanks for an excellent overview of what's a bit of an esoteric process.

[@geoffhodgson2492]

Thanks for this. I was really stuck on another tutorial with this one so really pleased you explained it so well. Keep up the good work.

[@SpacePoodle]

I need to get this off my chest: Your videos are great. Short, concise and to the point. Thank you very much!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Lol - thanks!

[@stevannikolovski]

Excellent. Every time i watch i discover new things.

[@frankwas586]

Great tutorial. Exactly what I was looking for. 🙏

[@yannamare9651]

This a function that I'm using a lot in sketchup, and now thanks to you with this other amazing tutorial, I can adapt it to blender. It looks even so much more powerful than in SU. Thanks

[@GovindSharma-vq5mj]

I just watched 3 of your tutorials and they have just made my life so much easier. Great videos sir. Thank you for the content.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Awesome!

[@Rajesh-dq9gw]

You are the best. Been searching for a teacher like you for years Thank you soo much. Keep up the good work.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Happy to help!

[@robinhodson9890]

Brilliant! An easy method of performing complex SOR and prism [extrusion] transforms.

[@synkrotron]

Thank you Justin... I must have watched four videos on this topic and this was the only one that made any sense.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it helped!

[@KJ7JHN]

This was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bensadler5513]

This is such a helpful video -- thank you!

[@redordead81]

Brilliant video. Your explanations are very clear. Thanks for making and sharing this!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Pakilla64]

I can't believe it. I was about to look it up right now, and you JUST uploaded it.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Well now you don't have to! :)

[@digitalconsciousness]

As a previous Maya user, I was lost and had to search for a video (this one) on how to do it. In Maya, we just go Create>Curve CV Tool, draw it, create a Circle, Surfaces>Extrude and it's done. Very simple. In Blender, to even be able to draw your own curve, you have to create a Bezier first, tab into edit mode, delete it, then you magically have a new Draw Curve tool, draw what you want, tab out, find that profile thing buried in the geometry properties (the fuck?!), then link the circle to it. That's about as bad as ZBrush's interface.

[@seattleskater5111]

Nice video, as usual! Follow-me in Blender seems to take a lot of setup, so I put a follow-me starter into my assets folder. Now I just append it in and it's ready to go. A couple points I think are important: 1) The profile's origin is where the profile connects to the path. You should move the profile's origin to a point on the bezier curve for precision modeling. 2) For precision modeling, the path should always be a 2D curve, rather than a 3D curve because it'll cause bulges in your mesh like in 6:49. You'll notice that the paths as 3D curves don't retain the exact dimensions of the profiles, but as 2D curves, paths retain the exact dimensions of the profile. 3) You can select the points on a bezier curve and press V to change the handle type for vector to make straight lines.

[@TheCGEssentials]

This is really great info - thanks! I especially did not know about the 3rd item :)

[@thajmulhussain4113]

the second point ok. if the rectangular path or square 3d curve converts into 2dcurve, but when you try arc path. you may not get the correct arc path.

[@brockvictor3588]

I know Im asking randomly but does someone know of a trick to log back into an instagram account?? I was dumb forgot the password. I would love any assistance you can offer me.

[@theonenewmanproject]

I love your videos! Thank you,

[@CaraDees]

Perfect yet again. Anyone not subscribed... DO IT. His tips are short yet concise. Great teacher!

[@TheTubejunky]

This was a great bit of information to speed up creation of objects! Thank You!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@buangagangte9938]

Thanks very much, just what I was looking for trying to model a chair frame with a specific profile.

[@joshc6699]

I just found this channel, subbed! Great video too. I used to follow your SketchUp tutorials back in the day and they helped me out a lot too. Thanks!

[@TheCGEssentials]

No problem! :)

[@NebMotion]

lots of interesting things you can do with this technique... thanks for sharing

[@woodlandcritterpunch]

I'm glad to know blender does have this. I don't understand why they would refer to it as a "bevel" when almost every program I've used with this functionality calls it "sweep." Hopefully in the near future they'll update their curve editing tools and modifiers to remove some of the gotchas here and make ot less hidden

[@TheCGEssentials]

I agree - it's a very odd way of describing the function

[@sekiki96]

Blender becomes easier because of you, thanks! :)

[@joeabstractjoe]

You're a great tutor! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 🎶🎸🎶👏👏👏

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jonjoem-walton7381]

Yes, just yes! I've been trying to figure out why I couldn't select an object for ages!

[@jamessmith6294]

Thank you for an outstanding tutorial. Clear and succinct.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jumpbrick]

Thanks for putting this video together :)

[@Banner_Bearer_of_Eternity]

Thanks! Just what I needed.

[@josephroiml]

Now that's a really cool technique, never seen it done like this before. Great stuff!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad you liked it!

[@zvromero74]

Thanks, you save me.... i was getting anxious, because i was just finding solutions with "add-ons" but it was because the loft was along with multiple shapes

[@Xizilqou]

I love how you talk, it gives an extra entertainment and comedy value to the educational video

[@goheenbiswas1901]

You're a real help CG Essentials. Thanks a lot for being there with us noobs

[@TheCGEssentials]

Happy to help!

[@MarcosBaldin]

Great tutorial! Thanks.

[@danteciecko2870]

Super, thanks!

[@quantumblur_3145]

just hearing you say "sketchup" gave me so much relief. Trying to go from sketchup to blender has been really stressful. Blender is a nightmare animal where everything is arcane and the Z axis is vertical. Now I can at least partially speak its wretched language.

[@AZTECMAN]

Juicy. Thanks for the tech knowledge

[@drcolin101]

Awesome info, it is extremely helpful thanks

[@Alfast-EtLuiMeme]

Really cool tutorial, thank you :)

[@jump3750]

thank you so much, this video was realy helpfull

[@laurenth32]

very nice work, it look like simple but it's so important to know.

[@dominikfurman6571]

Perfect! THX

[@navod3d]

Thank you for this. Exactly what I needed to know

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@frostwolf618]

First time I subscribe so fast on a channel . My hands couldn't resist , awesome content

[@TheCGEssentials]

Thanks!

[@irener7266]

Thank you very much!

[@Rajesh-dq9gw]

With you teaching I'm building my school in blender.

[@thebasicmaterialsproject1892]

pretty cool

[@aviralkrishna9756]

finally the info I needed!!. Thanks!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad I could help!

[@TonyInTownNZ]

Bloody Marvellous! Now I can make things quicker in Blender. Thanks heaps once again.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Happy to help!

[@DodaGarcia]

That was really well explained, thank you

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BREA_______]

Thank you!!

[@Crimsin19937]

Nice! Follow me is the only thing from sketchup I wish was in blender!

[@nl8345]

so so helpful

[@danosdotnl]

easier than grasshopper (and anything else), great thanks!

[@djmnx01]

Excellent!!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Thanks! :)

[@karljoyeux5148]

amazing.

[@image2punchtutorial36]

Thank you. This is very useful :)

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@RamasolaProductions]

So helpful! I was findings ways to transition from MAX to blender and this is one of the things I was looking for! Thanks for your tutorials. Sub'd!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it helped!

[@dez7852]

HHHHWhat's up Justin. Awesome tutorial. I've watched this before but just for some basics. Then I found myself needing to make some baseboard molding and have been searching for this. I think there is another where you grow the extrusion along a path. I need to figure out how to search effectively search within the youtube algo's because I know that there is another one similar to this one. Keep up these videos coming friend, they help tremendously!

[@digitaldentistrywithdrosma803]

Great tutorial. Thank you so much :) I would like to cut some parts of the meshes using curves on faces. Do you have any tutorials about that?

[@nirajkapadiya3890]

thanks a lot man

[@itotallyagreewithyou3451]

Great video! You have helped me out with Fusion 360 many times, and now you even helped me out with Blender haha Thanks for always saving my ass! Maybe i'll run into you for some other software aswell in the future hahah Have a great day! edit: Now i subbed to this channel aswell!

[@magpiemagpie6607]

It was interesting, you often make interesting tutorials. Keep going.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Thanks a lot!

[@ArchvizWorld]

Great and simple explanations👌. A video explaining drawing with curves would be really helpful too👍

[@TheCGEssentials]

Hmmm...I probably do need to do something dedicated to curves in the future

[@vizionthing]

Hated the start, stayed to the end, exactly what I needed, you got the sub, bells and like

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it helped 😃

[@vizionthing]

@@TheCGEssentials Still here after a whole lap of the sun

[@dougmaisner]

Love it!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Thanks!!

[@parkerbelholland1037]

I'm not new to the info, but I really liked the way you explained it. Maybe I missed it, but some explanation on how you created the wall profile piece would've been good.

[@gregorymiles8983]

You’re a legend sir

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad I could help!

[@JustinDeane1979]

Terrific! Is there an option to sweep along two guide rails from one profile, like a circle to different profile, say, a square?

[@eldarreshitov6109]

You are super!!!!

[@wolskye]

thanks man, really helpful

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it helped!

[@josephjonesuduovie4067]

Just the best👌

[@TheCGEssentials]

:)

[@FB-eq9vl]

Great Tut mate. When finished, is there a way to keep the final shape and get rid of the curves? Cheers!

[@R69Games]

Thank you buddy show me a great way make my awesome design much easy and better way ;-)

[@Draft_Tech]

Well done sir...this is what i want...great tutorial..

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad you liked it!

[@twistedwizardry5153]

Any ideas how you could animate an arrow along a path where the tube would be extruding but the head of the arrow would stay out front? Thanks for this video!

[@frame76films]

Great explanation. Cheers 👍

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@laniuschisa8779]

thanks man

[@AviShpayer]

Curves are so confusing. I had lots of trial and error until I found the basic principles that determine the shape of an object using a profile on a curve. It's about basic math geometry. It calculates everything from a view of 2D graphs. So you always need to view the profile from above and model it from the center point and only towards the positive X axis and the positive Y axis to get the desired and expected result. I haven't seen anyone talk about it. In the Blender documentation they don't show the axis, they just write it as a text comment: "Make sure the shape you want to extrude is in the Object’s local XY plane. If it is in the local XZ or YZ plane, it will be reduced to a line when it is projected to the local XY plane. Because of this, the extruded shape will be a flat plane."

[@pixel-ink]

Also, if you run into the "issue" when doing corners when you have no points in between the corner. Add two segment (points) on each side of the corner, real close. Or the best way to fix the issue on this video or with corners, is switch the shape to 2D and not 3D.

[@RCsFinest]

Can I use this method to draw the perimeter of a wall (with a line, no bezier) and use a plane to follow the path?

[@mitchowk]

can you convert the edited path back into a mesh after? and use it as an object?

[@sachdabas]

Hi . thanks for the video. One question that I cant find answer to anywhere. How do you bevel multiple objects (multiple lines say contour)?

[@jackjackson1157]

Excellent video! So, 3.0 has changed some of this, made it a little easier. However, if you aren't familiar with the technique, I recommend that you still watch this all the way through. Adding this to your repertoire will definitely up your blending game! Thanks CGE!

[@TheCGEssentials]

:)

[@blood.mirror]

How did you make the shape you used as the profile for the curve you built from the plane?

[@RaiHari6426]

Great Video

[@TheCGEssentials]

Thanks!

[@zeeshanhaider9636]

thank you so much, you solve my problem....

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad to hear that!

[@kalpesh.47]

THANKYOU!! so much.

[@TheCGEssentials]

You're welcome!