ND 2.1, a FREE Blender add-on by Huge Menace, delivers powerful, non-destructive tools for hard-surface artists. This update introduces revolutionary procedural generators for pipes and cables, alongside an advanced mesh smoothing operator.
The digital artists at Huge Menace have just released the highly anticipated ND 2.1 update for their popular non-destructive (ND) asset library and workflow enhancement add-on for Blender. ND is crucial for artists focusing on hard-surface modeling by streamlining complex operations like boolean, bevel, and extrusion workflows.
Crucially, the ND add-on is offered as a FREE resource, emphasizing the developers’ commitment to the Blender community. This latest release focuses heavily on procedural generation, offering significant boosts to efficiency and realism, particularly for complex assets like industrial pipes and hanging cables.
Essential Changes for Mesh Integrity
One of the most important quality-of-life improvements in ND 2.1 addresses mesh data handling. The creator adjusted the default import method for ND assets from “append reuse” to a simple “append.” This change ensures that every imported asset is a unique copy within the scene. While this might lead to duplicate modifiers in some instances, it prevents accidental unintended reuse of modified mesh data—a vital fix that guarantees mesh integrity across complex scenes.
The Revolutionary Pipe Generator
Historically, creating clean, topologically sound pipe networks with automatic fittings has been tedious. The updated Pipe Generator solves this challenge powerfully. The developer built the generator to support both the standard built-in circular profile and any custom profiles a user might need.
Key features of the pipe generator include:
- Procedural Fittings: Simple, stepped, and flanged fittings automatically conform to the pipe’s diameter and resolution, ensuring visual consistency.
- Precision Setbacks: Features support precise fitting setbacks for clean manifold geometry.
- Synchronized Scaling: Utilizing “units sized fittings,” the scale automatically adjusts based on a 1-meter standard, linked via drivers to the pipe resolution parameter for synchronized detail.
Sophisticated Cable Generation Unveiled
The new Cable Generator is an impressive demonstration of procedural generation excellence, specializing in creating twisted cables based on a defined path. Users gain full control over the aesthetic, adjusting the strand count, diameter, and twist amount.
What truly sets this tool apart is its sophisticated built-in path smoothing. This feature creates realistic weighting, resulting in natural, parabolic cable hangs. Users can adjust the path smoothing start factor to control how the cable exits connectors, achieving effects that mimic real-world physics. For maximum control, the generator also supports custom profiles and connectors, allowing artists to manually manipulate the base path by disabling auto path processing.
Mastering Mesh Smoothing
Rounding out the update is a new procedural Mesh Smooth Operator. This tool iteratively smooths geometry, offering fine-grained control over the effect. While increasing iterations can cause vertices to converge, the real power lies in using a selection parameter to direct the smoothing. For instance, selecting vertices with more than one neighbor can effectively *pin* endpoints, creating highly realistic hanging effects, perfect for newly generated cables.
This kind of detailed procedural engineering requires significant effort, often leveraging powerful systems like Geometry Nodes internally to manage complex edge cases, such as preventing endpoint protrusion when smoothing is applied.
Get Started Today
The ND 2.1 update provides indispensable tools that greatly accelerate hard-surface and industrial visualization workflows in Blender. The add-on is completely free and available for download on Gumroad, Blender Market, and the Blender Extensions platform (for Blender 4.2 LTS+).
If you appreciate the time and effort Huge Menace invests in developing high-quality, free tools, consider supporting the ongoing development by becoming a patron via Patreon. You can also find technical support and documentation on their Discord server.
Interested in improving your skills with procedural techniques or discovering more resources? Explore our guides on advanced 3D Modeling and stay current with all the latest Updates & Releases in the world of Blender.
