Array an Object Along a Curve in Blender (Tutorial)

In this Blender tutorial I will show you how to array an object along a curve.

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[eitantal]

I experimented with it a little. I learned a lot. Here's what I found:

1. it MATTERS a LOT if you have your road stretch along the X axis, vs the Y, Z axes. Stretching along other axes requires an extra step!
2. Make your road stretch along the X. The array should have +1 on the X, and the curve should curve along the +X axis. (Not -X!)
3. The origin of the road segment Does Not Matter. The scaling matters! Apply scale to reset
4. The origin of the curve matters, It should be the first point.
5. The direction of the curve matters. It should point away from the origin.
6. The curve must have no rotation. (Ctrl+A, Apply rotation, to reset rotation)

If you want your road to stretch along the Y axis, then you'll have to introduce a rotation to your curve: R, Z, 90. (Important: Curve modifier still curves along X)

If everything is done correctly, then:

1. Curve modifier should Not Move your object by an offset. Turn curve modifier on and off to verify that your object does not move.
2. Your object should simply slide along the curve, but not move. It can slide against either side, or thru the center. Move your curve to verify that. If the object moves when you move the curve, the direction of the curve is opposite. switch direction

Tip: Self intersection can occur. If the self-intersection isn't too severe, WELD modifier might be a quick fix.

Note: It is possible to have no rotation on the curve, if you select -Y for axis, and -1 for array. Selecting +Y introduces a 90 degree rotation, -Y does not. This is not working as good, though: unwanted movement is observed in this technique.

[alfaunicorn]

As a tip for straighten up sharp turns in your road object to avoid extreme turns dosage:

1. In Blender click on the Curve button in Properties panel.
2. Look at the first panel called Shape where 3D is lit.
3. Change Twist-method to -> Z-up.

This is particularly important IF you gonna use the road/road segment for game assets where a vehicle is going to drive on the road and the road is going to have physics as well.

[Domzdream]

Man, you just have the best tutorials. Hope you've been keeping well Ryan.

[jmhd]

Thanks for this. I'm making speaker wire and this seems to be the best way to have the jacket and the wire materials be on one object and follow an editable path.

[seankelly]

At first I couldn't get it to work but I found putting the origins of both parts in the same place fixed it.
I like the shorties bro.

[celestino]

brooo, ive been trying to do that for years now following tuts but never succeeded, today I was finally able to make my objects follow a cuve, thx a lot.

[Highcastle_of_Geek]

This solved a big problem I was having with this procedure. I didn't realize it was important to center and apply location on the mesh and curve objects before assigning the curve. I was getting all sorts of weird twisted shapes and couldn't work out what I was doing wrong. Just adding that one step from your tutorial solved the problem. Thanks bunches!!

[thatonegamer]

Just came back to Blender after quite a long break. It's awesome to see that you're still making great tutorials for newcomers and people who are a bit rusty like me! Although, I will miss your art critique videos. Your comments on my renders have really helped me grow, and i can't thank you enough! (I can't believe it's been over a year!)

[Justlivin]

You are definitely my favorite channel for blender. Thanks for everything! 😁

[cosmicfish]

Thank you for this. Simple and to the point. Great little tutorial.

[smilgu]

Thank You, Ryan! Simple and very effective solution!

[AdahnD]

wonderful tutorial. this helped me so much, thank you

[lassekalhauge]

Thanks Ryan - love all of your tutorials❤

[angersJohn]

best tutorial I've ever seen. Keep it simple like this and thanks a lot!

[ttonygreybeard]

Explained very well & straight forward, Thank you Ryan.👍

[MRUStudios]

Awesome tutorial Ryan. I usually have cameras follow paths for really smooth movement, but I hadn't thought to use a path for something like this. 😃

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!

I hope you have a great rest of your week my friend! 🙂

[PinkPlume]

Very straightforward explanation, great for users who haven't delved into geometry nodes yet

[chuctanundaspiderbone]

Thanks, this is excellent. This works so much better than how I was trying to do it, and so simple.

[Fit--Life]

good job, I just realised that I needed that 🙂

[peabrainz]

Just in time! looking for this on my project