[WIP Add-on] ForgeKit Studio — Surface-Mounted Hard-Surface Details — Closed Beta Testers Wanted

Resources Released Add-ons and Extensions
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Hello everyone,

I am developing ForgeKit Studio, a Blender add-on designed to speed up the creation and distribution of hard-surface details such as bolts, rivets, fasteners, and custom components.

The goal is not to replace Blender’s native tools, but to simplify workflows that would normally require several modifiers, node setups, projection steps, or manual operations.

The current beta build is:

ForgeKit Studio M4.10 Beta 1 — Grid Surface Projection
Reference compatibility: Blender 5.1

Current features include:

  • interactive placement of details on mesh surfaces;
  • linear arrays that follow curved surfaces;
  • grid arrays projected onto planes, cylinders, and undulating surfaces;
  • distribution by Count or Spacing;
  • placement along edge chains with smart corner detection;
  • distribution along curves with surface projection;
  • automatic alignment to local surface normals;
  • automatic detection of the clicked surface side;
  • a user library for custom details;
  • optional attachment to the target object;
  • colored viewport guides;
  • Undo/Redo support;
  • clean handling of source transforms and parented source objects.

I am looking for a small group of beta testers who are interested in trying the add-on in real modeling workflows.

Who I am looking for

The beta is suitable for:

  • hard-surface artists;
  • vehicle, mecha, prop, and environment modelers;
  • intermediate or advanced Blender users;
  • technical artists, power users, or add-on developers interested in edge cases;
  • Windows, macOS, and Linux users.

You do not need to be a developer. The most important requirement is being able to describe problems clearly and provide reproducible feedback.

What the test involves

The initial test should take approximately 60–90 minutes.

Testers will receive:

  • the complete add-on ZIP;
  • bilingual Italian/English documentation;
  • a printable testing checklist;
  • instructions for reporting bugs and unexpected behavior.

For each issue, it would be helpful to include:

  • operating system;
  • exact Blender version;
  • steps required to reproduce the issue;
  • expected result;
  • actual result;
  • screenshots or a short video;
  • console messages, when available;
  • a simplified .blend file, when possible.

The beta build must not be redistributed publicly.

Reward

Testers who complete the testing cycle and provide useful feedback may receive the final version of the add-on free of charge when it becomes available.

How to apply

Please send me a private message including:

  • operating system;
  • Blender version;
  • Blender experience level;
  • type of modeling work you usually do;
  • hard-surface add-ons you currently use;
  • approximate availability for testing.

I am initially looking for around 5–8 testers, so that I can personally follow each report and discussion.

Thank you to everyone interested in helping improve ForgeKit Studio.