It brings live Boolean construction, bevel control, mirrors, arrays and detail tools into the HardSurf sidebar and a configurable pie menu. Draw to Cut makes box or circle cutters, while Boolean Manager helps inspect and organize the modifier stack. Mesh-detail operations also include panel cuts, pipes, face extraction and Extend.

The current installer names target Blender 3.3–4.1 for the classic package and 4.2–5.2 for the Extension. Their metadata declares minimums of 3.3 and 4.2 respectively. Fusion requires Blender 4.0 or newer. Compatibility with every build and operating system has not been verified. Some internal version labels and bundled documentation still show 1.6.0 even though the marketplace packages are labeled 1.7.0.

Use hardsurface_helper_pro-1.7.0-blender3.3-4.1.zip for the classic add-on on Blender 3.3–4.1, or hardsurface_helper_pro-1.7.0-blender4.2-5.2.zip for the Extension on the advertised modern range. Install only one. Disable an old folder installation before enabling the Extension, and keep your .blend files and exported preferences backed up before switching.

In the 3D Viewport, select a mesh, press N and open the HardSurf tab. The default pie-menu shortcut is Shift+W. Booleans and arrays use Object Mode; bevel-weight, panel-cut, pipe, face-extract and support-loop workflows use Edit Mode selections. A dimmed section usually indicates the wrong mode or selection.

The basic Draw to Cut tool includes Box and Circle, with Difference and Union. It creates a real cutter object aligned to the picked surface. Polygon, Rounded Box, Slot, surface snapping, grid drawing and saved-cut recipes are not included. The cutter draws where the pointer is; a leftover shortcut or readout label does not enable advanced snapping. Intersect and Live Slice remain separate standard Boolean tools rather than Draw to Cut choices.

No. Live Booleans, mirrors, arrays and Fusion keep their construction editable, but Panel Cut, Extend, Mesh Doctor and Support Loops with Keep Editable off change mesh data. Applying modifiers, baking Fusion, Apply & Fillet and the optional Apply Immediately setting also commit geometry. Save a copy before those operations and read the relevant workflow instructions.

Interactive tools display their current controls. Panel Cut, Pipe and array previews use Esc or right-click to cancel; left-click or Enter confirms. Draw to Cut uses stage-based cancellation, and Ctrl+Z while waiting in a continuous session removes the last session cut. After leaving a tool, use Blender Undo for completed actions where available. Keep saved backups for work you may need to restore beyond the current Undo history.

Boolean Doctor scans a Boolean setup without changing mesh geometry; it can write a text report, and repairs are separate buttons. Mesh Doctor performs cleanup on whole selected meshes, merging vertices and removing loose or degenerate geometry. In the current 1.7.0 package its normals step can miss faces after cleanup; use the separate Recalculate Normals action afterwards and inspect the result.

Yes. Fusion creates a new live result that reads two source meshes. The originals remain in the scene and are hidden in the viewport and render by default. Fusion requires Blender 4.0 or newer. Bake commits the fusion result; Delete the Originals is a separate opt-in bake option and is off by default.

Yes. Enable Keep Editable in the Support Loops operation to use a vertex-group-limited Bevel modifier. The default is off, which creates mesh geometry. Remove Support Loops only removes the editable modifier and its group; it does not identify loops already cut into a mesh. Use one mesh in Edit Mode with suitable manifold edges.

Bevel weights mark edges for a weight-limited Bevel modifier. Bevel Groups create separate Bevel modifiers limited by vertex groups, allowing independent widths on one object. Add or assign selected geometry in Edit Mode and adjust the corresponding live modifiers.

Face Extract copies selected visible faces into a separate object and leaves the source faces in place. It can add a live Solidify modifier for thickness. Pipe from Edge duplicates the selected edges into a separate curve-based pipe; leave conversion off to retain curve thickness controls, or opt into conversion to mesh when confirming.

Yes. Object Mode and Edit Mode have separate eight-slot pie layouts and an optional Icon Tray. The configured default is Shift+W, but Blender's Edit Mode Bend binding can take precedence in the current 1.7.0 package. Use the sidebar or assign an unconflicted shortcut in preferences if needed. The quick menu has no default shortcut.

The Balanced, Live Boolean, Game Low-Poly and Product Viz presets set tool defaults for future operations. They do not remodel existing objects or overwrite shortcut and pie-slot choices. Interface options and Favorites are included only when requested. Export Preferences can save your settings to a JSON file before you change them.

The add-on is designed to run locally inside Blender without third-party Python packages, online activation or telemetry. Its support button opens an external website only when clicked. Preferences and scene data are stored locally; preference import and export use files you select. Discord is optional support, not a requirement for using the tools.

Individual is for 1 person (1 seat). Team is for up to 6 people (6 seats). Studio is for up to 20 people (20 seats). Commercial use is included in all three, and every option receives the same complete features and downloads. The supplied code is GPL-3.0-or-later; that software license governs the code rights. For Studio: Need more than 20 seats? Contact us directly.

Contact Tachyon Studio through Superhive messaging or join the Tachyon Discord. For a bug report, include the installed add-on version, exact Blender version, operating system, selection and mode, and simple steps to reproduce the issue. Share only scene material you are permitted to share.