PROCEDURAL MODELING PROTOCOL ACTIVE

PRO-RADIAL WHEEL MAKER ADDON

Blender Version
2.80 - 5.x
Current Version
6.2 PRO
Developer
Jermesa Studio
License
GPL v3 (Free)

Pro-Radial v6.2 is a professional procedural modeling toolset for Blender, engineered specifically as the ultimate workflow for designing and making 3D wheels, rims, and tires. By combining real-time profile canvas editing, spoke array modifiers, and dynamic boolean cuts into a unified, non-destructive stack, Pro-Radial streamlines wheel creation from rough sketch to high-fidelity final mesh.

Procedural Workflow Paradigm: Pro-Radial keeps the profile curves, radial elements, and cuts fully dynamic. You can adjust counts, offsets, and bevel metrics at any point in your workflow. The underlying geometry regenerates instantly in the background.
Free Software License: Pro-Radial is open-source software distributed under the GNU General Public License v3 (GPL v3). It is 100% free to use, modify, and distribute for any purpose, including commercial projects.

Thank you for using our tool! May God bless you on your creative journey.

Installation & Workspace Setup

Follow these quick setup steps to get the Pro-Radial system active in your Blender project environment:

  • 01

    Download the Addon Package

    Download the latest release ZIP folder (pro_radial.zip) from the main control download button, or use the direct link: Download ZIP File.

  • 02

    Install inside Blender

    Launch Blender. Navigate to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons. Click the Install... button in the top right, select the downloaded pro_radial.zip file, and click Install Add-on.

  • 03

    Activate the Modifiers

    Locate the checkbox next to Object: Pro-Radial in the Add-ons list and tick it to enable the module. Close the Preferences window.

  • 04

    Initialize Sidebar Control Panel

    In any 3D Viewport window, press the N key on your keyboard to reveal the Blender Sidebar. Select the tab labeled Pro-Radial to reveal the custom control cockpit interface.

Quick Tip: Ensure that your 3D Viewport is in Object Mode. Most procedural generator operators require an active viewport state to construct the starting nodes.

0. Complete Design Presets

The Complete Presets panel allows you to instantly save and load entire wheel designs—including base profile layers, arrayed elements, and boolean details. This allows for rapid prototyping and iteration.

GIF demonstrating selecting a preset in the Complete Presets panel of Pro-Radial

Preset Management Controls

The top panel acts as the main hub for loading base templates or custom design configurations:

Preset Categories

Organize presets into folders. Click the + button to create a new sub-folder on disk, and the - button to remove empty directories.

Presets Dropdown

Select from available preset configurations within the selected category. Selecting a preset instantly rebuilds the entire procedural stack in your Viewport.

Explore & Manage Files

Click the folder icon (Explore Presets) to open the preset directory in your OS file manager. Click the trash icon to delete presets permanently.

Save & Save As

Click Save to overwrite the active preset. Click Save As to write a new preset file. New Design wipes the canvas clean.

1. Base Profile Layers (Lathe)

The Base Profile panel defines the main rotational silhouette. It uses a lathe generator to sweep a profile curve 360 degrees around the chosen rotational axis.

GIF showing creation and adjustments of base profile layers in Blender using Pro-Radial

Profile Mode Configuration

Choose how the core mesh outline is defined:

  • INTERNAL Mode: Construct and modify profile paths inside the viewport utilizing the custom 2D Canvas Editor.
  • EXTERNAL Mode: Link an existing mesh object in your Blender Outliner to act as the source profile geometry.

Base Profile Layers

Pro-Radial supports stacking multiple profile layers. Click the + button to add a layer (e.g. Center Hub, spokes rim, outer tread). Each layer operates independently with its own shape and modifiers:

GIF showing adjusting radial offset and lathe steps for the lathe profiles

Interactive 2D Profile Editor

Inside Internal Mode, click Open Profile Editor to bring up the 2D coordinate grid editor directly inside the 3D Viewport. Here are the core visual modes for drawing and editing vertices:

GIF showing launching the profile editor canvas

Clicking the Open Profile Editor button suspends regular Blender inputs and displays a high-tech 2D drafting canvas overlay. The canvas displays coordinate grid overlays and local center points, allowing you to draw profiles with millimetric precision.

GIF showing adding points and segments inside the canvas editor

Adding Geometry: Left-click in the canvas grid coordinates to place new vertices. Vertices are connected sequentially to build a silhouette line. Press Ctrl+Z to undo, and Ctrl+Y to redo actions. Select points and press X or Delete to remove them.

GIF showing switching layers and editing profiles in the 2D profile editor

Layer Switching: Select a different layer in the Base Profile Layers list (such as Rim, Tire, or Lug) before opening the editor. This allows you to draw and manage independent curves for each part of the wheel assembly.

GIF showing selecting points of the Rim profile and dragging to move them in the 2D profile editor

Selecting & Moving: Click and drag vertices to modify the profile shape. You can select multiple points and drag them together to adjust specific contours of your Rim profile with ease.

Layer Shape Types & Settings

Each layer can be set to one of the following generator types:

Layer Shape Type Description Primary Properties
RADIAL Sweeps the profile curve 360 degrees to generate standard lathe meshes (e.g. rims). Close Loop, Lathe Steps, Radial Offset, Boundary Shape.
LINEAR Extrudes a flat cross-section shape along a linear profile path (e.g., treads, segments). Cross-Section Shape, Twist Angle, Corner Segments, Subdivisions.
POLYGON Converts the profile points into a flat polygon and solidifies it along a flat depth vector. Solidify Depth, Auto Smooth Angle.

Boundary Shape Configurations

Under the Radial and Linear settings, you can constrain the sweep to geometric boundary shapes:

GIF demonstrating selecting and adjusting boundary shapes like circle, oval, rectangle, capsule
  • ●

    Standard Circles & Ellipses

    Circle sweeps around a perfectly spherical constraint. Oval allows asymmetric horizontal/vertical scaling to create oval sweeps.

  • ●

    Rectangles & Capsules

    Rectangle constrains the lathe to square dimensions. Specify width, height, and wall thickness. Capsule defines capsule boundaries with length and rounded radius caps.

  • ●

    Custom Boundary Curves

    Selecting Custom opens a secondary Custom Shape Editor. This allows you to draw arbitrary non-circular outline paths that the lathe geometry will warp into.

Base Modifiers & Transform Parameters

Parameter Name Type Default Description
radial_offset Float 0.0m Displaces the sweep radius outwards from the local center of coordinate rotation.
lathe_steps Int 32 Resolution of the sweep. Higher numbers produce smoother curved geometry.
location_offset Vector3 (0,0,0) Offsets the layer position in local 3D workspace coordinate space.
use_bevel Boolean False Enables non-destructive bevel operations on the layer's output edges.
bevel_width Float 0.02m Controls the thickness of the procedural edge bevel cuts.
mirror_mode Enum NONE Allows mirroring the layer mesh output across X, Y, Z, or combined planes.

2. Radial Elements (Arrays)

The Radial Elements panel manages arrays of objects—like spokes, bolt groups, fans, and treads—repeated in circular structures around the wheel hub.

GIF showing creating radial element array layers in Blender

Elements Workflow

Generate spoke arrays procedurally or reference external source assets:

  • Procedural Shapes: Choose from Circle, Rectangle, Capsule, Custom, or Linear sweep shapes. Open the custom element editor to draw profiles from scratch.
  • External Objects: Pick any pre-existing mesh inside your Blender project using the viewport dropper. The array duplicates and warps the target mesh.
GIF showing adjusting count, arrays radius, offsets, and spacing parameters for radial elements

Spoke Array Parameters

Adjust these parameters under the Array Parameters sub-panel to modify array distributions:

Parameter Name Type Default Description
count Int 8 The number of repeating elements in the circular array structure.
radius Float 1.0m Array radius. Controls how far arrayed elements are shifted outward.
sideways_offset Float 0.0m Shifts elements laterally, perpendicular to the radial offset lines.
tilt_angle Float 0.0° Rotates each array element relative to its radial alignment axis (e.g. angled spokes).
auto_spacing Boolean True Automatically distributes elements evenly around 360 degrees.
manual_gap Float 0.1 Specifies the spacing gap when auto_spacing is disabled.
taper_correction Float 0.0 Scales the thickness of elements as they extend toward the center to avoid mesh overlap.
Spoke Symmetric Mirroring: Checking the Use Mirror parameter under Array Parameters enables symmetrical spoke placement. You can lock them to be perfectly symmetric, or override offset values to skew mirrored elements.

3. Radial Details (Cuts / Joins)

The Radial Details system runs real-time Boolean operations over the base lathe mesh. This is perfect for cutting out complex patterns, bolt holes, air vents, or joining panels without destructive modifications.

GIF showing adjusting radial details cut properties, boolean settings, count, radii and bevels

Boolean Detailing Workflow

How to configure detailing cuts on your radial meshes:

  • 01

    Enable Detailing Checkbox

    Toggle Enable Detailing to activate the boolean engine. You can temporarily turn this off to optimize viewport performance.

  • 02

    Add Detail Operation

    Click the + button to create a new detail layer. You can set the operation mode to DIFFERENCE (cuts out holes) or UNION (fuses detailed shapes onto the mesh).

  • 03

    Define Detail Shape

    Select from Circle, Rectangle, Capsule, or Custom shapes. For custom cuts, click Open Detail Editor to draw the cutout profile in the 2D Canvas.

  • 04

    Configure Array Counts & Solvers

    Set the number of repetitions using the Count slider. Set the solver to Fast for quick feedback, or Exact to handle overlapping geometries accurately.

Detail Parameters

Parameter Name Type Default Description
holes_op Enum DIFFERENCE Boolean operations. DIFFERENCE cuts holes; UNION joins geometries together.
holes_count Int 5 Determines how many times the detail is arrayed in a circle.
holes_orbit_radius Float 0.8m The circular path distance from the center hub where the cuts occur.
holes_radius Float 0.05m Controls the size/scale of the cut shape.
holes_offset Float 0.0m Shifts the cut depth along the depth/rotational axis of the wheel.
use_bevel Boolean False Enables non-destructive beveling on the inner cut edges to catch highlights.
Exact Solver Performance Warning: While the Exact boolean solver handles complex overlapping shapes perfectly, it requires significantly more computing power. For quick iterations, keep the solver on Fast.

4. Global & Viewport Settings

The Global Viewport panel controls the spatial alignment of the entire generator setup. Here, you define rotation axes, visibility, and global offsets.

GIF showing adjusting stand upright setting and global rotation axes

Viewport Configurations

Manage how generation helpers and workspace layouts behave:

Global Orientation Axis

Sets the main rotational axis for the lathe generator. Choose from X, Y, or Z. Toggle Stand Upright to align the model vertically in the viewport.

Base Radius Offsets

Applies a global offset multiplier to all profile layers and array radiuses. Ideal for scaling the entire wheel assembly while keeping component relationships intact.

Hide Source Objects

Automatically hides helper profile curves and external reference objects from the outliner. This keeps your viewport organized and prevents unwanted background rendering.

Base Spin Axis

Determines the coordinate system alignment vector for the lathe engine, controlling how vertices orbit around coordinates.

5. Mesh Finalization

Once you are satisfied with the procedural layout, you can collapse the node hierarchy into a standard, optimized static mesh.

  • 01

    Select Pro-Radial Procedural Object

    Select the active procedural object group inside the viewport. Ensure all details are visible.

  • 02

    Execute "Create Final Mesh"

    Scroll down to the 5. Finalize Model sub-panel and click the Create Final Mesh button.

  • 03

    Static Asset Created

    Pro-Radial will duplicate the setup, apply all array and boolean modifiers, and generate a single clean, static mesh object named PR_Final_Mesh, ready for uv-unwrapping, material mapping, or game engine exports.

Non-Destructive Finalization: The generator does not destroy your procedural source object. It hides it in a backup collection. You can restore it later if you need to adjust parameters.