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I've come up with a few ways to do it but they're all hacks, and none of them work with the build modifier.

I want something that will keep the object at the end even when the build modifier is being used so that the object seems to move along with the curve.

I was wanting to make something that looks like this: enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

That way the cube is pointing along the curve no matter how the curve shape is modified. This seems like something that blender should be able to do on it's own.

  • It is, see https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/53523/how-do-i-add-a-non-deformed-end-cap-to-a-tube/53529#53529 – Duarte Farrajota Ramos Jul 29 '19 at 00:23
  • Or you can see this: https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/8750/pipe-with-round-caps-ends – LeoNas Jul 29 '19 at 01:06
  • The first link is not what I'm asking. If I hook it to an object the object doesn't rotate along with the curve. I've already got it hooked to an empty at the end, and when I move the empty the cube doesn't rotate. The second one isn't what I'm asking either because I want the mesh to be a thing at the end only. –  Jul 29 '19 at 01:14

2 Answers2

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You can do it with a little trick.

enter image description here

  • Create the cube and the curve
  • Create a plane at the exact same position as the cube and scale it down so it is inside the cube. Do it in edit mode so that its object scale won't change
  • Parent the cube to the plane
  • Mark the plane as dupliface in the instancing section
  • Add a curve modifier to the plane

This is the start of the curve, though...

Edit: to do it at the end of the curve

  • Parent the cube to the curve
  • Set the curve as 'path animation' with only 1 frame
  • Adjust the cube orientation so that it fits the first control point of the curve

enter image description here

lemon
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You can fix the position of the origin of an object anywhere along a curve by giving the object a Follow Path constraint. If 'Fixed Position' is checked, the 'Offset' field is limited to the range: 0 at the curve's start, 1 at its end..

enter image description here

enter image description here

The roll of the object on the curve can be controlled

either on the curve, by setting the 'Twisting' method in its Data tab > Shape panel or directly adjusting the Tilt of its vertices

or on the object, by adding another constraint to it .. possibly Damped Track.

Robin Betts
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