What Is Hard Ops?

Hard Ops is a Hard Surface toolkit for Blender aimed at the enhancement of workflows concerning hard surface and boolean behavior.

Introduction | Videos | Hard Ops

At the beginning, Hard Ops was a tool for automating my own workflow. When I first began modelling I adhered to strict modelling guidlines and all quad rules without understanding the why. Robots and hard surface were my primary focus of assets yet topology remained the true decider of my modelling choices and set my design limitations. This ended up causing my models to be simpler without me truly understanding why.

After the creation of the Booltool and it's introductions into my workflow design became more free flowing. This allowed me to become more intimate with form and design since the workflow required particular edgework for concept modelling.

So with all that said. Hard Ops is capable of being used in all quad workflows however if booleans are introduced the topology becomes something you must regain control of when you choose to take shortcuts. Many operators perform basic tasks while the primary tools have been rewritten over and over to obtain very specific behaviors intended to assist in the workflow of robot creation.

In my personal opinion, Hard Ops is the end result of years of modelling by hand and clicking and tapping repetitive hotkeys. It is my hope to make a tool that reduces keystrokes and turns processes into steps. As blender evolves so does I aspire this tool to as well. It goes without saying I would not have been able to get it to anywhere this point without a team of people all around the world. Smart minds in the community have contributed great and small to make this tool I once imagined the reality I now bring up when I press Q.

The users are the true power behind the tool. It's truly humbling to see so many people making fantastic art with the tool.