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For those who don’t know the tool: GBArt is 3D artist and developer Gilad Baruch. Edge Decal Generator is his Blender add-on for inserting editable geometry-based edge detail after hard-surface modelling and before look development, rendering or engine hand-off, with FBX export and an optional Unreal Engine workflow for real-time assets.
Edge Decal Generator takes a geometry-first approach to a familiar hard-surface problem. Instead of requiring an artist to sculpt edge damage into the base model or commit the entire treatment to a texture pass, Gilad Baruch’s add-on generates editable mesh decals along edges, intersections and other selected regions. The intended applications include wear, welds, seams, grime and damage, with the detail remaining available for further adjustment inside Blender.
That distinction matters. These are not merely marks produced at the end of shading. The generated decals are editable mesh geometry, with controls for placement, width, material, UVs and generation settings. The add-on therefore sits closer to asset construction and look development than a last-minute compositing trick.
Angles write the first pass
Automatic generation begins by detecting suitable source-mesh edges according to their angle. For a hard-surface asset with many candidate edges, that gives an initial coverage pass without manually drawing every strip. Automation is not the only entry point. Interactive Mode lets artists place, connect, taper, resize, remove and undo decals directly on the source mesh. Generate From Selected works from explicitly selected edges in Edit Mode, while the intersection workflow creates a wrapped decal where two mesh objects meet. The latter is aimed at details such as welds and panel seams.
That mix is more useful in production than a single one-click generator would be. Broad automatic coverage can establish a first pass, after which the artist can replace or refine areas where angle detection does not correspond to the desired design. The software is doing edge selection and geometry construction, not making the artistic decision about where every scratch deserves to live.
Geometry keeps the edit
The generated decals remain editable mesh geometry. According to the developer, placement, width, material, UVs and generation properties can all be adjusted after generation. A layer system separates different edge sets, materials and generation settings. Layers can be reordered, hidden, locked, renamed and edited individually. That gives a production artist a way to keep several kinds of detail on one source asset without collapsing them immediately into a single treatment.
Masking adds another level of control. Artists can paint regions where generation is permitted, use one decal layer to mask another, or filter unwanted crevices. In practice, that turns automatic generation into a constrained modelling operation rather than an all-or-nothing effect. Anyone who has ever discovered that the computer has enthusiastically weathered the one pristine panel requested by art direction will recognise the value. The workflow is non-destructive. More specifically, several generation routes allow source modelling decisions to remain editable while the decal geometry is managed separately.
Booleans stay unapplied
Boolean-based hard-surface modelling gets its own route. Edge Decal Generator can construct a combined decal from enabled Object Boolean modifiers on the source mesh without requiring those modifiers to be applied first.
An artist can retain the Boolean construction that defines a panel cut or damage region while generating a separate detail pass from it. The decal does not require the artist to bake the Boolean result into the source topology simply to obtain the corresponding edge treatment.
Intersection generation addresses a related problem from another direction. Selecting two mesh objects allows the tool to generate a wrapped decal where they meet. The developer positions this for welds and panel seams, where the relevant feature is the relationship between two surfaces rather than a pre-existing edge loop on one object.
Bevels need context
Automatic generation currently has an important geometric condition: the developer says it operates on non-beveled hard edges. There are separate routes for beveled assets. In a non-destructive Blender setup where the source Bevel modifier remains unapplied, an artist can enable Add Bevel Modifier on the decal layer. The add-on then copies compatible settings from the source Bevel modifier. If the bevel has already been committed to mesh topology, the artist can instead select a bevel patch in Edit Mode and generate from that selection.
Triangles and n-gons are supported, so a quad-only source mesh is not required. Geometry quality still matters. The FAQ specifically warns that broken, overlapping, disconnected or otherwise malformed geometry can cause generation problems and may need cleanup. Interactive Mode or Generate From Selected are suggested when automatic generation is unsuitable.
UV pins do the paperwork
Edge Decal Generator also automates decal UV placement. Artists can place UV pins to control island location and width while the add-on handles the rest of the unwrapping operation.
This keeps UV layout exposed as an artist control rather than burying it entirely inside automatic generation. For repeating edge materials, weld patterns or directional damage, that matters because geometry placement alone does not determine how the material should travel along the decal.
The current package on the developer’s ArtStation store is labelled 1.2.1 hotfix. Its release notes say textures and materials are now appended only when their corresponding preset is used, rather than loading the full material library package unnecessarily. The update also renames “Show Active Layer Settings” to “Show Active UV Pins”.
Blender can finish it
Unreal Engine is not required. The developer says assets can be created, edited and rendered entirely inside Blender. Superhive’s marketplace metadata lists Cycles and Eevee as the render engines used by the product.
The Blender-side setup is “faking” decal behaviour by matching the source material. Combined with the mesh output, that means the workflow should be understood as geometry-based decal detailing with material matching rather than a separate renderer-level decal primitive.
Unreal is optional
For downstream use, the tool can export the source mesh and its decal layers as FBX. That is an explicit export capability. A second route can send the finished asset to an open Unreal project using an optional Nanite Blueprint workflow, for Unreal Engine 5.6 and 5.8.
Compatibility text needs cleanup
The Blender requirement is less tidy than the geometry. The main Superhive product description says Blender 5.2 or newer is required. The Superhive FAQ says Blender 5.1 or newer, while the marketplace metadata lists Blender 5.1 to 5.2. The developer’s ArtStation listing also states a minimum of Blender 5.1.
At press time, Superhive lists $34.99 for Individual License – Single Seat, $139.99 for Studio License – 5 Seats and $229.99 for Studio License – Unlimited Seats. The developer’s ArtStation store lists the corresponding tiers at USD $29.99, USD $119.99 and USD $199.99.
| Product | Edge Decal Generator |
| Developer | Gilad Baruch, selling as GBArt on Superhive |
| Type | Blender add-on for geometry-based edge decals |
| Host compatibility | Blender; current published minimum conflicts between 5.2+ on the Superhive product body and 5.1+ in the FAQ and developer ArtStation listing |
| Blender Extension | Superhive marks the add-on Blender Extension Compatible |
| Render engines | Cycles, Eevee |
| Export | FBX export of source mesh and decal layers |
| Unreal workflow | Optional Nanite Blueprint workflow documented for Unreal Engine 5.6 and 5.8 |
| Licence | Software code stated as GPL; seller EULA also defines Individual, 5-seat Studio and Unlimited Studio usage terms |
| Commercial use | Permitted by the developer’s EULA; no project royalty or revenue limit stated |
| Update entitlement | Future updates are not guaranteed; major future versions may be separate or paid upgrades |
| Availability | Superhive and ArtStation |
| Documentation | Edge Decal Generator documentation |
| Pricing | Superhive: $34.99 Individual License – Single Seat; $139.99 Studio License – 5 Seats; $229.99 Studio License – Unlimited Seats. ArtStation: USD $29.99 Individual License; USD $119.99 Studio License – 5 Seats; USD $199.99 Studio License – Unlimited Users. |
