In this tutorial, I will show you how to use Blender’s wireframe modifier to make a modular metal fence for your project.
Base
I will start off by using a simple plane that I will rotate around the X-Axis by 90-degrees
I also move the plane up along the Z-Axis by 1 so it is sitting on the ground
I will import the UE5 mannequin to use for scaling the plane – I’ve already made a tutorial showing you how to bring in the UE5 mannequin to Blender
I right-click and set the origin to the 3D cursor so the plane will scale from the bottom
I scale the plane along the Z-Axis by 3 and the X-Axis by 4
I can now hide the UE5 mannequin
In order to use the wireframe modifier, I first need to subdivide this plane so I have multiple faces
I tab into edit mode and in edge select mode, I use CTRL + R to add two horizontal edge loops
I then select both edge loops and scale them along the Z-Axis to form the horizontal bars of the fence
I also add a horizontal edge loop just above and below these two horizontal edge loops
I then add five vertical edge loops for the vertical bars of the fence
I also add one vertical edge loop close to the left edge of the plane
In face select mode, I delete the top and bottom row of faces except the faces all the way to the left
I select the two horizontal faces and the left-most faces and use the P-key to separate them
I am doing this because I need these to be thicker than the rest of the edges
I also select the unneeded edges, right-click, and dissolve the edges
Wireframe Modifier
The wireframe modifier transforms a mesh into a wireframe
In object mode, I select the separated faces and add the wireframe modifier
The first thing I do is deselect “replace original” because I don’t want the original faces to be replaced
The thickness is the depth or the size of the wireframe – for this object, I will change this to 0.01
The offset option determines whether the wireframe is generated inside or outside of the mesh – I will leave this at zero to center the wireframe around the original edges
For thickness, I will leave this on “even” to produce a better and more consistent result
I won’t be adding a subdivision surface modifier to I don’t need to use crease edges
I also don’t need to use the material offset since I will be using only one material on this object
I will add a solidify modifier and move it to the top of the modifier stack
I will choose “even thickness” and increase the thickness to 0.25
I now select the rest of the fence and add a wireframe modifier
This time I will keep “replace original” checked
I change the thickness to 0.05 and leave everything else at default
I will add a solidify modifier and move it to the top of the modifier stack
I will choose “even thickness” and increase the thickness to 0.125
I move these rails back along the Y-Axis to center them
I move them along the X-Axis so they align with the top rail
I then apply the modifiers using CTRL + A for both sections of the fence
I select both sections and use CTRL + J to join them together
Material
I split the viewport and open the shader editor
I add a new material
I change the base color to a dark gray
I change the metallic to 1.0 and the roughness to 0.250