You have the tools. Now you just need the software.
Tube Shop by Apex Design is the premier solution.
Everything you need to build cages
Professional tube bending workflow, from first sketch to cut-ready G-code.
3D Sketch Studio
Sketch tubes freehand in 3D. Corners auto-bend on the real CLR of the die you picked, so what is on screen is a tube you can make.
Import 3D Scans
Load STL, OBJ, PLY, glTF or 3MF reference scans. Sketch points snap onto the scan surface — tubes cope to each other, never to dead geometry.
Auto-Cope Joints
Select intersecting tubes. Every branch end is trimmed and normalized for a 2-axis rotary cut automatically.
Nest Onto Your Sticks
Parts pack onto sticks with kerf, the chuck clamp zone and your stick length modeled. See utilisation and drop per stick with a visual layout.
G-code Export
Output nested G-code, STEP, IGES, DXF, cope wrap PDFs and bend sheets directly from the job — posted for your tube laser or rotary plasma.
Depot Sync
Push and pull numbered, immutable revisions through the Tube Depot. The desktop app and the Fusion add-in stay on the same revision.
From concept to cut in 4 steps
Import Scan
Load your vehicle 3D scan as reference geometry. STL, OBJ, PLY, glTF and 3MF supported.
Sketch Tubes
Draw tube paths in 3D against the scan. Snap to the scan surface for precision.
Cope & Nest
Auto-cope all the joints, then nest onto your sticks with kerf and the chuck zone modeled.
Export & Cut
Write the G-code, bend sheets and wrap templates. Weld-ready output for the whole job.
Design Studio — coming soon
Sketch in 3D · bends from your real dies · weld-ready. The standalone studio lands after the Fusion 360 front end — same pipeline, same outputs.
“Sketch the cage, cope every joint, nest the sticks, post the G-code. One pipeline off one revision — so the numbers cannot disagree.”
Apex DesignMaker of Tube Shop
Two front ends. One license.
The Fusion 360 add-in first, then the Desktop app (standalone Windows, no Fusion required — a later release) — same pipeline, same numbers, one license covers both.
No ship date is promised anywhere on this site. If a date cannot be held it is worth nothing to you.
Get build updates as they go out