Is extrude along a path possible?

[Danielle298987013i1b]

Hello! I need to draw stairway parts. Hand rails, balisters, and non-symetrical or non-organic shapes. In 3DS Max, I can extrude a shape along a path. I'm not sure if Extrude and Bevel can do what I need. This handrail is the kind of shape I need to make:

Thank you for any help!

[Ton Frederiks]

You may try the Blend tool with 2 or more rotated objects and replace the spine.

[defaultkk0w3osmgh3x]

Thank you, Ton! This is getting me closer to what I need. Can I adjest the spline in a 3d space? It has the wrong angles as it is only drawn flat. Also, I have the Blend set to 900 trying to loose the lines going across the shape. Is there a better way to do this? Thank you! 

[Ton Frederiks]

No, you cannot adjust the spline in 3D. As for the number of steps, the blend will always contain separate objects between the blend objects. Instead of blending between 2 objects, you can blend between multiple objects that each will have the number of steps between them.

[defaultkk0w3osmgh3x]

Thank you Ton, I appreciate the info. 

[rayek.elfin]

Why not do it in a 3D app then, render as line art, convert to vector, and import into Illy?

[defaultkk0w3osmgh3x]

I appreciate the suggestion, I might have to end up doing this. I am trying to work my way through what is the best and time efficient way of working on this project.

[Ton Frederiks]

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/blending-objects.html