Shaping Bezier objects and applying Physics collisions? Logo animation project
First part is dropping chromed tubes on a floor, let them bounce and roll a bit. The rolling stops at frame 90. 

Second part is for the lighting to go dark, and the tubes emit a neon glow. 
Tubes then animate shape into an outline of a frog.


The problem is that I am using Mesh Objects for the falling tubes, but cannot shape them like a Bezier Line. 

Alternatively, I can shape Bezier Tubes for part 2 as I wish, but cannot apply a Collision physics to them so that they bounce and roll on the floor in part 1. 

My current solution is to create part 1 until frame 90 using Mesh Tubes. For part 2 I create duplicate Bezier Tubes in the same precise orientation as the Mesh Tubes at frame 90. I then animate the Bezier Tubes to change their shapes from frame 90 to the end. Any suggestions for a better solution are welcome. Placing the Bezier Tubes is quite tedious.

A partial solution is to use >both&lt;. First the mesh object for the bounce and roll. I put these on a layer. Second the bezier objects for the shape animations. I put these on a second layer after alignment with the mesh tubes on layer one.
Apparently you can have soft body physics on Bezier Curve Objects as detailed on the Quick Noodle Physics in Blender Tutorial Youtube Video

According to the video the trick is using a highly subdivided curve, there must be lots of actual vertex (display subdivisions are insufficient), many of the settings are ignored.

You should turn off Soft Body Goal, and tweak the parameters under Soft Body Self Collision like Ball Size and Stiffness.

Some other object set to Collision Physics type must be present at the scene for interaction.



Also see related Are curve physics possible?