Apart from using an Armature is there a way to deform a Mesh with a Spline? It’s for a Tree.
A spline deforming a spline mesh component is the most common use scenario.
Trouble is I don’t want some of it to deform.
So don’t deform all of it. You decide where the spline goes and how the mesh behaves, how closely it follows.
Punch in procedural spline trees into YT to get the feel of what is possible and whether it fits what you need.