The conversion of ion beam energy into thermal x-ray radiation by means of stretched cylindrical plasma volumes is studied by analytic modeling and numerical simulation. The analysis is restricted to one-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics. Scaling relations for different materials are derived. Due to equation-of-state properties, high-Z material turns out superior for achieving high conversion efficiency. The paper provides practical answers for thermal x-ray generation with intense heavy ion beams. Deposition powers in the order of 10l6 W/g are required for applications to ion beam inertial confinement fusion.