Plugin Sketchup Shape Bender Site

The Shape Bender is a SketchUp extension (available via the Extension Warehouse or SketchUcation) that allows you to bend a flat, straight group or component to match the curvature of a selected reference line. It essentially acts as a "bending machine" for your geometry.

Unlike the native FredoScale (which does radial bending) or TrueBend, Shape Bender uses a "target curve" to dictate the bend. This means the shape of your object will perfectly mimic the bezier curve, arc, or polyline you draw.

Core Function: Input (Straight Geometry) + Red Baseline + Blue Target Curve = Bent Output. plugin sketchup shape bender

To avoid the dreaded "exploded mess," you need three things:

The true power of Shape Bender isn't just in bending pipes; it’s in the details. The Shape Bender is a SketchUp extension (available

🔁 If the text bends inside out, immediately undo and reverse the curve direction (right-click curve → Reverse Curves).

| Mistake | Fix | |--------|-----| | Object not grouped | Select geometry → right-click → Make Group or Make Component | | Reference line too long/short | Use Length measurement in entity info, adjust curve to match | | Curve is reversed | Right-click curve → Reverse Curves | | Bending goes wrong direction | Reselect reference line (the green arrow shows direction) | | Object deforms weirdly | Ensure reference line is perfectly straight and along the dominant axis of the object | 🔁 If the text bends inside out, immediately

However, with great power comes great responsibility. Shape Bender is an intense mathematical calculation. It redraws your model segment by segment. If your model has hundreds of thousands of polygons (high poly), or if your curve is incredibly complex, SketchUp might slow down or even crash.

The pro tip? Work smart, not hard. Do your bending before you apply textures or add tiny, intricate details that don't need to bend. Keep the geometry low-poly during the bend, and add the complexity afterward.

Without Shape Bender, achieving curved geometry is a nightmare of manual stitching, the "follow me" tool with limitations, or clunky scale deformations. Here is where this plugin shines: