Plugin Sketchup Shape Bender Better

Technical Overview: CLF Shape Bender for SketchUp CLF Shape Bender extension, developed by Chris Fullmer

• Draw a straight line along the Red axis exactly as long as your object (from the leftmost edge to the rightmost edge).
• This line must be a single edge, not multiple segments.
• This line tells the plugin the "resting length" of your object.

• Create your text: Use the 3D Text tool (or extrude flat text with Push/Pull). Group the text (right-click → Make Group).
• Draw a straight baseline: Beneath the text, draw a straight horizontal line the exact length of your text group. Make this a group or component.
• Draw a target curve: Draw the curve (arc, bezier, polyline) where you want the text to bend. This should also be grouped.

The plugin's name was modest — Shape Bender — but its promise was incandescent: take any straight geometry and coax it smoothly along a curve. It sounded simple. In practice, it turned evenings into little acts of ritual and discovery. Evan's first experiment was humble: a bookshelf side panel that needed a graceful sweep. He drew a rectangle in SketchUp, modeled a simple spline above it, invoked Shape Bender, and watched as the rectangle melted into the curve, its faces stretching and folding like fabric over ribs. The plugin preserved edges and textures, and for the first time he could preview deformation without fear of ruining topology. plugin sketchup shape bender

Happy modeling!

• Pick the straight "reference line" (aligned with the object)
• Select the target curve (path you want to bend along)
• Click the object

Compatibility

: While older, it still functions in newer versions like SketchUp 2024 . Technical Overview: CLF Shape Bender for SketchUp CLF