With a deep breath, Elias clicked the Shape Bender icon. He selected the arch, then the straight line, and finally the curve.
For a visual walkthrough of the setup and bending process, check out this guide:
In the world of 3D modeling, few tasks are as deceptively difficult as bending geometry. On paper, taking a straight object and wrapping it along a curve sounds simple. In practice, doing this natively in SketchUp—without plugins—is a nightmare of manual vertex pushing, rotating, and mathematical guesswork.
Always, always save your file before bending. When Shape Bender fails, it fails catastrophically—exploding groups into loose geometry that can corrupt your file. Save, bend, and if it works, save again.
To use Shape Bender successfully, you must have these three components in your model: The Object to Bend : A group or component (e.g., 3D Text). A Straight Reference Line : A single line drawn along the that represents the length of your object. A Target Curve : The arc or curve that you want the text to follow. Step-by-Step Guide Prepare the 3D Text : Create your text using the 3D Text Tool . Ensure it is a single group or component. Draw the Reference Line
