[Plugin] FredoBend - v1.2a - 25 Mar 26

fredo6

The information on FredoBend is maintained on the Plugin Home Page of FredoBend. This is also where you can download the RBZ file.

LibFredo6: v15.9a or above
Sketchup version: SU2017 and above
Platform: Windows and Mac OSX
Usage: free till 01 July 2026 and then licensed

FredoBend is a plugin dealing with bending geometry along curves and over surface.

The first tool published is Bend Along Curve, which takes a container, a curve (or sequence of edges) and bends the geometry of the container along the curve with various options.

FredoBend allows to modify the bending the parameters, a well as updating the bent container when the original container has been changed.

No documentation for the time being

Bend Along Curve: Preview

Rich O Brien

This looks insane!

Dave R

This is very cool Fredo!

I've installed it and tried using it with some 3D Text as you did. When I click to finalize I get an error. Here's the TXT file generated by the extension. I did update LibFredo6 before installing FredoBend and I did a restart of SketchUp.

Ruby Error - FredoBend Along Curve - 25-Mar-26 07_35_40 - SU2026.1 - LibFredo6 - v15.9a.txt

AISmebel

Hello, Freddo. Amazing job, thank you. I have a question for you, is it possible to save the grid in squares using FredoBend by disabling the Slicing tool? Currently, the plugin removes unnecessary geometry at the end of its work, and it is needed for further use of the SubD.

Rich O Brien

@fredo6

Some ruby console errors

ERROR in step: step_prepare
no implicit conversion of nil into String
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:1194:in `save_copy'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:1194:in `saver_solid_comp'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:2419:in `generation_step_prepare'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:3248:in `job_perform'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:3190:in `job_notification'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_!libfredo6/body_lib6webprogress.rbe:104:in `call'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_!libfredo6/body_lib6webprogress.rbe:104:in `process_notify'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_!libfredo6/body_lib6webprogress.rbe:388:in `fast_process_next_step'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_!libfredo6/body_lib6webprogress.rbe:358:in `fast_process_start'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_!libfredo6/body_lib6webprogress.rbe:370:in `fast_process_next'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_!libfredo6/body_lib6webprogress.rbe:346:in `fast_process_top'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_!libfredo6/body_lib6webprogress.rbe:123:in `invoke'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:3136:in `job_start'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:2386:in `block in generation_launch'

Rich O Brien

This was in console with Scaling set to By Center as you hover a curve

#<TypeError: nil can't be coerced into Float>
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:1953:in `-'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:1953:in `tolid_replica_scaling'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:2004:in `tolid_replica_transformation_single'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:2061:in `tolid_replica_transformations'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:2266:in `wireframe_compute'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:781:in `drawing_wireframe'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:745:in `draw_placement'
c:/users/rclub/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2026/sketchup/plugins/fredo6_fredobend/fredobendcurvetool.rbe:696:in `draw'

fredo6

Thanks for reporting. The bug is fixed. Actually, there is an option to save a copy of the original container to file. This allows to edit the bent generated container even if the original container has been removed from the model. However, it assumes that you don't work on a new model, since the saved copy is in the same directory as the model.

I am also introducing an option for

softening edges or not
removing coplanar edges

New version will be published later today.

GIGAL

@fredo6
It is amazing (excuse for my bad english; i am italian)
Best regards

Dave R

Ah ... So the file needs to be saved before using the extension. Makes sense.

panixia

Amazing. Does it support quads and/or UV preservation?

fredo6

NEW RELEASE: FredoBend v1.2b - 25 Mar 26

Requirements

LibFredo6: v15.9a or above
Sketchup version: SU2017 and above

FredoBend 1.2b is a maintenance release including:

Bug fixing
Parameter for softening edges and removing coplanar edges

Home Page of FredoBend for information and Download.

Main post of this FredoBend thread.

AISmebel

the triangulating line that appears after using the plugin should become soft+smooth. Then the squares of the SubD work. Now the following is happening:

fredo6

@Dave-R said:

Ah ... So the file needs to be saved before using the extension. Makes sense.

No. you can use FredoBend on New models.

The SaveCopy feature is just for saving a copy of the original solid to file (in subfolder FredoBend Saved Containers). This is simply not done if the model is new.

fredo6

@AISmebel said:

the triangulating line that appears after using the plugin should become soft+smooth. Then the squares of the SubD work. Now the following is happening:

I am not sure it is possible to identfy and carry over the quad mesh, because of the slicing.

Could you send me a model and a curve so that I see what can be done. Thanks.

AISmebel

This post is deleted!

AISmebel

@fredo6 I also want to suggest that after using the plug-in, the components do not deform, bend in shape and retain their component properties. This will give more options to the users of your plugin. As an example, I additionally created objects made using the Flowify plugin. It transfers components without distortion, but the components lose their connection to each other, if you can implement this in your plugin, it will be great.
Test.skp - This is the model you asked for

panixia

@AISmebel said:

the triangulating line that appears after using the plugin should become soft+smooth

Nope.
It should be soft = true; smooth = true AND cast shadows = false otherwise it will not work.

@AISmebel said:

I also want to suggest that after using the plug-in, the components do not deform, bend in shape and retain their component properties

I agree +20 on this!
I already said that in the original discussion on Trimble forum and I 100% stand on that.
Slicing should be optional. The default behavior should be "deform only", that would make more sense.

panixia

@fredo6 said:

I am not sure it is possible to identfy and carry over the quad mesh, because of the slicing.

I guess it's super-difficult when you need to slice (so you are creating new geometry with new vertex-order/face-IDs), but it's actually quite easy when you just need to deform.
The key is that you apply preemptive triangulation (with different properties for planar quads/planar n-gons) at the very beginning of the deforming operation in order to stabilize vertex order, edge properties and UV mapping, then you can safely preserve/restore everything once the deformation is done.

I'm not a programmer, but I managed to formalize the whole algorithm decently enough that Claude can execute that brilliantly (based on the steps that I use to do manually in order to stabilize a mesh for proper Subdivision/Uv-mapping workflow).

I achieved good deformations which are reliably preserving quads, and UV mapping with decent fallback methods for n-gons.
I was planning to share the code with you regardless (for review before publishing it on Sketchucation), I think it could be interesting if you could integrate (and probably improve) it in some of your plugins, this one could be a clear candidate.

AISmebel

@panixia said:

Нет.
Должно быть soft = true; smooth = true И cast shadows = false, иначе это не сработает.

I was sure that I was not giving complete information, but I wrote that I knew)) I think Fredo knows exactly what it's about and how it should be. But still, thanks for the correction, maybe this way we will get the desired result faster)

AISmebel

@panixia said:

Я планировал поделиться с вами кодом в любом случае (для проверки перед публикацией на Sketchucation), думаю, было бы интересно, если бы вы интегрировали (и, возможно, улучшили) его в некоторые из ваших плагинов, этот может стать подходящим вариантом.

I would like to ask you to share this interesting plugin. I created a lot of interesting things myself with the help of Claude. It's interesting to see what others are doing.