If you’ve ever tried to bend a flat object—like a railing, a gutter, or a complex trim—along a curved path in SketchUp, you know the native tools fall short. Enter Shape Bender , one of the most essential plugins for architectural modeling, woodworking, and 3D design. What is Shape Bender? Developed by Chris Fullmer (and later maintained by the SketchUp community), Shape Bender is a free extension that allows you to bend any group or component along a selected curved line. It works by mapping a straight “reference line” from your object onto a target curve, seamlessly deforming the geometry.