Modeling Tensile Structures with Soap Skin and Curviloft - SketchUp Extension Tutorials

In today’s SketchUp quick tutorial, we’re going to talk about drawing a few different tensile structure designs.
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There are a couple different extensions you can use to create tensile structure designs - I’d recommend having them both on your computer. The first is Curviloft by Fredo6, and the second is Soap Skin and Bubble. They work a little differently, and sometimes you can get different results by trying each one of them.
What I’ve found when working with these structures is that it’s best to start by drawing the area on the ground that you’re trying to cover. Then you can develop a framework and use these extensions to develop a skin over the framework.
The best way to do this is to think about your structure as if you’re actually building it - you can draw lines as if they’re supports, then draw arcs between them to develop your frameworks.
Sometimes it’s best to generate the entire framework all at once, and sometimes it’s better to generate one part of the framework, then use the rotate tool to generate the rest of it.
Don’t be afraid to draw a flat surface to draw your arcs on.
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[@morashageneus5499]

This is exactly what I was looking for OMG!!!! I thought I would spent the whole night figuring out how to do that step by step!! You just saved my life !!!!

[@shubhamvangara2926]

The amount of information you gave in just 10 odd minutes is amazing!!! I am so happy that I saw your video while I was trying to look for one with somebody talking while doing the actions!!! Great work brother! ❤️

[@_flashofficial]

You're the best tutor among all SKETCHUP tutorials in youtube. Thank you ♥

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Glad you think so!

[@mateusochoa8694]

Thank you so much for these videos. You are a legend.

[@cfcesarfilho]

Tks for this class. Very easy to learn that way. I just installed this program 4 days ago, and I could make everything in this tutorial.

[@Messi10billy]

very clear and creative way to teach us these plug-in! very helpfull!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

[@iskandarisokjonov1901]

It was awesome tutorial to learn using these tools. Thank you!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks very much! Glad you liked it!

[@GARDENBOOM]

I love your channel! It is so helpful!

[@kentomi1]

Your tutorials and great and they are really helpful also your intro is awesome, keep it up!

[@revico9353]

Soap bubble animation while it’s doing skin is very nice 👌

[@manickn6819]

This was really helpful. Thanks.

[@gerrycasalamitao665]

Its your another great tutorial Justin, I can say you are the best teacher, You tuber and you have a clear and easy to understand than any other tutorials ...thanks again brother ,I always open your videos , continue your good visions and god bless you...

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks very much!

[@intustudio8066]

That's an amazing tutorial! Thank you(:

[@metaforms-art]

Wow great tutorial! Thank you!

[@benl1612]

thanks a lot man..very clear very helpful! keep it up!

[@_MasiraInamdar]

Amazingly done . Made look curves simpler. Thanks

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Glad you liked it!

[@aarzoojha1744]

Thanku so much for being such a good mentor, I was searching for the tutor and u came as a gift to me..once again thanku so much, hope to see more videos

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Plenty more videos in the future! Thanks for watching and glad you're finding it helpful!

[@gkellett]

Super helpful. Thanks!

[@bitzi1437]

Dude, i hope you read this!
You just ended my 5h search to create a realistic looking Foil between to shapes!!!!
Thank you so much!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Awesome! Glad you liked it! :)

[@bamaychannel1976]

It brings me to the next level everytime I watch your tutorials..

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Glad you're liking them!

[@Arquitectos501]

I made this design in Sketchup and synchronized in Lumion, still learning😕 . 👇 ruclips.net/video/5jxkyD03QEM/видео.html

[@Aainee2sq]

you're so helpful! THANKSSSSSSS

[@sujitsingh9554]

You are the hero that the world needs !!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Lol - glad you liked it!

[@biggles325]

Another super helpful vid. Thanks!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thank You!

[@aweandywalmsleyentertainme4445]

Best Sketchup tutorials on the internet.. thanks Justin

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Hi Andy! Thanks very much!

[@falconlara]

These are very good, thanks for sharing.

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thank you - glad you liked them!

[@xXGreenGamerXx]

Dude your tutorials are awesome!!!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks very much!

[@avihayariel7649]

Thank you for everything. You are incredible!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks!

[@ansaralnajar2407]

I am so happy that I saw your video .....Thank you

[@bichdanduonghoai2443]

your tutorial is totally detailed and cool! thanks !

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@zahrahalward8922]

i love it thank you so much
helping people is an amazing thing

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Glad you liked it!

[@brandonshaw2200]

you are doing a public service Justin, I have yet to find a set of sketchup tutorials as good as yours; as far as I'm concerned yours are the best! keep it up!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks very much Brandon! Glad you're finding them helpful!

[@marianosalluca3240]

Amazing bro, reeeeeeally helpful ty

[@adekunmiakinwande6690]

I've been struggling for hours before watching this, thans a lot

[@dogr3027]

many thanks!!! this is just what I was looking for.
very detailed .zhelayu of your channel ...

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Awesome - glad you liked it!

[@johnphilip6413]

literally saved my life, thanks!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Glad I could help!

[@k-army3345]

Beautiful

[@jiji707070]

So good lesson and helpfully tahnk you we waiting more video from about SketchUp

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@kennethsrensen549]

Very helpful! All i needed to know to get crazy wit shapes! :-)

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Haha - have fun! :)

[@jurgenvantomme]

Nice comparison between the two plugins, thanks

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@LukmanHakim-di6cv]

your voice is clear. it helps me a lot which i am not a native speaker to understand your video content. sorry for my grammar

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Your grammar seems fine to me! :) - Thanks very much - I'm glad you're finding it helpful!

[@amillionangels]

Really helpful video thank you!! doing a uni project on Frei Otto so this video has been a lifesaver haha

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Glad it helped!

[@gwendolyn_14]

u r great w/ ur tutorials. thank u sm!!!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Glad you like them!

[@robertroesch2593]

I find your tutorials very helpful, thanks

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks Robert!

[@ttorroo08]

thank you, this is help me for my next project

[@Thesketchupessentials]

👍

[@patrickdalgety4790]

So So good and very useful

[@christopher4541]

thank you! your explanation is very good

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks - glad you liked it!

[@linhnguyenauphuong1368]

Thank you so much. Your video so helpful

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks - glad you liked it!

[@mohadesearchitect5422]

Thank u for this awesome video (Y)

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@salsalsalsalsal9596]

THANK YOU SO MUCH 🙂

[@user-lr1cs3nc6o]

thnk's justin , i like this ❤

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thank you!

[@faaaaaa2339]

thank you , this video very helpful

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks! Glad you found it helpful!

[@anassaifi9135]

I LIKE YOUR VIDEOS, THANKS FOR THE HELP

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks very much!

[@boutykhroub4419]

nice video i find it very helpful, thank you.

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks! Glad you found it helpful!

[@burakdikmen4930]

you are great man. I like your videos thanks for all ...

[@Thesketchupessentials]

😎

[@jameschang7274]

Super cool

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks James!

[@pathardage1880]

Thank you; I'm willing to start sketchup now. I learned a dozen years ago on autocad. this works better, quicker.

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Awesome! :)

[@dotarch-destudio492]

I am looking for it ♥

[@albiologytamil]

it was very helpful. thanks bro

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks - glad you liked it! :)

[@ivanlaliashvili6029]

Thanks again!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks for watching!

[@GhoufraneGoudjil]

thank u very much this vidio helps a lott it was amazing

[@retepekooc]

Very nice l like your drawing skills accompanied with your imagination. Thank you

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thank you so much 😀

[@andrew_langner]

thanks for the tips - v useful

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks for watching!

[@michael1254]

interesting video! Thank you

[@macwillard]

great tutorial! is there anyway to flatten the generated geometry from the soap skin plugin (or use any other plugin) so i can create dimensions from that shape?

[@knowingchiya3435]

thank you so much
life saver

[@yldztlsm9624]

You are great maaann

[@nicoleduque4085]

Thank you so much~!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it!

[@masood6086]

very nice ... thanks

[@huaquocnguyen7471]

Many thanks my teacher

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Glad you liked it! :)

[@sudhammikalaksiri1479]

tks a lot,nice teaching

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@yogiwepe2352]

Thank you!!!!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks for watching!

[@TheMorrisCharlie]

Hey, I have a question - I am currently trying out soap skin and I am following your instructions step by step. (thank you for being so awesome). However, when I try to change the x /y ratio from 1 to perhaps 5 - the form changes (which I want) but sketchup eventually dissolves the shape as if the x /y factor would have been changed to 100 or so. I am left with a blank sketchup file. I am currently using SketchUp 2019 pro. Any ideas to solve the problem? Thanks in advance :)

[@deniseguillergan9593]

Thank u for this!!!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

No problem!!

[@nirmansarkar]

Hi Justine, how can i export images from SketchUp so that they look absolutely smooth as if they are drawn in illustrator?

[@yanjoe6323]

thanks for video, maybe you can make a tutrial how to make an arc line for arc wall , thankss 👍🏻😊

[@monicazam5242]

Thanks

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks for watching!

[@deepjyotiganguly4433]

great one sir

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thank you :)

[@walchapay1234]

thanks!!!

[@8thsinner]

I'm new to sketchup but I'm trying to use this method for doming a green house on an arc base, eg half dome ish arc on the ground at 30, out to 20, then offsetting to about 3m, to get an outer skirt edge. And I'm trying to add the glass dome front to this curved floor. Does that make sense?

[@natasharathod2802]

hi, love your channel! Could you pls answer my question: if you can generate a structure with an 8 sided circle, why dont you get the same result with a square? Ive been trying to get it right for quite a while. Please help, Thanks in adv

[@bonehead3545]

Thank you

[@ferhate2054]

thank you

[@olenciozuzarte6715]

Hi Justin I wanted to know how you could convert the 3d 8 sided object into a printable paper cut out that can be assembled with glue or tape. Just like converting models to reality helps a long way

[@tomazgornjak3396]

Hi Justin,
prior of using soap skin or curviloft I always have a problem with curves. When I join (weld) the curve and use curviloft everything is ok, but If I delete curviloft and do it again the curve is not welded anymore and I need to do it again - you know this take time, especially if the curve is made of many parts. Can you advise how to weld the curve to remain welded forewer; or as long until I decide to explode it. Actually this issue appears all the time. Would appreciate your advice very much. Thanks T.

[@ravikant9732]

great sir

[@tarpsforafrica839]

Thanks for the video, can you do patterning with any of this software? So that you can make the tensile membrane?

[@jamesperkinsmetalsculpture8303]

Saved this one Justin!
I am currently working with Importing a DXf that was converted from a Vector Image to be Cut on a Laser.
I have an Issue with Scaling the Art.
I had my Laser and Plasma Cutting guy clean the Image up.
I would like to be able to Learn how to do this and Clean Up artwork beforehand.

[@Thesketchupessentials]

So it got brought in to SketchUp, but it was at a poor resolution and needed cleanup before you could use it?

[@penescucosmin8129]

Thank you for your tutorial. Please tell me how can I use the geometry in order to flatten and to make a file for textile cutting machine. I need to select only one slice an flatten it in order to export 2d

[@markgangi]

Thats the issue that I am having - did you figure it out? unwrap and flatten .rb cant do it. I am also wondering if these shapes can be formed out of a flat material or is there a plugin that creates it based on that as a requirement?

[@johnhewinson429]

nice one, thank.

[@Thesketchupessentials]

You bet!

[@indiranaibaho9572]

thank you!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

No worries!

[@davids1681]

I'd been thinking to actually build a smallish tensile structure using Sketchup to model the surface. What's the 'missing part' of the process whereby I'd be able to generate a 2D pattern for the skin to a tent- or sail-maker for real-worldfabrication, or perhaps do it myself?
I like your no-nonsense real-time improv going through these demos. It's exactly what I'd hope to see from a live tutor, detailed enough to boost me far enough up the learning-curve to feel I can jump in on my own without a lot of frustration, yet they move along in an ADHD-friendly pace.

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Parken26]

TheSketchUpEssentials yet no answer to Davids question - is it at all possible ?

[@RealityStudiosInc]

@@Parken26 try the Eneroth flatten to plane plugin

[@markgangi]

If I wanted to make a real tensile structure how would I unwrap and flatten a shape like this so that I could cut create a pattern for fabrication?

[@farooqqureshi2378]

Dear you are great .... love and respect from Paksitan

[@omas8842]

nice !!

[@Thesketchupessentials]

Thanks!

[@markgcarpio2656]

Good day, I have question.Im using curviloft then put material to a plane after that I have import it to lumion,the problem is I have a single material but it was copied/rename in various pieces.how can i edit the material as a single material?

[@user-jh7pv4ym2z]

I love you man
May Allah guide you to the right path.

[@AkinKanicioglu]

Teşekkür ederim

[@kriszenica6920]

Hi, i would like to know how to unfold that tensile shape and get cutting list?

[@jeheni9074]

I wanna make a struktur basic on a Dinamic leaf form.. but i'm give up 😣

[@artianz6143]

glab to found you a big thumbs up to you...