How to curve my mesh

Question

I'd like to curve my object, but I'm considering two options.

The first one is to make the object up with lots of vertices, like a sphere can be. The second is to apply some kind of modifier curve to a straight mesh, as I've understood there is such a possibility.

Here's an awesome pen drawing of what I'd like to achieve:

and here's my current even more awesome result:

Rather non-awesomely, they don't quite match. So if someone would kindly point me to the correct method to achieving a nice-looking solution with relatively low polygons, I'd be much enlightened

Answer 1

Add some extra vertical loopcuts in your mesh, then select the middle loopcut. Turn on the proportional editing tool (O) in edit mode and select the sphere falloff, then grab (G) it over the axis (in my case the Y). Make sure the proportional size is bigger than the object (scroll your mousewheel).You will see a circle that is the proportional size. After that you can add a subdivision modifier.

Answer 2

There are four basic ways to bend your object.

1. Destructively editing it in edit mode
2. A Curve modifier
3. A Simple Deform modifier
4. A Lattice modifier (or Mesh Deform modifier, they work nearly the same)

All have their pros and cons, I will briefly list them here.

Modeling in edit mode
Moving the edges and vertices in edit mode to make the curve, is sometimes the least desirable. After you have bent or curved your object, there is no turning back - it is now permanently curved. The plus side is that there is no extra work, just select some edges and hit G. For a smoother edit, press O to enable Proportional Editing and use the mouse wheel to set the radius for the tool

The curve modifier, where the mesh is bent using a bezier or nurbs curve, is over kill for such a simple curve. While it works well, you will probably spend more time setting up the curve object, then you would using other methods.

The simple deform modifier, explained in this answer, really is the best solution for your particular situation. There is no quicker or simpler way to make a shape like you want.

The lattice modifier, is extremely powerful. While it can do much more then a simple bend, I think it works quite well in this situation.

1. Add a Lattice object around the text (scale it in object mode to fit the text)
2. Add a Lattice modifier to the object and put in the name of the new lattice.
3. in edit mode, edit the lattice so that it bends way you want (this part is very similar to the first method).

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Do note that there is a difference between the methods in the way the edges look.

Blend File

That blend shows the four methods explained above.

Answer 3

To curve your mesh I would suggest to use the SimpleDeform (Bend) modifier.

Using a modifier will not help you to lower the number of polygons of you object.

Maybe can help you to decide in an interactive way the resolution of your curve, but the final geometry will have the same number of polygons as if it was created by starting from a sphere's edge loop.

A bigger number of transversal edge loops allows a higher resolution of the curve.

Answer 4

You can do that quickly with Warp tool.

Make sure the cursor is located in the center of the object hit Shift+W shortcut, move the mouse to get the desired angle and use Alt button to disable bending clamp so the object bends on both sides of the cursor.

Note: Initial position of the mouse relative to the 3D cursor and the viewing angle can give different results.