SketchyFFD

Use a cage of control points to deform the active geometry.  FFD stands for 'Free Form Deformation'.

This feature is always applied to the active geometry.  The active geometry refers to the edges, faces, and vertices that are in the current editing context.  It can only be used inside a group or component and may be enabled / disabled per object.

Once you have enabled SketchyFFD for a particular object, you will need to disable it for that object if you wish to select and transform vertices, edges, and faces using the Artisan tools.

Operation

1. Create a group or component and ensure it contains faces.
2. Double-click to edit the group or component.
3. Click the SketchyFFD button to create a grid of control points.
4. By default, a 3x3x3 cage will be created.  If desired, key-in a different amount of control points by entering 3 numbers separated by commas. For example, to create a 2x2x2 cage, enter '2,2,2'.  The first number is number of control points along the red axis.  The second number is the number of points along the green axis and the third number is the number of points along the blue axis.
5. Use the Artisan Select and Transform tools to edit the control points and deform the mesh.
6. Press ENTER or RETURN at any time to refresh and re-calculate the control cage lattice.
7. To cancel SketchyFFD and remove the control points from the active geometry, click the SketchyFFD button again.

Tips

• The Control Points will only be visible if you are using an Artisan Transformation Tool such as Select, Move, Rotate, and Scale.  The points cannot be viewed or edited when using any native SketchUp tool.
• Ensure the object is highly subdivided in order to obtain smoother deformation.