3d Tent Design Software

This is a collection of links to tent and tension structure design softwares, this isn't complete and I'm not necessarily recommending any of these. If you have anything to add, please sign up for an account and add a comment.

3d Text Design software, free download
Party Tent Design
Tent Design Software
Camping Tent Design
3d Tent Design Software Reviews

PartyCAD Joins Point of Rental. PartyCAD 12 is 3D event design software for the Windows operating system. With PartyCAD you can design parties, banquets, conventions, fairs, and meeting rooms. The program can also be used to design residential and business interiors, computer rooms, stage sets and most other spaces. 3D Canvas - ProSail. Although our main software products are 2D patterning/nesting and 3D sail design software, we do also have some very simple low cost 3D canvas programs. These are particularly popular with sailmakers and small canvas lofts that aren't prepared to invest time or money in more powerful 3D programs.

Free

Sailcut - Sailcut CAD is a sail design and plotting software which allows you to design and visualise your own sail and compute the accurate development of all panels in flat sheets.
Surface Evolver - The Surface Evolver is 'an interactive program for the study of surfaces shaped by surface tension and other energies'.
douglas zongker - polyhedra models - Nothing to do with tents, but some great cut-out and stick-together models of the 13 Archimedean semi-regular polyhedra.
ip slicer - A little tool for creating patterns to make the segments you need to assemble a sphere. It does it entirely with image files so you can turn an atlas into a globe etc..
NJIT - The New Jersey Institute of Technology have a small fortran package for patterning. it doesn't seem to work, but maybe you'll have more luck than me.
puzzles with polyhedra and numbers - Puzzles with polyhedra and numbers. In this site one can print copies of polyhedron puzzles (for non-commercial purposes only) and one can read several mathematical articles on the subject.
Vinicius F. Arcaro homepage - Vinicius is a Brazilian engineer developing software for shell and tension structures.
Taylors - Some AutoCAD lisp routines for manipulating polyface meshes, slicing and flattening them.

Non Free

Formfinder Light - Is an initial design software for membranes, this uses a back-end related to EasyNT .
Pepakura Designer - A tool for flattening 3d surfaces to cut out and assemble paper Pepakura models.
Soap Skin & Bubble - A sketchup plugin for designing membrane structures.
Tess3D - The new Kurvenbau lightweight structure design software Tess3D is under development.
Ligno3D - Ligno3D Designer is a CAD program that specialises in complex polyhedral objects. Click a button for 'unwrapped' 2D plans of all faces, with precise dimensions, diagonals and dihedral angles.
TouchCAD - TouchCAD 3.0 is a combined 3D modeling and unfolding program focusing on the ability to generate complex 3D shapes and converting them into physically buildable models.
tecnun - Not yet available, though it appears to feature: Tensile membranes design stages, from conception to realization. Analysis of prestressed nets and cables. Formfinding of double-curved structures. formfinding software for tensile structures design. Surface fitting for tensile Structures models.
MPanel - MPanel incorporates a set of design tools into a user friendly interface to assist tensile fabric designers. MPanel works inside AutoCAD as a floating tool bar, and manipulates your AutoCAD drawing from the initial relaxation of a mesh to the final production panels for you to send to your plotter or cutter.
Compad - Tentnology in the states, sell a program called 'Compad' for tent design/patterning.
EasyNT - From germany, Technet produce 'Easy' 'formfinding, non-linear load analysis and cutting pattern generation for membrane structures'. As well as a cheaper package called Isimem/Cadisi for conceptual design. This software is based on various University work from Stuttgart and Berlin. There is a demo version to download on their site.
Patterner for Windows - This is written by me (Bruno), Patterner uses geometrical form-finding to produce surfaces for pattern generation, you can download a demo version from this link.
Surface - From New Zealand, Surface is a program that allows you to create your 3D tent membrane shape and then works out the shape of the panels that can be cut out and joined together to form that 3D shape.
WinFAB/WinCable - This is a suite of programs, there is a demo download available. Software includes 'WinCable - Geometric non-linear analysis of cablenet roofs. WinFAB - Cable and Membrane Design, form finding, FE analysis and patterning. WinSSDM - Space Structures Design and Manufacturing Program.'
Alias Wavefront Maya cloth - Not a tent design product. But interesting fabric type stuff.
BirdAir-Lite - This is by Bird-air in the states. Though apparently no-longer for sale.
ForTen 32 & TensoCAD - ForTen 32 is a full system for tensile structure design, analysis and pattern making. TensoCAD is a powerful tool for membrane concept design fully compatible with forten. Trial downloads are avaiable at www.forten32.com
MONSTR-2.2 - MONSTR, The name 'MONSTR' is abbreviation of 'soft inflatable structures' (in Russian). 'The program is designed for dynamic and static structural analysis of arbitrary textile shells undergoing distributed, concentrated and body forces.'
Rhino - Rhino is a 3d CAD package that's popular amongst people who work with complex curved surfaces
Shape Studio - Shape studio is an academic project, I don't know if there is a version generally available.
Sofistik - Sofistik sell various engineering analysis software including a combined membrane/steel package.
Steel&FabricCad - Steel&FabricCad is based on Window's user interface:dialog-box, toolbars, menus, icon make it very simple to use. Steel&FabricCad is an integrated system with internal database of steel sections,cables connections,parametric steeljoints (about 40), Fabricjoints (About 25).These databases can be edited by user. Steel&FabricCad consists of various modules, which interact each other
Touch-3D information page - 3D-modeling software with integrated unfolding/unwrapping features, which an unfold just about anything.
TS-Form - Tensys Limited (no web-site) in Bath UK, have TS-Form Surface Form 'generator for pre-stressed membrane structures. A tool for engineers and architects to aid initial design'. I have no idea whether this is for sale. Contact: 7A Northumberland Bldg. Queen Square Bath, BAI 2JB England

Comments

Please tell me how to unfold 3D object to get the exact dimensions of the parts. Im trying to project a tent. I tryed TOUCHCAD, but it is not good for me, and is the only software that does.

Thanks!

Yuri

soft for patterning http://www.laminadesign.com/

Formfinder Light is a design software that is as easy to operate as a sheet of paper and a pencil. For more information please visit: http://www.formfinder.at/

Blinds and shutters for indoors and out: http://www.shadesshuttersblinds.com/Venetian-blinds.asphttp://www.shadesshuttersblinds.comhttp://www.shadesshuttersblinds.com/metal-blinds.asp

GSA Fabric http://www.oasys-software.com/gsa includes dynamic relaxation form finding for fabrics using soap-film, cable-nets using force-density, and tension/compression only structures using applied forces, as well as non-linear static analysis amongst other options

Rhino Membrane – Tensile structure conceptual design: Rhino Membrane is an application with one of the most powerful form-finding strategies available today. Using a Fea (Finite Element Analysis) model it is able to relax any mesh into a stressed surface in equilibrium with positive stress fields only. Using sparse matrix strategies it is fast and reliable and any shape from conventional hypar, minimal surfaces and pneumatic cushions can be modeled.

You can download a free demo from http://www.ixcube.com

an online community joining tent and fabric structure software manufacturers from all over the world http://fstructures.com , you can join it for free.

There is very good software K3-Tent for tensile structures design (see http://tent.k3-cottage.com/) It has free trial version with full functionality. One can model and cut out any complex tensile structure with it very easy

This document was last modified on 2011-02-27 22:45:44.
Bruno Postle

Tensile fabric structure designers can now have a complete set of tools, running in industry standard CAD software, AutoCAD® or Rhinoceros®.

3d Text Design software, free download

MPanel-Pro is our flagship product providing 3D form finding and 2D patterning Windows software for tension fabric structures, working as an add on toolbar in AutoCAD and Rhino.

MPanel-Design is the Lite version without the 2D patterning tools.

The MPanel-Pro toolbar provides a set of design tools in a user friendly interface to assist tensile fabric structure designers. These tools allows you to manipulate your CAD drawing from the initial relaxation of a mesh to the final production panels to send to your plotter or cutter.

MPanel-Pro was developed to assist tensile fabric structure designers, but works equally well on other projects, such as tents, awnings, exhibition stands, and inflatable structures.

Because it works with AutoCAD and Rhino, there is no need to learn a complete new CAD environment so you can leverage your CAD skills and you will be up and running in a very short time.

MPanel Getting Started

The drawings below can be downloaded to your computer and looked at in your CAD package. These drawings illustrate some of the basic uses of MPanel.

Tutorial	Files	Summary
Standard Tutorial	AutoCAD Rhino	The standard tutorial for learning MPanel, as shipped on demo CD’s. Consists of a starter drawing, with prototype structures, a MS Word document to describe the operations needed to complete the drawing, and a copy of the finished drawing.
Ten Steps to an MPanel Project	AutoCAD Rhino	A step by step tutorial showing how to design a cone tent using MPanel.
Formfinding Options	AutoCAD	Deciding on which relaxation method to use is sometimes confusing. This tutorial shows the difference between Fixed Edge, Cable Edge, and Joined Edge relaxations.

MPanel Formfinding

Follow the links to download a zip file containing the drawing in AutoCAD or Rhino

Tutorial	Files	Summary
Fixed Edge Sail	AutoCAD Rhino	Shows a method to design a sail structure with one fixed edge and 3 catenary edges.
Fixed Edge Cone	AutoCAD Rhino	How to design a cone tent with fixed edges. Illustrates how to use MPanel to fix the eaves on a double cone tent structure.
Change Mesh Density	AutoCAD Rhino	Shows mesh density being changed to refine a cone tent. Change Mesh Density can be a great time saver, allowing the initial design to be drawn out with very coarse meshes that require little construction time and allow MPanel to relax the forms quickly. When the design is further along the meshes can be increased in density and then re-relaxed, to obtain a high definition drawing.
Square Sail Droop Control	AutoCAD Rhino	Looks at the problems of adjusting the droop of a square sail with high/low points. There is a peculiarity of an exactly square sail on a symmetrical frame, that adjusting the weft/warp ratio does not adjust the droop of the sail. This drawing explains that issue, and offers a solution to the problem.
Embedded Cables	AutoCAD Rhino	How to use embedded cables to carry some of the loads in a cone tent design.
Half Dome Awning	AutoCAD Rhino	Creating an awning cover with some double curvature on a half dome. Framed structures, which are sometimes made without double curvature, benefit in strength and rigidity if they are designed with double curvature. This drawing illustrates working over a simple entry way awning.
Cable Structures	AutoCAD Rhino	Looks at designing cable reinforced structures as an alternative to stressed skin structures using MPanel.

MPanel Paneling

Follow the link to download a zip file containing the drawing in AutoCAD or Rhino

Tutorial	Files	Summary
Standard Panel Handling	AutoCAD Rhino	Shows the standard panel handling used by MPanel to take a set of panels from the 3D model, into panels with compensation, seams, and production annotation.
Paneling Using Cross Sections	AutoCAD Rhino	Shows making panels by using cross sections, which gives complete control over seam placement and panel widths.
Seam Allowances	AutoCAD Rhino	MPanel allows different types of seam allowances, depending on your assembly method. This tutorial describes how to apply those seam allowances.
Geodesic Seams	AutoCAD Rhino	Creating geodesic seams on a saddle tent. Geodesic seams are often used to minimize seam lengths and create substantially rectangular panels. MPanel can create geodesic seams from any boundary points over any number of meshes, and can then turn the seam lines into a new mesh, to ease paneling.
Specified Width Panels	AutoCAD Rhino	How to make panels of a specified width. Illustrates working from a geometrically fixed seam to produce a series of specified width panels.
Merging Panels	AutoCAD Rhino	Looks at the issues involved in merging panels, and shows how the shearing error occurs. Merging is a powerful technique for joining panels together and achieving panel end curvature, but it has implications in the way the fabric stress relaxes that need to be understood. This drawing illustrates those issues for a simple hoop structure.
Diagonal Seams	AutoCAD Rhino	Creates a set of panels running diagonally on a square sail. Diagonal seams are required for aesthetic or structural reasons, and MPanel can create them nicely, although there are difficulties with the corner triangular panels. This drawing illustrates the process.
Calculating Compensation	This pdf explains the procedure for calculating the compensation on panels.

MPanel Advanced

Tutorial	Files	Summary	Thumbnail
Deep Catenary	AutoCAD Rhino	Deep catenaries can be used for entrance arches, shade tents, sculptural effects, etc. This drawing shows how to develop deep catenaries without running into meshing problems.
Advanced Cone Tent	AutoCAD Rhino	Shows how to build up a cone tent based on an outline frame, with different mesh MSurf on individual meshes. This is needed if the cone tent perimeter shape is irregular, to keep an even mesh density.
Single Sheet Modeling	AutoCAD	The method of modeling using a single sheet over several constraints. This was an earlier modeling technique, used before the capability to relax multiple meshes arrived. For some fabric shapes it is difficult to think of a reasonable multiple set of meshes to define the structure, and so this drawing details the old method.
Modular Tent	AutoCAD Rhino	How to design a modular structure, so that you can add any number of central sections to create different length designs.
Advanced Compensation	AutoCAD	Ordinary compensation or shrink methods work for most situations, but MPanel’s compensation can be tailored to fit special circumstances. This drawing illustrates methods for variable compensation, partial decompensation, and changing compensation across the panel.
Natural Pole Angle	AutoCAD	Illustrates the method to find the natural top ring position and pole angle for a cone tent. Uses a structure of links to allow top ring to relax to it’s natural position.	/td>
Stress Estimation	AutoCAD Imp ACAD Metric Rhino IMP Rhino Metric	A basic introduction to stress estimation in a cone tent example. Covers membrane stress variations, cable loads and anchor loads.
Inflated Structures	AutoCAD	MPanel has a limited capability to handle inflated structures. This drawing illustrates that capability.
Design Checklist	AutoCAD Rhino	When you have completed your design, you might want to go through these steps to help avoid any errors. This is also a useful reference page when you are having problems manipulating your designs with MPanel.
Using Links	AutoCAD	This drawing will explore using link models with MPanel. Links can be Guys, that try to maintain their length, or cable links, that maintain fixed tension
Determining Pre-Stress	AutoCAD Imp ACAD Metric	This example takes a simple shape and shows how the fabric stress is affected by wind and snow loads. It provides an estimate of the required fabric pre-stress, and so provides the information needed to detect a suitable material.

MPanel Videos

Using MPanel with AutoCAD

Using MPanel with Rhino

Minor Updates

Version 25.2 minor bug with cross-sections fixed

Version 25.1 maintenance release:

DXF output tool has been updated to allow for different dxf file versions to be selected to suit different plotter/cutter requirements
Minor bug repairs

Version change log

MPanel-Pro v25 summary of new features:
'Add Edge Mesh' tool updated to filter for edges so the CAD pick box ignores meshes or text.
'Make panel from single entity' converts a single closed entity (circle, polygon, spline blob) into an MPanel standard panel.
'Mirror mesh' takes some meshes (and 3dpolys and lines) and mirrors it while keeping the correct mesh orientation.
'Join meshes tool' now works when joining meshes with different mesh density.
Cross section tool now includes a new option called 'Snap extra cross sections to points'.
The Poly Conversion tool now includes a new tool called 'colour mark duplicates' to mark duplicate polys for deletion.
Extended data has been substanitially updated and is now shown in property grid style.
Other improvements include more consistent mesh naming - all meshes are now named M1, M2, M3.
Users prompted to 'panel across mesh' when panelling a mesh which has no left or right sides.

Party Tent Design

MPanel-Pro v24 summary of new features:
Build model
Advanced conic
now works on multiple circle-poly pairs, and joined meshes have same msurf
Poly float constraints
New poly constraint that defines the end of a cable for modelling calculations.
Corner plate and corner disk
cable lengths including corner cable corrections provided in physical info report.
Visualization tools
Hole in mesh
Hole in mesh for visualization
Panel seams and numbers
Plot model with main seams and panel numbers superimposed on model
Panelling
Panel numbers
Panel Numbers shown in the MPanel text window are now the Panel ID numbers
Panel multiple meshes
Panel multiple meshes now arranges the panels in a defined order
Modify a panel
Cutout tool
Panel cutout tool added to Panel Modifications
Panel maniputlation
Seam Allowance
Added Panels marked on underside swaps lap-over/lap-under
Utility tools
Mesh to Poly
Added mesh diagonals to polylines
Convert Poly's
Added convert poly to lines
General
Corner Angle
corner angle in physical report in the info tool
Object order - Rhino only
Push old objects to back of view in Rhino

Tent Design Software

With this release we are dropping support for versions of MPanel that connect to AutoCAD prior to 2010.
The MPanel Icon and the button images are all changing.
The new features include:
Site Layout
Draw 3,4,5 and 6 sided frames (previously was only 3 and 4)
optionally can draw the poles as well as the frame
optionally can import example measurements
Parametric site library
will read a 3D stick drawing made with coloured lines
and produce a library file with parameters named after the line colours
the parameters can then be given friendly names
the library file can be drawn out (with changed parameters) as coloured polys.
Build model
Draw conic
optionally the bottom frame can now be a circular polyline
Poly float constraints
additional constraint to allow poles on a hypar to lean directly way from the pole top force during relaxation
Orient to XY
additional methods to
orient each mesh to be reasonably flay in XY, with the mesh warp direction preserved
as above and also space the meshes apart in XY so that they don't overlap
Panelling
Panel complete mesh
now allows panelling of multiple meshes at once
and the panelling speed when there are detail points is improved
Arrange panels
Nesting
converted to use new nesting engine
panel warp direction is now assumed to be along the panel mid line
the linear resolution is now specified as a percentage of the roll width
180 degree angular rotation can be suppressed
Modify a panel
can now split a panel by specified width,
from the left, right or a center panel

Camping Tent Design

Panel a complete mesh using geodesics improved to cope with more geodesic movement.
Seaming using mirror seams on triangular panels improved
Seam allowance definition for panels that will be inverted improved.
File menu... Fix Rhino 5 entities will correct a problem with some entities being transparent when opened in Rhino 6
Setup file will work correctly if windows controlled folder access is enabled