Bend

Bend is a 2D warp for an already rasterized image. It accepts a normal image Input and returns a normal image Output, so Text+, a PNG, MediaIn or a completed Merge branch can be curved without entering a 3D scene or using Renderer3D.

The useful mental model is not 'bend a plane in 3D' but 'map source image geometry onto a new curve.' This is the key distinction from Bender3D: Bender3D moves vertices in a 3D mesh, while Bend resamples a 2D image stream.

The bundled current Inspector capture shows Type = Three Points with Start (0, 0.5), Midpoint (0.5, 0.5) and End (1, 0.5). This is a useful neutral reference state because all three points lie on one horizontal line and do not define a pronounced arc.

In Three Points, Start and End are easiest to treat as the ends of the target reference span and Midpoint as the control that pulls that span into a curve. For learning, move Midpoint first while leaving the endpoints fixed so curvature is not mixed with placement, scale or source mapping.

The captured Type menu displays two labels: Three Points and Center and Radius. In the supplied capture, Center and Radius appears grey/inactive. This article therefore records the label as UI evidence but does not claim target-build selectability or exact mode mathematics without a live Resolve A/B.

Radius remains visible in the captured Inspector while Type is Three Points. That is why the page does not simplify Radius to 'a control used only by Center and Radius.' Its exact mode-dependent contribution remains a live-verification boundary; do not use Radius as the primary teaching control until that behavior is measured on the target build.

Scale Horizontal and Scale Vertical are best treated as proportion compensation after the target geometry is understood. If the bend itself is wrong, fix Start/Midpoint/End first. Using Scale too early can hide a geometry problem and make the rig harder to diagnose.

Source Start and Source End define a separate source reference line. They should not be documented as ordinary crop boundaries: they participate in how the source is mapped into Bend geometry. The exact pixel-mapping formula was not live-validated in this package, so the page deliberately stays at the practical reference-geometry level.

For a first test, keep Source Start (0, 0.5) and Source End (1, 0.5), matching the captured baseline. This preserves a horizontal full-width source reference line and leaves the target points as the only changing geometry.

Bend is easiest to evaluate on Text+, logos, banners, grids and sources with obvious straight lines. On organic footage a wrong rig can be harder to read geometrically, while stretching, resampling and moving-edge artifacts may become more obvious.

Text quickly exposes the limits of an aggressive Bend. Curvature can alter perceived stroke thickness and spacing, and edge resampling may become visible before it does on normal footage. Judge readability at normal viewing size and edge quality around 100% Viewer scale.

If the task is only translation, rotation or uniform placement, use Transform. Bend is appropriate when a non-linear arc deformation is required; do not add warp complexity to solve a simple placement problem.

If the shape needs many independent local control points, Grid Warp is a more direct tool. Bend is strongest when the task really can be described by one arc/reference construction and should stay compact in the Flow.

If the shot requires perspective, lighting or a physically readable curved surface, move to ImagePlane3D/Shape3D/Bender3D and Renderer3D. Bend stays a 2D processor and does not create depth, camera perspective, lighting or mesh geometry.

Effect Mask is the separate blue mask input. It limits spatial coverage of the Bend contribution; it is not a second source image, a source-reference line, or a replacement for Input. On moving shots, mask tracking should be diagnosed independently from warp geometry.

A strong localized Bend can reveal a seam or halo at the mask boundary because geometry inside coverage differs from the original image outside it. More feather is not always the cure; the deformation, mask extent or overall placement may need to change.

For animation, start with one primary control. A practical rig fixes Start/End/Scale/source line and animates Midpoint only, then reviews motion in realtime and frame by frame. Several moving geometry controls can quickly make the warp non-diagnostic.

The bundled captures prove current labels and one visible Inspector baseline, but this package does not contain live Resolve 21/21.1 pixel validation. Radius behavior, Source Start/End mapping and Center and Radius therefore remain explicit verification boundaries rather than invented documentation.