Pulling a solid model to a 3D curve

[NickBecker]

Hi. 

I have a design relating to eyewear, for manufacturing purposes (CNC Milling) I generally design a pair of glasses on a plane with 3D surfaces. After the material is milled we bend the frame with other equipment to get the desired 3D dimensions to fit on a persons face. 

I use a combination of extrude and Lofts to get my desired geometry from a solid body. I used to work in sculpt mode but found it to be way more accurate to extrude from sketch and do all the lofting on that body. 

My question:

Is it possible purely for aesthetic  reasons to pull that 2D body to a 3D curve without changing the surface geometry of the frame? To be more direct, I'd like to bend the model to a 3D sphere while keeping the relationship of the surface geometry. I'd like to visualize what the frame would look like after it has been through all the final processes in order to present a more accurate model to the client. 

I'll attach my file for a better understanding. 

Thank you. 

[jodom4]

Hey NickBecker,

You can't alter the body you've made in the way you're thinking- basically bending the flat body. The way to get to what you want, I think, is with the Patch and / or Sculpt tools. 

This is a really good video describing some ways of making a flat profile conform to a curved surface: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoeQJikNSp8

[jodom4]

Hey NickBecker,

You can't alter the body you've made in the way you're thinking- basically bending the flat body. The way to get to what you want, I think, is with the Patch and / or Sculpt tools. 

This is a really good video describing some ways of making a flat profile conform to a curved surface: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoeQJikNSp8