How to model Sun Shade Sails

[BraveUserMike]

First off, I’m using Home Designer suite 2019.  I last used Home Designer in May of 2025.  I was dealing with some complex roof issues then that I was able to overcome well enough to get accurate roofs for perspective views with the help of the forum.  I only use the program for designing stuff for my own home so I have a pattern of learning to use it well enough to accomplish a project and then forgetting how to use it before the next project I need it for.

 

I need to add some sun shade sails to cover the driveway in front of my garage and the boat parking in the side yard behind the driveway.  I’ve helped hang some sun shade sails for other people before and they usually end up having to anchor them differently than they had planned.  The sails like to be stretched straight out at 45 degree angles from their corners so there is a straight line of tension from the opposing corner so anchor placement needs to be planned along that line, not along sides.  I’m going to need to install poles to do this and I want to model it in home designer so I can get the pole placement and ideal height of each pole planned out with some certainty before I start drilling holes and pouring concrete.

 

If you don’t already  know what a sun shade sail is, it’s a piece of fabric with buckles in the corners that you hang taught with straps or cables to provide shade and protection from rain.  Installations go from interesting arrangements of different geometry sails on quality structures that add architectural interest to poorly hung squares that look tacky.  I would like to end up more towards the 1st side of the scale than the latter.  

 

I had started planning this out last May and have a design with 7 poles already placed but no sails.  I want to model the sails to verify/correct the pole placement and determine the ideal height of each pole.  I have my survey in the design already so I can trace the driveway which I haven’t added to the design yet.  The driveway surface will have to follow the terrain surface.  I think I remember there being a tutorial for that.  Hopefully working through that will bring back some of what I used to know how to do in the software.

 

The sails will be at varying pitches, each sloping in 1 or 2 directions.  Stretched fabric doesn’t stay square, the edges curve in.  If someone experienced could share some pointers on the best way to model them it will probably save me a lot of trial and error as I work through this.