Well ... there was a solution before 2.8 ... https://blenderartists.org/t/looking-for-a-definitive-foolproof-way-of-bending-with-the-simple-deform-modifier/662429/61 The TLDR is that the only sane way to bend things using the backwards, unfinished "Simple Deform" modifier is to orient the axis of your model accordingly, or…