A new finite elemetn approach is introduced for direct prediction of bland shapes and strain distributions from desired final shapes in sheet metal forming. The approach deals with the geometric compatibility of finite elements, plastic deformation theory, minimization of plastic work with constraints, and a proper initial guess. The algorithm developed is applied to cylindrical cup drawing, square cup drawing, and fron fender forming to confirm its validity by demonstratin reasonable accurate numerical results of each problems. Rapid calculation with this algorithm enables easy determination of various process variables for design of sheet metal forming process.