Abstract: This paper presents a theoretical investigation for theform finding and the loading analyses of membrane structures by using thefinite element package ANSYS. The tension structures under loadingusually involve large displacements, so the non-linear theory is applied in theinvestigation. It is found that theresults of form finding depend on the following factors: the meshing,the elastic moduli of the membrane material, the initial stress in themembrane, the stress in the boundary cables and the ridge cables and theirratio. In practical engineering, it is difficult to find out the minimal surface meeting thearchitecture demands and the boundary restrictions, hence, thedifference in the stress distribution should be controlled in a specialrange. The computational results for practical examples show that theeffect of the wind loading on the vertical displacement is significant. Usuallythe design of membrane structures is controlled by the wind suction.