×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Mirroring Features in an assembly

Mirroring Features in an assembly

Mirroring Features in an assembly

(OP)
Is it possible to mirror a feature from one component to another (separate) component in an assembly?

In other words, let's say I have two housing halves (front and back) in an assembly.  If I create a feature on one of those housing halves, is there a way to mirror that feature on to the other housing half?  

Thank you.

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

Specifically... No... as far as I know.

But if your components are truely "book-ends"... You can create the left one, then insert it into an assembly, then mirror it in that assembly. Then the right part will be defined by the left part. Any changes you make to the original left part will be added to the right one. You don't even have to keep the assembly in whichyou mirrored the parts.

This functionality has been around since version 2004 I believe.


Windows 2000 Professional / Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer
SolidWorks 2006 SP02.0 / SpaceBall 4000 FLX
Diet Coke with Lime / Dark Chocolate
Lava Lamp
www.Tate3d.com

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

(OP)
thanks for the help, Tate... that will most likely work.

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

I would elect to mirror the part outside the assembly cause if you use an assembly plane as the mirror plane, it will create a reference to that assembly.

Jason

UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2005 SP5.0 on WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2006 SP3.3 on WinXP SP2

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

How do you mirror a part outside an assembly?


Windows 2000 Professional / Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer
SolidWorks 2006 SP02.0 / SpaceBall 4000 FLX
Diet Coke with Lime / Dark Chocolate
Lava Lamp
www.Tate3d.com

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

With the part open, Insert > Mirror Part, then select options.

Check mirror, part in the Help file index.

cheers
Helpful SW websites  FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

My suggestion will keep the 2 files associated so that future changes to the original will propogate to the mirror.

I never tried INSERT > MIRROR PART before

I read the documentation... I don't think it works the way they say it does.

But if you start a new part, then insert the first as a base, then you can mirror it & accomplish the same.

Looks like a horse-a-piece to me.


Windows 2000 Professional / Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer
SolidWorks 2006 SP02.0 / SpaceBall 4000 FLX
Diet Coke with Lime / Dark Chocolate
Lava Lamp
www.Tate3d.com

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

You can mirror a part separate or within an assy. You can't mirror a feature in an assy and make the feature part of the mirrored part. Go to the orig part that was mirrored and add the feature. If done correctly, the feature will show in the mirrored part.

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 05
AutoCAD 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

Quote:

I read the documentation... I don't think it works the way they say it does.
How so? It works fine for me using SW2005.
Did you select a "mirror plane" before  doing the Insert > Mirror Part? You have to do that to invoke (undim) the Mirror part function.
... or did you use the Insert > Pattern/Mirror command?

BTW, What does "horse-a-piece" mean?

cheers
Helpful SW websites  FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

Tried it both ways... same result...

HORSE-A-PIECE...
As far as I can figure means "6 of one, half-dozen of the other"
It's northern expression I never heard till I moved from TN to WI.


Windows 2000 Professional / Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer
SolidWorks 2006 SP02.0 / SpaceBall 4000 FLX
Diet Coke with Lime / Dark Chocolate
Lava Lamp
www.Tate3d.com

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

"Tried it both ways... same result..."
Which was???

"Insert > Pattern/Mirror > Mirror > Select mirror plane/surface" creates a multibody part (mirrored body within a part).

"Select mirror plane/surface > Insert > Mirror Part" creates a derived part in a separate file.

cheers
Helpful SW websites  FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: Mirroring Features in an assembly

I stand corrected!

Didn't see the INSERT > MIRROR PART the first 12 times I tried this... duh.

Thanks CBL... She ain't a horse-a-piece after all.


Windows 2000 Professional / Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer
SolidWorks 2006 SP02.0 / SpaceBall 4000 FLX
Diet Coke with Lime / Dark Chocolate
Lava Lamp
www.Tate3d.com

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources