Linked Mirrored Body
Linked Mirrored Body
(OP)
I was handed a part file today that has been created as a linked mirrored body. Well, the file now needs to be split from the linked body, but would like to retain the parameters used in the linked body. It will still be a mirrored version of the linked body, but no link anymore. Is this possible without redoing the entire model?





RE: Linked Mirrored Body
I really don't think it is possible to break the link and have the mirrored body "inherit" the parameters from the initial body.
RE: Linked Mirrored Body
As an example of what I mean, take something as simple as a 'Block' feature, which has 3 directional parameters, Length, Width and Height. Now if we were to mirror a Block and try to maintain the feature and its parameters, what would you expect? Negative values where before they were positive, or positive values, just pointing in the opposite direction? And the same is true for angular values, are negative values acceptable or do we have to somehow switch from a 'right-hand' to a 'left-hand' coordinate system?
You see the potential problem, right?
I hope you'll understand why there was never any attempt to sort of 'turn a part inside-out' while keeping it's features and parameters intact when performing a 'Mirror Body' operation.
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
RE: Linked Mirrored Body
RE: Linked Mirrored Body
RE: Linked Mirrored Body
RE: Linked Mirrored Body
RE: Linked Mirrored Body
Another situation where this works well is adding a 'Scale' Feature at the end of the Feature tree.
I was once asked to model a regulation Soccer Ball but the initial information I got as the the diameter of a Soccer Ball proved to be incorrect but instead of trying to fix the model from the start, I just added a Scale Feature at the end as well an Expression which was related to the Scale Feature in such a way that all I had to do was enter the desired Diameter as the value for the Expression and with a single update, I could get any size Soccer Ball I wished since the proportions and relationships of various 'segments' which make up the outer surface are not dependent on the final size.
With this mind, I did the same thing a couple of years later when someone asked for a model of a Brilliant-Cut Diamond Solitaire. Again I didn't need to be all that concerned about the physical size of the model since the ratios and proportions of the facets of a diamond are again independent of the actual size of the stone.
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.