Best Practice for Mirrored components in an assembly.
Best Practice for Mirrored components in an assembly.
(OP)
This may be a dumb question but I'll ask anyway. We work with assemblies that have a lot of mirrored components. Currently, we create such a component then mirror it. Then we create the next component and mirror that one and so on, resulting in several "mirror component" features in the design tree. My question is would it be a better practice to make all of the parts first and then mirror them all at one time? Is there an advantage one way over the other as far as file management, file space & efficiency etc...
Typically these parts aren't saved as seperate files but rather just as mirrored instances if that makes a difference in the answer. Also there is a mix of some parts needing the opposite hand mirror and others just straight mirroring.
Thanks in advance for ya'lls help.
Bill
Typically these parts aren't saved as seperate files but rather just as mirrored instances if that makes a difference in the answer. Also there is a mix of some parts needing the opposite hand mirror and others just straight mirroring.
Thanks in advance for ya'lls help.
Bill






RE: Best Practice for Mirrored components in an assembly.
How do your drawings work?
If I prepare separate drawings for each part, I want to do only one drawing for each right hand left hand set. I do this by creating an assembly model for the part, and mirroring within that assembly. The assembly has a left hand and a right hand configuration. The drawing is attached to one configuration. A note states that there is an opposite hand version.
I have not thought through mirroring at the top assembly level. It could be messy.
RE: Best Practice for Mirrored components in an assembly.
This method allows me to have a mirror part without reference to an assembly. The mirror part is created directly.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Pretty good with SolidWorks
RE: Best Practice for Mirrored components in an assembly.
As far as drawings, typically we don't need two seperate drawings as most of our opposite hand requirements are handled in manufacturing so we just label drawing as quantity required as shown and quantity required opposite hand.
Thanks again,
Bill
RE: Best Practice for Mirrored components in an assembly.
The danger in having mirrored components where the mirror context is an assembly is that if the assembly becomes obsolete and the components do not, control over the components is in danger.
RE: Best Practice for Mirrored components in an assembly.
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