Mirror a pattern in a weldment.
Mirror a pattern in a weldment.
(OP)
What I'm trying to do seems simple, but I can't seem to get satisfactory results.
Goal:
I have a weldment with a pattern of structural members. The weldment is driven by a design table.
The tubes are evenly spaced at 48", I want the structural member to be symmetrical. When I increase and decrease the overall size, I want the pattern to change proportionally and remain symmetrical to the center line of the weldment.
My attempted method:
When I increase my size in the design table, the mirror feature does not include the new structural members created by the pattern feature.
This sounds like the solution I'm looking for:
However, when I try this, it will not allow me to select the pattern. I get no error message or anything, it just does not allow me to select the pattern at all.
Am I misinterpreting the instructions? Is this not available in weldments? Is there some other way to accomplish my goal?
Goal:
I have a weldment with a pattern of structural members. The weldment is driven by a design table.
The tubes are evenly spaced at 48", I want the structural member to be symmetrical. When I increase and decrease the overall size, I want the pattern to change proportionally and remain symmetrical to the center line of the weldment.
My attempted method:
Create structural member along center-line of part.
Pattern structural member in one direction, with pattern driven by equation(total width/48 = pattern number)
Mirror structural members across plane on center-line.
When I increase my size in the design table, the mirror feature does not include the new structural members created by the pattern feature.
This sounds like the solution I'm looking for:
Quote (Solidworks Help)
To mirror a pattern on multibody parts:
Under Features to Mirror , select the pattern from the FeatureManager design tree.
Under Options, select Geometry pattern.
Under Feature Scope, specify which bodies you want the feature to affect.
However, when I try this, it will not allow me to select the pattern. I get no error message or anything, it just does not allow me to select the pattern at all.
Am I misinterpreting the instructions? Is this not available in weldments? Is there some other way to accomplish my goal?






RE: Mirror a pattern in a weldment.
As a workaround, you can create another pattern in the other direction and link the dimensions to the dimension of first linear pattern. I just tried it on an example file and it worked.
Deepak Gupta
CSWE, CSWP, CSDA
SW 2011 SP5.0 & 2012 SP3.0
Boxer's SolidWorks™ Blog
RE: Mirror a pattern in a weldment.
Unfortunately when you select a MIRROR or PATTERN tool, Solidworks assumes you want to mirror a feature and sometimes even automatically fills in the feature field. When it does that erase the selected feature. Highlight the BODIES field, and select the bodies from the display rather than the feature tree.
RE: Mirror a pattern in a weldment.
Jeff Mirisola
Director of Engineering
M9 Defense
My Blog
RE: Mirror a pattern in a weldment.
I understand how to mirror individual bodies. That is currently how my part is set up.
The only problem with that method is that when I update my part and my pattern increases, the new bodies created by that pattern are not included in the mirror feature. The work-around is, every time I change my configuration I need to remember to manually go into the mirror feature and select all the bodies I want patterned. This undermines my goal of making a parametric driven part.
Lets take weldment out of the equation.
I made a simple multi-body part:
1. Extrude boss
2. pattern boss disjointed
3. mirror all bodies
Is there anyway to change the instances patterned, and have those changes automatically reflected in the mirror feature?
RE: Mirror a pattern in a weldment.
If so, think outside your box. Set up the pattern in the basic part with the maximum number of instances that will be required in any configuration. That pattern will probably extend well beyond your basic part. The next step is to set up an EXTRUDE CUT feature that applies to ALL BODIES. The sketch for that extrude can be anchored at one end on the last pattern instance. The other end of the sketch is anchored to some point determined by your configuration. Basically you are creating all the bodies you will ever need, and then erasing the ones you don't need for that configuration.
Could work. Let us know.
RE: Mirror a pattern in a weldment.
This will prevent you from getting P1 * P2 5X5=25 Instead you'll just get (P1+P2-1) or 9 Instances.
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