1. In this chapter, you will learn the following:
Chapter 9: Patterning and Mirroring
In this chapter, you will learn the following:
Patterning Features/Faces/Bodies
Creating a Linear Pattern
Creating a Circular Pattern
Creating a Curve Driven Pattern
Creating a Sketch Driven Pattern
Creating a Table Driven Pattern
Creating a Fill Pattern
Creating a Variable Pattern
Mirroring a Feature

2. Patterning Features/Faces/Bodies
Chapter 9: Patterning and Mirroring
Patterning Features/Faces/Bodies
In SOLIDWORKS, you can create different types of patterns, such as linear pattern, circular pattern, curve driven pattern, sketch driven pattern, table driven pattern, and variable pattern. The tools used to create different types of patterns are grouped together in the Pattern flyout of the Features CommandManager .

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Different types of patterns that can be created by using the pattern tools are as follows:
Linear Pattern
Circular pattern
Curve Driven Pattern
Sketch Driven Pattern
Table Driven Pattern
Fill Pattern
Variable Pattern

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Creating a Linear Pattern
Linear pattern is created by making multiple instances of features, faces, or bodies, linearly in one or two linear directions.

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To create a linear pattern, click on the Linear Pattern tool in the Features CommandManager. The Linear Pattern PropertyManager appears.

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Features and Faces
The Features and Faces rollout of the PropertyManager is used to select features and faces to be patterned.
TIP:
You can select features, faces, or bodies to be patterned before and after invoking the Linear Pattern PropertyManager.

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Direction 1
The options in the Direction 1 rollout of the PropertyManager are used to create multiple instances or copies of selected features, faces, or bodies in Direction 1.

8. Pattern Direction
The Pattern Direction field is used to specify the direction of the pattern.

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Spacing and instances
The Spacing field is used to specify spacing between two pattern instances.
The Number of Instances field is used to specify the number of instances to be created in the direction of the pattern.
Reverse Direction
The Reverse Direction button is used to reverse the direction of pattern.
Up to reference
On selecting the Up to reference radio button, the options of the Direction 1 rollout appear as shown in figure.

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Reference Geometry
The Reference Geometry field is used to select a reference geometry, which controls the pattern based on the number of pattern instances or spacing specified.

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Note that on modifying the reference geometry, the respective pattern also gets modified automatically by adjusting the number of instances or spacing between instances. Given figure shows a preview as well as the resultant linear pattern with a vertex selected as the reference geometry and the spacing between pattern instances defined as 15 mm.
Offset distance
Centroid
Selected reference
Set Spacing
Set Number of Instances

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Direction 2
The options in the Direction 2 rollout are used to create multiple instances of the selected feature in Direction 2.

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Pattern seed only
On selecting the Pattern seed only check box, a pattern is created such that only the seed/parent feature is patterned and the replication the pattern instances of the Direction 1 is not created.

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Instances to Skip
The Instances to Skip rollout is used to skip some of the instances of the pattern.

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Vary sketch
The Vary sketch check box is used to vary pattern instances of a pattern with respect to a path.

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Geometry pattern

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Propagate visual properties
By default, this check box is selected. As a result, all the visual properties such as colors, textures, and cosmetic thread of the parent feature are propagated to all the instances of the pattern.
Full preview and Partial preview
The Full preview and Partial preview radio buttons are used to display full and partial previews of the pattern in the graphics area, respectively.

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Instances to Vary
The Instances to Vary rollout is used to create a pattern with incremental spacing between pattern instances in Direction 1 and Direction 2. Besides creating a pattern with incremental spacing between instances, you can also vary the geometry of instances.

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Direction 1 Increments
The Direction 1 Increments area of this rollout is used to specify incremental spacing between pattern instances and incremental dimensions such as diameter and height of the pattern feature in Direction 1.
Direction 1 Spacing Increment

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Choose Feature dimensions to vary in Direction 1
Direction 2 Increments
The Direction 2 Increments area is used to specify the incremental spacing between pattern instances and incremental dimensions in Direction 2.

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Creating a Circular Pattern
A circular pattern is created by making multiple instances of features, faces, or bodies, circularly around an axis.

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To create a circular pattern, click on the down arrow in the Linear Pattern tool. The Pattern flyout appears.

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Features and Faces
The Features and Faces rollout is used to select the features or faces to be patterned, circularly around an axis.
Direction 1
The options in the Direction 1 rollout are used to specify parameters for creating circular pattern in Direction 1 around a pattern axis. The options are as follows:
Pattern Axis
The Pattern Axis field is used to select an axis around which you want to create a circular pattern.

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Angle
The Angle field is used to specify the angle value between pattern instances.
Number of Instances
The Number of Instances field is used to specify the number of instances to be created in pattern.
Reverse Direction
The Reverse Direction button is used to reverse the angle of rotation.

25. Direction 2
The options in the Direction 2 rollout are used to specify parameters for creating a circular pattern in Direction 2 around the pattern axis.

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Creating a Curve Driven Pattern
A curve driven pattern is created by making multiple instances of features, faces, or bodies along a curve.

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To create a curve driven pattern, click on the down arrow in the Linear Pattern tool. The Pattern flyout appears. In this flyout, click on the Curve Driven Pattern tool. The Curve Driven Pattern PropertyManager appears.

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Features and Faces
The Features and Faces rollout of the PropertyManager is used to select features or faces to be patterned.
Direction 1
The options in the Direction 1 rollout are used to select a driving curve and specify parameters for creating a curve driven pattern in the Direction 1.
Pattern Direction
The Pattern Direction field is used to select a curve as the path for driving pattern instances.

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Number of Instances
The Number of Instances field is used to specify number of instances in a pattern.
Equal spacing
When the Equal spacing check box is selected, the spacing among all pattern instances is equally arranged in accordance with the total length of the curve selected.
Reverse Direction
This button is used to reverse the direction of pattern.

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Curve method
The Curve method area is used to select a method for transforming pattern instances along the curve.

31. Alignment method
The Alignment method area is used to specify an alignment method for aligning pattern instances along the curve.
Tangent to curve

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Align to seed
Face normal

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Direction 2
The options in the Direction 2 rollout are used to create pattern instances in the Direction 2. The options in this rollout are the same as those of the Direction 1 rollout.

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Creating Sketch Driven Pattern
A sketch driven pattern is created by making multiple instances of features, faces, or bodies using sketch points of a sketch.

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To create a sketch driven pattern, invoke the Pattern flyout and then click on the Sketch Driven Pattern tool. The Sketch Driven Pattern PropertyManager appears .

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Features and Faces
The Features and Faces rollout of the PropertyManager is used to select the features or faces to be patterned.
Reference Sketch
Centroid
Selected point

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Creating a Table Driven Pattern
A table driven pattern is created by specifying coordinates (X, Y) for each pattern instance with respect to a coordinate system. To create a table driven pattern, you need to have a coordinate system created in the graphics area. You can create a coordinate system by using the Coordinate System tool available in the Reference Geometry flyout. After creating a coordinate system, click on the Table Driven Pattern tool in the Pattern flyout. The Table Driven Pattern dialog box appears.

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Features to copy
The Features to copy field is used to select features to be patterned.
Coordinate system
The Coordinate system field of the dialog box is used to select a coordinate system from the graphics area. Note that the origin of the selected coordinate system is used as the origin for the table driven pattern.

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Coordinate table
The Coordinate table is available at the bottom of the Table Driven Pattern dialog box and is used to specify X and Y coordinates for each pattern instance with respect to the selected coordinate system, .

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Save/Save As
The Save/Save As button is used to save the coordinates of the pattern instances specified in the table as external Pattern Table file (*.sldptab) for later use.
Read a file from
The Read a file from field is used to read an existing Pattern Table (*.sldptab) or .txt (notepad) file containing coordinate points for creating the pattern. OK
After specifying parameters for creating the table driven pattern, click on the OK button in the dialog box.

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Creating a Fill Pattern
A fill pattern is created by populating an area with pattern instances. In the fill pattern, you can create multiple instances of features, faces, bodies, or a predefined cut shape by filling in a particular area of a model.

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To create fill pattern, invoke the Pattern flyout and then click on the Fill Pattern tool. The Fill Pattern PropertyManager appears.

43. Fill Boundary
By default, the Fill Boundary field is activated in the Fill Boundary rollout of the PropertyManager. As a result, you are prompted to select a boundary to be filled in with pattern instances.

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Features and Faces
The Features and Faces rollout of the PropertyManager is used to select features, faces, or a predefined cut shape to be patterned. By default, the Selected features radio button is selected in the rollout.
To select the faces to be patterned, click on the Faces to Pattern field of the rollout and then select faces to be patterned.

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On selecting the Create seed cut radio button in the Features and Faces rollout, different types of predefined cut shape buttons appear in the rollout.

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Pattern Layout
The options in the Pattern Layout rollout are used to select type of layout for the fill pattern.

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Creating a Variable Pattern
In SOLIDWORKS, you can create a variable pattern by using the Variable Pattern tool of the Pattern flyout. This tool is used to create a variable pattern such that you can vary dimensions and reference geometries of a feature.

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To create a variable pattern, invoke the Pattern flyout and then click on the Variable Pattern tool. The Variable Pattern PropertyManager appears. .

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Features to Pattern
The Features to Pattern field is used to select features to be patterned.

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Reference Geometry to drive seeds
The Reference Geometry to drive seeds field is used to select reference geometries on which the selected seed or parent feature is dependent.

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Create Pattern Table
The Create Pattern Table button of the PropertyManager is used to invoke the Pattern Table dialog box. The Pattern Table dialog box is used to select the dimensions of the features and reference geometries to be varied.

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Once the Pattern Table dialog box has been invoked, you can select dimensions to be varied. Once you select the dimensions to be varied, the selected dimensions get listed in the Pattern Table dialog box.

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The Number of instances to add field of the Pattern Table dialog box is used to enter the number of instances to be created. After specifying the number of instances in this field, click on the Add instances button in the dialog box. The multiple rows equivalent to the number of instances specified are added in the Pattern Table dialog box.

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Mirroring a Feature
Mirror features are created by mirroring features, faces, or bodies about a mirroring plane.

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To create a mirror feature, click on the Mirror tool in the Features CommandManager. The Mirror PropertyManager appears.

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Mirror Face/Plane
The Mirror Face/Plane field is used to select mirroring plane.
Features to Mirror
The Features to Mirror field is used to select features to be mirrored about the mirroring plane.
Faces to Mirror and Bodies to Mirror
The Faces to Mirror and Bodies to Mirror rollouts of the PropertyManager are used to select faces and bodies to be mirrored, respectively.

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Options
The options in the Options rollout are the same as those discussed while creating patterns. By default the Geometry Pattern check box is unchecked in the rollout. As a result, the resultant mirror feature maintains the same geometrical relations as the parent feature.

59. Tutorial 1 Chapter 9: Patterning and Mirroring
Create the model shown in figure. All dimensions are in mm.
To create this tutorial, follow the steps given in the textbook.

60. Tutorial 2 Chapter 9: Patterning and Mirroring
Create the model shown in figure. The different views and dimensions are given in the same figure. All dimensions are in mm.
To create this tutorial, follow the steps given in the textbook.

61. Hands-on Test Drive 1 Chapter 9: Patterning and Mirroring
Create the model shown in the figure given below. The different views and dimensions are given in the same figure for your reference.

62. Hands-on Test Drive 2 Chapter 9: Patterning and Mirroring
Create the model shown in the figure given below. The different views and dimensions are given in the same figure for your reference.

63. Summary Chapter 9: Patterning and Mirroring
In this chapter, you have learned how to use various patterning and mirroring tools. Once you have read the chapter thoroughly, you can create different types of patterns such as linear pattern, circular pattern, curve driven pattern, and sketch driven pattern.
The linear pattern is created by making multiple instances of features, faces, or bodies, linearly in Direction 1 and Direction 2. You can also skip pattern instances which are not required in the pattern. The circular pattern is created by making multiple instances of features, faces, or bodies in a circular manner about an axis. You can select an axis, a circular face, a circular edge, a linear edge, a linear sketch or an angular dimension to define the axis of circular pattern. The curve driven pattern is created by making multiple instances of features, faces, or bodies along a curve. You can select a 2D/3D sketch/curve or an edge as curve to drive pattern instances.

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The sketch driven pattern is created by using sketch points of a sketch. The table driven pattern is created by specifying coordinate points for each pattern instance with respect to a coordinate system. The fill Pattern is created by filling in an area with pattern instances of the selected feature.
You can also use the predefined cut shapes to fill in the defined area or boundary in the fill pattern. The variable pattern is created by varying the dimensions and reference geometries of the features to be patterned. In this chapter, you have learned how to mirror features, faces, or bodies about a mirroring plane.

65. Questions Chapter 9: Patterning and Mirroring
The ________ tool is used to create multiple instances of features, faces, or bodies, linearly in Direction 1 and Direction 2.
The ________ tool is used to create multiple instances of features, faces, or bodies along a curve.
You can create a variable pattern by using the ________ tool.
In a variable pattern, you can vary ________ and ________ of the features to be patterned.
When the ________ check box is unchecked, all the instances of the linear pattern maintain same geometrical relations as the original or parent feature.
The ________ pattern is created by specifying coordinate points for each pattern instance with respect to a coordinate system.

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While creating a linear pattern, you cannot vary pattern instances with respect to a path. (True/False).
In SOLIDWORKS, you can mirror features as well as faces of a model. (True/False).