Circular Pattern PropertyManager

The Circular Pattern PropertyManager appears when you pattern one or more features around an axis.

The PropertyManager controls these properties:

Parameters

• Pattern Axis. Select an entity in the graphics area:

• • Axis

  • Circular edge or sketch line

  • Linear edge or sketch line

  • Cylindrical face or surface

  • Revolved face or surface

  • Angular dimension

The pattern is created around this axis. If necessary, click Reverse Direction to change the direction of the circular pattern.

• Angle . Sets the angle between each instance.

• Number of Instances . Sets the number of instances of the seed feature.

• Equal spacing. Sets Angle to 360°.

Features to Pattern

• Features to Pattern . Creates the pattern using the feature you select as the seed feature.

Faces to Pattern

• Faces to Pattern . Creates the pattern using the faces that make up the feature. Select all the faces of the feature in the graphics area. This is useful with models that import only the faces that make up the feature, and not the feature itself.

When using Faces to Pattern, the pattern must remain within the same face or boundary. It cannot cross boundaries . For example, a cut across the entire face or different levels (such as a raised edge) would create a boundary and separate faces, preventing the pattern from propagating.

Bodies to Pattern

• Solid/Surface Bodies to Pattern . Creates the pattern using the bodies you select in a multibody part.

Instances to Skip

• Instances to Skip . Skips the pattern instances that you select in the graphics area when you are creating the pattern. The pointer changes to when you hover over each pattern instance. Click to select a pattern instance. The coordinates of the pattern instance appear. To restore a pattern instance, click the instance again.

Feature Scope

Apply features to one or more multibody parts by selecting Geometry pattern under Options, and using Feature Scope to choose which bodies should include the feature.

You must create the model to which you want to add the features for multibody parts prior to adding those features.

• All bodies. Applies the feature to all bodies every time the feature regenerates. If you add new bodies to the model that are intersected by the feature, these new bodies are also regenerated to include the feature.

• Selected bodies. Applies the feature to the bodies you select. If you add new bodies to the model that are intersected by the feature, you need to use Edit Feature to edit the pattern feature, select those bodies, and to add them to the list of selected bodies. If you do not add the new bodies to the list of selected bodies, they remain intact.

• Auto-select. (Available if you click Selected bodies). When you first create a model with multibody parts, the feature automatically processes all the relevant intersecting parts. Auto-select is faster than All bodies because it processes only the bodies on the initial list and does not regenerate the entire model. If you click Selected bodies and clear Auto-select, you must select the bodies in the graphics area you want to include.

• Bodies to Affect (Available if you clear Auto-select). Select the bodies to affect in the graphics area.

Options

• Vary sketch. Allows the pattern to change as it repeats.

• Geometry pattern. Creates the pattern using only the geometry (faces and edges) of the features, rather than patterning and solving each instance of the feature. Geometry pattern speeds up the creation and rebuilding of the pattern. You cannot create geometry patterns of features that have faces merged with the rest of the part.

• Propagate Visual Properties. Propagates SolidWorks colors, textures, and cosmetic thread data to all pattern instances.