SpaceClaim Online Help

Fill patterns

You can create FillUse the Fill tool to simplify or clean up geometry by extending surrounding faces to eliminate a selection. The selected region is filled in or healed with the surrounding surface or solid. patterns of:

• Protrusions (including sheet metal forms)
• Depressions (including slots and standard holes)
• Faces (Closed curves on a face)

Components can be assembled to a Fill pattern (e.g. a bolt component assembled into a pattern of holes).

Threads cannot be patterned.

You can use the Undo button, Ctrl+Z or Redo button, Ctrl+Y when creating a pattern.

To create a fill pattern

1. Click the Fill tool in the Create group on the Design2D or 3D model that contains at least one top-level component. tab.

2. Select a protrusion or depression to be the first member (leader) of the pattern. The Direction tool guide activates.

3. Select a line, edge, axis, or a set of points to set the direction of the pattern.

4. Modify the options in the Options panelArea of the user interface that enables you to modify functions specific to tools.

   Pattern Type: GridSee Sketch grid, OffsetDistance an edge, segment, or curve is moved or copied., or Skewed

   Modify the X Spacing or Y Spacing for Grid or Offset patterns.

   Modify Row X Offset, Row Y Offset, Column X Offset, and Column Y Offset for Skewed patterns.

   Modify the Margin values. A dashed orange boundary line displays the pattern's marginal boundary.

   As you switch between pattern types, or change pattern values, the pattern preview displays your changes in blue.

5. Select the Create Pattern tool guide, or press Enter, to complete the pattern.

When the pattern is previewed, any members which cannot be created are shown in red. Members that can be created are shown in blue.

In SpaceClaim, any pattern member can be used to modify the pattern after you create it. If the change cannot be made to all pattern members, the member that cannot change is still part of the pattern.

Grid Patterns

Grid uses the X and Y Offset values to produce a simple grid pattern.

Offset Patterns

Offset uses the X and Y Offset values to produce a grid but also offsets alternate rows.

Skewed Patterns

Skewed allows you to get a tighter nesting of pattern members using individual X and Y offsets for rows and columns.

The meaning of the offsets is shown graphically below.

To edit a fill pattern's properties

With a fill pattern node selected in the Structure treeDisplay in the Structure panel that shows you each of the objects in your design. You can expand or collapse the nodes of the tree to view the objects. You can rename objects, create, modify, replace, and delete objects, as well as work with components., you can:

• Change fill pattern parameters in the Layout2D drawing mode that is most useful when you have no immediate need to generate 3D objects from the lines in the layout. If you try to pull layout lines to 3D, they do not behave the same way that sketched lines do. Think of a layout as a pencil drawing made on your design. When you are ready to use your layout to create geometry, you must project the layout lines to a sketch. Projecting a layout line to a sketch is like inking the line. You can import a 2D AutoCAD DXFDrawing Interchange Format or Drawing Exchange Format. CAD data file format developed by Autodesk for enabling data interoperability between AutoCAD and other programs. You can open and insert drawings, parts, and assemblies.Drawings can be inserted as layouts. You can export parts, assemblies, drawing sheets, and 3D markup slides. or DWGAutoCAD native drawing format. You can open and insert drawings, parts, and assemblies. Drawings can be inserted as layouts. You can export parts, assemblies, drawing sheets, and 3D markup slides. file as a layout. section of the Properties panelArea of the user interface that displays editable details about the selected object(s). This panel is initially displayed on the lower left side of the screen, but can be moved.. Changes that you make automatically update the pattern in the design window.
• For hole patterns in Sheet Metal, right-click and select Lightweight Pattern to toggle a pattern between a lightweight pattern and regular pattern. When selected, a check mark displays next to the Lightweight Pattern command. This speeds up the display of hole patterns in Sheet Metal which can contain hundreds or thousands of members.
• To update lightweight fill patterns to fit the existing geometry of your design, select the lightweight pattern node, then right-click and select Update Pattern

To move a pattern

1. Click the MoveA tool used to translate or rotate geometry. tool.

2. Select a pattern member to move a linear pattern or the pattern axis to move a circular or arc pattern.

3. Move the pattern member with the Move handle.

   If you move an interior member of a pattern and it is not anchored, all the pattern members move:

   

   If you move a member at one end of a pattern, the member at the opposite end is anchored and the pattern is skewed:

   

   If you anchor a different member than the member opposite the direction you are moving, Move skews the pattern.

   If you have a linear pattern in a radial direction and you move an interior member without setting an anchor, then the entire pattern shifts in the selected direction

   Use the Up To tool to move a pattern member up to another face or edge. Pattern dimensions (such as Count and Length) display as expected.

To remove a pattern member from the pattern

Right-click the face of the pattern member and select Unpattern Member. Doing this makes the member independent, so changes to the feature won't propagate to the pattern.

To create a pattern group

1. Select a pattern or pattern member in the Design windowArea in the user interface that displays your model or assembly. Also known as Workspace..

2. Click the GroupsSets of objects that appear in the Groups tab. You create a group from any set of selected objects. Information such as Selection, Alt+selection, move anchoring, axis, and ruler dimension is all stored with the group. tab in the Structure panel.

3. Click Create Group.

   A group is created that displays the number of members in the pattern. You can click on this group to select the pattern and change its parameters in the Design window.

To assemble components on a pattern

You can assemble a component with a pattern member, then propagate the component to all of the pattern members. The component will be copied and assembled to each pattern member.

1. Assemble a component to some geometry that is a pattern member using the Align, Tangent, or Orient tools.

2. Right-click the AssemblyHierarchy of components and subcomponents showing relationship within a design, as shown in the Structure tree. In manufacturing, a unit fitted together from manufactured parts. See Assembly tool, Component Condition in the Structure Tree and select Update Components on Pattern.