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Randolf Blankenship
7 years ago
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2 Circular Patterns Tips & Tricks 42 KeyCreator provides you with powerful pattern recognition tools that simplify the modification of parts that have large numbers of identical features. In this exercise, we ll look at some neat tricks that can be used to quickly modify a circular part that has sixteen identical features around the circumference. These techniques can be applied to almost any similar design situation. The file TipsTricks42 is available for download as part of this exercise. Click on the XFORM ROTATE COPY Icon. Type 15 for the Number of Copies. Let s start with a new file in View 1. (The Top View.) Click on the CREATE CIRCLE BY DIAMETER Icon and type 5 for the diameter. Using the Cursor Option, click to place the circle on the screen. Select a new construction color. Create a 2 inch circle centered on the first circle. Then, create a 0.75 inch circle centered on the end of the 3 inch circle. (This is the 3 O Clock position.) Select the 0.75 inch circle and hit the ENTER Key. Using the CtrMid Option, click on the 3 inch circle and hit the ENTER Key. Now, type 22.5 degrees and hit the ENTER key. Your screen should look like this:

3 Switch to the Isometric View. (View 7.) Extrude the 3 inch circle downward 0.5 inches. Now, click on the CUT Icon. A Dialog Box appears. Select the Forward and Back and Through All Options and hit the ENTER Key. Select the solid on the screen. Then select the 2 inch circle and the sixteen 0.75 inch circles. (This is easy since you made them a different color.) Your completed part should look like this: Now, let s use the power of pattern recognition and KeyCreator face tools to quickly make some modifications to our part. Let s suppose we want all of the 0.75 diameter semi-cylindrical cutouts on the circumference of the part to change to 0.5 diameter cutouts. This is easy to do. First, click on the OFFSET FACES Icon. A Dialog Box appears. Type for the Distance and hit the ENTER Key.

4 Click on the FEATURE Option on the Conversation Bar, then on Pattern, and finally on Faces. Move the cursor over one of the semi-cylindrical faces and click when all sixteen highlight. Hit the ENTER Key three times. Your modified part should look like this: Now, let s look at a different problem What if we wanted to extend the outside diameter so the pockets just capture cylindrical parts placed in them. Here s an example of one pocket that shows the idea. We can use the same approach using the Offset Faces Function and selecting Feature/Pattern/Faces and this time selecting the small curved section of the original cylinder outside wall near one of the pockets. The modified part would look like this: When you are done, click on the UNDO Icon once to revert to the previous part configuration.

5 Finally, what if we wanted to modify the part so that each outside pocket became a single-ended slot like the one illustrated here? (Notice the slot slowly increases in width as you move from the center of the main part.) Let s look at a quick way to do this: First, click on the CONSTRUCTION PLANE Icon. Using the 3Pos Option and the EndEnt Option, click on three points on the outer edge as shown to the right. Now, click on the BLOCK Icon. A Dialog Box appears. Click on the Sketch Option. Using the EndEnt Option, click on the two corners indicated by arrows for the first two corners of the block. Then, move the cursor to grow a block and using the Cursor Option, click to position the outer face some distance away from the original outside diameter of the part.

6 Click on the DIMENSION DRIVEN EDITING Icon and place a dimension on the edge of the block. Click on the outer arrow and change the dimension to 0.5 inches. Now, click on the CYLINDRICAL PATTERN Icon. A Dialog Box appears. Select the Solids and Sheet Bodies Option Use the Select Cylindrical Face Option and type 15 for the Number of Copies in Angular Direction. Click on the block that you just made and hit the ENTER Key. Then, click on the cylindrical wall in the center of the part and hit the ENTER Key. Your screen should look like this: Click on the BOOLEAN UNION Icon and select the main part and then all of the blocks and hit the ENTER Key.

7 You now have a modified part with singleended slots. You could now use the Offset Faces Function with pattern select to extend these slots with the width constantly increasing. Here s an example. Hint: To select the pattern of outside faces in this case, after you move your cursor over a single face, you have to use the ` symbol to toggle the behavior so you can select the sub pattern. (This is the Key above the TAB Key on your KeyBoard. In TOOLS/OPTIONS you ll find this under Positioning/Selection. Of course, you could with a slight change of options also make slots that were uniform in width. I ll let you figure that out on your own. Have Fun!

Doctor Walt s Tips and Tricks 1

Doctor Walt s Tips and Tricks 1 I find that many KeyCreator users do not understand the difference between a collection of surfaces and a solid. To explain I use the concept of a child s inflatable beach