Hi
I'm trying to create a pattern on the surface of a part. I can extrude cut and pattern but the pattern is created with a separate file and production process so I don't want it on the part file, plus it slows my computer. I remember seeing a method for creating a surface pattern at some point but haven't been able to find it. Can someone direct me to it?
Thank you,
GArnet
Thanks Glenn, I have them suppressed at the moment, I just thought there was a way to make a surface pattern that used less ram/memory.
Not that I'm aware of, but I don't often use Surfaces. Maybe someone else will have a better idea.
Garnet,
One thing I might suggest is instead of making a cut you could try a boss extrude with merge result turned off and then pattern also having merge results turned off. Then Delete body of the original body and save as this part as a new file. Now your cut pattern and main body are in two separate files. You then don't save the main file but re-open it and insert>body into the original file and do a combine with subtract. Not really sure why you want to have them as separate files but this would be a way to do it.
Eric
Thanks Eric, not sure I follow all of that but see what I can do.
Maybe I should have explained what I'm wanting better: I have parts that will be cnc'd and then laser engraved. The engraving uses a separate vector file so is not part of the CAD file. However I want some CAD images that illustrate the parts with the engraving.
Thanks again.
Welcome to the forum. It may be difficult to answer without more information, but have you considered creating a second configuration of the Part, with the extrude cut and pattern suppressed on one of them? If you load that configuration when you don't need to show the feature it should speed things up.