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studded pattern on a lofted surface

Question asked by Brock Robertson on Jun 23, 2008
Latest reply on Jun 25, 2008 by 1-9C36HC

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sorry if this is an obvious answer to my question, but i am just getting into solidworks08.

Background:
I have a lofted surface, in which i need to place a pattern of studs, a linear pattern down the "centerline" of the lofted surface, and then i want to replicate that 'center pattern of studs' radially, so i cover the whole surface with domed studs.

attached is my screenshot of what i have. the highlighted row of circles is in the sketch "stud locations". part of the design tree is in the SS.

now what i have figured out is how to build each one individually. sketch the outline, split the surface, sketch the direction vector, then dome the surface.

Question:

I know through other models i have created that solidworks is way to powerful of a tool, and that there has to be an easier way. Can anyone help point me in the right direction?

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Charles Culp Jun 23, 2008 1:20 PM
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Brock,

I think that screenshot would be a great help if you can get it posted. In the meantime look at this discussion which is similar to yours: http://forum.solidworks.com/fo...catid=4&threadid=12276
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- Brock Robertson @ Charles Culp on Jun 23, 2008 1:44 PM
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  D'oh
  
  sorry new forum still getting used to uploading things. time to go FAQ hunting. (click attach file, browse to file, click "upload file" button, the click the green attach file)
  
  anyways some clarity to my question is found in the link, but i am still a little lost, anyways for clarity i have attached my screenshot.
  
  now the polyhedron method would work wonders if i was using a sphere.
  
  i have a lofted surface with 8profiles because of changes in the profile of the loft. There is no centerline down the center. The "centerline" is off set slightly and is my working backbone as to where the highest point on the loft has to be. so one "half" is larger than the other.
  
  i guess what my question is after all this blindness by myself is:
  
  if i make a surface, and then use the split face tool, then the dome feature, how can i make a pattern with feature i created that will run on the surface of a complex loft, that tracks the centerline curve which is in 2d??
  
  sorry if this is a repeated question, i am still trying to get through most of the information on this site and Solidworks is a HUGE program.
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  - Dwight Livingston @ Brock Robertson on Jun 23, 2008 2:59 PM
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    Brock
    
    I'm probably not understanding your part, so forgive me if I go astray.
    
    Are the studs separate parts, and you are making an assembly? If so, then I'd extrude holes through the shell and mate the studs to the holes. That would be an easy thing to model and would show design intent. The heads of the studs would not line up so well, but that's a real problem you'll have to face.
    
    If instead you are taking about plain posts molded inside the shell, you could just extrude to the surface.
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  - Mark Matthews @ Brock Robertson on Jun 23, 2008 4:38 PM
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    Unfourtunately there is no way to pattern a split line. I believe what happens is that the internal face ID's change every time you split a face, so the next instance in a pattern has no idea what face to use for the split.
    
    A way to start to get around it is to pattern a body with the Curve driven pattern feature and use them to create the split lines. See the attached part. You still have to go and create a seperate dome feature and select every face you want to dome.
    Attachments
    Curve Driven Split Line.zip704.9 KB
    Curve Drive Splits.png170.7 KB
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    - Brock Robertson @ Mark Matthews on Jun 23, 2008 6:56 PM
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      guys thank you for all your help,
      
      attached is a SS of what i was able to do.
      
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      done.jpg40.1 KB
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      - Jerry Steiger @ Brock Robertson on Jun 23, 2008 7:05 PM
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        Brock,
        
        How did you end up creating and patterning your domes?
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        Brock Robertson @ Jerry Steiger on Jun 23, 2008 7:38 PM
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        quite simply i cheated like hell,
        
        i rolling back the thickening command. then crated a sphere where i originally had my dome feature. i sketched the semi circle on a plane i had defining one of my projected curves and centered the sphere below the surface, click form solid from enclosed surface. i then created a curve driven pattern, using both my projected curves.
        
        Note: i had to produce the curve driven pattern twice as SW08 would only let me create the pattern in one direction, and i needed to fill both.
        
        i then mirrored everything, knitted my original surface with it's mirror, then thickened and merged solid bodies
        
        see attached SS for design tree
        Attachments
        done3.jpg54.5 KB
        done2.jpg99.7 KB
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        1-9C36HC @ Brock Robertson on Jun 25, 2008 1:51 AM
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        Wow Brock, that is an ingenious solution - I didn't even know that you could do a curve driven pattern by two curves. Very cool!!
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Brock Robertson Jun 23, 2008 7:42 PM
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hope that helps, and if someone know another way to do this please share. because slugging it out this way leads to a few frustrations and the fill pattern command would have rocked if it could apply to 3d surfaces not just 2d ones.
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