I'm trying to CAD a soft robot like the one shown below.
After sketching and extruding the outline, I would like to do the individual air channels in the legs. 
However, as the legs are tapered, I can't draw rectangles then do a linear pattern. My question is, what tools could I use so that i get something like the picture above? I'm sorry if my question isn't clear, I've tried to ask it as clearly as I could think.
So far, what I've done is to do it like this.
By offsetting the outer border and drawing lines parallel to the legs, then i plan to trim off to get the trapezoids which I will extrude as my holes. However, this method is time consuming and also doesn't allow for it to be easily edited. If someone could share a more elegant solution, I'd love to see it!
Hi Colin
I don't have time to go into a full explanation sorry, but I would be looking at using a linear pattern with vary sketch.
If you are not familiar with it, I would recommend investing the time in learning how to use it. It is a powerful feature.
Rob, this worked brilliantly for me. thank you!
In addition to what Rob Edwards says, I would also do this in multiple sketches. The outline in 1 sketch, extrude that. Then the cutouts in another sketch.
Can you Attach your *.sldprt file here?
I am wondering if Vent tool (and then Mirror) might be the easiest way to create these features.
Hi all, thanks so much for your kind replies. Will look into the methods suggested in previous replies! Attached are the part files while i was sketching and my completed one using the very primitive method.
Rob's solution worked great for the holes for my 4 legs. However, now that I'm looking at the centre part of my soft robot, I'm once again stumped. Not sure if I should create a new thread as it's a slightly different problem, but I hope it's ok to ask it here.
I'm stumped as this time I won't be able to use parallel relations to do the linear pattern. Would really appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction. Also, why isn't my ellipse fully defined when I fixed the centre to the origin and have defined both the dimensions of it?
Regarduing the ellipse, try adding a horizontal/vertical relation between a quarter point and center.
2 offsets and a couple of trims
2016 attached
Hi Colin
I don't have time to go into a full explanation sorry, but I would be looking at using a linear pattern with vary sketch.
If you are not familiar with it, I would recommend investing the time in learning how to use it. It is a powerful feature.
2017 SOLIDWORKS Help - Vary Sketch