How to pattern items in a Mirror Part

SOLIDWORKS How To Questions
1

I am noodling with a Mirror Part in an assembly and trying to distribute some inserts using a Pattern Driven Pattern. The Mirror Part feature includes an option to include “Hole wizard data”, but I can’t find it to drive a pattern. I tried including absorbed sketches, unabsorbed sketches, dimensions - nothing seems to be able to drive a Pattern Driven Pattern.

Is there a trick to this? Can it work? Shouldn’t it work?

Thanks

Dwight

2

Hi Dwight,

You should be able to just click a hole (or whatever feature is in the pattern) in the mirrored part to use as the pattern to drive your inserts. You will need to insert a new first part for the pattern in the mirrored part. If you cannot use the pattern in the mirrored part will you be able to upload a sample or share screenshots of what you have.
image.png
Marco

3

The mirror features in Solidworks are severely lacking. I’ve always found a mirrored body to be dumb, with no knowledge of how it was formed. (2020SP5)

4

I can replicate your issue.
Despite saying HW data is included, the pattern can’t be used:
image.png
I added this issue to the Swamp’s TTL.
https://r1132100503382-eu1-3dswym.3dexperience.3ds.com/#community:RPpH1wlnSpCDnedv0Wkxvg/idea:3kqawNGGRAuZtSO9nNRoAw
image.png

5

Oh ok, If you have a mirrored part inserted in an assembly than you will not have a pattern anymore in your mirrored part.
Thus you cannot select it. You can work arround this by making the pattern a sketch driven pattern in your original part. (or make a sketch that follows your pattern). Mirror the part and include the sketch. You can now use the sketch in the mirrored part to make a sketch driven pattern.
Hope this helps

Marco

6

I wish there was an option to select a feature that should be copied at the same time you select the body you want to copy. I mean… the field is already there it just hides when you select the body.

7

Ummmm…I don’t. You’d have one less feature in the tree and save about 30 seconds- at the expense of stability and troubleshooting. Mirroring features and bodies at the same time is simply asking for trouble IMHO (what do you do with fields like Feature Scope?). This is the kind of thing that differentiates Solid Edge from Solidworks. If I’ve learned anything in the last year, it’s that “speed” enhancements are often overrated.