Circular Component Pattern
Makes copies of one or more components around an axis, like bolts on a bolt circle or spokes on a wheel. The copies follow the original. Assemblies need the Pro plan.
When to Use It
- Place bolts around a flange
- Put spokes or fins evenly around a hub
- Fill only part of a turn, for example 90 degrees
Step by Step
- Open an assembly with at least one component (see Assemblies: Start and Insert Parts).
- Pick the component to repeat. This original is called the seed. Then open the window in any of these ways:
- Click Circular Pattern in the Patterns group of the Features tab.
- Click the Assembly tab, then Circular Pattern (Patterns group).
- Right-click the component, then choose Assembly tools, Circular Component Pattern... (the picked component is the seed).
- Right-click the assembly row in the Model tree and choose Circular Component Pattern...
- The Circular Component Pattern window opens. Under Components to Pattern, click Pick in the view or the tree and click components to add them. Click the x beside a name to take it out.
- Under Axis, click X, Y or Z (a line through the assembly origin), or click Pick and then click a round face, a circular edge, a straight edge or an axis. The line under the buttons reads "Axis: ..." and shows the axis in use.
- Type the Angle (degrees) and the Number of instances.
- Watch the preview. Tick Reverse direction to turn the other way. Leave Equal spacing ticked to share the angle evenly.
- Click OK. A message says "Made LocalCirPattern1: N instances."
Options
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Components to Pattern | The seeds. Up to 50. |
| Pick in the view or the tree | Turns on picking: click a component to add it. |
| Axis: Pick, X, Y, Z | Sets the axis the copies turn around. It starts as the Y axis through the origin. Picking an edge, face or axis makes the pattern follow that component. |
| Reverse direction | Turns the other way around the axis. |
| Angle (degrees) | The turn the pattern covers. It starts at 360. It must be above 0 and no more than 360. |
| Number of instances | How many, counting the seed. From 2 to 200. It starts at 4. |
| Equal spacing | Ticked (the default): the angle is the whole sweep. With 360, the copies share it evenly, so 4 copies sit 90 degrees apart. With less than 360, the last copy lands at the end of the angle. Unticked: the angle is the step from one copy to the next. |
| Instances to Skip | Leaves chosen copies out. |
| OK | Makes the pattern. |
Skipping Instances
Under Instances to Skip, tick a copy in the list, or click its dot in the view, to leave it out. A yellow dot is kept and a red dot is skipped. The seed can't be skipped.
Change It Later
Double-click the pattern in the Model tree, or right-click it and choose Edit Feature. Right-click also offers Dissolve Pattern (the copies become ordinary components) and Delete (Keep Instances or Delete Instances Too).
Tips
- Example: 6 bolts on a full circle is 360 degrees, 6 instances, Equal spacing ticked. That puts them 60 degrees apart.
- Example: 3 holes across a quarter turn is 90 degrees, 3 instances, Equal spacing ticked. That puts them 45 degrees apart, the last one at 90.
- A positive angle turns by the right hand rule about the axis. Use Reverse direction to go the other way.
- Copies follow the seed and can't be moved, fixed, replaced or deleted on their own.
- Limits: 30 patterns per assembly, 300 copies for one seed and 500 copies in all.
- Ctrl+Z undoes making, editing, dissolving and deleting a pattern in one step.
If Something Goes Wrong
- "Insert a component first." The assembly is empty.
- "The assembly is exploded. Collapse it first."
- "Pick one or more components to pattern first." The list is empty.
- "Type an angle above 0 and up to 360 degrees." Fix the Angle box.
- "Type a number of instances from 2 to 200." Fix the count.
- "Pick a round face, a circular edge, a straight edge or an axis." What you clicked can't give an axis.
- "That would make N instances. The most is 500."
- "That is an instance of a pattern. Pick its seed."