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Circular Sketch Pattern

Repeats pieces of a sketch around a point of the sketch: a ring of holes, a set of slots, or spokes. It is Round an axis in the Pattern tool, used with sketch pieces chosen.

When to Use It

  • Place holes round a bolt circle
  • Make spokes, teeth or slots at equal angles
  • Repeat a shape a quarter turn at a time

Step by Step

  1. Open a sketch (see Planes and Faces) and draw the piece to repeat, for example a small circle away from the sketch origin.
  2. Click the piece to choose it. Each click adds a piece; click it again to drop it.
  3. Click Pattern. The chosen pieces are already listed under Pattern these.
  4. Click Round an axis. Because sketch pieces are chosen, the panel asks for a centre instead of an axis.
  5. Choose the centre. Press Sketch origin, or press Pick a point or circle centre and click a point of the sketch (an end, a corner or a middle node), or click a circle or arc to use its centre. The line under the buttons says what was chosen.
  6. Type Count, how many pieces in all, counting the original (2 to 200).
  7. Leave Equal spacing ticked and type the Total angle. 360 spreads the copies evenly all the way round. A smaller angle puts the last copy at that angle. A minus sign turns clockwise.
  8. Or untick Equal spacing and type Spacing, the angle from one copy to the next. The copies must not go more than once round.
  9. A dashed preview shows every copy, with a dot on the centre. The button says how many copies it makes, for example Pattern, 5 copies.
  10. Press Pattern. The copies are added to the sketch. One Undo takes all of them back.

Things to Know

  • The copies are new pieces of their own. Dimensions and relations are not copied.
  • Sketch Text is copied as text and turns with the pattern, so its angle changes by the same turn.
  • Pieces made as holes stay holes. Open Hole and press Apply to cut them all.
  • At most 1000 pieces can be made in one pattern. A larger one is refused in plain words. The dashed preview is drawn for up to 300 pieces; a larger pattern is drawn only when it is made.
  • Pressing Pattern with no centre chosen, a count outside 2 to 200, or an angle of 0 or more than 360 is refused in plain words and changes nothing.
  • With no sketch pieces chosen, Round an axis works on a feature, as before. See Pattern.
  • Reference pieces taken from the part, and the origin, cannot be chosen.

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