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Copy Sketch Pieces

Make copies of pieces of the sketch while the originals stay where they are. It is the Keep original box in the Move, Rotate and Scale panel.

When to Use It

  • Repeat a hole, a slot or a shape along a line by an exact distance
  • Make turned copies of a shape about the middle of a group of pieces
  • Make a larger or smaller copy of a shape next to the first
  • Copy a piece of Sketch Text and change the words of the copy

Step by Step

  1. Open a sketch (see Planes and Faces). Sketching is part of modeling, which comes with the Pro plans.
  2. On the Sketch tab, click Move. The panel opens with the Select tool ready.
  3. Click each piece to copy. Each click adds one; click it again to drop it.
  4. Tick Keep original (make copies). A Copies box appears.
  5. Type Copies, a whole number from 1 to 200.
  6. To copy by moving: type Across and Up, then press Move. The first copy is that far from the original, the second twice as far, and so on.
  7. To copy by turning: type the Angle, then press Rotate. The first copy is turned that angle about the middle of the box round the chosen pieces, the second twice that angle, and so on.
  8. To copy by scaling: type the Factor, then press Scale. Scale makes one copy, larger or smaller about the same middle; the Copies box is not used.
  9. One Undo takes back every copy from one press.

Things to Know

  • The copies are new pieces of their own. They are not tied to the originals, so changing an original does not change a copy.
  • Dimensions and relations are not copied, not even the ones between the pieces you copied. Add them again where you need them.
  • Because a copy carries no dimension or relation, you can turn or scale a copy of a piece that has them. The original is not touched.
  • Sketch Text is copied as text: the same words, font, spacing and height, moved, turned or scaled like the rest. You can change the words of a copy with Edit Text.
  • One press can add at most 1000 pieces in all (copies times chosen pieces). More than that is refused in plain words and nothing is added.
  • A Copies value that is not a whole number from 1 to 200 is refused and nothing changes.
  • Keep original stays ticked until you untick it, so the next press of Move, Rotate or Scale makes copies again. Untick it to move, turn or scale the pieces themselves.
  • Reference pieces taken from the part, and the origin, are left out.

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