Cutting holes through an arc that revolves around a circle

[jem2018la]

Hello all. My challenge here is I created a dish that I need to cut holes in and they need to be perpendicular to the arc of the dish. I've successfully completed this using the Geometric Pattern with all of the holes the same size, selecting cylinder and selecting circular. It works great except it does not cut through the 1/4" thick dish but only 1/16". That's even ok because I want to taper the cylindrical holes and I've been able to do that through extrusion, although only one hole at a time. So this I don't understand - why can I not select all the holes without selecting the dish? But, the real challenge here is this:  I want the holes to progressively go from larger 3/16" to smaller 1/8" from the outside to the inside diameter. I put in the size limits and try to adjust the spread and it does not work except from side to side:  ie, left to right or top to bottom. So I could create a circular pattern one by one right? But then the holes cut through straight into the arc and not parallel to the arc because they are cutting from a flat plane. So I can randomly extrude one hole at a time, but can I edit those holes in that very long process to line them up the way I want after extruding them:  ie, distance from one to another? It seems the Geometric Pattern should work progressing from larger to smaller, but it is not. It is making them smaller from one side to the other. Any ideas? I could not screen shot without committing to a process so I created new bodies and exagerated the hole size to better show the problem.

Thank you,

Jason

[Warmingup1953]

Can you share your file?

[jem2018la]

Thank you for looking into this!

[jem2018la]

Thank you Ian!

[etfrench]

I would start with a circular patten of a line. Next draw a parallel line away from each line in the pattern for the depth  and width of the hole.  Revolve each of those. Circular pattern those.  There doesn't appear to be anything symmetrical in your model, so it's hard to tell exactly what the design intent is.

[g-andresen]

Hi,

something like this?

günther

[jem2018la]

Yes, well, sort of. It appears you solved my extrusion and fillet issue. Maybe my issue was I was trying to do that while the body was connected to other bodies because when I tried to select them all with a selection window it selected the dish also. But with the geometric pattern I had done exactly what you did, except however, my body is arced. My body is arced/dished and the geometric pattern is not functioning as it does on a flat body as you have. I have tried it on a flat body and it works fine and perfect 100%. But thank you for the effort and the video Guenther! I am going to try the method @etfrench has suggested and see what then. I very much apprecitate your help and thank you!

[jem2018la]

Hello Ed and thank you. I was thinking some sort of this approach was gonna be necessary. Getting the circular patterns onto the arc will be a challenge. Maybe create the hole location pattern in the arc profile, create a hole for each location, and then sweep the holes along the path with the center as axis? Thank you kindly for your demonstration. I'm going to start trying this approach and see what I get. I greatly appreciate your help.

Thank you,

Jason

[etfrench · Accepted solution]

Each ring of holes will need to be circular patterned individually (unless you make each hole a little smaller as they approach the center), but the initial holes can all be created in the same sketch.  Here's a video showing the process for one ring of holes.

[jem2018la]

Wow, are you kidding me?! That is wonderful. Thank you so much Ed! I so greatly appreciate the help!

Thank you,

Jason

[jem2018la]

Ok I got it! Thank you so much Ed @etfrench I'm gonna take a couple days to work in Vectorworks, then get back to finish this. I'll share a screenshot of the finished dish. The final intent is a large showerhead and this is the face of it. It took me a bit to get it going today figuring out the tangent process and just other factors than go along with figuring out things lol. I might adjust spacing between rows a bit since the holes will get smaller to the middle so that'll take some planning out. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity in helping me and I will certainly pay it forward in this community. Thank you, Jason

[jem2018la]

I did such a small profile on the cylindrical cut @etfrench because I am tapering the holes 0.10" from inside to outside.

[jem2018la]

i actually don't know if I have it. I'm sure I found the tanget and then the perpendicular - I thought. When I checked the angles seem slightly off by a couple degrees. What is the symbol you get when you release you angled line in the curved body area?

[jem2018la]

I found out how to make the angled lines perpendicular by drawing a tangent line out from the arc, then drawing and make a line perpendicular to that line. Looks like I get to start over. The holes I've made from the circular pattern do not extrude - except through your revolve method. Extrusion is only through a planar sketch as I am becoming more aware. I can do it your way though and figure the angle. The extrusion tool has an angle feature built in though.

Thank you,

Jason

[jem2018la]

I have to play with the number of holes in each rung to get a good even pattern and flow, but I did it! Thank you @etfrench for your great advice. Figuring out the tangent and a perpendicular to the tangent threw me for a while. So incredible what I learned doing this. Some pdf images below.

[TheCADWhisperer]

@jem2018la 

Is your sketch(es) fully defined?

I recommend that you Attach your file here for additional tips.