How to parameterize body selection?

[bhsharp]

Quick question: I'm making a jet nozzle with a number of small holes in the tip:

The number of holes is parameterized - it makes one central hole and then the rest are done via circular pattern where the number is driven from the hole count.

How can I do this so that I change the count parameter and it automatically produces a nozzle with the new number of holes cut out of it? My sticking point here is the Combine operation requires I manually select the tool bodies. For example, if I turn the count to 6, I get this:

So I guess two things:

1. Is there a way to tell Combine "Use all the bodies resulting from these two Extrudes and this Circular Pattern"?

2. Is there a totally different way to do this that avoids this problem?

Thanks!

[HughesTooling]

Only make one of the offset holes as a sketch after extruding use circular pattern from the create menu to pattern the surface.

Mark

[bhsharp]

Thanks for the reply - I still don't understand. That is what I'm doing already:

- Sketch one of the holes.

- Extrude it into a cylinder.

- Create->Pattern->Circular Pattern with the cylinder body

So I'm not patterning in the sketch, I'm patterning the bodies. But Pattern doesn't have a combine option like Extrude or Loft do, so I still have to go manually select all the bodies and do a Combine->Cut with them after - and if I edit the hole count parameter I need to edit the Combine step and add the new cylinders to the tool bodies. I'd like not to have to do that extra manual step.

I guess another way to put my question is: How do I say "Cut all the bodies resulting from this pattern from this other body"?

[HughesTooling · Accepted solution]

No draw the centre hole and one of the outer holes, Extrude Cut then pattern and select the hole.

Mark

[bhsharp]

Aha!! Didn't realize you could Pattern surfaces and it would automatically merge them as holes into the body like that. That's what I was missing - thanks!!