Repeating steps on multiple sketches?

[tenmilez]

I'm trying to make cases for my camera lenses. So my workflow so far is to get a profile using a contour gauge, scan that in as a canvas, trace it out into a sketch, then add all the geometry to make the case from that. I have at least 5 lenses I want to do this with, but everything after tracing it out is the same (wall thickness, corner radii, magnet recesses, etc). Critically, the hinges are kind of a pain to reproduce. Is there a way to "rinse and repeat" substituting in a different sketch each time? 

[laughingcreek]

You can do it in several ways-

Make your complete model, sans the lense cut out. have it in it's own component.

create new components and copy the bodies in to them. but don't use copy, use "boundtry fil".

then do your cut out from the new bodies.  you can roll the timeline back to before you start doing the boundry fills, and changes will propagate to every thing when you move the time line back.

You can also do it in a separate file by "deriving" the model into a new file, and then making changes.

If you don't want to keep the shape of the case linked, you can "paste new" your component.  But changes made to one case won't be reflected in the others when done this way.

the first option is probably the simplest. 

[tenmilez]

I appreciate the feedback, but I don't think these ideas work well for this application. Working with bodies/components in a separate file seems to lose a lot of the features that make sizing this correctly possible. For example, I can't add the 2mm thickness to the lens shape for the padding or size the case based on the dimension of the lens.

[laughingcreek]

only 1 of the 3 possibilities involved using a separate files.  Your also adding criteria to your initial question (like resizing the case).

though I don't see why you can't do those extra things if you set things up right.

maybe post a model with an example case and a couple of sketches.  I'm sure someone will be able to come up with a decent workflow once all the variables are understood.