Selecting bodies created by patterning without having to do it manually

[gmmc2]

When creating a pattern of bodies the number of resulting bodies can vary if you are doing it programmatically.  If you then need perform another operation with all of those patterned bodies, e.g. joining to another body, then you have to select them manually.  If the number of bodies subsequently changes, then the following operation can fail because Fusion just tries to select the specific bodies that were originally selected.  It doesn't intelligently realize that fewer/more bodies have just been created and so needs to select that new set of bodies.

An option would be to be able to select the icon on the timeline for which you want the next operation to apply to, e.g. in the "Objects... Select" dialog you would click the Pattern icon in the timeline rather than selecting individual bodies manually.

NOte: @billbucket posted this exact same issue back in 2016.

[laughingcreek]

there are ways of achieving this if you want to post an example problem

[gmmc2]

As an example, attached is a file where I want to make a  simplified "Rubik's Cube" which is just a 3D array of NxNxN cubes.  I make the first rectangular array of 3x3 in the X & Y directions, then another size 3 array in the Z.  When I change the number of cubes along each edge ("size" parameter) the number of cubes changes for the X and Y axes but doesn't correctly for the Z.  Only the original 3x3 array is used to create the Z array.  Too few are created if Size>3, and an error (can't find bodies) if Size<3.

[g-andresen · Accepted solution]

Hi,

pattern features instead of bodies

günther

[gmmc2]

Thank you!  I knew there had to be a way. Really appreciate you taking the time to screen cast the solution.