Hi,
I am not sure if this is possible in f360 or I am extrapolating naively from Inventor.
I am generating reusable components, each one put in its own file. Those files have usually one or at the most two bodies, they are very simple. I am working on a new file where I include the previously generated components to build an assembly.
To understand the picture better you have a C beam (80mm * 40mm and 3mm thickness) repeated 4 times to build a square frame. To be able to assemble this frame, each beam has 3 holes at each end, and a 8mm thick corner plate (290mm * 290mm) will be used for structural rigidity, by means of using bolts. The C beams are confronted on their flat side and separated 8mm which is the thickness of the corner plate. On purpose the plate has no holes yet. For now only one reinforcement plate is included in the assembly as I want to refine it with the respective holes first.
The rounded corners are to be more friendly with the laser cutter path and esthetics, and the slot is for hoisting.
The plate is "joint" in the assembly to fit where I want it to be and now I want to add the holes. The 3 growing complexity methods I tried unsuccessfully are:
1) Start a new sketch on the surface of the plate (I did it on both sides as somebody suggested it had to be done on the side of the original sketch side of the plate) and draw the circles myself by hand, closing the sketch and then do a CUT with the extrude tool.
2) Start a new sketch on the surface of the plate and be more refined and project the center of the holes of both beams on that new sketch. Then use those centers to draw the appropiate circles by hand, closing the sketch and then do a CUT with the extrude tool. This would enable future hole relocations on the beams to adjust if I do not break the link of the projected centers.
3) Do the same as 2) but project not only the center of the holes of the horizontal and vertical beam but the hole perimeter too. In this case I will inherit the position and diameter of the holes.
Here is a capture of the third method where 6 centers and 6 holes were projected.
My problem is that nothing of this has worked so far when I want to use that new created sketch in my naive conclusion it is referenced to the plate where the holes should be made.
The OK button never activates and I get the error message "Error: No target body found to cut or intersect!". I have tried with +10 and -10 and there is no change. I recall that a post was mentioning something about creating the sketch while the component was activated, but I cannot find a way to activate an external component and from all the reding came to the conclusion it is not possible?
Any hint if I am trying to stretch things or doing something wrong or missing a step. Or maybe there is a way to do this that does not follow this method?
Sorry for the long post and I have been reading on the issue the whole day with no success.
Regards
Thomas Magdahl (the subscription name does not match my name as it is a trial account of the company I am advising). We are evalauting if F360 is an option.
T
