Sketch Driven Assembly Patterns [Discussion]

[andrewdroth]

Sketch driven patterns was a game changer when it came out a few years ago. I wanted to share a little video on how you can push that functionality to assemblies as well. 

The main benefit being you can pattern components with varying spacing. Also being able to specify direction is very nice too.

I've used it in assemblies for all kinds of things like placing brackets, lugs on the underside of a spreader beam and bolt holes/bolts on a complex lofted sheet metal cone. It is very powerful.

I was hoping I could get a discussion going and find out how others are making use of this functionality.

[Yijiang.Cai]

Really nice workflow, and we also have used it to place the components based on the sketch pattern. E.g. create the sketch driven pattern with holes on the planar face with circular edge, and create assembly pattern using sketch driven pattern with pipe part placed.

[Steven_Gao]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your great sharing!

I attached two customer cases for sketch driven pattern as well.

Thanks,

Steven

[johnsonshiue]

Hi @andrewdroth,

Please reply to the thread and I will accept your reply as the solution. This is a great posting.

Many thanks!

[WHolzwarth]

Here's a very interesting task in German forum:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-deutsch/wie-in-inventor-2019-punkt-projizieren/td-p/9364389

Attached is my result for one sphere out of 3 totally. (2019 IPT).

Shortly later: Some work for development seems to be left. A close look showed, that not all of the holes were placed perpendicular to the sphere's surface.

[patrick.fluegge]

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@Steven_Gao wrote:

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How is this picture achieved? Are those points places with Excel-coordinates?

I wonder how those points were generated, because they are following a variable diameter helix & they seem to unequally distanced based on angle around the rotation axis.

So far I could not imagine any fast way to do this in Inventor.

[andrewdroth · Accepted solution]

@wh That is a very neat problem!

There's my try at it. 2020 file attached.

I think if the original cut is perpendicular to the ball face, and the base point exists on the ball face all the other features will be perpendicular as well.

[Anonymous]

I think the pattern could originate on a cylindrical helix and then be projected onto the curved face.

[Anonymous]

This does bring up an issued I've had in the past with face driven orientation.

Sometimes I need to make a new guide surface as the original does not position correctly.

[WHolzwarth]

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@andrewdroth  schrieb:

@wh That is a very neat problem!

There's my try at it. 2020 file attached.

I think if the original cut is perpendicular to the ball face, and the base point exists on the ball face all the other features will be perpendicular as well.

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Interesting, Andrew.

I opened my file in 2020 and did a Rebuild All. Now all holes are perpendicular to the ball.

Looks like a problem in 2019.

[Steven_Gao]

Hi Patrick，

Please get the details and models from the original post: How to Create a Sketch Driven Hole Pattern Normal to a Curved Suface . My comments about the points as following - “It looks like the work points may not be on the curved surface accurately.So I have to new a 3D sketch and use the Project to Surface command(Project to closest point), select the all work points(window selection) and project them to the outer curved surface, and then select all points and change their type to Center Point. Finally, I used the sketch driven pattern and generate the all cut features and they are normal to the curved surface.”

Thanks,

Steven