Borders on feature patterns

[coreyparks]

We often make custom laser cut guard panels.  To do so we have to create the hole pattern we use laid out on the panel as we want to see it so we can get a cut path for the laser.  Very rarely do we create a panel that is just square with no other cutouts.  Many time these have cuts holes and odd shapes to the panels.  So when we create a hole pattern for the mesh guard we want we need to suppress many many holes to set it up while keeping a  border around the pattern.  It woul be nice if there was some way that we could say create this patten on this face keeping at least 1" of space between the edges of the part and the hole pattern.  See the attached pic for a simple guard I am currently drawing.  Anyone else think this might be useful?

[timdown73]

Great idea!  It would be nice if you could use sketch lines as a border as well.  If you have one defined and dimensioned polygon or circle within that border, you could pick it as the patterned element and Inventor would pattern them automatically within that border.  I think your idea would be a big time saver.

[RonnieWilkins]

Example from Brian Ekin's blog:  http://modthemachine.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/03/control-feature-creation-based-on-user-defined-bo...

[coreyparks]

I can't read that blog, blocked by our IT department, but if it includes using an optimized pattern on a split face then yes it works.  That takes more time and gives you an error in the feature unless you go in and suppress all of the features that don't show up.  Plus then when I turn on tangent edges as we need to on occasion then the split border shows up as well and I need to turn the visibility of those lines. 

[karthur1]

I think this relates to the same idea which is under review.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Inventor-IdeaStation/Pattern-Enhancement/idi-p/3802557

[RobJV]

Wow - exact same issue here.  It would be very nice to be able to create a pattern within a bordered off area!

[coreyparks]

karthur1, the request you refer to is different than what I am asking for but also a nice addition to have. He just wants a simplified hole pattern that shows only the pattern extents without all of the clutter and overhead of having to gereate the whole pattern.  I usually need to show all of the holes with lines so that I can generate a laser cut path.  I want something so that I can generate hole patterns around any other feature on the part within a set distance. 

[Anonymous]

I put it in the other issue as well.  I would like to have the ability to have a simplified representation for patterned cuts.  That way I could stitch up those holes (which must be graphics intensive to compute during moves) when making a substitute and show a representation of them on the surface.

[scottmoyse]

Both SolidWorks and Solid Edge provide a 'FIll' pattern tool, so you can select a face or bounding geometry, then fill it with a feature in various different ways, with rotations, staggering & offsets etc..

SolidWorks now even has the pattern table, which is useful for a narrow group of users, but highly powerful.

I'd love to see this feature pattern occur across irregular shaped surface faces as well. Not just on planar surfaces. I would imagine, this could use similar elements of code to the Hole Wizard idea I have suggested.

[scottmoyse]

test

[swalton]

PTC ProEngineer/Creo has had these types of pattern options for years.  Inventor should have them too.

The OP in this post might find more pattern options useful.  http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-general-discussion/assembling-multiple-pipes-into-holes/m-p/5...

[HenkdeB]

And as an addition make it possible to drive the pattern based on a sketch with points (both part and assembly patterns).

[Dan_Margulius]

Hello,

Fill pattern is a feature that a lot of users need.

I have a boundary sketch and we need to fill it with holes. it is a lot of work and for no reason

I have found an example and I really think this should be buit in Inventor

Thanks

Dan

GrillePatternFit.zip

[asvaishnav]

yes same issue here, It's benificial if we have fill pattern with sketch as well as with some dim boundries with different types of fill in selected region.

[brotherkennyh]

Check out my own suggestion at the link below. It is a different feature request, but I feel this feature and the one you have suggested would work well together.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-ideastation/triangle-or-polygon-pattern-array/idc-p/5904732#M...

[Anonymous]

Catching up with competition after 10 years! Great!

[Anonymous]

Patterns to apply geometric predefined behaviors to cover areas defined by a closed sketch.

[mdavis22569]

add a picture ...what version of Inventor are you using?   

[S_Verbeek]

 

[Anonymous]

Duplicate.

Autodesk, can you please help organize the entries better, create categories please?