'Pro/ENGINEER Tip For Patterning A Pattern'
Most newer, and several experienced, Pro/ENGINEER users are of the belief that you cannot pattern an existing pattern of features. This is not necessarily true. There are ways to do this--so that the user can leverage existing patterns of features to speed up the model creation process with regards to feature duplication. Below you will find a couple of different ways to pattern an existing pattern of features in Pro/ENGINEER:
1) Create a datum axis using the #Two Planes option--making sure to dimensionally locate it with respect to a couple of stable references by utilizing the #Make Datum; #Offset functionality for both datum planes. NOTE: You can replace the first datum axis with an #On Surface datum point that is located with respect to two surfaces and achieve the same results.2) Create your feature to be patterned, making sure to dimensionally locate it with respect to the datum axis.
3) Modify the locating dimensions to '0' in both the x and y directions.4) #Pattern the feature.
5) Create a #Local Group of the datum axis and the pattern leader. This can be achieved by selecting #Feature; #Group; #Local Group; #Range, and keying in the feature number that pertains to the datum axis as the lowest member of the #Range of features. After hitting #Return/#Enter on your keyboard, enter the feature number that pertains to the leader of the pattern--and then hit #Return/#Enter.6) To pattern the pattern, choose #Feature; #Group; #Pattern, and select any member of the #Local Group that you created. You will notice that the x and y direction dimensions that you used to locate the datum axis will appear. Use these dimensions as your 'driver' dimensions to pattern the pattern. This way, you can always create a bi-directional, linear pattern of a pattern.
Pro/ENGINEER users can also radially pattern a radial pattern of features. This can be achieved by following the steps described below:
1) #Feature; #Copy; #Move; #Independent(The user must retain the 'Independent' setting); #Rotate on the existing radial pattern of features. 2) #Delete the entire original pattern--including its leader. 3) #Modify the 'copied' radial pattern's rotate copy angular dimension to '0'. 4) Create a #Local Group of the radial pattern of features. 5) Pattern the existing radial pattern by choosing the '0' angle dimension as the 'driver' dimension for a #Group; #Pattern.In certain cases, the methodologies described above can dramatically reduce model creation time with regards to feature duplication.
NOTE: The menu selections depicted above are for pre-Wildfire releases of Pro/ENGINEER, but the same basic approach will work in Wildfire for patterning a pattern.
Next post will be on how to create a table-driven pattern of a table-driven pattern.
I hope that some of you Pro/ENGINEER users can benefit from these patterning tips!
S.T.