How to create a staggered pattern feature in SW?

Make 26 accross at 1.27mm and use "instances to skip" to skip every other one.

John,

I usually do this by sketching and dimensioning the first two holes in the pattern:

o o

Then a linear pattern of however many instances:

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

and then delete the extraneous hole at the end of the bottom row.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

-Farley

John wrote:

draw two lines like

_ \

make one hole

then use the lines to make a two direction linear pattern

o o o o o o

and delete the last instance, in the "instances to detete" box.

o o o o o

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com.sg (John) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

Add two sketch lines in the sketch that places your first hole in the directions you want to stagger (in this case, one line horizontal and the second line at 45°). In the Linear Pattern PM, select the horizontal line for direction 1, and the angled line for direction 2, then delete the 13th instance of the upper row.

make your array in a sketch as sketch points and use sketch driven pattern (2003 and up)

Thank you all for your suggestion and help.

All method works fine. It's just a bit clumsy (require extra steps). I wish that it can be done in just a few click and as easy as Solidedge.

Speaking of patterns, has anyone seen the new patterning stuff in Pro/E WildFire? That's some neat stuff!

Here is a summary of your suggestions along with my comments. ___________________________ Solutions 1:

This work, but too much time consuming to click on skip instance if there is more than 26 holes (50, 68, 80, 120 etc), this number of holes is very common in connector industry. ___________________________ Solution 2:

If I sketch two holes and pattern them. It will be deleted or skip as a pair and not individual holes. Thus my holes will look more like this o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o __________________________ Solution 3 from Matt Lombard & Steve R

Since most of the connector will have different column and row spacing (usually multiple of 0.8, 1.27, 2.0, 2.54 etc), the angle would vary (I think, in my case the angle is not 45° but rather Atan of 2.54/1.27 = 63.43494...). Could someone be kind enough to send me ( snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com.sg) a model of this procedure? I try many hours and the dimension between row and column is off. Instead of 1.27 & 2.54, I get 1.14 & 2.27.

Since I don't know how to post a picture at a web site, I can send you a screen shot in jpeg format to whom ever interested.

__________________________

I did see the new Wildfire II demo for Patterning feature. It's pretty neat indeed.

It looks like you used a 2.54 mm long angled line at about the right angle to set the position of the lower pin. It's much easier if you dimension the horizontal (1.27) and vertical (2.54) distances from the top end to the bottom end of the angled line, instead of trying to calculate the angle and length for the line.

Jerry Steiger Tripod Data Systems

______________ \

Sketch this and use these as your direction vectors (make the two lines merge at their intersection ofcourse)

the small angled line can be dimensioned to represent your 2.54 up and 1.27 over.

also add a driven dimension of the length (this can be used to control the spacing along the second vector)

Pattern select the strait line for direction1 2.54 as the spacing 13 as quantity select the second line for direction2 and use the driven dimension as your spacing and 2 as quantity

instances to skip and select the last one in the second row.

Or use this method

and instead of skipping the last instance apply the pattern then select the surface of the hole or the surfaces of the boss and right click on them you will have the option to delete surface. Apply that and the hole is gone.

Yeah, it is very nice and simple!!

..

Jeff N wrote:

1. Fill pattern > Fill Boundary > Click on top surface of Part to choose the face.
2. Pattern layout > Perforation pattern > input instance spacing 4mm, Stagger angel 30 deg, Margin 18.5mm(or any you want), and choose the one of the edge as pattern direction.
3. In features and faces, choose the Seed (Pin/hole) as features to pattern.
4. In Options, tick Geometry pattern.
5. Click OK.