SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [136]
FIGURE 9.4
The Circular Pattern PropertyManager
Mirroring in a Sketch
Mirroring in a sketch is a completely different matter from patterning in a sketch. It offers superior performance, and the interface is better developed. Mirrored entities in a sketch are an instrumental part of establishing design intent.
Two methods of mirroring items in a sketch are discussed here, along with a method to make entities work as if they have been mirrored when in fact they were manually drawn.
Using Mirror Entities
Mirror Entities works by selecting the entities that you want to mirror along with a single centerline, and clicking the Mirror Entities button on the Sketch toolbar. You can use this simple and effective tool on existing geometry. This method is the fastest way to use the tool, but there are other methods. You can pre-select or post-select, using a dialog box to select the mirror line, which does not need to be a centerline.
One feature of Mirror Entities may sometimes cause unexpected results. For example, in some situations, Mirror Entities will mirror a line or an arc and merge the new element with the old one across the centerline. This happens in situations where the mirror and the original form a single line or a single arc. SolidWorks may delete certain relations and dimensions in these situations.
Figure 9.5 shows the Mirror Entities PropertyManager.
If you are a longtime user, you should note that there are some relatively new ways to use functions such as Mirror Entities, which can now involve a selection box in a PropertyManager window. Longtime users are used to operating tools such as Mirror, Offset, and Convert Entities without an interface. In more recent versions of SolidWorks, these functions have had PropertyManagers that enable a selection list window.
FIGURE 9.5
Selecting items in the Mirror Entities PropertyManager
Some longtime users find the PropertyManager disruptive to their workflow. Other people may appreciate the benefit of the selection list window. Here are three workflows for this function that allow you to use a range of techniques:
• Traditional method. To continue to work with the Mirror Entities tool using the traditional method without an interface, click the Mirror Entities button on the Sketch toolbar and disable the pushpin. The pushpin is shown disabled (pointing to the left instead of into the screen) in Figure 9.5. Now when you use the function, pre-select your sketch geometry, including the centerline you want to mirror about. You do not see the interface; your sketch geometry is just mirrored for you. This is actually the fastest way to work.
• New method. To always make sure that you see the new Mirror Entities PropertyManager with the selection list box, make sure the pushpin is enabled (where the pin is pointing into the screen). This allows you to always see the list of selected entities and to make sure that the line you want to mirror about is selected. One of the hidden benefits of using the Mirror Entities PropertyManager is that you can select a non-centerline to mirror about — a convenient and useful option. Overall, this method is slower and more deliberate, but it offers more control, and it's there if you need or want it. If you pre-select sketch entities before activating the tool, you are still presented with the PropertyManager.
• Hybrid method. To some extent, you can have it both ways. If you unpin the Mirror Entities PropertyManager, you can pre-select your geometry, as in the traditional method, and the PropertyManager never appears, or you can select the geometry afterwards using the new method, and you are presented with the PropertyManager to be more deliberate about the selections. To me, this is the method that makes the most sense because you can determine what you need as you perform the operation. Both the fast and the more deliberate methods are available to you on the fly.
Notice also that the Mirror Entities PropertyManager has a Copy check box. This option is activated