"Copy" things

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jgauthier
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri May 07, 2021 9:02 pm

"Copy" things

Post by jgauthier »

Greetings,

I'm pretty new to FreeCAD. Just about 2 weeks. I've been reading online help, watching videos, and general searches for help. so far, all of my questions have been able to be answered. However, for this issue I am facing I might now know what to search for the find my answers.

I'm working on a part, and the part will have 3 items attached to it. These 3 items are identical. I've made one, but I cannot figure out how to "copy" and "paste" these objects. And it could be due to the nature that they were created. I created an additive box, a subtractive box, and then an additive sphere.

This is the area in the image with the red square. I want to duplicate just this item.
2021-05-07_17-08-23.png
2021-05-07_17-08-23.png (44.28 KiB) Viewed 939 times
The other image is the model tree view.
2021-05-07_17-15-13.png
2021-05-07_17-15-13.png (8.39 KiB) Viewed 939 times
For fun, I attached the model as well. I am using FreeCAD 0.19.

Thanks for any tips!
Attachments
prop_guard.FCStd
(35.96 KiB) Downloaded 16 times
chrisb
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Re: "Copy" things

Post by chrisb »

I gues you want to use a PartDesign PolarPattern.
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drmacro
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Re: "Copy" things

Post by drmacro »

I think by the way you phrase your question you have a minor misconception.

The Body object you show is not a arc thing with a post attached and other things will be attached.

Everything in the Body is a single cumulative solid. Each feature (in your case the BaseFeature, Box, Box001, etc.) are single solid that is contained in the Body object. Basically, once you add Box to Basefeature they become a single solid. Then you add Box001 and the whole thing is a single solid, etc.

It is better to imagine the Body as a lump of clay that you add and subtract material to/from to create a component rather than independent Lego blocks.

This may sound odd, but it is an important concept as you progress. As you start to get more complicated and need to mix PartDesign and Part it becomes key good workflows.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Spock: "...His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking."
jgauthier
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri May 07, 2021 9:02 pm

Re: "Copy" things

Post by jgauthier »

Thank you for the explanation. That does help my understanding. What 'process' should I use when I know I need to reproduce a 'component' or piece like this? Should I make a different part all together then import/copy it into this one?

It helps using this because I can line it up to where I want it exactly.

Your thoughts on how to proceed are definitely welcomed. I have other tasks before me that I know I need to use a 'copy' and 'paste' type method to complete my design with replicated items.
chrisb
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Re: "Copy" things

Post by chrisb »

jgauthier wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 1:12 am Your thoughts on how to proceed are definitely welcomed.
I named already one, and there is a linear pattern and a mirror too. And there are array functions in Draft workbench for creating new instances of whole bodies (and other objects). Finally you can clone something in Draft workbench which you can poistion freely. Copy/paste is almost never a good solution.
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
jgauthier
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri May 07, 2021 9:02 pm

Re: "Copy" things

Post by jgauthier »

chrisb wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 4:59 am
jgauthier wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 1:12 am Your thoughts on how to proceed are definitely welcomed.
I named already one, and there is a linear pattern and a mirror too. And there are array functions in Draft workbench for creating new instances of whole bodies (and other objects). Finally you can clone something in Draft workbench which you can poistion freely. Copy/paste is almost never a good solution.
"The polar pattern tool takes a selected feature and creates a set of copies rotated around a chosen axis. Starting with v0.17, it can pattern multiple features."

This isn't what I want to do. So, I didn't feel this was the correct direction.
"there are array functions in Draft workbench for creating new instances of whole bodies"
- Thanks. I did use an array before when I wanted to make a hexagon pattern. I will revisit that.

"Finally you can clone something in Draft workbench which you can poistion freely."
I will read up on this.
Copy/paste is almost never a good solution.
Good to know. It's kind of humorous that the defacto standard for replicating things since the 1960s isn't a good solution here. =)
drmacro
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Re: "Copy" things

Post by drmacro »

jgauthier wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 1:06 pm ...
Copy/paste is almost never a good solution.
Good to know. It's kind of humorous that the defacto standard for replicating things since the 1960s isn't a good solution here. =)
Well, it was a good all round concept in the 1960's when the only things being copied and pasted were letter/numbers in a word processor. ;)

Since the things being copied in this case are far more complex, other tools that can handle the complexity are required.

That doesn't mean other pieces of software use the term for their tools for said operation.

But, different software, different paradigm...learn new muscle memory. :mrgreen:
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Spock: "...His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking."
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papyblaise
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Re: "Copy" things

Post by papyblaise »

if you want 3 copy, you do 1/3 of the ring only and when you have a finished pillar, you reproduce it by a polarpatern
Attachments
guard.PNG
guard.PNG (26.57 KiB) Viewed 717 times
guard.FCStd
(50.84 KiB) Downloaded 14 times
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Willem
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Re: "Copy" things

Post by Willem »

The preferred way is designing with sketches and Pad these sketches in Part Design. I use primitives not very often.
Here is my version of your file and feel free to ask questions after study this file
Attachments
prop_guardwillem.FCStd
(46.89 KiB) Downloaded 15 times
jgauthier
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Joined: Fri May 07, 2021 9:02 pm

Re: "Copy" things

Post by jgauthier »

Willem,

Thanks. This has been eye opening on the process you used. I'm beginning to see more of the general idea is to make a sketch, and then act upon it.
It looks to me like in this you:
* Made a sketch of the arc and padded it
* Made a sketch of the 'bump' and padded it
* Made a sketch of the 'recess' and pocketed it.
* Finally, you used PolarPattern and reproduce it.

First, I didn't realize there could be multiple sketches. That is incredibly good to know.
edit: Okay, I can't even figure out how you made multiple sketches on the same body.

What I can't seem to figure out:
On the pocket, how did you determine the location to place it?
I see the measurements of 8mm from the origin, but otherwise I don't see any grids, markers or ways to determine in sketch003 how to line this up
sketch002.



Thank you for this.
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