Hello All
I am having some trouble with the radial pattern functionality in WF2. Most of the radial patterns I do are simple drilled and/or drilled and tapped holes. They may be thru or blind. They also maybe be created using either a cut/insert thread or using the hole feature. If it is a threaded hole created using a cut and cosmetic thread, I will usually group them before patterning. No matter the method, the results vary the same for each. (If that makes sense!)
In the older days of Pro/E (for me at least), in order to create a radial pattern, Ineeded to have an angular dimension locating the first feature. This dimension would be the dimension used for the "direction" parameter of the pattern feature. It was kind of cumbersome and quirky, but it worked once I got used to it. Another advantage to patterning this way was the fact that I got the proper radial axis/bolt circle display in the drawing. The only other way I found to pattern a hole was to do a rotational copy of the first hole, and then pattern the second hole as described above, using the angular copy dimension as the pattern dim. This worked OK also but did not display the radial axis of the first hole in the drawing since this only works on a radial pattern feature and the first hole was not part of the pattern.
Then along comes WF2. It has this great and what seems straight forward pattern interface. The first thing I noticed was the ability to pattern afeature about an axis. Great! No more worries about how I dimensioned the first hole! But whats this? The axis of the holes created this way do not show up radially in the drawing. PTC tech support tells me that this is not a "radial pattern". Could've fooled me. Another issue I have with this method is that it does not always work. Sometimes I will (for ex.) pattern 8 holes at an angular increment of 45 deg. I will end up with 4 holes at 90 deg. or maybe just 2 holes. It does not seem to matter whether I select the "equally spaced" icon or force the fact by entering 45 deg. It does not seem real consistent. Anyway, I really need the radial axis/B.C. display in my drawing so this method can't be used.
The next radial pattern option would be "dimension", which is similar to the old method in Pro/E. Now I must create the first hole feature just as I did in 2001, but unfortunately, I can only get it to give me the full pattern about half of the time. This method gives me the radial display (sort of,) that I am after, but it just does not seem robust enough to be able to use everyday. Right now I am working on an assembly in which 5 of the parts have a radial bolt pattern (pretty common stuff). Only two of them patterned for me properly using the pattern tool (Dimension). The other three would pattern only halfway around the part. Really frustrating!
The other thing that is annoying is the radial axis display in the drawing of the two parts that did pattern properly. The display is showing the axis of the holes radially, but is not showing the B.C. at all. I have been sketching the B.C., and then changing the line style to centerline and finally relating the 2D sketch to the view. Maybe I just have a config or *.dtl entry hosed somewhere. I've looked, but everythingseemed OK to me.
These are really simple parts. I have used radial patterns with Pro/E for years, and while I have experienced some difficulties at different occasions, all and all it was pretty reliable. This has not been the case for me in WF2. Any help you guys can provide would be appreciated.
Thx.
Edited by: brchapman
I am having some trouble with the radial pattern functionality in WF2. Most of the radial patterns I do are simple drilled and/or drilled and tapped holes. They may be thru or blind. They also maybe be created using either a cut/insert thread or using the hole feature. If it is a threaded hole created using a cut and cosmetic thread, I will usually group them before patterning. No matter the method, the results vary the same for each. (If that makes sense!)
In the older days of Pro/E (for me at least), in order to create a radial pattern, Ineeded to have an angular dimension locating the first feature. This dimension would be the dimension used for the "direction" parameter of the pattern feature. It was kind of cumbersome and quirky, but it worked once I got used to it. Another advantage to patterning this way was the fact that I got the proper radial axis/bolt circle display in the drawing. The only other way I found to pattern a hole was to do a rotational copy of the first hole, and then pattern the second hole as described above, using the angular copy dimension as the pattern dim. This worked OK also but did not display the radial axis of the first hole in the drawing since this only works on a radial pattern feature and the first hole was not part of the pattern.
Then along comes WF2. It has this great and what seems straight forward pattern interface. The first thing I noticed was the ability to pattern afeature about an axis. Great! No more worries about how I dimensioned the first hole! But whats this? The axis of the holes created this way do not show up radially in the drawing. PTC tech support tells me that this is not a "radial pattern". Could've fooled me. Another issue I have with this method is that it does not always work. Sometimes I will (for ex.) pattern 8 holes at an angular increment of 45 deg. I will end up with 4 holes at 90 deg. or maybe just 2 holes. It does not seem to matter whether I select the "equally spaced" icon or force the fact by entering 45 deg. It does not seem real consistent. Anyway, I really need the radial axis/B.C. display in my drawing so this method can't be used.
The next radial pattern option would be "dimension", which is similar to the old method in Pro/E. Now I must create the first hole feature just as I did in 2001, but unfortunately, I can only get it to give me the full pattern about half of the time. This method gives me the radial display (sort of,) that I am after, but it just does not seem robust enough to be able to use everyday. Right now I am working on an assembly in which 5 of the parts have a radial bolt pattern (pretty common stuff). Only two of them patterned for me properly using the pattern tool (Dimension). The other three would pattern only halfway around the part. Really frustrating!
The other thing that is annoying is the radial axis display in the drawing of the two parts that did pattern properly. The display is showing the axis of the holes radially, but is not showing the B.C. at all. I have been sketching the B.C., and then changing the line style to centerline and finally relating the 2D sketch to the view. Maybe I just have a config or *.dtl entry hosed somewhere. I've looked, but everythingseemed OK to me.
These are really simple parts. I have used radial patterns with Pro/E for years, and while I have experienced some difficulties at different occasions, all and all it was pretty reliable. This has not been the case for me in WF2. Any help you guys can provide would be appreciated.
Thx.
Edited by: brchapman
