Pattern Split Lines?

[MadMango]

I thought it would be possible to linear pattern a split line, but I guess not? If this is possible, what's the trick (SW03 SP3.1)?

I am trying to model diagnol red & white reflective conspicuity tape (C2), and I want the alternating bands to show in the part model. I thought I could use a split line to "slice-up" my part so I can apply colors to the alternating surfaces without having to insert a bunch of split lines (I just want to linear pattern it).

Are there some other suggestions on how to do this with using PW and decals?

Ray Reynolds
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
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[TheTick]

Can you pattern the line in the source sketch?

 

[MadMango]

Clarification on above: I need to be able to do this without PW.

I thought you were onto something Tick, but I keep getting the error [blue]Split Line1: The sketch has more than one open contour.[/blue]

I've managed to just insert the 9 required split lines to make this part. No big deal this time around, but I wouldn't want to do more than this.

Ray Reynolds
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[TheTick]

Maybe a bigger pain than it's worth:

You can have a single contour that crosses over the face several times.

Extend the patterned sketch lines past the edges of the face, and connect the ends.

You might even make a small sawtooth-like contour and pattern that so they all connect into a single contour.

"Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings."--C. D. Jackson

 

[MadMango]

The saw-tooth sketch worked. Thank you Mr. Rhipicephalus Sanguineus (Tick).

Ray Reynolds
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[JNR]

Tick is right you can only do one splitline at a time - bit it can be a really interesting split line!!!!!

Be naughty - save Santa a trip.

 

[rash74]

I go to the the same problem,when i have part that needs to apply different colors.I use another solution for this problem.If I have a part that's 1" thick and needs to apply 10 different color properties.I normally make part 1/10" thickness part and pattern along y axis 10 times to get desire result.this may allow you to apply different color properties for each body.I hope this idea may help you.
Thank you
Rashmin

 

[Timelord]

This may be a good enhancement request. I use split lines all the time to create selectable portions of a single surface when the model is exported as a .sat file for use in my FEA program. Not being able to array split lines costs me a lot of work. I recently modeled a head expander for a vib table and the vib table grabs the part on individual raised bosses around each bolt. This required me to have a seperate selectable surfaces coinsisting of a ring around each mounting hole. I had to sketch each ring seperately and create individual split line features for each mounting hole. What should have taken a couple of minutes took over 20 minutes of repetitive work. Whats even worse is if I later go back and make any changes to the outline of the face that contains the split lines, each split line feature has to be edited individually to reselect the plane onto which it is projected. PIA

Timelord

 

[JNR]

Aw, c'mon guys.... Any of you ever tried to do the math for this? I have looked at this kind of thing in the past(pre SW by a long way). This is very complex stuff. Given specific constraints on surface topology, surface and curve shape, etc. sure you can do it. But in the general case it gets massively complex. There is no point in them spending a lot of time right now looking a new tools that only work for very limited special cases. And be honest, y'all would still try to push it and get more failure errors than successes most likely. Then you would want more enhancements and get more frustrated. This is a relatively small percentage of total use of SW, so you have to put the required development funds into prespective. Having to make several separate split lines is an incovenience, not show stopper.
Having said that, here is what I do whenever I want to define a whole bunch of stuff to drive separate features from one sketch (including multiple split lines - hey, I have to do it too). I make the one sketch. I highlite everything EXCEPT what is required for the first feature and turn them into construction goemetry. I "Show" the sketch. Then in each subsequent feature's sketch I just do a quick convert entity on those bits of construction geometry I need. It is really pretty quick and everything is still driven from the one sketch. It is also easier to edit the individual features without having to re-compute the whole thing in one go (think about the cross checking required in a general case of your multi-split line!!). Plus you only have to figure out one failure at a time if there is a problem. You could also make the first sketch entirely construction and go from there - just hide it after you're done. To be honest that is probably cleaner and I sometimes do it that way.

Be naughty - save Santa a trip.