Replicating a Surface...

david_murphy384

Hello Community - I'm looking for help in the design of a "cupola" for my model railway station.  The cupola is octagonal and I have managed to get so far with it.  However, I am unsure as to how to get the octagonal "bell-shape" at the top.  In my design : InverurieStation_Cupola_Top you will see that I have made a SURFACE for one of the 8 panels.

My question is: How do I replicate it to the other faces?

Or maybe my question should be: Is this the best way to do this or is there a better alternative?

Many thanks in advance for your assistance and advice to this 'newbie'.

EvanReese

you could also just sweep it. If you have a profile curve for the shape, use that as the profile and the octagonal lines as the path. Sweep will handle the mitering. https://cad.onshape.com/documents/2979fe9d1bd93fb15470423b/w/0afe9c7ca05a365c677b8a73/e/945f6630fcfac22e099eb59a

EvanReese

Actually, looking at that tower more, you could do pretty much the whole thing as a single sweep, then add cutouts for the archways, and model the columns which can both be replicated with a circular pattern.

EvanReese

The feature list can be pretty durn short

SethF

The circular pattern tool will do this!

You'll just have to select the surface to pattern and the center axis of the pattern, and set the angle to 360deg and instance count to 8.

EvanReese

you could also just sweep it. If you have a profile curve for the shape, use that as the profile and the octagonal lines as the path. Sweep will handle the mitering. https://cad.onshape.com/documents/2979fe9d1bd93fb15470423b/w/0afe9c7ca05a365c677b8a73/e/945f6630fcfac22e099eb59a

EvanReese

Actually, looking at that tower more, you could do pretty much the whole thing as a single sweep, then add cutouts for the archways, and model the columns which can both be replicated with a circular pattern.

EvanReese

The feature list can be pretty durn short

MichaelPascoe

I did not know sweep could handle an octagon like that. Cool!

eric_pesty

Yeah I would not have thought to try a sweep for this! That's why I love lurking around here and seeing threads like these!

david_murphy384

Thanks everyone for your input - MUCH appreciated!

EvanReese

Oh nice! Glad that helped some folks. @MichaelPascoe I figured that's how your pattern and sweep feature was working the whole time, but maybe you're sweeping each edge individually in a loop, which also works.