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Is there a way to have the volume of one part cut from another part.
orla_finch
Member Posts: 4 ✭
What I would like to do is to be able to create a 'parent' part that is the volume of a box and then be able to create individual inserts that can be assembled to create the final part. The idea is to have inserts for a box and then be able to have sub-inserts that can be arranged within this 'parent' volume. For example, if I have the following as the parent:
Then I have a child insert like this:
What I want to be able to do is to create multiple child inserts - maybe multiple copies of the same insert as well. I want to be able to embed copies of this into the parent insert to create the final assembly.
I thought I could create an assembly of the parts and then export the final assembly for 3D printing but the assembly feature doesn't have an option for boolean operations. When I try to assembly this, it does the following. If I align the child-insert, it completely disappears.
I can model the child insert in the inverse (instead of it being a block with a hole, model the hole part) and then subtract this from the parent all in a single part studio, but I was hoping for the flexibility of being able to assemble different versions without having to re-build the components each time. In addition, if I model the child insert the way I did, I can print each child insert until I get it right and then, hopefully, be able to drop it into the parent insert along with the other child inserts and be done.
Any ideas for a slick way to be able to do this?
Then I have a child insert like this:
What I want to be able to do is to create multiple child inserts - maybe multiple copies of the same insert as well. I want to be able to embed copies of this into the parent insert to create the final assembly.
I thought I could create an assembly of the parts and then export the final assembly for 3D printing but the assembly feature doesn't have an option for boolean operations. When I try to assembly this, it does the following. If I align the child-insert, it completely disappears.
I can model the child insert in the inverse (instead of it being a block with a hole, model the hole part) and then subtract this from the parent all in a single part studio, but I was hoping for the flexibility of being able to assemble different versions without having to re-build the components each time. In addition, if I model the child insert the way I did, I can print each child insert until I get it right and then, hopefully, be able to drop it into the parent insert along with the other child inserts and be done.
Any ideas for a slick way to be able to do this?
0
Answers
I got this to work using derived entities and modeling the child inserts as inverses. This works, but it isn't as natural as I hoped because, at least for me, I don't see these spaces as solids, instead they are holes. The basic shape is the same, but things like chamfers are more natural visualizing the hole instead of the solid cut out. Sometimes you just have to think of things in a different way to get it to work.
Thanks
Learn to use configurations. Without access to your design, it is hard to say for sure but I think @NeilCooke workflow would be slick if combined with the power of configurations.
Or you could hire one of the wizards of Featurescript to write a feature for you (or learn it yourself). Very worthwhile if this is something you do a lot of.