BUG: parameters not applied to sketch after "use" AND "transform"

stuart_robinson

steps:

1. draw a sketch on Plane 1
2. "use" it onto a sketch on Plane 2
3.  "transform" the new ("used") sketch (move or rotate)
4.  modify the Plane 1 sketch

EXPECTED:

the Plane 2 sketch reflects the changes to Plane 1 sketch

ACTUAL:

plane 2 sketch is unchanged.  


------------------

note:  if you skip step "3", above, the Plane 2 sketch does indeed reflect the changes.

this is all particularly problematic for me because after using and rotating a sketch that was based on a bunch of variables.... if i change the variables, nothing changes in the used&transformed versions

NeilCooke

That's not a bug. The transform tool in Sketch will break external references. It has to.

Tell us what you're trying to achieve and I'm sure somebody will have a viable (and probably better / more robust) workaround.

eric_pesty

Depending what you are trying to do with the second sketch, you could either create a zero offset surface of your sketch and transform it to the new location (you can then use that face like any sketch region for extrudes, revolves, etc...

You could also use the "transform pattern" FS (can we get the "native" transform to transform sketches too?) to move the second sketch but I'm not sure how much that helps you...

You can always create a new sketch on the transformed surface of sketch to add new things to it...

stuart_robinson

thanks for the quick responses and for your suggestions @eric_pesty! i'll try those out.  so far i've been extruding the sketches into tiny little slices and then rotating them instead which definitely feels unnecessarily tedious

@NeilCooke why does it have to? (break references)  transforming a part doesn't break its references.  i dont see why rotating a sketch or moving it around would have to break its dimensional parameters

NeilCooke

stuart_robinson said:

thanks for the quick responses and for your suggestions @eric_pesty! i'll try those out.  so far i've been extruding the sketches into tiny little slices and then rotating them instead which definitely feels unnecessarily tedious

@NeilCooke why does it have to? (break references)  transforming a part doesn't break its references.  i dont see why rotating a sketch or moving it around would have to break its dimensional parameters

"Use" is an external reference. If you transform the sketch it is no longer in the "used" position so it has to break the refs. You still haven't said what you are trying to do? URL or screenshot please.

stuart_robinson

@NeilCooke ok i see.  thank you for following up

i'm designing a propeller.  i want to draw a single airfoil containing internal structures, and then replicate that sketch along cross sections of the propeller while changing.  i'd like to use variables to define the initial airfoil dimensions, spar dimensions, and all the angles of the cross sections (every few inches)

what i've been doing is extruding the base airfoil and then patterning it out and then rotating all the pattern's parts, and then converting the part faces back to sketches for lofting the internal bits. 

eric_pesty

Transform pattern should work very well for this. If you are going to loft this afterwards you really don't need that many profiles either... You might be better off if just the two end profiles and guide curves on the leading and trailing edge (that follow a couple of intermediate chords to control the twist)

stuart_robinson

what do you mean by transform pattern? 

and the issue is not so much doing the loft, as it is getting the intermediate chords in position.  in a way where they are based on variables and relationships.  is there a better way to do that than the work-around of extruding the first airfoil in order to create and transform 3d parts, and then creating new sketches from the parts?  

i need sketches for the intermediate chords in order to loft the internal spars and supports.  couldnt figure out a way to do everything just from the the patterned parts

stuart_robinson

@eric_pesty i found the Transform pattern FS you mentioned.  not really understanding it but i'll keep playing around with it.  also i'm learning more about surfaces like you suggested thank you

stuart_robinson

although using surfaces (instead of little extrusions) doesn't seem to solve the problem of having convert back to sketches again anyway to loft the internal bits