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Why can I only extrude this as a surface but not as a solid?
hedley_phillips
Member Posts: 13 ✭
Hi,
I've created a shape by drawing 7 individual hexagons and then using the Transform tool to arange them into the shape I want (I couldn't find a way of making the pattern or duplicating and moving the hexagons - noob mistake 1).
I then created a circle around this, extruded it and tried to do a remove extrude on this combined hexagon shape from the circle extrude but I'd got the positioning of the hexagons slightly off so that there were tiny gaps between them and my extrude remove had a vertical "walls" where the hexagon sides didn't meet.
I then thought I'd be clever and remove all of the inner walls by using the trim tool to remove all of the inner faces to leave me with the shape I wanted.
I thought it was looking good. But the trouble is that I can no longer extrude this as a solid and can only extrude the edges which is not what I want. I want to be able to extrude remove the combined hexagon shape from the circle extrude.
I've obviously messed up a few times here.
Firstly, in my clumsy attempt at creating the individual heaxagons and trying to transform them so they were butting up against each other. Then secondly when I trimmed the shape leaving me with only an outline and no solid to extrude.
The file is:
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/41c3da0b04cd7aad27f33ee9/w/d52f9cf8c25568c8c474bddc/e/e9111dbccd31d0118772ded7?renderMode=0&uiState=66f1f558a972dd4643f7c7a2
My main question is how do I extrude this as a solid. Then secondly, how could I make this shape out of hexagons more efficiently?
Thank you.
Best Answer
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Matt_Shields
Member, Onshape Employees Posts: 453 
Good attempt. But your work resulted in a shape that wasn't closed, even though it looked like it. A closed shape will be shaded in. Tugging on some lines revealed that nothing was connected.
One strategy would be to take advantage of symmetry. Create 1/4 of the shape and then mirror.
Also, you could make a pattern of polygons.
0
Answers
Good attempt. But your work resulted in a shape that wasn't closed, even though it looked like it. A closed shape will be shaded in. Tugging on some lines revealed that nothing was connected.
One strategy would be to take advantage of symmetry. Create 1/4 of the shape and then mirror.
Also, you could make a pattern of polygons.
"Good attempt."
Gosh, that took me right back to my school days!
Thank you for your help, I recreated the shape using Linear pattern at it works. It took a bit of head scratching and I'm sure I made it harder than it should have been but I now have a face extrude working and the shape I wanted. Also learned a new tool so happy days.
Thank you again for taking the time to reply with screenshots & examples. Very much appreciated.
Hedley
Ha, once a school teacher, always a school teacher 😀