Can you do a mirror on the feature without duplicating the feature?

OpenR2

Is it possible to mirror a feature without keeping the original?
I don't want a second copy of the feature that is mirrored.
I just want the mirror applied to the original feature.

lougallo

@OpenR2 Something like this?

NeilCooke

Not at the same time, but you can delete the first part afterwards. Mirror your mesh, then right click the first mesh in the parts list and select delete (or select the Delete Part icon then select the mesh).

OpenR2

The delete operation stays in the tree as a specification?

raj_Onshape

In your specific case where you are already working with an import... you can do mirror.....export only the mirrored part and then reimport it again

OpenR2

Um....no.....them I lose record of all the specifications I did up to the mirror.

OpenR2

Isn't this inconsistent with all the other dialogs?

Shouldn't there new a "new" that duplicates and mirrors.....otherwise if this is an operation on an existing part shouldn't if just mirror the existing body?

If you want to duplicate mirror within the existing part .... shouldn't that be under the pattern function?

NeilCooke

Hi @OpenR2 - I don't know of any parametric CAD system (including CATIA ) that allows you to mirror a feature or a part and remove the existing one at the same time, so it's not something that we considered.

Currently we have separate icons for linear pattern, circular pattern, and mirror as they all do subtly different things. Behind the scenes they all use the same code, so combining them into one dialog is something we could consider for the future, but we are trying to keep the UI simple and easy to navigate.

It's a good idea for an enhancement request, but for now you will have to use Delete Part.

jochen333

@OpenR2

Maybe you better should use the Transform Feature? 

Do you intentionally do a mirror of the part or do you just want to move and rotate it?

lni64

@NeilCooke, since I do a lot of programing I see where you come from but as user I neither see your code nor do I care much about it. It hardly ever is a good idea to generate a UI based on how the code is structured. From my (user) point of view the mirror feature is much more related to the transform feature than it is to the  pattern features. Therefore, having the same copy checkbox as in the transform feature would feel logical to me.

Thinking of it: integrating the mirror feature in the transform feature as just another transform option would be even cleaner.

OpenR2

Neil,

"I don't know of any parametric CAD system (including CATIA ) that allows you to mirror a feature or a part and remove the existing one at the same time, so it's not something that we considered."

I am at work sitting in front of CATIA V5. I am in part design. I made a circle on the sketch. I made a pad (extrude) from the sketch.

There is a menu bar called Transformation Features.

To the left we have an icon that has three flyout icons for basic operations ... translation, rotation, and symmetry.

In the middle there are icons for patterns ... including mirror, rectangular pattern, circular pattern, and user pattern (note how mirror is organized with pattern)

To the right there are icons for scaling ...  scaling and affinity.

So we have a symmetry on a feature that leaves us with on feature.

We have a mirror on a feature that leaves us with two features.

I think having a symmetry operation for applying [-1 0 0] [0 -1 0] [0 0 -1] to a feature that results in a single feature is something to consider.

I think having a mirror operation for duplicating an original feature with  [-1 0 0] [0 -1 0] [0 0 -1] symmetry applied is a something to consider.

This would be 100% clear terminology.

BTW.....what was our bet on finding a parametric CAD system that allows to mirror a feature an remove the existing one? The usual amount? A Dollar? A Pound? A Euro? LOL

Robert

OpenR2

Neil,

"From my (user) point of view the mirror feature is much more related to the transform feature than it is to the  pattern features."

I think duplicating the lump with symmetry is more related to pattern features.

I think applying the symmetry directly to the existing lump is more related to transform features.

I think this is why other CAD systems have adopted the UI term symmetry to mean one thing and the UI term mirror to mean something else.

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From a programmers stand point both mirror and symmetry apply the same transformation.....its just the topological result that different. One results in a body with a modified lump. One results in a body with a new lump.

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From a UI stand point it seems like it would be much more elegant to have two sections...

Basic transformations ...  translation, rotation, scale, and symmetry (yes I realize symmetry is just negative scale)

Basic patterns ... rectangular, circular, user defined, mirror.

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Have I sold you on this one yet? Do I have a Euro coming?

lougallo

@OpenR2 Something like this?

mahir

In the end, this is a pretty minor point that comes down to individual UI preference. A checkbox for "Delete original" would be nice, but it's not the end of the world having to use a Delete Part feature. OS has bigger fish to fry than trying to tweak every UI (i.e. configurations, surfacing, etc). Adding Symmetry to the Transform feature would work, but it's also more complicated than necessary. While I may know that a mirror is really just a negative scaling, I'd venture to say the vast majority of designers don't think of it like that.

OpenR2

mahir, in the end, its about having a UI that is well done, well though out, and well designed compared to a UI that seems to just be a collection of individual functions stuck together.
I personally would like to see Onshape succeed.
I have a professional license and as such am evaluating it as a professional CAD system.
If we want to do professional work with Onshape then we need to professionally critic it and provide professional feedback.

OpenR2

Lou...I think I was looking at a feature mirror and not a part mirror. Do you have something that does this at the feature level?

lougallo

@OpenR2 We do not do boolean ops for the feature mirror... but yes it could.  In your example you would not use a feature mirror on the import... just mirror the part.  Either way, @mahir said it best, these are typically individual user UI preferences... Which is why FS exists.. Makes it easy to mod this.  I would be happy to send you the FS if you want to play..