How do I create a pattern of extrusions between a series of points along 2 curves?

neobobkrause

I need to demonstrate how to create a pattern of rods between a series of equally spaced points along 2 closed, non-planar curves. 

The document referenced below contains 2 3D helix curves. One is just a rotated copy of the other. The Faulty Pillar Pattern feature at the bottom of the list results in a pattern of pillars that aren't oriented between the points on the 2 curves.

Any help is appreciated.

- Bob

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/8dfc6891ecb886093e70404c/w/7f42e8fc37fdf36cc5629453/e/75fc5fc5d4755991128fedff

john_hackington

Hi Bob! 

This is a very interesting problem you have here. If possible, you might like to post this as a question in the "Community Support" category where it will likely get more readily answered. I'm interested to find out too.

@neobobkrause

konstantin_shiriazdanov

john_hackington said:

Hi Bob! 

This is a very interesting problem you have here. If possible, you might like to post this as a question in the "Community Support" category where it will likely get more readily answered. I'm interested to find out too.

not actually a big problem, just needed a feature that would place points along a path. @mahir had some plans to make one with more options than mine

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/24d450db10d7bd8a5642da38/w/83ada25ced2e1aacb278f760/e/6deea515b9f0a07736eb74d2

neobobkrause

konstantin_shiriazdanov said:

just needed a feature that would place points along a path. 

konstantin_shiriazdanov It feels a bit like somebody just peeled back the matrix to demonstrate how the world really works.

The solution you've presented places points along the paths -- but does so in the context of a feature pattern. Your parameter pattern script accomplishes that quite simply by "hijacking" a user-defined variable and causing its value to vary for each instance of a pattern. That's an insightful construct realized in an impressively simple piece of code.

I've always thought of OS as a static declarative system where nothing changes once set. Your code demonstrates that the value of a user-defined variable can change in the context of a feature pattern -- much like a 'for' loop in a procedural language. Whoa. If a for loop is possible, then so are if/then/else constructs and nested code blocks. This changes how I design in OnShape pretty fundamentally.

Thanks for your help and insight.

- Bob

konstantin_shiriazdanov

neobobkrause said:

This changes how I design in OnShape pretty fundamentally.

I had the same feelings when found that feature pattern takes into account external variables when regenerates features. This makes feature-based modeling more like graphic programming. FS developers done a great job to pack such an advanced functionality into one little function