Mirror the Entire Geometry of a Part
General
- The function mirrors the entire geometry of a part.
- You can create a mirror image of the part, or keep the original geometry, creating a mirror-symmetrical part.
Mirror the Geometry of a Part
- Start the mirroring function
- Select Part | Tools | Mirror or
- Select Import | Tools | Mirror or
- Select the context-sensitive function Edit Model > Mirror.
- Select the mirror plane.
- Planar face.
- Cross section.
- In the Mirror dialog box, select Keep original geometry, if you want to keep the original geometry.
- You can change the mirror plane by the button Change, and select the new mirror plane.
- Select OK.
Example: Mirror a half-modeled part into a symmetrical part
- The part's own planar surface is selected as the mirror plane.
- In the dialog box, select: Keep original geometry.
- A doubly symmetric part is easily formed when the part formed as a result of the first mirroring is mirrored once more.
You can select the original or the mirrored feature for editing. The changes are refreshed to the entire part.
Example: Creater a mirror image of a part
- The part's own planar surface has been selected as the mirror plane.
- The option is cleared in the dialog box: Keep original geometry.
If you need both mirror images of a part, you have two options
- Save the part before mirroring and save the part as a new part and mirror the part in this new model.
- The advantage of this is that you can make individual changes to both mirror images.
- The disadvantage of this is that if you have to change a feature that was made before mirroring, you have to do it separately for both models.
- You can then add a right-handed or left-handed part from the archive separately to an assembly.
- Create a new configuration to the model before mirroring the part and mirror the part in this new configuration. You should name the configurations, for example right and left.
- The advantage of this is that if you have to change a feature that was made before mirroring, you can get away with one change.
- When you add such a part to an assembly, the program asks which configuration (right-handed or left-handed) you want to use.
Note:
- You can select a cross section of a lofted part, for example, as the mirroring face.
- Parts with guide curves and cross sections added to it can be mirrored in relation to the cross section face.
- If, after mirroring, you edit the properties of a part feature, for example rounding, only the original part is displayed in the working window. After confirming the feature properties, the changes are refreshed in the mirrored features.