Part editing

[tim lucas]

I am making a corner shoe rack and need to cut the adjustable shelves, a couple questions - am I selecting the geometry the best way? - is there a way to duplicate the shelf after the modification or we have to create each shelf?

Thanks, Tim

[Scott Marshburn]

You have to create each shelf. Although you can save the geometry and use it for the remaining shelves by taking the part into contour right click and select create edges. Then click on save geometry. Now you can bring the other shelf for that cabinet into part editor and in contour click on load geometry and select the file that you just created then exit contour Right click and select create part using closed contour.

[Dennis Englert]

As stated by Scott, you can "Create Edges" in Contour Mode from the right-click menu. Go through the blue door-like icon to get there. You'll see a blue outline around all of the geometry and any cuts that have been made.

From there, you can create a horizontal and vertical line where you've drawn the rectangles that intersect. After that fillet the two lines with the radius that you need. You can save the geometry for the next identical part by clicking on the Save icon. I'd save it to the Patterns folder. You'll need to delete all of the geometry with the exception of the arc, the horizontal, the vertical and the angled line. So the lines representing the sides and back of the cabinet need to be deleted. Next go back through the green door icon. Right-click, the choose Cut/Pocket using Closed Contour.

Overall, there may be more steps in this method, but I think it is harder and possibly more error prone to create the two rectangles and the circle exactly where you want them. By using "Create Edges", you've generated all of the end points and can draw construction lines from there that you can work with. There is no math, so less mistakes. While I said, there may be more steps, there are a lot of step to create each rectangle.

In general, if the way you did it works, then you accomplished what you wanted. There are generally many ways to complete a task. Each of us is different and thinks through our projects differently.

[tim lucas]

Thanks for the replies, I am missing something though, when I apply the saved pattern I can not select the closed contour to cut the pocket?

[Scott Marshburn]

Tim
It looks like you still have all of the lines that were created when you selected create edges. If you wish to use create pocket to make the cut on the part you may have to remove the extra lines. You can use the delete single option then click on the lines that you wish to remove. Leaving just the geometry for the pocket. After you have don this you can save that geometry to use for the remainder of your shelves. If by chance you get a error when trying to cut the pocket that says the contour is not a closed contour then you will have to return to the contour area and extend the lines so that they intersect then using the trim tool trim two entities.