Activity 3: Create features for the turbine model

In this activity, you open the sample file Turbine and save it to a personal folder. You use the pattern and mirror commands to create a 2-sided turbine from a base and blade. The order in which you create the features is important if you want to minimize the number of features.

First you finish the blade by patterning the cut along it. Next you pattern the blade around one side of the turbine, and finally, you mirror the pattern on the underside. Mirroring as the last step means you avoid having to pattern the blades on both the top and the bottom of the turbine separately, and thereby ensure that the blades are symmetrical on both sides.

turbine model before and after

Turbine model starting shape (left), and with added features (right).

Prerequisites

Steps

  1. Open the sample file, Turbine, and save it to a personal project.

    Note: Refer to Activity 1 for detailed instructions.
  2. Finish the blade by patterning the cut along it, to create a total of 10 cuts that extend a Distance of 80 mm down the blade.

    1. Click Design > Solid > Create > Pattern > Pattern on Path pattern on path icon to activate the Pattern on Path command.

    2. In the Pattern on Path dialog, set the Pattern Type to Pattern Features pattern features icon.

      Note: The object you are patterning is an extruded cut in the blade, so the pattern type is a feature. Roll back the timeline to before the last extrusion to see this.

      turbine timeline

    3. In the Pattern on Path dialog, confirm that Select select arrow icon associated with Objects is activated, then select the extruded cut of the turbine blade on the timeline as the object.

    4. In the Pattern on Path dialog, click on Select select arrow icon associated with Path to activate it, then select the outside longitudinal edge of the blade as the Path.

      turbine blade path

    5. In the Pattern on Path dialog, enter a Distance of 80 mm with a Quantity of 10.

      turbine pattern on path dialog

    6. Click OK to complete the command and close the Pattern on Path dialog.

  3. Create 15 blades in total in a circular pattern around the turbine top.

    1. Click Design > Solid > Create > Pattern > Circular Pattern circular pattern icon to activate the Circular Pattern command.

    2. In the Circular Pattern dialog, set the Pattern Type to Bodies body icon.

      Note: The object you are patterning is Body3 in the Browser, the blade, so the pattern type is a body.
    3. In the Circular Pattern dialog, confirm that Select select arrow associated with Objects is activated, then click on the blade to select it as the only object.

      turbine select blade

    4. In the Circular Pattern dialog, click on Select select arrow icon associated with Axis to activate it, then click on the circular edge at the base of the turbine as the axis.

      turbine circular edge

    5. In the Circular Pattern dialog, set the Type to Full full icon and the Quantity to 15.

    6. Click OK to complete the command and close the Circular Pattern dialog.

      turbine top

  4. Mirror the blades from the top of the turbine to create a symmetrical set of 15 blades on the bottom of the turbine.

    1. Click Design > Solid > Create > Mirror mirror icon to activate the Mirror command.

    2. In the Mirror dialog, set the Pattern Type to Bodies body icon.

    3. Click the Top view on the ViewCube, and window select all the bodies, that is the base and 15 blades, as Objects.

      turbine window select top

      Note: Confirm that 16 objects are selected in the Mirror dialog.
    4. In the Mirror dialog, click Select select arrow icon associated with Mirror Plane to activate it, then click on the bottom of the turbine base to select it as the Mirror Plane.

      turbine bottom

    5. Click OK to complete the command and close the Mirror dialog.

  5. Go to Activity 5 to check your modifications.

Activity 3 summary

In this activity, you used the pattern and mirror commands to create a 2-sided turbine from a base and blade.

You accomplished this task using the following commands: