how to turn on "reflective plane"?

[bnemec]

I'm probably calling it the wrong thing, but when modeling a part with symmetry I usually model half then mirror body near the end. In Solid Edge there was trick that if the plane of symmetry was one of the base planes we could turn on "Reflective Plane" and it would LOOK like the part is mirrored already even though the mirror feature was rolled back. The geometry was not there so sometimes I would try to click on the edges of the mirrored side like an idiot until I remembered that I don't need to select those for applying fillets for example.

Here' s a link to the SE help for explanation. https://docs.plm.automation.siemens.com ... :xid597513

I've been looking for the same thing in SW but haven't found it yet. If anyone knows how to have SW display the other half of the part before the mirror feature, please share. Thank you.

[DanPihlaja]

I'm probably calling it the wrong thing, but when modeling a part with symmetry I usually model half then mirror body near the end. In Solid Edge there was trick that if the plane of symmetry was one of the base planes we could turn on "Reflective Plane" and it would LOOK like the part is mirrored already even though the mirror feature was rolled back. The geometry was not there so sometimes I would try to click on the edges of the mirrored side like an idiot until I remembered that I don't need to select those for applying fillets for example.

Here' s a link to the SE help for explanation. https://docs.plm.automation.siemens.com ... :xid597513

I've been looking for the same thing in SW but haven't found it yet. If anyone knows how to have SW display the other half of the part before the mirror feature, please share. Thank you.

image.png

I could be wrong....but I think that the best thing you can do is this:

Create a feature that creates the body. Then mirror the body. (make sure its the body that you mirror and not the feature.

Then, drag your little blue history bar back above the mirror. Then make changes at will, add features or cutouts...as long as it remains 1 body.

Any time you want to see what your mirror looks like, just drag the blue history bar back down.

[zwei]

As Dan mentioned, I dont think SW has this feature

What i will normally do for symmetry part is to:
1. Model the "base" of symmetry part as a whole
2. Define symmetry plane (if needed, eg: when symmetry plane is not on the primary plane)
3. Create all the feature required
4. Cut the part using the symmetry plane (using Cut with surface)
5. Mirror the body

Personally i find that having the base part to keep showing make it easier when modelling the symmetry part

[AlexLachance]

That's a pretty neat feature on SolidEdge, but it can be pretty tricky too from reading your example haha. I don't think it's available on SolidWorks.

@Zhen-Wei Tee , why not make use of your original planes rather then having to create one..?

[berg_lauritz]

That's a pretty neat feature on SolidEdge, but it can be pretty tricky too from reading your example haha. I don't think it's available on SolidWorks.

@Zhen-Wei Tee , why not make use of your original planes rather then having to create one..?

Read the post again, @AlexLachance !!!! And then quickly edit away!

Hint:

2. Define symmetry plane (if needed, eg: when symmetry plane is not on the primary plane)

[AlexLachance]

Read the post again, @AlexLachance !!!! And then quickly edit away!

Hint:

Garrrr, thanks mate, I read too quickly , Sorry @Zhen-Wei Tee

[TTevolve]

Unless the part is very complex I will not use a mirror on a part. I have been burned to many times where I have to edit a part to make it unsymmetrical later on, so then you have some things after the mirror, and editing becomes complicated. I will make my sketches items mirrored, but not the features.

[Jaylin Hochstetler]

This for something different but I sometimes use the Symmetry Check feature in SW to make sure my part is symmetrical. I was trying to figure out if SE had something similar until I discovered the Reflective Plane feature. It's not really intended for symmetry check but it works. This is needed sometimes in Sync b/c if you're not carefully you can loss your symmetry when doing edits. Normally, though, I draw half of the part in Sync and then do an Ordered Mirror Body.