SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Part III: Working with Assemblies

they are anti-parallel (parallel but going in opposite directions), then all the component instances

that were between the two legs of the L created by the two directions will come to overlap one

another when they are laid out in a straight line.

Figure 15.2 shows how a 5-by-4 pattern with 20 instances becomes a 1-by-8 (the seed is not

counted twice) pattern. To be clear, the figure shows a two-direction pattern where the angle

between the directions becomes shallower and shallower, until the two directions are parallel or

anti-parallel. When this happens, the other 12 instances overlap the remaining ones. When you

use the Pattern seed only option, you are only patterning the two legs of the L, and not the

instances in between. Having parts that overlap can cause problems with Bills of Materials (BOMs)

and mass properties due to having duplicate parts.

FIGURE 15.2

Use the Pattern seed only option for two directional pattern