Fill pattern
Holes of one shape filling a boundary sketched on a wall, in rows, a grid or rings, for perforated panels and speaker grilles.
- Fill pattern AdvancedPart Studio toolbar
| SchoolCAD | Onshape | Fusion | SOLIDWORKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fill pattern | – | – | Fill Pattern |
A fill pattern fills an area with holes, all the same shape and evenly spaced: a perforated metal panel, a speaker grille, a honeycomb of hexagons, or a lighter, laser-cut panel. Sketch the area to fill on the wall, choose the layout and the hole shape, and the holes are cut through the wall. It works like Fill Pattern in SOLIDWORKS with a seed cut.
Fill pattern is in the Advanced tool set, in the Pattern ▾ menu on the toolbar. In Standard, find it with Search tools (` or Alt+C).
How to use it#
- Make the part, such as a box hollowed out with Shell, or a flat panel.
- Start a sketch on the face of the wall (click the face, then Sketch) and draw the boundary to fill as a closed shape, such as a rectangle or a circle.
- Click Fill pattern. Choose the Pattern layout, the Instance spacing and the Seed cut.
- Check the preview and the number of holes, then click ✓.
Options#
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sketch (Fill boundary) | The sketch with the boundary. A shape inside it (drawn as a hole in the region) is left without holes. ⇅ cuts the other way. |
| Perforation | Rows of holes, each row shifted along by the stagger: the most holes in the space, like perforated metal. |
| Square | A square grid of holes. |
| Concentric | Rings of holes round the middle of the boundary: a round speaker grille. |
| Instance spacing | From the centre of one hole to the next, in mm. |
| Stagger angle | For Perforation: 60° puts each hole the same distance from all six around it. |
| Margins | The space between the holes and the boundary. |
| Pattern direction | Turns the rows (and the holes) by this many degrees. |
| Seed cut | The hole's shape: Circle, Square, Diamond or Hexagon, and its Diameter or Size in mm. |
Tips#
- The number of holes and the open area (how much of the boundary is holes) show under the options.
- For laser cutting, keep the gap between holes at least as wide as the material is thick; for 3D printing, at least two lines of the nozzle (0.8 mm).
- Hexagons 4 mm across, 5 mm apart, make a honeycomb with thin walls between.
- At most 600 holes at a time: for more, use a few fill patterns side by side.
If it does not work#
- No holes fit inside the boundary. Make the boundary bigger, or the holes, spacing or margins smaller.
- The holes would run into each other. Make the spacing bigger than the seed's size.
- The fill pattern does not meet the part. Sketch the boundary on the face of the wall, or click ⇅.