Help Open SchoolCAD

Help Part Studio features

Mirror

Make a mirror-image copy of parts across a plane, so both sides of a symmetric design match.

  • Mirror MPart Studio toolbar
What other CAD programs call it
SchoolCADOnshapeFusionSOLIDWORKS
MirrorMirrorMirrorMirror

Many designs have two sides that match: the two ends of a step stool, the sides of a bookcase, the left and right of a phone stand. Model one side, and Mirror makes the other side for you. The copy is a new part: a mirror image of the first, like its reflection in a mirror.

The copy stays linked to the part it came from. Change the size of the first side, and the copy changes too.

To mirror lines and shapes inside a sketch, use the sketch Mirror instead.

How to use it#

  1. Click Mirror, or press M. Parts you selected first are already ticked.
  2. Under Parts to mirror, tick the parts, or click them in the view.
  3. Choose the Mirror plane.
  4. If the middle of your design is not on the origin (the point 0, 0, 0), type an Offset.
  5. Check the preview, then click ✓.

Options#

OptionWhat it does
Parts to mirrorThe parts to copy. Tick them, or click them in the view.
Mirror planeWhat to mirror across. Right plane flips left and right, Front plane flips front and back, and Top plane flips top and bottom. You can also choose a plane you made.
OffsetTop, Front and Right planes only: moves the plane this many mm before it mirrors.

Tips#

  • Symmetric designs are easiest when their middle is on the origin. Start with a Centre rect on the origin, then mirror across the Right plane with no offset.
  • If one side starts at the origin, make the offset half the width. For a bookcase 600 mm wide with its left side at the origin, mirror the left side across the Right plane with an Offset of 300.
  • To mirror across a face of a part, make a Plane on that face first, then choose it as the Mirror plane.
  • The copy has the same material, and its name ends in (mirror), such as Left side (mirror). Double-click it in the parts list to rename it, such as Right side.
  • Mirror copies the part as it is at that point in the feature tree. If you add holes to the first side later, drag the Mirror feature below them in the tree, so the copy gets the holes too.

If it does not work#

  • Choose the part(s) to mirror. Tick a part, or click one in the view.
  • The copy sits on top of the first part, or in the wrong place. Change the Offset, or choose a different Mirror plane. Check shows parts that overlap.
  • The mirror plane (Plane 1) comes after this feature. Drag Plane 1 above it. Mirror can only use a plane made before it in the feature tree.