Fillet Guide
Sketch & Model

Repeat with patterns

Make one hole, then let Fillet make the rest. A pattern repeats a step or a whole body in a row or around a circle, and it stays live: change the count and the copies follow.

Repeat a hole or a cut

Make the first hole, then let the pattern drill the rest.

  1. Make the first hole or cut.
  2. Tap Pattern in the tool strip, then tap Features.
  3. On the timeline, tap the step to repeat. It turns blue with a check.
  4. Set Count and Spacing, then tap Done.
An 80 mm plate with four round holes in a row along its length.The Pattern 1 inspector: Objects set to Features, 1 step picked with Extrude 2 listed, Type Linear, Axis X, Count 4, Spacing 20 mm.
Count 4 is the hole you made plus three copies, 20 mm apart along X.

Each copy does what the step did: a cut cuts again, a hole drills again, a join adds material again.

Pick the steps to repeat

While a feature pattern is open, the timeline picks steps instead of opening them.

  1. Tap a step to add it. It turns blue with a check.
  2. Tap it again, or its × in the inspector, to take it out.
  3. Tap Clear to start over.
The timeline while Pattern 1 is open. Extrude 1 looks normal, Sketch 2 is greyed out, and Extrude 2 is blue with a check.
Extrude 2 is picked. Extrude 1 can join. Sketch 2 is greyed out because it can't.

Only extrudes, revolves, primitives, lofts and holes that come before the pattern can join. Tap a greyed-out step and Fillet says why.

Start a pattern from the timeline

The fastest way in: start from the step itself, and it opens already picked.

  1. Touch and hold the step on the timeline.
  2. Tap Pattern.
  3. Set Count and Spacing, then tap Done.
The menu of the Extrude 2 step on the timeline: Edit, Pattern, Rename…, Suppress, Roll back to here and Delete.
Touch and hold a step. Pattern is second in its menu.

Repeat a whole body

Repeat a body when you want the whole shape again, fillets and all, like a row of rounded pegs.

  1. Select the body. With nothing selected, Fillet uses the newest one.
  2. Tap Pattern. Objects starts on Bodies.
  3. Tap bodies in the view to add or remove them.
  4. Set Count and Spacing, then tap Done.
Four blue pegs with rounded tops in a row, under the hint Tap bodies to add or remove them.The Pattern 1 inspector: Objects set to Bodies, 1 body picked, Type Linear, Axis X, Count 4, Spacing 18 mm.
One filleted peg, repeated four times, 18 mm apart. Picked bodies show in blue.

The copies become part of the body you repeated, so the browser still shows one body.

Go around in a circle

Turn copies around an axis for bolt holes on a flange.

  1. Make the first hole away from the centre, and pick it as above.
  2. Under Type, tap Circular.
  3. Under Axis, tap Z for a part lying on the bed.
  4. Set Count, then tap Done.
A round 60 mm flange with six holes evenly spaced around it.The Pattern 1 inspector: Objects Features with Extrude 2 picked, Type Circular, Axis Z, Count 6, Angle 360 degrees.
Six holes around Z. Angle 360° spreads them evenly round the whole circle.

The axis runs through the origin, so centre round parts on the origin.

Let a parameter set the count

Drive the plate and the pattern from the same parameter, and a longer plate gets more holes by itself.

  1. In the browser, add a parameter length set to 80 and one called pitch set to 20.
  2. Open the plate’s sketch, tap Select, then tap the rectangle and type length in its Width.
  3. Tap the pattern’s step on the timeline. In Count, type floor(length / pitch), and in Spacing, type pitch.
The Count field reads floor(length / pitch) with = 4 under it. The Spacing field reads pitch mm with = 20 mm under it.
Each field shows what its expression works out to: 80 / 20 makes four holes.

Now set length to 120 in the browser. The plate grows to 120 mm, Count works out to 6, and two more holes appear. Type a new size into the sketch instead, and the count stays at 4: Count follows length, not the plate.

The browser's Parameters: length = 120 mm and pitch = 20 mm.A 120 mm plate with six round holes in a row along its length.
length is 120 now, so the same pattern makes six holes, still 20 mm apart.
Use parameters and expressionsName your sizes and change the whole design from one place.

Questions

How do I change a pattern later?
Tap its step on the timeline. The inspector opens with its settings, and for a feature pattern the timeline picks steps again.
Does Count include the original?
Yes. A count of 4 gives the original and three copies. Count can be anything from 1 to 1000.
I'm on a Mac. What's different?
Click wherever this guide says tap, and Control-click a step where it says touch and hold. Pattern is also in the Design menu.
What does a smaller Angle do?
With less than 360°, the first and last copies sit at the two ends of the angle. Count 3 over 90° puts copies at 0°, 45° and 90°.
Which functions can Count use?
floor rounds down, so you never get one hole too many. ceil, round, min and max work too. A count that isn’t a whole number is rounded to the nearest one.
Why does Count show an error?
The units don’t match. Type both parameters as plain numbers, 80 rather than 80 mm, so length / pitch is a plain count. If one has mm, give the other mm too.
Why does it say “The patterned cut doesn't touch any body”?
All the copies of a cut landed outside the part. Check the Axis and the Spacing. A negative spacing goes the other way along the axis.
Why can't I repeat a fillet?
A feature pattern repeats only extrudes, revolves, primitives, lofts and holes. To repeat a filleted shape, pattern the whole body instead.
Why is a step after the pattern greyed out?
A pattern can only repeat steps that come before it on the timeline. Drag the pattern after that step, or start a new pattern.
Why won't a step's menu start a pattern?
A rolled-back step can’t start one: move the caliper past it first. Steps that can’t be repeated have no Pattern item. While a pattern is open, the menu reads Add to Pattern 1 or Remove from Pattern 1 instead.
How do I join the copies to another body?
The copies join only the body you repeated. To join the row to another body, use Combine afterwards.
Why did my picks disappear?
Switching Objects between Bodies and Features clears what you picked. Pick again in the new mode.
Why does Axis say Edge?
A pattern made by an AI agent can turn around an edge of a body instead of X, Y or Z. The inspector then shows Edge.
Drill holes for screwsUse parameters and expressionsChange your design with the timelineWork with bodies: primitives, combine, move and mirror

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