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Lesson 13

Patterning Sketch Elements

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Hello! Welcome to the final lesson in our "2D Sketching Essentials" module.

In our last session, you learned how to use the Mirror command to create perfectly symmetrical designs by sketching only half of your part. This was your first step into efficiently duplicating geometry. Today, we'll expand on that idea with tools designed for creating multiple copies of sketch elements in structured arrangements: Rectangular and Circular Patterns.

This is a critical skill for many of the projects you're interested in, from creating ventilation grids for a PC case to designing bolt patterns for mounting hardware. Mastering patterns will dramatically speed up your workflow. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to duplicate sketch elements using both the Rectangular and Circular Pattern commands.

Let's start by looking at some examples of what you can create with these tools.

3D Printed Vent Patterns Designed in Fusion 360
A variety of vent covers designed in Fusion 360 and 3D printed. Repetitive features like these are created efficiently using pattern commands.

1. A Crucial Best Practice: Sketch Patterns vs. Feature Patterns

Before we dive into creating patterns, there's a vital concept to understand. In Fusion 360, you can create patterns at two different stages:

  1. In a 2D Sketch (what we're learning today).
  2. On a 3D Feature (like patterning a hole that's already been cut from a solid body).

While it might seem efficient to pattern everything in your sketch, creating a large number of instances (e.g., a fine mesh or a complex gear with many teeth) can make your sketch very slow and difficult to manage. Each instance adds complexity that Fusion 360 has to continuously solve.

A good rule of thumb is:

  • Use Sketch Patterns for a small number of simple instances (say, fewer than 10-15).
  • Use Feature Patterns for a large number of instances or for patterning complex shapes. We'll cover feature patterns later in the course.

This video from Tyler Beck of Tech & Espresso provides an excellent explanation of this principle.

Learn Fusion 360 Sketch Patterns – When to Use (and When Not To)

This video clearly explains the difference between sketch and feature patterns and gives a rule of thumb for when to use each to maintain good model performance.

Watch the first two minutes of the video (0:00 - 2:04). Pay attention to the comparison between the simple sketch pattern and the complex plate that should be done as a feature pattern.

2. The Rectangular Pattern Command

The Rectangular Pattern tool duplicates selected sketch geometry along one or two linear directions, creating a grid or a row of items. It's perfect for things like grilles, arrays of holes, or the keys on a keyboard.

Fusion 360 Patterning Examples
A visual overview of the different pattern tools available in Fusion 360. We will focus on the Rectangular and Circular patterns shown here.

The key options in the Rectangular Pattern dialog are:

  • Objects: The sketch geometry you want to duplicate.
  • Directions: The lines or axes that define the direction of the pattern. You can use the default X/Y axes or select any line in your sketch.
  • Quantity: The total number of instances in that direction, including the original.
  • Distance Type:
    • Spacing: The distance from the center of one instance to the center of the next.
    • Extent: The total distance from the center of the first instance to the center of the last.
  • Suppress: A checkbox that lets you turn off individual instances within the pattern that you don't need.

The same video provides a clear walkthrough of this tool.

Learn Fusion 360 Sketch Patterns – When to Use (and When Not To)

Let's continue with the same video to see the Rectangular Pattern tool in action. The presenter covers all the key options and shows how to edit a pattern after it's been created.

Watch the segment from 2:04 to 5:41. Focus on: How to select objects and define directions. The difference between 'Spacing' and 'Extent'. How to use the 'Suppress' option to skip instances. How to find and double-click the pattern icon in the sketch to edit it.

A Pro Tip: Custom Pattern Directions

A powerful, non-obvious feature of the Rectangular Pattern tool is that your directions don't have to be horizontal and vertical. By drawing a construction line at an angle, you can set it as a custom direction. This is exactly how you would create a honeycomb pattern, which is common in designs for gaming PCs. You would pattern a hexagon along two angled directions.

3. The Circular Pattern Command

The Circular Pattern tool duplicates sketch geometry around a central point. This is the go-to command for creating bolt circles, clock faces, or the spokes of a wheel.

The main options are:

  • Objects: The sketch geometry to duplicate.
  • Center Point: The point around which everything will be rotated.
  • Quantity: The total number of instances, including the original.
  • Type:
    • Full: Distributes the instances evenly over 360 degrees.
    • Angle: Distributes the instances over a specific angle you define.
  • Suppress: Just like the rectangular pattern, this lets you disable specific instances.

Let's see how it works.

Learn Fusion 360 Sketch Patterns – When to Use (and When Not To)

The final segment of the video demonstrates the Circular Pattern tool. It's a straightforward but powerful command for any rotational designs.

Watch from 5:41 to 7:14. Pay attention to how the center point is defined and how changing the quantity and angle affects the layout. The video also shows how to delete the pattern constraint to make instances independent, which can be useful in some situations.

4. Practice Exercise: Designing a VESA Adapter Plate

It's time to put these commands into practice. We'll design a simple VESA adapter plate. VESA is a standard used for mounting monitors and TVs. This adapter could, for example, allow a monitor with a 75x75mm pattern to fit on a stand that uses a 100x100mm pattern. This is a perfect DIY project that combines both pattern tools.

  1. Start a New Sketch: Create a sketch on the XY plane.
  2. Create the Plate Outline:
    • Use the Center Rectangle tool (Sketch > Rectangle > Center Rectangle).
    • Start at the origin and draw a square.
    • Use the Dimension tool (D) to make it 120mm x 120mm.
  3. Create the First Mounting Hole (75mm pattern):
    • Draw a Circle (C) in the top-right quadrant.
    • Dimension its diameter to 4.5mm (for an M4 screw).
    • Dimension its position: 37.5mm from the vertical center line (Y-axis) and 37.5mm from the horizontal center line (X-axis). (Why 37.5? Because 75 / 2 = 37.5).
  4. Apply a Circular Pattern:
    • Open the Circular Pattern tool (Sketch > Circular Pattern).
    • Objects: Select the 4.5mm circle.
    • Center Point: Select the sketch origin.
    • Quantity: Set it to 4.
    • Click OK. You now have a perfect 75x75mm bolt pattern.
  5. Create the First Mounting Hole (100mm pattern):
    • Draw another Circle (C), also in the top-right quadrant.
    • Dimension its diameter to 4.5mm.
    • Dimension its position: 50mm from the vertical center line and 50mm from the horizontal center line. (Since 100 / 2 = 50).
  6. Apply a Rectangular Pattern (A clever trick!):
    • You could use a circular pattern again, but let's use the rectangular one for practice.
    • Open the Rectangular Pattern tool (Sketch > Rectangular Pattern).
    • Objects: Select the second circle you drew (the one at 50,50).
    • Quantity (Direction 1): 2
    • Distance (Direction 1): -100mm (to pattern one copy 100mm to the left).
    • Quantity (Direction 2): 2
    • Distance (Direction 2): -100mm (to pattern downwards).
    • Click OK. You should now see four holes making a 100x100mm square. This demonstrates that a rectangular pattern can create square layouts, not just grids.
  7. Final Check: Your sketch should be fully constrained (all lines and points are black), showing a 120mm square with two sets of four holes.

Congratulations! You've just created a useful, real-world part using both pattern commands in a single sketch.

Conclusion

You've now reached the end of our module on 2D Sketching Essentials. You've gone from drawing basic lines to creating complex, constrained, and efficient sketches using symmetry and patterns.

Key Takeaways from this lesson:

  • Patterns are used to efficiently duplicate sketch geometry in linear (Rectangular Pattern) or rotational (Circular Pattern) arrangements.
  • Understanding when to use a sketch pattern versus a feature pattern is crucial for creating models that perform well.
  • Key options like Spacing vs. Extent in rectangular patterns and Full vs. Angle in circular patterns give you precise control over the layout.
  • The Suppress option allows you to selectively remove instances from any pattern.

In our very next lesson, we will leave the 2D world behind and enter the third dimension. You'll learn how to use the Extrude command to take the 2D profiles you've been creating—like the VESA plate you just designed—and turn them into solid 3D bodies, ready for 3D printing.