Mirror image components?

Hello.
Is it possible to create a set of components that are mirror image to each other so that when you edit one of them it changes its mirror image counterpart?

Thanks,

Eli

Ctrl copy a component with the move tool, then right click the new one and flip along the appropriate axis.

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You can see how that works here.

And just like that, it’s so simple.
This is marvelous. Thank you.

Use the scale tool, and before closing the scale type -1. That will give you a mirror on the axis in which you are scaling. It’s even quicker than flipping on an axis.

I wouldn’t agree with that. Even faster, though, is to set keyboard shortcuts for the Flip commands.

That’s probably also because I flip it on the wrong axis every time. The odds are 50/50 for horizontal axis, but somehow I always seem to have to do it twice. :smiley:

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Just have to learn which axis you need to flip along so you only need to do it once. :wink:

I cant imagine how, select, select scale, grab (correct) handle move, type -1, hit enter, could be faster than select, ctrl move, right click flip along…

It would probably be faster than Select, right click, flip along, undo, flip along, undo, flip along. :smiley:

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If your right click context menu is close to getting scollbars, you should add the search time :wink:

Because the flip along method flips in the middle axis and the scale method flips on an edge: if you copy and “paste in place”, then use the scale of -1, it’s guaranteed to be in the correct mirrored position without trusting that you’ll snap to the correct place once the copy is mirrored and you are moving it into position.
(you can also scale on the diagonal that would involve two flips)

If you copy and paste in place and then scale -1 using the correct handle it will be mirrored on the center. You can do many thing differently if you understand how.
A copy move to the next edge and flip. … paste in place flip…

Flip Along does flip at the center and Scale, -1 can mirror about the center if you invoke Scale About Center with Ctrl or option else it scales about the side opposite the scale handle you grab. In the end, it’s best to know both methods so you can apply the appropriate one. For example, creating a mirrored copy of a Bezier curve as I did for the curves at the bottom of this bookstand can’t be done with Flip Along but it can be done with Scale, -1. The top curves, because there’s more than one can be flipped with Flip Along.

roubo render

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HOLD EVERYTHING.

DaveR , how did you make that model look hand drawn? ??

-Eli

So as not to hijack this thread, I’ll send you a PM.

I know this thread is a bit old, but I think the answer could use some clarification. I’m using SU2015, and the difference between flipping along an axis and scaling by -1 is that the latter creates a new unique component name for the result. As a result, editing the original or mirrored component won’t update the other. At least this was my experience. So, I believe the correct answer to the original question is that you need to flip along an axis to retain the component name and allow editing of either instance to update each other.

Scaling by -1 doesn’t normally create a new unique component.

Consistently happened to me this morning. I got a “#4” appended to the name the first time. I redid it and got a “#5”.

Not sure what conditions are triggering it (maybe because I’m in SU2015?). Appreciate you letting me know this doesn’t always happen, but for now I’m going to stay safe and flip along axis or make sure I’m checking the component name hasn’t changed when I’m done.

Are you making it unique before you scale it?