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solidcraft-upstream/docs/feature-patterns.md
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Feature mirrors and patterns

Choose Mirror, Rectangular Pattern or Circular Pattern from the Solid Create panel and set Object Type to Features. Select the source features in the timeline or pick their faces in the viewport. Selecting features before starting the command fills the Features input automatically.

Feature copies replay the source operations: a patterned hole cuts the target solid, and an additive feature adds material. The mirror's New Body / Join selector belongs to body copying and is hidden for feature replays.

Select the mirror plane, rectangular directions or circular axis using the selection inputs. Click an input to pick into it; click a selected item again to remove it, or use its clear button. The preview uses the same commands as OK. Cancel leaves the design and undo history unchanged.

Rectangular feature patterns have two direction columns, each with Quantity, Spacing, Flip and Center controls. Directions can meet at any angle. A missing second direction produces a single row. Direction vectors are saved with the feature; editing a picked guide later does not change these saved vectors.

Circular feature patterns have Quantity, Total angle, Flip and Center controls. Six instances over 90 degrees use 18-degree steps, including both ends of the arc. A full circle divides 360 degrees by the quantity without duplicating the source at 360 degrees.

Quantities include the original. Center keeps the original fixed and alternates copies on its two sides. For four instances the slots are 0, +1, -1, +2; Flip changes them to 0, -1, +1, -2. This also chooses the extra side for an even centered circular pattern. Rectangular directions have independent controls.

Double-click a saved feature in the timeline to edit it. Mirrors and patterns retain their feature sources, including features that created bodies, and patterns retain their placement controls and arbitrary direction vectors after save/reopen. Source edits recompute the copies. Undo and redo cover the whole edit.

The command forms share sketch patterns' alignment names:

{"command":"solid.pattern.rectangular","params":{"features":["Hole1"],"dir1":[1,0,0],"count1":4,"spacing1":15,"dir2":[0.6,0.8,0],"count2":2,"spacing2":20,"alignment":"center","alignment2":"center","reversed":true,"reversed2":false}}
{"command":"solid.pattern.circular","params":{"features":["Hole1"],"axis":{"origin":[40,60,0],"dir":[0,0,1]},"count":6,"angle":"90 deg","alignment":"center","reversed":true}}

Omitted alignments default to right, and omitted reversals to false, preserving older designs. left is also accepted by the command API. New placement values are stored through the pending document-format migration.