Subfile for pattern

[Peter Blomberg]

What is the proper/preferred way of subfiling for patterns regarding symmetric parts?

Option A1
main part contains front face and any surface/edge which cannot be in the half, halves have mirrored symmetry
subfile contains only one half

Option A2
main part contains front face and any surface/edge which cannot be in the half, halves have rotational symmetry
subfile contains only one half

Option B
main part contains front face
first subfile contains complete part without front face
second subfile contains one half

Option C
main part contains front face
subfile contains one half and half of anything that is shared among the halves

I've understood that option C (splitting quads, boxes, etc) is to be avoided.

Options A1 and A2 would leave a bunch of lines in any patterned part file, while option B increases the number of files to be reviewed. Using rotational symmetry in the subfile reduces the amount of lines that need to be in the parent part. I've understood that mirroring is preferred over rotating (subfiles).

[Chris Böhnke]

I would say it depends on the part itself. Take into consideration the complexity of the halves and the non mirrored geometry. Also the amount of available patterns might be important.

Option A is probably the "default" solution, but if there are really a lot of lines which you can not put into the mirrored sub-file, other options might be preferable. Yes, option C should usually be avoided.

For option B, I wouldn't like putting the halves in the additional sub-file. If an additional sub-file is needed, I prefer this structure:

main.dat

• mains01.dat (half 1)
  
• mains01.dat (half 2, mirrored)
  
• mains02.dat (non mirrored geometry)
  
• pattern (no sub-file, unless symmetrical itself)
  

[Magnus Forsberg]

When making flat patterns I prefer to have all of the rest in a single s01 subfile.
Make the pattern, add one subfile, and you're done.

I don't see that neither mirroring nor rotation is better or prefered when creating subfiles. It depends on the symmetries in the part.
Have a look at my part 30837, using both mirroring and rotational positioning.
https://library.ldraw.org/parts/5343