This is actually work related (remember work, thay paying job?) so any help would be really appreciated.

I have a model that needs a 3d texture on it, not just a rendered texture, very much like the dimples on a football or golfball. The textured face is non-planar (again, like a ball) which is giving me the trouble. I've tried a sketch-driven pattern based on 3d sketch points, but that doesn't work, and a filled pattern only works on planar faces. There will probably be thousands of these dimples (yup, like a ball) so I would REALLY like not to have to do a cut feature for each one. Is this even possible? Um, I have SW2006, sp4.1

Thanks

Come on, all you Solidworks gurus out there and nobody has any ideas!?

Do you have photoworks with it? What I imagine you want is not just a flat, glued on "decal" texture but something with depth. However, I don't think the current version of photoworks supports bump mapping and pixel and vertex shaders. Though I could be wrong.

I'd have to say I feel a little like Thomas Edison when he was inventing the lightbulb: someone said to him, "you've gotten nowhere, you've tried a thousand things and nothing works," and Edison says, "what are you talking about? I've found a thousand things that don't work." So I guess progress is more than finding what works. Here is what I have tried, just in case anybody has any additional ideas...

• doing a sketch driven pattern of the feature using 3D sketch points will still pattern on a plane
  
• cannot create a library part feature because they can only be inserted on a planar face
  
• cannot do a fill pattern on a non planar face
  
• cannot do a revolve because the face is irregular
  
• creating a 3d curve through reference points and then doing a curve driven pattern will work, except that I need several thousand points for my part to look right
  
• using the shape feature does not yield a good enough resolution
  

I need the 3d texture because this part will eventually be CNC'd. What I have decided to do is machine the part smooth and then shot peen it. I'm getting some sample parts done right now to see if the method works. If anybody has any other ideas outside of solidworks, I'd like to hear 'em. I've considered everything (?) from acid etching the aluminum to doing the texture by hand with a dremel.

i can get a sketch driven pattern to repeat a cut on a wavy face, but only in single line. would this help? then you would only need to do a few sketches...

unfortunately that doesn't help. I need about 6500 features in order for the texture to look right. Also my object is more irregluar, there are no linear or revolved edges. It's more like an elipse swept on an eliptical path.