Patterning an instance automatically creates other instances that have incremental values for selected parameters or dimensions. The instance used for the patterning does not become a parent; it is used, in effect, as a seed to generate the new Family Table members.

Features, component members, and groups in a Family Table cannot be patterned, but instances to which they belong can. You can then edit the table to change these items.

Note that patterning an instance does not replace the original seed instance with the pattern instance, but instead duplicates the seed and the first instance. You must delete the original instance manually if you do not want it in the table.

Patterning an instance can be done with several directions. The first direction is a set of parameters or dimensions that you want incremented together, the second direction is actually a patterning of the first, where you select a parameter that is incremented a certain number of times for each of the first direction instances.

The third direction is a patterning of the second, where you select a parameter that is incremented a certain number of times for each of the second direction instances, and so on. Using patterning can propagate instances quickly.