How do I copy one side of a box and paste it on the rest of the sides?

Question

As you can see from the picture below, I have a box with a plating on one side. How do I copy/paste it so that I can get it placed precisely on the rest of the sides?

Answer 1

To "copy" the detailed side to all four sides, I use a array modifier, and an empty.

1. Start by adding an empty at the same location as your cube. Rotate the empty 90° along the Z axis.
2. Edit your cube to look like this, or without the top and bottom triangle.
   
3. Add a array modifier. Set the Count to 4, uncheck the Relative Offset and use the Empty as the Object Offset.
   

---

If you only want the detail on the opposite side

1. Add a loop cut down the middle (perpendicular to the X axis).
2. Delete the half of the cube that you have not yet modeled.
3. Add a mirror modifier to the object.

Answer 2

You can easily duplicate and rotate the side as long as the pivot point is in the right place.

• The best way is to make sure your object origin is in the centre of the cube.
• Then snap the cursor to the object origin (Object>Transform>Origin to 3D Cursor).
• Change the pivot point mode to cursor.
• Tab into Edit mode.
• Select the face and duplicate in in place ShiftD.
• Then rotate on the Z (or appropriate axis) by 90 degrees R->Z->90.
• Once you have duplicated and rotated all the face you want, select all vertices and do a Remove Doubles (button in left side panel, or Space/kbd>->Remove Doubles) command to weld everything together.

How to fix the origin point This will only work if you still have the origin point from the original cube. If you set a new origin point on your edited cube using Origin From Geometry, your origin point will be off and you won't be able to duplicate the face properly.

In order to re-establish the original cube origin point, you need to:

• tab into Edit mode, select the 8 outer vertices of the original cube
• Then duplicate them and Merge to Center, You now have a vertex in the exact center of the original cube.
• Snap your cursor to the vertex, delete the vertex, and tab into Edit mode.
• With the object still selected, the run Object>Transform>Origin To 3D Cursor command.

Now your origin will be correct to perform the side duplication process from above.

Answer 3

USING THE MIRROR MODIFIER

1. Detail placed on the faces horizontally only.

2. Detail placed on every face

---

USING THE ARRAY MODIFIER

While in Object Mode snap the cursor to the center of a cube (Shift+S-->Cursor to Selected), then delete the flat faces.

Add an Empty (Shift+A-->Empty-->Plain Axes) to the same position where the cursor is.

Select the object and give it an Array Modifier. Set the Fit Type to Fixed Count and increase the Count value to 4. Check the Constant Offset box, then Object Offset box and input an Empty in a window below.

Select an Empty again, press R, then Z and input 90 from the numerical keyboard.

Select an object in Object Mode and apply the Array Modifier.

Now go to Edit Mode, select all the vertices (A) and press W-->Remove Doubles.

Select the upper edge loop of the cube and press Ctrl+F-->Make Edge/Face (or just press F). Fill the bottom edge with a face in the same way.