Hide custom mate connectors by default?

yat_cheung_wong

Hi guys,

I have a few questions to ask but I don't know whether I should create multiple posts (please let me know if I should):

- I learnt from this post about how to hide custom mate connectors. But I can't find a way to hide them by default when I create an instance of the part. For example, I created 16 mate connectors for an aluminum extrusion:


Even if I hide them all in the part studio. I will see them visible whenever I instantiate it in an assembly, or instantiate an sub-assembly that contains the part even though I already hid them in the sub-assembly, and I will need to hide them all manually for each instance. Is there a way to hide them by default?

- Another problem is that the fastened mate node doesn't have a subtree of the custom mate connectors (if I use default mate connectors I will see a subtree). I know I can open the mate dialog and mouse hover the connectors in the dialog, but it would be a little better if I don't need to use the dialog:



- This one isn't really related: when I create custom parts and I need to take reference from this aluminum extrusions, what's the best practice to do so? Do I work on a single part studio and put all the standard parts there and try to design everything in it, or create simplified versions of these extrusions and linear guides in a separate part studio and create all the custom parts, and only use those standard parts in the main assembly? I see the latter approach is used in the Lighweight CNC sample by OS, and I guess the advantages are faster rendering and less unnecessary details when you sketch custom parts? Did I miss anything?

Will be very grateful if these questions can be answered.

-Ivan

shanshan

yat_cheung_wong，1).about the mate connectors created in a part studio,now no way to hide them by default;2).about the subtree,when we creat any mate by choosing a two mate connectors created in a part studio in a assembly,I also hope a subtree under this mate feature.3)when you creat custom parts, you can insert some reference parts from other part studios by "derived",it is very convenient!
this link is about onshape tutorials, hope it is helpful to you !
https://cad.onshape.com/help/index.htm#cshid=tutorials

shanshan

yat_cheung_wong，1).about the mate connectors created in a part studio,now no way to hide them by default;2).about the subtree,when we creat any mate by choosing a two mate connectors created in a part studio in a assembly,I also hope a subtree under this mate feature.3)when you creat custom parts, you can insert some reference parts from other part studios by "derived",it is very convenient!
this link is about onshape tutorials, hope it is helpful to you !
https://cad.onshape.com/help/index.htm#cshid=tutorials

shashank_aarya

@yat_cheung_wong For hiding mate connectors there is one discussion here 
https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/555/is-there-a-global-hide-all-mate-connectors-command

shashank_aarya

@yat_cheung_wong I do agree with you that whenever you hide the mate connectors in part studio they still appear in assembly. So, you have to hide them again. But there is one workaround by which you can easily hide all the mate connectors. Here is the process for the same as shown in below video.

The discussion which is mentioned in previous comment explains same. But this will also help you.

Narayan_K

@ yat_cheung_wong, You can get the created mate connector also in tree.It will under the it's owner part.

yat_cheung_wong

Thanks guys for the quick responses!

shanshan said:

yat_cheung_wong，1).about the mate connectors created in a part studio,now no way to hide them by default;2).about the subtree,when we creat any mate by choosing a two mate connectors created in a part studio in a assembly,I also hope a subtree under this mate feature.3)when you creat custom parts, you can insert some reference parts from other part studios by "derived",it is very convenient!
this link is about onshape tutorials, hope it is helpful to you !
https://cad.onshape.com/help/index.htm#cshid=tutorials

Thanks @shanshan Derived is exactly what I need. Appreciate that. Do you have more insight into why OS created simplified versions of standard parts in the design part studio (in the lightweight CNC sample)? Is there any benefit of doing so that I have missed?

shashank_aarya said: @yat_cheung_wong For hiding mate connectors there is one discussion here 
https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/555/is-there-a-global-hide-all-mate-connectors-command
Thanks @shashank_aarya for the info. I think I read that post before but as you said, this still won't hide created mate connectors by default. And the workaround actually hides all connectors, I can't have fine grained control of what I hope to hide by default and what not to.

Narayan_K said: @ yat_cheung_wong, You can get the created mate connector also in tree.It will under the it's owner part.



Yes I think I know that. But what if have many created mate connectors of the part, and I need to skim through the names of the created mate connectors for some particular mates I am looking at? As I said I can always double click the mates one by one and find it out in the dialog, but it would be even better if each mate had a subtree of all connectors used.

Narayan_K

@ yat_cheung_wong, you can't get mate connector in model tree as you said.But you see the mate connectors used for particular mate feature by selecting that mate feature from model tree.It will highlight the mate connector in model space.

yat_cheung_wong

@Narayan_K yes I can get it highlighted, but I want to know the name of it so that I can go back to the part studio and because I know its name I can access it right away and change/fix it when necessary. It'll be particularly useful if I have many created mate connectors of a part.

viru

@yat_cheung_wong , You can find the mates associated with a particular part by suppressing the that particular part user can get failed mate associated with that part.

Narayan_K

@ yat_cheung_wong, yes whatever you mentioned is good suggestion.If now you have such a problem then you can try this work around also.
Just click on the mate feature,it will highlight the part as well as mate connector involved in it.then expand the part and select the highlighted mate connector it will highlight the mate connector from model tree.

 

yat_cheung_wong

Narayan_K said:

@ yat_cheung_wong, yes whatever you mentioned is good suggestion.If now you have such a problem then you can try this work around also.
Just click on the mate feature,it will highlight the part as well as mate connector involved in it.then expand the part and select the highlighted mate connector it will highlight the mate connector from model tree.  

Thanks @Narayan_K. I think this is by far the best workaround.