Using Mate Connectors

paul_sundstrom

I am/was a reasonably proficient user of Solidworks but no longer have access to a licence.

I have been playing around with Onshape, and expect to be buying a licence shortly.

Image 1 shows part of a bracket arrangement with a cylindrical shell segment attached to a flat bar.

I am having trouble mating the shell piece properly with the flat bar. I need to rotate it about the z-axis so it is symmetrical with the flat bar. To make this mate I am trying to set up suitable mate connectors on the shell and flat bar. In sketch editing mode I have positioned a mate connector which can be seen in Image 2, but I cannot see it on the part when in assembly mode.

How do I get access to select that mate connector when in assembly mode?

Is there a better way to set the mate to align the parts properly?

Thanks in anticipation. Cheers, Paul

steve_shubin

paul_sundstrom said:

Is there a better way to … align the parts?

One option is – make both parts in the same part studio — in the position that you want them relative to one another

Then insert them into the assembly, and group them

Jake_Delano

To show/hide mate connectors, hit K. Mates can be realigned/offset by either using the offset checkbox in the mate dialogue or by realigning or moving explicit mate connectors on the parts themselves.
 

Hans_Ole_Leirvik

You must draw both parts in the same Part Studio in the required positions in relation to each other.
Then place a Mate Connector(MC) on an automatic proposed MC and let the other part own it.
Then it it very easy to mate them together in an assembly.

I draw all parts in the same one part studio in the locations they shoud be in, in the finished product.
Only when the regeneration time of the Part Studio reaches 7 seconds I continue with more parts in a new part studio.
In the new part studio I use Derive to copy over the parts/sketches I need to continue to design new parts in realtion to the parts in the other part studio.
Multi part studios is one of the great features of Onshape

matthew_stacy

@paul_sundstrom if you make your document PUBLIC and post the url here I bet you'll receive multiple solutions from the community.