How can I use planes to mate parts in assembly? --- I figured it out!

larry_anderson

I'm an experienced SW user and I often model my parts with the plan of using one or more of the planes as a mating feature in the assembly. I'm having a tough time figuring out how to simulate this in OS. I can't figure out how to place the mate connector on my part so it will act in place of a plane. 

Update... Here's how you do it: When in a part studio, you can place a mate connector on the origin. But you can't pick the origin from the model tree, it has to be showing in the model space and you have to pick it there. It is sometimes a pain to grab it. You have to hover on it just right. When you have picked it the "origin entity" box will say "Vertex of Origin". Then if you want you can realign using a plane. The planes can be picked from the model tree. You can't do this until there is at least 1 solid in the model or the mate connector will not have an "owner part". This mate connector can now be used in an assembly the way you would use the planes to mate in SW.  
Also, in an assembly you can mate directly to the assembly origin only by hovering on it in the model space. The orientation of the mate connector will shift around as you hover on it so you have to pick it carefully. 

brucebartlett

You should be able to reference the part using the auto-creating mate connector with a fasten mate to the origin. If a special position is required for the part you can add this in its part studio where you can reference sketches, you just have to make sure you have the mate connector is linked to the right part. I try to avoid do part studio mate connectors but sometimes it's the only way.

here's some other posts on this

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/5050/why-is-the-ability-to-use-and-mate-to-the-planes-used-in-part-construction-missing-in-assemblies
https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/5652/is-it-possible-to-display-planes-for-mating-purposes-the-part-is-an-imported-rexroth-extrusion
https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/22813#Comment_22813 

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/4517/how-to-mate-a-spring-in-assembly 

larry_anderson

Thanks for answering brucebartlett. I'm trying to understand your instructions. "auto-creating mate connector" is not covered in the help index. I have had no luck mating anything to the origin in an assembly. Nor can I place a mate connector on the origin of a part. Seems to me that would be a natural place to put a mate connector. 
Maybe the OS creators want to explain their thinking here. I thought all experienced SW users liked mating with planes when possible so it seems weird to me that OS would not do this. 
Thanks again brucebartlett, I'll keep trying to find the best way based on your explanation.

Ben_Misegades

larry_anderson said:

 I thought all experienced SW users loved mating with planes when possible

Fixed that for you

Mark_Matthews

I'm sorry, but I don't find the above links helpful. None of them describe this "auto-creating mate connector". I don't see any easy way to mate to the origin if you have not created a mate connector in the part studio on the origin. Since the mate connector is basically a local coordinate system, why can't you just mate to assembly origin with the part origin? This making of mate connectors just seems like so much more work if we're treating them like planes anyway.

brucebartlett

@Mark_Matthews Sorry you don't find the links helpful. I tend to agree with you that there is not an easy way to mate a part to the origin when there is no geometry to select to get the auto-creating mate connectors. It is frustrating having to go back to the part studio and produce mate connectors linked to the origin.  

In my normal workflows rather than mate parts to the origin, I drop a part into assemblies at the default original studio position and fix in position (by click the tick rather than clicking in the workspace) which mostly works for me but do feel this is an unsafe practice. If I remove the fix and move the part I now have no way of getting the part back to it's original when no mating geo is available. Sometimes to solve this I will drop another instance of the part (dummy) in at the origin, fix the dummy, fasten mate the original part to the dummy moving back to its origin, then delete the dummy and mate and fix the original before it is moved. 

Ralph_Hamilton

OnShape, we understand your approach to mate connectors but let's not throw out the baby because of the bathwater.  It would be a huge, huge advantage to have a way to mate parts (and just as importantly, angles) to planes in the assembly. 

OnShape fan.