Keep mates on Assembly Import

romeograham

When importing an assembly from SolidWorks (a Pack & Go zip file) mates could be retained, and all constraints reproduced. OS would interpret the design intent of the original assembly mates, and reproduce it with Mate Connectors.

This would greatly simplify using OS alongside other CAD packages for easy communication, as well as facilitate the transition to OS.

brucebartlett

I am not sure it would be possible to recreate all mates, as Onshape uses a the different, higher level mating system and I don't think you would get reliable repeatability but happy to be told otherwise by those who know more. 

I am wondering however if for bottom level assemblies we could have the option to add a group mate. 

Hans_Ole_Leirvik

I did a test with a SW assy with 1800 parts. I saved the assy as a part file (.SLDPRT) and imported it. It came in ok, with all parts in correct position.

Only one complaint, OS is too slow for working with it. Sometimes we have 20 similar machines in a row. But now I think that is impossible to show in OS

lougallo

Mating is specific to each platform and recreation of these is not possible today.  Most imports to neutral formats are not going to bring over mates.  I have never seen this before except in some integrated motion analysis.  I will let some of our assembly team comment as well.

romeograham

Thanks Lou,
I am guessing that OS would have to do some deep interpretation of the design intent of the mates in the originating assembly, precisely because OS deals with mates so differently to SolidWorks. Just like I have to think about mating differently if I'm working in OS vs SW.  It would be an amazing support to get folks to be able to move to OS, or to use it as an online communications tool, even if most of their native CAD has to be done in SW. 

For me, for instance, there are a few draft and split line features in SW that I really need for many of the parts that I design. That's the main (feature-based) reason that I can't move to OS for primary work. However, I really like it as a communication tool with partners and suppliers.

Let's get those "parting line draft" and "silouette split line" features added, and I can move over...!

jacob_lambert091

I learned that you can use the mate function ''group'' so that parts in an assembly don't move relative to another. It's really usefull if your just importing an assembly made on another software and don't need to modify it anymore