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Placing a Mate Connector on another MC

Henk_de_VlaamHenk_de_Vlaam Member, Developers Posts: 237 ✭✭✭
edited November 2019 in Community Support

I’m using @lougallo’s FeatureScript - Center of Gravity [https://cad.onshape.com/documents/93441b2ad25b5409ea8b5e43/w/a20d0eb72c21637714d681b6/e/fcee71979d4a5420c481bc63].

The mate connector in that CoG feature is fixed and can not be moved and realigned. So, I like to add a new ‘movable’ Mate Connector on top of the CoG mate connector that I can use as sketch plane.
How to do that?


Henk de Vlaam (NL)
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Answers

  • bruce_williamsbruce_williams Member, Developers Posts: 842 PRO
    good question.  OS does not allow MC as origin for new MC.  You are able to make a plane or sketch directly on the MC. From there you could construct what is needed.  I copied the FS document and I find the MC from this FS different in that they do not hide with 'K' key.  Also I could not select a sketch point to make a new MC so not sure what is going on. 
    www.accuratepattern.com
  • brucebartlettbrucebartlett Member, OS Professional, Mentor, User Group Leader Posts: 2,137 PRO
    edited November 2019
    I've also tried mate connector onto mate connect to get the same position but on an alternate part but this is not allowed. I think it would be a reasonable workflow to be able to select an MC as a position for another MC. 
    Engineer ı Product Designer ı Onshape Consulting Partner
    Twitter: @onshapetricks  & @babart1977   
  • konstantin_shiriazdanovkonstantin_shiriazdanov Member Posts: 1,221 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I've also tried mate connector onto mate connect to get the same position but on an alternate part but this is not allowed. I think it would be a reasonable workflow to be able to select an MC as a position for another MC. 
    This wouldn't be needed if mate connector be not so strictly limited to only one part to assign to, and had fully functional coordinate system capabilities. Now it is more for mating conviniences than for modeling
  • romeograhamromeograham Member Posts: 656 PRO
    You can use a MC as a source for a new point though.

    Make a new sketch on the your desired plane. Select the MC - then hit "U" (shortcut for Use command) or select the use tool, and select the MC. It will create a point that is coincident with the MC.
    Accept the sketch, and use your new point sketch to create your new MC.

    Workaround, but design intent is preserved.

    Is there an IR for  this? If not, @Henk_de_V you may want to create one.
  • Henk_de_VlaamHenk_de_Vlaam Member, Developers Posts: 237 ✭✭✭
    edited November 2019
    [...]
    Make a new sketch on the your desired plane. Select the MC - then hit "U" (shortcut for Use command) or select the use tool, and select the MC. It will create a point that is coincident with the MC.
    Accept the sketch, and use your new point sketch to create your new MC.

    [...]
    @romeograham,
    In [obsolete] https://cad.onshape.com/documents/ccca81df7157e2d7689b5669/w/59453ec7fcdcf114b43b514d/e/4582f2675461468a90add30] I came up to the sketch point. However I nor @bruce_williams do not succeed to ceate a new MC.
    How do you do that?
    Henk de Vlaam (NL)
  • bruce_williamsbruce_williams Member, Developers Posts: 842 PRO
    I created a simple example here.   I called it "Special?" Mate Connector.  I would like to understand - unable to hide and cannot select point on sketch 2 as a new mate connector origin.  'Regular' Mate Connectors allow what @romeograham suggests
    www.accuratepattern.com
  • bruce_williamsbruce_williams Member, Developers Posts: 842 PRO
    @romeograham
    thanks for that!  Hiding the feature 'Center of Gravity 1' is the key to hiding the Feature Script produced MC.  Once that is out of the way it works fine.  With it showing, it does not allow selection of the point even with `Select other' - the system does not see anything to select for the new MC origin.

    I am sure the OS team has MC improvements on the radar.
    www.accuratepattern.com
  • romeograhamromeograham Member Posts: 656 PRO
    Yep - it's the same issue with any other "Derived" or FeatureScript-generated MCs, planes, sketches: to hide / show them, you need to hide / show the feature. The usual tricks (P to hide/show planes, K to hide/show MCs) don't work on derived reference geometry.

    There are definitely IRs on being able to control visibility of derived reference features. Right now, it's all or nothing: when you hide the Feature, ALL of the reference items are hidden, and there's no way to hide/show them individually.
  • Henk_de_VlaamHenk_de_Vlaam Member, Developers Posts: 237 ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    My question came from this necessity: 
    https://cad.onshape.com/documents/715412c9c1163434269387b8/w/ef89d03cbf95f0bdc274f57a/e/df70441e6400d5047759127f.
    Or, create a suspension eye 'through' the CoG that can be rotated along 3 axes so that the body can be hung at any 
    balanced position.

    Henk de Vlaam (NL)
  • rune_thorsen229rune_thorsen229 Member Posts: 179 ✭✭
    Just my five cents, I find it very difficult to place mateconnectors. Difficult to orient and then you find that they do unexpected things so I reported this bug:https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/13090/fastened-mate-orientation-error-bug-unexpected-behaviour/p1
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