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How do I mate a simple assembly like a bookcase made out of melamine faced chipboard

derek_westwoodderek_westwood Member Posts: 34 ✭✭
I am trying to assemble a bookcase and having great difficulty with the mates, all the complicated mates seem well catered for in Onshape but simply butting two pieces of wood together seems vastly over complicated. Can anyone enlighten me?
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/741c42f9f04d0453dc8eeee6/w/cf2ec1510c0ba05b96af2a85/e/daf860ad789c83587041eecd

Answers

  • NeilCookeNeilCooke Moderator, Onshape Employees Posts: 5,310
    You shouldn't be using planar mates here. One fastened mate per mating pair is all that is needed. See https://learn.onshape.com for all assembly features.
    Senior Director, Technical Services, EMEAI
  • john_mcclaryjohn_mcclary Member, Developers Posts: 3,890 PRO
    Mates in Onshape can appear confusing at first, but just try and take the time to understand how each works, and which degrees of freedom you get.

    Soon it will click and you will have an "ah-ha" moment, then traditional (3-mates per part) mating systems will start looking dumber and dumber.
  • owen_sparksowen_sparks Member, Developers Posts: 2,660 PRO
    Soon it will click and you will have an "ah-ha" moment, then traditional (3-mates per part) mating systems will start looking dumber and dumber.
    I'm lucky in that I was a CAD virgin when I approached onshape.  Needing 3 mates to perform one task seems ludicrous.  Some say other CAD systems can't re-use sketches for different features, but that must be a lie, nothing would be that archaic would it?  :D
    Owen S.
     
    Business Systems and Configuration Controller
    HWM-Water Ltd
  • john_mcclaryjohn_mcclary Member, Developers Posts: 3,890 PRO
    The ones I have used can reuse sketches but they live inside another feature, so they require a new icon to indicate it was shared. 

    Onshape lets the sketch be its own first class citizen on the tree (rather than nesting into features) , so it feels more intuitive to reuse or slide further up the tree if you want to use that sketch in an earlier feature above the extrude you originally created it for. 


  • john_mcclaryjohn_mcclary Member, Developers Posts: 3,890 PRO
    I was looking through and just realized that I posted that last response in the wrong thread.. Now i don't remember who i was answering... Doh! 
  • derek_westwoodderek_westwood Member Posts: 34 ✭✭
    Neil and John, Thanks, have played a bit more with mates and you are right ah-ha
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