Types of SmartMates

The mates added by the SOLIDWORKS application depend on the situation.

In most cases, the application creates one mate. The type of SmartMate created depends on the geometry used to drag the component, and the type of geometry onto which you drop the component.

The application creates multiple mates under certain conditions:
  • If the application finds circular edges to mate, it creates a peg-in-hole SmartMate.
  • If the application finds circular edges and a circular pattern that matches on both components, in addition to the peg-in-hole SmartMate, it adds a concentric mate to line up the patterns on flanges (useful for pipe fittings).
The following types of automatic mates are supported:
Pointer Mating Entities Type of Mate Example
2 linear edges, or 2 temporary axes Coincident Video: SmartMates Between Linear Edges
2 planar faces Coincident Video: SmartMates Between Planar Faces
2 vertices Coincident Video: SmartMates Between Vertices
2 conical faces, or 1 conical face and 1 temporary axis Concentric Video: SmartMates Between Conical Faces
2 circular edges (peg-in-hole SmartMates). The edges do not have to be complete circles. Concentric (conical faces) - and - Coincident (adjacent planar faces) Video: SmartMates Between Circular Edges (Peg-in-Hole)
2 circular patterns on flanges (flange SmartMates). Concentric and coincident Video: Pattern-Based SmartMates (Flange)
Origins and coordinate systems Coincident