Mates in Multibody Parts

In multibody parts, you can precisely place bodies using mates.

The following mates are supported:

Angle Parallel
coincident.png Button Coincident Perpendicular
Concentric Tangent
Distance    

When you insert a part into an existing part file, mate references in the inserted part are used automatically to place the inserted part. A preview shows the application of the mate reference as you insert the part. If the Locate part with Move/Copy feature option in the Insert Part PropertyManager is enabled, the Locate Part PropertyManager opens with the automatic mate constraint already added.

You can also apply mates:
  • While inserting a body into a part, by selecting Locate part with Move/Copy feature in the Insert Part PropertyManager.
  • After the body is already in the part, using Move/Copy Bodies (Features toolbar).
Additional capabilities:
  • Apply multiple sets of mates to the same body. Mates specified within different sets can conflict with each other. For example, you can apply a perpendicular mate between two faces in one set, and in a different set, apply a parallel mate between the same two faces.
  • Select several bodies at once to be positioned by mates. The selected bodies move as a single entity. The bodies that are not selected are treated as fixed.