Question about mating parts in an assembly 2

[JSMachine]

I recently got Solidworks on my work PC to learn. I bought a tutorial book - "Solidworks 2010 No Expereience Required" and have been through the entire book. There are still some questions I need answers for though.

My main use for the program will just be to model objects in 3D space. I understand the difference between parts and assembly drawings. So what I have started to do is creat a machine. It has a good bit of parts, but I'm only working with 3 at the moment. One will have to be the base feature, and the other parts will be brought into the assembly drawing.

So, I have the base feature, and two of the same part needed to sit on top of that base feature. The first part is inserted (insert component) and it mates to the base. The second part is basically a copy / another instance of that same part. I go over to the feture manager design tree, select the part and hold control while dragging into the drawing space. Another part is created like the other.

However, when I go to mate this part, it tells me the drawing is overdefined and it will not move.

In the illustration I have included, you can see the base, and the first riser block mated to it. the second riser block has been moved into the space, and now I am trying to mate it to the base as well.

I am still not exactly sure how to get those parts positioned correctly on the base, so what I did was go back to the base as a part file, open it up and create a sketch in two places on the top surface of the extrusion that act kind of like footprints. Then, when I open the assembly drawing, I'm trying to mate those parts by using a corner of the riser block to a corner of the sketch on the surface of the base. The point that worked on the first is coincident. it gives me the error on the second attempt with the other riser.

Any suggestions?

 

[Nella95]

Without seeing the sketch, it's hard to diagnose/troubleshoot your problem. Why can't you use a 'distance' mate or the 'Advanced' mates?

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[TheTick]

Make sure the new component is not fixed. Look for an (f) in front of the component name in the tree. To "unfix" a compponent, right-click on the component and select "Float"

 

[JSMachine]

Can you all not see the link above to the screenshot?

I have no idea what I did, but I think I "locked" the component in question. I started clicking the +'s in front of the component and eventually brought out a branch that had "lock (2)" or something like that three differnet times. Each line had a different number in the (). I right clicked > deleted all of these "locks" and the part moved just fine then.

However, it kind of raised another question. Moving is not the same as mating right? In other words, I can move that part to the base and have it sitting in the exact same spot as it would be if it were mated, but that still isn't the same as mating, correct?

 

[Eltron]

Moving is different than mating...just ask my ex-wife.

Dan

http://www.eltronresearch.com

Dan's Blog

 

[JSMachine]

LoL

I'm still lost. I can't seem to duplicate what I just did with the lock and unlock thing. I'm almost positive it wasn't a move that I did earlier, but instead a mate. When I click move, I get the little 4 way arrow thing. There are no points that I can select for "from > to".

So I have been concentrating on mate, but I still can't seem to get it.

I have now inserted a 3rd part into the assembly and am trying to mate it to the other two.

 

[ctopher]

There are videos in YouTube that show mating (the SolidWorks type):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH7249Hc74M

------------

"I understand the difference between parts and assembly drawings".

Side note...

Parts and assemblies are not drawings. Drawings are a separate file type referencing the parts or assemblies.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP5.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[Xera]

Sometimes it is easier to insert the object again rather than copy. When you copy it takes the mates with it sometimes. I may have done something wrong but I have had this problem before.

 

[Nella95]

If you pattern (and it seems kind of silly to pattern one object, but...) - it takes the working, existing mates from the seed object - So you only have to get it right once.

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[JSMachine]

ctopher - sory you are correct. I did not word that correctly. I am dealing with part files and assembly files. Sorry for the confusion.

The videos on youtube pretty much some up what my bok was saying, but I guess my parts and base feature are acting diffently.

I think a problem I have is that I am trying to set a part down on a base, and the base does not have anything on it's surface to relate the part to. Like I said earlier, what I did was go back to the part file itself of the base, and create some small sketches to act as "footprints", so that when I went to mate i would have some sort of reference as to where I wanted to bring the parts and set them on the base.

This is probably not the correct way to do this; just what I came up with. I'm still curious - Can you all see my screenshot I provided in the link above? Nobody has confirmed that they can see it yet.

 

[JSMachine]

that would be *sum up, not some up.

 

[applejack2]

try this: click the PLUS in front of RISER<5>, then look for a MATES folder. Click the PLUS in front of that. Right click each mate and delete it. Also, as stated above, right click RISER<5> and look for FIX or FLOAT, if it is fixed, a (f) will appear in front of the part name as in your jpg (f)BASE<1>. If so, click float, on RISER<5>.

Now RISER<5> is unmated and floated. Mate a face of RISER<5> to a face of RISER<3> or BASE<1>. Points will work as well, but Faces tend to be more robust. Occasionally, you may need to REBUILD the model with the EDIT->Rebuilt command. That will help solidworks update after a bunch of insert/deletion of components.

(I think) you can zip the two part files and the assembly file and attach it here, that would help us help you.

 

[DiegoLGraves]

jsm, repost the picture with the mates showing - click the + in front of that folder

 

[JSMachine]

I got it. Apparently I was not selecting my areas correctly. I realized after watching those tutorial vids from youtube again that I have to select the faces on the same plane, and move it a little at a time. I was under the impression that I could move the part all in one whack. That probably makes no sense, but I figured it out.

I now have a base in my assembly with about seven parts inserted and mated.