Path Mate

A Path mate constrains a selected point on a component to a path. You define the path by selecting one or more entities in the assembly. You can define the pitch, yaw, and roll of the component as it travels along the path.

To add a path mate:

  1. Click Mate (Assembly toolbar) or Insert > Mate.
  2. In the PropertyManager, on the Advanced tab, click Path Mate .
  3. Under Mate Selections:
    1. For Component Vertex, select the component vertex to attach to the path.
    2. For Path Selection, select contiguous curves, edges, and sketch entities. To facilitate selection, click SelectionManager.
    Example of selecting the Component Vertex and Path Selection:

  4. Under Mate Type, for Path Constraint, select one:
    Option Description
    Free Allows you to drag the component along the path.
    Distance Along Path Constrains the vertex to a specified distance from the end of the path. Enter the distance. Select Flip dimension to change which end the distance is measured from.
    Percent Along Path Constrains the vertex to a distance you specify as a percentage along the path. Enter the percentage. Select Flip dimension to change which end the distance is measured from.
    The distance you specify in Distance Along Path or Percent Along Path is assigned the variable name D1@PathMaten, which you can use in equations, custom properties, and design tables.
  5. For Pitch/Yaw Control, select one:
    Option Description
    Free The pitch and yaw of the component are not constrained.
    Follow Path Constrains one axis of the component to be tangent to the path. Select X, Y, or Z. Select or clear Flip.
  6. For Roll Control, select one:
    Option Description
    Free The roll of the component is not constrained.
    Up Vector Constrains one axis of the component to align with the vector you select. Select a linear edge or planar face for Up Vector. Select X, Y, or Z. Select or clear Flip.
    You cannot use the same axis for both Pitch/Yaw Control and Roll Control.
  7. Click .