While getting some parts to stay on track in SolidWorks is not nearly as morbid, it can be a pain in the neck, especially when it comes to mating to really curvy non-linear stuff like splines. Can it be done? Yes. Here’s How plus a little video action.
It’s all about Reference Points
Set up some reference points in the part you need to mate to the spline. For example, if you need to mate a clamp to a tube, add an axis in the center of the clamp.
Use Coincident Mates
In the Assembly, show the sketch of the spline and the sketch of the reference geometry. In our example you would select each endpoint of the axis you created and add a Coincident Mate to the Spline.
It’s that simple. Not always perfect, but can make getting the job done a lot quicker. Here’s the video to illustrate.
