Mates are similar to sketch relations, but they act on assemblies. They govern how different parts interact with each other or move in relation to each other. As an example, examine the keys on a computer keyboard. Each key is stationed in a specific location and restrained by specific movements, such as up and down. We can think of this positioning and movement as being governed by an assembly's mates.

There are three categories of mates in SOLIDWORKS: standard mates, advanced mates, and mechanical mates. We will only cover standard mates in this chapter. Standard mates provide the following options:

•  Coincident
•  Parallel
•  Perpendicular
•  Tangent
•  Concentric
•  Lock
•  Distance
•  Angle

Some standard mates require us to input a numerical value, such as the mates' Distance and Angle. We can refer to these as value-oriented mates. The rest of the mates do not require a numerical value. We can refer to these as non-value-oriented mates. Next, we will learn more about non-value-oriented mates.