Select Multiple in the Autodesk Inventor Mate Constraint Tool

When building assemblies in Autodesk Inventor, constraints are what turn a collection of parts into a functional mechanism. While most users are familiar with applying constraints one pair at a time, Autodesk offers another element to this tool called Select Multiple. This is a feature that lets you apply Mate constraints to multiple parts simultaneously.

In this blog, we’ll explore how to use the Select Multiple option. It is currently only in the Mate constraint and hope to see it for other constraints in the future.

The Select Multiple option appears within the Mate constraint tool and allows you to select multiple face/edge pairs and apply the same constraint type and orientation to all of them at once.

• Open your Assembly (.iam) file.
• To show this function, I have a basic assembly with 5 parts in this assembly of which the part with the arrow points to, is grounded.

• Go to the Assemble tab.
• Click on the Constraint tool.
• Choose the Mate option (if it isn’t already selected).
• Look for a small checkbox labelled Select Multiple in the constraint dialog box.

• Select the top face of the grounded part, then select each of the bottom faces of the other parts.

• Click Apply.
• As you can see in the below image, the parts have been constrained face to face and as a result, may be on top of each other as in my example. This may not be the same result on your side.

• Let’s repeat this command to add Mate constraint with an offset between the upper parts.
• Drag the parts away from each other to make it easier.

• This time I will use the Work Planes to mate against instead of the faces (switch the visibility of the Work Planes in each part to on). Select the Work Planes that make the most sense for this constraint. As in the below image as an example.

• Repeat for the other parts, as below (Work Plane visibility).

• Activate the Constraint command again, use the same setup as previously displayed, select the first Work Plane (in blue) then select the other Work Planes (in green). Click Apply.

• Repeat the Constraint, Mate, Select Multiple Command.
• Select the first face as shown in the below image.

• Rotate your view and select the other faces as below.

• Click Apply and you will notice the parts are on top of each other. To create spaces between these parts, we can now go to the project browser and change the offset value accordingly in the listed Mates as below.

• Add a flush constraint to the first part and the base plate (as shown by the red dots below) to position them to a fixed reference and to achieve the below result.

While using the multi select tool can help in some of the more repetitive constraining tasks, it is a very scenario specific tool. Look out for opportunities where multiple parts need constraining to a single face or plane and remember this works with the Mate solution, not the Flush option.