A computer-implemented method for assembling a new part in a computer-aided design model of a real-world object to be manufactured by automatically creating mates between geometric entities of another part of the CAD model and the new part, the method comprising: providing a mateability predictor neural network trained with mateability information for CAD model parts representing real-world physical objects, the mateability predictor neural network configured to provide mateability information in response to input of a contextual signature of an entity of a CAD model part; adding the new part to the CAD model of the real-world object; calculating contextual signatures of a plurality of entities of the new part, wherein (i) at least one calculated contextual signature for at least one of the plurality of entities of the new part is a numerical representation of one or more contextual locations of the at least one entity within the new part and (ii) the at least one contextual signature is calculated by computing ratios of distances between a centroid of the at least one entity and planes of a bounding box around the new part, wherein the computing of the ratios employs a convention of using a smaller distance as a numerator; inputting the calculated contextual signatures of the plurality of entities of the new part into the mateability predictor neural network to determine a mateable entity of the new part from among the plurality of entities of the new part; providing a mate-type predictor neural network trained to identify one or more mate types between two entities of CAD models; inputting into the mate-type predictor neural network (i) a contextual signature of the mateable entity of the new part and (ii) a contextual signature of an entity of the another part of the CAD model to determine at least one mate type between the entities; automatically adding at least one mate between the mateable entity of the new part and the entity of the another part of the CAD model based on the determined at least one mate type, wherein the at least one mate defines a geometric relationship between the mateable entity of the new part and the entity of the another part of the CAD model; assembling the new part with the another part in the CAD model of the real-world object based on the added at least one mate; and using the CAD model for the manufacture of the real-world object. providing a mateability predictor neural network trained with mateability information for CAD model parts representing real-world physical objects, the mateability predictor neural network configured to provide mateability information in response to input of a contextual signature of an entity of a CAD model part; adding the new part to the CAD model of the real-world object; calculating contextual signatures of a plurality of entities of the new part, wherein (i) at least one calculated contextual signature for at least one of the plurality of entities of the new part is a numerical representation of one or more contextual locations of the at least one entity within the new part and (ii) the at least one contextual signature is calculated by computing ratios of distances between a centroid of the at least one entity and planes of a bounding box around the new part, wherein the computing of the ratios employs a convention of using a smaller distance as a numerator; inputting the calculated contextual signatures of the plurality of entities of the new part into the mateability predictor neural network to determine a mateable entity of the new part from among the plurality of entities of the new part; providing a mate-type predictor neural network trained to identify one or more mate types between two entities of CAD models; inputting into the mate-type predictor neural network (i) a contextual signature of the mateable entity of the new part and (ii) a contextual signature of an entity of the another part of the CAD model to determine at least one mate type between the entities; automatically adding at least one mate between the mateable entity of the new part and the entity of the another part of the CAD model based on the determined at least one mate type, wherein the at least one mate defines a geometric relationship between the mateable entity of the new part and the entity of the another part of the CAD model; assembling the new part with the another part in the CAD model of the real-world object based on the added at least one mate; and using the CAD model for the manufacture of the real-world object.