Patent ID: 7319941

Claim:
In an electronic device that provides a geometric modeling environment, a method for translating mate information between parts in geometric models into a neutral data format, the method comprising: providing a mapping matrix for mates in the geometric modeling environment, wherein the mapping matrix includes mapping data that represents degrees of freedom of parts in the geometric model lost for the mates; translating the mate information into information on degrees of freedom of the parts in the geometric models based on the mapping data included in the mapping matrix, wherein the information on degrees of freedom of the parts in the geometric models is stored in a neutral data format in a storage element, wherein the step of translating comprises: initializing global degrees of freedom for mates between parts in the geometric models; and removing degrees of freedom from the global degrees of freedom based on the mapping data included in the mapping matrix, wherein the step of removing comprises: removing degrees of freedom perpendicular to a mate axis if the mapping data includes a negative sign.