Amateur Night

Congratulations to all the new users using SW, and welcome to the news group. There is a lot to know about the software, and this is a great place to learn some of the finer points.

However, rather than asking basic questions here, you might consider reading the help or doing a couple tutorials or even searching google for your question. The main thing is that you'll get an answer faster by trying to help yourself.

matt

Reply to
matt
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I think I might have to stand up and throw fruit from the cheap seats for that comment. anyone who is interested in SW can post here matt, its a public newsgroup. Its simple isn't it - if answering someone's queries doesn't interest you then don't do it. Please don't piss on learners/students/newbies from on high this space isn't reserved for know alls.

getting back to the fishing... neil

Reply to
neil

You da man Neil! I was tempted to say the exact same thing. I'm amazed at how quickly some of us forget what it was like being the new kid and how much we resented it when some people belittled us for asking a "stupid" question.

My 2 cents, Mike Schick

newsgroup.

Reply to
Mike Schick

I don't believe Matt's comments were to suggest new users stop asking questions. Rather, spend some of their own time and effort to learn the basics of the software and he even suggested some good sources for doing so.

By the way, what is the asterisk thing on the sketch toolbar?

Kman

Reply to
Kman

You know it's comments like that Matt that make me disrespect you. Doesn't it eventually get lonely to sit on top of an ivory tower? You remind me of the engineers I've worked with who don't like to venture into the shop. Those who do can, those who can't hide behind fake fences.

You're obviously very capable of driving Solidworks and you're sure as hell loyal to it. But your arrogant approach to new users is less than worthy of respect. Maybe you should prompt a new newsgroup....

comp.cad.solidworks.matt.byinvitationonly

As far as I'm concerned any question or point someone wants to make in a public newsgroup is fair game, as long as it's legal and topical. I find a newbie question about which type of extrude to use more acceptable than telling someone they probably shouldn't ask that here. To the person who isn't sure when starting out it's easier to remember a lesson from consensus than it is to try it from the tutorials and still not be sure if it worked the way it was supposed to. But I'm sure in your mind you were doing the entire expert community a favor by reminding new users that they should press F1. Thanks for looking out for us.

Attention new users: ignore what matt says until you need help defending the software or lofting a surface with three or more profiles and four or more guide curves.

- Eddy

Reply to
Eddy Hicks

I agree with Kman. I didn't take Matt's comments to be abrasive but I guess that you could read them that way.

Anyway, people should never be intimidated to post questions but it is reasonable to expect them to do some basic groundwork on their own. I've sure asked my share of dumb questions but I try to check things out before asking others to spend their time. It is often a very good learning experience.

JJ

Reply to
JJ

I agree that new users should try to use the tools provided with SW to answer some of the basic question first, then by all means come and ask here if they cannot find/interpret the answer (I do understand that you must have a certain level of understanding to be able to ask the 'right question' when searching the online help.

I also think that there needs to be better documentation on the creation of planes (esp. creating a construction sketch just to be able to hang a couple of planes off it), after all, the sketching part is easy, but knowing how and where to put it or mate it is often the hardest part - esp. when moving from 2D.

BTW, the asterisk on the sketch toolbar is a sketch point. There are many ways to use it - one of the most common is to create a virtual intersection when you have a fillet on an intersection (ctrl select the 2 lines & select the sketch point tool - hey presto a virtual intersection point). It is also very useful for creating a series of sketch points that can then be used to create a 'sketch driven pattern'.

HTH

Merry :-)

Reply to
Merry Owen

well just to address this side of things my point was that no one should assume ownership of the content here and be disdainful/contemptuous of others understanding level or the way they ask their questions or contribute. This space is not an exclusive domain for SW users or engineering 'professionals'.It is a public space- there are no prerequisites other than an interest in SW. It is quite wrong to attempt to manage the 'quality' of the posts here by requiring others to reach a competence level before they post where others can be bothered with them. Who is matt to decide whets appropriate here? No squatters rights exist in cyber space as far as I know- its just a meeting place. In matts case this is not the first time he has demonstrated a 'bad' attitude toward lesser beings - not long ago he advocated screening people out with block send as I remember...

There is no such thing as a dumb question -only passive abusers use labels like that.

As an example -if your Aunt Myrtle who is 86 and has trouble remembering things from 5 minutes ago turns up here to ask what Solidworks does I would hope she will get a helpful and courteous reply from someone. Secondly if 9 year old Jeremy Bloggs from Iceland reads here and is the person who decides he wants to be the person to respond to her and gives a somewhat limited answer with lots of spelling mistakes that's ok too. Really people lets not disappear up ourselves.People who only want to correspond with others about high end stuff should just sit quietly and be tolerant or perhaps take their conversations to the SW forum.

regards neil

Reply to
neil

Thanks guys. I knew there were a couple folks on my newsreader's ignore list for a reason.

My post was not an elitist censure attempt, it was an attempt to steer the guy toward becoming self sufficient.

There are a couple of folks here who seem to have taken me on as a project and will go out of their way to intentionally misconstrue. While it's really flattering to have my own groupies, it's not really necessary.

matt

"Kman" wrote in news:Phf2c.30791$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net:

Reply to
matt

sound of toilet flushing...

Reply to
neil

Damn, I've got one tomato left. Splat. Ok, I'm done. The ivory tower at least has a couple stains on it now.

Since I'm one to donate my time freely to the cause of shedding light on your condescending self important BS, let me say that I don't really believe a user, no matter how new to the software, is going to bypass help and icon tooltips in favor of firing up their newsreader and posting a question here. If a newbie doesn't know the difference between a solid extrude and a surface extrude they may not figure it our on their own, and that's why they come here. It happened last week to a new user and within a very short period of time he had his answer from numerous posters. And he'll likely remember the difference forever.

Your post was nothing but a strike at the recent string of new user questions. I've noticed this recent trend myself and sometimes I roll my eyes and ignore these seemingly unimportant questions, to allow myself more time to chase your bs. But sometimes I recognize that new users don't know who to ask or what to ask and if someone here has the time and patience to help them then we've got a new user loyalty brewing. And it never occurred to me that they should wait to come here.

I'm guessing you never admit when you're wrong in real life either.

- Eddy

Reply to
Eddy Hicks

Matt,

The title of the thread smacks of condensation. I have learned more here just reading the various threads than the SWX help file could possibly provide. Please consider skipping the threads you deem beneath you.

To the rest of the group, I applaud you for answering posters questions quickly and, for the most part professionally. This is the one best news groups I have ever followed.

Reply to
Steve Lindahl

The first thing I did when our coumany got SWX was to go thrugh ALL the tutorials. I sorted them by what I felt was relevent to my needs and I was creating parts within a week with no classes and just a few calls to out VAR. Once I had finished all the tutorial in about 2 weeks (I did them after the shop closed each day and I was able to divert my attention) I was able to do 90% of the things I needed to do for my job. However I was still very slow and Inneficent. Then our VAR suggested this newsgroup and just by reading questions posted here and varius links to advaced sites I have gone from a newbie to average used in only 6 months without classes and am now well on my way to advanced levels with links to advanced surfacing tutorials and such posted here.

My point tho is that the "newbie" questions here (and a very supportive VAR) are what allowed me to go from clumsy tutorial use to profitable user in such a short time.

That being said I am not exageratin when I say that allmost all the functions in SWX are what I had allways wished for for the previus decade of AutCAD usage. I am very glad with our switch to SWX and how easy it is to use.

Reply to
Brian Bahr

Yep, good path Brian. And I agree about its functions. Compared to some packages you can go from 90% frustration/10% pleasure to 90%pleasure/10% frustration. I'm pretty good at throwing a magnifying glass on the 10% (things that don't work or things I don't like) but it is still the best thing out there for the price. Amen to the newsgroup. Last night searching thru the google records of this group I found the answer to a neon lighting problem I've been working on (thanks Mike).

- Eddy

Reply to
Eddy Hicks

To put it another way, if I can see that someone is making an effort, I'm more likely to want to help them.

It has been suggested many times by other people that there be some sort of a basic FAQ for the newsgroup, which is common usenet practice.

It seems that the subject line is what people are reacting to. I apologize for a poor choice of words in the subject. The body of the post, however, is nothing to apologize for. It is good advice.

matt

Reply to
matt

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