unexpected online tutorial behaviour

[astropgc]

Hi,

I just started moving to SW04 from AutoCAD. This because I moved to a new University and this is the most common CAD here. Please be patient if this question looks a bit basic, but I asked for advice to pro engeneers in the department and they were unable to solve the problem. I compared side by side with another computer and the SW04 behaviour looks a bit different.

For example, the tutorial lessons work in an unexpected mode on my computer (a dell inspiron 8200, XP pro).

Let consider "lesson 1, Parts".

The text on the 3rd page says:
____________
Click Extruded Boss/Base on the Features toolbar.

The Front, Top, and Right planes appear, and the pointer changes to .

Notice that as you move the pointer over a plane, the border of the plane is highlighted.

Move the pointer over the Front plane, and click to select it.

The display changes so that the Front plane is facing you. The Sketch toolbar commands appear in the CommandManager, and a sketch opens on the Front plane.

Click Rectangle on the Sketch toolbar.

Move the pointer to the sketch origin .
The pointer is on the origin when the pointer changes to .
[...]
_____________

First, when I press the "Rectangle", it didn't remain pressed. Second, when I get the pointer close to the origin, it remains a crosshair. This may look not so important, but this (and others) little difference makes the software impossible to be used.

I recently reinstalled everything (moving from a network license to a dongle) with no changes.

Any suggestion? Is this the effect of some setup in the "options" bar that the system remember from previous uses? I have "reset" all the options to factory default. Nothing changed, too.

Any help very welcome. I got stuck at this point, as I can't get self-trained and start using the package (I have to produce very soon a quite complex design of an observatory.

Thanks
p

 

[Theophilus]

Did you first click to select the Front plane? You need to select a plane on which to start your sketch first, then move to the varous sketch tools to begin sketching.


Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reality is no respecter of good intentions.

 

[astropgc]

Thanks Jeff,

Sure. I have carefully followed any instruction in the lesson.

p

 

[Theophilus]

Old practice was to click on a plane in the feature tree, then click Insert > Sketch (or the New Sketch button) and you have a new, blank sketch ready to go on the plane you selected.

SW has recently tried to make things more intuitive by allowing fewer clicks to get moving and fewer barriers in other situations.

Are you able to move on at this point?


Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reality is no respecter of good intentions.

 

[astropgc]

Thanks again.
I understand that, instead of
1) clicking on Extruded/Boss Base
2) click on the Front plane
3) click Rectangle
you suggest to

1) click on the Front plane in the feature tree
2) click on Insert -> Sketch
3) click Rectangle.

I tried, but nothing changed: the rectangle still not remain pressed, and the crosshair doesn't change close to the origin.
p

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

If you are seeing a cross-hair cursor, you are probably in the 2D emulator mode.
Go to Tools > Add-ins & deselect Solidworks 2D emulator


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[astropgc]

Bingo!

Thanks CorBlimeyLimey.

I have to say this is due to an involuntary mistake by the IT person installing the package, not a SW user.

I have to say this feature looks a bit confusing: an add-in should be something different from a feature switch. Am I right?

I can start serious working now.

p