All Users: Your thoughts on additional support

[Chris Lohman]

Hey Everyone,

 

We're discussing creating some additional tech support offerings (at no additional cost) and were wondering what you would think of the following ideas. We're discussing creating:

 

Some tutorials that cover a key design area; such as how to apply draft to a plastic part or techniques for creating fluid shapes, etc. These are not generic tutorials like our getting started guide; these would be more specific tutorials on how to create specific geometry (like adding ribs to a shelled plastic case). Even if you don't create that specific geometry, do you think you could still learn and benefit from tutorials on specific advanced geometry creation and would you like for us to create them? Do you have any specific topics in mind that you would like to see a tutorial on? (Aside from surface, which we realize NEEDS tutorials)

 

A quarterly tech support newsletter. This newsletter would send out tips, tricks, tutorials, and other ironcad tech related information. We could even put some API examples in the techletter.

 

Can you think of anything else that our support department could produce for you that you believe would be very beneficial to you as an ironcad user?

 

What about a user gallery on this site; which would allow you to post renderings of your work. We would have to moderate incoming images of course; but once approved your work/name could be published into a gallery of user-generated images. If we had this, would you even be able to post your renderings, or is your work primarily confidential? Would you take the time to render a scene every few weeks (or months) in order to post it?

 

 

 

 

[tlehnhaeuser]

Hi Chris,

I think this is a great idea. Here's something were devloping that may help.

 

We are trying to develop an IronCAD training program that focuses on (1)One Machine to use for ALL tutorials, labs, demos, etc... This machine would consist of Plastic Parts, Machined Parts, Sub-Assys, Sheetmetal parts, external links etc... to cover every aspect of IronCAD. This also allows the student to develop parts in the actual confines of an actual machine which also helps to get skills on how to interact correctly within an actual design environment instead of an isolated part creation etc...

 

Just some food for thought.

 

Tom Lehn...

Magnacad Design Inc.

[Guest Wim]

i would like support on using the API but i got about no expierence with visual basic and programming. So it should be a very basic start, but i would love to make my own modictions to ironcad.

 

 

 

[tlehnhaeuser]

I agrre with WIM, I 'm totally clueless when it comes to Programming.

 

Tom Lehn...

Magnacad Design Inc.

[Mike Twining]

Count me in on that too. As far as tutorials go, the more there are the better.

 

MikeT

 

P.S. I have always thought that a "best practices" tutorial would be nice, seeing as how there are 100 different ways to do things in IronCAD and ususally only 1 or 2 that I would consider the "right way".

 

 

[rfisk]

Absolutely on specific tutorials. It would be helpful to have them on all of IC's features. The forum seems to have many users (myself included) that aren't aware of all the tools and what they can do. I have altered my methods many times after reviewing the existing tutorials.

 

I would vote no on a newsletter with a remark about putting all extra support effort on more tutorials.

 

A user gallery is great if the question of "how did they do that" gets answered.

 

 

[Mike Allen]

I would love to see a tutorial on how to import parts from other modeling programs. For instance, if someone wants to send me an IGES file exported from Pro-E, what settings should they use to export and what settings should I use to import? It would be nice to see examples that note what works and what doesn't work (any settings that should be avoided.)

 

 

[wboin]

I think tutorials are a great idea the more the better. I would like to see a narrated version that can be stopped and exist with an active window to practice each lesson. Yes to programming, freeform shapes, lofting, 3d guide curves and rendering

[Corey Cooper]

I think the tutorial's would be a great idea. I for one probably don't know to use half of what's available, and I'm sure that there are probably much better and/or easier ways to do the things I need to do. Even though I don't use some of the tools available, I would really think to learn how. I think a newsletter would be a good idea.

 

 

[Guest mwalls]

I think the tutorials are an absolute must. It would be nice to have a short tutorial on each button/function for all the new people, as well as everyone else, for that matter. It goes back to the old "a picture says a thousand words" thing. There is nothing like seeing an example to learn how, and then having the ability to go back to it if it is something you do not use every day. The newsletter is always a good thing too, but not at the expense of not getting a comprehensive set of tutorials done. Thanks for the effort!

Mike W.

 

Mike

[gjones]

I think it's a great idea and I agree with a lot of the comments above. The Jump Start CD was great with the audio tutorial but there was no interaction, so if you had audio tutorials with pauses for practicing that would be perfect. Also it would be good to have a tutorial on all the little tricks that we stumble upon, i.e. Control-Shift-L, Control-Shift-B etc.

 

 

[cborer]

Great Idea

I love the little movies that IC made for the new tools, these are very helpful to me.

Sometime I miss such for the complicate thing like rendering, export, BOM, animation....the very technical things.

But I watch them all cause there are many different ways to do the work.

 

 

[Guest gstuart]

Another tutorial fan here. I would add that some discussion of the "why" for taking a particular direction is also very useful. I've done lots of tutorials, following the steps by rote, only to discover later (after some experience) the logic of that approach. Its not just about knowing all the buttons and switches, its about knowing the system and its underlying philosophy, that is most valuable.

Gary

[B. Ludin]

I'd like to put in my vote for an SDK (software development kit) together with API tutorials. But I think some very basic programming knowledge should be a pre-requisite. I wouldn't like to see the IC development team reinventing the wheel by writing basic programming tutorials. But a number of examples and comprehensive reference would be highly welcomed.

 

Beat

 

 

[mmccall]

Tutorials would be very good... there are so many hidden functions in IC that go way beyond the small booklet. Almost need a "secrets" tutorial that goes in-depth into the key and button combinations.

 

 

 

[Ingemar Berntsson]

Hello

excellent idea.Thanks

Ingemar

[djohannesen]

Most definately required. Ensure little tips & tricks are noted as well.

 

David

[Guest pwidegren]

Thank you for a realy good newsletter. I think the most of us need that kind of tips and trick to get the most out of Ironcad.

 

//Per

[Mike Allen]

In the next newsletter, could we please have a tutorial on using the bend relief settings in sheet metal (what the different options are and how they affect the shape of the part)?

 

 

[Mike Allen]

I would also like to see a tutorial on how to write formulas for controling IntelliShapes. For instance, the pyramid uses the formula (ATAN( (Sizebox\Height / (MIN( Sizebox\Length, Sizebox\Width ) * 0.5)) ) - (PI( ) / 2)) to taper the sides of a box. It would be nice to have a list of abbreviations for the mathematical terms used. Perhaps you could explain in detail the formulas used to create the star shape from the Advshaps catalog.