proficiency with Pro/E

[goldlab]

Went to a users conference yesterday they were using CADtrain and gave it a general thumbs up. I have used it periodically but not extensively.


Looks like a good value for the price overall


Any thoughts? any pitfalls in CADTrain?





We have a new guy with fundamentals training and I thought it might be good. For me it looks like it would be good to pick up updates and so on without the PTC pricetag.





Dave

 

[dagarber]

I had a semester-long ProE class in college, and then used it for Senior Design. There did seem to be a tension between learning what you needed to know and just getting the stuff done... we usually went with, "just get it done", but I think in general thatmade things harder. We manually added a leading zero to all of our dimensions in our drawings because we didn't know the setting to change, but when we made more and more drawings and kept changing the numbers... another thing was, we started out with the wrong size template, but could never go back to change it.


I guessthis ismostly about experience, but I think it is really important to start right because it is so hard to go backwards. So the hard part isknowing what 'right' is-!


Have you guys gotten help from searching the forum for a certain topic and reading the answer to other people's questions, or mostly from asking your own questions?


I just noted something Violin2005 said that Iwanted to askas well... with so many different forum categories on this site, how do you know where to go for what you need?


I have always found it very difficult to self-learn computer programs. It may just be my indoctrination in learning things through school/homeworks/tests/etc, or maybe because I don't like working alone... but so many people here have said they taught themselves ProE through tutorials that it is making me wonder...
Edited by: dagarber

 

[laxman12786]

The college I go to is a very well respected engineering school. As part of our curriculum, we go to school for 3 months and then workin the fieldfor 3 months. This alternates back and forth until graduation. I am currently placed witha premier R&D site for a tier-1 global automotive supplier.


Anyway, to cut to the chase....I received this job after only 3 months ofcollege, and no experience in 3-D modeling. Part of my job (about 40% probably) requires me to design new parts. My very first day I was given 2 books, and told to learn as much as I could in a week. I spent that week learing both Pro/E and Visual Basic.NET. Thebook I used was "Pro/Engineer Wildfire 2.0 Tutorial and Multimedia CD" by Toogood and Zecher. I was able to learn all of the basics in that week, and was modelingsomewhat complex parts within a couple of weeks. Aftera few weeks I went through the "Advanced Tutorial" by the same author and learned about sweeps, bends, and allkinds of other things. When I can't learn what I need from the book or from playing around with Pro/E I come here, and find an answer 90% of the time.


I'm now in my second term here (so I've been on thejob for a combined 5 months) with no formal Pro/E training at all aside from the books. After using Pro/E on my own for the limited time I have to use it, I would venture to say that I know the software better than 80%of the people at my building who HAVE had PTC training. My point is two-fold. First of all, it is very possible to learn the software on your own with a little help if youhave the desire to and the aptitude to pursue it. Also, this forum is a great resource for finding information, and often answers questions MUCH quicker than PTC support does. Thanks to everyone who has helped me learn!
Edited by: laxman12786

 

[kimale]

I hear you guys ... I managed to put my group(7 pro/e users) thru DMDO program from PTC,it is special customized program for your company and results were just imazing ...We had more then 45% proficiency improvement ... It is not a cheap program but works great ...

 

[rgs1]

I have been a Pro-E user since 1994. I consider myself an "Expert" in Pro-E sheetmetal, but other than that only a "Novice". Unfortunately as mentioned before in this forum, the company I work for went through some pretty severe downsizing since 2000-2001. Our Engineering Dept. went from 4 to 3 to 2 to only myself remaining. I was the only one to actually have proper Pro-E training (Intro to Pro-E in 1994, Fundementals of Sheetmetal, Advanced Part Design, Advanced Assemblies in 1995 and Fundementals of Design in 1999) and had to then teach the others how to use it. Now I am alone

. Over the last 6 years there have been numerous software releases and enhancements, all of which I have received no futher training. Management says no further training necessary, learn by use. But when there is no continuing education, andno time to explore with new releases, how I am supposed to learn?


Here is the answer to that question.


Through forums like this. Whether the questions and/or answers are from experts and/or novices, whether they are "stupid" or "intelligent", I am glad you are here, in this forum. Many questions have already been answered prior to my ever coming across the problem. So keep the questions coming. It is the only way some of us are ever going to learn more.

 

[airion]

I learned the basics of ProE from Cadtrain and progressively found out more things on my own. I would say that what I've learned since has been about 50% finding it myself and/or using the help. Another 25% came from co-workers and the final 25% came from the forums on this website.


I had very little CAD experience when I started and I think a three-day straight PTC course might have been a bit overwhelming and I would have forgotten a lot. A college course were you are taught a little each week and learn some on your own would have suited me better. But now that I know ProE very well, I think a course would be valuable if I were to learn a new system like solidworks, etc. The concepts are all the same, its just knowing the quirks, where to find the buttons, and knowing their terminology. I don't know if the same would apply to someone with a lot of 2D drafting experience trying to learn a 3D system.


Al

 

[paulcunningham3]

Although I was taught proe at university the class time was limited and have learnt from experience and forums like these, remeber somebody always knows the answer to your problem! i also reccomend SDC publications tutorials I think there brilliant and definetly helped me through some tough times. I think the formal articles on this site are good however lacking in numbers something i feel we all should sort out i mean If we all wrote one we could potentially have a brilliant training ground right here (not that it isn't already of course!)


paul

 

[maxweston]

Hey,


One of the best sources of information and help is your local user group, thats provided there is one that is resonably close.


You will find that there are a number of members that started the same way you have and will be more than willing to help or advise on how they handled the same situation. You should also find very experienced users that you can bounce ideas off and extract information from, after all thats why we belong to user groups.


Regards,
Max Weston.
Edited by: maxweston

 

[SSLaser]

I've used pro/E for about five years. I took the week long basic training course when I first came tomy current company. Up until about 6 months ago, I had though I had enough experience tocall myself anexpert- then we hired a real expert. I am now humbled, and realize that training, training, training is the only way toto unlock the true power of Pro/E; and this only opens doors- there's still much to learn after formal training.


Forums like this are great for supplementing training and solving bugs and work-arounds, but I don't believe it should ever be a substitute for training.
Edited by: SSLaser

 

[Moroso]

This place is hands down the best place to find information. To me, no other forum comes close.

 

[harichennai]

I had been lucky enough to work with different domains like automotive, Heavy engg, even electronics within a short span of 5 years.


Also Iam fortunate tobe exposed to PDM environment.


I had also had the oppurtunity of working with colleagues who use Unigraphics, Catia, Solid works...


This is because I work for a IT consulting & Services company , in the engg domain.


I had been into core Automobile R &D duirng the first 2 years...


What I see is that, Once you learn "how to learn", the possibilities are endless..


You can keep discovering Pro/E to your wish..


You can find amazing ways of building in design intent in to the model, good ways of automating repeatitive tasks.


It is here this forum had helped me a lot.


This is my general opinion.


As far as "Doing the way Pro/E wants it", rather than "do it some how"..I feel that it is initially easier to follow the latter, but!! it is a certain trap!!as few pointed out here...


the former method is for long term , more stable and more authentic method, rather more a engineering method, it is here design intent comes and ease of putitng ideas in to CAD comes..


Upon handling large and more complex parts, .ASMs, the former method pays ..


When it comes to integration for CAM, stricter defintion of features demands the former method.


This is what I have seen and want to bring it to the surface.


Happy Learning!!


Thanks

 

[DefCon5]

Hello guys. It's 1am and just couldn't sleep so I checked out the forum and ran accross this thread from back in June. You guys hit on some very important topics in this thread. I run another website at http://www.3DCADTips.com and am partners with the folks who run this excellent site! That's our ad over there on the right column.


Anyway, this talk of all work with no learning makes me want to let you know that we currently have over 300 links on our site to online Pro/E tutorials each categoriezed and searchable.


Here is the direct link:
http://www.3dcadtips.com/go.php?topic=2&cat=769
but you will have to register for free to browse them. Sorry about that, its just the way the Web works today.


The site also has links to over 900 pro/E tips online! Again, each categorized. Here's the link to that category:
http://www.3dcadtips.com/go.php?topic=1&cat=19


The site also supports just about every other popular CAD system.

I know this topic from experience. I'vebeen an automotive designer for 10 years in my career (thankfully not now) and have used Pro/E like you guys on the fly. Now I write about it and try to help users like I needed help back then but could'nt find it.


If you get a chance to check out the site, please let me know what you think by replying to this thread. I feel better now and I'm going back to bed.


Good luck to all of you. I really mean it!