DavidJPotter Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I recently reread the "Users Guide" and it occurred to me that, as a long time user and teacher I should point out that many questions asked here on this forum by new users and not so new users are fully answered in the "Users Guide" ( Help - View Users Guide) and secondarily any other answers are fully contained in the Reference Manual ( Help - View Reference Manual) and Video tutorials (Help - View Video Tutorials). Why Human Beings no longer study is a mystery to me, I guess we are in a hurry and modern people have not been trained to study first and then, having become learned. then do. I am merely suggesting it to you as a new thought and a better, more economical use of your and others time. DJP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshall Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 I recently reread the "Users Guide" and it occurred to me that, as a long time user and teacher I should point out that many questions asked here on this forum by new users and not so new users are fully answered in the "Users Guide" ( Help - View Users Guide) and secondarily any other answers are fully contained in the Reference Manual ( Help - View Reference Manual) and Video tutorials (Help - View Video Tutorials). Why Human Beings no longer study is a mystery to me, I guess we are in a hurry and modern people have not been trained to study first and then, having become learned. then do. I am merely suggesting it to you as a new thought and a better, more economical use of your and others time. DJP Thank you for the question DJP. Pretend I am Babe Ruth and I am pointing up to the top tier of the left field bleachers. I am about to knock this pitch over the stadium lights and onto 47th street. Imagine if some of these knuckleheads spent time researching answers to their own questions (I am included in the knucklehead category), this would not give The Great Glenn Woodward and others (P, JC, LH, BE, WW, J, JK, Michael, Mick, et al..... even Johnny) a chance to share their knowledge. Actually, I think the manual should be banned. We should burn the manual. More good info comes out of the discussions. And another thing, often times the manual is outdated, not clear and downright boring. Thank the heavens above for this great forum and all those selfless helpers who have helped me out in more ways than I can count. Hey CA..... burn the manual, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshall Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Hey, I know I forgot some folks, sorry, too many helpers to keep track of. I would of included A.L. in the list, but he is only good for comedy relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Carrick Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Scott, I don't advocate eliminating the Manual. I will admit that I seldom use it anymore, but it does have a lot of good info even if outdated. But DJP makes a good point - look in the Help and if you can't find it there look in the Manual. Then if you can't find it ask in the Forum - but don't expect that the answers you get from the Forum will automatically be correct. Sometimes we are wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRAWZILLA Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 The manual is good for the basic tools and getting started, but if you need a workaround for something that is not in the manual, this is the place to come. Early on, if it wasn't for Scott, I'd still be wondering how to draw a common slab floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidJPotter Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 I am not the original author of "RTFM" but merely an acolyte. I have learned much from people but I have also learned much by myself reading the manual, help files, videos and User Guide. It comes down to intelligence and responsibility. No one is an island unto himself (except perhaps for Glenn W. The rest of us mortals should probably study some is all I am saying. I am pretty sure Glenn Woodward has been guilty of study sometime, somewhere. DJP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Carrick Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 RTFM & RTFH are just good practice. There's always something to learn - or - re-learn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcaffee Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Tech help systems have evolved from those yabba-dabba-doo days of yore, where a printed manual was the users only resource for info. Fast forward to the 21st Century; contextual help systems are all the rage! Right-click/touch any part of the user interface and/or work file, and as if by magic, the user is presented with text and pictures of how that element is s'posed to work. So, the fact that the answers exist in a dated format just reinforces gaps in the overall development of CA. A PDF file? Really? How is that leveraging the power of a computer to ensure endusers are delivered relevant information in a rapid manner. It's time to shift those 1997 gears into 2017 for X9. Now I'm stressed and need to go take another freakin' Nitrostat. jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tahoebrian5 Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I'm definitely in the new knucklehead group. I've have tried the manual, believe me. I learn most things by reading obsessively. The chief manual is simply terrible. Yes you can find certain things but they stick to the bare minimum and it is really dry. Most of the answers I find only bring up several more issues. For example the section on sending an elevation to layout. There are SO many issues people need to know about once it's sent but chief has minimal contextual links to this info. Anothe example is the edit line style. There are specific instructions and for some reason I still can't get to the right menu. I know I'm dense but it shouldn't be that hard to edit a damn line style. I'm usually pretty good at learning new things and this is turning out to be a real challenge. That being said I think I forgot there was a separate doc called the users guide. I'm going th check it out now and hopefully it will decrease my knuckleheadism, but I doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rashid_Garuba Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Granted Sketchup is a simpler Program but their "live" manual is very slick. Chief's Manual has it's place.. plus you can't "burn" it anymore... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glennw Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Jon, Am I missing something here? - Or are you missing something. Sure, Help...View Reference Manual gives you the .pdf manual. But using Launch Help (F1) (from toolbar or menu) gives you the interactive, contextual help file that has a really good search function, especially if you use the Advanced Search tools. The shortcut for this help is not the right mouse button, it's F1 - but I would be surprised if you don't already know all this and that is why I am surprised by your post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcaffee Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I was missing something. Thanks Glenn. jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glennw Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 OK Jon, I am surprised you missed it and haven't been using it. It is the only help I ever use. I never use the .pdf help file. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickeyToo Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 And don't miss the fact that when you Launch Help (F1) from Chief after making a selection or opening a dbx, you will be given the opportunity to access Chief's Online Training Videos that relate to that selection or topic. There is also the ability to "bookmark" topics you may want to return to later. Lastly, in addition to hitting F1, there is a tool button (a question mark "?" ) that can be added to the toolbar. David's original comments are well taken, as are Perry's. With Chief it is not an either or but a both and. Spending time reading through the Launch Help from within Chief (if not the actual PDF's) is a good way to accomplish this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACADuser Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Where in the manual does it tell you that Window Lites will not appear if the sash values are set to zero? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glennw Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Isn't it logical that if you don't have a sash, you have nothing to hold the glass. So no glass - and no lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACADuser Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 These are not wooden windows so Depends on the Aluminum extrusion. The mullions are between two panes of glass. So No not to me. If I set side width to 1/16 the mullions appear. But my point is the manual is incomplete. IMO there should be way more illustrations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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