How did it go?

Good luck

We were there with several wildlife biologists, all experts at dealing with bears. The cubs needed to be held during the process to keep them warm and comfort them, and there is no evidence that holding them has any negative impact. They certainly wanted to be held. I'll go with the experts on this one.

Glad it was helpful.

Glad you liked it!

You're welcome. Glad it was helpful.

Well, yes you can, but I can't guarantee that you'll pass. You would probably need to use the software to create other parts and assemblies for which there is no video and be able to take a timed test without being intimidated. Even experienced users can get hung up on one part and run out of time. I do recommend doing all the assembly questions on the exam. Since they are at the end of the exam, users often don't get to them because they keep trying to complete a part in the earlier stages. Since the assemblies are worth more on the exam, and -- in my opinion -- are easier, you might want to start with them since you can go back to earlier questions at any time.

Glad it was helpful!

You're welcome!

My pleasure!

On some charts a dark blue is used to denote deeper water than light blue, but the chart I used doesn't use dark blue. There is a weird sort of blue/green that denotes very shallow water, but I wouldn't call it a dark blue. It is between blue and mud color. At any rate, the key is to pay attention to the numbers indicating depth. Use the colors to feel confident when you are in an area colored white -- unless you are in a tanker, you'll have plenty of water there.

There has been no change in the exam for the past 12 years I've required it. Glad you found the video helpful.

You're welcome!

My pleasure!

Many many thanks

Glad it was helpful! I plan to do another that covers the configuration and assembly part of the exam, but haven't had time yet. Make sure you have some experience with configurations and you might want to review the various mate tools, although you're not likely to get any questions on the mechanical or advanced mates. The width mate will probably be helpful though. Good luck.

Randy, Sorry not to get right back to you. I haven't checked my comments in a while. You ask a very good question, and I hope a lot of people will see my answer. The only way to know for sure how to interpret the purpose and meaning of aids to navigation is to ALWAYS have a current nautical chart with you -- either on paper, digitally (preferably on a chart plotter), or both (my preference). There are plenty of cell phone apps that can be used as a nautical chart plotter, but I always download a PDF of the largest scale, current chart from the NOAA website and print it on a large format printer. I then put in in a large plastic chart bag and fold it up so I can unfold the bag to read any part of it. You probably don't have a large format printer available, but you can print it out in pieces or buy a paper chart from an aftermarket service. A lot of students in my navigation classes start by thinking that "red right returning" is all they need to know about navigating, but as you point out, sometime buoys have lateral significance (they mark one side of a preferred channel) and sometimes they don't. Even if they are laterally significant, in congested areas it may not be clear if you are leaving one port or returning to a nearby different port. Not only that, but sometime -- as you indicated-- a buoy is laterally significant, but the "other one" isn't there. That often happens with daymarks. The best advice then is to look at the chart, but if you don't have one, stay close to the day make leaving it on the correct side of your vessel, but NOT TOO CLOSE. The daymarks are often embedded in a ledge that extends a bit beyond the day mark. A lot of bottom paint has been left on ledges like that. There is safe water on the proper side, but you may have to leave that "reasonable boundary" you mention. The other thing is that floating buoys can move in storms. They have an anchor (usually a mushroom anchor) and that can be dragged in extreme circumstances. I have also seen buoys pulled under by a strong current (the inside passage between Bath and Boothbay Maine is one common spot), only to suddenly shoot up above the water. You don't want to be over it when that happens, so knowing where a buoy should be by looking on a chart and giving a "reasonable boundary" is also a good idea in areas with strong currents. And just to make it even more concerning, I was once going between Harpswell Sound and Potts Harbor through a passage known as the "snake pit" -- which requires paying close attention to the laterally significant buoys that guide you through the serpentine passage with ledges on both sides -- when I couldn't see the green can #3 that was always there. When I slowly approached where it should have been, I could see the top of it about a foot below the surface. The gear holding it in place had gotten twisted up enough during a storm to be too short to allow the buoy to float above the water line. I immediately contacted the Coast Guard to alert them and they sent out a boat to fix it so no one would run into it. A lot of local boaters love whipping through at high speed for fun. Not much fun if they'd hit the very large steel can. This probably qualifies as my longest reply to a comment, but I am always interested in people learning why "red right returning" is not all they need to know about navigating. Now add some fog, and it gets even more interesting.

@@DanAbbott-SMCC thank you ! Helpful kind of :). Much appreciated

My pleasure. I understand your confusion. The reality is that it is much easier to mark passages on land than on the water! Good luck with the boating. Mine has been sitting on it's trailer all summer while I deal with a herniated disk, so I am very envious of those who have had a boating season. Mine is likely to consist of the first three weeks in October!

@@DanAbbott-SMCC Sorry to hear you’re having back issues. I hope you get relief soon to enjoy some boating season. We are having a great time on the water. As I mentioned being new to boating I have so many things to learn, practice and develop proper skills to make our adventures even more pleasurable and above all SAFE. Please let me know if any learning opportunities come up ( on line classes, discussions etc) that I may benefit from. Be well !

I am not sure what your question is. You would get the same results if you applied the equations correctly. The biggest problem that people have with global variables is that they type in the name of the variable rather than select it from the drop down list. If you type it in, the variable isn't linked, so the value is used but changing it in the equation editor won't apply to the part. Unless you see the Greek letter Sigma preceding the value in the dimension, it isn't a linked global variable.

You're welcome. I am not sure what that noise is, and I agree that it sounds like a 3D printer. I have 10 printers, but they are at work. I made this video in my home office, where I do not have a printer. The only thing I have in here that makes noise is two EGO battery chargers, but I wouldn't have made a video while charging those batteries because it is very noisy. Perhaps some radio frequency problem? I found some differing dimensions for acme threads. I think I used the Machinery's Handbook, but can't remember anymore and it may have been a typo. Obviously, you could modify those dimensions. The purpose of the video was just to show a student how to create a thread using a profile and a helix. The thread tool in SolidWorks doesn't always give a true thread in my experience, so when I do want to create one for 3D printing something with a thread, I usually create the thread this way and reduce the size of an external or increase the size of an internal thread and modify it if it doesn't work.

Glad it was helpful!

I'm not sure I understand your question. Do you mean open a single part directly or from the assembly? If from the assembly, you can use SAVEAS to see the current path.

@@DanAbbott-SMCC I found, to be able to find fast the path... and copy the path... File -> Find references... and you can assign shortcut to this also.

What a good question. I don't know, but I'll try to figure something out.

The Tucker wasn't on the floor a couple of weeks ago, but they still have it, so it will be back. Very cool collection. I took my 90 year old mother-in-law, and she loved it. Then I took my 11 year old grand nephew, and he loved it. You should go.

Thank you. Glad you found it useful.

Not without seeing the model. The most common error people make on this part is assuming that both cylinders are the same dimension. One is based on X the other on Y. You might check that. If your answer is within 1% of the correct answer given, it would be considered correct on the exam. I have gotten the same answer each time I've gone through this practice exam for a class, so I think you probably overlooked something. You should also check for any under-defined sketches. If you have any, correct that and see if you get the right answer.

You're welcome!

Glad it was helpful!

Yes, but there will be more than one part to start with. But each part has multiple questions after editing. Part 2 of the exam has you opening and modifying existing parts and managing configurations as well. Part three involves creating fairly complex assemblies from existing parts and possibly parts you must make.

Any time sonny.

You're welcome!

You are very welcome. (Eres muy bienvenido)

Thanks u

Glad it was helpful.

Glad it was helpful!

It is actually from a project I assigned in my first class nearly 20 years ago based on an illustration in my favorite drafting textbook at the time that was illustrating conventions for section drawings that deviated from actual orthographic projection. But, yes, it certainly has elements of parts I've seen on the CSWA exam since. That's why I included it -- to make sure people are prepared for something like it since the practice exam doesn't have a revolved part. Each of the major projects assemblies I assign now have parts that require a revolve.

Thanks for your comments, and you're welcome.

Glad to hear that it was helpful. I'll have to watch it again. Don't be too hard on your actual teacher. I've gotten better at it over my 40 years in technical education, and composite profile is a bit tricky.

I will pass this along.

I will pass this on to her Alan. She still tells the story of appearing at your college and opening with "In Mexico, Maine, where I grew up, you couldn't find a single Mexican." Wonderful story-teller, for sure.

I will pas this along.

It seems pretty clear in the video. I created a reference plane corner-to-corner using the front plane and one corner to create a plane 45 degrees to the front, pivoting about the selected edge of that corner. Then I offset that plane using it to create another reference plane by entering the distance to the back of the boss on the top. I'm not sure what I could say that would clarify that, so I hope this helps.

You're welcome!

You're welcome!

Corrected later in video

You bet

A phantom line can be used to treat two separate surfaces as a single datum surface, but it would not be standard for datum D. On the other hand, it would not be ambiguous.

I don't think they are exactly the same, but if they are you could do that, but I think it might be more confusing for some people. But if that is the way that makes the most sense to you, no reason not to use it.