Dear Bill T:
I recently contributed models of hand tools. During the upload process I tried to find a category for hand tools. The closest I could find was Miscellaneous>Various Parts. Since then, I've learned that there is a category for hand tools. How do I change my submissions to be better categorized?
While adding the models, I included various tags that were meaningful to me - "hand tool" being one of them. When I search for "hand tool", I get no result for my submissions. In fact, none of the tags, file names, or model descriptions that I used result in successful searches. How do I make my models easy to find in this labyrinth?
When I search for models contributed by Gerald Davis, I get a single slam latch from a couple of years ago. My recent submissions are not listed. How do I trigger the data base to know everything that the Great G. Davis has donated? (No, my ego isn't that big, I'm trying to be humorous.)
When I serach for "box end wrench" I get about 140 results. Most of them are unrelated to box end wrenches. No result includes my model of a box end wrench. How should I search for models of box end wrenches?
While desperately searching for my contributions, I found several models of similar tools - particularly "allen" wrenches - however attempts to relocate them have been frustrating - "hex key" returns everything from motors to locks but few hand tools. How do I search for things that are similar and exclude things that are unrelated?
In the Hand Tools category there are a brazillion entries from a supplier (starts with "F") that are nothing more than PDF documents. How do I exclude trash like this from my search results? All I want are 3D models, not advertisements from Italy.
When I download models, I don't want surface bodies. I want the full model history in the Feature Manager. How do I tell what version of SolidWorks will result in the "native" file instead of a "dumb" model?
Why does it take 5 clicks to get to 3DCC from the Task Pane?
I've requested notification of reviews of my models. I know at least 2 reviews have been completed. No notifictions have been received. What did I do wrong?
Et Cetera
I am a frequent visitor to 3DCC, and I have the same concerns/gripes, Gerald. It is especially irritating that one must pick multiple links to get there, and once you get there you may or may not be logged in. A couple of years ago all you had to do was click on the magnifying glass, and you were wisked away to the land of shared resource. I guess someone thought that was too convenient? Fine. I can get over the login issue, but the download interface seems pretty buggy. Almost a crapshoot if the model preview is going to display. It would be nice if it remembered the number of search results to display as well.
I guess if the search function doesn't work, you may never know because you literally don't know what you're missing. Also, I find it interesting that although the slam latch is what comes up when I do a search for "Gerald" it doesn't appear in your portfolio. This is part of the reason I haven't uploaded anything to the site.
I think 3DCC is a very valuable resource, but it would definitely be nice if it was a bit more predictable.