Double nested contours

I am really new to solidworks and I am working my way through a basic skills book.While the book itself is okay it kinda skips through some parts without explaining them properly.Anyway I am drawing a simple extruded block with 4 corner holes and 2 center holes.When i go to extrude sketch i get the error message about having double nested contours.Can someone shed some light on what i am doing wrong,i have given all the dim and relations written in the book but still get the same message.Any help would be great.thanks

What book? What Page?

Attach part file or image here.

JD,thanks for the prompt reply.Sorry I now realise I didnt give much info away.The book is solidworks 2010 basic tools:part 1 by Paul Tran,the chapter is on curve driven patterns..I will put up a sketch shortly and you may be able to help me out a bit more.

JD,I have uploaded a file of the entire drawing for you to look at.Any help would be great,as I said I am only learning so forgive any beginner mistakes.The nested contours are the middle holes and the outer holes.Thanks

Welcome aboard. I dont personally have that book but i can instantly see a few things.

First your sketch isnt fully defined. Well only two lines are in the left slot. Does the book have you layout all of this on one sketch? Personally I would draw the block, then add the rest of the detail.

You reference lines coming from the origin, i cant tell if they are construction or not. I can see your horizontal line at the end looks like construction but only after your 1.5" dimension.

Your slots and center hole are probably part of your problem. You have two sets of non-construction lines there. Which ones are going to be in the extrude as both cannot be.

It would be much more helpful if you zipped and attached the sldprt here.

Notice that this one arc is thin compared to everything else being thicker. This is a clue SWx gives you.

My guess is there is a extra line or arc - a bit of unintended garbage - in that area.

Thanks for the welcome.I only done a quick sketch to try and show where the problems lie.Even when the sketch is fully defined it comes up with the same error.JD I will post up the file later on.I can use the contour select tool to get to where i need but it is slightly annoying that this error message keeps popping up and I would like to know for future referance how to deal with it.

On another note could you guys recommend some reading or video tutorials (paid for/free) that might be of some help to me.Going to a school or college is beyond my budget at the minute but some good video tutorials would be of great benefit.

Thanks

Guys I just had my eureka moment.What the book is telling me to do and is guiding me to do are two differant things.I will try and explain,the author wants to demonstrate how to use contour selection.When I had the sketch done and fully defined he never indicated that I had to select the outer contour in the extrude menu,after I had done this it works perfectly.

I do hope I have not wasted your time and I look forward(you may not) to picking your brains in the near future.Thanks again JD and Shift.

PS. if there are any recommendations for learning material I would be very grateful.

if there are any recommendations for learning material I would be very grateful.

have you searched youtube? i cannot do it here, but i find a lot of good tutorials there.

Will do Stuart,never really thought of you tube as a source.

Thanks:)

glad you got it fixed. JD has some stuff in his sig links and you can check out my site in my sig link. I have a links page as well that directs you to a few places.

Will check them out.

Thanks again