No comments about Perspective: A Guide for Artists, Architects and Designers.

1 comments about OrCAD PSpice for Windows Volume 1: DC and AC Circuits (3rd Edition).

1. This is one of the few books to provide an introduction to PSpice under OrCAD. To be fair, it does cover the basics and it does so to a greater extent than might be considered necessary. If you are a practising engineer looking to get up to speed on the fundamentals of using PSpice (as I am) you will probably find the elementary content and presentation far too simplistic and unecessary. It looks as if it were aimed more at introductory electronics students, getting to grips with this software for the first time. Even allowing for this the text is weak in some areas: for example, electrical phasors are sometimes incorrectly referred to as 'physors'. Who proof-read this? They must have been asleep.

   The most useful aspect of the book for new PSpice users are the hints scattered in 'Simulation Notes' throughout. These provide useful tips and hints on how to accomplish various fundamental tasks, such as changing axis settings and modifying traces.

   In short, this book has some value to the new PSpice user, but is very poorly produced and overly simple for most engineering students or engineers who may need a basic PSpice reference. The presentation level is low; the whole thing is not really produced to a professional standard but looks as if it were a collection of lecture notes which got turned into a book after some very minimal editing. It's somewhat useful to learn some of the necessary PSpice tricks but falls very short when you consider how much better this topic could have been covered with a more rigorous and less dumbed-down style.

5 comments about Mastering Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2004.

1. This text is confusing, contains several errors and overall quite useless for the classroom setting.



2. Paul's book, after working through the Comprehensive Tutorial by H. Edward Goldberg, is like reading Proust in English for an English as a first language speaker compared to reading Proust in French for an English as a first language speaker. The steps are small enough that a person who is new to the program can follow along without difficulty. Plus, Paul's accessibility is invaluable.
   Great resource and learning tool.
   The reviewer who said there must be a better book out there somewhere might consider writing one for the office in which he/she works so as to have one to recommend for new employees.
   I, too, would be interested in reviewing the new attempt.



3. I'm an architect who's worked with CAD for 10 years...got dragged into using it, literally kicking and screaming!! I needed 3D capabilities to stay competitive, but the thought of learning another CAD program struck terror in the very marrow of my bones! I took took hours and hours of classroom and on-line classes to try to learn ADT and VIZRender, and I feel like it was money up in smoke. Out of sheer desperation I bought Aubin's book, and have found it to be one of the....no, THE clearest, most straightforward CAD guide I've ever, ever, EVER read!!Starting with the basics, and guiding the reader through step-by-step tutorials in plain, non-technical language, Aubin has developed a guide that even a technophobe can clearly understand.

   I'd give the book a full 5-star, but it's a little lacking in trouble shooting. If things don't work out the way they're supposed to, it would be helpful to have some suggestions on what might be wrong.

   After only one day of working through the guide, I could design a simple building in 3-D. After a full week, the sunshine was pouring through the windows. Well worth the money.




4. After working with various versions of AutoCad for the last 7 years, this was my first introduction to Architectural Desktop. I have worked my way through this book over the last week. It is quite possibly the LEAST-well-written Cad book I have ever used. Paragraphs are repeated, steps are skipped over, words are missing in the middle of sentences.

   The tutorials give you the false impression that you are accomplishing something, without teaching you how to apply the concepts to the actual projects you will be required to work on in the real world. One man in my office described the tutorials this way: "It's like 'This Old House', Bob takes the camera crew into the bathroom as Norm finishes caulking the tub. Bob turns to the camera and tells you that now you too can remodel your bathroom."

   There has to be a better book out there on this program. I just don't know what it is. Don't spend your money on this, take your chances on some other book. Best of Luck.




5. When I have a question, I go to the Aubin book first. The help menu and the official Autodesk books never have as much of what I need.

No comments about Retail Store Planning and Design Manual.

5 comments about Stone Circles: A Modern Builders Guide to the Megalithic Revival.

1. Any one interested in Stone Circles should read this book! It is just not another coffee table edition. This is an excellent study in circles, their meaning and how they were constructed.

   There are detailed accounts of travelling to many stone circles around the world - new and old, with even chapters on how to build a stone circle and the alignments.

   An excellent new, fresh look at the stone giants that haunts us today and their relationship with our lives.




2. I can hardly wait to start laying out my own little "stone henge" and with this book I now know how! I always wondered how they did it, now thanks to Rob Roy, not only do I know how they did it, but now I know how I can do it too! Rob provides history, lore, safety tips, labor saving "secrets" of the ancients, great anecdotes and practical and technical instruction on site selection and preparation, stone selection and preparation, constuction of safe and durable megalithic structures, and even a human and spiritual side of the subject that can be quite energizing. With this book anyone can find their own connection to our ancient ancestors! In addition to all the information provided, this book also harbors some very phenominal photographs of both ancient and modern megalithic structures around the world. If you buy only one book this year, buy this one...if your disapointed then you have no soul!



3. Rob Roy's book, Stone Circles, is perhaps the most comprehensive and masterful work on the topic of stone circles by a living author today. There is much more to megalithic stone circles than just the movement and placement of massive dormant objects. When properly placed, they become permanent monuments to a timeless spiritual perspective. Considering our fragile and tenuous hold on life, we humans, especially in modern times, would do well to learn about and understand these marvels of engineering, determination, and dedication. Rob Roy's book gives us all a good place to start.



4. Here's that book on engineering that bridges the gap between the left and right brain. Rob Roy captures you with an engaging writing style that'll accidentally open the secret door to some other very intriguing dimensions. Go for the science -- stay for the spiritual rousing. Well thought out and perfect for any awareness.

   Genuine magic. Rock on, Rob -- in every sense.




5. Years from now, when I'm asked what books impacted my life in major ways, I'm sure I'll immediately list "Stone Circles" as one of them. This is partly because the book came along at a time when I was developing an interest in standing stones and sacred places but mostly because it treats megalithic architecture as a living art: not just a phenomenon from the past to be studied, but a way to connect, as the ancients did, with the earth and with the cycles all around us. This book truly is a "modern builder's guide to the megalithic revival." It speaks of ancient standing stones at Stonehenge, Avebury, the Orkneys, and other sites, but concentrates primarily on contemporary stone circle builders and on practical information for doing this ourselves! It's filled with incredible photos and the stories of contemporary megalithic architects and builders, as well as a wealth of technical information. Thank you, Rob Roy, and thanks to all of your colleagues for lighting a flame in me - before, I had an interest in megalithic architecture, now I am an (amateur) "megalithic anthropologist." That means that I have an interest in the study and application of how human culture and big stones interact - not just in the context of the past, but here and now. I have a small circle of stones on a shelf at home that I rearrange, am going to build some temporary circles at the beach in a couple of weeks, and I can hardly wait to go to work in the back yard this summer! Two thumbs way up for Stone Circles!

No comments about Applications of Codes, Design and Regulations.

No comments about Architect's Essentials of Winning Proposals (The Architect's Essentials of Professional Practice).

1 comments about Design Drawing 2000 Edition.

1. This book offers a complete and informativeview on design drawing. It is perfect for the aspiring *or veteran* architect and/or interior designer. Thorough explanations of perspective and light and tone have helped me in painting and printmaking as well. This text covers multiple point perspectives, interior perspectives, tonal interest and light, and drawing textures, figures, and composition. Very helpful and informative. A good buy!

1 comments about Hardware Verification with C++: A Practitioners Handbook.

1. This is the first book I've read on functional verification not to talk about whitebox/blackbox blah blah, but all useful and practical tricks/best practices. I've just finished a systemverilog DV project with Mike. I joined the project half-way. I would say it was so easy for me to pick up the verification code and got up to speed. Lots of the tricks talked in the book were applied to this project, such as the logging output format, irritator, the "dance", directory structure, listener connection... The environment was done in a very neat and adaptable way.
   
   Personally I believe C++ is going to excel in the long run in the DV field. Because there is basicly no limitation on what you can do with C++. You have better control than with the current proprietary and sometimes arcane HVLs.
   
   I highly recommend this book to intermediate to advanced DVer.

No comments about Dress Code.