No comments about Interior Design using AutoCAD 2007.

1 comments about Solid Modeling with I-DEAS (2nd Edition).

1. I-Deas is the best program out there for drafting. I recomand that any one who can, to learn it by any means posible!

No comments about The AutoCAD(R) Book: Drawing, Modeling, and Applications Using AutoCAD 2005.

1 comments about Automated Fabrication: Improving Productivity in Manufacturing.

1. This book is almost a must for all people entering the RP business. Well and clearly written book that despite of it's age is still valid reading. Exellent view over the history of 'automated fabrication', i.e. Rapid Prototypig. This book could be used as well for educational purposes as for setting up your own business. Personally I use it as a very good source of information and reference in my own work as a researcher.

   Highly recommended.

No comments about Urbanism for sale. feld72: Österreichischer Beitrag zur 7. Internationalen Architekturbiennale Sao Paulo / Austrian Contribution to the 7th International Biennial for Architecture in Sao Paulo.

2 comments about Bar and Restaurant Interior Structures.

1. This book is a good resource but some pictures are not very good quality. I don't know why this book is so expensive compared to other restaurant books. I have "Cafes and Restaurants" by Laura Andreini and "Contemporary Japanese Restaurant Design" by Motoko Jitsukawa. I find myself going to those 2 books more often than I do with this one.



2. You cant start a new restaurant before you check what exists around the world. You will not see only the pictures of the places but the bluprints as well.

5 comments about Victorian Dream Homes: 160 Victorian & Farmhouse Plans from Three Master Designers.

1. I was extremely disappointed when I finally got my hands on this book, because I was expecting another Dover-style collection of period house plans. I was unimpressed by the "Victorian-inspired" designs because they're only Victorian enough to fool the casual observer. Only the ones from Historical Replications were any good in my opinion, and there were precious few of those. All the rest were rambling modern homes with a few cornices and a porch, only the outsides referencing real Victorian architecture.



2. Although I am not in the market to build a house, I love Victorian architecture and house plans in general. I never get tired of looking through it and have had my copy for several years.



3. The introduction is very informative regarding the various styles of Victorian homes. There is an abundance of modernized Victorian plans. Unfortunately, of the 160 plans, only a handful included attic space. Authentic Victorian homes were rarely built without attics. If you are planning on building a three-story authentic Victorian home with a full basement, be advised there are only a few plans contained in this volume.



4. I thoroughly enjoyed this home planning and design book. Larry Garnett & Associates offers some wonderful designs in the first of this books three sections. If you are looking for "Authentic Victorian" designs this may not be the book for you. However, if you love Victorian style as I do, but prefer modern amenities this book is PERFECT.



5. I was surprised to find most similar books at the local bookstore priced under $9, but if this book was truly victorian it would be worth it. But the BACK cover expands the title to "VICTORIAN AND VICTORIAN-INSPIRED FARMHOUSES". These are not the homes you'd expect to see in Cape May, NJ, but there are some floorplans I really like. But if it lacked the "victorian-inspired" and was under $9 retail, it would be much improved.

5 comments about Vectorworks 9 for Windows & Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guide).

1. A fairly good book. It is a little dry, read cover to cover. It reads basically item by item through all the menus and commands. It does become a little tedious and repetitious at times. The peachtree.com website mentioned above, has chapter 11 available as a pdf download. But does not have any 'updates' etc. I do not think it is fair to buy a book that is unfinished. Why should I pay for a whole book, but have to print part of it myself? Chapter 10 (Worksheets, Reports and Presentations) is brief to say the least. It has the feel of the author running out of time for a deadline. I wish he spent much more time on producing worksheets, rendering and producing reports, not to mention producing quicktime movie presentations. He should of spent less time on self-explanatory commands (click and drag to make a square etc.) and more time on using the application. It would be nice if he had used some examples in a tutorial style. Although the commands are covered, there is precious little time spent explaining efficient strategies for their use. Most pages do have 'tips' at the side of the page, which are worthwhile.

   I have found the book useful as a reference I can refer to from time to time. Vectorworks comes with an excellent pdf manual. It is a bit of a coin toss whether it, or Baer's book is more useful. Throughout the book Baer makes subtle suggestions aimed at Vectorworks creators, pointing out flaws and omissions in the software. This is valuable information that does not ship with Vectorworks. I hope he has sent this information on to Nemetschek.

   For users of Vectorworks 8, this book for the most part still applies (VW10 too). Architectural components are quickly covered, but not landmark, spotlight, mechanical or power 3d components.

   Overall I would say that I like the authors writing style, but would have liked to have seen more of it in the book. I recommend buying it.




2. This book has some serious editing problems which left me feeling cheated. For example there is a web address on the cover which does not take you to a VectorWorks-relevant site, even though throughout the book the reader is referred to this address for supplementary tips and tricks. Even staying within the book itself is frustrating. For example, at one point the reader is told to check Chapter 11, "Customizing the Interface" - but there is no such chapter in the book. This would be a very useful chapter to have! Diagrams and illustrations are frequently mislabeled and there are numerous typos which affect the meaning of the written directions. This book seems like a rough draft that snuck onto bookstore shelves much too early.
   That said, the book was useful to me in learning the individual tools in the VectorWorks arsenal. It touches upon nearly every tool and includes examples of their uses and options. But I was disappointed that after reading this book I still did not feel immediately able to set up a whole real-life project of average complexity. Even the chapters devoted to setting up architectural projects, worksheets and presentations really do not fully explain how to use this software to organize the whole project. This is very important because VectorWorks' use of layers, classes, and sheets to organize a project is disimilar to the organizing capabilities of most other CAD packages. In fact, I found that studying the "sample" projects provided by VectorWorks in the "resources" folder of the software was much more useful in learning any of the subjects discussed in the second half of this book. So, if you are looking for a detailed, step-by-step list of tools and their functions (and you have the patience to struggle through the misunderstandings created by the lack of proof reading), then I'd recommend this book. But I'd also point out that VectorWorks has a built-in manual that goes over the same information and more. Just push the "Help" button!



3. I was hoping to find some sort of tutorial about starting from scratch learning Vectorworks. This book may help CAD veterans learn yet another CAD program, but it fails miserably for beginners. Many of the illustrations don't match what I see on my screen, and so far none of the instruction sets has worked without going back to the User's Guide for additional help. If there were a negative star rating for the frustration factor, I would have used it.



4. I've been using VectorWorks since it was MiniCad. I've completed training seminars on VectorWorks, held by Nemetschek. I've even recently purchased training CDs that Nemetschek just came out with, on VectorWorks. Even though I've been using the program for over a dozen years- there's always something else that can be learned, that will make me into a better CAD designer.

   This Quick Start guide has done it. I received it as a gift from my wife for Christmas, and she regrets it ever since! The things I have learned from it has sent me into my former drafting room & current computer room (where my drafting board collects dust) for hours, just trying out the new tips & tricks.

   It's not at all tiresome for the advanced user and if it does it repetitive- just do as I did and flip to a new section.

   If you want to become a professional VectorWorks user, this book will, no doubt, help you. It's easy to read, and written in a comfortable way. It's clear that Tom Baer is a seasoned VectorWorks user.

   I recommend it for VectorWorks users of all levels.




5. I just recently switched over to VectorWorks from AutoCAD, at the recommendation of several colleagues. Since I just got the program a couple of months ago, I was still forced to look things up, like tools & commands, that I didn't know of hand. This book was perfect for me. Its layout and illustrations were as easy-to-learn from as the VectorWorks program, itself. I got the book right before Christmas, and have already learned an extraordinary amount.

   Though I have been using CAD programs for over a decade, this is the first time that I've been using a CAD program I truly enjoy. And the QuickStart guide has made a huge difference in turning a beginner VectorWorks user to a confident pro.

   Thank you Peachpit Press and thank you VectorWorks!

No comments about Autodesk VIZ 2008 for Beginners.

No comments about Introducing Autodesk Inventor 2009 and Autodesk Inventor LT 2009 w/ WS.