No comments about ArchiCAD for AutoCAD Users.

1 comments about Using AutoCAD 2002 (AutoCAD).

1. Why does a book on AutoCAD 2002 come out in 2005? Especially when there is already AutoCAD 2005 out, and AutoCAD 2006 will be released soon? The tardiness of this book is a little strange.
   
   Ok, if you are new to AutoCAD, then you need to learn the basics. And in all probability, the majority of the book's explanations about the 2002 version will apply to the 2005 and 2006 versions. AutoCAD has been out long enough that the basics of two and three dimensional modelling are well established and stable. So the book won't be a total loss, if you already have it.
   
   Then again, if you haven't gotten the book, try a different, more up to date version. You should not have to get a new book for every AutoCAD annual revision. But getting a more recent book means that you can usefully retain it longer than this 2002 book.

1 comments about Introduction to Naval Architecture.

1. This work provides a qualitative approach to naval architecture, and is best coupled with "Introduction to Naval Architecture" (Gillmer and Johnson, Naval Institute Press). All information is well-presented, detailed, and organized. Although a mathematical interpretation of naval architecture is lacking within this resource, such information is adequately replaced by vivid description and the unique viewpoint of E.C. Tupper. This work is highly recommended for those individuals seeking a basic, non-mathematic approach to ship design; otherwise, the purchase of the Gillmer and Johnson reference is also necessary.
   
   Please note: This is my opinion as a high school Senior completing an independent research project within the field of naval architecture.

1 comments about Blurring the Lines: Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing in Contemporary Architecture (Architecture in Practice).

1. I've recently gotten ahold of a copy of this in the UK where it's already on sale, and I can recommend it as a very good survey of the current state of affairs in computer use by architects, engineers and contractors.
   
   It has lots of articles and case studies by practicing designers and even some builders, so it's short on pie-in-the-sky promises of computers' future revolutionization of the field and long on thoughtful, insightful descriptions of what smart people are doing with these tools now.
   
   Some of the projects featured are not the freshest (having been featured in all the architecture magazines months or a few years ago) but the exploration of methods employed on them is still good for designers trying to better integrate digital techniques into their own practice and getting beyond just electronic drafting or making pretty renderings. Students should find it interesting, too ... I guess the illustrations and print quality help justify the price.

5 comments about The Essentials of CAGD.

1. This book does a really good job at presenting the concepts and methodologies of CAGD in a manner that is easy to learn from. You leave this book with a complete understanding of the how and why of the topics it presents.

   The first reviewer complained that complete algorithms are not always given. The book is not meant to be a listing of algorithms to copy. If that's what you're looking for, you should look elsewhere. What this book does is presents the mathmatics and mechanics behind CAGD. It gives enough of the algorithm to start your implementation once you understand the topic. This promotes a fuller understanding of the subject and the theory behind, allowing you to apply the knowledge in domains outside of the subject area.

   If you want to learn the basics of CAGD and have a good background in linear algebra and vectors (a must for any graphics programming), I'd highly recommend this book.




2. This is a great book that delivers exactly what the title says, the "essentials". I used this book for a CAGD class (taught by one of the authors) and found the material very readable, straightforward, and useful. In fact, I found myself returning to this book as a reference in later graduate level coursework in CAGD.

   The book attempts to give the reader all the tools that are necessary to get started in CAGD, and I strongly believe it succeeds in doing that. From the very first chapter, which reaches all the way back to descriptions of points and vectors, to the end of the book, which introduces the reader to some of the same methods that are used in Computer Graphic Animation (composite surfaces) and CAD/CAM (NURBS), the book provides just about everything necessary to learn the material.

   With the material I learned in this book, I created some very cool looking models...the kind of things that got "ooh's" and "aah's" from my friends, and most of all made me feel like the methods used to create animated films are not beyond me.

   To the first reviewer, I'd say go back and re-read the first two chapters that describe points, vectors, lines, and planes. Although if someone isn't comfortable with linear algebra and vector math, then that would make tackling any form of CAGD or graphics difficult. As far as graphics knowledge necessary, the methods in this book can be applied by only knowing how to draw lines on the screen.

   It's a great book I'd recommend to anyone interested in CAGD!




3. This is a great book that delivers exactly what the title says, the "essentials". I used this book for a CAGD class (taught by one of the authors) and found the material very readable, straightforward, and useful. In fact, I found myself returning to this book as a reference in later graduate level coursework in CAGD.

   The book attempts to give the reader all the tools that are necessary to get started in CAGD, and I strongly believe it succeeds in doing that. From the very first chapter, which reaches all the way back to descriptions of points and vectors, to the end of the book, which introduces the reader to some of the same methods that are used in Computer Graphic Animation (composite surfaces) and CAD/CAM (NURBS), the book provides just about everything necessary to learn the material.

   With the material I learned in this book, I created some very cool looking models...the kind of things that got "ooh's" and "aah's" from my friends, and most of all made me feel like the methods used to create animated films are not beyond me.

   To the first reviewer, I'd say go back and re-read the first two chapters that describe points, vectors, lines, and planes. Although if someone isn't comfortable with linear algebra and vector math, then that would make tackling any form of CAGD or graphics difficult. As far as graphics knowledge necessary, the methods in this book can be applied by only knowing how to draw lines on the screen.

   It's a great book I'd recommend to anyone interested in CAGD!




4. This book covers the basics of CAGD. It starts with a brief overview of vectors and some of the mathematics that are essential to understanding the rest of the book, then plunges into the material. The book does a really good job of describing the algorithms from different perspectives. The major algorithms are approached in two ways, one from the way average people could understand how the method of creating curves works, the other from the way the computer generates the curve, mathematically.

   The math in the book is not for the beginner. It does require a good exposure to linear algebra and some calculus to understand. There are many examples of calculations to follow along if you have trouble.

   The basic concepts of how to create curves using the methods described, anyone could understand.

   This book is a really good reference and a pretty good introduction to many of the CAGD concepts. There are a number of errors in the book, but most of them are easy to spot.




5. I am a Mechanical Engineer with interest in CAD/CAM/CAGD/CAE areas. I have learnt CAGD from different classes at school and by far "The Essentials of CAGD - by Dr. Hansford and Dr. Farin" has been the easiest to understand. It gives you a very compact knowledge of this vast and challenging field. The math is very well laid out and several examples have been solved to explain the fundamentals. The other CAGD books by the same authors give a deeper understanding of CAGD principles. This book is like a bible to designers, people in graphics, finite elements, CAD/CAM, artists, stylists!

4 comments about Will Bruder: Recent Works (Planet Architecture).

1. I'm currently an architecture student and needed some information on Bruder's library. The books that i found weren't informative enough. A friend introduced me to the PA series and I eventually purchased this copy and it really surprised me by how thorough it was. It's a great tooL!



2. When I came across this CD, I was quite hesitant about buying it because, I felt more comfortable investing my money on a book rather than unfamiliar CD, not knowing what kind of content it would have. Luckily for me I couldn't find any books about Will Bruder, that I urgently needed. So I decided to try planet architecture. I was quiet impressed with what I found. Besides really valuable information, such as drawings, photos, panoramas, and interviews; the design and layout of the CD is very clear making it very easy to gain valuable knowledge and understanding of Bruder's work. For example, most of the drawings have points of reference that you can click on to view a picture of that exact point. The panorama option works kind of the same, but instead of just getting one view (picture) front a reference point, this feature lets you rotate around the point so you can better appreciate the architecture, like if you were physically in these buildings.



3. The cd-rom format offers an expanded range of possibilities for architecture publishing in the future! The projects are covered in amazing detail- its possible to pick a point on the plan and view photographs from that spot. In addition you can view enlarged sets of drawings and extensive photographic documentation. Dana Hutt's commentary is well researched and insightful, and the realtime interviews and slide shows with both of them is the next best thing to seeing a lecture in person. A very exciting format!



4. Let me start by saying that I'm not a big fan of "books on CD." This volume on Will Bruder, the first I've seen from in-D, is possibly the best use of the CD-ROM format that I've seen. With minimal use of text on screen, "Will Bruder-Recent Works" brings his vision and architecture to life in a way that the printed volume cannot. The navigational interface is unexpected, yet highly intuitive. Excellent coverage of the architect's works includes detailed floorplans, lush photography, and 360x360 (full immersion) panoramas that are probably the next best thing to being there. Insightful video interviews with Will are cut into manageable lengths and organized by topic. I can't wait to see more of the Planet Architecture series!

5 comments about Piranesi: The Complete Etchings (Klotz).

1. This is just a warning to those of you purchasing the in-print $11 version of this book, which Amazon carelessly has listed as the same as the out-of-print paperback version. The in-print version is NOT the complete etchings, and the only reason the reviews here suggest that it is is because Amazon has, as I have already said, linked the two editions, which are totally different. The in-print version is HIGHLY abridged, and is less than half as long as the older version. I was hoping the images were simply smaller, but this is indeed NOT the case. This edition has less than half the number of images as the older edition.



2. A startlingly inexpensive volume even at cover price, and a fine overview of the architectural visions of this singular illustrator. The size of the pages don't allow for the fullest, most detailed reproductions of the etchings, but for what is possible the quality is very good.



3. This book may have all of Piranesi's work, but the pictures are ridiculously small. I returned it the day it came in the mail.



4. Despite the minimal written information, translated from Italian into both English and German, this very generous book does indeed live up to its title of The Complete Etchings. Giovanni Battista Piranesi lived and worked in the mid 18th century, dreaming of architecturally recreating Ancient Rome. Thwarted from his grandiose dreams by practical matters of living, he found a viable outlet for communicating at least his visions by means of making some of the finest etchings the printing world has known. Concepts he could not translate into edifices became grand, eloquent and very personal prints which even today influence artists and stage designers, so atmospheric and rich are the renderings. Piranesi thought on the grand scale, and these many etchings demonstrate how his sense of space, of dark interiors with penetrating shafts of light, of temples, of prisons and prisoners, and even details of architectural elements of decor could become fine art. Though the amount of information about the man as written here is minimal, I doubt that there was much more to this man's biography, so absorbed he was with markings on copper plates. But the lack of biographical data is more than compensated for in the accompanying information on the pages with each etching. This is a fine addition to the libraries of artists, printmakers, architects, and yes, Dreamers! Well worth the price.



5. This book contains all the output of Piranesi, which is what accounts for its thickness. The display is almost purely visual, with only the most minimal of text. The illustrations are clear but fairly small for the most part. I use the book all the time in identifying Piranesis, and I suppose that any serious collector will want to own it. But for any further purpose it's not useful. The index, unfortunately, is totally inadequate and hard to use. The source of this problem (and it is a major one) is that the book is aiming for a readership that also includes Italian, French, and German readers, which means that text has to be minimal.

No comments about Adrian Frutiger - Typefaces: The Complete Works.

No comments about Hospital Builders.

2 comments about Earthquake-Resistant Design of Masonry Buildings (Series on Innovations in Structures and Construction , Vol 1).

1. An excellent book on seismic design of brick masonry structures:
   I am doing my PhD in the Department of Civil engineering NWFP University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan. My PhD title is "Study on improving the seismic performance of brick masonry structures in Peshawar and adjoining areas. I found this book extremely valuable towards my research goals. I want to pay tributes to the author on writing such a first class book.



2. I'm an American, living overseas in Morocco. I'm preparing to build a house in an earthquake zone where they use masonry, and am in the process of educating myself before hiring an architect and contractor. The style of construction here has greatly concerned me for many years.

   I am a lay person with a non-mathematical and non-engineering background. While this book is written primarily for engineers, it is also well-written in CLEAR ENGLISH that the layperson such as myself can understand. It has a lot of precise and clear photographs and drawings to illustrate the author's points. All of the mathematical formulas are included for engineers, and all sources are well-documented at the end of each chapter. I skip over the formulas, as they are far above my understanding. While there are some specific terms I don't understand, Miha has made every effort to explain most of the language, giving examples and photos of the terms he is talking about.

   With the information I have gleaned from this most excellent book, I now feel prepared in terms of what questions I wish to dicusss with my future architect and builder.

   I ordered this book purely by its title, since there were no previous reviews, and was a bit hesitant with the price. But the minute I received the book, and glanced through it, seeing the clear, well-written English, and the wonderful diagrams and illustrations, I felt the book was WELL-WORTH the price. Now that I have actually read the book, my initial judgement has been more than confirmed. I feel this book would be extremely useful for engineers, and for all laypersons who are considering masonry construction in earthquake zones--particularly in areas such as the hillsides of California which can be ravaged by forest fires and mudslides, in addition to earthquakes. Lastly, this book is extremely useful to people by myself, living in third-world countries, who wish to contruct a home of a better quality than is normally constructed. He discusses precise standards which are in place in various countries (not by name, but by typical standard), and compares them with modern Eurozone standards.

   Lastly, I would REALLY LIKE TO THANK THIS AUTHOR for writing this book!