1 comments about Drawing and Detailing with SolidWorks 2008.

1. This book saved my butt. We had a downsizing at my company, and I needed to learn more on creating SolidWorks drawings fast. With no money for training, I needed a source of knowledge. I found it.
   
   My company switched over from 2007 to 2008 this year and my experience with drawings is limited. I've been using SolidWorks for approximately two years; focusing on 3D parts and assemblies. The book provides great sections on document properties, drawing templates, addressing ASME Y14 standards, custom properties, link to properties, notes, driven dimensions, centermarks, arc conditions, centerlines, sheet formats, view palette, DimXpert and so on. DimXpert is a great tool to go directly for part - to - drawing with embedded feature dimensions, feature control frames, datums, geometric tolerancing, etc. Note: DimXpert is new, be careful on using it for complex surface parts. I had some issues.
   
   The book addresses: Standard views, Isometric view, Section view, Detail view, Crop view, Projected view, Exploded view will balloons, Broken view, with BOMs, editing BOMs, revision tables, adding revisions etc.
   
   It also covers in manual detail: surface finishes, weld symbols, geometric tolerancing, feature control frames, etc. Indeed, an in-depth book on SolidWorks drawings.

3 comments about A Manual of Construction Documentation.

1. It's one thing to tell someone what needs to be on a working drawing, but it's another thing to show them how to put one together. This book does just that. It describes a step-by-step procedure for developing a working drawing. While it's focus is on drawings for building construction, it can easily be adapted to parts fabrication as well. The clarity and simplicity of the presentation make this book a "must read" for anyone just entering the consulting design industry. It is also extremely low priced. I will say that the drawings are not completely cross-referenced and notated, as would be necessary for a complete set of documents. Still, the drawing examples do present clear set of procedures for preparing working drawings which everyone in the business should master. I highly recommend this book.



2. I have been teaching construction documents to interior designers at Parsons School of Design for the past three years. The Wiggins Book is one of the two prime texts included in my course bibliography. The sheet by sheet instruction are very clear and show the process of putting together a set of drawings. I don't always follow the same standards as Wiggins, but it's the best that's out there. As previously commented, not recommended for residential or specialty interiors projects. Very good reference for general commercial construction documents.



3. I was looking for an introductory book to explain how to prepare construction drawings, and the title seemed like it might do the job. However, this book is ENTIRELY dedicated to commercial buildings and the target seems to be intermediate users. There is very little useful information for residential Projects or Beginners.

   The book was done well however, and I wish the author would make a similar book for residential work and revise the title or taglines these books.

No comments about Pro/ENGINEER Tutorial Wildfire 4.0 and MultiMedia CD.

3 comments about Land Development Calculations: Interactive Tools and Techniques for Site Planning, Analysis and Design.

1. A bit dissapointed that there was very little targeted toward Retail, specifically lacking in the areas of shopping center and out parcel development... but the formulas were interesting, and the concepts that were explained... were done so in great detail.



2. "Land Development Calculations" provides an excellent and innovative strategy for working towards sustainable land use and development. The models for varying land development strategies can assist local government land use decision makers and planners as well as developers determine the carrying capacity of land within realistic thresholds. The accompanying spreadsheets for the development scenarios on the CD-ROM are extremely user friendly and do not place an undue burden on the user by requiring what may be hard to find or to collect data. All of the data required just is typical of what is necessary to make appropriate land development decisions. As a local government planner, I am working towards incorporating the information received from the models in to the zoning and development code as part of the approval process by using it to further assess suitability of the property for the purposes proposed (a zoning consideration required in accordance with the State of Georgia Zoning Procedures Act). I strongly encourage other land planners and developers to read "Land Development Calculations," because of its highly practical and very timely material.



3. This is a terrificaly valuable technical reference for practitioners who need an efficient method of performing land development calulations. The book and its companion set of spreadsheets enable users to answer two key questions: 1) how much can be built on a given piece of land; or 2) how much land is needed to accommodate a given use? The material is clearly written and well illustrated, especially a series of worksheets leading through the method. Another strength is its comprehensiveness and detail, including all major land-use and micro site conditions.

1 comments about Freehand Drawing for Architects and Interior Designers.

1. I bought this book for my 14 yr old son who LOVES architecture. He is taking an architecture class in eight grade and loves it. The book is probably meant to be for college students/adults, but it is clearly written so that a younger person with similar interests can understand it.

1 comments about How Designers Think, Fourth Edition: The Design Process Demystified.

1. I have followed the many editions of this book. It is a classic. In this latest offering, the author has managed to keep it up to date - not easy in today's fast changing world. Well done. Look forward to the next edition.

4 comments about Wiley Pathways Introduction to Google SketchUp (Wiley Pathways).

1. I have the Dummies book but bought this book as well, after delaying because of one of the reviews that said to get this book or the other but not both.
   
   I am finding that this book is finally getting me into Sketchup so I can do the things I want to do (designing a machine) in ways the Dummies book did not.
   
   If you are serious about wanting to master Sketchup and not getting there, working through this book may do the job.



2. Do not waste your money on this book!!! Google Sketchup for Dummies is EXACTLY the same book down to the examples and the color pictures in the middle. For 1/3 the price you will literally get the same content written by the same author. The information is good and the program is truly outstanding for quickly producing computer models of just about anything (I'm a landscape designer.)
   Mr. Chopra the author is very knowledgeable but his Dummies book is the best value. I cannot state this clearly enough... Do not buy this book unless you just have too much money and nothing to spend it on.
   By the way; nearly everything you will ever need to know is available on the Sketchup website for FREE and most of is writted by Mr. Chopra as well.



3. This manual fills a gap in documentation for Sketchup. Many people like myself want to just sit down and read through a coherent hardcopy overview of what the software can do and how to do it - starting from the basic assumption that one knows nothing about the software but is not an idiot with respect to computers in general. Sketchup is primarily obtained via download, so such printed documentation is not generally obtained along with the software - this book rectifies the problem. Structurally the author usually tries to take the step by step approach to achieving a given objective; do this, then do this, then do this, etc., but occasionally, for completeness, breaks down into a simple enumeration and restating of menu and dialog box choices - somewhat less helpful when this happens. For the most part very clearly written, however, and serves the function of a classic "manual" very well.
   
   The online videos by the same author (find him on utube) are VERY helpful. Although prepared specifically to coordinate with his other book, Sketchup for Dummies, they can be tied to this book very easily.



4. Very good book, similar to Google Sketchup for Dummies (same author).
   Buy one or the other.

4 comments about Designed by Peter Saville.

1. I first became acquainted with Saville's work with the albums he did for Joy Division and New Order over twenty years ago, the work was fresh, dynamic, elegant and beautiful then and it's still fantastic. His work is always so effortless and cool, it just IS, it doesn't try too hard. Alot of work in my profession tries too hard to be "edgy" and after two years...it ain't. David Carson comes to mind. Saville is still to this day, one of the few living designers that really matter, who consistently puts out great work. Michael Vanderbyl being the other one. The dead ones being Otl Aicher and Josef Muller Brockmann. The only quibble I have is the format, it's too small, it should be something substantial like 15x15



2. I am a huge fan of Peter Saville's work, and this book is everything I wanted it to be. It contains excellent reproductions of his album cover and other design work as well as interesting interviews with Saville and writings by others in the field. I read this book from cover to cover and it was never boring. Excellent for fans of Peter Saville as well as those just getting into his work.



3. well, this book is... under review. see i havent made it past pg 1. n here i sit, wanting to learn french, n pondering how far ive made it into my new little read here. find myself staring at the cover, wondering what books are for, bah, brand new n pretty, so what. opened to words, creased the binding. no matter. a book is a book is a book... right? i have yet to form an opinion, this is my first review, im wondering if theres an option someplace in here where i can update my review after getting past page two. kinda doubt it, which means that ill push send on this, and that will be that.
   too much to early
   
   i hope it doesnt make me give it a star. if i have to give a star, before going a little more in depth... well, then ill give five. but let it be know, i havent yet made it past page two. guess ill have to learn a little ... i dunno what language it even is. gonna have to work a little to get through this one, my curiosity is dragging me, through all the distractions n walls around me, gives me a headache sometimes, but the language looks curious, the words. misplaced to my understanding... for the moment. translations in due
   
   anyhow, just so you know. left the five cause i had too, not that the book is interesting or anything, just letting you know.
   
   bah, it made me give stars. i guess whomever made this sight...
   didnt allow for under review. theres some decent material in the dvd as well. but thats not here, nor there, is it?
   
   theres about four tangents that i can think of off the top of my head right now... to many options to readers, means this is trash. or not, maybe a playground for some damn collage prof with a red fetish in language
   
   im pushing send, n probably waisting everybodies time, seeing how, this, isnt even technically a rating of anysort. this is only page one.



4. I only wanted to write a review because this book looked lonely without a single customer review.

   You need this book if you want to understand where our design-obsessive culture originated. Even if you don't give a rat's ass, if you take any kind of enjoyment from visual and conceptual aesthetics, you still need this.

   It is great to flip through, the ultimate coffee table book. But suprisingly, there is just as much emphasis placed on text and context.

   Even more surprisingly, it is reasonably priced.

   Peter Saville has enormous talent and is unique in that he's not strictly a designer, not strictly an artist.

2 comments about AutoCAD 2006 VBA: A Programmer's Reference.

1. This book contains everything you need to know about AutoCAD VBA and then 10x more! I was looking for a simple guide to AutoCAD VBA syntax. This book isn't quite written for simple little utility type apps, but more for big-picture drawing automation. But given the uber-complicated nature of AutoCAD VBA, Sutphin did a GREAT job. I wish I had more time so I could follow him along for all 700 pages.
   
   I wouldn't quite recommend it for newbies personally, but if you have VBA experience, you'll be okay.



2. An excellent and comprehesinve reference book for both non-programmer and programmer alike.

1 comments about Visual Notes for Architects and Designers.

1. If my bookcase were on fire, I would be willing to burn my hand to save this book. I am currently studying anesthesia at Columbia University, and I still draw on the things (oops, no pun intended) I learned from this book during my career in architecture.
   
   If process and developing ideas is what you want, this is sure to jog your thinking.