No comments about Follydock: Forty-five Designs for Heijplaat, Rotterdam.

1 comments about Recurrent Neural Networks: Design and Applications (The Crc Press International Series on Computational Intelligence).

1. When a book is written in a way that you are better off reading research papers in the library, that is exactly what you should do. This book has no didactic value, and fails at defining the problem before attempting to explain it. The author does not attempt to put any examples together and the presented data is minimal to non-existent. Strikingly obtuse is the chapter on language learning. The chapter is inconsequential and self-defeating: "since language learning is one of the simplest cases of the kinds of learning that recurrent networks are tasked with, we must infer that learning in recurrent networks is difficult in general." Not surprisingly, this book is also poorly indexed.

   To end in a positive note, I did like the cover!

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!

No comments about Log Home Lifestyles (Schiffer Design Book).

1 comments about Fundamentals of Computer Aided Geometric Design.

1. Very thorough cover of curve and surface topics,
   with many original results.
   Brilliant bibliography.
   Extremely useful for serious CAD research.

1 comments about The Digital Architect: A Common-Sense Guide to Using Computer Technology in Design Practice.

1. Escrito por un arquitecto para los profesionales del diseño, el libro "El Arquitecto Digital" está repleto de consejos y orientaciones sobre el uso de la informática en el ejercicio real del diseño, con un excelente enfoque.
   Más allá de las exageraciones habituales y de los puntos de vista demasiado comerciales o visionarios, Ken Sanders explica los puntos fuertes y los puntos débiles de la informática en la oficina de proyectos, lo que hacen y lo que no hacen este tipo de herramientas y la mejor manera de utilizarlas para incrementar la calidad del trabajo, la productividad y los beneficios en estudios de todos los tamaños.
   A partir de su propia experiencia y la de otros muchos colegas, proporciona interesantes conocimientos y consejos para:
    Elegir adecuadamente la tecnología en función de nuestro desarrollo profesional
    Integrar y organizar sólidamente la informática en el estudio
    Impartir la formación y cómo afectará al personal del estudio

    Gestionar el estudio digital, incluyendo los problemas de la fiabilidad, seguridad y privacidad
    Aprovechar la información disponible en Internet y otros recursos digitales
   Sin descender a los detalles técnicos más propios de los informáticos o de los especialistas, Ken Sanders ofrece también una visión sintética, específica para quienes hacen proyectos y puesta al día sobre:
    Plataformas de ordenadores, sistemas operativos y redes
    Programas de dibujo asistido (CAD), tratamientos de texto, hojas de cálculo, sistemas de animación, multimedia y realidad virtual
    Comentarios sobre las últimas versiones de los sistemas más difundidos, como AutoCAD 14 y Windows 98.
   Índice
   1. El impacto de la informática en el ejercicio de la arquitectura
   2. Planificación y puesta en marcha de la informática en el estudio
   3. Enseñanza y formación de la informática
   4. Herramientas para el arquitecto
   5. El lenguaje de los medios digitales
   6. Sistemas operativos y redes
   7. Ordenadores personales
   8. El CAD, clave de la arquitectura automatizada
   9. Organización de la base de conocimientos
   10. Recursos en línea
   11. La gestión del estudio digital
   12. Tendencias futuras
   "El Arquitecto Digital" es un valioso instrumento para arquitectos y arquitectos técnicos, ingenieros, diseñadores y todos aquellos que participan en el ámbito de la construcción. Incluye numerosas direcciones electrónicas útiles para los arquitectos.

   La edición española ha sido traducida y revisada por Fernando Valderrama mediante 99 comentarios que completan con información específica para nuestro país y nuestras costumbres el interesante texto de Sanders.

No comments about Exodesic: Structures, Tumbleweeds, Electronics: The TumbleTruss Project.

1 comments about Microstation 95 Fundamentals.

1. This book works well for a newcomer to Microstation. However, some of the material covering the advanced topics becomes confusing. If you are already a user, look elsewhere.

No comments about Carlos Jimenez: House and Studio (Graduate School of Design Eliot Noyes Series).

No comments about AutoCAD LT 2008 for Designers.