2 comments about Just Enough AutoCAD 2007.

1. Just Enough AutoCAD 2007 is an excellent purchase. It does just what it's title entails, it give the user just enough information on the use of autocad to give them a fairly decent jumping off point. It is extremely easy to use and read and offers a more inexpensive way of finding out what you need to know/



2. I have not used my high school drafting lessons since 1968, when I last attended Maricosta College in California. The computer was not very popular in that field, at the time, and now that it is, working with it is interesting and rewarding.
   Auto Cad makes it simple, easy, and quick, to produce drawings from specifications. The T-Square and Drawing Board, are truely things of the past; and the protractor,compass and various other devices used for measureing angles, are very neatly displayed in the configuration of the program itself.
   sylvspst@aol.com
   01/06/2007

1 comments about Shaping Interior Space.

1. This book provides a good conceptual approach to designing the layout and organization of commercial spaces. There are many diagrams and sketches illustrating the concepts of space, volume, flow, order, repetition, etc. The only thing is the photographs, while numerous, are just black and white. Helps keep the cost down though. Any student or new professional in interior design should get this book,

4 comments about Mastering AutoCAD 2006 and AutoCAD LT 2006 (Mastering).

1. For someone that just used 3D modeling programs, this bok helped a lot for figuring out how AutoCAD work. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is learning AutoCAD.



2. Good tutorial for first timers. Pace is quick enough. Great laymen explainations. Tutorial CD requires quick a bit of power from computer terminal, unable to use as of yet. Hinders lessons. Still recommend book, much better than what else is available.



3. I found the book to describe a lot of the Acad funtions, but not enough detail in the functions I was looking for.



4. I bought the Mastering AutoCAD 2000 edition of this book few years ago and learned AutoCAD from scratch. This latest edition has continue to become a very good reference both for starter and intermediate user like me. Nevertheless there are few things that can be improved:
   1. "Copying block within file and across files" topic should be added to Chapter 6. Windows user tend to use the "copy&paste" block more than the traditional block insertion. Confusion often arises among rookie when they try to copy a block of same name from one file to another.
   2. The author has chosen to use centrimeter(cm) as the base unit for the metric measurement. Architectural plan in metric always based in either milimeter(mm) and meter(m). Chosing something in between, i.e. cm, may not be a wise choice as cm will result in awkward scale factor. I hope to see the future edition will use mm instead of cm as base unit.
   3. The material in Appendix B, page 1039, needs to be updated. "AGP graphics card with 64MB memory" is almost extint by contemporary standard.

1 comments about Mail It (Agile Rabbit Editions S.).

1. I am not saying dont buy this one.
   But beware that this is a only 128 pg book and all of the foldings and designs are basic.
   I believe a good graphic designer can create the same die-cuts and designs in a very short time. No trade secrets or big creativity involved.

5 comments about Courtyards: Aesthetic, Social, and Thermal Delight.

1. This book surpassed all my expectations. I was looking for a book full of photographs of Spanish courtyards, to assist me with constructing my own "patio" at home. I was delighted when I found not only loads of beautiful photographs, but also incredible detail about how to construct a courtyard, which direction it should face, keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer, how courtyard entrances work, thermal sailing, what to plant, and more! I have really enjoyed using this book to plan my own private oasis. I would have loved to have seen more colour photographs (many are black and white, but most are colour), and it would have been ideal if courtyard construction in the southern hemisphere had also been considered (I live in southern Australia, where the climate is very similar to southern Spain), but these minor issues did not interfere with my enjoyment of the book.



2. "Courtyards: Aesthetic, Social, and Thermal Delight" begins with a brief history of courtyards including itemized accounts of such topics as placement within a building, orientation, exposure, and the promotion of temperature conditions within a courtyard.
   
   Over 50 full-color photographs from Spain and Latin America supplement the second section. Temperature charts, solar diagrams, and other key technical data accompany these images.
   
   Finally an extensive section of planning and design guidelines highlighting factors for consideration such as daytime/nighttime temperature ranges, zoning regulations, proportions, and proposals for driveways and use of rainwater.
   
   Architects, landscape architects, and building designers will find useful information for creating or renovating any courtyard. Students will also find this an inclusive reference. This is not a title of tremendous value to the casual reader.



3. I got this book several years ago on an inter-library loan from NDSU. It's a great book. The only problem is that it's relatively expensive -- $60 or so.
   
   I'm not an architect, but over ten years ago I built a geodesic dome on an Indian Reservation with the permission of the local district. Assuming you can afford it, where and how you live is the most important spiritual element of your life.
   
   Professor Reynolds approaches his subject with this sort of wonderment. Someday, I hope to build again using some of his ideas as a base. I've never met him, though I would certainly like to sometime. And, I don't know any of these other reviewers who, like me, seem to be very swayed by his writing. (The only reason I mention this is because of one reviewer who felt that there was a certain intellectual dishonesty in the sameness of the praise for this book.) If you're interested in creating harmonious personal space, then you should fork over the $60 or get it from your local library like I did.



4. Were all the reviews written by the author? Give me a break! The fact that every review sounds the same will keep me from ever purchasing this book. In that case, I guess all the reviews helped!



5. Courtyards is a terrific book, the result of 20+ years of loving research. Oregon Professor John Reynolds is crazy for courtyards and it certainly shows.
   A courtyard is a space surrounded by a building, often surrounded by a house. There are all manner of courtyards, large, small, huge, quiet, loud. Some are open and others are terribly private. But all good courtyards have things in common. In the landscapes most of us in the US are used to, we have a house and the gardens are on the outside and we see them before we see the house. In a sense these landscapes serve mostly as dressing to enhance the outward look of the house. But a fine courtyard garden is different. It is smack in the middle of the house and the house surrounds it. It is not wide open to the world, but instead is a place to get away from it all, a place to be outside, but not to be out in the open. The best courtyards are open to the sky, have water, vines, a multitude of interesting flowers, trees, potted plants. A large number of the very finest courtyard plants are discussed in detail in this excellent book. I was struck by how interesting the numerous photos and designs were. Profusely illustrated, each one serves a definitive purpose. I was struck too, by how many different things go into the making of a well thought out courtyard. What is involved so that it will be warm in the winter and cool in the hot summer. What is involved so that it becomes a place where people want to be. I took many notes as I read this large book and some day I plan to build a house of my own design, and in the middle of it, I'm going to have a courtyard. And in this courtyard, I'll have all the things needed, the ingredients so carefully detailed here, that make the right courtyard a magical place. I'd recommend this book for anyone who ever plans to build their own home, for all landscape designers, for all architects, for anyone with a serious interest in horticulture and design. An excellent book.

5 comments about karlssonwilker inc.'s tellmewhy: The First 24 Months of a New York Design Company.

1. Interesting read. Not a typical showcase of a glut of spectacular design, but creatively inspiring. Clever lads!



2. Quite possible one of the most honest and funny books on design, I kid you not. Truly entertaining and thoughtful for designers of any field, not just graphic design. It works both as a story and an inspirational monograph of their quirky and smart work.
   
   I purchased several copies for many friends in design and plan on purchasing several more. No doubt this would make a great stocking stuffer for the designer in your life and with Amazon's discounted rate with Super Saver Shipping it seems ridiculous to only buy just one copy.



3. This book is definitely worth buying it. I was reading MADE YOU LOOK, and that's the reason I gave this book 4 stars. Dont get me wrong, TELLMEWHY is amazing, creative and HAPPY. I get the impression Hjalti and Jan still haven't made their masterpiece, yet, you can tell that they're on the way to achive that. KARLSSONWILKER offers the kind of the design you say to yourself : I CAN DO THAT WELL EASY, until you get your canvas and realize that is their style and it's not only the massive use of DIN, TRADE GOTHIC or HELVETICA fonts. It's absolutely more than that. 5 Stars for Karlssonwilker inc. 4 stars for their book, and I'm pretty sure I'll give them 6 on the upcoming BOOK.



4. This was an OK read. It was inspiring but for the amount of content, they had way too many pictures as filler. I felt perhaps this would have been better as a magazine article.



5. First off, this is not a self help book for designers looking to open their own firm. I'm not sure why the person below me thought that. However, the side effect of wanting to start a firm does sink in after reading this. I read the book cover to cover in a few hours, as I had a hard time putting it down. They could have titled this book, "The Advertising Adventures of Hjalti and Jan". Point is, there is something every designer here can relate to: dealing with clients. The ones you hope to get, and the ones you hope don't call back. What i find particularly inspiring is how this book has not changed them. if you go to their site: http://www.karlssonwilker.com/ they are still rockin the same website. Then again, maybe they haven't had time to change it once all the jobs poured in from this book's success. Or perhaps, they are just like you and I, working from a loft trying to make a dent in the design world, and hoping to be published in the design annual. That's what sets this book apart from most monographs, is that they don't achive ultimate success in the end. They are still bidding for clients and that keeps them humble. There is no secret behind their method of design, other than natural talent for creativity. Sometimes we can lose sight of why we chose this profession. Sometimes we take jobs purely for the money. Stay inspired and buy this book. You will contribute 58¢ to their beer fund. Thank you karllsonwilker!

1 comments about Commercial Design Using Revit Architecture 2008.

1. this book along with the residential book by stine are excellent sources of beginning revit arch. they are used at my community college to teach beginnning and intermediate revit.

4 comments about Dutch Colonial Homes in America.

1. This book provides an overview of a number of houses built by the Dutch colonist and their descendants in the former colony New Netherland. Beautiful photo's and an extensive historical description of eacht house and its area.



2. This is one of may favorite books featuring authentic Dutch colonials.
   
   The pictures are wonderful as well as the text.
   I had no idea as to the contribution the Dutch had not only in architecture but to the development of the country.
   
   There are many distinctions in their details. There are also many commonalities. I've been able to sort through and incorporate some simple but memorable treatments in one of my projects thanks to this book.
   
   It's a great reference for ideas as well as history and I turn to it often as of late.



3. This book contains some of the best visuals I have seen in quite a long time. The useage of lateral light to bring out texture, color, and ambience is striking. The authors have succedded in isolating commonplace daily scenes found in everything from common humble surroundings to the grandest settings. All scenes are presented equally well, and ,most important, in a new manner- Thus allowing the contemporary viewer to more than glimpse into the past. The visuals are accompainied with an informative, very readable text to greatly aid the reader in interpretation of the scenes depicted. Well done!



4. The material culture of the Dutch in America has always been misunderstood, mis-interrupted, and ignored. Now a book which gives visual evidence of the major contributions of the Dutch in the New World- how this culture in large part contributed to the newly emerging American culture and society.
   This is a must read for anyone interested in early American history as well as the colonial era.

No comments about Google SketchUp and SketchUp Pro Bible.

No comments about The Built Environment: A Collaborative Inquiry Into Design and Planning.