5 comments about Design of Wood Structures - ASD.

1. I bought this book for an independent study course in wood design while obtaining a MS in Civil Engineering. The book is well organized, does an excellent job of explaining the hows and whys of wood design and provides excellent design examples. I would highly recommend it. To get the most of this book, you should also have a copy of the IBC, ASCE 7, and the Wood Council codes.



2. A great reference for both wood structural design, and basic structural design in general. Excellent discussion/explanation of Wind/Seismic per IBC/ASCE 7-02. Very clear examples of diaphragm and shear wall behavior. One of the most well written engineering texts available.



3. This book is gives a good grasp of seismic design for wood structures. Many of the examples especially near the end are good practice for the Californa PE Special Seismic Exam design questions. It gives a good grasp of how seismic forces move through a building and how to calculate those forces at various locations.



4. If you buy this book, you should know what you are getting. The examples are good, the problems are solid and challenging, and the building code (the UBC) is integrated seamlessly into the course of the text. For timber design, this book is essential.



5. After studying the book for six months, I think the material in the book is very good. I am disappointed, and surprised, that the binding is coming apart.

2 comments about Real-time Volume Graphics.

1. There are already many recent graphics books out on the market. Typically aimed at game developers. So why bother with this book? The best answer can be seen by looking at the colour plates scattered through the text. Several are breathtaking. Revealing a degree of rendering detail that is not typically seen in current games.
   
   There are two reasons for this. One is that the comparison is unfair. Because the audience for this book bifurcates into game developers and scientists. For the latter, non-real time images are often acceptable. Hence the book discusses numerous algorithms that are simply too computationally intensive for real time renderings. Thus far, but Moore's Law has a few more years to go...
   
   Another reason offered by the authors is that in scientific visualisations, a high as degree of resolution is usually needed. Whereas for games, given the transient nature of moving images, this amount of resolution might be unneeded.
   
   Having said this, you really should scrutinise the book's images. Especially impressive are the deep shadow maps. One shows a bundle of hair, with intricate shadowings. Neat. If you have any background in rendering, you'll appreciate the implications of what it took to produce those images. Even if you have not yet met the book's algorithms.
   
   The level of maths in the algorithms often go beyond what you'll see in an average graphics book. The latter has well-established methods. While here, several are at the research level. Very new.



2. Any developer who would work with volume graphics needs this basic text, which provides an introduction to texture-based volume rendering methods, techniques, and optimization routines. Even code examples are included within the examples and technical discussions of generating images from 3D scalar data. It's an advanced computer and game developer's primer important for any comprehensive collection.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

No comments about Drawing: the motive force of architecture (Architectural Design Primer).

2 comments about Introduction to MathCAD 13 (2nd Edition) (ESource Series).

1. This book couldn't be more useless than it is. It goes through only the most basic functions of Mathcad and if you have used this program for more than a month or 2 there is going to be little here to boost your skill set. It is written more like a text book, with homework problems and everything, than a reference book.
   
   This program is BARELY supported by Mathworks as it is and as such not a whole lot of people use it, though I love it for semiconductor work due to pretty print. There aren't alot of books out there on Mathcad so good luck struggling through the more complex tasks in Mathcad because this book won't help you much.



2. This book does a nice job of filling in where the built-in help of Mathcad falls short, being full of examples and explanations. At $41, it's a bit pricey, though. The evaluation disk is good for 120 days, long enough so the user will know whether or not the program is worth buying at the commercial level.
   
   As for the program, Mathcad does a fine job if units based, what-you-see-is-what-you-get documentation is needed. For instance, it beats the heck out of using Excel, as "pretty print" typeset math is easily inserted, along with superb plotting. Documents made with it are professional looking and all calculations are easily shown with textbook quality fonts.
   
   However, the program is lacking in symbolic commands. The most glaring of these is the lack of a symbolic differential equation solver. The symbolic capability of Mathcad comes from a subset of the Maple kernel. Why the folks at Mathcad decided not to include the dsolve() command from Maple is puzzling. Other good math programs, Derive, Maple, Mathematica, Mupad... have both numeric and symbolic differential equation solvers.

2 comments about Cracking the Codes: An Architect's Guide to Building Regulations.

1. of Prof. Yatt, I feel compelled to add my two cents. Barry is by far one of the most logical and lucid people I have ever met. His book saved me when it came to my second internship. Any time a new task was presented before me, I used this book to get a quick perspective on the issues, in order to get through my tasks efficiently. This put me at the top of the pool of "Intern Architects" by the end of the first month. This is also one of the most inclusive books I have read: everything from model building codes, Homeowner's Associations, Design Review Boards and Design Otimization strategies from a very well-rounded Architect are covered in plain English.

   Ultimately a great purchase for anyone, but in particular for the professional seeking advice and the upper-level Undergraduate and Graduate level Architecture student.




2. This book is extremely informative and very readable. It is an excellent addition to the library of a contractor, architect and/or home owner.

No comments about Architectural Quality Control.

1 comments about Security Planning and Design: A Guide for Architects and Building Design Professionals (Security).

1. This is a comprehensive book, complete with graphics that pretty much starts off as Building Security 101 and gets more intricate throughout the book. This is s good guidebook for any decision makers who need a reference manual.

5 comments about AutoCAD 2002: No Experience Required.

1. I have been using this book as the text for Introduction to AutoCAD at American Samoa Community College for the past five years. Each new edition incorporates the best of the preceding edition. It is self paced with excellent tips and clear instruction. It is one of the only intro texts to use an architectual example for the vehicle to teach increasingly complex commands and tasks. AutoCAD can be confusing to the beginner but with this text, anyone can learn AutoCAD with or without a formal class.



2. This AutoCAD manual is clearly written and easy to follow. The book is organized around a drawing or set of drawings of a house. The reader learns by following the steps. My one criticism is that it isn't always possible to determine the general procedure from the specific drafting exercise that it leads you through.



3. This book is great for beginners ! I have bought other books such as the Mastering Autocad from George Omura ,but the thing I really enjoyed about this book was that it was explained in very simple terms , as not to intimidate a beginner !The only reason I got this one was to catch up on this version of Autocad 2002, previously coming from Autocad 14 . It's excellent for novices !



4. I told a potential employer that I'm good with AutoCAD. I had never touched AutoCAD and after playing around with it for a bit, it was obvious that I wasn't going to figure it out by browsing the menus. But I have a lot of computer experience and I learn fast. This book started at the absolute basics--drawing a random line--and progressed using the example of a little cabin, until by the end of the book I was rotating it in three dimentions and rendering it with shadows and a background image. One feature of the book I liked is that the author shows several different ways to do the same thing. It took me about five days to get through the whole thing, and when Monday rolled around and I went to interview, I knew more about AutoCAD than the guy who was hiring, which (though he didn't know much) is all that mattered. I since have acquired another book that I'll use to become an expert, but now I at least know how the program works and can do basic necessary procedures. I don't know what else is out there but this book was exactly what I was looking for and I'm glad I bought it.



5. This is a great!!! book for beginners with autocad. It is very well edited; meaning it doesn't take you down endless rabbit holes of frustration. It is an excellent book to learn autocad as it relates to architecture. Highly recommended.

1 comments about Design for Assisted Living: Guidelines for Housing the Physically and Mentally Frail.

1. This is an amazing book because it includes design considerations that are European and American. Northern Europe has a definite view of the aging population that is very different than that of Americans. Much more focused on wellness, physical activity, landscape as part of healing, maximizing the aging process. This book also includes American facilities that are more focused on creating a HOME for elders. Wonderful photos too. Comment made that senior residences are designed for the daughters (those who make the decision) rather than for the residents. This gives you ideas on how to change that issue... for the positive. Very good resource book.

No comments about Office Buildings: A Design Manual.