AutoCAD Books

This book is absolute garbage!
The whole book is a tutorial with a lot of example problems for the user to solve. That's great!! The problem is when they LEAVE OUT very important measurements for you to complete the examples. So I've spent hours and hours working on one and now I can't finish it because they've FAILED to inlcude some very key data. Good job Thomson Learning!! You've successfully pushed yet another incomplete book out the door without so much as a decent proof read. Unbelieveable!!

I decided to purchase this book largely based on the positive reviews that I saw on Amazon. The ugly and generic cover kind of turned me off but everybody said it was great so I went ahead bought it.

Boy was I disappointed.

The fact that they obviously just slapped on "Inventor 10" to their Inventor 9(or lower) book stands out a lot. Many of the tool bars have changed/rearranged so it takes some looking around to go through the tutorials. Yes it may only cost me a few minutes for each time I have to do this, but if I'm shelling out ~$100 for a book it would have been nicer to know they put more of an effort in updating it other than finding and replacing "Inventor 9" with "Inventor 10".

They don't even go over Inventor Studio, which is a very large addition and selling point of Inventor 10+!

Other then those obvious translation issues it is a very solid book, and if I was using this for the correct version it was originally written for I would have been very very happy.

In the end this may have been a great book for whatever original version it was written for, but just slapping on "Inventor 10" and sticking a $100 price tag on the book isn't my idea of a great book.

Do yourself a favor, buy a book catered toward this specific version or newer. Or just buy the Inventor 9 book @ 50% of what this costs, it's the same stuff! ><

I plan to use "Autodesk Inventor" as an instructional textbook in my Advanced CAD Class during the 2001-2002 school year. I have been exploring the material in this text during my free time (during this summer of 2001). I feel that the upper level high school students using this text will not only be able to construct the 3-D models detailed in this book but will enjoy learning the use of the Autodesk Inventor software.

I wish to thank Mr. Ron K. C. Cheng for writing this book. My hat is off to you. Although the "Food Grinder" took a good deal of time and patience on my part (to work through), it was a great exercise.

I highly recommend this book for any educator who wishes to instruct 3-D modeling with the use of AutoDesk Inventor.

The specific question on ZIP can be found in Chapter 1 of the online companion. It is the Pack and Go Wizard that zips the entire directory into a compressed file. Besides, the R4 new features and tutorials on the new features are also found in the online companion, which has six chapters corresponding to the chapters in the book.

As a student in industrial design I found that this book do has a good balance on both concepts and tutorials, especially on all those parametric solid modeling, assembly modeling, and sheet metal modeling. The free-of-charge online companion is the best I ever found. It's free and it's user friendly. The Pack and Go, epicyclic mechanism and adaptive assembly tutorials are especially interesting and useful. They help me solve a lot of real world problems when I am doing my part time job. I recommend to save your money and use this book for both R3 and R4.

This item arrived quickly and in good condition. This book is for someone starting AutoCAD. You will quickly get past its usefulness.

Good book. Easy to follow instructions (really step-by-step as opposed to many books that claim to be). Saved me the money it would've cost for a class. Wish it had come in one volume, but no real problem. Author even helped me when I had a problem.
Good job.

I used Parts I and II of the One Step at a Time eBooks to learn AutoCAD and was impressed with the books. Each topic begins with a brief explanation and is followed by easy to follow step by step demonstrations/instructions. Some more difficult topics (like the apparently new "block" tools) I doubt I could have mastered without the step by step approach, but this text made even the difficult manageable (it made the easy downright fun!).
I'm not an easy student, but the author made me feel like one.
A five star recommendation is well deserved and gladly given!

Bought the entire series for acad '06 PartI,II and 3d Acad
I studied Acad over 10 years ago but never really used it. when I decided to use it I had forgotten so much. (Although the memory of reading "Inside Acad" R12 by NRP Isbn:1562050559 left ALOT to be desired!) In fact I like the Part I book so much I went out and Purchased a 2nd monitor so I could read and draw at full screen.then came PartII and ... best 30.00 bucks I ever spent. Although I guess I could have spent 3 semesters in a Cad class at a local college. RIGHT!.... If you are a Self-taught kind of person? then these are the books for you.

I gave this text five stars because of its excellent approach to teaching difficult material. The text makes me feel as though the author is right at me side while I go through the lessons. The lessons are quite thorough and broken into bite-sized chunks so I can follow them. What's more, I had a problem with the files (I entered the wrong address to download them) and when I contacted the publisher, I received a helpful response within 30 minutes!
If all textbooks were this easy to use, we'd have a much better educated workforce today.
Thanks Forager Publications, and good job.

I have reviewed this book in its entirety. I found it to be pretty simplistic, and i would not consider it a book from which to learn much about programming in VBA. I found about a dozen errors in this book which i contacted the author about in emails, with no response. Having used autocad for 16 years, I would like to see more in depth coverage. overall, i found the book average, with some sloppy mistakes

I've spent over $200 in VB books which didn't come close to what your book did for me.

I bought your book "AutoCAD Visual Basics - VBA" and I am love it. This is one of the few books that is written the way I would. It is so easy to understand that I am moving very fast with it.

This book was not intended for the average cad user in my opinion. It seem like it was design to help the experience AutoCAD users who has had some hours in either Lisp and/or any other programming language. It helped me get started on the basic things like creating entities and modifying them. You will NOT learn VBA for AutoCAD in a book that's under 200 pages long, but this one will sure get you started in the right direction. Thanks Jerry.

This book, though a valiant effort, is not what a potential AutoCAD VBA programmer needs. Jerry uses non-standard coding styles and most of the examples in the book do not work. It's simpilitic coverage is not what a newcomer to VBA programming needs, but rather real short examples of code that works. A potential buyer of this book would be well advised to look instead at "AutoCAD 2000 VBA Programmers Reference" from Wrox Press, Ltd.

This book gives you the push you need to start working on AutoCAD. I started great work on it in less than 48 hours. This book illustrates main ideas in a very concise way so that you can build upon your knowledge. According to its title it gives you the first blocks to build upon starting your AutoCAD career.

AutoCAD was very confusing for me, even buying a book didnt help any. I got help from administrator and we both ended up in a rut. i dont recomend this

This book gives you the push you need to start working on AutoCAD. I started great work on it in less than 48 hours. This book illustrates main ideas in a very concise way so that you can build upon your knowledge. According to its title it gives you the first blocks to build upon starting your AutoCAD career.

This was my third try at self tutoring in AutoCAD. The material is without error. Everything is clearly explained. Lessons are short and to the point. 45 mins. a day had me up and drawing in less than 2 weeks. If a solid foundation is required for success, then I'm off to a great start on my AutoCad career.

This book has an error in every chapter I worked through it but I would not recommend it to any one and it has few lessons to build your skill.

This book is more geared towards mechanical drafting rather than architectural drafting. But nonetheless it's a good book for referential purposes.

This is a great book and has come in handy now that I know AutoCAD but it was a little too difficult for me to start with. My teacher showed me a much easier book "Exercise Workbook for Beginning AutoCAD 2002" by Shrock Publishing. You can review it on their website. It made learning AutoCAD very simple. Also, why are these books so expensive. ...

This is an excellent book. It's a well-written exposition of many (perhaps all) features of AutoCAD 2002.

If you already use AutoCAD and are looking for a reference in which to look up advanced features as the need arises, this book would be an excellent choice.

If you're new to AutoCAD and are learning from scratch, this book might be an excellent choice. It contains about 300 clearly described sequential excercies which walk you through many (perhaps all) features of AutoCAD 2002. After you finish, you'll be a proficient user. But expect to invest a substantial amount of time (perhaps 3 weeks full-time).

If you're learning from scratch and just want to invest a couple of days to learn the basic features and then jump in, you might want to look for a shorter book. The first 5 chapters purports to do this, but it doesn't do it well in my judgment.

This books is better than the autodesk manual for showing you how to draw with AutoCAD and some of the drawing features. If you are looking for a book that explores how to customize AutoCAD using LISP, VBA or ObjectARX look elsewhere.

I mostly use this book as a reference. Every time I have searched for a particular command or topic I have found it; and clearly explained. I highly recommend it either as a reference book or as a step by step guide to thoroughly learn AutoCad 2002.

My previous use of AutoCAD was 14. I am an old timer at dabbling with AutoCAD form version 3 on. However I was stunned to find the progress made with 2006 and would not want to attempt without reading and trying the examples in this book first.

Yes all this information can be found else ware. However this book has it organized and portable. The best books are those that tell you what you already know the next best like this one force you to try the different functions. You do not need to remember them all but if you are not exposed than you won't know to look for them when you can use them.

I am not sure that this is the best learn from scratch book dispensable as engendering, architecture, etc. However would not like to tackle AutoCAD 2006 without it.

A problem solving approach is a good concept in its self as this is how many of us learn. And the book helps us break out of the original drawing board mentality. The whole idea of computer design and drawing is speed and accuracy; using this book helps to find the best approach to that speed and accuracy.

Look for such things as:
Dynamic Blocks
Dynamic input
New Tools
Palettes

This one book is a perfect resource to learn a software like AutoCAD. Everytime we start AutoCAD, we can find something new, and this one book has the explaination of everything we find new. The examples are just perfect to teach the concept given in the theory. The 2D part is very well planned and so is the 3D part. Some chapters are available for free download also, which I am yet to check. This book is highly recommended for everyone.

This one book is good enough to teach you full autocad. Explaination is easy to understand and examples help to learn the program well. Rendering is very well explained with amazing examples. I was really glad to see those examples after rendering them on my screen. Overall a wonderful book.

Doing architecture, I now carry 6 books and my laptop, and this is not one of them. most of the info in this book is in the ACAD help system. The examples drive you to use them, but the examples are not nearly as complete as the tutorials in other books, and are not kick started by the tutorial CD found with other books.
Sooo... I end up carrying in my backpack Aubin, Goldberg and Wyatt on Architectural desktop and the ACAD reference. It is bad enough trying to wade through the application books for answers, without having to deal with this book. The computer search in ACAD is great, however requires lots of sifting where this book takes you right to the place the info is, but it is still not worth toting.

This is a big book, approximately 1,340 pages. We adopted the book for three freshman drafting classes. The 2005 book was adopted last year. This is the first year that I taught using a book written by Sham Tickoo. It was a mistake. The size of the book has discouraged most students from using it. Once the students get past the size, they noticed that most of the information in the book, both; 2005 and 2006 was out of the AutoCAD help files. I wonder how the book can be published with this similar information?

The book is very wordy and it seems that the author wants to fill pages with AutoCAD help documents. Use the AutoCAD help documents and buy a different book.

I just wanted to say that Paul Riley is an excellent teacher. I have him for a teacher at King Philip Regional High School. The book may have some errors, but it is easy and I have learned an extreme amount of information about the program, AutoCAD. I hope that you think carefully before looking at other books about AutoCAD because this book is most certainly worth the money. Have fun with AutoCAD!

Paul Riley is my Design Technology(AutoCAD) teacher. We use this book to learn the program and he does a great job with making the book easy to learn and not boring to read. Before I started this course i learned alittle about the program from my brother Jason who has a couple of his drawings in the AutoCAD 2004 book. Mr. Riley's book and himself have taught both of us alot about the program. I strongly suggest this book to all that want to learn and use AutoCAD.

I have personally used this book in a class that was taught by paul riley. Although there are errors in this book, it probably is because some of the actual drawings in the book came from the students at King Philip High School where he teaches. Riley knows his stuff. I actually know the person who drew the giant old house which is used as a challenge drawing.

I have not used this book much yet, but my impression so far is good. Each lesson is presented clearly and thoroughly. Unfortunately, it does not cover orthographic projection, although isometric drawing is covered. It concentrates on mechanical drawing, and does not cover surveyor drawings, and only touches on architectural applications. Sample exercises at the end of each chapter are barely acceptable. It would be nice to have more, and better quality exercises.

I am a student in highschool and I have used Discovering AutoCAD 2000 and I learned so much from it. I thought I would learn only basic commands but I have learned very complicated commands. My only complaint is that some of the drawings have minor errors that should have been spotted by the editor. I hope to meet Paul Riley someday because he is my AutoCAD 2000 idle. If you have the money make sure you bye this book. The $45 seems like a hefty chunk of cash but this wonderful book is well worth the money.

This book was deeply informative and easy to use. I can find any command just by knowing my ABC's.

I'm a new AutoCAD user. This was one of two books I purchased.
This wasn't a good to use to get started learning AutoCAD but may come of use in the future.

When the 2006 version of AutoCAD was first installed, Autodesk sent no instructions or guides (that's what HELP is for). This user-friendly quick reference is an excellent resource for anyone exploring this ever-evolving program.

As with any sophisticated application AutoCAD 2006 has many hidden depths. This book is not here to teach how to apply AutoCAD or even understand the disciplines that it applies to. This reference is and does what it says. For the seasoned AutoCAD user 2006 can be quite a shocker, especially with its robust choices on how to use the tool quickly and effectively. 2006 is a great leap over previous versions. 2007 is ion the cusp however other than expanded solids improvement most of the commands have just been made easer to repeat. This reference will be good for some time.

For users with some experience this is the book you want beside your computer. It is a clear cut break down of each and every command AutoCAD 2006 has. Don't look for a step by step lesson on using 2006 here, but you find all the command (a few undocumented) info you'll ever want. This has become my go to book for AutoCAD.

This book really makes AutoCAD fool proof. The only problem is, you need to read the boof BEFORE you load your program!
Pay attention too the details.

I would not recommend this book. There are other Autocad books better at teaching autocad. If you want a good book on AutoCad try "AutoCAD 2004 and AutoCAD LT 2004: No Experience Required".

AutoCAD is an powerful program. This books takes you into the world of AutoCAD with baby steps. AutoCAD for Dummies throws in a line of humor on every page which keeps the reader from getting stressed about all there is to learn. If you read this book, practice on AutoCAD and then read some more - you'll be a pro soon. To learn AutoCAD also plan to go to some classes !!

Middlebrook writes in a deliberately breezy and informal style that is characteristic of the Dummies series. He explains the very latest 2006 version of AutoCAD. Necessarily, in an introductory book, he does not go very deep into the full extent of AutoCAD. But given just a minimal maths background on your part, you should be able to quickly lay out simple two and three dimensional objects using his advice. That maths mostly involves a good grasp of trigonometry and algebra.

If you are already familiar with the 2005 or earlier recent versions of AutoCAD, then avoid this book. You already know enough that you should get a more advanced text on 2006.

Anyone who has attempted to use Autocad in the past knows that it is a very formidable task. At the present time I have only gotten into a few chapters of Autocad for Dummies. What I have read so far is written in plain English and is very easy to understand. I have high hopes for the rest of the book. As with any technical course, the material must be read and reread a number of times to absorb it completely. It is structured in a logical manner and addresses a wide spectrum of AutoCad techniques which I find very helpful. I am confident that with the help of this book, I will eventually be able to produce a usable drawing. Looks to be a good buy!!!

This book is a must for anybody who wants to learn ObjectARX. The CD-Rom has tons of great coding examples. The projects are really interesting to study from. My recommendation on learning ObjectARX is to buy & study the ObjectARX Primer & the Ransen's ObjectArx CD Course first, study this book next & you will be well on your way to become an ObjectARX expert.

This book teach you how to build a first level application for AutoCAD. You learn the basics: to develop your own custom entity, to register commands... But there is nothing about advanced features: deep cloning, COM features (OPM, Design Center...), relationships between objects...

While I agree with the previous words, I must add the following to their reviews: If you are not comfortable with C++, don't even look at this book. The first thing you will see is that rather than:

Private Sub Command1_Click() MsgBox "Hello World!" End Sub

you have instead two(!) pages of code to even register the Hello World application in the proper ObjectARX (class-based) method. Add to that the fact the the ObjectARX model uses a mind-boggling array of macros, includes, etc, and you will quickly feel out of your depth.

There are VERY good reasons to do ObjectARX programming, most of which have to do with the ability to add your own custom classes to the AutoCAD object model, and creating your own entity types from scratch. If you don't need to do that yet, go get a beginning VC++/MFC book and study that. Meantime, VBA is extremely fast for all but the most demanding applications, and is worth very careful study.

I would also add: AutoCAD has some of the BEST documentation in the world. If you have already downloaded the ObjectARX SDK (which I assume since you are perusing a book about it), don't overlook the excellent documentation in PDF format. Not many people know about it, but it is there if you look.

This is NOT a book for beginning C++ programmers. The author does warn of that in the beginning, and this reviewer believes it is worthwhile to stress again. The reader should be at least an intermediate programmer in C++. It is further recommended that the reader have a good understanding of Microsoft MFC as well. The author assumes the reader has these minimum competancies as he does not waste space trying to teach them.

Having said that, this reviewer started writing ObjectARX applications within the first 2-3 weeks of reading the book. The author provides sound basics and good examples. It covers many topics within the ObjectARX environment but does not go into great detail on any particular one. The book assumes that the reader will use the on-line reference to find out the nitty-gritty on a particular item. Admittedly, this reviewer found himself after the first month of programming relying primarily on the on-line reference provided with ObjectARX, rather than the book. Still, the book gets you pointed in the right direction. The biggest complaint this reviewer had, if he had to name one, is the index. It is quite lacking.

This is the book I was looking for. This book has given enough inputs for writing application. Full credits to Mr. Charls McAuley. Excellent example on drawing Windows coupled with DCL and then MFC support. Any one who is little comfortable with C++ and AutoCAD 2000, can very rapidly digest ObjectARX technology with this book. Go for it. Many thanks to Mr. McAuley for wonderful piece of work.