CAD and CAM Books

Like the "Mastering Maya" book, this one gives just the same deep knowledge of the application. Mastering AutoCAD 2000 PE is simply the best book!

I'm sure this is a good book but it was over my head. I am a beginner and I needed a real beginning book. I will keep this book for later when I am more experienced. But I did take the advice of the previous reviewer and purchased "Exercise Workbook for Beginning AutoCAD 2000" by Cheryl Shrock. Now I can handle this one. Not only was it easy to follow, but I emailed the author with questions and she actually emailed me back with answers. Amazing. When I finish the beginning workbook I will probably purchase the "Advanced" workbook also. Then I will return to George Omura's book.

Mastering AutoCAD 2000 Premium Edition is the best AutoCAD book I have come across in my career. It contains enough and practical oriented tutorials with other helpful tips and time saving techniques that can really make you an AutoCAD guru. The accompany CD is superb. I have recommended the book to my friends and students. Kudos to George Omura!

Some comments on this book are misleading.
After seeing many five stars comments on
this book, I bought it as a tutorial.
After reading this book and using the
software for several weeks, I had not learned
much. I decided to give up this book.
My friend used this book for learning
AutoCad, she also had to give up.

Later I decided to buy another AutoCad book, called
"AutoCad 2000 - One step at a time", to
learn AutoCad.

Probably one of the best computer manuals i have read, G. Omura has done a great job. The chapters are very well designed, taking you step by step without rush through the basics of autocad and the platform, then famialarizing you with some basic commands and components supported bt exercises, lateron while you buildup a project you learn more advanced commands and tricks, for me as a beginner i found grasping the material written which was alot very easy. the exercises are very useful, the CD is a great deal containing the mastering autocad 2000 instant reference guide and lots more, the figures are very well showen.
The book could use some "speed" though, some times you feel a bit "still" there is sometimes too much description for things which could seem too much basic. and the chapter on the 3D modeling and design could use some more work, i am planning to buy a specialized book for that purpose.
but all in all i think if i was to choose i would buy this book again.

Most of this text is a rehash of Ms. Bousquet's 2 previous works on 3DSTUDIO MAX 3, and 3DS MAX 4, respectively. Even the tutorials are the same! Outrageous!!!

I didn't want to spend so much money on a book so I have searched in the libraries and reviewed in book stores many books about 3ds max. After waisting about 2 weeks in reviewing book after book I can give you my honest oppinion this is the best book on the market. This is the only book which will give you full explanation how to use 3ds max and why the things work in a certain way. You don't need to have any previous experience to understand the concept of this book. All the other books comparing to this one need experience in programing or at least 3d graphics. Most of them are thousants of pages talking and not saying anything to you.

This books is a must-have and the author known about max and, he give a lot of usefull tips. For example, the author talk about "activeshades" in the render.. they say how usefullness it can be BUT he also say that activeshades are not useable for all thinks.. even more he show the pro and cons about it.

The only problems is in the arts.. the models are simple or ugly (not bad modelled but ugly). You must complement this book with a 3d artistic book.

This books is for newbs, intermediated and even veterans.

I bought this book having no experience in 3ds max or any other 3d program really. After a few weeks of reading and following the tutorials, I feel like I've got the program down pretty well (and that's saying a lot for 3D Studio). The writing, tutorials and examples are excellent and it taught me how to do much more than I ever expected I'd be able to with this program.

Just recently, I started to get into 3D design. For past 2 months I worked in Plasma since it was a slimmed down version of 3ds Max. Then finally, I decided to learn it and dig deeper into the program. Without prior experience it was a little hard for me so I bought this book. From the start, I can see how valuable this book is. I read all the posts above and they were dead on. Also, they were part of the reason I picked up this book. The author really explains the 3D design in detail which is very easy to understand for a person who is just starting out. As I only read close to 100 pages of the book, I already feel like I can get around the program lot easier. Not only the techniquest are explained, but also, why things happen and work the way they do. If you have graphic - web design experience and can get around Photoshop, armed with this book and 3dsMax, you will be able to desing some mean layouts. Simply said: The best 42 bucks I spend on a book. GO AND BUY IT! Oh yeah, the book comes with CDROM which includes excersizes for EACH chapter along with AVI movies!!!

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.

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.

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.

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 !

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.

While Mr. O'Rourke's book does a very good job of explaining in depth the terminology of 3d computer graphics, the book is very sparse in illustrations that display how the concepts translate into final rendered imagery. With the exception of the middle of the book, which has glossy reproductions from actual computer generated 3d scenes, the book looks and feels like a high school algebra textbook.

I'm entirely new to 3D modeling and animation. I found this book to be exceptionally well written. The author provides a clear and concise explanation of the principles of 3D computer graphics, with easy-to-understand examples throughout. As stated in other reviews, it is not software specific. If you are looking for an introductory but thorough 3D primer, I recommend this book without reservation. It should provide a solid foundation for those who have little or no prior computer graphics experience.

I agree with prior reviews that this book is well written and provides an excellent introduction to 3D computer graphics. If you're new to the field and want to learn about the general terminology and techniques of 3D computer graphics then this would be a top choice. Just don't expect, however, that after finishing you'll be ready to plunge into creating your own rendering engine or even be up to speed on using an existing engine. If you're looking for technical detail, then you'll have to look elsewhere.

This book is excellent in giving the reader the "big picture" of foundational knowledge needed to learn technical animation. I strongly suggest using this book in introductory courses that teach technical-based animation, looking at techniques, not creativity.

As an instructor in 3D computer animation I find this book to be an excellent text for the classroom. O'Rourke knows his stuff and presents the material in a well-thought out, logical format. The only negative is that it's time for a new release.

I have used Autocad and Autocad LT in the past and needed a refresher for the newer version of Autocad LT. This book makes you have to sift out Autocad from Autocad LT. I would much have preferred a two part book. One part dedicated to each. I hope you will find a college or junior college facility that has a good textbook for the Autocad series. I know people do not like to read negative reviews. I just want you to know I believe you can find a better book somewhere. By the way I gave up on Autocad Lt as the revised software has become very unfriendly compared to past versions which in my opinion were more user-friendly. I now do my architectural designs manually again. I have purchased TurboCad and will try to learn it.

I've been using AutoCAD for years and everytime they come out with a new version, I buy this book to refer to to find out how to do the things the new version does. I buy this book to get to the odd and unusual commands that AutoCAD always seems to come up with and I use the dummies books for a quick reference.

Was delivered very quickly. Brand new with everything in tact. Completely satisfied with the purchase.

I find what I need. I am a senior project manager / architect who uses the latest CAD every day.
If you're new to CAD, buy David Frey's "No experience required", you'll learn with pleasure, fast, and more than most of your co-workers'll ever know. Otherwise, buy Finkelstein.

I have four Autocad books. This one is far and away the best of the bunch. It is comprehensive, and most important to me, it is easy to understand. My computer went through a major system crash which took just about all my programs with it. I had to reinstall Autocad Lt. and then reconfigure a bunch of my personal customizations. I could not have done it without this book. Whenever I have a question about Autocad this is the first reference I reach for.

Text answered all my questions and more. Beginner or expert, the book is easily read and understood. CD tutorials are great.

Well written, thorough, well organized. Easy to learn from and easy to access for reference. Everything it said it would be.

I just started to go through this book and it is amazing how easy it is to use. I'm just getting into CAD 2007 in college and this book is helping me to get extra practice of the ins and outs of CAD 2007. I showed this book to my teacher and she is going to buy a copy she said it is a great learing tool and refference book.

a good reference for experienced users. Of course Autocad is so diverse there is not such a thing as a complete reference. but this is one of two that I keep at hand all the time.

This book will be informative for the beginner and a great reference for the intermediate. Do NOT buy this book if you have ever been formally trained in AutoCAD or have read any real books - just more of the SOS.

- book based on version 18 (not up front specified. Can be confusing when you are a ground "0" beginner and using 2000i. - No glossery to speek of. Spent 12+ years working 2D Cadkey. Glossery no where near covers the the explaination of terminalogy needed.

I am the author- for Proe 18 buy Basic Pro/ENGINEER in 20 Lessons for Proe 19 buy Basic Pro/ENGINEER (with references to Pt/Modeler) for Pro/ENGINEER 2000I buy Pro/ENGINEER 2000I ALL BY L G LAMIT EMAIL ME AT LGLAMIT@YAHOO.COM

This book is good. If you you want to learn basic Pro/e on your own, then get this book.

I just purchased the book. And I think this book is well organized. But, this book is based on version 17(I guess) now we are using 20-> 2000 and the environment is a lot different. The author have to revise this book....Really.

I used to be teaching assistant for a Pro/E class at Purdue University. The first few semesters Pro/E was offered, we used PTC's Basic Training Guide. Using PTC's resource, appx. 50% of the students were having problems. The following semester, we switched to Lamit's book and the amount of students having problems dropped to appx. 5%. It is a very easy book to follow with good tutorials.

This is one of the best books I have read for Autocad. It is Autocad Architecture 2008. I was able to do exercises easily without hitting a brick wall. Amazing author. Not many books are this good. Buy it you won't regret it. It doesn't have anything about rendering as one reader pointed out. The goal of this book is different. Anything by this author is great.

I bought this book hoping to learn the rendering feature but to my disappointment it has nothing on the subject. I have bought a few of these books in the past and I learned quite a bit, but it seems the same stuff keeps getting reprinted.

if you have bought these before, you will learn nothing new.

This is a very informative book after trying to get a grip on the other books I've tried to study along with. This book is an excllent read and study book for all areas of Cad users interested in the Architecture aspect of it.

I had already completed the Mastering Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2006. I updated to 2008 and I use it professionally on a daily basis. This book excels at teaching Autodesk Architecture 2008 to a user who has already mastered AutoCAD and wishes to transfer to Autodesk Architecture. Everything is explained step by step from the start of a project to the finish. commercial and residential. For that, the book is fantastic. My only complaints are that the book is sometimes a little scattered and I wish this book would go in to the real underlying workings of the program. There are some Advanced program options that this book does not cover. otherwise, the tutorials are correct and provide the correct information. Furthermore, the author can be found posting in the Autodesk discussion groups which is a big plus. This book gets a solid four stars.

I have been buying Aubin's Mastering series since Autocad version 14. He never dissappoints. This is a great book.

This is book is an authority in the subject. In last 13 years there is no book which is as detailed and through as this.

I own many books on the subject of NURBS. I always come back to this one while programming NURBS and reading research papers. It provides a fantastic foundation. It is an older book, so don't expect recent research to be included. For those that also want to know how to do ray tracing with NURBS surfaces look here:

...

Good luck!

This book is best for those who have at least become familiar with Bezier and NURBS curves and surfaces and want to start implementing some programs.

The illustrations are not as clear as they could be so it may make it a little difficult for first-timers to understand. If you're unfamiliar with Bezier and NURBS curves then "Curves and Surfaces for CAGD" by Farin is probably a better place to start. But if you get Farin's book make sure to get the 5th edition since earlier editions aren't as clear.

With that said there is a wealth of information about creating and manipulating NURBS geometry in this book. All explanations are followed by code implementation. The code is a little difficult to understand at first, but if you stick with it you'll understand their coding style.

4 stars since thier layout and illustrations could be a lot clearer.

This book is complete, but there is too many math formula. The composition is appr. 80% formula explanation, 10% sample and 10% algorithm. So if you are a programmer you are wasting 3/4 pages of the book. But, since there's no other book about NURBS, as complete as this, you may want to buy this one or else you can take a look "Mathematical Element for Computer Graphics". It also contains 300 pages of NURBS.

One of the greates assets of this book is that it is fairly comprehensive while still using a minimum amount of mathematics. The style is lucid, easy to follow; the numerous C-like algorithms can be adapted to one's own use, and deal with the most important aspect of NURBS. This is easily the best introductory NURBS text. The only problem I see is the lack of discussion for ray-surface intersection tests, which are necessary if NURBS are to be rendered by raytracing. I recommend "The Nurbs Book" to any engineers and graphics professionals interested in curved surfaces.

I have always appreciated Kelley's books because he has been using good approach of explaining a command. At some places the explanation may seem to be not enough though, but his books make sure that the reader learns most of the things. This is a good book and is recommended to all.

I bought this book because of the other Amazon reviews that said the CD has files for the Student version of Pro/E, which I have. (The CD files worked quite well with my software.) Then I bought the "instructor" version because I thought there might be more discussion, more explaination and more reasoning behind what was happening in the tutorials. Turns out, that was a bad assumption. You have to be an instructor at some "certified" or "approved" or "something" (something I never did figure out!) school to get to the instructor discussions. Average Joe Person can't get to them. Guess we couldn't have the kiddies actually taking the class somewhere (maybe where Mr. Kelley teaches) getting into all the answers!The book directs you to a web site that has "errata" as a selection, but there is absolutely nothing in the errata. Don't get the impression, like I did, since I had not yet started using the book, that the errors have all been edited out, because they haven't. Errors abound, almost all of them of small enough magnitude that the average person could figure them out and proceed. I had to skip a couple lessons or problems because the instructions were unclear or the drawings incomplete. Beginners beware. That said, the book has more good things than bad, and does a fair job of describing what needs to be done and provides an outline before you actually start. I like knowing what it is that I am about to do before they start giving me instructions to "select this, click here, enter that, click done." (I just HATE having to click "done" with my mouse. Enter - or SOMETHING from the keyboard - should work as well.) Only a couple places does it say,"Do this," then after the fact state, "but only AFTER you have done this." The way I do things, I'm usually done with the "do this" and haven't read the "only AFTER" part. The discussion about configurations is somewhat shallow, but is greater depth than the other limited exposure that I have had with Pro/E manuals. The ones directly from PTC are the worst that I have ever had the displeasure of using. This one gets a 4 because I have only used the real PTC manuals before and it is way better than those. If there weren't so many errors that Mr. Kelley and/or his editors/proofreaders would be ashamed of or if the errata really did contain the corrections, I would give it a 5. I don't recommend the "Instructor" version that is about $25 more. Because of this book I am much more confident of my Pro/E abilities and am now putting Pro/E on my resume without felling like I am stretching the truth.

Best Pro/E book available. Good tutorials and exercises to review what you learn in each chapter.

I've purchased approximately three other books on the subject of Pro/ENGINEER 2001 published by SDC; they can't even compare to this book. It's simple, easy to learn and follow - ideal for independent study. Well worth the money. Well done Professor Kelley!!

This is an excellent Pro/E Instruction book. If you are trying to learn Pro/E and only want to buy one book, I would recommend this one. It includes a CD-ROM with all of the tutorial files, either in student or professional version (very important if you are using a student license since regular Pro/E files are unreadable).