Since deciding to become a CAD goddess, I've found reviews for 2008 CAD books in short supply so here you go ... CAD For Dummies is in all truth a book for beginners, more experienced users may be able to profit by the tidbits that refer to new features in this year's release and tricks but since I'm a beginner and I've found it all easy enough to understand, I don't expect it will be much more that a pleasure read for CAD veterans.
With this book you can expect to become familiar with AutoCAD 2008. You will get comfortable with it, you'll know what the buttons are for, what the tools do and what the program's overall capabilities are. In other words, you'll be proficient. Not a grasshopper anymore but not quite a master. It prepares you to tackle more specialized books in whatever field (architectural, electrical, mechanical, 3d, etc) you're interested in with a great set of honed skills and a reasonable amount of confidence. It's an excellent foundation on which to build.
A couple of other things I'd like to mention are the awesome icons that can be found throughout the book, they serve to point out crucial information that you shouldn't forget, useful techie stuff, tips to make your AutoCAD life easier and how to avoid horrible-pull-your-hair-out-in-desperation-mistakes. Lastly, there are really no exercises, I'm a hands on kind of chick, I wanted to be drawing right away. So my solution to this was to buy another book to supplement this deficency and I'm happy to say that AutoCAD 2008: No Experience Required is as well in the awesome side. I'll be reviewing it soon.
Now, CAD For Dummies is not a CAD Bible (thank goodness), it doesn't tell you everything and at times it refers you to AutoCAD's Help features (very convenient). In my experience "Bible" books are more in the nature of a very overwhelming, unreadable, unliftable reference tool. And they don't tell you what you need to know as a beginner, they are manuals to a program.
Product Description
- A gentle, humorous introduction to this fearsomely complex software that helps new users start creating 2D and 3D technical drawings right away
- Covers the new features and enhancements in the latest AutoCAD version and provides coverage of AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD's lower-cost sibling
- Topics covered include creating a basic layout, using AutoCAD DesignCenter, drawing and editing, working with dimensions, plotting, using blocks, adding text to drawings, and drawing on the Internet
- AutoCAD is the leading CAD software for architects, engineers, and draftspeople who need to create detailed 2D and 3D technical drawings; there are more than 5 million registered AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT users
From the Back Cover
Discover precision techniques that increase accuracy and save time!
Explore the essentials, improve your geometry, and share your stuff
AutoCAD sets the standard for creating architectural and mechanical drawings, and it's a complex package. Well, that's where this book comes in! It takes you one step at a time through properly setting up AutoCAD® and AutoCAD LT®, drawing and editing, zooming and panning, plotting and printing, working online, and other essentials.
- Harness the text and annotation upgrades
Set up basic drawings
Use the drawing commands
Zoom and pan
Explore 3D models
Edit hatch objects
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