Book Review: Page (1) of 1 - 09/07/04

email article

print page

Modelling with AutoCAD 2004
By John Virata

Modelling with AutoCAD 2004, by Bob McFarlane 340 pages, $29.95 Newnes, an imprint of Elsevier Click image to buy

Bob McFarlane is an expert AutoCAD user, and Modelling with AutoCAD 2004 is McFarlane's 16th book on the Autodesk application. This book covers modelling with AutoCAD and is set up to teach you everything about modelling in AutoCAD, including creating a 3D wireframe, to surface and solid model creation. McFarlane has made a list of reader requirements for those who wish to follow the exercises in the book. These include the capability to draw with AutoCAD, use icons and toolbars, an understanding of how to use dialogue boxes, the capability to open and save drawings from and to a named folder, and the working knowledge of model/paper space.

The book is composed of 45 chapters, which details general and specific techniques in using the modelling tools that are in AutoCAD. Exercises are located throughout each of the chapters and are setup to give you grounded knowledge of the concept of modelling and how to incorporate modelling into your AutoCAD projects. Exercises are the main thrust of this book. You delve into exercises immediately in each chapter.

The chapter titles are: The basic 3D standard sheet, 2 1/2 D models, The UCS and 3D co-ordinates, Creating a 3D Wireframe model, The UCS, The modify command with 3D models, Dimensioning in 3D, Hatching in 3D, Tiled viewports, 3D Views (Viewpoints), Model space, paper space and untiled viewports, Updating the A3 standard sheet, Surface modeling, 3DFACE and PFACE, 3DMESH, Ruled Surface, Tabulated surface, Revolved surface, Edge surface, 3D polyline, 3D objects, 3D geometry commands, Using Blocks, wblocks and xrefs in 3D, Dynamic viewing, Viewport specific layers, shading and 3D orbit, Introduction to solid modeling, The basic solid primitives, The swept solid primitives, Boolean operations and composite solids, Composite model 1 - a machine support, Composite model 2 - a backing plate, composite model 3 - a flange and pipe, The edge primitives, Solids editing, Regions, Inquiring into models, Slicing and sectioning solid models, profiles and true shapes, Solid model dimensioning in model and paper space, a detailed drawing, Blocks, wblocks and external references, The setup command, The final composite, and Rendering.

The final chapter, Activities, details 24 Activities that McFarlane has included in various chapters, Activities that are designed to use the knowledge that you gleaned in previous chapters to create specific projects. These Activities include detailed drawings that you will  be tasked to create using some of the drawings in previous exercises you complete as you go through the book. At the end of each chapter, McFarlane gives a summary of the important points that he wants stressed, points that you are supposed to have grasped when completing each exercise of the chapters. Also, an Activity is also detailed at the end of each chapter so you can further soldify the knowledge you gained from the chapter.

Modelling with AutoCAD 2004, by Bob McFarlane, Newnes, an Imprint of  Elsevier www.newnespress.com
340 Pages $29.95

 

Page: 1

John Virata is senior editor of Digital Media Online. You can email him at jvirata@digitalmedianet.com

---