Reference Books

A Commands Guide For Solidworks 2008 (Solidworks)

David Planchard, Marie Planchard

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I love these authors! 5 out of 5 stars.
42 of 43 people found this review helpful.

These authors are great. I've used them in college and now I use them in industry. This is a great reference book with over 200 models on an incorporated book CD.

I cracked open the book, inserted the CD and as I worked through the problems, I become more and more impressed with it. SolidWorks 2008 has a very different look from 2007. There are many neat tools and features; namely - Pop-up Context toolbars, DimXpert, MotionStudy, Instant3D and TolAnalysis to name a few.

There are some weaknesses in this book, but ones that you can work around. To have all of the answers, they would need to write a 3000 page book. The index, in particular, I found to be pretty expansive - I used it to find answers to more than one problem where I was fairly clueless. Tons of illustrations and clearly written. Keep up the good work.

Editorial Review:

Learn to effectively create, modify, and edit sketches and solid features using the latest release of one of the most popular software programs in the industry, SolidWorks 2008. A Commands Guide for SolidWorks 2008 offers readers a comprehensive reference guide that begins with an overview of the software's concepts and terminology. Subsequent chapters address System and Document properties, FeatureManagers, PropertyManagers, ConfigurationManagers, and RenderManagers as well as 2D and 3D sketch tools, sketch entities, and more. This thorough coverage provides readers with a solid understanding of the techniques for reusing features, parts, and assemblies through symmetry, patterns, copied components, design tables, and configurations. The perfect resource for users with beginner to intermediate-level experience with SolidWorks, this book illustrates clearly and carefully how multiple design situations and systematic steps combine to produce successful designs.

Information Graphics: A Comprehensive Illustrated Reference

Robert L. Harris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Alphabetical arrangement not very useful 3 out of 5 stars.
37 of 41 people found this review helpful.

Three stars is perhaps harsh, but this book would be much more useful if it had been structured differently. Open this book
and on the first page the entries start rolling: "Abscissa", "Abscissa axis", "Abstract graph", etc. Most readers will be
exhausted before reaching the letters D or E...

Having compiled this exhaustive list of information graphics, one would expect the author to provide some kind of an
overview, guidelines, or some useful grouping of the different types of graphics. The closest thing to such insights is
found in the brief preface (pp. 4-5) and the "Graph" entry (pp. 164-177).

I have to disagree with the reviewers describing this book as helpful "to select the best graphic or chart to convey
information in the most efficient way". When you "turn to this book and and pick the most appropriate graphic type", which
alphabetical entries are you going to look up? And which entries are you going to miss?

This book does serve a purpose as a catalogue and a 4 page bibliography, but the best books for learning how to create
informative and efficient graphics are those written by Edward Tufte and William Cleveland.

Editorial Review:

This beautifully illustrated book is the first complete handbook to visual information. Well written, easy to use, and carefully indexed, it describes the full range of charts, graphs, maps, diagrams, and tables used daily to manage, analyze, and communicate information. It features over 3,000 illustrations, making it an ideal source for ideas on how to present information. It is an invaluable tool for anyone who writes or designs reports, whether for scientific journals, annual reports, or magazines and newspapers.

Autocad Pocket Reference 2008

Cheryl R. Shrock

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent quick reference guide 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Great quick reference guide for AutoCad. I bought this book for my wife who is an architect/interior designer. In her words " I am glad I have this book. Its easy to look up whatever I need and handy enough to carry around to work". She not wants me to check if they have a book for Photoshop and Illustrator that she can have at her workplace

Editorial Review:

This indispensable aid and handy reference provides easy access to all the important fundamental commands, concepts, and "How to" information for the everyday use of AutoCAD. Its convenient compact size allows you to take it with you anywhere. Now you don't need to memorize command steps! It's perfect for students, teachers, and all AutoCAD users who are on the go and who need an occasional reminder on how to use a command.

Distinctive Features
- Provides a quick reference to most basic AutoCAD commands.
- Features easy-to-understand, step-by-step instructions.
- Includes AutoCAD releases 2006, 2007, and 2008.

The Encyclopedia of Fonts

Gwyn Headley

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Graphic Design -> Typography
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Not exactly what I was expecting 2 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I guess I didn't read the other reviews as carefully as I should have. I was looking for a book which would list the various fonts and give a complete (A-Z) example.

This book does that, but the author is primarily concerned with the history of fonts, which I don't really have any interest in nor is it relative to my needs. I wanted an alphabetical listing of fonts so I could flip through the book and find a font that fit my project. I haven't really figured out her organization, it's supposed to be by style and historical order, I think, I don't have the time or interest to figure it out. It's annoying. Finding examples of the fonts I have is tedious. I have to look them up in the index then find them in the book. Doesn't allow for the quick flip through I wanted to aid in font selection.

I decided to look up my fonts and hi-lite them, but this is a slow process and the ink hi-liting doesn't dry as quickly as I'd like causing the opposite page to pick up some of the color which may be confusing later. I've also found many of my most interesting fonts are not in this book. Plus sometimes her examples look nothing like my font with the same name, like architec. Her example is much heavier and nothing like the font I've seen in so many places. There are no dingbat fonts either, which I was really hoping for.

Considering it's girth it is amazing that so many semi-common fonts are left out; fonts often used in commercial layout.

Editorial Review:

With its attractive contemporary styling and unbeatable price, this invaluable guide to more than 10,000 fonts and computer typefaces is an essential purchase for graphic designers. The world of type has undergone massive changes in the past few years, allowing designers to order, pay for, and download a font in just a few minutes; the challenge is to select the right type beforehand, and that’s where this huge encyclopedia is a boon. With fonts ranging from Arabic to Bitstream to Teluga, it offers unrivaled inspiration to those who work with type everyday.

Professional Photoshop 6: The Classic Guide to Color Correction

Dan Margulis

List Price: $64.99 By: John Wiley & Sons Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $0.75

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Plenty of books cover all things Photoshop, but Professional Photoshop 6: The Classic Guide to Color Correction is probably one of the few that ought to be required reading. Filled with clear text and color images, this new edition of the classic color usage guide stands out among its peers. Updated to reflect changes in Photoshop since the previous edition, nearly half the material is either new or has been rewritten. Color correction itself hasn't changed, but the way it's done and the need for doing it certainly have.

The book contains 17 chapters, each dealing with a different aspect of correction and image reproduction: colorspaces, resolution, luminosity, separation, channels, and much more. Each chapter is worthy of study, and all are interesting. While not a step-by-step tutorial guide, the text is written so that the driving idea behind each technique--in addition to a demonstration of it--is explained, allowing the reader to apply what is learned to his or her own work.

For the first time, this book includes a CD-ROM. While not exactly overflowing with content, it does include images from the book that anxiously await color correction, as well as some chapters that were in earlier editions of the book but are not present in this one. There is also an important chapter on moving from a pre-version 5 Photoshop to version 6 (a significant jump).

The book doesn't try to be a Photoshop all-inclusive encyclopedia. Instead, it focuses on one aspect of the tool. Fortunately, since color correction is probably the most important, complex, and misunderstood area of digital imaging, Professional Photoshop 6: The Classic Guide to Color Correction excels at explaining and exploring the process behind the curtain, and the right and wrong way to adjust the color of images. --Mike Caputo

Beginner's Guide to SolidWorks 2005

Alejandro Reyes

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The purpose of Beginner's Guide to SolidWorks 2005 is to help the student learn the basic concepts of SolidWorks and good solid modeling practices in an easy to follow guide. It is intended for the new SolidWorks user, users with experience in different CAD systems, and as a teaching aid in classroom training. After completing the exercises in this book, the student will have a good understanding of the SolidWorks interface and the most commonly used commands for part modeling, assembly and detailing by completing a project designing all the components, their 2D drawings and assembly drawing with Bill of Materials. The book is focused on the processes to complete a certain task, instead of focusing on individual operations, which are generally simple enough to learn.

Table of Contents

1. The SolidWorks Interface

2. Part Modeling

The Housing
The Side Cover
The Top Cover
The Offset Shaft
The Worm Gear
The Worm Gear Shaft

3. Detail Drawing

Drawing One: The Housing
Drawing Two: The Side Cover
Drawing Three: The Top Cover
Drawing Four: The Offset Shaft
Drawing Five: The Worm Gear
Drawing Six: The Worm Gear Shaft

4. Assembly Modeling

The Gear Box Assembly
Fasteners
Exploded View
Assembly Drawing Section

5. Final Comments

Information Design Desk Reference

Christine Sevilla

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Unique and Friendly Approach to Designing Information 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.

As a teacher of technical writing for many years, I've been looking for a book that gives the basics of how to organize and present information in a way that doesn't intimidate readers. This is the book! It is an easy read with a plethora of guidelines and practical suggestions so that even the novice can "do it." In addition, the author's warm and approachable tone makes this a fun and easy read. But it also presents a unique blending of information including how to do an audience analysis, adult learning theory for the information designer, basic page layout, color use guidelines and more. I am using it for my college Document and Information Design class, and the students love it!

Good for a High School design class but not professionals 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Perhaps the target audience for this book is absolute beginners and that's how I'm rating it. It's niether great nor bad for that level of reader. If you're looking for something more serious or professional then go with Tufte's books.

Editorial Review:

Information design basics are accessible to everyone. This book is for people who want quick tips and guidelines to strengthen the impact of their message in day-to-day presentations, reports or documents.

Illustrated AutoCAD 2000 Quick Reference

Ralph Grabowski

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Don't start AutoCad 2000 without this book 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I use AutoCad 2000 to make my living working for myself. The program is so versatile that it is impossible to remember all the commands. This book sits right next to my monitor and I use it probably 3 or 4 times a week. Some great features are that it: 1) shows you the button for the command, 2) gives you commands that are related, 3) gives you tips for the command, 4) the alias for the command, and much more. I am able to be that much more productive and accurate, which are the reasons behind computer drafting. I would recommend this book for every AutoCad 2000 user, beginner or advanced.

Editorial Review:

This illustrated quick reference, which covers all AutoCAD software commands, will put the power and speed of AutoCAD 2000 at your fingertips. For easy reference, commands and functions are listed alphabetically, with new AutoCAD 2000 commands and features highlighted. The clear, direct descriptions are enhanced by numerous illustrations. Commands include: toolbar icon, command name, command description, all variables on command input, complete sequence of commands, dialog box or screen shot, and tablet coordinates. Keywords: AutoCAD Quick Reference

Mechanical Desktop 4.0 Quick Reference

Doug Wolff

List Price: $34.95 By: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $8.57

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Mechanical Desktop 4.0 Quick Reference on my desktop 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book has a nice layout. Each command section has an example of the toolbar, a 3d model, and a brief discription of the command and what to expect. Commands are layed out A-Z and a small section in front covers whats new in 4.0 and customization. Good book for the MDT user that has graduated from the basics.

Editorial Review:

Fire up Mechanical Desktop in a flash! Mechanical Desktop - the popular PC-based solid, assembly and surface modeling tool has 200 unique commands and 117 new features and functions. In Mechanical Desktop 4.0 Quick Reference, author Doug Wolff, helps you get a handle on the massive amount of information you need to run the program efficiently and quickly translate your ideas into 3D models. Every MDT 4.0 command is listed alphabetically, fully described with directions for accessing it, and accompanied by a discussion of available options, a comparison with AutoCAD commands where appropriate, and a key to related commands. Commands are illustrated as icons, as text, and as they appear in the pull-down menu. Charts on the various toolbars and fly-out icons help you get the most out of these features. A glossary puts terms unique to the software at your fingertips.You also learn the importance of the mouse in this program, and how aliases can enhance your productivity.

Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 Quick Source Guide

Quick Source

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Editorial Review:

Do you need an easy-to-follow software reference right at your fingertips? Our 6 page, tri-fold guides are the answer. These quick reference guides include step by step instructions to help users to learn software features more quickly, as well as full color screen graphics to highlight important features. Quick Source reference guides also include the software program s NEW features and gives you quick access to time saving shortcuts. The Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 Quick Source guide is a clear and concise tool for learning the features in Dreamweaver MX 2004. Features contained in this guide include NEW features such as Using the Start Page, Choosing a Workspace Layout, and Editing an Image. It also includes Creating a New Site, Saving a Document, Formatting Text, Inserting a Hyperlink Anchor, Inserting an Image, Resizing an Image, Inserting a Table, Inserting Pre-defined Frame, Creating an HTML Form, Linking to an Audio File, and much more.