|
| |
  
August, 2011
I am very sorry that I'll have to miss Autodesk University again this
year. The timing hasn't worked for me for the past couple of
years.
Lynn Allen, Joseph Wurcher, and many others continue to do a
terrific job of organizing an exceptional training conference. If you
are going, I know you'll have a great experience.
AutoCAD: Secrets Every User Should Know was written as a general guide
to what I considered best practices in using AutoCAD, so it was not based on any
specific release. It is now five years old, which means there are important
features that are not addressed in the book, most notably annotative objects and
dynamic blocks. However, as you can see from the Amazon reviews below, many
people continue to find it very useful as a reference. That is gratifying.
I have been asked recently if I plan to update the book. I'd be interested in
hearing from readers about how useful that would be. If it looks like it would
be useful to enough people, I'll propose a revision to the publisher.
Some Reviews for AutoCAD: Secrets
Every User Should Know
Mark Kiker, Editor, CADD
Manager (www.caddmanager.com)
AutoCAD - Secrets Every Users Should Know -
by Dan Abbott - Sybex / Wiley Publishing Inc. 2007
Let's face it... I have read just about every book that I could on
AutoCAD over the years and thought that there was nothing new under the sun.
Well... I stand corrected. Dan Abbott has created a MUST READ book
that you need to add to your book shelf.
AutoCAD Secrets is a refreshing change from the usual presentation of
AutoCAD information, tips and tricks that is found in most of the book
written. He leaves no stone unturned in his attempt to tell you just
about everything you need to know from basic to very advanced topics.
The eleven chapters of info starts off with a great chapter on AutoCAD
productivity. Every topic was discussed in plain English and directly to
the point (my kind of guy!). He covers the unspoken "boot
camp" level principles and best practices of CAD with an in depth look at
each topic. As I read it - I discovered nuggets of gold that renewed my
enthusiasm for "common sense" CAD. (see my blog on this
topic). He covers the foundational precepts and practices of sound file
creation and data input. As I read I kept wondering - "Is he going
to mention this or that?" and sure enough, there it was. The bottom
line guidelines that the whole world needs to be reminded of. Chapter
One alone is worth the price of the book.
He continues in chapters covering the management of your files,
customization issues, graphic standards, and more. He reviews the basics
of Paper Space and Model Space, what goes where and offers sidebar tips at
every turn of the page.
Covering the basics is just the starting point for him to launch into the
advanced topics. There is a complete LISP programming class that is
presented in logical steps for all to use. Plus there is actual full
working code in the book - just type it in and use it. Or better yet the
book tells you where to go online to get the code. It's like getting two
books in one, plus online resources. He finishes up with 3D topics and
finally AutoCAD Puzzlers.
AutoCAD Puzzlers is a compilation of real world problems and stumpers (he
got me on quite a few). Each taken from real questions from the many
interactions he has had with students and users. These Puzzlers are
often the submittal busters that we all face at crunch time. He presents
them as questions and then provides the answer at the end of the book.
Thirty Five of the toughest questions and weird behaviors (and the answers to
them all).
This ranks very very high on my list of must have books. I applaud
him for his succinct language, honest approach and real world emphasis.
Forget the new Harry Potter novel... Go buy this book!
C M J Rating - 5 out of 5 TRON Light Cycles
Ralph
Grabowski, Editor, The Business of CAD (www.upfrontezine.com)
Book Review:
AutoCAD Secrets Every User Should Know
Book authored by Dan Abbott
I've been using AutoCAD for 22 years, and have written a hundred books
on the subject. I reviewed many CAD books back in the days when book
reviews were common in CAD publications; some were innovative, others were
just sad. But for nearly a decade, it's been mostly silence on the book
review front.
Then earlier in the summer, a book arrived in the mail from Sybex:
'AutoCAD Secrets Every User Should Know' by Dan Abbott.
Reading it, I got excited: here's a book for every AutoCAD user, even
oldtimers like me.
This book's conversational tone makes for easy reading. But you won't
want to read it through. It's too overwhelming with one useful tip after
another after another. I suggest reading a couple of pages a day, marking
items with a yellow highlighter. Such as these tips:
 | You can use wildcards in the Rename dialog box. |
| Use Ctrl+R to find viewports that the mouse cursor cannot. |
| Use Lengthen to extend an arc to a specific length. |
Worthwhile for the US$26.39 it costs to order from amazon.com. Good
job, Mr Abbott!
There are also now a number of nice Amazon reviews for my book. I'm pleased that the reviews
are from AutoCAD users in the trenches, and that many of them are long-time users
who've found things they like. The most recent reviews are here.
 Recommend
!, March 9, 2011
By Robert
Keenan (Mt. Juliet, TN USA) - See
all my reviews
I'm
not finished with this book yet, but I've done figured out that it's
worth the money. Some of the writer's ideas I think can be expanded
upon, and I don't agree with all of his opinions, but reading this
book will make you think, and give you some insight. It has taught me
some things I didn't know and that's a good thing as it makes me more
valuable, compared to the guy in the next cubicle.
|
Nice Book, March 6, 2011
By
Zildjian
"Alpha Q"
(New York) - See
all my reviews
This
review is from: AutoCAD:
Secrets Every User Should Know (Paperback)
This
is a nice book, a quick reference for beginner like me.
The only negative that I have is that the book that they send me is somewhat a
misprint/miscut, in short the pages are rotated in small angle. what is
essential is the content, for some this maybe a big issue. I could not return it
because I already put notes, highlights on it before I discovered.
Again, this is a nice book.
Fantastic
Book,
September 15, 2010
By Shawn
Arringdale
(NOBLESVILLE, IN, US) - See
all my reviews
This
review is from: AutoCAD:
Secrets Every User Should Know (Paperback)
This
was an excellent book, I have been using AutoCAD for around 10 years now and I
found that reading this book opened my eyes to a few things I didnt know at all,
and it reopened them to things I had forgotten about. If you are like me and
havent looked at an AutoCAD book/manual in the past few years take a look at
this one it will quite possibly amaze you with the simple things that you arent
doing in AutoCAD but should be.
|
|
Still my #1 reference book,
June 21, 2010
This review is from:
AutoCAD: Secrets Every User Should Know
(Paperback)
This is a great book for long time AutoCAD users who haven't found time
to keep up on the newer features. I work in 2D but wanted to gain some
3D experience. The tutorial in chapter 10 was the first time I was able
to work in 3D without wanting to throw my PC through a plate glass
window. As a non-programmer the sections on scripts and lisp routines
have allowed me to write simple programs that eliminate repetitive
tasks. And chapter 3 has taught me the value of tool palettes, which I
never used before but gets daily usage now. My only knock on this book
is that it could have had a bit more on dynamic blocks. I've had this
book a couple of years now, even with some newer books on the shelf; I
still end up reaching for this one.
|
A MUST have if you
use AutoCAD!, March 2, 2010
This
review is from:
AutoCAD: Secrets Every User Should Know (Paperback)
This book gets used weekly in my office
by myself, and I have AutoCAD 2010. It's always that one
setting you can't find, or a "Oh crap, what did I just
do! How do I get that back?" that you can find in this
book. It explains for users of ACAD 2007 and down on
"what to do if," or "try to do this." Its easy to read,
follow, and remember. There are a few times where I had
to head to the blogs to see a trick or option it doesn't
cover, but if it had everything, it would be a manual
that came with the program. I just write the commands I
couldn't find on the front page, and presto, its the
ACAD bible again.
If you use Autocad of any version, this book is a must
have in your library! |
|
|
| |
Right on Target, November
7, 2009
This review is from:
AutoCAD: Secrets Every User Should Know
(Paperback)
Hello,
I just received the book AutoCAD SECRETS EVERY USER SHOULD KNOW. I must
say that I am very impressed!!! Finally many of my basic questions are
being answered. Just one example is his chapter introducing autolisp. I
have recently read several other intros in other books, but when I tried
to put it to use I could never get it to work and now I know why. They
left out some basic details that must be understood which he covered in
his book.
In just a short time I have gone from barely being
able to load lisp files and get them to work to writing my own very
useful lisp routines all as a result of reading his book. There are way
too many other examples of great information that makes using AutoCAD
much easier than I can cover in this review. His chapter on dim styles
alone is worth the cost of the book. I have been using AutoCAD for quite
a few years and could have saved myself a lot of tedious hours of work
had I read this book back when I started. Following his suggestions will
help you avoid many of the "land mines" that I have hit over the years
using acad. I think everyone who uses AutoCAD should have this book. The
many new things that I now understand better makes me ecstatic.
|
Highly recommended,
November 9, 2008
This really is one of the best books
written about AutoCAD and how to use it in a real work
environment. It's aimed a bit more at the "power user",
someone who is familiar with the basics and needs to get
more out of it. I've had a hard time finding a book like
this. When I read the chapters on basic lisp routines
and batch scripting I was saying: "Yes! Finally a book
which is not for dummies." But the way the chapters are
set up it is also very easy for a beginner to pick and
chose their way around learning Autocad. There are
valuable lessons here for any level. Highly recommended,
along with Autocad: Professional Tips and Techniques.
|
|
|
You need this book!,
August 23, 2008
If you are at a point with Autocad where you know
the keyboard commands and short-cuts and the new hurdles to
tackle with improving your autocad skills ARE work-flow and
efficiency. . . THIS BOOK IS A MUST FOR YOU! I try to make sure
a learn a few new tricks from this book every week and it has
already improved my skills. The last 1/3 of the book is LISP
stuff and while I am not at that point yet, it looks extensive
and concise at a skimming. If you are comfortable with editing
your cui file and understand the difference between color and
style dependent plotting this book is right up your alley.
The
Best AutoCAD Book ever
written!!!!!!!!!!!!, June
20, 2008
This book is by far the
best AutoCAD book ever written. It is
full of practical everyday shortcuts and
general information that the average
everyday user needs to know. Your
productivity will increase by just
reading the first chapter. This book is
written is plain easy to understand
English. A very easy read!!!! I loved
it. |
|
|
|
|
| |
Great Stuff!!, December 12, 2007
I've been using AutoCAD for many years and have seen many books rehash
the same old stuff.
This book addresses Autocad from a user standpoint, written by someone
who not only completely understands AutoCAD but also knows how it's used
in the real world.
A "must-have" for all AutoCAD users. |
| |
Best Productivity Book in years, December 9, 2007
| By |
John G Jordan (St.
Louis, MO USA) |
This is the first CAD book that I have bought in years (using AutoCAD
since release 2.5), this book is a must have for anyone using AutoCAD.
This is not a command reference guide, it truly shows you how to use the
software through best practices, customization, automation and
programming. It is a comprehensive book filled with tips, tricks,
pitfalls, and examples. Mr. Abbott has brought together enough
productivity tips for the user that the book will pay for itself through
increased productivity. |
| |
Old school tips for all users!, December 4, 2007
| By |
Volker Cocco
(Portland OR)
|
I've been a user of AutoCAD since release 10 (1991), at one time I used
to purchase 2 to 4 reference books per AutoCAD release. I have not
purchased a book on AutoCAD since AutoCAD 2000. Until now. Mr. Abbott's
book is by far the best AutoCAD Productivity book on the market! If you
have had formal or informal training for AutoCAD, or are a seasoned user
of AutoCAD, get this book! Although Mr. Abbott packs this book full of
real-world tips and tricks and enough examples to give one a good
jump-start with customizing AutoCAD, my enthusiasm for this book is
based on the fact that Mr. Abbott explains how and why AutoCAD works
without being geeky. "AutoCAD: Secrets Every User Should
Know", is a well written reference and tutorial book which will not
become obsolete with the next release of AutoCAD. |
| |
DOS and a BatchFile, October 1, 2007
| By |
Jose De Jesus "JDJ"
(Zürich Switzerland)
|
AutoCAD Secrets every User should know is a fantastic Book.It helps me
in my CAD Life.My favorite Chapters are Why Dos isnt dead yet and
Chapter 7 AutoCAD Scripts.The Book has improved my productivity, and has
enlarged my time off,making my Job easier.AutoCAD Secrets is written in
a nice and understandable way.I hope that Dan Abbott writes another Book
soon.
Thank You
Jose De Jesus
|
| |
Move over AutoCAD for Dummies!, August 23, 2007
| By |
Phyllis Gillespie
|
The index is a great resource for those in the world who were thrown
into CAD with no formal training, like myself. To have this reference
handy next to our company CAD station has been a budget saver,
eliminating the fumbling and guessing that historically took place for
our projects. Not only that, but the primary proofreader of the book,
Paul, is a fantastic resource for nit-picky questions that I inevitably
run across in my projects. |
| |
A Great AutoCAD Resource, July 13, 2007
| By |
D. Stockton (Fairfax,
VA USA)
|
This book is a great source of tips and guidelines for any AutoCAD user,
beginner or experienced. Dan's thorough explanation of the tabs and
settings in the Options menu along with the recommendations for settings
is worth the price of the book. The chapters on scripts and LISP will
help anyone new to customization to start getting a grasp of how to use
these tools to get AutoCAD to do be a more productive tool in their
particular work environment. |
January, 2007
AutoCAD: Secrets Every User Should Know can be ordered at any physical or online
bookstore. Here's the description from the publisher:
Book Description
Perfect for those with some AutoCAD experience, this book was crafted to be
practical, pragmatic, and empowering. It takes a real-world approach to
functions and features, explaining not only how a cool technique works, but
also why and when the technique should be employed. Written by an
award-winning AutoCAD expert with strong opinions on best practices, the
book takes technical graphic standards seriously and explains why you
should, too. It is packed with time-saving tips and techniques, and it
features detailed information very much in use today but ignored in other
books, including DOS functions, scripts, and LISP programming. There are
chapters on the user interface, productivity, customization, applying
graphics standards, using blocks and Xrefs, plotting, using 3D, scripts,
AutoLISP, and techniques tailored to different disciplines. The final
chapter, AutoCAD Puzzlers, presents interesting and difficult issues from
Dan’s consulting experiences and challenges readers to see if they can
solve the real-world problems. The book will be supported with instructor
materials, including a syllabus, PowerPoint slides for each chapter, and
test questions.
And here's the Introduction
A program as ubiquitous as AutoCAD shouldn’t have any secrets.
But if you don’t know something, it’s a secret to you. I hope that AutoCAD:
Secrets Every User Should Know will take some of the mystery out of AutoCAD
and AutoCAD LT, and also remind you of some traditional knowledge that I fear is
being slowly eroded.
I wrote this book for two groups: experienced users with some
gaps in their knowledge, and recent users who want to maximize their
understanding of this complicated and multi-faceted tool. The more familiar you
are with AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, the more this book will help you avoid common
problems and produce work that is consistent, reliable, and accurate.
For most of you, AutoCAD is just one of the many tools you use,
and you don’t have time to become an expert at it. You don’t have to. This
book includes useful tips, detailed instructions, general guidance, a few
tutorials, solutions to problems of all kinds -- and yes, even some secrets --
that can be applied to AutoCAD in any application.
In my professional life, I’ve worked with a wide range of AutoCAD users
in a remarkable array of disciplines. I’ve done AutoCAD training for
companies, presented workshops for vendors, offered expertise in corporate
disputes, and taught college courses in AutoCAD for nearly 20 years. This book
is a result of that experience, and I hope you will use it to expand your
knowledge and improve your efficiency.
Despite the “AutoCAD” of the title, most of the advice in
this book can apply to AutoCAD LT. And
who knows, after you look over the AutoCAD-only chapters, you may find enough
ammunition to get at least one seat of AutoCAD installed at your workplace.
What Release of AutoCAD is covered?
This book is not release-specific, although AutoCAD 2007 is used
throughout for the graphics. Many offices don’t upgrade immediately to new
releases, and I understand why. Most of the material in this book applies to any
release of AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT. Where it doesn’t, I make that clear. The
most obvious distinction occurs in Chapter 3: “Customizing AutoCAD’s
Interface,” because of the introduction of the Customizable User Interface in
AutoCAD 2006.
Much of the material in this book was developed for the Advanced
AutoCAD class at Southern Maine Community College, and then used in
presentations at
Autodesk
University
over the past decade. The topics derive from the kinds of questions I’ve been
asked over the years by people who use AutoCAD every day.
This book is not meant to be a comprehensive book about AutoCAD.
What I’ve tried to do is identify common problem areas and provide some advice
on how to approach them. I’m also trying to preserve some traditional
knowledge that is often overlooked by users: knowledge as simple as making
proper centerlines, as arcane as using DOS to improve efficiency, as exciting as
programming, and as dramatic as 3D modeling.
Chapter 1: AutoCAD Productivity
In this chapter you’ll find general rules for using
AutoCAD that I believe should be universal. The chapter includes a review of
often-overlooked AutoCAD features, many with options or applications that you
may have missed. A separate appendix reviews the features I consider most
significant in each release since AutoCAD 2000.
Chapter 2: Managing Your System
Most AutoCAD users are computer savvy, but if you’re not,
this chapter’s for you. In addition to information about how to make your
computer work well with AutoCAD, you’ll get some advice on the AutoCAD search
path, see the settings in Options that I consider the most significant, and find
out how to actually use SV$ files.
Chapter 3: Customizing AutoCAD’s Interface
You can make a lot of simple changes to your interface that
will improve your efficiency with AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT. Here’s where you’ll
learn about the CUI, quick keys, creating macros, and so on.
Chapter 4: Applying AutoCAD Standards
AutoCAD is used distressingly often to produce
documentation that doesn’t meet the most fundamental requirements of technical
graphics. This chapter is a primer on how to make AutoCAD do the right thing,
with a review of the kinds of standards that drafters used to know and that
AutoCAD users still should.
Chapter 5: Using Blocks and XRefs
This is an area that bedevils a lot of users, and the new
dynamic blocks can be a little intimidating. You’ll find a tutorial on
creating a dynamic block and information about managing external references.
Chapter 6: Plotting
Being able to control the output from an AutoCAD drawing
can set you apart from the crowd. If you have any confusion about plotting,
layouts, or Paper Space, this expansion of the “Lost in Paper Space”
workshop I’ve been doing for years at
Autodesk
University
should help you out.
Chapter 7: AutoCAD Scripts
This often overlooked tool is the basis for the biggest
productivity tip in this book: the ability to modify thousands of drawing
automatically. The lowly script has some other great applications as well.
Don’t skip this one — it could save you a bundle and make you the office
hero.
Chapter 8: AutoLISP by Example — Getting Started
AutoLISP is the programming language for users. Jump in.
This chapter will have you programming in minutes.
Chapter 9: AutoLISP by Example — Getting Better
I left a few things out of Chapter 8, but I’m betting
that once you see how logical, fun, and easy it is to create programs in
AutoLISP, you’ll want to get better. This chapter doesn’t cover everything,
but it’ll keep you going for a while.
Chapter 10: 3D for Everyone
I know I can’t turn you into a 3D expert in one chapter,
but I want you to at least see what you’re missing. Any AutoCAD user will be
able to create models after going through this tutorial. And there are two
suggestions for using legacy data -- one architectural, one mechanical -- that
may surprise you.
Chapter 11: AutoCAD Puzzlers
I loved writing this chapter. Thirty-six questions from
puzzled AutoCAD users. If you’re even a little bit of an AutoCAD geek,
you’ll have some fun trying to figure them out. Don’t peek, but solutions
are at the end.
The Rest
What we couldn’t fit into the book will go on the
book’s website, along with all the scripts, DOS files, and AutoLISP code used
in this book. In addition, there’ll be a comparison by release, a reference
for DOS commands, a listing of all the AutoCAD file extensions, a useful script
for restoring the default settings for AutoCAD variables, and some other things
I think you’ll find useful. If you have any other puzzlers, differences of
opinion, suggestions, or comments you can reach me through that site.
|
Dan Abbott Consulting