AutoCAD 2013 For Dummies

I am a current, experienced user of Adobe Illustrator and decided to add AutoCAD to my list of skill sets. As a Technical Writer, I am called upon to produce illustrations of engineering drawings for use in technical manuals and illustrated parts breakdown for provisioning. Sometimes, it is necessary to work with the actual engineering drawings to prepare them for illustration purposes. As a technical writer, knowing how to use AutoCAD is essential and I was recently transitioned into an AutoCAD team to assist themin a project when I had downtime from writing technical manuals.While I have found similarites between Adobe Illustrator and AutoCAD there were enough differences in the two programs to warrant purchasing a good reference book on the current version of AutoCAD that I am using, which is AutoCAD 2013.I ordered AutoCAD 2013 for Dummies in the hopes that I could get quick answers to the many tasks that an AutoCAD operator must perform to produce accurate drawings. Unfortunately, this is not the book to get quick answers.The AutoCAD 2013 for Dummies book is an information-based book that made me yearn for more task-based information. When I have specific question concerning how I need to do something, I am looking for specific steps that will help me accomplish the task quickly. If you are like me, a process-oriented person, this book will disappoint you. If you like clear and concise writing, this book will disappoint you.While you may be able to purchase a pun with a punt in Ireland, puns are provided in the price of the publication and puns are plentifull and sometimes even poignant - as in pleasurably stimulating. The use of puns; however, distract from the extraction of relevant information. I have finally shelved the book and have begun relying on command line operations to get me through tasks that I need to perform. In short, I have resigned myself to learning the tools and learning the rules the old fashioned way without all of the entertainment AutoCAD 2013 for Dummies provides.I am not saying that AutoCAD 2013 for Dummies is not the book for you; it may very well provide the knowledge that you need to manipulate the AutoCAD environment. I'm simply saying that it did not work for me.

We use "AutoCAD 2013 For Dummies" as a textbook for a college short course.Full color pages help students navigate through the dialog boxes used to set up, create and customize AutoCAD drawings.Early chapters focus on the correct settings needed to get started. As stated in Chapter 4, "Surprisingly, drawing setup is one of the trickier aspects of using AutoCAD"Examples using drawing tools and editing tools help new users get started. Emphasis on invoking object snaps and setting running object snaps encourage users to create accurate layouts.Plotting drawings to specific scales is required in many situations. Chapters on "Paper Space" provide tools for creating or editing title blocks, scaled views, multiple views on the page."You only draw something once". Re-using and sharing drawings and snippets of drawings is covered in chapters on Blocks, Symbols, and Xrefs.New drawing tools using dynamic entities and constraining geometry are described. 3D drawing and modeling are introduced.Following the techniques and suggestions in the text will help the user produce better and more useful drawings.J. Craig. Washington University in St. Louis

I got the book to get a general understanding and overview of AutoCAD before I downloaded the trial version of the software, and the book certainly served that purpose! Read through this book a couple of times before you download the software, and you will be much ahead of the game and have a great resource in your lap while you sit at your computer, learning the software. With this book and the 30-day trial version from the manufacturer, you'll know for sure by the end of the trial period whether or not you want to invest in the software.

I bought this copy some time ago and was very pleased. however it came up missing at work and the company I work for bought a replacement just a few weeks ago this copy is not good every page wants to fall out of it, like there is no binding in it. I asked the person that bought it from amazon and they didn't want to deal with it. So I just have to live with it. The content is very helpful, but a 500 page loose leave?

First off, if you are using AutoCAD you are automatically not a dummy. And this book is not written for "Dummies"; it makes far too many assumptions about what the reader already knows, or what blanks she or he can fill in on his or her own.Here's the chief rub with this book: it is not applicable to AutoCAD for Mac, and one is not very far into the book before the author flat-out tells you that, referring you instead to a very (very) expensive AutoCAD for Mac guidebook by another author. There are apparently enough differences between AutoCAD's Windows and Mac versions that this book is not entirely useful for AutoCAD for Mac. So, why is this not clearly noted in the title or on the cover and especially in the Amazon blurb about this product?Sure, one can read the book and glean some generic operating information applicable to the Mac version; but it would have been a whole lot nicer (and fairer) if the author's and Amazon's descriptions of the book were up front about this specific limitation.Caveat Emptor.

I bought this book for my husband, who likes to experiment with computers/software and does some programming. He like learning new things and testing them out. He also likes to design/draw/build things. He like the "for Dummies" line of books because they're very informative yet easy to understand. AutoCAD is extremely expensive software though, and while this book was very informative, I bought him a much less expensive CAD software that works very well. This is a good book though.

I have just received my copy. And straight from the packaging the book falls flat open with a significant crack along the spine and the nearby pages already beginning to detach.This is just from taking the book out of the packaging - haven't attempted to read it yet.Have returned it for replacement in the hope that it is a one off.If that one is similar then I saw return that one too but for refund and I remove a starIf the replacement is fine then I will re-evaluate my review.UPDATE======Received the replacement today. This one is worse. Has a similar cracked spine and loose pages but this ones also has a creased, folded and torn front cover and first few pages.All returned for refund.Reduced to One Star

I am learning CAD from scratch hence why I purchased this book, now it's fairly well written though on occasions the author isn't particularly clear and has a tendency not to explain why you are using a certain function but all in all it's a good learning tool.However the book is incredibly poorly put together, I only used the book for a few days (note I am always careful with books and treat them with respect) and it has just fallen apart therefore it's only a matter of time before pages get lost and the book is useless.All in all I wouldn't advise people not to buy this book but I can't recommend it either

I completed the City and Guilds Intermediate and Advanced Autocad course some years ago but never got to use the software as seriously as I had expected. Now confronted with Autocad 2013 I realised I,m rusty need to start all over again. This book has helped me to get back in to it and I feel confident enough to re-do the course which I would advise other starters to do. I an a grizzly old draughtsman with loads of drawing experience but Autocad is complex and to get the best out of it and save a lot of time you need books like these and formal training to get to grips with it.

Very poor, like the other two similar AutoCAD volumes I have.This fails completely at the target- admittedly my target- of leading you through producing working drawings in AutoCAD. It's a disjointed collection of commands and instructions. I need something more like Randy Shih's "Parametric Modelling with UGS..", which actually helps you with the process.

A great book for an AutoCAD first-timer like me, easily enough information to get you off to a decent start. The book is well presented and explained. It does contain some of the worst puns ever encountered in the human sphere of existence but while you will undoubtedly be laughing at, rather than with the author, they make the book far more readable and break the monotony well.For those looking for an easy-to-read, informative book not written for those who have spent the last 10 years sitting in front of CAD packages or by a professor looking to show how intelligent they are by using overly complex terminology, this is the book for you!Also worth noting, I’m using AutoCAD 2014 and am yet to find any differences (at least at my level) between what's written in here and the new program.