WorldCAD Access

MTEXT Infinity

From the mtext command of my new Using AutoCAD 2010 book... (Click the image for the full-size scan.) Read more →

POLAR turntable

Sometimes the technical editor to remind that that young-uns just don't know as much as us oldtimers... (Click the image for the full-size scan.) Read more →

Intolerant DDIM

The copy editor of my Using AutoCAD 2010 book wonders... (Click the image for the full-size scan.) Read more →

SET iDROP HANDLER

From the SetiDropHandler command in my QuickRef book... (Click the image for the full-size scan.) Read more →

XLINE: Where does the white go?

While traveling in Europe for the next couple'o weeks, I will have uncertain Internet access. So I am leaving you with daily entertainment by Bill and Stephen, the technical and copy editors of my books published by Autodesk Press. This is the sort of thing that keeps me in a good mood while spending a week entering in all their corrections in my thousand-page books. Bill's words are in pencil; Stephen's in red ink... (Click the image to view the full-size scan.) Read more →

Copy/Tech Editor Qualifications

It's easy to become a copy editor or technical editor for an AutoCAD book. The qualifications you need can be as few as these: Knowledgeable about the subject matter. Accurate in your work. Capable of reading a thousand pages of text and figures without eyes glazing over nor brain shutting down. Able to add poor puns and rotten jokes to the text... (Click the image for the full-size version.) The red text belongs to the copy editor of my Using AutoCAD 2010 book, while the penciled text belongs to the technical editor. Read more →

The Essential Reader: blink!

blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell It was 1988. The record player had been repaired. The repair depot was just blocks away, and I walked home, carrying the $400 Denon turntable in my arms. Across the street from my home, I stepped off the curb and twisted my ankle. As I fell to the pavement, I thought the following thoughts in rapid succession (paraphrased): "Uh no, not again." "I just paid $$$ to repair my turntable." "I need to protect it from being smashed on the pavement." "I need to fall on my back so that... Read more →

What's Inside AutoCAD 2010 LT?

It's a good question. Several prospective purchasers of my brand-new What's Inside? AutoCAD 2010 ebook today asked me, "Will this also cover LT?" I've been telling them.... The ebook includes a page about what's new in AutoCAD LT. Autodesk has been keeping fairly mum on the new features in LT, since they don't actually want you buying it. Essentially, they "turned on" a bunch of commands that already existed in earlier releases of AutoCAD (like Align and some Xref ones), plus added PDF import/export. I wrote the details in an earlier blog posting, "What's New in AutoCAD LT 2010." So,... Read more →

The Essential Reader: The Reagan Diaries

The Reagan Diaries Edited by Douglas Brinkley Not every word in this book is reproduced from the diaries of Ronald Reagan while he was eight years the president of the United States (Jan 1981 - Jan 1989). Large sections are summarized by the editor; once in a while, ellipsis (...) censor state secrets. In the early months, Reagan is amazed and dismayed at what presidents get to have, or go through. There was the first evening he got to watch a television program that had been previously recorded for him. We're talking 1981, when VCRs weren't found in homes. On... Read more →

The Essential Reader: Travels as a Brussels Scout

Travels as a Brussels Scout: One Man's View of Life in the European Union -- Fast, Funny, and Occasionally Furious by Nick Middleton Nick Middleton tours all of Europe in the initial years following the formation of the European Union. He gets the idea following a stint working for the EU -- "working" best placed in quotation marks. From three EU jobs in three countries, he finds that a job at the EU seems to consists solely of having meetings, writing reports, and waiting to have meetings or waiting on reports. Another African gentleman acted as [Vienna-based UN office of... Read more →

The Essential Reader: The Uses and Abuses of History

The Uses and Abuses of History by Margaret MacMillan Canadian Margaret MacMillian writes about history; titles like "Paris 1919" and "Nixon in China" might be familiar to you. In this book, she tackles the big picture of the telling history: how accurate should it be? For example, Winston Churchill was a remarkable leader during WWII; he also had undesirable behaviors, and following the war lost the election. (I recall when he died, our entire elementary school had to troop into the gymnasium and gaze at his enormous photograph while the principal talked about this unknown-to-us man.) How accurate is history?... Read more →

Bad Decision-Making by Leaders

Erin White of the Wall Street Journal interviews Sydney Finkelstein on Why Good Managers Make Bad Decisions. Here's a summary of some of the points made in this article that is worthwhile to read: Leaders tend to rely on past experience that seems useful, but is actually sometimes dangerous [to the current situation]. Most people don't realize self-interest operates at a subconscious level. Leaders make prejudgments about their businesses that sometimes turn out to be wrong. People need to recognize that we are biased in every single situation. There's no such thing as objectivity. Read more →

About the Dismal State of CAD Documentation

A reader writes: I know writing as a skill is near and dear to your heart, but I’ve yet to see any articles/opinions/blogs on the current state of CAD documentation. You know, the technical documents, User’s Guides, tutorials, and other collateral that is delivered with the software to facilitate the installation and usage of the product. What’s your opinion of this side of the technology for the average CAD user? I feel that documentation is going downhill in general, for these reasons: As CAD software becomes more complex, it becomes harder to document, and with the resulting larger number of... Read more →

Quick Ref, 14th Ed.

I'm at the halfway point updating a book that has sold the best for me, The Illustrated AutoCAD Quick Reference for AutoCAD 2010. This weekend, it's commands that begin with the letter "M." A reader wrote recently: I should mention that I bought a copy of your AutoCAD 2008 Quick Reference. The concise and compact format was exactly what I was looking for in an updated book. I am curious what the secret for writing such guides is; the hours invested in content seems staggering. Well done. - D.B., Australia I learned to write concisely during my five years at... Read more →

Hate CUI? Buy My eBook Anyhow

J.F writes: As the premier hater of the CUI [AutoCAD's customize user interface] and figuring the ribbon only makes it worse, why shouldn't I buy this e-book. Even if I never use it, it is still a good deal as I am helping support you for more good stuff down the road. It is a short road as I am now 66 and hope to retire before long. I agree. The other day, I was trying out IntelliCAD-based progeCAD, and found that it still uses the old AutoCAD system of simply dragging toolbar buttons into the drawing area to create... Read more →

Tailoring AutoCAD 2009

The Tailoring AutoCAD 2009 ebook is now available for purchase for US$42.00. The 8th Edition is 420 pages long, and has these changes: Added new chapter specific to the Options dialog box. Added material new to AutoCAD 2009: - Ribbon tabs and panels - Menu Browser - Quick Access toolbar - Quick Properties palettes - Rollover tooltips - miscellaneous changes Removed chapter on DXF (will be added to the AutoLISP-DCL ebook), CAD management command, and the introductory chapter. The Web page www.upfrontezine.com/ta9 has more on this new edition, including information on how to purchase it -- through PayPal or by... Read more →

SketchUp Seven in September?

Reader David Flood noticed that Google's SketchUp evangelist Aidan Chopra has a placeholder for the next edition of his Google SketchUp X for Dummies for release on 2 September."I've got to assume that SketchUp 7 (the rumored newly architect-focused one) is imminent before mid-September," he feels. It's always a good thing when one of the world's largest non-CAD software companies releases a major update to its CAD software. As for the September ship date, it could be. Or not. Book publishers sometimes schedule publication dates far in advance and so there is sometimes no relation to the software's ship date.... Read more →

Editing QuickRef 09 - The Squealer

Sometimes, technical editor Bill Fane uses commands as excuses for jokes. Here's one for the Stretch command: And one for the Time command: Once in a rare while, copy editor Stephen Dunning manages one. His contribution for the Trim command. Notice that he alerts us his humour through the use of the :) happy face. Read more →

The Essential Reader: Game Misconduct

Game Misconduct: Alan Eagleson and the Corruption of Hockey by Russ Conway When my wife and I watch Deutsche Welle television over the Internet, we chuckle each time the news reader announces the sports report, for inevitable it begins with the words, "Today in football [soccer] action..." In Germany, sports means soccer; in Canada, we are just as one-dimensional: sports means hockey. Russ Conway was puzzled when former hockey greats mentioned to him how difficult it was to live on their small pensions. The medical bills in particular were hard to pay; their bodies had been damaged by the game... Read more →

Editing QuickRef 09 - The Squeal

More Bill Fane-ish humour: You might need to read it a few times to get the pun. Read more →

Editing QuickRef 09

Last week, I finished updating my The Illustrated AutoCAD 2009 Quick Reference book for Autodesk Press. And then the editors get to fix it up. Here's what technical editor Bill Fane had to say about the LayOn and LayOff commands: (The writing is red is from copy editor Stephen Dunning.) Read more →

The Essential Reader: The Stories of English

The Stories of English by David Crystal I write for a living, and I write in English. A history of the English language is of interest to me, because of this:I have wondered why a relatively new language like English has such complex grammar. True, we have just one word for "the," whereas the French have three (le, la, and les), and the Germans have 16 different grammatical situations that determine if der, die, or das is employed. Thus I was pleased to receive "The Stories of English" as a Christmas present from my son. The title is unfortunate, for... Read more →

The Essential Reader: The Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic: Through the Lens of the Press by Torsten Palmer and Hendrik Neubauer My parents were born in Germany (b. 1924 and b. 1932) during the time of the Weimar Republic, and so I am curious of the history that affected their early years. For my dad, it meant being drafted into the Germany army the day he was due to travel, barefoot, from his dad's rural farm to university on full scholarship; for my mom, the deprivation of living her early teen years in the heavily bombed city of Hamburg. (Weimar Republic is named after the town... Read more →

The Essential Reader: The Case for Freedom

The Case for Freedom: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny & Terror by Natan Sharansky with Ron Dermer I initially picked up this book from Chapters (the Canadian equivalent of Borders), because it was $2 on the discount pile. But when I got to reading it, I found it very well written. Natan Sharansky makes one point over and over: only when democracy rules in a country are its people truly free. His reasoning is: In a democracy, the leaders rule at the whim of the people. To return to power every 4-6 years, popularly-elected leaders need to cater... Read more →

The Essential Reader: A Museum Called Canada

The Museum Called Canada: 25 Rooms of Wonder by Charlotte Gray Canada isn't as renown for its museums as are other countries. Before I flew my family to Washington DC, my wife demanded, "This better be worth it!" After three days in the Smithsonians, the demand changed: "When do we get to come back?" And we were not alone. The capital city was inundated by school groups from around the USA. Here in Canada, we tend to visit the local museums in the small centers. The big ones in the capital city of Ottawa just aren't a destination. I'm not... Read more →

The Essential Reader: The Long Tail

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling More of Less by Chris Anderson Perhaps the most influential business book of 2007, the title of the book, The Long Tail, has become part of the English language. In his best-selling book, Chris Anderson attempts to puts forth this business case: 1. The Internet reduces to nearly zero the cost of marketing and distribution of digital goods. 2. Inversely, the amount of shelf space for digital goods is nearly infinite. 3. Hence, it is now possible to profit from the sale of very low-demand goods -- those items that... Read more →

The Essential Reader: iWoz

iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon by Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith The "Woz" tells how he invented the personal computer, co-founded Apple Computer, and had fun doing it. I was fortunate to hear Steve Wozniak in person at last year's SolidWorks event. It was fascinating to hear him describe his life story in condensed fashion. Clearly, he uses the same script each time he is paid to give the talk, but hearing this lively pioneer of our industry is a bonus. And the book is the expanded version of his stock talk. We learn about him growing up in... Read more →

The Essential Reader: Historical Atlas

Historical Atlas of Vancouver and the Lower Fraser Valley by Derek Hayes I love maps, especially old ones, and I am not sure why. It may have to do with my need to see the big picture; I did lousy in school when teachers began with details and worked their way out. Maps provide the big picture, and old maps put the world in an even bigger picture of historical context. Thus I was very excited to see a historical atlas of Vancouver (Canada) and the lower Fraser Valley (where I live). Unlike other ancient map books that simply throw... Read more →

The Essential Reader: Think!

Think! Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in the Blink of an Eye by Michael R LeGault This book "Think!" was written in reaction to "Blink!", an earlier book that endorsed quick, emotional, gut-level decision making. The author of "Think," Michael LeGault, begs to differ: many problems in society today, he opines, are the fault of quick, emotional, instant decision making. In contrast, he espouses decisions that are thoughtful and rational. Some chapter titles in Part One provide a feeling for his point of view: 4. Feeding the Feel-good Monster. 5. The Rise of the Political and Correct, the Fall... Read more →

The Essential Reader: Design!

Design: Innovate, Differentiate, Communicate by Tom Peters When it comes to enthusiasm, Tom Peters is #1 in the business. "Design" is one of the Tom Peters Essentials series, a slim volume that colorfully condenses concepts from his older book, "Re-image." (The other titles in the series are Leadership, Talent, and Trends.) Designed in the bright Dorling Kindersley manner, the pages of this book explode in color, graphics, and overlaid text -- as a book about design should do. As CAD users, we appreciate design. There is functional design, where we make sure it works. As engineers, we l-o-v-e functional design... Read more →

The Essential Reader: The Company

The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea by John Micklethwait and Adrian Woolridge This is a small hardcover book that briskly took me through the history of the corporation. The idea is that investors pool their money, hire a manager to employ the money, and then enjoy the profit. The concept goes back to Babylonian times, but not until the 1700s do the British add a twist: that those who invest the money should not be liable beyond the amounts they invested. The practical outcome was that you could loose all your investment funds, but not your house.... Read more →

The Essential Reader: Adventure Capitalist

Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip by Jim Rogers The ultimate road trip this was, as Jim Rogers and his new wife Piage drive spend three years driving through 116 countries -- as well as fly or barge, as necessary. The total would have been higher, but there were a couple of countries that would not let them in, such as Iran. And no stop in Antarctic. They were fortunate in having Mercedes-Benz custom make their vehicle for them: a bright yellow SLK built onto the chassis of the G-500 SUV. On his previous around the world trip on motorcycle,... Read more →

The Essential Reader

The Essential Reader is is a new service of WorldCAD Access, where I review the books that I'm reading. I figure these reviews will appear about once a week, usually on Sunday afternoons. Read more →

Learning Autodesk Inventor 2008

In an earlier post, I reported that my latest print book was listed on Amazon.com, but not yet available to buy. That's now changed... The full-color, 304-page Learning Autodesk Inventor 2008: The 2D to 3D Transition Handbook paperback book can now be purcahsed for $46.70 (and free shipping!) Here's what you'll find inside: Part I: Inventor for AutoCAD Users 1. AutoCAD User, Meet Autodesk Inventor 2. Get Your Feet Wet with Inventor 3. Inventor & AutoCAD, Similarities & Differences Part II: 2D-to-3D Tutorials 4. Sketch to Part Tutorial 5. AutoCAD to Inventor Tutorial 6. Parts to Assemblies Tutorial Part III:... Read more →

New Book: Learn Autodesk Inventor 2008

The book I worked on all summer has now appeared on amazon.com. Learning Autodesk Inventor 2008: The 2D to 3D Transition Handbook [amazon.com] is a 300-page "Inventor for AutoCAD users" style of book. Here's the table of contents: Part I: Inventor for AutoCAD Users 1. AutoCAD User, Meet Autodesk Inventor 2. Get Your Feet Wet with Inventor 3. Inventor & AutoCAD, Similarities & Differences Part II: 2D-to-3D Tutorials 4. Sketch to Part Tutorial 5. AutoCAD to Inventor Tutorial 6. Parts to Assemblies Tutorial Part III: Viewing, Importing, and Exporting DWG Files 7. Working with AutoCAD Drawings in Inventor 8. Viewing... Read more →

2 NewCAD Reference Books

I've just release two "new" CAD reference books: -- Inside AutoCAD LT 2006, Volume 1: 2D Drafting is a beginner's tutorial for learning AutoCAD LT, Autodesk's cheapest CAD package. This PDF ebook works equally well with LT 2007 and 2008. It's 224 pages long and is priced at US$22.40. You can learn more about it from upfrontezine.com/ilt6-1. -- Inside AutoCAD LT 2006, Volume 2: Management & Customization is the intermediate and advanced LT user's reference to CAD management and LT customization. Also works equally well with LT 2007 and 2008. At 158 pages, it's priced at US$15.80. Full table of... Read more →

Bootleg Booksfrom Indoe Books

Was I ever surprised to learn that one of my print-only books was available as a free, downloadable PDF file. My AutoCAD LT 2006: The Definitive Guide is published as a softcover book by Wordware Publishing, but Indoe Books is making it available free -- along with many other books. Indoe Books is run by M Tandiono ([email protected]) of Jakarta Indonesia. And not a scan of the printed book, either, but the original PDF. Complete with a page of self-ads from Wordware at the back of the book. What puzzles me is how they got hold of the original PDF.... Read more →

My Visits to the Hairdresser

My 3-4 visits to the hairdresser each year usually go like this: Me (settling in chair, removing glasses, closing eyes). Hairdresser (warming up for 20 minutes of conversation): "So what do you do?" Me (bracing myself): "I write books." Haidresser (expressing false interest): "That sounds interesting. What about?" Me (knowing what's coming next): "Computers." Hairdresser (works in silence for 19 minutes). Read more →

Get $200 BooksFree

Bentley Systems sells Haestad Methods' books for as much as US$195, but now they're giving them away -- sort of. -- Stormwater Conveyance Modeling and Design (regularly $195) -- Wastewater Collection System Modeling and Design (regularly $195) -- Advanced Water Distribution Modeling and Management (regularly $145) ... now free, when you download them as chapter files in PDF format from here. Read more →

When Good Tech EditorsGo Bad

Bill Fane is the technical editor for many of my books. This week he, copy editor Stephen Dunning, and myself are putting the finishing touches on my latest book. I've posted examples before on this blog of Humour By Bill and Stephen, but this may well be the most extreme example -- no doubt brought on by the relief of Yet Another Grueling Editing Spree come to an end. In appendix A, I wrote (and my spell checker mis-corrected) the following: Note: *) AutoCAD flummery called it “circular” but changed to “polar” many years ago. In the markups returned to... Read more →

Foundations ofComputer-Aided Design

A fellow I know was ridding himself of old textbooks. As instructor at a technical college, he had three stacks of computer books next to his office divider, stacked four feet high. I like getting old books, because they contain snippets of history. They're also interesting, because they are written from a point of view that seemed valid at the time. (Try this for an exercise: read Newsweek magazine from during the second world war.) This stack of books has titles like "Learning AutoCAD Release 9" and "Programming VBA 2005." The one I picked out was a hardcover text titled,... Read more →

My Summeris My Work

It may be summer time for us in the Northern Hemisphere, but that's no reason for me to stop working -- what with three kids in college and the equivalent. I'm working on three book projects simultaneously, each different from the other. One is brand-new book due to come out at Autodesk University -- provided we meet the writing-editing-printing-distribution schedule. This book is different in that it is brand-new book; most of my books are updates of earlier editions. But this one is completely new, and already the tech editor is complaining: "I rapidly went into 'deer in the headlights'... Read more →

New eBook from Ralphg

I've completed updating my ebook on rendering with AutoCAD 2008, and so Tailoring AutoCAD Rendering 2008 is now available. The update adds 62 pages, with these features: * Expanded Materials palette (boy, is it expanded! I had to turn this subject into two chapters.) * Web lights and how to get more .ies files from the Internet. * Target-free spot and Web lights for easy placement of ceiling lights. * Photometric rendering. * New Sun&Sky background in the View command. * New and expanded tutorials. * Updated for all of AutoCAD 2008's 24 new and changed rendering commands and system... Read more →

A Lament for New Software

Jessie Scanlon of Business Week speaks with former Alias chief scientist Bill Buxton on his new book, Sketching User Experience. While companies were very good at what Buxton calls "N+1" development, or pumping out improved versions of existing products, most were quite bad at developing the new products that are essential for sustainable long-term growth. In the CAD business, "developing new products" is known as copying what everyone else is doing. CAD vendors see growth in PLM! Maintenance contacts! Stealing customers! Acquisitions! Entire article is here: Why Products Fail. Read more →

Acad Quick Ref 08Shipping Now

One of the first paper-based books on AutoCAD 2008 is now shipping, and it's one of mine: The Illustrated AutoCAD 2008 Quick Reference (960 pages; Autodesk Press). Reports my Acquisitions Editor: There is a copy of the book on my desk. It just arrived overnight from the printer. This is the earliest I every remember publishing this title. Sweet. Read more →

"What's Inside? AutoCAD 2008"Updated

The second edition of "What's Inside? AutoCAD 2008" ebook is now available, one week after the software became available. (The first edition was based on a beta of the software; the second edition adds eight pages of new and missing information, and corrects some errors.) Introducing the first edition, I claimed it contained 2x more information than was available from Autodesk -- based on an informal survey. But now I have the hard number: this ebook gives 34% more info. Autodesk "New Features Guide" - lists 128 new and changed commands and system variables - 74 smaller-size pages - full... Read more →

Two eBooks Updatedfor AutoCAD 2008

In the world of AutoCAD, this week is already 2008: the software bevomes available for purchase on Friday. Meanwhile, two of my PDF ebooks are now up-to-date with AutoCAD 2008: Tailoring Dynamic Blocks (US$9.90) - I added a half page specific to 2008 (on tooltips). - Otherwise, this ebook is unchanged, and is suitable for 2006, 7, and 8 users. Tailoring AutoCAD CUI 2008 (US$13.20) - completely updated for the redesigned Customize User Interface dialog box in 2008. - new chapter on customizing the Dashboard. The Web pages for both ebooks have links for ordering and paying through PayPal. Read more →

Ralph Updates His (e)Booksfor AutoCAD 2008

From Feburary through July, I'm busy updating my line of AutoCAD books for 2008: Autodesk Press The Illustrated AutoCAD 2008 Quick Reference - I've completed updating it, and am waiting on tech editor Bill Fane's corrections. - it's grown to 960 pages. Using AutoCAD 2008: Basics - I'll start updating this one in early April. - I've been asked to keep it to 1,216 pages. eBooks.onLine Tailoring Dynamic Blocks - updated and available now. - Custom grips now display tooltips. Tailoring CUI - I'm working right now on updating this ebook. - changes to the user interface. - addition of... Read more →

"What's Inside? AutoCAD 2008"First Book Now Shipping

The very first book on AutoCAD 2008 is now available from upFront.eZine Publishing. "What's Inside? AutoCAD 2008" details the new features and the changes -- all 152 of them. The ebook has over 200 figures illustrating the changes, and includes commands not documented by Autodesk. There's more details about the 110-page PDF ebook at eBooks.onLine, and you can purchase it for US$16.50 through Paypal. After AutoCAD 2008 ships, you get a free upgrade to the ebook with last-minute info. Read more →

Animations with AutoCAD

Another new year, another new ebook. The Animations with AutoCAD ebook that I mentioned a few days ago is now available for purchase (US$8.70). To blow my horn a bit, this is the quickest I've ever written a new book -- four days. Plus one more day for editing, assisted by my dad. But then this ebook's only 58 pages. (My other record is for updating an existing book: I redid one of my AutoCAD LT books for WordWare Publishing in one day.) Naturally, you need to contrast that with the months it takes me to update my thousand-page books,... Read more →