It must be remembered that this book is not a beginners guide to AutoCAD, it is an additional course book for 3D using basic AutoCAD and as one of the preferred entry requirements for the City & Guilds 3D course is a good basic knowledge of AutoCAD commands and use of the 2D drawing environment, the book, although very descriptive in all drawing command areas, does need a basic knowledge of AutoCAD to fully appreciate its usefulness.
This is in no way a criticism of the book, merely a comment to prospective users

(learning to walk before running etc)

A reasonable understanding of basic file structuring is required as instructions such as “open the drawing boss 1” assume the user will be aware that the drawing could only possibly exist on the CD supplied with the manual, and how to access and retrieve it.
As CD files are read only, a transfer rather than a “save as” will need the read only attribute removed for the file to be usable.
All “easy peasy” and second nature to an experienced user, not necessarily so for a beginner in CAD.

The book makes numerous references to “adding the lisp routine xxx” again a straight forward

procedure to the regular user that is not easily understood by someone not so experienced in

AutoCAD customisation and routines.

I found the Intro informative and will be very useful to home users, however it is worth remembering that in a College environment Students may not be allowed sufficient rights to make and retain changes to the working environment of the PC they are using.

Page 8. This most useful page is worth copying and keeping handy until the function key commands have become second nature.

The book is usefully arranged such that full details of the part of the C&G Course covered are listed at the beginning of each chapter.
Book marking each section will give easy cross reference.

Outcome 5
Perhaps more could have been made of the importance of using multiple layers in a drawing to allow the vitally important individual viewport layer control, rather than global, when producing different views and sections of the single model.

Outcome 6
Non engineering students will need access to a table/drawing showing how a thread is measured as I doubt many will understand this reference to thread diameters.
I also wonder how many will know what a helix is and how it relates to thread forms, as the City & Guilds do not teach engineering draughting, only how to manipulate AutoCAD software.

Overall I enjoyed the book very much and consider it to be a worthwhile addition to the City & Guilds course, and lets face it, when you are learning something new you cannot have too much reference information available to you.



Stewart Ingram
Draughtsman.co.uk