Customer Reviews

SolidWorks 2007 Bible

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

If you have time to sit down and read this book, it is probably quite helpful for intermediate to advanced users, but nobody I know working on SolidWorks has time to read 1100 pages looking for useful hints. It is not a good quick reference book.

I'm sorry to read in other reviews that this book is not really for beginners, because now I don't know who it is good for. There are pages and pages of mundane explanations about toolbars and very basic topics, but this information is much easier learned either at a VAR class or poking around on your own.

But have a more involved question like, how do I change the default view orientations of a part? The index is quite useless, since it only has the names SW assigns to various topics, and if you do know to look up 'View Orientation' the only topic covered is for drawings. I have found this problem with more than half of the topics I have tried looking up: basic information that you don't need a book for, and less help than the SW help file on more challenging topics. An unfortunate waste of $40.

This book does not walk the user through many things, it just assumes that you know how to use all of the tools. The approach is a little too technical. This book is for user that already has a lot of experience. At nearly 1100 pages this book seems impressive, but if you're looking for step by step help get Solidworks For Dummies.

This book has pictures that create the illusion that you are going to learn all of that model and at the end it doesn't show you the way step by step to make those models.

The description of the book states: "The most complete resource for SolidWorks on the market. Matt Lombard's in-depth knowledge plus his snappy wit and wisdom make SolidWorks accessible to users at all levels."

Sheer size with bad wit does not make a book good. It shows for this book!

The book is fragmented, poorly explained, written, and illustrated, with a mound of tips that look like they came from various SW User groups.

As a new 3D CAD user and a Mechanical Engineer with 10+ years in industry, it did not help, nor would it help if I was not a new user.

The book was not recommended by my local SW VAR, I know now and I should have listened!!!!

Very highly recommended...getting useful information on when best to use the myriad of methods available to model/assemble is usually trial and error and this book offers that advice without you living the pain of going down the wrong path. This is the advice I paid for when ordering this book--and it was delivered on almost every page I've read so far.

That being said...don't order this book as your FIRST resource on SW, but as a complement to existing material. My recommendation is that this is for those who have 6 months of experience or are converts from other 3D software--for those looking to efficiently increase their skill level.

As a Mechanical Engineer, MSME that's been out of college for ten years, I find that I turn to reference books at least on a monthly basis. I started to use SolidWorks a year ago. I wanted a complete reference book to aid me on applying and understanding general SolidWorks topics and features that I'm not familiar with or have not learned from a local SW VAR class. I'm looking for a Reference book to address the Beginner to Advance user. I'm still looking.

This is a very comprehensive book with over 1100 pages but it reads like a hybrid between a Marks' handbook and a Dummies' series. The figures and models are very difficulty to view; due to their small size and poor quality of print. Example: Page 62, Figure 2.52. I needed a magnifying glass to read the figure. I'm only 32 years old!

The book moves at a snail pace. The author starts addressing a simple part on page 150 and then moves into creating a macro for a rectangle about the Origin on page 151. The book jumps around and assumes that you have a solid understanding of SolidWorks.

The book has over a 100 pages of Appendixes with 60 pages of Index. The CD does provide over 50 useful models, but there are missing files, and parts: Example: There are missing Toolbox parts in Chapter 3 in the Hardware folder;"(HX-SHCS 0.25-28x2x1-N),.and over 90 percent of the models on the CD have under-defined sketches. Yes, I know that you do not need to have a fully-defined sketch in SolidWorks, but when you are writting about best practices, it would be nice to following your own advice in the book.

In general, there is a lot of information in this book, but I find if very difficulty to read, follow and understand. This book is not for the beginner. It was written by a consultant, with many years of experience in SolidWorks. Sometimes, the most intelligent people have the hardest time explaining and simplifying ideas and topics. The book is written for the strong intermediate to advance user. The book does cover very well; 3D Sketching and surface-modeling functions: Swept, Fill, Freeform, Offset, Knit, Radiate, etc.

As a relative new user, less than a year, I'm always investigating new ways to improve my skills; either through SoldWorks VAR classes or in purchasing books. After reading the book description, I purchased it. This is not a book for the beginner user, and may not even be for the intermediate. The book is not written in a way that explains detail steps or procedures and the author assumes that you know a lot about SolidWorks. The book moves very slow is some sections and fly's in other sections.

I've tried to follow the procedures in the book with the practice examples on the enclosed CD-ROM and failed in many areas. The CD-ROM was of little help to me.

The pictures and print quality reminded me of a poor Xerox copy. I expected much more.

My company purchased this book for our Reference library about a year ago with two others. This REFERENCE book is ineffective if you want to understand or learn SolidWorks for "any" user. The book is filled with the author's opinions, poor jokes, and few examples. There is little time spent with the basics or explaining why or how to apply concepts. A trouble shooting section is desperately needed with this style of writing. As a mechanical engineer, I can truly say the book reads between a comic book and Mark's handbook with few benefits.

I googled the author and located his blog. He stated, "First, I am not an educator, and I do not write text books." He can say that again! This is a mammoth book with a lot of information taken from the SolidWorks Help section, snips of blogs, user groups, etc. The binder is falling apart, and I'm the second one to use the book. I guess it is who you know, not what you know for the positive reviews on this book.

I am not a solidworks user, but have been using other cad systems for 10+ years. The company I work for is looking to convert to SOlidworks from ProE and I-DEAS. The book is very useful in its suggestions for best practices and recommendations. It does lack in coverage in working in a team/multiuser enviroment, but it clearly states that is does this too. For a beginner to an advanced users it is a great book, for an admistrator its useful but not great.

Ever since SolidWorks decided to do away with their reference book several years ago they have only supplied a poorly written help file or pointed users to go to their VAR for limited training. All users have been starving for a desk reference and often rely on SolidWorks forums and blogs to figure things out. This book complies several years worth of information from those forums and blogs and from Matt himself, who has been using SolidWorks for a long time. This book is very "real" regarding praising the softwares strengths as well as pointing out it's weaknesses when deserved. If that sounds like what you are looking for, then pick it up!