SolidWorks 2009 Bible [Paperback]

Matt Lombard (Afterword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047025825X | ISBN-13: 978-0470258255 | Publication Date: February 3, 2009 | Edition: SPO release 9-10-2008

SolidWorks Bible is a comprehensive reference-tutorial that covers the basics, but then quickly ramps up to more advanced level topics. Every feature is thoroughly covered yet written in a way that makes learning this robust program seem non-threatening and uncomplicated. In a market full of books for beginners this is the one book that goes into extensive detail, not just on "how" the software works, but in many cases "why" it works the way it does. The author is well known in the SolidWorks community and uses SolidWorks on a daily basis as his main design tool in his contracting and consulting work. Many topics covered in SolidWorks Bible are not found in any other publication or even documentation directly from SolidWorks.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. 

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Revise and reinvent 3D prototypes as much as you wish

Whether you're designing parts or assemblies, SolidWorks is what you need to tranform virtual 3D models into production design data. And whether you're new to this powerful CAD software or want to take your current skills to new levels, you'll find all the in-depth coverage you need in this comprehensive guide. Packed with step-by-step tutorials, timesaving techniques, and real-world examples, this book helps you accomplish tasks, avoid pitfalls, and start using SolidWorks 2009 like a pro.

• Customize your user interface and use visualization tools

• Create sketches, parts, assemblies, and drawings

• Build intelligence into parts with smart components

• Explore patterns, equations, and configurations

• Learn multibody, surface, and master model techniques

• Work with mold tools, plastic and sheet metal parts, and weldments

• Create animations with SolidWorks Motion

The CD includes all the parts, assemblies, drawings, and examples you need to follow the tutorials in each chapter. You'll also find finished models, and templates.

About the Author

Matt Lombard is an independent SolidWorks consultant. Because of his popularity with SolidWorks user groups and through his SolidWorks Web site and online forums, he has built a reputation as a go-to resource for everything SolidWorks. He serves on the SolidWorks User Group Network Committee.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1176 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; SPO release 9-10-2008 edition (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047025825X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470258255
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #656,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Graphics & Multimedia > Solid Works

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This is Not an Instructional Book, October 17, 2009

By 

J. Richardson (Mineral Wells, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SolidWorks 2009 Bible (Paperback)

This book is nothing but a glorified command reference. The blurb by the publisher says that the book goes into the "why" instead of just the "how". To put it mildly, this is not true. The "tutorials" are nothing but lists of instructions with no insight as to how OR why. I repeatedly find myself trying to fill in the blanks between steps when one instruction does not logically follow another, or is so poorly defined that you have to look ahead three steps to figure out what it means. You never know what you are doing until you are done, and sometimes not even then.

There is nothing instructional about this book. The body of the chapters is a long list of descriptions of features. The idea that people learn by doing is lost to this author. You are expected to memorize the long boring diatribe about the features so that when you get to the "instructional" part at the end of the chapters the author can bark commands at you without having to explain anything. I really tried to give this a second chance by going back and trying to do some of the stuff that is being talked about in the text of the chapters even though it does not tell you to. This approach did not help anything. It makes no impact to look at settings and menus if they are not being needed in the context of a drawing, part, or assembly. All I ended up accomplishing was to get my interface into different modes that I didn't know the relevance of (or how to undo without using "undo").

Nearly every time the text references a drawing the drawing is on the next page, so you annoyingly have to be flipping pages all the time when trying to learn. A PDF version would help this immensely, but hey, they lied about that too. There isn't one on the CD. The method of writing in this book makes Matt Lombard come off as a self righteous blow-hard and displays zero understanding of the learning process. His publisher apparently pays him by the page. This is one of the few books I have purchased in my lifetime that actually had me boiling over angry at it's uselessness.

THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR BEGINNERS. Only buy this if you are looking for a command reference.

I learned more in 1 day of online tutorials than I did spending two solid weeks with this book. Buyer beware.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT for beginners, October 2, 2009

By 

JC in JC "MrJC" (NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SolidWorks 2009 Bible (Paperback)

I purchased this book with confidence after after reading the "AutoCad 2009 Bible" by the same publisher. I've been very disappointed with this book. Although there is a lot of good information, your software will NOT behave as illustrated in the exercises. You'll be left searching around online to figure out how to complete the tutorials. There are a lot of very odd/confusing sentences, as if there was no editing/proofreading done. I hope to work all the way through the book, but wish there was a simpler, clearer book with exercises to work through, as there were in the AutoCad book.

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Displeased with this book. Written like a blog., January 26, 2009

By 

R. Halter (TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SolidWorks 2009 Bible (Paperback)

I've been waiting for this book since August 2008 when it was posted on Amazon.com. I am not sure that I'm pleased or displeased with it.

I'm very familiar with the Wiley book series; namely the Bible for AutoCAD by Ellen Finkelstein. As an AutoCad user earlier in my day, Ellen was the person! It was only natural when I started to use SolidWorks, to migrate over to the SolidWorks Bible series. The SolidWorks Dummy series in my humble opinion (free copy) turned out to be a large marketing brochure with very very fundamental information.

The Bible is more of a desk reference book for the SolidWorks user who is looking to do something that he/she hasn't done before. Do not purchase this book if you have not been formally trained in SolidWorks or have not read any real SolidWorks instructional manuals or books.

This first 200 pages, oh well, what can I say but skip it. The book is written like a blog. The book does cover a lot of information, not always in the most rational manner, but the author seems to be very narcissistic, and after the first 500 hundred pages or so, it wears thin on ones soul.

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of material covered in this book, but it is presented in a fashion to make you reflect, and speculate on things that can open larger doors of contemplation without answering your original question. After writing this review, I have decided, No, I am displeased with this book! Has anyone heard of quality and quantity, plus the description states there is a pdf version included on the CD - I could not find it anywhere.