Vectorworks 9 for Windows & Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guide) [Paperback]

Tom Baer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2001 | Series: Visual QuickStart Guide

@SUMMARY= VectorWorks 9 for Windows and Macintosh Visual QuickStart Guide is an ideal resource for learning Vectorworks (formerly known as MiniCad), the newly updated CAD design software by Diehl Graphsoft. Compared to other industry heavyweights, VectorWorks is fast, compact, and affordable. VectorWorks integrates next-generation object-based design with precise 2D drafting, powerful 3D modeling, and easy database and spreadsheet functions, making it an ideal all-purpose CAD package. New features of the program include better support for raster graphics; VectorScript, a flexible scripting language; new layer and class standards; ease-of-use enhancements; and the ability to accommodate plug-ins for special CAD functions, such as photorealistic rendering. This title was previously announced as Vectorworks 8.5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide in July 2000 PTG catalog.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The task-based, visual layout of the Visual QuickStart Guideseries provides an ideal way to learn VectorWorks (formerly MiniCad), a fast, compact and affordable CAD tool. Vectorworks streamlines the design process by making it easy to create and edit common design elements such as windows, doors, and more. It's ideal for anyone working in architecture, theater, engineering, and landscape design.

Step-by-step tasks take readers through all of VectorWorks' major features, covering everything from drawing simple lines to creating sophisticated 3D objects and environments. Screenshots illustrate techniques and results, while numerous tips point the way to shortcuts and practical advice.

About the Author

Tom Baer is a writer and industrial designer living in Iowa. As an industrial designer, he has worked in a range of fields including office furniture design, medical electronics, and telecommunications. This is his first book for Peachpit Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education; 1st edition (December 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201703653
• ISBN-13: 978-0201703658
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,132,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginner VectorWorks User Saved!, February 4, 2002

By 

Linda - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vectorworks 9 for Windows & Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guide) (Paperback)

I just recently switched over to VectorWorks from AutoCAD, at the recommendation of several colleagues. Since I just got the program a couple of months ago, I was still forced to look things up, like tools & commands, that I didn't know of hand. This book was perfect for me. Its layout and illustrations were as easy-to-learn from as the VectorWorks program, itself. I got the book right before Christmas, and have already learned an extraordinary amount.

Though I have been using CAD programs for over a decade, this is the first time that I've been using a CAD program I truly enjoy. And the QuickStart guide has made a huge difference in turning a beginner VectorWorks user to a confident pro.

Thank you Peachpit Press and thank you VectorWorks!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful but Could be Better, September 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Vectorworks 9 for Windows & Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guide) (Paperback)

This book has some serious editing problems which left me feeling cheated. For example there is a web address on the cover which does not take you to a VectorWorks-relevant site, even though throughout the book the reader is referred to this address for supplementary tips and tricks. Even staying within the book itself is frustrating. For example, at one point the reader is told to check Chapter 11, "Customizing the Interface" - but there is no such chapter in the book. This would be a very useful chapter to have! Diagrams and illustrations are frequently mislabeled and there are numerous typos which affect the meaning of the written directions. This book seems like a rough draft that snuck onto bookstore shelves much too early.
That said, the book was useful to me in learning the individual tools in the VectorWorks arsenal. It touches upon nearly every tool and includes examples of their uses and options. But I was disappointed that after reading this book I still did not feel immediately able to set up a whole real-life project of average complexity. Even the chapters devoted to setting up architectural projects, worksheets and presentations really do not fully explain how to use this software to organize the whole project. This is very important because VectorWorks' use of layers, classes, and sheets to organize a project is disimilar to the organizing capabilities of most other CAD packages. In fact, I found that studying the "sample" projects provided by VectorWorks in the "resources" folder of the software was much more useful in learning any of the subjects discussed in the second half of this book. So, if you are looking for a detailed, step-by-step list of tools and their functions (and you have the patience to struggle through the misunderstandings created by the lack of proof reading), then I'd recommend this book. But I'd also point out that VectorWorks has a built-in manual that goes over the same information and more. Just push the "Help" button!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars not for beginners!, July 18, 2002

By 

Kathy Bash (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vectorworks 9 for Windows & Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guide) (Paperback)

I was hoping to find some sort of tutorial about starting from scratch learning Vectorworks. This book may help CAD veterans learn yet another CAD program, but it fails miserably for beginners. Many of the illustrations don't match what I see on my screen, and so far none of the instruction sets has worked without going back to the User's Guide for additional help. If there were a negative star rating for the frustration factor, I would have used it.