Digital Drawing for Designers: A Visual Guide to AutoCAD (Paperback)

~ Douglas R. Seidler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

AutoCAD has long been the industry standard for digital drawing but how do you
decide which manual to use? Neither simplistic nor exhaustive, Digital Drawing for Designers
teaches by relating to what architects and interior designers understand best:
the visual world. Beginning with the building blocks of drawing (lines, circles, and
arcs), students progress to the graphic standards that will allow them to create drawings
and communicate their design ideas. Advanced features such as dimensions,
block, and linking drawings (XREFs) are also covered. Instructions are conveyed
using the language and concepts of manual drawing that all designers know, enabling
them to translate them to the digital environment. New learners will appreciate the
step-by-step lessons, and experienced design professionals can easily access material
to refresh their knowledge. Clear, concise, and above all visual, this is the AutoCAD
guide written with the real world of designing in mind.
Two-page guide walks you and your students through the steps to restore AutoCAD s
classic workspace. Regardless of which workspace you use in your classroom, the
AutoCAD commands and concepts introduced in Digital Dawing for Designers are
compatible with AutoCAD 2009.

About the Author

Douglas Seidler is an Assistant Professor of Interior Design at the New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University. Professor Seidler is also a Lead Faculty of Foundation Studios at the Boston Architectural College. He teaches a wide range of graduate and undergraduate courses including foundation studio, materials and methods studio, furniture design, senior studio, computer drafting, construction documents, design communication, and thesis documentation. His research focuses on the application of pedagogical research in design education. He has over twelve years of professional experience in Architecture and Interior Design. Digital Drawing for Designers: A Visual Guide to AutoCAD is Douglas' first publication.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Fairchild Pubns; 1 edition (February 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563675129
• ISBN-13: 978-1563675126
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #449,285 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, an AutoCAD book that is written for designers, April 7, 2007

By	P. Cerqueira (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Clear illustrations and easy to follow step-by-step instructions make it easy to master AutoCAD commands with this book. Often, a single page covers an entire command (in words and illustrations) which makes it easy to learn the first time or refresh my memory.

I'm glad I found an AutoCAD book that does not require me to be a programmer to learn this software. I'll keep this one next to my computer for quick reference.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Indispensable Resource, April 2, 2007

By	Lori Anderson Wier (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Digital Drawing for Designers is an excellent resource for students and professionals alike. Seidler's generous use of graphics coupled with concise and easy-to-read text make mastering AutoCad easy, boiling down what can be a difficult program into practical lessons that address the needs of designers at every level.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Getting Started Book, May 31, 2007

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

AutoCAD is clearly the industry standard computer aided design software. If you type AutoCad into the search engine at Amazon you get 4,306 books about it. How do you possibly pick one out of this many. Or perhaps a better question is why pick this one.

First, this book is specifically oriented to architects and interior designers. That's what the examples show, that's the terminology used. You are not looking at gears or airplane wings.

Second, this book is aimed at the beginner. It starts with comparing AutoCad to conventional paper and T-Square drafting. It compares AutoCAD commands to common drafting implements like a pencil or compass.

Third, it is rather independent of the AutoCAD version. The concepts being taught here are the basic ones, so you can use the book with whatever version you have.

Fourth, it is a very visually oriented book. It has you quickly working on drawings, showing you in illustrations what you should be seeing on the screen.

Fifth, as a basis for starting your drawings the companion web site for the book has perhaps as much information as is contained in the book.

Conclusion. This is an excellent book to use to get started with AutoCAD, especially for architects and interior designers.