AutoCAD Bible by Ellen Finkelstein any good?

[kingnero]

as title:
I am changing to 2012 (from 2002 and 2007), and would like to update my skills (haven't used Acad for some years, changed jobs) and have a book at hand to use as reference.

Would Finkelstein's Bible be good for this, or would your recommend another book?

I am not aspiring to become a first-class CAD jockey, but to produce readable drawings that can be sent to customers, like CNC factories for making one-off's, or welding connection details, ...


thanks for your opinions...

 

[rollupswx]

My recommendation would be some other book.

 

[dik]

I used 'Mastering AutoCAD' by Omura, likely 20 years ago... and found it an excellent text. There are current versions... might want to take a gander...

Dik

 

[kingnero]

@ dik, thanks, just looked that up on amazon.

@ rollupswx: care to elaborate? I remember using that book 10 years ago from a coworker, didn't seem too bad...?

 

[MiketheEngineer]

I hate Auto cad - use TurboCad. I can train a monkey to use it in about 15 minutes.

 

[kingnero]

@ Mike: I know, I've read some of your other posts. Nevertheless, A'cad is what we use at work, so not much I can do about it. I don't actually have to use it on a daily basis, so I'm not too concerned about which software we use...

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Actually, the "help" that comes with A'Cad is not too bad....That's how I learned it. Also - your authorized reseller will have classes or can suggest books.

Have fun!!!

 

[EllenFinkelstein]

Obviously I'm biased, but AutoCAD Bible covers every feature completely, with the addition of tutorials. I think it's the most complete. Remember, George Omura is an architect and the book emphasizes architectural drawings.

 

[zdas04]

Welcome to eng-tips.com EllenFinkelstein. Did you really join just to make that post? It may have worked, I'll be looking at your book on Amazon this afternoon. I dearly hate the imbedded help functionality in AutoCad after about 2006 when they started emphasizing web-based help and community help over product help. I've been looking for a reference for a month or so but haven't like the index in any I've found in stores (not many bookstores left in small towns, and they tend to not have much technical).

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.

 

[zdas04]

Looking at this kind of book, I always go to the index first and try to find entries for the stuff I want to know in a product. The index preview on Amazon looks good as far as it goes (i.e., several pages are not included in the preview). I'd buy it if I hadn't migrated to 2013 last month. I'll be watching for a 2013 version.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.