Product Description

Intimate Strangers

Bridget Cooke possesses the gifts London society prizes: genteel manners, intelligence, an exquisite figure. She lacks, however, a fortune. A companion to icy relatives, Bridget resigns herself to a life of solitude, especially because of the childhood scar that mars her lovely face. Little does she expect to receive the vigorous attentions of darkly handsome, rich widower Lord Ewen Sinclair, Regency England's most infamous rake.

In a matter of days, the Sinclair whisks Bridget to the altar and into his passionate embrace. Dismissing the vicious rumors surrounding their hasty marriage, Bridget is sure of Ewen's love, even when he is mysteriously called away. But then a shocking secret from his past emerges, threatening her happiness. If Ewen is a cad and their wedding a lie, as the gossips say, then why does Bridget's very stubborn heart still believe his love is true? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

OK but not a keeper!
The storyline is nice, with an original telling of a somewhat common theme. The Cad could have been a great novel.Unfortunately, it's not!The characters are lacking depth. Ewen has asked Bridget to be his mistress.She has a scar and consequently, lowered self-esteem. Bridget refuses his offer and Ewen goes the next step, asking for her hand.They marry.Some in the ton don't believe it nor understand it, and gossip prevails.

I gave the novel 3 stars as Amazon doesn't give option of 2 1/2.Fine to read, but not a keeper.

3.5 stars overall....
and a solid 3.5 at that. Like other reviewers I have to agree-this was a book that started fantastically but quickly lost steam when the hero, called away, is seemingly gone for almost half of the book.

The saving grace to the story is the supporting characters (whom I understand will be prominant in future books) especially street urchins Gilly and little sister Betsy.

For a historical-the novel does have several plot problems-my biggest complaint is the servants rudeness to the heroine-who is now the Viscountess, AND their boss.

I find their behavior towards Bridget highly implausible-they would have treated ANY guest of the Viscount with respect for fear of losing their positions.
But-that being said-the novel's first half, and the promise of future storylines with these characters-makes this book enjoyable enough to recommend.
3.5 stars.

...not to be missed!!!!!!!!!
O My God. This is absolutely the best book ive ever read. i fell in love with Ewen completely. Its guaranteed that you will never come across a hero such as Ewen. He is one the best, most sensual, most romantic of hero's i've ever read about... The heroine Bridget is amazing/ vulnerable, yet strong and with such sadness that only Ewen could complete her and make her happy. I loved both these characters so much and was sooooo sad to turn that last page. Granted there seperation in the middle of the book was a little too long, nevertheless i still enjoyed these two characters immensely. They were two halves of a whole and i couldn't get enough of them. This book... is not to be missed!!!!

A solid 3.5 stars
In trying to sum up this book, the best word is intriguing.This is a very romantic book in the truest sense of the word.It keeps you wondering what is true and what is false.The characters are flawed but make sense together.I liked the secondary character until some of the other readers.First book of hers but it makes me want to check out another one. If you are looking for a Rachael Gibson or Nora Roberts, go elsewhere but she has solid writing.More like Kathleen Woodiweiss

Actually..3 1/2 stars.......
"The Cad" began wonderfully..I love a book where we dont have to wait long for the H/H to meet...I really was into this at first and was so excited because I thought that I had found a keeper...well, imagine my disappointment then when this story fell flat on it's face a little more than half way through...There was a huge separation between the H/H that had me desperately skimming ahead to see when they would finally be together again..also, there were many secondary characters in this book that instead of making things more interesting just annoyed me..."The Cad" wasnt awful...but it was definitely not more than mediocre at best. ... Read more

Product Description
Murder Most Fowl When Priscilla Halburton-Smythe brings her London playwright fiance home to Lochdubh, everybody in town is delighted...except for love-smitten Constable Hamish Macbeth. Yet his affairs of the heart will have to wait. Vile, boorish Captain Bartlett, one of the guests at Priscilla's engagement party, has just been found murdered-shot while on a grouse hunt. Now with many titled party guests as the prime suspects, each with a reason for snuffing out the despicable captain, Hamish must smooth ruffled feathers as he investigates the case. When the hidden culprit strikes again, Hamish will find himself trying to save Priscilla from a miserable marriage-and catch a killer before he flies the coop. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Death of a Cad
This was a very intertaining book, as are all of M.C. Beaton's books The storylines keep me coming back for more.The Hamish Macbeth books are my favorites.A good mix of mystery and humor.

good book and characters, ? mistake in solution
I really enjoyed reading the book, but wondered if anyone else noticed that when Hamish solves the mystery, he describes twice how Henry makes Peter's deathappear to be a suicide. No where else in the book is suicide ever mentioned. It appeared to be a hunting accident until Hamish proved it was murder. That discrepancy detracted from an otherwise enjoyable book.

continuity
Death of a Cad is the second of many Hamish Macbeth mysterys. I did not discover this series until recently, so have read them out of order. Each one is individual and does not require the previous ones to enjoy the others.

Fun and lighthearted!
Being a fan of MC Beaton's Agatha Raisin series I thought I'd give Hamish Macbeth a try too.I am pleasantly surprised to find, though the setting is in some ways quite different, the tone is nice and the stories not too dark or muddled.This is a great cozy and I highly recommend all of MC Beatons work.

Could a champion huntsman have shot himself through carelessness?
M. C. Beaton is one of perhaps a dozen pseudonyms ofMarion Chesney (Mrs. Harry Scott) (1936 -) a writer born in Glasgow now living in England. Writing as M. C. Beaton, she has produced at least 42 detective novels: 18 about Agatha Raisin and 24 in the Hamish Macbeth series. DEATH OF A CAD is the second novel about Constable Hamish Macbeth of the northwest Scottish sea loch town of Lochdubh. This book is notably more complex and deeper than its predecessor in the series, DEATH OF A GOSSIP. Better detective yarn, better novel.

But DEATH OF A CAD does retain earlier formulaic elements. These include first chapter fingering for the reader of the person to be murdered (the Gossip, Cad, Outsider, Hussy, etc.), intrusion for a short time of the future victim into a group of a half dozen or a dozen persons in or near the village of Lochdubh, with the future dead person having already given or being about to give all or most of the group ample reason to want to kill him or her.

Thirty-something Hamish Macbeth solved his first murder case a year earlier (DEATH OF GOSSIP) but had made sure that a police higher up was given the credit so that Hamish would not be promoted from his comfortable, undemanding job. This sinecure gives him ample opportunities to poach fish and game and earn money on the side to support a brood of much younger brothers and sisters who depend on his remittances.

The novel's cad is quickly and unmistakably identified. He is Captain Peter Bartlett of the Highland Dragoons. He is already on hand as an early if not entirely welcome house guest of Colonel and Mrs Halburton-Smythe of Tommel Castle. The time is a couple of days before August 12th, "the Glorious Twelfth," first day of the annual four month grouse shooting season in the Highlands. The Halburton-Smythes have invited a few friends, acquaintances and relatives, young and old, to spend some days under their roof and celebrate the engagement of their daughter Priscilla to a suddenly famous nearly 40 years old playwright, Henry Withering.

For years Henry had cranked out serious Marxist plays and made himself beloved of radicals and communists. Suddenly from nowhere has sprung DUCHESS DARLING, a frothy comedy of upper class manners, and made the playwright an overnight celebrity. How on earth could he have done such an artistic flip flop and deliberately nosedived into the world of lowbrow literature?

The always in debt Captain Bartlett makes a bet of 5,000 pounds with immensely wealthy Jeremy Pomfret from Perth that he will shoot two grouse before Jeremy does. The Captain also informs Constable Macbeth the evening before that he will be paid another 2,000 pounds if he delivers his brace of grouse before noon of the Glorious Twelfth to a wealthy Arab who will send a helicopter to fetch them to London for an evening celebration. The two competitors are to set out together at 9:00 a.m.

But Bartlett cheats and slips out early, apparently unnoticed by anyone and is later found dead hanging on a fence, shot through the chest with both barrels of his shotgun. It seems an accident. But Constable Macbeth is suspicious andfairly soon produces evidence and leads which compel the killer to confess at novel's end. Meanwhile the killer has also murdered one of three female house guests with whom the randy Captain had slept one after the other in the night before the grouse hunt.

If you read DEATH OF A CAD too quickly, you can miss vital clues. But either a slower first reading or a more attentive re-reading shows that author Beaton has written a more reader-fair detective story this second time around. For we do not have to depend on Hamish Macbeth's uncanny and unreproducible sleuthing instincts so much as in DEATH OF A GOSSIP. The clues are fairly if unobtrusively laid out and readers will legitimately enjoy piecing them together.

In addition, DEATH OF A CAD provides the same wonderful feel for Scottish landscapes, sea views, weather, roads, Highland characters and social tensions as in DEATH OF A GOSSIP. The text becomes lightly didactic about grouse hunting and the care and cleaning of expensive shotguns.

The ultimate clue to unraveling the mystery comes when Hamish travels to London, interviews the deceased's aunt and learns more of the murdered Captain's psychology. He "had a magpie mind. He was always adopting other people's enthusiasms and hobbies" (Ch. 14). It turns out that one of those enthusiasms got him killed. -OOO- ... Read more

Product Description
A definitive user's guide to the U.S. National CAD Standard

The Architect's Guide to the U.S. National CAD Standard helps make the National CAD Standard (NCS) more accessible to architects by presenting:
* Clear and succinct explanations of concepts and options in the NCS
* A step-by-step approach to seamlessly implement standardized drawings in any size firm
* Successful strategies design firms can use to best take advantage of the NCS requirements


The Architect's Guide to the U.S. National CAD Standard presents an informative overview of the NCS, including illustrations and frequently asked questions. It shows architects how to minimize immediate costs and downtime, how to reap immediate benefits, and how best to learn the system at an individualized pace. Used side by side with the Standard, this authoritative guide offers helpful insight into how the NCS is likely to be interpreted and presents a variety of available options for meeting the standardization requirements.

Interior designers, construction managers, urban planners, as well as owners, engineers, and facility managers will also find this authoritative reference to be invaluable! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Too broad a guide to be truly useful.
This is only a GUIDE to the United States National CAD Standards which the guide assumes you have a copy of.BTW, a comprehensive copy of the US CAD Standards is about $400 US Dollars per copy.

It is a general discussion on recommended implementation strategies.I find it to be too broad to be useful.

New Standard in Born
The new standard for the industry.A must buy for professionals. ... Read more

Product Description
An Introduction to CAD/CAM/CAE is a timely text with coverage of many modern topics, including: rapid prototyping, virtual engineering, NT-based solid modeling systems, and Web-related issues. This book provides balanced coverage of CAD/CAM (with slightly more emphasis on CAD topics) and bonus coverage of computer-aided engineering (CAE). This book's emphasis on the integration of three related disciplines-CAD, CAM, and CAE-makes it a great theoretical introduction to all subjects from geometric representation to the most sophisticated CAE subjects. Many illustrations and references ground the theory in practical examples.
The book also features a unique illustration of the whole product development process through a practical case study that gives readers a clear idea how CAD, CAM, and CAE systems are integrated to accelerate the product development process.
This book is carefully targeted toward today's students; topics are introduced in a concise, efficient manner, with mathematical terminology that is kept to a minimum. A background in programming, calculus, and matrix and vector algebra is helpful when using this text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I'm anxious for this book for long time.
In my view this book contains very interesting and practical topic about CAD/CAM/CAE in various area.

Exellent Work!
Interesting Contex

Exelent Work!
Interesting Contex ... Read more

Product Description
CAD for Interiors: Basics is a practical guide to getting started in AutoCAD(r) for interior designers. Taking a hands-on approach, the reader is taken on a step-by-step process to draw a detailed building floor plan. Beginning with instruction on how to create project templates, the reader works their way up to a professional-quality presentation. The basics of Architectural Desktop(r) and 3-D CAD are also included.

An included DVD complements the book, presenting videos of detailed AutoCAD(r) commands demonstrating the book's instruction using a unique audio-visual approach. No other product for designers offers a blended approach to make learning visually exciting and effective. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The basics, the core commands the interior designer will use.
This book falls into an interesting balance for the user.

First, it takes the point of view that the interior designer has to be able to produce drawings to illustrate the buildings he is designing. In today's world that really means that the student has to use a computer assisted design package.

Second it accepts that AutoCAD is the default standard for CAD systems. The author also realizes that AutoCAD has become so big, so powerful and so all encompassing that while it can be used for almost any kind of design job there is a subset of its capabilities, 'the basics' if you will, that the interior designer will really need to know.

As such, he has presented a basic AutoCAD manual oriented to the interior designer. He uses terminology from the interior design world rather than something else like say the plumbing world. And second as the title of the book says, he teaches the basics, the core commands, of using AutoCAD. With this book you can get your interior design job completed. And if you need to know more you can go to a more advanced book.

The DVD included with the book consists primarily of video presentations that talk about and illustrate the functionality of these core commands. ... Read more

Product Description
Take your AutoCAD? and 3D drawing skills to the next level!
Like all advanced technology, AutoCAD? has been constantly evolving. To remain competitive, interior designers must understand and take advantage of the new tools and functionalities of the latest releases. Now you can with CAD for Interiors: Beyond the Basics, an ideal next step from Fiorello's CAD for Interiors: Basics.

Fiorello's user-friendly, hands-on approach makes learning exciting and effective by:

• familiarizing you with the new 2D Drafting and Annotation Workspace and the 3D Modeling Workspace, which are key to accessing many AutoCAD? functions.
• walking you step by step through the process of drawing detailed building floor plans, sections, and elevations.
• introducing you to advanced 2D and basic 3D commands.
• covering presentation and advanced plotting features for sharing AutoCAD? files efficiently.
• providing practice exercises and videos of detailed AutoCAD? commands on DVD.

As you progress through this guide, you will advance to compiling a working set of detail construction documents for a millwork package for a commercial office project. In the end, you will have gone beyond the basics to genuine fluency in one of the most powerful and practical tools available to the interior designer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A pick for arts, architecture and computer collections alike
Collections strong in architecture and interior design appealing to uses of AutoCAD and 3D drawing will appreciate a powerful hands-on approach to the latest 2D Drafting and Annotation Workspace and the 3D Modeling Workspace, keys to accessing many AutoCAD functions. It offers step-by-step reviews of drawing building floor plans and elevations and covers commands and advanced plotting features, making this a pick for arts, architecture and computer collections alike.

Quite bad
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. It says beyond basics but it really isn't. What is covered here has already been covered in the earlier version Cad Basics. I had to return the book. ... Read more

Product Description

Focussing on the manipulation and representation of geometrical objects, this book explores the application of geometry to computer graphics and computer-aided design (CAD).

Customer Reviews (1)

Good computer graphics text
This text has a novel approach to entry level computer graphics using homogeneous coordinates entirely.I struggled a bit with the use of these representations in perspective transformations.However once I got it I found the derivations and formulas to be easy to get and easy to use. The book has an extensive set of exercises with complete answers.I deducted one star because the theoretical aspects of homogeneous transformations could use expansion and simplification. ... Read more

Product Description
For architects who seek better ways to communicate their vision, here is the first book that explains how to transform CAD drawings into beautiful presentational pieces using Photoshop. First you'll learn the basic Photoshop skills, then find out how to add real-world textures (i.e. granite countertops), include "entourage" (i.e. trees and people), create realistic lighting effects and reflections, and even develop mood using antique or painterly effects. All discussions are reinforced by real-world tutorials and apply to any CAD program that outputs the.dwg file format. The CD features a Photoshop demo, sample scripts, utilities, and tutorial videos. The 16-page color insert highlights inspirational before-and-after images. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

amazing!
I am really amazed by the way the author delivers the information to readers. Even for Photoshop CS4 and CS5 users (the book tutorials are applied to CS version) there is no problems to understand the contest even for a moment. Great visual explanations and clear complete context arrangement. In addition, English is my second language, it is a great benefit for foreign students. Fast, easy and interesting way to learn new skills.

Enhancing cad drawings with photoshop.
This book had many parts out of date. The Lisp program was not to be found in my photoshop CS 3 educational version. Autodesk VIZ is not in use anymore, the method works the same in differnt 3d programs. The calibrationsystem for the monitor was not to be found in the package Adobe offered for free download on the homepage. It is not included in Adobe gamma anylonger. The cad system is 2005 but this is ok because it is possible to find the topics in the helpmenu of Autodesk. The essential photoshop technics are very useful. Enhancing CAD Drawings with Photoshop

I would pay some more money and buy the new book by Omura called Photoshop for architects instead of this book.

Enhancing CAD drawings with Photoshop
Scott Onstott has a wealth of experience in architectural graphics and with many related 2D and 3D software. In this book he offers practical advice to enhance plans, elevations, etc. from CAD software such as Autocad using Photoshop techniques.

Meh.
I'm a little disappointed with this book. I got it as an architecture student looking for some inspiration and helpful tips on producing better drawings. Unfortunately, this book focuses more on technical aspects than graphic ideas. Only a few pages are in color, and there's even a section on tweaking image color that uses black and white images as examples(!). It covers a lot of things I already know about photoshop and provides lots of useless information that won't actually enhance my work.

Many of the examples aren't 'Architectural' and come off as cheesy, I'd be ashamed to pin some of them up. This is not 'Architecture' with a capitol A, this is the kind of stuff I'd expect to see at the open house for a cheap cookie cutter housing development. In fact, I'd consider many of the 'enhanced' plans to be inferior to the original CAD drawings. Lastly, Adobe Illustrator should really be included. Its a crucial link between AutoCAD and Photoshop and this book ignores it. I'll use this thing as a reference periodically when I'm in need of technical assistance, but I wouldn't recommend it. When you already know what you want your drawings to look like this book could help you with the software, but it will not teach you how to produce good work!

Excellent Resource
I'm teaching a course on Architectural Digital Illustration and found this book to be an excellent text book material. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

AWFUL !!!
By obtaining this book I was hoping to learn some information about George Sanders.How wrong I was.This book is about Brian Ahern's friendship and correspondance with one of Sanders's wives, Benita Hume (B-O-R-I-N-G)!!!Do not waste your time or money!

George Sanders by Brian Aherne
A different sort of bio by Brian Aherne about George Sanders.Aherne has mostly just reprinted Benita Hume's letters to him with a few of Aherne's comments.You get some biographical info about Aherne but very little about Sanders.A fun read about old Hollywood, especially the British Colony of the 40's, but not a definitive bio of Sanders.

'THE' book on Sanders
This is THE book to get about sanders. Great photos and very sensitivley written. Ahern paints a picture of a very intricate, talented and complex man, an extremely rare individual who at times was a VERY difficult person. The book includes many letters of correspondence between Ahern, Sanders and Bentia. it is also a VERY sad book (in my oppinion) to read. In his later life Sanders was falling appart at the seams and unfortunaly those closest to him did not take the opportunity to threw him a lifeline and regretted not doing so for the rest of their lives. Whether he could have been saved is questionable.... we will never know.

A page-turner
Benita Hume was a charming correspondent.Her letters bring her 2nd husband George Sanders to life in a way that a more objective observer probably never could.Who else would tell you that Sanders could play the guitar behind his back, or that he was an amateur electrician who routinely rewired his friends' houses?He had so many gifts, it's endlessly fascinating to me that he ended his life because he was bored.

This may not be a typical biography, but it's one of the best that I've read.

Not enough about George Sanders just letters from BenitaHume
I am glad I picked this one up first. I did not see this as a real bio on George Sanders. It had pages on Brian Aherne's life. I found this to be not needed. The majority of the book is letters from Benita Hume(George Sanders wife) to Brian Aherne. I wanted a meat and potatoes bio on George. I suggest not wasting your money. You will only get bits and pieces of George. I am sure Brian meant well ,but it just did not turn out well. I am now reading George Sanders autobiography. I will let you know how that goes. ... Read more

Product Description
Proven techniques for using mental ray effectively

If you're a busy artist seeking high-end results for your 3D, design, or architecture renders using mental ray, this is the perfect book for you. It distills the highly technical nature of rendering into easy-to-follow steps and tutorials that you can apply immediately to your own projects. The book uses 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design to show the integration with mental ray, but users of any 3D or CAD software can learn valuable techniques for incorporating mental ray into their pipelines.

• Takes you under the hood of mental ray, a stand-alone or bundled product that is often used with 3D or CAD software in the creation of movies, games, architectural renders, and television
• Focuses on only the most pertinent tools and techniques for busy professionals who need to quickly apply them on the job
• Provides compelling, practical tutorials so you can start incorporating mental ray into your own production pipelines
• Includes a DVD with step-by-step videos to help drive home concepts and techniques

Learn effective mental ray techniques with this great guide, then keep this practical book at your workstation for reference while you work!

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

Customer Reviews (15)

One of the best books on mental ray and Max!
If you are looking for a book on 3ds Max/Design 2011 and mental ray that covers that topic in a clear, understandable way then look no further. When I first started to read the review copy sent to me I knew immediately that it was an exceptional text. This is by far one of the best books dealing specifically with that subject. Throughout the book the emphasis is on how to get good fast results from mental ray. This is something we should all be looking for. Jennifer O'Connor goes into most of the settings in the renderer and shows you how to get the most from them. As the title of the book implies the book is directed more towards architectural visualization community but I believe other mental ray users will find as much value here as the architecturally inclined.

Jennifer O'Connor knows mental ray and she knows how to get you to understand the ins and outs of the renderer. The book 'Mastering mental ray: Rendering Techniques for 3D and CAD Professionals' is written in such a way that the concepts that are necessary to understand rendering in general, and rendering using mental ray are easily understood. It covers most of the features and certainly the most important ones in mr in a very comprehensive way. The structure of the book - the logical sequence of topics - makes learning and understanding mental ray an almost guaranteed conclusion. I've read a number of books on this great renderer, and have seen a number of video tutorials on this topic, but I learned things, or at least understood things better having read this book.

I believe this book may be best suited to a 3ds Max user who knows his or her way around Max fairly well. However, even a person starting out in Max would be able to get something out of this text. At the beginning of the book we are we are led through mental ray essentials. I could tell right from the start that we were in good hands.

Visually the layout of the book is impressive. All the illustrations are in full color. Any illustrations not shown in the book are provided on the DVD. The book's text is easy to follow with the accompanying illustration figures close by so you don't have to dig backwards or forwards to find them. At the beginning of each chapter we are made aware of the topics covered. I even liked the repeated "Next I cover....' within each chapter. The phrase is repeated enough to notice and I believe it reinforces the connections between different aspects of the renderer.

I liked the way each chapter ends with a `Bottom Line' paragraph, basically summarizing the chapter in a few sentences. Each summary is followed by a `Master It' challenge. The solutions to the tasks can be found in appendix A. If you try these little tests you find they go a long way in your mental ray education by reinforcing the concepts just learned. Speaking of learning, I liked her suggestion about a good way to tackle any new topic in any book. (I was familiar with the technique having read it on her website and used it on a few of the books I read for review purposes and personal education, and found it does help) Essentially you are urged to skim the book before reading it to get an idea of the topics covered. This gives you a kind of `road map' of what to expect in the text. I feel it helped me to zero on the relevant explanations as I read. Cool.

I recommend this book without hesitation. It is by far one of the most complete, informative book on the subject of mental ray in 3ds Max written by someone, who is without a doubt, very knowledgeable when it comes to mental ray. Jennifer O'Connor knows how to get the sometimes 'difficult to understand' concepts surrounding this complex renderer across to the reader. Yes it is complex - with many settings to learn, and many concepts to grasp, but this is the book that will get you up to speed.

A great book to add to your collection
This book is incredibly well thought out and can be understood at any level of expertise. It's far more than a book that just states a command or function without the "why" behind it. The author explains the techniques she is doing with just the right amount of detail. I never had one of those "how did they do that" moments. There is enough theory behind what she is doing, it helped me understand why things are done a certain way. Like I said this book is easy to follow, and detailed enough to comprehend. Ms. O'Connor takes the guessing and mystery out of Mental Ray. You'd be foolish to pass up this book.

Mental Ray guru
What makes a guru?In my opinion it is someone who, not only knows the subject matter in and out, but explains it in a way that nearly anyone can pick up.I've always wrested with learning Mental Ray.While having to rely on other 3rd party renderers, I still felt like I needed to know Mental Ray since it comes in almost all 3d packages.I started doing some searching to see if there were any decent resources out there.After finding a bit Jennifer's techniques online, I blown away by how easy she made Mental Ray.When I heard about this book, I quickly got my hands on it.It's been an invaluable resource.When we had some problems with certain issues, I literally looked them up in the book and found ways to fix them.
For anyone, be it student, pro, or hobbyist, who wants to learn Mental Ray and not spend gobs of time feeling like you're being talked down to, or lost in techno-render jargon, pick up this book.She explains it all, simply.In addition to that, you also get some Max training for free on some of the new features, and a bunch of test scenes to practice your new-found Mental Ray skills.So come for the Mental Ray, stay for the Max!

If you want to learn about Mental Ray this is the book for you!
Mental Ray has come a long way in the past 4 years.It still isn't the easiest thing to learn, but this is the first book that really gets into all areas from basic to advanced settings.Whether it's materials, indirect illumination, importons or irradiance, Jennifer does a great job of walking you through the settings step by step.The other benefit, as others have pointed out, is this is also about 3ds Max & Max Design 2011.This is the kind of book Mental Ray users have been looking for, for a very long time.In my opinion, it has delivered on all fronts.

Excellent beginner/intermediate reference, some filler
Full Disclosure:I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for providing a review.

This book has been living on my desk for a couple of months as my go-to reference as I've been prepping a lot of my own and other people's mental ray scenes for final rendering.

Mastering mental ray (like k.d. lang, it's not capitalized) is a well-written, accessible reference covering the ins and outs of using mental ray with 3ds max 2010/2011 in design visualization work.Roughly half the book is devoted to an exhaustive explanation of every mental ray-related UI control in max.Unlike some other books that take this approach, Jennifer does not simply regurgitate the manual; providing tips, tricks, and guidance throughout (e.g. when to use and not use certain final gather modes, where her real-world experience runs counter to mental images and Autodesk's recommendations).

Most of the rest is devoted to concepts and procedures for global illumination and final gather rendering.Her extensive knowledge, which comes clearly in her prose, is tempered with real-world experience with making things work on clients' (often unrealistic) timetables with the available computer resources - she's not afraid to recommend cutting corners that don't drastically affect quality; and shows through image sequences the effect of settings from way too low to ludicrously high.She devotes over a chapter each to the hows and whys of dialing in final gather and global illumination settings for a variety of scene types.

One of my favorite chapters was the one on importance sampling (importons), a hidden feature that requires a fair bit of twiddling to enable in 3ds max 2011, but can boost quality while reducing render times rather dramatically in certain situations.Until this book, information on the topic had to be gleaned from forum postings scattered all over internet, and the author has done an admirable job of compiling, distilling, filtering, and explaining the information with plenty of illustrations.

One thing the book notably does not touch is shader programming (which often scares non-TDs off of mental ray learning materials), including the new mental mill shader builder.If you want to and are capable of writing your own shaders, this book is likely below your level.Also, this si squarely targeted at design vis users; animation issues get fairly scant attention.

Where this book loses a star is its brevity (330-ish pages with large type and lots of illustrations is a stretch at $59.99 list); and the fact that one of its chapters (on the arch & design material) is a fairly un-filtered rehash of the PDF that ships with max about the material, and another chapter is about the new material editor in 3ds max 2011 and doesn't have a lot to do with mental ray per se.Some will see its brevity as a benefit, however, and if Amazon allowed half stars it'd get a 4.5 from me. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A geat read
Like the other 2 reviews I too scoured the globe for a copy, its VERY hard to get hold of and fetches quite a price on the open market. George doesnt let his guard down very often in the book which is a shame as I feel he may have been a far more compassionate person than hes made out to be. It's not a auto-biography in the real sense but observations of people and the world around him. His master of the enlgish language is outstanding and he should have written more about himself. But I think he was a very private, shy man who kept things very close to his chest. I also have 'A dreadful man' which is a fantastic book, one which I read frequently and will treasure. This book realy does give you a peep into, who the real Sanders truely was.... an extremely talented and very exceptional person indeed.

Fantastic
This book is listed a few times on Amazon.com under the various releases.Read reviews under the other posting.

I was introduced to read by my friends " A Dreadful Man. [by] Brian Aherne assisted by George Sanders and Benita Hume" several decades ago.I then immediately started the hunt for this book.It took many years and when it was finally reprinted in 1992 (it was originally released in 1960) I grabbed my copy and knew this was akeeper.Won't loan these 2 books out as I plan to reread often.

Fantastic
This book is listed several times in different releases on Amazon.com.Read all the reviews previously listed.My recommendation - is that you first read ------

A Dreadful Man. [by] Brian Aherne assisted by George Sanders and Benita Hume

and then follow with this little gem.

I won't loan this out and now I see you have to spend alot of money to get a copy of this book.Worth every cent! ... Read more

Product Description
SolidWorks 2007 Tutorial is written to assist students, designers, engineers and professionals. The book provides a introduction to the user interface, menus, toolbars, concepts and modeling techniques of SolidWorks to create parts, assemblies and drawings.

Follow the step-by-step instructions and develop multiple assemblies that combine over 80 extruded machined parts and components. Formulate theskills to create, modify and edit sketches and solid features. Learn the techniques to reuse features, parts and assemblies through symmetry, patterns, copied components, design tables and configurations. Review 2hours of flash movie files that follow the steps in the book.

Desired outcomes and usage competencies are listed for each project. Know your objective up front. Follow the steps in Project 1 through Project 4 to achieve your design goals. Work between multiple documents, features, commands and custom properties that represent how engineers and designersutilize SolidWorks in industry.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Linkage Assembly
2. Front Support Assembly
3. Fundamentals of Drawing
4. Pneumatic Test Module Assembly
Appendix
Index ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Found this book the most useful
I bought "SolidWorks 2007 Bible" by Matt Lombard, and "SolidWorks for Dummies", but I found this "SolidWorks 2007 Tutorial" to be the most useful.It helped someone like me who didn't know how to do anything in SolidWorks at all to get started.It was clear and concise about each step you needed to take in order to create the device that you see on the cover.That was the kind of hand-holding I needed.

SolidWorks 2007 Tutorial
SRES:

It is a book what do not can buy in any librery.

It have four examples very good explain.

I am wraiting with the autores looking for have this book in spanish and meabe i can be co-autor.

Tranquilino Acosta

Nice Book for Beginners
Im new to Solidworks, and after going through the book, I feel pretty comfortable using the software.In the exercises the book covers, you build various parts and sub-assemblies.At the end of the book, you put it all together and end up with the assembly shown on the cover of the book.So basically, you'll be able to do that when you're done with the tutorial.Nice book, I only wish it covered Importing from AutoCAD.It completely ignores the subject.Other than that, I was happy with it.

The SolidWorks book to have for the beginner
This is a great step-by-step book for the SolidWorks user who is a beginner. I've been using SolidWorks for approximately three months. The book provides a solid foundation and a straight forward logical procedure to follow. The enclosed CD-ROM is priceless. The CD provides a solid foundation to learn the fundamentals of SolidWorks. Read, watch, learn, and do. Great book.

Look no further for a great SolidWorks Book
I`m a Mechanical Design Engineer by profession.I have over 20 years in the CAD industry primarily with AutoCAD, SDRC, and Pro/E, and the last three years using SolidWorks.SolidWorks, by far is the most intuitive 3D CAD package out there today!

A few years ago, I decided to leave industry, and I now teach at a mid size college in Texas.I teach four freshmen sections of SolidWorks, along with evening and weekend SolidWorks classes.

I, like many instructors who are teaching a software class review numerous books, for potential classroom text and lecture notes.Last year, my local VAR recommended the SolidWorks Tutorial book by Planchard & Planchard.The book provides an excellent foundation in a timely step-by-step procedure with numerous illustrations to clearly enforce the chapter desire outcomes and objectives.

The book is suited well for a classroom / learning environment.It is also great as a self learning tool either for a student or an adult.The material is clearly presented, in a very logical manner.It starts with the SolidWorks Interface, moves to 2D sketches, and then progresses to 3D features: Extruded Boss/Base, Extruded Cut, Extruded Revolved, Loft, Swept, etc.The features are then applied to build parts, assemblies, and drawings.

Part, assembly, and drawing fundamentals and foundations are addressed.This is a great book for the beginner in SolidWorks.
... Read more

Product Description
"State of the art of CAD/CAM Restorations" deals with dentistry. ... Read more

Product Description
Get the strategies you need for successful CAD management in this one-of-a-kind resource. You’ll learn basics such as how to assign tasks, set budgets, and formulate ROI-and gradually delve into more complex issues such as managing intellectual property, selling ideas to management and end users, and configuring for specific engineering environments. This indispensable resource is packed with savvy insights, practical techniques, and real-world advice to broaden your technical, business, and management skills. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A must have!
A must have for all CAD managers.Enclosed are the tools to becoming an effictive CAD manager.

CAD Management
Robert Greens book showed me how the higher Management in a company does think.We do have different workflows in Europe, but at the end of the day to save money is what counts for all of us.The book is a good source of knowledge, specially for Users that are becoming CAD Managers.
I like the idea that the book is not only written for Autodesk Users.
Users of other CAD Systems will find the Book interesting as well.

GreatCADD Management Book
This is a must read for anyone involved with CADD Management. The author has real world experience and is shared well in the book.

A must for all CAD Managers/Coordinators
This is a great book for CAD Managment, and for users who inspire to be leaders in the CAD field. Even though this book does not directly speak on specific CAD functions it covers a broader look at the task that a CAD Manager/Coordinator must know in order to be succesful in leading other CAD users, and helps you get a better understanding of the business side that we as technical people overlook a lot. If you are a manager or a user that would like to be better at your job or to advance to a better position, I would advise you to read this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book features contemporary drafting problems, CAD drawings, and industry applications and practices that will enhance the understanding of math by learners concentrating their studies in the field of drafting.A comprehensive compilation of integrated math problems and CAD operations facilitates critical thinking, problem solving, and basic mathematics literacy.Real-world, modern day applications include how to use the scientific calculator to approach math problems in drafting and CAD.Examples and figures cover a wide range of skills and levels of difficulty, and math principles provide a challenge for a variety of ability levels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

CADS #2 Tech Battleground
Tech Battleground is a great read. I was especially suprised by the beginning of the book,and the realities of nuclear war. However,I think the technology used is quite cutting edge. I wonder if John Sievert has the inside scoop on high tech exoskeletons,or equipment.

"ITS THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD"
WIETHER YOUR INTERESTED IN SCI-FI OR ACTION THIS IS THE BOOK TO READ. IT IS JUST SO INCREDIBLE WORDS CANNOT EXPLANE IT YOU JUST HAVE TO READ IT.

Series started out great...
Having read through the series (up thru #9) back before the 90's started, I really enjoyed the high-tech aspects. The series started out with great hope in a post nuclear engagement, but got real murky, with 'realistic'problems you just can't have to have a series survive, ie;broken parts,modifactions required with no manufacturing available. I must admit, itsnot a HOT as Out of the Ashes, but I enjoyed them, none the less. JohnSievert, what ever happened to you?, let us know ... Read more

Product Description
On her tour of the English countryside, a chance encounter in the streets alerts Miss Prudence Watson to the inhumane working conditions at the worsted mill. She learns that the owner is William Sherbourne, a Royal Naval officer just returned from sea. Following in his wake is his reputation as a cad and a secret so ghastly he’ll do anything to protect it. Even worse, he’s handsome and charming and not at all the villain Prudence expected him to be. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Good book! Entertaining
I really enjoyed this book.I loved the second book in Miss Pickworth series the best, but this book was still enjoyable.I hope Palmer has more regency period books coming, she is truly a great author.

Loving a certain cad...
This read was a breath of fresh air. What a delightful story! William is a cad indeed, but isn't each of us really a sinner and deserving of hell forever? Without our Lord and Saviour dying for us and paying the ultimate price, we forever would suffer. However we have his promise, much like our lady, Ms Prudence Watson, ends up giving him after all the wrong they have done to each other and others as well.

This book will make you laugh because Prudence is so delightful a character. I am so excited to read more "gossip" by Ms Pickworth. Makes delightful books, having the message so well weaved throughout! Bravo Ms. Palmer!!! Well done..

Gotta Love Those Cads!
I loved this book. Catherine Palmer wrote well in describing poor working conditions in England in the 1800's.

Spunky Prudence Watson decides it is her job to crusade on behalf of a group of workers at a local worsted mill.

She is angry at William Sherbourne who is the owner of the mill and away at sea as a Royal Naval officer. He has a reputation as a handsome charming cad.

As the two people meet and begin to develop a relationship, Prudence realizes that William isn't aware of the circumstances of his mill and she intends to let him know the facts from working there undercover. Her secret doesn't last as she is discovered and has to explain herself.

Early on, the cad has fallen for Prudence, but he must begin to mature and come to grips with what he really wants out of life while Prudence is attracted to him, he falls short in her eyes. She has committed herself to never marry, let alone a handsome wealthy cad. Why he treats all the ladies the same and tugs at their heart strings, she believes.

It will take an old blacksmith's love and care for Prudence to straighten out both young people's thinking and get them to share truths from their past before they can move forward into the future together.

Tyndale House graciously gave me this book to review and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Sincerely,
Paulette L. Harris
Author/Speaker

Boring!!!
I found this book really really hard to get into. I read the first 3 chapters 5 times! It was slow and boring. Overall not a good book.The first one was soooo much better! If your wanting to fall asleep in the first two chapters then this is the book for you!

What's a Woman to do?
"Marriage is not the object of my hearts desire...I shall never wed...when God reveals my mission, I mean to do it with all my heart."

"I shall champion those less fortunate than I." Miss Watson is serious about God's mission for her life; her sisters view it as silly. A woman as beautiful as Prudence should be seeking the most illegible partner, settling down and raising a family. This mission to help the poor was ridiculous thinking. Did this really come from God?

William Sherbourne agrees with Miss Prudence Watson about one thing, "I must say how delighted I am to learn your plan to remain unwed, partakers in uncorrupted innocence we shall be great friends forever. Chums, in fact."

William and Prudence are both smart, opinioned, beautiful people who enjoy verbal sparing. Neither will admit their feelings they have for the other.

William says, "You are correct in the wickedness you surmise about me. I am not a good man. I have committed such evil in fact, that I cannot hope to be forgiven."

Miss Watsons quick retort, "It is not my good opinion you should seek, Mr. Sherbourne...It is God's. You will find Him more forgiving than I and certainly more merciful. But I shall endeavor to like you. We are, after all chums."

This is fun filled book with substance. I was surprised by the risks Prudence took to fulfill her mission. Catherine Palmer urges us to "...take a closer look at ourselves, realize we are all a work in progress. We may reverse our opinions, make serious mistakes, and commit outright sin...The Holy Spirit wants to transform each of us into new creatures." I was entertained; I laughed and made to think about life in this Regency period story. I'm thankful for the review copy I received.

Nora St.Laurent
Finding Hope Through Fiction ... Read more

Product Description
Louis Gary Lamit's Moving from 2D to 3D CAD for Engineering Design: Challenges and Opportunities is a much-needed book that clearly explains the industry factors, the many advantages, and the product selection criteria for adopting 3D computer-aided design (CAD) for one's engineering design work.Written by an experienced designer and instructor, the book is essential for any individual or team who wants to make the best product choices, and maximize their productivity with whatever 3D CAD design tools they choose. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

One of the better books on the market for this subject
Our company almost did not get this book because of the review posted here. Seems the review was for something completely different than what the book states as its intent.
The twenty dollars we did spend on it has come back in a considerable savings in our transition from ACAD to a 3D CAD system. Almost every situation and pitfall described in the book(we also invested some new problems) played itself out during out transition(which is not yet complete). From legacy designs to legacy employees we went through every problem and situation.
Not to say that using the book as a guide will remove or eliminate all road blocks, but we at least new what was coming and had a variety of ways to confront the problems with workable solutions before and during the transition.

Disappointingly light on real content
I've been doing engineering design for a long time, mostly electrical, but some mechanical stuff here and there. I've done plenty of 2D mechanical drawings. What I was looking for was a book that explained the core differences between AutoCAD-like 2D drafting and the new wave of 3D parametric modeling tools. I wanted an overview of when to use 3D, and when 2D would be quicker. I was hoping for some guidance as to how to approach the modeling of a large assembly in 3D. Some tips for real-world designs, like the thought process to be used when modeling sheet metal assemblies. Do you leave every screw, nut and bolt used to cut holes in the drawing for use on the BOM, or leave them out because they clutter 2D views? Stuff like that. Instead, what this book delivers is breathless prose extolling the superiority of 3D CAD over 2D CAD over and over again. To be fair, the first 5 chapters do a decent job of covering some of the advantages of 3D CAD and the associated workflow, using the usual cylinders and rectangular solids. However, the text is constantly proclaiming"See how easy this is compared to 2D CAD?" Well, no, not really. How do I add 2 degrees of mold relief on that cylinder parametrically? And this leads into what I really hate about this book: the author's answer to that question is: "take college courses, get workplace training, etc. etc" and he spends the last 80 pages explaining the advantages of doing that. Well, sir, I was hoping this BOOK I purchased might contain a little more depth. No such luck.

If you're an IT person or management type who wants to know why your engineers are requesting or need a 3D CAD system, this book is great for bringing a non-technical type up to speed. If you're an engineer trying to figure out how to be productive on a 3D CAD system, well, I guess you'd better take one of the author's college courses, or wait until someone publishes a truly useful book. ... Read more

Product Description
Drafting & Design: Engineering Drawing Using Manual and CAD Techniques is a highly illustrated, complete text designed to teach the practices and techniques used by drafters. Written to meet the educational needs of both beginning and advanced students, Drafting & Design features comprehensive instruction in both manual (traditional) drafting and computer-aided drafting (CAD).

The Seventh Edition has been extensively revised and expanded to cover manual drafting and CAD in tandem. Step-by-step, detailed drafting procedures are presented throughout the text to illustrate the tools and techniques of both methods. For each drafting task presented, manual and CAD procedures are given in sequence to explain both approaches to drafting.

Two new chapters on CAD provide in-depth coverage of CAD principles, commands, and applications. A new chapter on structural drafting is included in addition to other chapters on drafting disciplines, including architectural drafting, electrical and electronics drafting, map and survey drafting, and welding drafting.

New features include new drafting problems, new hands-on drafting procedures, many new illustrations, and new CAD drafting coverage throughout the text.

Detailed instruction is provided to illustrate orthographic projection, multiview drawings, dimensioning, and the development of section views, pictorial drawings, auxiliary views, revolutions, intersections, and developments.

In addition to drafting instruction, Drafting & Design provides coverage of drafting careers, drawing management, and manufacturing processes. Coverage builds from geometric constructions to more advanced topics, including geometric dimensioning and tolerancing. A problem-solving approach is emphasized throughout the text with strict adherence to ANSI and industry standards. ... Read more

Product Description

Learn your way around AutoCAD 2007

Teach Yourself AutoCAD 2007helps you cut throughthe complexity, providingdetailed, easy-to-followinstructions on AutoCAD’skey tools and techniques.From drawing simple lines tocreating 3-D images, youwill quickly master the skillsyou need to advance your career in design.