3 stars (A modified "Fundamentals of Building Construction") - This is awfully similar to the book in the title. Even down to the same photos separating the chapters. I'd buy F of BC if I had to choose, since it has so much more material. There's nothing in here that cannot be found in the two other Rob Thallon books. 4 stars (Great book, but overpriced) - I bought this book sight unseen because I also have Rob Thallon's book "Graphic Guide to Frame Construction" and was pretty impressed with it. While "Fundamental of Residential Construction" is a very good book on all aspects of residential construction, there's isn't that much of an improvement on the typical voc-tech textbooks on construction (which are available for less) to make it worth the price. ... 5 stars (THE reference for Designer, Builder, or Student) - Fundamentals of Residential Construction is a welcome update for my reference library. As a residential architect, it is refreshing not to have to wade through irrelevant commercial methodology. This edition is residential specific, but broad-based covering alternative building systems and the most current construction materials. I especially appreciate that it begins with chapters on the context for construction, and the construction and design communities, areas of discussion most often neglected. The well-balanced mix of diagrammatic and photographic details is very helpful. I highly recommend it for both the student and the professional. ... Wiley :: Building construction & materials :: Architecture & Design & Drafting :: Technology & Industrial Arts :: House construction :: Design & Drafting :: Construction :: Fundamentals of Residential Construction
5 stars (Painter Perfect) - In response to review rated at a "2": I am a professional graphic designer and so Painter along with so many other digital artistry programs such as the line to be found with Adobe, are a must have on my computer. And since I am the owner of my home-based business with little to no income most of the time because of the software costs...well, purchasing upgrades is not always something I can do. My point coming to this....you really need to evaluate your goals and desires before purchasing costly programs in the digital artistry field. I have yet to find great software that isn't expensive. And if you expect to find a fantastic manual with your software then 9 times out of 10 you'll never see it. Corel Painter, any version really, have all been fantastic and they continue to improve but if you're just starting out and your funds are limited or you are not a professional and you just want to play or have a side hobby then buy an older version, a used copy, or look for company specials, and save yourself some money. Painter is an awesome program and there are no two ways about it. My recommendation to you simply: If you are not a serious artist, you do it as a hobby, or maybe you are a student, then get an older version, a used copy, a company special or a student rate when you purchase your copy of painter. Next, don't expect anything from the manual you may or may not get depending on your purchase choice. Concentrate on buying a book later on that specializes in Painter. There are some terrific books out there from student to hobbiest to professional. If you are a professional then I don't need to tell you anything that you didn't already know. Painter is a fantastic program and coupled or grouped with other programs such as Photoshop, you can let your creativity soar. Last, don't bad mouth a product because of your own nievity. Dont' cry because Corel decided to create a program that was awesome and it didn't fit in with your budg... Corel :: Multimedia :: Architecture :: Architectural :: Architect :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: Graphics :: Computer software (programs) :: Mac Macintosh Machintosh :: Corel Painter IX Upgrade Win-Mac
2 stars (with poor pix, this is too much) - I was astonished with poor quality of BW pictures this book contains. And I paid $50 for this? The photos are poorly lit so the details are not clear, and not sharp enough for this kind of printing. Texts are rather sketchy too. Intrestingly, resources contain a section for books on presentation models. I found most of them are out of print. I can just imagine this book's innitial run was so low that gave this hefty price tag to this book. Unless you have a lot of money to waste, or you're advanced, you'll be surprised like me. 5 stars (Designing With Models Designing With Models) - From the standpoint of representation, and despite the advent of computer graphics and animation, the architectural model has persisted in being a privileged way of expressing architectural intentions. The irresistible iconic relation between the model and the building, and the intimacy witnessed through this association, has unquestionably contributed to this survival. Because in the model no extra interpretive energy is needed to grasp the intended, and because there is definitely a pleasure in seeing something big represented by something similar to it but smaller, the critical denigration of model-making has been minimum. This is unlike the case of the plan and other classical modes of projecting buildings where the conventional nature of representation has opened the gates for questioning their legitimacy. From the angle of making and performing, model-making has also remained a very powerful means of exploring ideas that have 3-d space as their support. The relative absence of a cognitive distance between intentions and their crystallization in the sensible realm, due essentially to the paramount role the hand directly plays in the shaping of a given design idea, has reinforced an interest in model-making as a means for expressing the immediate and the spontaneous. A closer relation the other visual arts has followed, ... Wiley :: Industrial & Commercial Art & Design :: Architecture & Design & Drafting :: Architectural structure & design :: Methods & Materials :: Interior Design :: Handbo :: Designing with Models - A Studio Guide to Making and Using Architectural Design Models
4 stars (A little less mindnumbing) - Building Codes are never a fun subject to have to research, but Ching makes it a little less mindnumbing by providing illustrations. However, be warned that this book is based on the 2000 International Building Code and that many of the sections have been revised in the 2003 IBC. I imagine that Ching will update his book with the next release of the IBC. 4 stars (Great guide to complex issues) - This book has proven to be a great quick reference to supplement the 2003 IBC. It can't be beat for clear, straightforward illustrations of what are otherwise long winded and confusing paragraphs from the IBC that usually require a reading of three or four times until it sinks in. A must have for any person using the code book often or wanting a quick reminder of a code regulation. 5 stars (ARE studying material) - This is an excellent book to skim through for preparation for the ARE. I definitely recommend Ching's two books: Building Codes Illustrated and Building Construction Illustrated. After spending several dollars on studying materials for the exam, I found that I got the most bang for my buck from: the two Ching books, David Ballast's Study Guides, Larry Paul's ARE Practice Exam, and Archiflash cards. These were the the most useful tools to get through the multiple choice sections as they most closely reflected the material covered on the exams. ... Wiley :: USA :: Financial :: taxation :: commercial :: industrial law :: Building construction & materials :: Architecture & Design & Drafting :: Architectural structure & d :: Building Codes Illustrated- A Guide to Understanding the International Building Code
1 stars (Does not work with Photoshop CS or CS2) - Knockout 2 does not work with Photoshop CS or CS2. Before purchasing, I called Corel and was assured by pre-sales staff that it would work. When I called tech support after trying to use Knockout on my computer, I was told that they do not even have a current version of Photoshop to test with. Tech support suggested deleting my Photoshop prefs, which did not solve the problem. They were unwilling to provide further support. Stay away from this product, which has not been updated in years and seems to be in a very long EOL phase. No current updates or tech support bulletins at Corel's website. Stay away. Avoid. Do not buy. 2 stars (Pretty lame software, not what I had in mind) - I maintain an online retail catalog. I often take my own photos of the products. I needed image editing software that could isolate objects from their background, so that I could replace the background with something snazzy and showcase the product more professionally. This software sounded like the answer to my dreams. To listen to their propaganda, this is the simplest, most advanced solution to that "Holy Grail" of image editing tasks--cleanly removing main objects from their original settings. The trouble is, this is a pretty cumbersome, ineffective, and even "unintelligent" program. You go through the correct motions, after slogging through the woefully inadequate online tutorial and manual, and the darn thing fairly butchers the mask/isolate process; it chops up the foreground object as if it had no clue about how to distingush white pixels from light gray. And I am using a high-end graphics tablet with a pen and skirting the edges of the image objects using Knock Out's magnify tool, with surgical precision. The bottom line: the results are poor, and I have better luck simply using the "magnetic lasso" tool that comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements, and even conventional "paint bucket" and "paint brush" tools, combined with a steady ... Corel :: Architecture :: Architectural :: Architect :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: Graphics :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Corel KO2ENGPCM Knockout 2 Win-mac
5 stars ( CorelDraw Graphics Suite 12 ) - This is an excellent graphics program which suits my needs well. 5 stars (True Graphic Creation Power) - I've used them all: Illustrator, Corel, Photoshop, Fireworks, MS Word (I know, I know..) Pagemaker; now Indesign. Since the 386 processor i've used these programs. Corel Draw has ALWAYS been easier to use. Yes they ALL have powerful features but for me, Corel Draw has been the vector based graphic program that I like and count on. I primarily use Corel Draw 12 and Photoshop CS. With these two programs you can do everything short of 3D animation. Theres is no easier way to create a poster or a flyer or a newsletter than Corel Draw! This program is awesome because it is powerful AND easy to use! My recommendation: Get Corel 12 and Photoshop CS. You'll thank me! 2 stars (Very bad crash issues and instability problems) - I've been using CorelDRAW and PPT since version 4, and I must say that the latest version, whether it be because of the patch or not, is widly unstable. For instance, 5 minutes ago I threw together a texture for a 3D model I'd been working on and as soon as I switched to the "Brush" swatch, crashed. The App Recovery Wizard doesn't even work correctly. It hangs and says the same thing each time. This crash happens often, reguardless of the operation you are doing and only seems to target certain machine setups. Tech support used to be good, however, they suck now and the sarcasm I've gotten from some of them made me want to punch glass objects. Please Corel, patch 12 so it works! AR ... Corel :: Multimedia :: Architecture :: Architectural :: Architect :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: Graphics :: Computer software (programs) :: desk top publishing :: des :: CorelDraw Graphics Suite 12
1 stars (Honest Reviews?) - Were all the reviews written by the author? Give me a break! The fact that every review sounds the same will keep me from ever purchasing this book. In that case, I guess all the reviews helped! 5 stars (THE Book on Courtyards.) - Courtyards is a terrific book, the result of 20+ years of loving research. Oregon Professor John Reynolds is crazy for courtyards and it certainly shows. A courtyard is a space surrounded by a building, often surrounded by a house. There are all manner of courtyards, large, small, huge, quiet, loud. Some are open and others are terribly private. But all good courtyards have things in common. In the landscapes most of us in the US are used to, we have a house and the gardens are on the outside and we see them before we see the house. In a sense these landscapes serve mostly as dressing to enhance the outward look of the house. But a fine courtyard garden is different. It is smack in the middle of the house and the house surrounds it. It is not wide open to the world, but instead is a place to get away from it all, a place to be outside, but not to be out in the open. The best courtyards are open to the sky, have water, vines, a multitude of interesting flowers, trees, potted plants. A large number of the very finest courtyard plants are discussed in detail in this excellent book. I was struck by how interesting the numerous photos and designs were. Profusely illustrated, each one serves a definitive purpose. I was struck too, by how many different things go into the making of a well thought out courtyard. What is involved so that it will be warm in the winter and cool in the hot summer. What is involved so that it becomes a place where people want to be. I took many notes as I read this large book and some day I plan to build a house of my own design, and in the middle of it, I'm going to have a courtyard. And in this courtyard, I'll have all the things needed, the ingredients so carefully detailed here, that ma... Wiley :: History of specific subjects :: Garden design & planning :: Architecture & Design & Drafting :: Architectural structure & design :: Landscape :: General :: Garden :: Courtyards- Aesthetic- Social- and Thermal Delight
5 stars (Lectures in written form) - I studied under Mark DeKay, using the first edition of this book. The second edition adds all of Mark's lectures into what was already a great book, full of very helpful rules of thumb for orientation, materials, siting, and a lot of other design recommendations. A great book made even better the second time around! 5 stars (highly advanced) - A very comprehensive book which leaves you with shortness of breath after each page, covers very well all the aspects of the title and their interaction and effect on planning a building or project of any kind, and gives u alot of new ideas on how to find out the effects of sun,wind and light and from where will the effect be more and how to make advantage of each one of these elements. keeps you woundering whether what you have ever designed before was valid or not. rich in figures and examples, slightly difficult regarding the laguage. but it is worth every penney. 5 stars (Climate Sensitive Design) - This book is very helpful in determining the siting of your building (or gardens)with respect to wind patterns, and sun patterns of your area. As a designer of both indoor and outdoor spaces I found it to be a practical resource for helping ensure the success of a design. When I want shade, I now know where shade will fall; when I want to fill a space with light, I now know where and when light will be there and can adjust my design accordingly. Great book! Would reccommend it to architects, landscape architects and anyone wanting to see how their designs integrate into the daily and seasonal climate, wind, and light patterns of their area. The Sun Peg Charts are especially helpful. Good starting and reference point for all designs. Definitely add this one to your library. ... Wiley :: Architecture & Methods & Materials :: Architectural structure & design :: Methods & Materials :: Interior lighting :: Design & Drafting :: Decor :: Sun- Wind -amp- Light- Architectural Design Strategies- 2nd Edition
5 stars (Great upgrade.) - Needed to replace QuickCad and AutoCad LT was out of my range. So I purchased AutoSketch 9 and have had zero issues with the program. It opens and saves my existing cad drawings with out problems. I particularly like the layer handling capabilities. 4 stars (Autosketch 9) - I have designed and built two houses from plans developed on Autosketch earlier versions. I now use Autosketch 9 at work to create flow diagrams to proof test electronic logic protection circuits for a electrical utility. I find it very satisfactory. Like any other good CAD system there is a huge learning to curve to become very proficient with it although almost anything can be drawn with a few minutes of practice. I am now very comfortable with it and can zip out drawings for wood working projects at home. Once a created a template for a roll top desk top using a large printer and glued it to the wood so I could route the slot and then cut the wood after to an exact edge. I still diplay it in my living room and people comment on the craftsmanship involved. I have designed other project and foreseen the problems to be encountered with clashing corner dimensions and other items beofre having to buy more wood to replace the piece that didn't fit. Measurements can all be done on the computer before the cuts and sweating in the workshop. I like it and wouldn't be without it. I haven't used AutoCad but people who have say it works just as well except for reduced fancy features that most will never use. 5 stars (Simple and easy CAD tool) - I've used AutoSketch for years. Some mistake this tool for a graphics design tool, which it is not. It is a mechanical or architectural design tool. As such it is simple to use and produces accurate results. We use it in our business daily. I am pleased that they finally solved the printed line weight problem in this new version. If you're expecting a Visio or Adobe replacement, you misunderstand the product. If you are expecting... Autodesk PSG :: Architectural :: Architect :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: 3D (3-D) :: Graphics :: Computer software (programs) :: desk top publishing :: desktop publishing :: :: Autodesk AutoSketch 9
5 stars (Best Photo Editor) - I believe I have gone through every Photo Editor Trial out there, and this is by far the best. Yes even better than great and glorious photoshop. why? cause it's user friendly. you dont have to be a technical geek. im not one of them, and i could figure out how to use all the tools before i lost my creativity. and for fifty something dollars! this is truly worth the buy. if only i had the money, hahaha. on a more personal note, this program allowed me to do some art that saved my life really it did. so i guess this is a thanks to ulead, your 30 day trial saved my life, and helped my imagination run free. 4 stars (Flexible works at all levels) - This is a interesting software package to work with. You can obtain very good results with little knowledge with the single 'autofi'x button to choose from the multitude of preset buttons for creating lots of standard corrections and effects. The software is even capable of changing the 'look' of the preset buttons to a 'preview' of the change to your photograph. The presets are a scripts of various individual tools. You can create your own scripts, combining tools in any order you wish. You can also work with each tool independently either with presets for that specific tool or by using the controls to create your own degree of effect. Almost every tool, allows you to see simultaneous before and after views of the change or split screen before and after combination of the photograph being changed. You can also apply any effect as a 'preview' and can undo any tool, script to any level. I particularly like the choice of selection tools. Besides the standard selection by color, you can choose with several different methods/tools. They have a smart extraction tool that lets you paint a broad outline of the area(s) you want to select and the software does the dirty work (provided there is enough contrast/color difference) to give you a fine division between the subjects. The video shows them selec... ULead Systems :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: Animation (Animated) :: 3D (3-D) :: Graphics :: Computer software (programs) :: Edit (Editing) :: Illustration (Illustrated) :: :: Ulead PhotoImpact 10 - Professional Image Editing Made Easy
5 stars (Plugins to die for!) - This is a wonderful collection of 24 plugins for graphics programs such as Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. My favourites are KPT Fibre Optix and KPT Hyper Tiling, but they are all fun to play with. The interface is quite complex, beautifully designed and very different from other computer programs to look at. Each function comes in a floating window which you can move to anywhere within the dialogue box that suits you, and the functions are accessed via drop down menus in the floating windows. Each window can save presets and there is in addition a preset button which allows you to access the overall presets for the relevant plugin. A full PDF file manual is included on the disk and it's a good idea to read it. Each plugin is a computer program in itself and can be used to create many different effects. I love the spray brush in the Gel plugin which creates a bubble effect when dragged across the image! I had wanted this set of plugins for some time before I took the plunge and purchased, and I have not been disappointed. It's well worth the money. 5 stars (Filter Mania) - Great plug-in for PhotoShop. There are 24 filters to work with. The effects ranged from very outlandish like the Goo filter to the world of Frax 4D. There were many subtleties in some of the filters that took a little while to figure out. Some of the effects distorted the original photo to the point that you could not honestly say what it was which in some cases was pretty spectacular. You could take simple objects like a colored circle and make some very awesome designs. You could create a whole world of effects just using the filters and something simple or you could subtly or greatly alter a picture. The sliders weren't quite as responsive for minute tweaks so I would just click on the numbers in the white control panel and type in what I wanted. Each filter came with a set of presets that you could expand upon. You could create your own preset then save... Corel :: Architecture :: Architectural :: Architect :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: Graphics :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Corel KPT Collection for Win-Mac
5 stars ( Autodesk Symbols 2000 ) - First, this is an add on package for AutoCAD 2000 LT. There are many thousands of "templates" with every sort of object imaginal, from welding symboles to TV's. The only problem is your paying for the extra %95 you don't use. But to get propley sized symboles and to save time, you can't go wrong with this package. I highly reccmend it, by the way, I use it for residental and commercial floor plan layouts. ... Autodesk PSG :: Architecture :: Architectural :: Architect :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: Graphics :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Autodesk Symbols 2000
4 stars (amazing modeling program) - I've barely scratched the surface with Poser 5. I've been using Poser since the first version, and each new release is more full of features than the last. The models and posing abilities of versions 1, 2 and 3 had a variety of flaws, but starting with version 4, Poser has turned into an extremely useful program for anyone who wants to do rendering with the human figure. I gather that some people use Poser to produce final products. I can swear that some of those airline seat information cards use Poser models. I tend to use Poser the way one uses a figure reference guide, to figure out how the bodies are structured, and how perspective works with them. Poser 5 has a nice set of human models, male and female. It also has a few animals. The latest version is so chock full of features that it is hard to figure out where to begin. Let's see. There are the new models, the split screen multi-way posing window, the face and body morphing features, a bigger than ever pose library with full body, hand, face and lip poses. These libraries can save a lot of work. The morphing features let you start with their "standard" model and change the body type or facial features by sort of blending the base model with an exagerated model in three dimensions. The lip poses let you do lip synching movies based on phonemes. Two new features I have started exploring include dynamic cloth and dynamic hair. Poser 5 actually solves the differential equations for draping cloth and moving hair. Apparently, you can dump in any 3D model to use as a clothing model. You "clothify" it and constrain it with respect to the body where you wish, for example, at the waist. Then you can turn on the air currents and set the figure in motion. Play back the animation, and the clothing swoops and drapes. The hair is similar. You set up hair growth models and the hair interacts with the body, with air currents, with gravity and with itself. The model can run like a p... Curious Labs Inc :: Architectural :: Architect :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: Animation (Animated) :: 3D (3-D) :: Graphics :: Computer software (programs) :: Mac Macintosh Mach :: Curious Labs Poser 5 for Mac OSX
4 stars (Quite complicated, but should do the trick) - The program turned out to be much more complex then I anticipated but I'm sure with more time, and a bit more diligence on my part to learn all the ins and outs, it will successfully provide the end result I'm looking for. I purchased this program to create 3D drawings of projects I'd like to create in wood. 4 stars (New User Opinion) - I'm relatively new to CAD software although I have some limited previous use and have been aware of capabilities for many years. This is a first impression only with a tip on the help information. I have a custom woodworking shop and decided to buy DesignCAD MAX v15 after seeing an excellent review in Fine Woodworking magazine. At this point, I have done very little, but have experimented and read much of the manual (yes, there is a complete paper manual which is the same as the Help file and is also included on the CD), so I can only give an impression. The CAD Fundamentals CD shows how to do some operations, but mostly show the new V15 features. It focuses on keyboard shortcuts and are not completely informative for a mouse user. I specifically want to be able to do standard 2D designs work with 3D results. And I want to be able to get the 2D work done at least as easily as I can do it on paper. I'm confident at this point that I'll be successful with DesignCAD. In contrast to TurboCAD which I have spent hours with and been unable to bend to my will (argh-h!), with DesignCAD, I feel like I'm about to be able to get the work done I want after about only an hour hands-on with the product. In addition, I've found there are excellent resources online at the IMSI DesignCAD website. (Apparently, in earlier versions pre-IMSI, they included free in the package the additional cost Designing in 2D-3D tutorial. Before paying IMSI's $49.95, be sure to check this website.) After I get a completed design, I'll give a more knowledgeable review, but if you are considering Desig... IMSI :: Architecture :: Architectural :: Architect :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: 3D (3-D) :: Graphics :: Computer software (programs) :: :: IMSI DesignCAD 3D Max V15 - Powerful 3D Modeling W-2D Drafting
4 stars (WOW is all I can say!!!!) - The results of the pictures in poser artist is perfectly astounding!!! It is quite difficult, but as long as you have a manual along side you, you can create pictures that look professional!!! It is my FAVORITE art program (and I've tried ALOT, belive me)! I got it for Christmas, and yes I am younger than the appropiate age for this program, but my dad and mom help me TONS! It does have it's kinks-which is why I left out a star-and takes alot of space on my dad's hard drive, and takes FOREVER to install. So the content is GREAT, but be ready to have to spend a bit of time staring at that dumb little blue bar inch along the screen! ... Curious Labs Inc :: Architect :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: Animation (Animated) :: 3D (3-D) :: Graphics :: Computer software (programs) :: Image Capture Capturing :: desk top :: Poser Artist Fourth Edition
1 stars (Easy to use, burning is problematic) - I would agree with most reviews that this product is easy to use. The timeline in movie studio is absolutely wonderful. And the "show me how" user assistance function can't be beat. Finally, the price is reasonable. The problem lyes in burning your project. NOTE: Sony Vegas Movie Studio does NOT burn DVDs, or any other format for that matter. You must use its cousin software DVD Builder (included) to burn. Why they would not integrate the two is just plain weird. And sometimes there are technical issues going from the one software to the next. I have used many different editing softwares and the Sony software creates more burning errors than all others combined. This is very frustrating after spending 12-20 hours on a complex project, only to find that it is for naught since it will not burn. To be fair I have had some that worked without any issues. But too many have failed, and I even own a Sony computer! My advise is that you look elsewhere. Pinnacle seems to be very good as I have several friends who are video professionals who use it. But anything is better if it allows you to burn something you have put your heart into. With Sony, you really roll the dice. Perhaps my projects are too large for Sony to handle? This is my only explanation and I have used Sony support but to no avail. So perhaps if you only work on small projects this is okay for the money. My two cents. : > 3 stars (This is the older version 4.0, not the most recent 6.0 version) - I bought this software assuming I would get the most recent version, 6.0. When I received it I was surprised to find out I bought the old version 4.0 for the about the same price as what I could buy the new 6.0 version for! 5 stars (Unbelieveable Power) - I am a young, teenage filmmaker and I have used a variety of consumer, $100 video editing software, but none even begins to come close to Vegas Video. The power it provides... is unbeliveable. I s... Sony :: Editing :: Effects :: Composting :: Video :: Illustration (Illustrated) :: Multimedia :: Architecture :: Architectural :: Architect :: CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) :: :: SONY Vegas Movie Studio + ( Windows )
KeyQuan is a web based application. Developing your registration interface or providing a key service? KeyQuan , a visualbasic script & ASP service can help. Included are jpg, css, asp and txt description files... Computer Drafting Service :: keyquan :: computer :: drafting :: service :: internet :: ftp :: keyquan :: KeyQuan
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