Book reviews | ||
Overview
Architectural rendering using 3D Studio | ||
| Author: Martha Rowlett,et al Publisher :New Riders, 255 Pages ISBN: 1-56205-565-8 Price: £41.49 Paperback | ||
| New Riders are well known and respected for their CAD books. "Architectural Rendering using 3D Studio" maintains their usual standard, and price structures! The book is a slim 255 pages, most of them with colour illustrations, and is priced at £41.49, without even the ubiquitous CD-ROM of materials and tutorial files that are usually to be found in New Riders books.
The book is aimed, according to the back cover, at advanced users, but the content covers everything from basic usage of creating simple 3D models in AutoCAD, through to advanced mapping techniques. I think that anyone with a basic familiarity with 3D Studio will find something of interest. The 3D Studio Max product manager, Phillip Miller, gives an excellent introduction to what he perceives as the role of 3D Studio in the design process, a role that starts with the conceptual design. Subsequent chapters are written by a range of different writers, each on a different aspect of the architectural usage of 3D Studio. An example of the topics covered are as follows:
Most of the aforementioned topics are either written by practising architects, or by 3D Studio experts. Curiously though, after the introduction, all the chapters deal with various nuances of photorealistic imaging, with no reference to conceptual design or massing studies at all. All the chapters offer a range of sound practical advice, but a couple stand out as being particularly good. The chapter on materials and textures is a good practical introduction to the creation of materials from scanned sources and photographs. The section on enhancing masonry by using lofted mapping and applying masonry textures to scale, is very well described and illustrated. The chapter concludes with a section on some factors which influence the final resolution of the rendered image, and some excellent rules of thumb for calculating the amount of RAM required for any particular resolution. Some of the other chapters are slightly less successful. Exteriors and fly-bys has a few pertinent tips, techniques and hints, but in the main is a resume of AutoCAD's DVIEW and 3DSOUT commands. There is also some duplication between this chapter and chapter 6, Photographic Substitution, in the description of perspective matching. Whereas 'Exteriors and fly-bys' simply refers the reader to the 3D Studio documentation, 'Photographic Substitution' gives a detailed and excellent description of the procedures for matching a photograph to the 3D Studio model. Two additional chapters are available from the New Riders web site http:// . These cover Interior lighting and Site Planning. Both are well written and lose little in being on the 'Net'. | |
Conclusion | ||
| Although aimed at expert users, this book has more to offer to the intermediate user, or to the user who has a requirement for one of the techniques described in a particular chapter. A group of users may each find something different of interest. If there is a criticism, it is that there are direct dollar-pound prices on US books sold here. This book is $45 in the States and £42 here! | ||
The Digital Architect | ||
| Author: Ken Saunders ISBN 0-471-12165-7 Publisher J.Wiley & Sons c1996 Price: 29.95 Paperback - 470pages | ||
| The 'Digital Architect' by Ken Saunders is aimed at a completely different audience. Sub-titled 'A common-sense guide to using computer technology in the design practice' it is written by an architect for design professionals who are considering implementing computer technology in practice.
It is not purely about CAD, but rather covers the whole gambit of computer use in practice. Refreshingly, this is covered with an overview of how computers can influence the design process and the profession as a whole. As an American architect, there is an obvious US bias, but there are common lessons to be learnt. Unusually for a book on computers, this is unlikely to go out of date as quickly as some others, as the author describes both the theoretical concepts, balanced with anecdotes from practice. The book is well laid out with wide margins containing tips, rules of thumb and pointers to further discussions in other chapters. The first chapter, 'The impact of technology on the practice' should be read by everyone including those practices that think they use computers efficiently! There is an admirable lack of pomp in the writing style, and some real gems in the 'tips' column, e.g. "Simple advice for buying software: always assume that you are making a mistake. Simple advice for buying hardware: visualise throwing it away in three years". The implications of adequate investment in training is heavily emphasised, as are sections on 'educating the managers' and 'educating the educators'. The second chapter gives an overview of the software available for use in an architects' practice. There is a good pragmatic air to this, with listings of tasks and their physical tools, compared with the equivalent digital tools. Some of the terminology of CAD is described in sufficient detail to give an understanding, but no more. The use of spreadsheets, databases and parametric design in CAD is described sufficiently for the 'lay' user to understand their use. The chapter finishes with a good discussion of the unified 3D building model and data integration. In subsequent chapters the concepts and fundamentals of colour and rendering are presented in a clear and jargon-free manner. There is also a good up-to-date discussion of the role of the Internet and World Wide Web in the development of design and as a source for design information. A few succinct URL's are given as examples. Overall, this book should be required reading for anyone considering the use of computers in an architectural practice. The only criticism is that there are insufficient references and bibliography to other studies should the reader want to pursue further information sources. Mike Knight Department of Architecture University of Liverpool Based on an article which first appeared in "CADdesk" published by EDA Ltd, London | ||
Architectural Drafting in MiniCad 6 | ||
|
Jonathan Stoppi ISBN 1 899168 133 (ADIMv6) Qualum Publishing 665 Finchley Road London NW2 2HN, U.K. Price: £29.95 | ||
| The past few years have seen MiniCad rapidly establish itself as a significant player in the 'professional CAD application' field. In fact this process has progressed to such an extent that MiniCad has fast become the application of choice among many small to medium sized architectural practices. It is also increasingly gaining in popularity among UK Schools of Architecture, where it is one of the main Macintosh CAD applications currently taught to students.
It is a fully cross-platform, 2D drafting and 3D modelling CAD application. The latest release, MiniCad 6, runs on both the 68K and Power Macintosh, and the Windows version supports Windows 95, Windows NT, and Windows 3.1. According to the August 1996 issue of MacWorld, MiniCad is 'the current Mac CAD market-share leader, with possibly as much as 50 % of the market.' It is also now receiving 'mouse ratings' in MacUser to rival AutoCad and MicroStation. In response to these market changes and the recent release of MiniCad 6, this book by Jonathan Stoppi, which is a timely revision of his 'Architectural Drafting in MiniCad' (1994), has been published. This is a book which is recommended for:
The book assumes no prior knowledge of any version of MiniCad or indeed of any other CAD application. The only assumptions made are a basic familiarisation with the Apple Macintosh user interface. Although MiniCad is now fully cross-platform, the author has chosen to base this book solely upon the Macintosh platform. The book is loosely structured around a 'tutorial' for a familiar looking, if somewhat uninspiring, house. The tutorial covers sequentially, such topics as the basic drawing and modelling tools, methods of organising data, including the use of Symbols, Layers and Classes and finally the process of setting up, annotating and dimensioning a set of drawings. Additional information is also given about Records and Worksheets. If followed, the tutorial will guide a complete novice through this entire process, even starting with the initial installation of the software. What is important to note, however, is that the tutorial format is maintained more as a series of linked examples, which when presented sequentially, happen to form a complete tutorial, rather than a rigidly enforced exercise. The advantage of this, is that it is much easier to dip into the book, at any stage, so that the reader is not forced to read it in order; hence the book can just as easily be used for either reference or as an exercise or tutorial to be followed. In this way, the book should appeal equally to both an absolute beginner and a more experienced user, who knows exactly what information he or she is seeking. One of the strengths of the book, is that it is firmly aimed at the practising architect, and in particular the needs of the small practitioner. Such treatment is quite a luxury for a profession used to wading through CAD books and manuals aimed more at the engineer, and rarely addressing those particular issues concerning the architect. This is an approach which will hopefully catch on with other technical software publications. Another strength, is that unlike the previous book, published in two editions, one metric and one imperial, this book is truly transatlantic, utilising a code indicating those points aimed at either the European or American reader. Since most software originates in America, and hence uses imperial units, it is refreshing to read a CAD book referenced in metric. The main difference between this book and its predecessor, is the general shift towards a greater focus on 3D modelling, which mainly reflects the considerable improvements made in the modelling capabilities of MiniCad 6. The similarities between the two books are in the layout and style, which will be familiar to readers of the previous book. A major difference between the two books is the justifiable omission in this book, of the previous Appendix, 'DXF made easy' by Dave Weber, due to its current availability on the Internet The overall strengths of the book, are that it is clear and has been written by an author with a strong background in both software training and architecture. The problems and issues tackled in the book are obviously included from a wide experience of encountering such difficulties, either through training others or through considerable personal use of the application. This creates a succinct book, concentrating only on the most important issues. For example I would highly recommend any beginner, not to miss the section entitled 'Setting up for the First Time' In contrast, the only criticism I can honestly level at the author is that in attempting to pack so much information into a relatively small, and hence accessible, book, the visual layout has suffered. The information is at times cramped, and from a graphical point of view overcrowded and cluttered. Since the book is aimed at architects, a readership with a potential finely tuned graphical sensibility, then the fact that more care and attention was not put into the graphic design of the book, must be held to be a definite flaw. I must stress, however, that this flaw is only cosmetic. In terms of choice of information, it distils all that any architect or student of architecture would need to know to get started, and hence I would have no hesitation recommending it. To conclude, the title 'Architectural Drafting in MiniCad' is actually a misnomer, it is far more than that. | |
Useful Links | ||
Ruth Conroy Research Fellow on the 'Intelligent Architecture' project Bartlett School of Architecture |
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