David Byrnes - AutoCAD 2012 For Dummies

AutoCAD 2012 For Dummies

by David Byrnes

Foreword by Heidi Hewett

AutoCAD Technical Marketing Manager

AutoCAD 2012 For Dummies

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Copyright 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2011926309

ISBN: 978-1-118-02440-9

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

David Byrnes is one of those grizzled old-timers youll find mentioned every so often in AutoCAD 2011 For Dummies . He began his drafting career on the boards in 1979, and first learned AutoCAD with version 1.4. Dave is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he works as a civil/structural drafter. He taught AutoCAD for fifteen years at Emily Carr University of Art + Design and British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver. Dave has authored or co-authored over a dozen AutoCAD books and has been the sole author of this title since AutoCAD 2008 For Dummies .

Dedication

I left the bohemian lifestyle of the AutoCAD consultant at the beginning of 2008 and rejoined the engineering company I last worked for in 1988 (luckily theyd forgotten all about that chandelier). Working full-time (oh! the horror!) and keeping up with AutoCAD so I can revise this book has made me somewhat inaccessible for 3 months a year, and Im forever grateful to Annie and Delia, still and always the two women in my life, who remind me there are other things besides keyboards and mice (and sometimes they have to try really hard).

Authors Acknowledgments

Thanks, first of all, to former author Mark Middlebrook for bringing me into the AutoCAD For Dummies world. Mark asked me to tech edit AutoCAD 2000 For Dummies, then to join him as co-author of AutoCAD 2006 For Dummies, and finally to take over the title altogether. I hope my torch bearing comes close to the high standards that Mark set, and I wish him well in his new career in the world of fine wine (what, me jealous?).

Thanks, too, to colleagues and friends at Autodesk: above all Guillermo Melantoni, Heidi Hewett, and Bud Schroeder, who never seem to mind being asked even the dumbest questions. And speaking of colleagues, thanks to my cubicle-mates at Sandwell for showing me how things are done in the real world of engineering.

At Wiley, Acquisitions Editor Kyle Looper was a reliable source of calm but firm direction. It was a pleasure to work with project editor Pat OBrien again, and copy editor Barry Child-Helton pointed out where I mixed up my Ps and my Qs. And thanks, finally, to Lee Ambrosius who did his usual sterling job of tech editing.

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Foreword

If you are completely new to AutoCAD or just feeling a little rusty, this book will help start the wheels turning and keep you rolling in the right direction. Tidbits of historical insight and explanations help you understand not only how to perform a task, but why. Davids friendly and humorous writing style makes the book easy (and even entertaining) to read. The topics are well organized, enabling you to read it cover to cover or use it as a handy reference tool. It includes a comprehensive Table of Contents and Index to help you quickly locate key topics. Icons scattered throughout the book further aid in your quest for knowledge by identifying important or useful information such as warnings or new functionality. And, the AutoCAD 2012 edition is printed in color making it even easier to visualize and understand key concepts.