Eric Wing - Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012: No Experience Required

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

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ISBN: 978-0-470-94506-3 (pbk)ISBN: 978-1-118-12909-8 (ebk)ISBN: 978-1-118-12911-1 (ebk)ISBN: 978-1-118-12910-4 (ebk)

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Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012: No Experience Required. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.

Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, were still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, were working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.

I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. Id be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how were doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at . Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

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To my wife Jenni. Thanks for giving me the room and encouragement on this one. It made all the difference.

Acknowledgments

Before I ever even pondered writing a technical book like this one, I was the guy who bought such books and studied them from front to back. This specific page, however, I always thought was somewhat superfluous bordering on self-indulgent. As I sit here now, after finishing 22 chapters, I can categorically say that the 750-word allotment only scratches the surface of the list of people close to me who have been tremendously inconvenienced by my unavailability and, conversely, by my temperament during the rare occasions when I was available. Of course, topping this list is my wife Jennifer and the kids, Cassidy and Jacob. You guys always come through for me, and there is no way I could have written one single chapter without your supportand yes, you get to go to Disney again like last year.

Also, Id like to thank Grandma and Baci for constantly watching and being with the kids.

On the technical side, thanks to Willem Knibbe for acquiring the book and working with me on my manuscript, and for his constant patience as I lumbered through each chapter. Thanks to Chris Fox for his in-depth knowledge and incredible skills. I am honored to have you editing this book. You taught me Revit with your book years ago! Also I would like to thank Stephanie Barton, the tough editor who gently kept me on track from Chapter 1 to Chapter 22.

About the Author

Eric Wing lives in Syracuse, New York with his family. He is the BIM Services Manager for C&S Companies, which is a full-service engineering/architectural firm headquartered in Syracuse. Erics degree is in architectural engineering; he earned it from Delhi University. In addition to writing this book, Eric has written Revit Architecture: No Experienced Required 2010 and 2011 and Revit Structure Fundamentals , and he co-wrote Mastering Revit Structure . In addition to writing, Eric is a nationally recognized speaker, consultant, and trainer. He is also a bass player in a Syracuse band called Jemba, when time allows.

Introduction

Why do you need a big, thick technical book? Well, its true that the best way to learn is to just do it. But do you ever just do it and not fully get it? Books can serve either as the basis for learning or as supplements for your learning. No one book will teach you everything you need to know about a specific application, but you may never learn everything you need to know about an application without a book. When written appropriately, the book you purchase is there to start you off using good practices. If you have already started, the book is there to serve as a desktop reference. And last, a book can serve as confirmation that youre approaching an application in the correct manner.