Mastering AutoCAD 2005 and AutoCAD LT 2005

George Omura

Associate Publisher

Dan Brodnitz

Acquisition Editor

Willem Knibbe

Developmental Editor

Jim Compton

Production Editor

Erica Yee

Technical Editor

Mike Gunderloy

Copyeditor

Sharon Wilkey

Compositor

Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Proofreaders

Laurie O'Connell, Nancy Riddiough

Indexer

Ted Laux

Book Designer

Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Cover Designer/Illustrator:

Design Site, Tania Kac

Copyright 2004 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. World rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, photograph, magnetic, or other record, without the prior agreement and written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 0-7821-4340-7

SYBEX and the SYBEX logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SYBEX Inc. in the United States and/or other countries .

Screen reproductions produced with Collage Complete. Collage Complete is a trademark of Inner Media Inc.

TRADEMARKS: SYBEX has attempted throughout this book to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by following the capitalization style used by the manufacturer.

The author and publisher have made their best efforts to prepare this book, and the content is based upon final release software whenever possible. Portions of the manuscript may be based upon pre-release versions supplied by software manufacturer(s). The author and the publisher make no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to the completeness or accuracy of the contents herein and accept no liability of any kind including but not limited to performance, merchantability, fitness for any particular purpose, or any losses or damages of any kind caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly from this book.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Acknowledgements

The first edition of Mastering AutoCAD was published in 1987 and it was a 600-page book. In this latest edition, Mastering AutoCAD 2005 and AutoCAD LT 2005 has grown to nearly 1800 pages, including the 6 bonus chapters on the CD. To produce a book this size in such a short time requires a major coordinate effort. I'd like to offer my sincerest gratitude to those people who helped bring this book to you.

Heartfelt thanks go to the editorial and production teams at Sybex for their efforts in getting this book to press on an incredible schedule. Willem Knibbe made sure things got off to a great start and offered encouragement throughout the project. Jim Compton, managing editor, provided helpful tips and suggestions. Erica Yee, production editor, kept the project moving with skill and an occasional , gentle reminder of deadlines. Sharon Wilkey, copyeditor, worked hard to keep things clear and readable. Mike Gunderloy, technical editor, made sure I didn't stray too far from reality and kept things on the right track. Maureen Forys and Kate Kaminski, electronic publishing specialists, created the pages you see before you, and innumerable proofreaders checked every one of those pages. Dan Mummert coordinated the ever-important permissions for software reproduction. Finally, Kevin Ly compiled the CD and made it easy and fun to use.

I also want to thank the many contributors to this book. A big thanks to Mike Gunderloy who not only provided his expertise for our technical review, but also wrote the original drafts of the bonus chapters on ActivX Automation and VBA.

You can see the handiwork of Paul Richardson and Christine Merredith of Technical Publications in the sidebars that discuss the San Francisco Main Library. Thanks also go to the architectural firms of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and Simon Martin-Vegue Winkelstein Morris Associated Architects for generously granting permission to reproduce drawings from their design of the San Francisco Main Library.

At Autodesk, Amanda Welch, Cynde Hargrave, and Christine Kalb aided in obtaining permissions to include the trial version of AutoCAD 2005 on our CD. Thanks also go to Denis Cadu who has always given his steadfast support of our efforts over many projects. Jim Quanci, as usual, gave generous assistance to the ever needful author. Finally, a big thanks to Shaan Hurley for providing answers to those impossible questions all through the writing process.

And as usual, a great big thank you to my family and friends who have always been a source of inspiration and support.

To my two wonderful sons, Arthur and Charles