Autodesk User Group International

We often get stuck in a rut, doing the same things day in and day out. These ruts are affectionately known as habits. Habits can be good and they can be bad. Good habits may be things such as exercise, eating right, getting plenty of rest, and drinking four, eight-ounce glasses of water per day. Bad habits may include watching too much TV, biting your fingernails, and so on.

I want to discuss forgotten habits. These would be things that you once did but have now forgotten to continue doing. Forgotten habits in CAD will cost you time and money. They will stunt your CAD growth and can even corrupt your files.

Over the next few months you will be exposed to things you already know and get a gentle reminder to redouble your efforts in keeping up the good habits.

Habit #1 - Reading
We all have very busy schedules and have little spare time for much of anything. Reading is the top one on my list of habits that are easily forgotten. Obviously my focus is on reading CAD-related items. You also should read a good book or novel to escape the techno-world we live in. I just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird, a mid-century classic by Harper Lee. But I digress.

You should be reading CAD-related information whenever you get the chance. Here are a few places to look for good CAD info.

AUGI
Of course this is tops on my list. AUGIWorld is a bi-monthly publication that is delivered as part of your AUGI membership. AUGIWorld contains superior articles by noted authors and speakers such as Matt Murphy, Robert Bell, David Harrington, David Kingsley, and myself. Guest articles cover just about all of the major products that Autodesk develops.

Autodesk
Autodesk Press publishes many good books on many topics. I am currently reading Introducing & Implementing Autodesk Revit Building by L. C. Fox and Jim Balding and also Mastering Architectural Desktop 2006 by Paul Aubin.

Don't forget the books that come with the software. Read them whenever you get a chance. I highlight and flag interesting items and make notes in my books. Autodesk has stopped shipping the books with the software lately, but you can still get them for free. Look for a 3x5 card in the media case or click here to request your book.

Third-party books
I did a search on Amazon.com for "AutoCAD" and found 1,797 books. Many of these books may be for older releases, but the vast majority offer many tips and tricks that will more than cover the cost of the book. I often will find one or two jewels in a given book that pays for my time and money outlay.

Magazines
I mentioned AUGIWorld, but let's not forget Cadalyst. The articles in this magazine are great. There are recurring columns and authors that are top-notch. Robert Green's column is often worth 10 times its weight in gold. Sara Farris does an excellent job of putting together high-quality editions, month after month.

Before I move on I want to encourage you to read other technology-based magazines. I think that anything tech-related is worth reading and you will find many items and articles that affect your daily tech use.

One more thing... often the advertisements are just as good as the articles for keeping track of what is happening with technology. I know that the ads often over-hype things, but they do reflect the pulse of the industry.

So far we have looked at hard copy publishing and the information it provides that can be carried with you. Next time we will look at reading from an online perspective. Until then, keep reading!

(Discuss this Article! in AUGI's Discussion Forums.)

Submitted by Mark W. Kiker, a member-at-large on the AUGI Board of Directors. Mark is a National CAD Standards Project Team Member and president of the Core Technology Group, a consulting firm. He is the General Editor of BLAUGI and also publishes caddmanager.com, the CADD Managers Journal, and the caddmanager.com blog. He is currently Director of Technology for HMC Architects in Ontario, California.