Revit Architecture 2010: No Experience Required

UPDATE: After 900+ pages of tutorial, I give it a 2.9 out of 5 bananas because the EDITORS did not catch that this is Revit 2010 and does not use a "SKETCH BAR" anymore but the book constantly ref. back to the mysterious SKETCH BAR? I have to search and find the new command somewhere else (in another friggin' TAB) that used to be in the old Revit version SKETCH BAR. It's a medium P.I.A., and there is really no explanation of what or why you are completing a command. A little "this is why...", would have helped instead of "click this, then click this". Little real explanation of why.ORIGINAL: This is an excellent book. You are given straight forward 1, 2, 3 of how the tools in Revit Architecture work, although they are basic-ish. Then you get to do the exercise directly afterward. Read then do; repeat. Now, the book does have a bunch of typo's, the book confuses East with West, and some of the "Icons" are from the alpha prototype version of Revit Architecture 2010 from Autodesk. For example: The "grid" tool icon is different in the book than in the actual software. It's in the correct location, just doesn't look the same; minor deal. If you can comprehend these insignificant issues (and it is easy to if you are following along without some major distraction going on, like a baby crying or a tornado going overhead), I would recommend this book. Eric Wing is a pretty good tech. writer although he needs a better editor. (Ahem!, did you hear that Sybex and Autodesk?)He lists the web address where you can download the drawings he is using for example. No CD, no cost and no authorization code needed; just download. All good.I give the book 4 bananas out of 5.

I wish I could give this book 5 stars for the excellent content, but there are just too many errors (and NOT just the East/West errors)! The publisher has a website that has a list of errata, but it doesn't even come close to catching everything. For example, there are many instances where the author instructs you to go to the "Basics tab of the design bar". Unfortunately, the "design bar" was eliminated in Revit 2010; they redesigned the interface and went to a "Ribbon" style. I have found a few other references to items that only existed in previous versions of Revit, but the "design bar" error is by far the most common.The good news is that (aside from the errors) it a superbly written book! I was made aware of this book when I became a last-minute replacement instructor for a college class in Revit 2010. This book had already been selected as the class text, so I didn't have much choice. But now that I am about half way through the book, I wouldn't use any other! The author takes you through creating a commercial building step-by-step; the sequence is logical, and the instructions are very clear.I would highly recommend this book as a classroom text (as long as the instructor knows enough to flag the errors), or for someone who has just enough Revit experience to recognize the errors, but wants to have a better understanding how to use the program on real-world projects. I would NOT recommend it for the rank beginner, only because they could go mad trying to find tools that don't exist in this version of the software.I see that the author has a new Revit book due out on May 24, 2010 (presumably on Revit 2011), and if it is anywhere near as good as this 2010 book, I will definitely be using it as the required text for my future classes. I have my fingers crossed that Mr. Wing has taken the advice of Amazon reviewer Patrick W. Langford, and has fired his editor/proofreader!It is a shame that such a well-conceived book is marred by so many obvious and preventable small glitches.

It's a shame a book directed at giving instruction in a tutorial form is riddled with so many technical errors and editing issues. I even tried to email the author as he suggests in his forward and guess what...? I GOT NO RESPONSE!!! Shocking. The frustration steams from not knowing if I did something wrong or if the directions are wrong. I then spend time searching forums and looking for answers online. The publisher's website has an errata, but that is worthlessly incomplete as it only focuses on the East/West screw-up. The joke of it all is he thanks his technical editor for keeping his east, west, and words straight. I hope he fired her.I am giving the book 2 stars because it has been useful doing the tutorials, but only in conjunction with another book that can be referenced. Also...make use of online user groups and forums. They are necessary, and you can find some solutions to issues created by the poor technical editing review this book got. Having read newer reviews for latter editions it seems the problems have not been corrected fully.

I agree with all of the positive reviewers, but please note: the East/West mislabeling is VERY annoying. In many more than 50% of the instances where you are asked to view an "east" or "west" wing, elevation, etc. it is the opposite. Pretty amusing, since in the Acknowledgments, the author specifically thanks his technical editor "... for keeping my east, west and all of my words straight." Perhaps he shouldn't have been so generous with his thanks. She clearly did an awful job.

Although I'm just about 60 pages into this ginormous book, I very pleased with the way the author breaks down the various explanations and exercises used to get accustomed to the Revit interface. The previous posters are right about the author's confusion about north/south/east/west directions but there are plenty of screen shots that compensate for that. Definitely good for people who just wanna get right into modeling!!!I had previously bought 'Mastering Revit Architecture 2010' and found it to be inappropriate for newbies, like myself, who want more of hands on training with the software.