Welcome Back
I retired the upFront.eZine newsletter on September 12, 2022, after writing 1,138 issues over 27 years.
But with the demise of Typepad blogging platform, I’ve resurrected my Substack account under the name of WorldCAD Access | Technology + Culture — which was the name of my now-dead Typepad blog of 22 years.
So, here’s WorldCAD Access, part deux:
By subscribing (free!), you receive an article on technology or culture or both, usually on a Monday morning.
I archived my 5,000+ WorldCAD Access articles from the demised blog at worldcadaccess.wordpress.com.
My Bibliography
My 40 years writing about CAD shows the changes in technology prevalent for training:
1990 - 2023: 111 print books
2002 - 2020: 138 ebooks in PDF format
2014 - 2022: 234 videos
I began writing print books in the summer of 1990. Many thanks to Colleen McColghlin, who encouraged me in my desire to become a book author. She was my agent, negotiating with publishers contracts for my first two books.
In 2003, I began producing ebooks after a reader asked me to put my series of AutoCAD tutorials into a single PDF file. By 2015, I was producing training videos at the request of Bricsys.
Below I list the books I worked on, first print books and then ebooks. Books are listed in groupings of common titles.
Paper Book Author
I wrote these books from scratch, or else updated my books for newer versions of the software.
1. The AutoCAD Technical Reference (my first book!)
2. AutoCAD for Windows
3. AutoCAD 2004 Family of Products
4. AutoCAD 2010: Update Guide
5. Successful CAD Managers Handbook
6. CAD Manager’s Guidebook
7. Illustrated AutoCAD R12 Quick Reference
8. Illustrated AutoCAD R13 for DOS Quick Reference
9. Illustrated AutoCAD R13 for Windows Quick Reference
10. Illustrated AutoCAD R14 Quick Reference
11. Illustrated AutoCAD 2000 Quick Reference
12. Illustrated AutoCAD 2002 Quick Reference
13. Illustrated AutoCAD 2004 Quick Reference
14. Illustrated AutoCAD 2005 Quick Reference
15. Illustrated AutoCAD 2006 Quick Reference
16. Illustrated AutoCAD 2007 Quick Reference
17. Illustrated AutoCAD 2008 Quick Reference
18. Illustrated AutoCAD 2009 Quick Reference
19. Illustrated AutoCAD 2010 Quick Reference
20. Illustrated AutoCAD 2011 Quick Reference
21. Illustrated AutoCAD 2012 Quick Reference
22. Illustrated AutoCAD 2013 Quick Reference
23. Illustrated AutoCAD 2014 Quick Reference Update
24. Illustrated AutoCAD LT2 Quick Reference
25. Illustrated AutoCAD R13 Programming Quick Reference
26. ArchiCAD for AutoCAD Users
27. FelixCAD for AutoCAD Users (incomplete)
28. IntelliCAD 98 for AutoCAD Users
29. TurboCAD 5 for AutoCAD Users
30. TurboCAD 12 for AutoCAD Users
31. VDraft for AutoCAD Users
32. Learn AutoCAD LT in a Day
33. Learn AutoCAD LT 2 in a Day
34. Learn AutoCAD LT 3 in a Day
35. Learn AutoCAD LT 97 in a Day
36. Learn AutoCAD LT 98
37. Learn AutoCAD LT 2000
38. Learn AutoCAD LT 2000i
39. Learn AutoCAD LT 2002
40. AutoCAD LT 2006: The Definitive Guide
41. Learn GeneriCADD in a Day
42. Learning Autodesk Inventor 2008
43. Reviewer’s Guide to IntelliCAD 98
44. Using AutoCAD 2004 Basics
45. Using AutoCAD 2004 Basics - Instructor Guide
46. Using AutoCAD 2004 Advanced
47. Using AutoCAD 2004 Advanced - Instructor Guide
48. Using AutoCAD 2005 Basics
49. Using AutoCAD 2005 Basics - Instructor Guide
50. Using AutoCAD 2005 Advanced
51. Using AutoCAD 2005 Advanced - Instructor Guide
52. Using AutoCAD 2006 Basics
53. Using AutoCAD 2006 Basics - Instructor Guide
54. Using AutoCAD 2006 Advanced
55. Using AutoCAD 2006 Advanced - Instructor Guide
56. Using AutoCAD 2007
57. Using AutoCAD 2007 - Instructor Guide
58. Using AutoCAD 2008
59. Using AutoCAD 2008 - Instructor Guide
60. Using AutoCAD 2009
61. Using AutoCAD 2009 - Instructor Guide
62. Using AutoCAD 2010
63. Using AutoCAD 2010 - Instructor Guide
64. Using AutoCAD 2011
65. Using AutoCAD 2011- Instructor Guide
66. Visio 4 for Everyone
67. Learn Visio 5
68. Learn Visio 2000
69. Learn Visio 2002
70. Learn to Diagram Visio 2000
71. Learn to Diagram with Visio 2002
72. Advanced Visio 5
73. Advanced Visio 2000
74. Advanced Visio 2002
75. Web Developer’s Quick Reference
Re-authored Books
I took over writing these books, which originally were written by another author.
76. AutoCAD 2023 for Dummies
77. Basics of A+CAD
78. Fundamentals of Modern Drafting Workbook
79. LTI Instructor Guide
80. LTI Workbook
81. OLCAD 106 - Civil
82. OLCAD 103 - Arch
83. OLCAD 208 - GDT
84. Using AutoCAD, 3rd Edition (Que)
85. Using AutoCAD R13 for DOS (Delmar)
86. Using AutoCAD R13 for Windows
87. Using AutoCAD R13 for Windows - Instructor Guide
88. Using AutoCAD R14 for DOS
89. Using AutoCAD R14 - Instructor Guide
90. Using AutoCAD R14 for Windows
91. Using AutoCAD 2000
92. Using AutoCAD 2002
93. VisualSeries - Basic AutoCAD 2D
94. VisualSeries - Advanced AutoCAD 2D
Co-authored Books
A second author and I worked on these books together
95. MicroStation 4 for AutoCAD R11 Users (first edition)
96. MicroStation for AutoCAD Users (never published)
97. MicroStation 95 for AutoCAD R13 Users
98. MicroStation for AutoCAD Users (never published)
99. MicroStation SE for AutoCAD R14 Users (Delmar)
Contributor to Books
I contributed material to these books
100. Architectural - Chapter 7
101. AutoCAD: A Problem Solving Approach R14
102. Harnessing AutoCAD R12 for Windows
Technical Editor
I edited these books for technical accuracy
103. 3D Printing with Autodesk
104. 3D Modern Printing with TinkerCAD
105. AutoCAD 2013 for Dummies
106. AutoCAD 2014 for Dummies
107. AutoCAD 2017 for Dummies
108. AutoCAD 2020 for Dummies
Copy Editor
I edited the text of these books
109. Devil Bush by David Waynes (never published)
110. My Story by Herbert Grabowski (I also did the typesetting)
111. Untitled by Pierre Bissionette (not yet published)
Envisioned
In addition to the books listed here, there were writing projects that publishers proposed to me, but that never got off the ground. These include books about Corel Draw and Front Page.
My eBooks & Training Videos
These are the 138 ebooks I worked on beginning in 2002 and going through to 2025, an average of seven per year. When added to my 111 print books, that represents 249 books in 34 years.
How I Began Writing eBooks
I had written a series of customizing tutorials (Tailoring AutoCAD) for a tabloid AutoCAD magazine, whose editor permitted me to republish my work after three months. I posted the series to my Web site, and a reader wondered if I could collect them into a single PDF file for ease of downloading. That became my first ebook -- Tailoring AutoCAD for AutoCAD 2000, released in December 2002.
Each year, I added more to the ebook, until by the AutoCAD 2006 edition it had tripled in size. I realized it suffered from two problems: parts of the book never needed updating (like LISP and linetypes), and at 420 pages the ebook was getting fat.
At this point, I spun off parts of the book so that I needed to update only the parts that changed. And so we have titles like Tailoring Dynamic Blocks 2009 and Tailoring Dynamic Blocks 2010 -- and no new editions afterwards, as Autodesk no longer updated dynamic blocks with new functions. By AutoCAD 2015, I stopped writing about AutoCAD entirely, as Autodesk fell to adding only a few new functions each year.
I put together a few ebooks for CAD running on Macintosh computers, but sales were dismal enough for me to give up on them.
The advantage of ebooks over print books is that I was able to eliminate the publisher and so make 97% of the cover price of a book. The publisher typically handles editing, printing, distribution, and marketing -- in exchange for paying me an average of 7% of the cover price.
The eBook List
Book titles with [square brackets] are ebook versions made from materials first produced for a print edition. I converted the text of the print edition into PDF format.
eBooks for All CAD Systems
1. [CAD Manager’s Guidebook] - Apr 2001
2. The Russian MCAD Market - Jan 2010 (a white paper)
3. CAD & BIM: Is There a Free Pass? - Nov 2010 (a white paper)
4. MobileCAD is Reaching Maturity - Oct 2015 (a white paper)
5. Best CAD Practices - Nov 2017 (written on behalf of Graebert)
eBooks for AutoCAD
6. [AutoCAD 2013 Reference Guide Rough Edition] - Apr 2013
7. [Inside AutoCAD’s Multilines and Splines] - Aug 2008
8. Tailoring AutoCAD 2000 - Dec 2002 (my first ebook)
9. Tailoring AutoCAD 2004 - Apr 2003
10. Tailoring AutoCAD 2004, Workbook Edition - Nov 2003
11. Tailoring AutoCAD 2005 - Mar 2004
12. Tailoring AutoCAD 2006 - Jun 2005
13. Tailoring AutoCAD 2007 - Dec 2005
14. Tailoring AutoCAD 2008 - March 2007
15. Tailoring AutoCAD 2009 - Sept 2008
16. Tailoring AutoCAD 2010 - Aug 2009
17. Tailoring AutoCAD 2011/12 - Jun 2011
18. Tailoring AutoCAD 2012 for Mac & Windows - Sep 2011
19. Tailoring AutoCAD 2013 - Jun 2012
20. Tailoring Animation - Jan 2007
21. Tailoring Animation 2012 - Jul 2012
22. Tailoring AutoLisp, Diesel & DCL - Dec 2006
23. Tailoring CUI - Sep 2005
24. Tailoring CUI 2009 - Dec 2008
25. Tailoring CUI 2010 - Jul 2009
26. Tailoring CUI 2011-12 - Jun 2011
27. Tailoring CUI 2013 - May 2012
28. Tailoring Dynamic Blocks - Aug 2005
29. Tailoring Dynamic Blocks 2009 - Dec 2008
30. Tailoring Dynamic Blocks 2010 - Oct 2009 (my best selling ebook!)
31. Tailoring QuickCalc - Sep 2005
32. Tailoring Render - Oct 2006
33. Tailoring Render 2012 - May 2011
34. Tailoring Visual Styles - Apr 2006
35. What’s Inside? AutoCAD 2005 - Jan 2004
36. What’s Inside? AutoCAD 2006 - Jan 2005
37. What’s Inside? AutoCAD LT 2006 - Jan 2005
38. What’s Inside? AutoCAD 2007 - Mar 2006
39. What’s Inside? AutoCAD 2008 - Feb 2007
40. What’s Inside? AutoCAD 2009 - Feb 2008
41. What’s Inside? AutoCAD 2010 - Jan 2009
42. What’s Inside? AutoCAD for Mac - Aug 2010
43. What’s Inside? AutoCAD 2011 - Jan 2010
44. What’s Inside? AutoCAD 2012 - Feb 2011
45. What’s Inside? AutoCAD 2013 - Feb 2012
46. What’s Inside? AutoCAD 2014 - Mar 2013
eBooks for AutoCAD LT
[Inside AutoCAD LT Volume 1: 2D Drafting] - Nov 2007
48. [Inside AutoCAD LT Volume 2: Management and Customization] - Nov 2007
eBooks for BricsCAD
Bricsys originally based BricsCAD on code from the IntelliCAD Technical Consortium, and then with versions 8 - 9 switched to its own code.
49. BricsCAD 9 for AutoCAD Users - Sep 2009
50. BricsCAD 10 for AutoCAD Users - Sep 2009
51. BricsCAD 11 for AutoCAD Users - Dec 2010
52. BricsCAD 12 for AutoCAD Users - Nov 2011
53. BricsCAD 13 for AutoCAD Users - Nov 2012
54. BricsCAD 14 for AutoCAD Users - Dec 2013
55. BricsCAD 15 for AutoCAD Users - Dec 2014
56. BricsCAD 16 for AutoCAD Users - Dec 2015
57. BricsCAD 17 for AutoCAD Users - Nov 2016
58. BricsCAD 18 for AutoCAD Users - Nov 2017
59. BricsCAD 19 for AutoCAD Users - Nov 2018
60. BricsCAD 20 for AutoCAD Users - Oct 2019
61. Customizing BricsCAD 4 - Apr 2003
62. Customizing BricsCAD 5 - Oct 2004
63. Customizing BricsCAD 8 - Sept 2007
64. Customizing BricsCAD 9 - Mar 2009
65. Customizing BricsCAD 10 - Jan 2010
66. Customizing BricsCAD 11 - Dec 2010
67. Customizing BricsCAD 12 - Dec 2011
68. Customizing BricsCAD 13 - Feb 2013
69. Customizing BricsCAD 15 - Mar 2015
70. Customizing BricsCAD 16 - May 2016
71. Customizing BricsCAD 17 - Nov 2016
72. Customizing BricsCAD 18 - Dec 2017
73. Customizing BricsCAD 19 - Jan 2019
74. Customizing BricsCAD 20 - Dec 2019
75. Learn BricsCAD 8 In a Day - Dec 2007
76. Learn BricsCAD 9 In a Day - Mar 2009
77. Learn BricsCAD 10 In a Day - Dec 2009
78. Learn BricsCAD 11 In a Day - Jan 2011
79. Learn BricsCAD 12 In a Day - Oct 2012
80. Learn BricsCAD 13 In a Day - Feb 2013
81. Inside BricsCAD 14 - Mar 14 (the title changed from “Learn in a Day” to “Inside”)
82. Inside BricsCAD 15 - Feb 2015
83. Inside BricsCAD 16 - Apr 2016
84. Inside BricsCAD 17 - Dec 2016
85. Inside BricsCAD 18 - Dec 2018
86. Inside BricsCAD 19 - Nov 2018
87. Inside BricsCAD 20 - Nov 2019
eBooks for CADopia, A+ CAD, DWG Editor, IntelliCAD, and progeCAD
IntelliCAD Technical Consortium programs IntelliCAD, which is distributed by other companies, for whom I wrote ebooks. CADopia was the first to release a CAD program based on the IntelliCAD developed earlier by Visio and Softdesk.
88. Customizing CADopia 4 - Apr 2003
89. Customizing CADopia 5 - Oct 2004
90. Customizing CADopia 6 - Sep 2005
91. Inside CADopia 5 - Oct 2004
92. Inside CADopia 6 - Sep 2005
93. Inside A+CAD 6 - Jul 2007
94. Inside A+CAD 2010 - Sept 2009
95. Inside IntelliCAD 5 - Nov 2004
96. Inside IntelliCAD 6 - Oct 2005
97. Tailoring IntelliCAD - Jan 2003
98. Tailoring IntelliCAD 4 - Apr 2003
99. Tailoring IntelliCAD 5 - Oct 2004
100. Tailoring IntelliCAD 6 - Oct 2005
IntelliCAD, The Un-AutoCAD - Nov 2005 (a whitepaper)
SolidProfessor DWGEditor - Jul 2007
RightCAD - Oct 2017 (unfinished)
Inside progeCAD 2009 - Dec 2008
Inside progeCAD 2017 - May 2016
Tailoring progeCAD 2009 - Feb 2009
eBooks for ARES, DraftSight, and CorelCAD
Graebert GmbH programs ARES for itself, but also writes DraftSight for Dassault Systemes and (no longer) CorelCAD for Corel (now Alludo)
Ares for AutoCAD Users - Nov 2012
Ares 2 for AutoCAD Users - Mar 2013
Ares 2014 for AutoCAD Users - Jan 2014
Ares 2015 for AutoCAD Users - Jan 2015
Inside Ares - Mar 2010
Inside Ares for Linux - Apr 2011
Inside Ares for Mac - Nov 2020
Inside Ares 2013 - Jan 2013
Inside Ares 2014 - Nov 2013
Inside Ares 2015 - Nov 2014
Inside Ares 2016 - Mar 2016
Inside Ares 2017 - Jan 2017
Inside Ares 2018 - Nov 2017
Inside Ares 2019 - Apr 2019 (at 650 pages, my largest ebook ever)
Inside Ares 2020 was split into three titles with a combined length of 770 pages. A fourth title on BIM was written but not published.
Book i: Starting Computer-Aided Design With Ares Commander 2020 - Apr 2020
Book ii: Modern Editing and Collaboration On Mobile and Cloud - Jul 2020
Book iii: Advanced CAD With Ares Commander - Jul 2020
Inside CorelCAD - Apr 2011
Inside CorelCAD 2013 - Jun 2013
Inside CorelCAD 2014 - Dec 2013
Inside CorelCAD 2015 - Nov 2015
Inside CorelCAD 2016 - Jan 2016
Inside CorelCAD for Mac - May 2011
Inside DraftSight - Feb 2012
Inside DraftSight 2 - Mar 2013
Inside DraftSight 3 - Feb 2014
Inside DraftSight 2015 - Dec 2014
Inside DraftSight 2016
eBooks for Generic CADD and General CADD
After Autodesk bought and shut down DOS-based Generic CADD, General CADD Products resurrected it as a Windows program named General CADD.
[Inside Generic CADD 6] - Dec 02
Inside General CADD Pro - Nov 02
eBooks for Visio
[Inside Visio 2002] - Dec 03
[Tailoring Visio 2002] - Nov 03
finis
