Architectural Model Building: Tools, Techniques & Materials

Great guide for staters

This is an excellent comprehensive overview of architectural modeling.

The text of this books is an excellent introduction and step-by-step guide to building models. It defines the different types of models and explains when each one is appropriate. It describes different types of materials and explains how to use them. It provides advice on setting up a workspace, and guides students through the entire model-making process, from planning to adding material finishes. A final chapter discusses entourage - the elements that provide scale, such as people and trees. The text is clear and concise. It assumes no prior knowledge and takes readers from the basic elements through more advanced techniques and more difficult materials.The illustrations, however, are not equal to the text. With the exception of 6 pages of beautiful, glossy, full-color photographs in the middle, all the illustrations are black-and-white photographs. The b&w photographs are not particularly crisp, and the contrast isn't very high. The quality is barely adequate to the task of illustrating a particular type of model or step in the building process. In many instances, a simple b&w line drawing would have been much clearer.If this were an inexpensive book, I would happily forgive the mediocre illustrations, but at the list price, I think the illustrations should be better than the ones I take with my cell phone.

Great Item as described with excellent delivery & fair shipping cost!

I had recently took a model building class at my local community college and really didn't learn very much. I then purchased this book for a class I am taking now after tranfering to a University. I have learned more after only a couple hours of reading this book than I did from an entire semester at the community college. I was very frustrated, but now feel like I have been able to gain a real grasp on certain elements such as planning, understanding what type of adhesives to use and when, and how to properly cut and contruct compelx shapes such as curves, and odly pitched roofs. We had models do in class last week, most of the other student models had ragged edges and sloppy glue jobs. The professional look and cleanliness of my model stood out so much so that my professor actually used it as an example to the class on how to build a proper model. I couldn't believe it. After struggling so much with my previous class in community college, despite really making an effort and doing all the required reading, I was very nervous about spending the money for this book. I could not have made a better purchase. This book has really helped give me confidence and the believe in myself that I can succeed and do well in this field. To anyone starting out in architexture school this book is a must have.

I had to buy this book for a class. It is awesome for beginners! A couple of upperclassmen have been looking through it and think it is super helpful for them even though they have already been making models for a couple years. It is the most helpful art type textbook I have ever read. I have only had it a couple weeks, but I have learned proper cutting, gluing, and even how to perfectly curve mattboard and foam core without denting it. Instead of just talking about tools and stuff, this book actually explains the right way to use them, and what tools should be used for different materials. One of the best parts of the book is where it explains common mistakes model makers make, and how to avoid them. Lots of step by step instructions and pictures for every technique. some of the pictures are a little blurry though, it would be nice if they were clearer, but if you read the instructions and look at the pictures you will learn a ton!

This book is exactly what an undergrad student needs. I took a class on model making at my school, it was based on this book. Each chapter has assignments. This book gives really, really, clear instructions that are easy to understand. Some of the step by step images are a little small, and the quality of the paper the book is printed on doesn't help matters any, but if you read the instructions and look at the pics, it is amazing how much you can learn. This book starts from the basics, and has clear, step by step instructions. one of my favorite parts of the book is the the blurbs that talks about common errors, you could always tell the students that didn't do the required reading, because they made the mistakes that they warn you about in the book. I read another review that talked about how much this book costs, they said the average model is way more than the cost of this book, and this is a good way to save time and money down the road. After watching the kids that didn't use the book in class, I felt that my using it was like an insurance policy that paid off on lots of occassions.

This is a logically concieved and well written text. The processes are very clearly described, and have accompanying illustrations. It could be printed a little nicer though. If you want to know how to work with paper, museum board, cardboard, foam core, balsa wood, or acrylic, this book simply cannot be beat. I have several books on model making, and although many cover the same processes, none describe them so clearly as this one. There are also great sections that describe common errors. I like the fact that I don't really need to read the entire book. Any material you want to work with, just read that chapter, and it has all the info on how to work with it, great for students that don't have the time or energy to learn everything before starting a project. The chapter on foam core/foam board is really helpful, it shows you how to curve it, cut it, and how to work with a bunch of foam board specific tools that I never knew existed. I really enjoyed the chapter on how to plan a model, definitely make sure you read that one before just starting a model.