AutoSurf, the software used in this book is part of AutoDesk s mechanical Desktop. The tutorial starts by showing how to create 3D wireframes which are then modified to make complex free form surface models. This surface in a computer is a mathematical expression that represents a three-dimensional shape without thickness. The data in this CAD model can be imported into machining programs that are used to guide machine tools and produce a physical model. The two basic types of surfaces are Primitive Surfaces and Free-Form surfaces.
Primitive surfaces are in the basic geometric shapes such as the cone, cylinder, sphere, and torus.
Creation of nonuniform surfaces by lofting, extruding, revolving, and by being swept are covered in this tutorial. This tutorial covers the creation of a model from concept and planing to assembly. A modern video camera and a cellular telephone are created as examples in the tutorials. Even though my telephone and camera did not look exactly like the model in the book, they were easy to make using the procedures outlined in the tutorial. When you have finished the tutorials, and with some practice and imagination you will create fantastic designs of your own.