Jacobs intends this book to be a companion to other more technical books introducing computer-aided design to architects. It addresses three-dimensional design in terms of surfaces, ignoring the rest of the vocabulary of architectural modeling (such as pixels and color imaging, solid modeling, drafting, and other two-dimensional vector generation). Its concern is concept development on the basis of mass and spatial composition.

The author’s goal is to introduce students to three-dimensional surface modeling using a minimum of technical concepts. The emphasis is on appreciation and developing enthusiasm, not on competence. The book is organized around a series of exercises, using a set of predefined three-dimensional shapes. The exercises start with viewing, then add simple composition, then hierarchical organization. More complexity is incrementally added to both the compositional and viewing aspects. (The kit of shapes used, however, is never defined.) The exercises are experientially based, with most techniques explained after students encounter them in the exercises. Each of the six chapters concludes with notes and references.

Instructors should consider this book critically before adopting it for use in classes. It serves no use as a reference for design or technical concepts; issues of coordinate systems, transformations, surface types and their manipulation, and the spatial set operators for sculpting are not mentioned. Its scope is limited to three-dimensional composition, ignoring drawing, solid modeling, and technical analysis integration (a chapter titled “CAD and Analysis” deals with visual analysis). Most courses in this area cover much more. The book also introduces some bad practices, such as copying parts of a model to generate drawings (chapter 6); people following this suggestion will find making multiple versions of drawings time-consuming. Few of the references are to other CAD literature, and none cite the major architectural CAD sources, such as the CAAD Futures and ACADIA conferences. Faculty considering this as an introductory text should also look at Mitchell, Ligget, and Kvan [1].