ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am perpetually being humbled yet inspired by the incredible list of professionals, friends, and family who have helped make this book a reality over the last several years. There's certainly no way for me to thank each one individually. But without each boss, teacher, project manager, co-worker, and end-user I've supported or trained, there's absolutely no way this book would have been possible. Since getting my start with AutoCAD® software well over a decade ago, it has been my pleasure and profound privilege to give back to the design community through my blog (www.thecadgeek.com), the Autodesk User Group International, and this book.

It's with sincere gratitude that I thank Walter Spain and Johnnie Collie, the passionate educators who first introduced me to AutoCAD at Hermitage High School and Hermitage Technical Center in Henrico County, Virginia, many years ago. Their passion and dedication to inspire the next generation of design professionals is what empowered the many achievements of my own career.

Similarly, I have to thank the esteemed team of design professionals with whom I have had the privilege of working each day at CADD Microsystems (CADD). The breadth of knowledge they selflessly share, not only with our customers but with each of their co-workers, has undoubtedly allowed me to expand my own knowledge. Additionally, I would like to give special thanks to the owners of CADD—Jeff Gravatte, Matt Davoren, and Susan Thomson—for their support as I continued this project.

There is likewise a small army of individuals at Wiley whose dedication to their craft is apparent as you read through this book. Senior acquisitions editor Willem Knibbe continued to be not just an incredible champion of this book but also a great friend. Gary Schwartz had the incredibly challenging role of developmental editor, and he did an exceptional job managing deadlines while also ensuring that the vision of the book was executed at the highest caliber. I was especially excited to have Melanie Perry, a.k.a. Mistress of the Dorkness (http://mistressofthedorkness.blogspot.com), back to lend her technical expertise to this project for a third year as my technical editor. I was similarly fortunate to have Sharon Wilkey and Eric Charbonneau return as my copy and production editors for this update. They each did a wonderful job ensuring that no detail was left unattended as the book was made ready for press.

Finally, I want to thank the most important member of the production team, my beautiful wife, Helen. She did something much greater than editing chapters or tracking schedules; she was my cheerleader when writer's block got the best of me, the one who made me laugh daily, and the one who provided a shoulder to lean on even after some of the most demanding days in her job teaching at a local school dedicated to children with autism.