Five of my colleagues at Southern Maine Community College played a vital role in making this book a reality. I can't possibly thank adjunct professor and applications developer Paul Richardson enough for his detailed technical advice, which improved every aspect of this book. I'm also very grateful to professor Meridith Comeau for her 3D expertise, her contributions to the curriculum materials, and her unflaggingly buoyant spirit. Adjunct professor and applications developer Scott Danis was generous with his AutoLISP insights. Professor Ed Fitzgerald filled many gaps in my knowledge of architectural design and technical graphics, and IT maestro Mike Cyr willingly discussed the arcane applications of DOS batch files whenever I asked. This is a remarkably talented group of colleagues.

This book also benefited greatly from Monica Wood's willingness to put her own writing on hold whenever I needed writing advice, which was shockingly often. I couldn't have finished (or started) without her support. I was also fortunate to have a wonderful team at Sybex. Willem Knibbe's enthusiasm was a surprise and a delight to me. Heather O'Connor, Jon McFarland, and Martine Dardignac kept the project moving relentlessly along, meeting a series of deadlines that seemed daunting to me at the beginning. I am especially grateful to Tiffany Taylor, whose astonishing skill raises copy editing to a fine art.

And a special thanks to the Maine Community College system and Southern Maine Community College for granting me a semester sabbatical to work on this book.