A popular topic that keeps popping up in the old mail bag is Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and its use in designing big models. Today, many kits have been developed using CAD, and these files are then used to produce kit parts. Laser cutters, CNC-driven routers, milling machines and even high-pressure water cutters (for metal parts) can be driven using CAD programs. For this column, I thought it would be fun to go through some of the basics for developing a set of model plans using a CAD program!

First, you can't just buy a CAD program and expect to start drawing plans overnight. Check out the various CAD programs available online and pick one that matches your budget and computer requirements. Once you've installed it on your PC, play with it until you can draw all the basic shapes and line types, and from there, you'll learn how to develop various geometric shapes. Several programs come with helpful tutorials on the basic functions of the program. If you really want to get into CAD, you can take classes to speed the learning process. Once you've mastered the basics, you can start developing your own model airplane plans.

There are two directions to take: you can design your own models and develop unique sport planes, or you can develop scale 3-view drawings and reverse-engineer them into workable model plans. The latter is what I discuss in this column, and here are some words of advice: before you start using a CAD program, study other people's plans to see how they laid them out and how they solved basic engineering and structural issues. This will help you understand the proper size of wood to use for specific purposes, the proper spacing of formers and ribs, and other such topics. Refer to drafting and drawing books, too, so you can develop a good sense of how things should look when drawn in top, side and front views. A working knowledge of drafting is a basic requirement for using CAD, so don't put the cart before the horse.

Find good-quality, detailed, 3-view drawings and scan them into a file that can be imported into your CAD program. Try to find a drawing with a few cross-sections shown. With PC-based programs, this would be a bit map (.bmp) format, and for you Mac users, a .pict file will do. You could use other formats, but these are the most popular. With the image imported into your drawing file, you can begin tracing it with the various drawing tools at your disposal. And it is here where many wannabe CADsters run into difficulty. When I started drawing plans, I began with simple airplane designs. Old WW I biplanes and homebuilts have fewer curved lines and are relatively less complicated to draw than more modern aircraft. Start simply, and work up to the curvier designs.

Here are my rules for drawing with CAD:

* USE LAYERS. Import your image and assign it to a specific layer. With my umwingBoard program, I assign the image to Layer 1, and I rename it "3-view." Place all the other drawing and details you add on their own separate layers. I typically trace the 3-view and then place the structure (formers, ribs and outlines of other parts) on a separate layer named "Plan." Details such as the engine, servos and such go on a "Hardware" layer and so on. In this way, you can look at specific items, or you can look at them all at the same time. Using layers really helps keep things straight in your head!

* USE REFERENCES. Start all plans with a centerline or a reference line. From this, you can ensure that things like ribs or formers are drawn square with or parallel to one another. Vertical and horizontal reference lines also are important when you develop fuselage former shapes.

* THINK SYMMETRICALLY. When it comes to things like wings and fuselages (in top view), draw only one half and then copy and paste a mirror image to it to complete the drawing. Do all the work on one side of the centerline, and then duplicate it and flip it over to produce the other half. This ensures exact symmetry and cuts the work in half!

* SAVE DETAILS. Never draw anything twice! Draw things like engines, electric motors, servos, receivers, control horns, etc. once, and then save them into a master file. Drawing these things in top, front and side views is also a great way to hone your drawing skills. After you have saved them, you can copy and paste them into new drawings. You can also enlarge or shrink them to make new master details.

* USE THE TOOLS. The palettes included with all CAD programs have many useful drawing tools and functions. It is always easier to use these tools than to draw freehand over your imported 3-view drawing. Geometric drawing tools for circles, squares, ellipses and arcs are all easy to use, and they'll make your drawings cleaner and more precise. Wingtips, engine cowls and other parts are easily reproduced by combining segments of ellipses and straight lines.

* WORK INWARD. After you've drawn your reference and centerlines, draw the outline of a wing half top view, fuselage side view, tail surfaces top views and half of the fuselage top view. From here, you then establish the locations of main formers, doublers, landing-gear mounts, wing spars, ribs and so on.

THE money has been collected and counted from Naomi Campbell's recent fashion show in aid of flood victims - and she's raised an amazing pounds 90,000.

I caught up with her at another charity show at London's V&A . Looking effortlessly glam despite stepping off a flight from New York two hours earlier, model Naomi told me she'd won an award from the Rotary Club for her charity efforts.

When you think of modeling, do you picture 16 year old, waifish thin and very exotic looking girl? If so,think again. Even though the modelng business is oversaturated with the most beautiful women in the world, an average-looking person can still have a nitche within the business.

Fashion modeling is the most prestigious category of the modeling industry, because about a dozen of fashion models have actually achieved the status of celebrities.Fashion modeling industry is not open to everyone and has very strict standards: height, weight, age and measurement requirements. Fashion models have to stay very thin to fit the clothes they are modeling, and even though many people in the industry might deny it, the pressure to have zero body fat is enormous in the fashion world. If you are tall and thin and lucky enough to have an agent who’d send you to castings (meetings with clients or photographers who can potentially hire you,) be prepared to do about six meetings a day, which wouldn’t necessarily result in any jobs.

If you are lucky enough to actually get a modeling job, most editorial projects (such as magazines) don’t pay a lot, and it takes an average fashion model a few years to build up her portfolio to start getting big fashion campaigns and other high-paying modeling gigs.

Travel for fashion shows or for editorial work can be exhausting, and many young women have trouble coping with pressure, related to the industry and its standards. Therefore – drug use, eating disorders, unfinished education and other issues, mentioned way too frequently in the media.

Not everything about the world of fashion modeling is dark and hard, but unfortunately, there are very few models who can actually make it to the top and enjoy the fame and fortune it offers. The biggest problem of fashion modeling today is competition. Because the industry has been raised to its highly prestigious status, it is simply impossible to provide all gorgeous hopefuls with enough work. This is why many aspiring fashion models give up modeling after spending six months in a tiny model apartment in Paris or Milan, watching their hungry roommates steal their food or do drugs.

I remember leaving home at 17 and going to Milan on a contract with a big fashion agency. I lived in a two-bedroom apartment with five other models, who all had eating disorders to some degree. Some girls did drugs. The atmosphere overall was extremely competitive, which reflected the way fashion modeling operates in general. The way my roommates greeted me was always the same: “So, are you working tomorrow? What are you shooting for? How much does it pay?”

The most common misconception about modeling is that the industry revolves around fashion. Closer look reveals, however, that fashion modeling is not the only option for someone who tries to be a model.

You can choose many different paths in her career, focusing on one direction or trying out a few.

Commercial, fitness, fit and showroom, glamour and fetish, artistic, convention and parts modeling could be easier, less competitive and healthier options for the aspiring models.

“There is simply more money in commercial print. You can make $3000 a day,” says Frank Marsi, commercial photographer, “You can also work much longer, there are commercial models in their late thirties.”

Have you seen cell-phone ads? They usually feature good looking, but not outrageously gorgeous people. This is how commercial models look like. Catalogues, some billboards, most advertisements and TV commercials use commercial models. As long as there is advertising, there is a need for people who look right to sell the product.

The height and weight requirements in commercial modeling are not as drastic as in fashion, and they very from job to job. A catalogue, for example, would require a taller model for clothes to look good, but an anti-balding shampoo ad would feature a middle-aged gentleman, who’d be the perfect model for that particular product.

I remember shooting for a commercial job for a pajama catalogue about a year ago. All I had to do was sit on a sofa wearing a pajama and pretend to be reading. I made $1300 that day.

To become a commercial model, you would need a composite card with about five pictures that look natural and pretty. Start by finding a good local commercial photographer, who’d shoot your photos. Then you can visit modeling agencies and show them your photos. Always check up on the photographer’s or agency’s reputation by asking for references, before committing to anything.

To get into the world of TV commercials, the best option is to send your headshots to casting directors who cast for commercial work. If they like you for a commercial role, you’d have to audition. If you do get the part, the pay could be anywhere from $10000 and up.

Fitness modeling is obviously for the fit. Protein bar ads, health shakes ads, sports clothes ads, fitness magazines – they all use fitness models. Muscle And Fitness magazine photographer Brian Moss finds most of his models at fitness conventions and contests, although he sometimes looks for his models on the internet.

Moss says that fitness modeling is easy to break into, if you have the right look.” I found this girl once and told her she’d have a cover in a year. She ended up doing two covers,” Moss says.

Fitness models should have great muscle definition and work out regularly. “There are many girls, there are many beautiful bodies, but there are very few beautiful girls with beautiful bodies. I mean, athletic, of course,” Moss says.

The pay for fitness magazine shoots is about $150 a day. “You shouldn’t confuse publicity with money,” says Moss. Magazine jobs could lead to doing commercial fitness work, which pays more.

The best place for a fitness model to start her career is to get involved with contests and fitness conventions, info on which could be found on the Internet.

Fit and showroom modeling could be somewhat boring work, but it pays well. Showrooms pay about $300 a day and fittings pay $100-$200 an hour. Showroom models show the clothing samples to clients. Generally, showroom work is booked through agencies and it is very seasonal – it’s busy after the fashion show season.

I’ve done a lot of bridal showroom work, where I tried on a lot of wedding dresses for a week or so. The work was exhausting, because you have to stay on your feet for the whole day, but I was happy with the pay.

Fittings involve trying on samples of designer clothing, having your measurements taken and telling the designer how does the garment feel. Fit models have to be a specific size.

Michelle Rogo, booker from Fit agency in New York says that the best part about being a fit model is that “you are in a comfortable atmosphere all the time, without too much hostility or competition.” Female fit models range from size four to size 14, but size eight gets the most work For males it’s the medium size that fits the most.

Fit models can keep working for a very long time as long as they keep their measurements. “Our oldest model gets the most work and she is in her 50’s,” says Rogo.

I do fit modeling quite frequently. It’s not the most glamorous of industries, but the pay is certainly worth it. I have a company that hires me for a week of fittings couple of times a year and I am always looking forward to these weeks!

The best way to become a fit model would be to visit your local fashion design school. Calling modeling agencies and asking if they have a fit division helps, too. More independent-minded fit models can try calling clothing companies directly.

Glamour, fetish and artistic modeling are for the brave among us. If you decide to model in these categories, be prepared to take your clothes off. There is a big debate going on about the differences between those three styles, but generally, glamour photographs involve at least partial nudity and lingerie, artistic photos are usually black and white and require full nudity, while fetish is everything in between, sometimes involving leather, chains and/or fishnets.

To model in these exciting, but risky categories, you have to be at least 18 years old. There is more work for females, so male models should probably concentrate on other areas. Modeling agencies aren’t the best source of unconventional or nude work, so you might want to check out some web resources, such as glamourmodels.com or garageglamour.com. When dealing with web photographers, don’t forget to ask for samples of their work and references, because safety is very important.

For those with exceptionally beautiful body parts, such as hands, feet, etc. there is parts modeling. To get into this huge and well-paying market you would need photos of your best body part to show to modeling agencies in your area. For more information, visit partsmodels.com

Modeling can be very fun, exciting and well-paid work that doesn’t have to involve starving and breaking your high heels while walking to millions of castings. If you really want to model, you are likely to find your niche in that business. And remember, the most important qualities that make a good model, regardless of the category she or he chooses to work in, are: confidence, patience, persistence, and punctuality.

Good luck!

Anastasia has enjoyed a very successful modeling career in major European capitals of fashion, as well as in the United States. She walked the catwalk for Prada and was photographed for Maxim and Glamour.

Anastasia is a published author of Diary of a Model - book, based a true story of glamorous photoshoots and fashionable parties. A must read for anyone interested in the inner workings of the business!

Sitting in hotels and airports provides ample opportunities to observe the world around you. As I sat in the lobby of a very nice resort, I couldn’t help but overhear the General Manager tell his staff to “have a great day and make everyone you contact have a great day too.” Make no mistake, that same discussion happens in nearly every hotel and resort in the world. However, the way this manager said it, and the way the people reacted, told me he was very sincere. He made his staff feel good about themselves and their mission. He was not only telling them what to do, his was showing them how to do it. He was being a good role model. Managers, parents, peers, Partners, in fact everybody, is role modeling all the time. Whenever a person behaves in a particular style, they are role modeling for the people around them. Employees, children, and peers, tend to emulate those they look up to. We often hear sports and entertainment celebrities say they are just entertainers, not role models. In fact, good or bad, they are all role models.

If the boss starts off the day by standing around chatting with everybody in the office, the employees now see/think that acting in that manner is acceptable. When a parent yells at another driver and gives them the single finger salute, they effectively tell their children to behave the same way. The boss that treats his employees and customers with dignity and respect is showing them how to act. Parents that exercise and eat properly can expect their children to do the same. That is until they go to college!

We’ve all seen people say one thing and then immediately act another way-Tell their children not to smoke, chew, or abuse alcohol/drugs, and then do those things themselves. Tell their employees to act in certain ways, and then act in an opposite way. Or, how about, telling your Partner their success is important to you, then not giving them the feedback and encouragement they need?!?

I encourage you to act as you would like everyone else to act. Make sure your words and your actions reinforce each other. If you want the world to be a better place...act like it.

Remember, everyone is a role model to someone. To be more effective and successful, role model how you want your Partner to behave. Act as if you would have them act as you are Partnering To Success.

Everyone from industry insiders to well-meaning friends and relatives will tell you that the child modeling and acting world is very competitive. This is true. BUT, there are absolutely things that you can do to give your child the edge and open the door for them to an exciting and hopefully lucrative new world.

And here's one of the key things you should know...

Children with great parents are at a real advantage!

The truth is, a parent can enhance or ruin a child's chances to break into modeling and acting.

So what makes a great industry parent?

• An easy-going but focused personality

• Lots of patience

• Good organizational skills

• The ability to get along well with lots of different types of people

• A mind open to suggestions and able to be objective about their child

• An involved, loving, positive attitude

• A watchful and calm presence who can stay firmly in the background

Usually a full-time parent at home works best. If that isn't an option, there must be a reliable adult who is ready and able to ferry the child to auditions and bookings on very short notice.

Stage parents ar a huge red flag to agents and clients. If agents get any sense when interviewing a new child that the parent will be overbearing, they won't sign the child no matter how wonderful she is.

If your a parent's personality tends to be on the controlling, helicopter-parent side, try to incorporate a more positive, less off-putting attitude. Once you find trustworthy professionals to work with (And you'll know how to find them after this course!) you need to step back and let them do your job.

The design principles of the dimensional model, which is commonly used in data warehousing, are described in this article series. Dimensional models capture business performance measurements, which are used to support decision making. Dimensional model The descriptive simplicity and high performance in query execution, are characteristics which have contributed to the increased use of the dimensional model in data warehouse infrastructures. The symmetry and descriptive simplicity can be seen at the conceptual model (see resource link) which relates to retail sales monitoring (data warehousing technology has been introduced initially in retailing).

Relational data models are use to implement the above conceptual model (as depicted in the resource link).

This model is easily understood by Business analysts, in contrast with other operational systems models (‘normalized data models’ in relational modeling language). In a relational modeling representation, the model in its simple form, consists of a central ‘fact table’ and ‘dimension tables’ which are connected to the ‘fact table’ via reference keys (foreign keys in relational modeling language). This form is called ‘star schema’. Fact table The ‘fact table’ is the central table in a dimensional model, which stores the measurements (facts) on which analytical processing takes place. All measurements adhere to the same level of detail. The most useful measurements are usually additive or semi-additive, in order to allow analytical processing (numerical calculations which produce additional ‘derived’ facts). During analytical processing, thousands or millions of fact rows are retrieved and numerical processing is applied on facts or fact combinations. Facts which are stored in a fact table, should be captured at the most detailed (or most granular) level (also called ‘atomic level’, meaning something that cannot be divided). On the other hand, maintaining aggregate facts, limits the analysis (or drill down) capability on certain dimensions. The model in the figure (see resource), captures an event: the sale of a product at a given time and all (or most) related to the sales event dimensions. This fact table type, is called a transaction fact table. Dimension tables Dimension tables describe the dimensions of a measurement on a business process. The features of each dimension should be as rich and flexibly described as possible (with many descriptive fields on the dimension table). Attribute names of the dimension tables should be sufficiently descriptive, so as to be easily and unambiguously understood.

Codes which are used in operational systems, should be replaced with descriptive names of the characteristics. Numerical (quantitative) measurements should not be entered in dimension tables (given that these facts should be stored in fact tables). Non numerical measurements (e.g. measurements which can be described in text) which are derived from a list of discrete values, should be entered in a dimension table. The dimension tables usually maintain a limited number of records (the different descriptions that a dimensional entity may take) (the number of rows is known as the cardinality of the table). The attributes of dimension tables, play an important role in dimensional analytical processing, given that they form the base of all ‘restriction operations’ which are applied. (e.g. sales that took place on a specific branch and date are derived by restricting on the branch and the date dimension). Moreover, they form the headings in the reports produced. Therefore, dimensional attributes are the ‘entry points’ to the measurements which are captured in the fact table. The value of a dimensional model is directly proportional to the quality and depth of its dimension tables.

When modeling your bathroom keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be a massive renovation process. You can create an entirely new look for your bathroom by simply using creative painting and a little bit of new hardware. Of course you can go the extreme home make over route as well and go to the foundation and completely rebuild. Regardless of which plan you’ll be following you need to have a plan for the desired result before you begin.

Ask the following questions when determining your bathroom modeling needs:

1) What is the current condition of the bathroom? Sometimes a thorough cleaning (and by that I mean heavy duty muscle cleaning—perhaps resurfacing) is all that is really needed to add new life to a bathroom. Other times call for a more extensive renovation of the bathroom, which requires both more time and more money.

2) Who will be using this bathroom? Knowing who and how many has a huge impact on what you will be doing with the space. If you have several family members sharing one bathroom, consider enclosing the toilet or shower so that more than one person can use the space with some degree of privacy. Built in shelves and an extra vanity are also good for spaces that will be shared by more than one person.

3) How much money are you willing/able to spend on the renovation? This question is important, as it will set the tone for every other aspect of your home renovation. You should never begin a bathroom modeling project without having a realistic budget in place and a very good idea of where every penny will be going.

4) Will you need a contractor or can you do the work yourself? For this you will probably need to know about local laws, particularly if you are doing major renovations. Not only are there laws concerning this but safety and quality issues as well. If you aren’t certain you can do it, your best bet is to hire someone who is—you will probably save time and money by doing that the first time.

5) Can you make your bathroom larger? When it comes to bathrooms, size is vitally important. Of course it is also important to consult a professional before knocking out any walls, as there are other issues that might make the walls surrounding a bathroom necessary.

6) How long can the job take? If time is an issue, keep it simple. If you have all the time in the world, go as elaborate as you would like and can afford. This is your retreat from the world after all.

7) How long will the new bathroom be useful to you? If you are planning to sell your home in the near future and only updating, then keep it as simple as possible. You’ll want to avoid projects that will require contracted labor whenever possible in order to maximize your recovery of this particular investment. If you’re going to enjoy your bathroom for years to come, then by all means create the bathroom of your dreams.

Asking these questions before you begin your remodeling project can help you define your goals and your budget, which will save you time and money during the process.