Lovell
House
Architect: Richard Neutra
Address: 4616 Dundee Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Information
The Lovell house is a modernist house is situated on a declining hill in Los Angeles, California, built between 1927 and 1929, designed by renowned architect, Richard Neutra , and owned by Philip Lovell, a therapist and naturopath.
This project was done through the Historic American Buildings Survey collection from the Library of Congress. Through the first phases of drawing in AutoCAD, I traced over the original blueprint and added some touches of my own. This project was a multi-step pedagogic process in learning the functions of AutoCAD and real-life application.
The set of drawings features two out of three floor plans: living room (second floor) and third floor (top floor). It also includes an auxiliary enlarged furniture plan, check plot, elevation view, and finally, a presentation drawing with a split floor plan of the living room and third level. There is also a swimming pool level (first/ground floor) in which was completed by another part of my group.
Third Floor
Elevation
Living Room
Enlarged Furniture Plan
Check Plot
AutoCAD
Shapes and Dimensioning
Assembly Drawing and Blocks
Tools & Techniques:
- Assembly drawing from part files
- Creating and using blocks
- Parts list with detailing
- Assembly callouts
- Section lines
- Depth of field
Challenges
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The precision required for these projects had to be pinpoint. If a single dimension was off, I would've had to redo multiple elements.
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The visualization and execution of the orthographic drawings of the jaw was also slightly challenging because of its curvature from the side view.
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Solutions
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Preparation and drawing sequence were important to this project. Assembling this project in the correct order, from base to jaw to key, etc. and then taking the front views of each drawing and assembling the model was how I approached this project.
Section Views
Tools & Techniques:
- Use CAD methods to create section views
- Object Snap Shortcut Options
- Linetype scale
- Stretch and move objects with grips
- Cutting plane line
- Hatch/Boundary hatch
- Visualization and accuracy for section
Challenges
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Converting the correct hidden lines into section lines and also choosing the correct hidden lines is no easy task. As seen in the top view of the mounting bracket, it could become quite complex.
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Solutions
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Visualizing which sections of the side view should become the section lines was the key to this project as well as utilizing construction lines to place the section lines.
Auxiliary Views
Tools & Techniques:
- Use 2D projection method to draw auxiliary views
- GRIPS editing commands
- Plot style table
- Polar tracking option
- Correct organic auxiliary view shape finding
- Aligned, angular, oblique dimensioning
- Proper hidden line placement
Challenges
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This was by far the most long and difficult project I've done with AutoCAD. I used many construction lines to create the right shape in the auxiliary view. I had to complete one section of the auxiliary view, erase the construction lines for that section, and then create new ones for a new section, as can be seen in the Transition Support (not even half of the construction lines I used are there); otherwise, the amount of construction lines would be too confusing.
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When first introduced to this project, I was only taught through the most basic shape and exercise and then thrown into the wild. I encountered my first battle with the indexing guide (one of the easier projects) and had to figure out how to correctly draw the shape of the two circles in the top view. Little did I know, the next shape, the support hangar and all other subsequent items, would prove to be increasingly challenging.
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Solutions
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As with the orthographic connecting rod, I stuck with my fundamentals and completed one portion of the project at a time, as intimidating as this project looked before I started. I focused on completing the top and front views first, then moved onto the auxiliary views and grabbed construction lines from the other views.
Mechanical
Drawings
Tools & Techniques:
- Template files
- Layouts, viewports in paper space
- Text scale
- Using basic shapes and trim to create organic shapes
- Title block
- Baseline dimensioning
- Angular dimensioning
- Dimension override
Challenges
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This was the first project I encountered where I implemented a title block. Scaling and correctly dimensioning each shape proved to be the most challenging task in this project.
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Solutions
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I utilized a lot of dimension overriding and construction lines. I also used the array function to make my life a little easier when circles were involved. For the Auxiliary Support, I first created all the shapes and then, to get the hidden lines correctly, I copied and trimmed.
Isometric Drawings
Tools & Techniques:
- Axonometric projections
- Isoplane/Isodraft-ing
- Isometric hidden lines
- Isocircles
- Parametric geometry constraint
- Standard dimensioning
- Oblique dimensioning
- Perspective dimensioning
Challenges
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Oblique dimensioning, text editing, and dimension editing the dimensions so that the oblique dimensions were displayed in the correct orientation was the daunting task in this project.
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Correctly drawing and displaying the hidden lines through the objects were also obstacles.
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Solutions
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AutoCAD's isometric mode actually makes creating the hidden lines of the circles very easy. After creating the visible circles, I knew I just had to move the hidden lines width-length behind it.
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As for the dimensions, I oriented the dimensions parallel to whichever face it was on.
Orthographic
Drawings
Tools & Techniques:
- Projection lines
- Construction lines
- Lineweights
- Linetypes
- Depth of field
- Projection
- Centermarks
- Hidden lines
Challenges
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The fact that the top central portion of the connecting rod was thicker than the bottom portion made this project harder. The side view of the connecting rod required me to fully utilize my visualization skills to complete accurately, as well as correctly draw the construction lines to aid me in the final shape of the hidden lines in the side view.
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Solutions
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As intimidating as it was to just look at the connecting rod and try to visualize the side view, I realized that I just had to start with the basics and use the construction lines to my advantage, starting with the basic shape, and then connecting the different views through the construction lines. While completing the side view, I knew completing the hidden lines for the back circle and the front portion of the rod would be the easiest, then working my way into the middle.
Simple Floor
Plans
Tools & Techniques:
- Dimension styles
- Line-weights
- Baseline dimensioning
- Blocks
- Layer management
Challenges
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Floor plans are always a little tricky. One incorrect dimension throws off the entire drawing, forcing the drafter to find the mistake and fix multiple elements, sometimes even the whole drawing. This happened towards the end of completion. I made a dimensioning mistake and had to redo the entire bottom left quadrant of the house.
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Solutions
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Instead of completing the house section by section, a better approach is to work from the outside towards the inside, starting from the exterior walls, then the interior walls, and the doors and windows last.
Basic Shapes
Tools & Techniques:
- Define positions using the basic entry methods
- Layer Management
- Lineweight/Plotting
- Unique dimension style
- Dimension style overriding
- Scaling
- Absolute Coordinates
- Relative Coordinates
Challenges
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Although these seem easy to draw, I was still quite novice to the program. I discovered that there are efficient, non-efficient, correct and incorrect methods to drawing shapes.
Solutions
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For example, for the channel plate, instead of drawing the entire thing, it's easier to just draw half and mirror the other side.
Complex
Shapes
Tools & Techniques:
- Utilizing the trim tool to create desired shapes
- Object snap and reference lines
- Efficient drawing order
- Polar tracking
- Explode
- Convert to Polyline
Challenges
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Organic shapes such as the positioning space and indexing base projects require the drafter to find the center of the circle and trim away unnecessary lines to create the curves. I also used the TTR (tangent tangent radius) method to create curves.
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Solutions
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The easiest way to draft these objects is to start with the circles that are actually part of the object. The invisible circles used to make the curves should be done last.