Defining the Reference Model , also called the Skeleton model is the most important thing before starting the project. I studied a lot the different floors and sections of the Tower. I came up with a simplistic model
- 4 curves ( Arbaletriers Curves)
- 31 Planes ( 28 Entretoises + 3 floors)
- One Axis (optional but I didn't like making the assumption that the Tower was vertical and centered around (0,0,0) >potentially I could move the axis around and the geometry will be recomputed!!
The nice thing about the Reference Model is that this is the only geometrical information which is entered manually in absolute Mode (such as typing the coordinate of a point for instance) in the system. ALL the others Models derive from it, making the design totally associative. Should I create a point or a line or a curve, it would have been somewhat related to any of the geometrical elements of the Ref Model. I imposed this to myself so that I could manage an eventual change. This is also key to avoid mistakes and have perfect alignment of the geometry .CATIA works with a precision of 1 micron.
After working 7 weeks , I discovered a small problem in the elevation of 2 Entretoises, I simply modified my reference Model and did a gigantic update of all my models. I was on the right track.
Here is a picture of the reference Model:
