The Software CATIA V5

CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application) is

developed by the French company Dassault systems directed by Bernard Charles. It
is Written in the c++ programming language. It is a multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE
commercial software suite.

This software was initially launched in 1977 about 38years ago. Initially named CATI
(Conception Assistée Tridimensionnelle Interactive – French for Interactive Aided
Three-dimensional Design ), it was renamed CATIA in 1981 when Dassault created a
subsidiary to develop and sell the software and signed a non-exclusive distribution
agreement with IBM.

From 1977 to now many versions of this software has been released. At first this
software was supported in MAINFRAME COMPUTERS but in 1988 CATIAv3 was
ported in to UNIX. The improvement in this software continued and 1992 CATIAv4
was released.

In 1996, it was ported from one to four Unix operating systems, including IBM AIX,
Silicon Graphics IRIX Sun Microsystems SunOS and Hewlett-Packard HP-UX.

In 1998, V5 was released and was an entirely rewritten version of CATIA with
support for UNIX, Windows NT and Windows XP (since 2001). In the years prior to
2000, problems caused by incompatibility between versions of CATIA (Version 4 and
Version 5) which led to loss of cost.

In 2008, Dassault system released CATIA V6 which was a much improved version.

n November 2010, Dassault system launched CATIA V6R2011x, the latest release of
its PLM2.0 platform, while continuing to support and improve its CATIA V5 software.
In June 2011, Dassault System launched V6 R2012.
In 2012, Dassault System launched V6 2013x.
In 2014, Dassault System launched 3DEXPERIENCE Platform R2014x [7]
and CATIA
on the Cloud, a cloud version of its software.
Mostly CATIA v5 is used now a days which was released in 1998.

Features of CATIA v5 R19:

CATIA V5 is suitable to a variety of industries such as aerospace, automotive,
industrial machinery, electrical, electronics, shipbuilding, plant design, and
consumer goods. The toolkits of the software are specifically designed for
structured companies which have an extended product development cycle.
Some important advantages of the software are:
Provides an integrated suite of Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer
Aided Engineering
(CAE), and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) applications for digital
product definition and simulation;
Addresses the complete product development process, from product concept
specifications through product‐in‐service, in a fully integrated and associative
manner;
Facilitates true collaborative engineering across the multidisciplinary
extended enterprise, including style and form design, mechanical design,
equipment and systems engineering,
Digital mock‐up, machining, analysis, and simulation;
 Enables enterprises to reuse product design knowledge and accelerate
development cycles;
 Helps companies to speed their responses to market needs and frees users
to focus on Creativity and innovation.

Working Area

The Working Area of the software is extremely friendly and well structured, in
order to make every operation in the model easy and fast. The software also
allows the user to create his private desktop with keyboard or icon shortcuts. In
the Picture 1 it is possible to have an idea about the position of each tool in the
software CATIA V5. A brief description of each component is listed below.
 Picture 1 ‐ Overview of CATIA V5 working area

 (1) Main Menu: Tool bar where all the operations and menus are listed.
 (2) Definition of the Workbench: Enables the user to select
between the different workbenches.
 (3) File options: Shortcuts for the basic operations like new file, save,
return and printing.
 (4) View bar: Selection of different views, hide components and
rendering style.
 (5) Hided Icons: Toolbars which are hidden.

 (6) Structure three: With a history of the model, it contains all the
operations and need to be well organized for a good construction.
 (7) Model: Place where the real model is being constructed
 (8) Main planes: The reference planes created with the coordinate
system.
 (9) Compass: Used for movement and orientation during the modelling
process.
 (10) “In‐ use” workbench: All the toolbars of the selected workbench.
 (11) Coordinate System: Based in three main axis (x,y,z), it is used as a
reference for the modelling.

Picture 2 ‐ CATIA V5 most used workbenches

Part Design
This is the most common Workbench for all the CAD software and where the
model normally starts. With this WB the user can easily create solids basically
based on sketches. The initial step for this
WB is the extrude command, which creates the firs solid. Up to this first solid
several other operations can be performed such as the creation of holes, fillets,
shells of threads. On the other hand, when the model requires more complex
shapes, mainly related to the new design trends, the WB to be used is the
Generative Shape Design, combined with the Part Design WB.

Generative Shape Design

This tool is very important and is one of the biggest differentials of CATIA to the
other CAD/CAM software available on the market. With GSD the designer can
create parametric surfaces with special tools and easily come to parts with
complex geometry. CATIA enable designers to incorporate surface models into
solid objects, sewing the shapes to make a unified product model. By the
combination of surface and solid‐modelling techniques the range of geometries
which is possible to model grows significantly.

Drawings
Once the components, parts or assemblies are already modelled, it is possible,
with the drawing tool, to create a professional file with all the engineering
information of the object. The creation of this drawing is made with special
tools and workbenches. It can be automatically or manually created, with the
addition of any extra‐information that the mechanical designer wants.
 Shared Main Operations

s.no icon name function

.
The most used tool in CATIA, this
1. Sketcher command enables
the user to create the first lines/sketches
which will generate the solid models.

2. Insert Insert a point into the model.

Point

3. Insert Line Insert a line into the model.

4. Insert Insert a plane into the model.

Plane

5. Hide/Show Enables the user to send unused elements

to the
“hide” plane.

6. Measure Measure distance between instances.

between

7. Measure Measure mass proprieties.

Inertia

8. Measure Measure geometrical proprieties.

Component

9. Swap Alternate between the visible and invisible

visible workspaces.
space
10. Isometric Shows the model in different views (top,
view side, front,
back, under, etc)

11. Normal Shows the view normal to a selected

view face/plane.

12. Shading Changes the visualization proprieties of

the model.

Part Design/Solids operations.

s.no icon name function

.

1. Add Enables the add operation between solid

bodies.

2. Assemble Enables the assemble operation between

solid bodies.

3. Chamfer Makes a chamfer with a specific degree in

an edge.

4. Close Turns a closed surface into a solid body.

Surface

5. Draft Angle Enables the creation of angular regions in

straight
solid bodies.

6. Pad Executes an extrusion in a sketch.

7. Edge Fillet Makes a fillet with a specific radius in an
edge.

8. Groove Removes material in a revolute shape

oriented by an
axis.

9. Hole Makes an hole or screw with an specific

orientation
and radius.

10. Mirror Allows the user to mirror different

instances.

11. Rectangular Allows the user to replicate different

Pattern instances
according to a pattern.

12. Pocket Removes material according to a shape.

13. Sew Adds the inside volume of a closed

Surface surface to a solid.

14. Shaft Makes a shaft with a shape and an

orientation axis.

15. Shell Turns a solid body into a shell.

16. Split Splits a solid body with a plane or

surface.
17. Thick Turns a surface into a solid body by
Surface adding thickness.

18. Union‐ Trim Enables the union and trimming of two

different solid bodies.

Generative Shape Design operations

s.no icon name function

.

1. Adaptive Creates a sweep instance based on

Sweep several different parameters.
Connects two surfaces or edges with
2. Blend another surface, with the possibility of
tangency and curvature continuity.

3. Circle Creates a circle or part of a circle.

4. Concatenate Concatenate surfaces

Connects two curves or points with the

5. Connect possibility of tangency and curvature
Curve continuity.

6. Corner Creates a corner between two lines with

an support surface.
Disassembles a surface into its several
7. Disassemble individual parts. The parts become, after
the process, unparametric surfaces.

8. Edge Fillet Creates a fillet in an edge with a specific

radius through a surface.
 Creates a new instance with the
9. Extract boundary of a surface. Used normally as
Boundary reference for other constructions.
Creates a new instance with another
10. Extract instance or part of an instance. Used
normally as reference for other
constructions.

11. Extrapolate Extrapolates a point or a line creating a

line or a
surface with possibility of continuity.

12. Extrude Extrudes an element (point, line or

curve) into a
specific direction.

13. Fill Fills the space between surfaces or

instances with
continuity possibility.

14. Healing Heals a surface which contains some

discontinuity.

15. Intersection Detach the intersection between

elements.

16. Isoparametri Extracts a curve from a surface into a

c Curve specific
orientation.

17. Join Joins different surfaces or elements in

order to
simplify the modeling activity.

18. Mirror Allows the user to mirror different

instances in GSD.
Enables the user to create surfaces
19. Multi‐ based on lines and
Sections other surfaces. It is one of the most used
 Surface tools in GSD.

20. Offset Makes an offset in a line or surface with

an specific
distance.

21. Parallel Creates a curve parallel to another curve

Curve with a
specific distance and a support surface.

22. Projection Projects an instance along a direction on

a support
surface/plane.

23. Revolve Revolves a surface around an axis.

24. Shape Fillet Creates a fillet in an edge with a specific

radius through two or more surfaces.

25. Smooth Creates a smooth curve based on curves

Curve previously with edges.

26. Spine Creates a spine through several planes.

27. Spline Creates a spline through several points.

28. Split Splits a surface/instance with another

surface/instance.
Creates the projection of base
29. Sweep geometries through lines or surfaces.
There are several possibilities for sweep
and it is often used for construction.
30. Untrim Restores a surface into its original shape.

Assembly Design operations

s.no icon name function

.

1. Clash Identifies collisions and clashes between

parts.

2. Component Insert a new component.

3. Existing Insert an existing component.

Component

4. Manipulatio Allows the user to change the position of

n a part in the assembly.

5. Part Insert a Part.

6. Product Insert a Product.

7. Graph three Enables the user to reorder the graphical

reordering position of the parts/products in the
three.

8. Sectioning Sections the assembly in several planes

and positions.

9. Snap Creates fast constrains to the positioning

of the components.
10. Translation Enables the translation or rotation of a
or Rotation component.