CATIA: A CAD Software Review

In the aerospace, automotive, machine industry, and maritime equipment design niches, the name CATIA is synonymous with quality and durability due to its widespread use by Engineers and CAD Designers operating in the aforementioned business niches.

Dassault Systemes —the developers of SolidWorks—also takes the credit for designing the Advanced CAD Software Platform, CATIA which stands for “Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application” is a multi-platform drafting tool that can be used for designing mechanical models, and analyzing designed models to pin-point inaccuracies/areas of stress before manufacturing prototypes for testing. To understand the features and benefits of this CAD design software and how CATIA enabled services can help in design, drafting, modeling, simulation, and analysis, read on.

CATIA Design Software: A Brief History

 The software which was developed in 1977 by a French Aircraft Manufacturer, Avions Marcel Dassault—who incidentally used his name in his company’s name—was initially named “CATI”– Conception Assistée Tridimensionnelle Interactive—and it was developed for his personal use in designing airplanes before it was widely adopted by other industries.

The software was finally named CATIA in the year 1981 after Dassault collaborated with IBM to make his groundbreaking CAD software available for the public. The details of his deal were never revealed due to his signing of a non-disclosure contract with IBM, his partnering company.

Systemes has improved the CATIA software capability with added features. Here is a year-on-year overview of the software:

• 01
  CATIA 1977
  On this day, Dassault founded the software for his personal use to design aircraft.
• 02
  CATIA 1981
  Dassault partnered with IBM—the foremost tech company of that time—to sell his revolutionary product to the general public.
• 03
  CATIA 1984
  World-renowned Aircraft Designers, The Boeing Company—chose the CATIA V3 Software Version as its go-to design tool for the design of prototypes by its Engineers and Architects.
• 04
  CATIA 1990
  CATIA achieved the milestone of being chosen by General Dynamics Electric Boat as its design tool for designing naval ships for the United States Government. CATIA was also first sold worldwide in 1990.
• 05
  CATIA 1996
  The CAD Software was ported to several systems, which included; IBM’s ALX, Sun Microsystem’s OS, and the Hewitt-Packard HP-UX.
• 06
  CATIA 1998
  The new version “the V5” was rewritten and released to be used on operating systems such as Windows NT and Windows XP.
• 07
  CATIA 2008
  The CATIA V6 was released
• 08
  CATIA 2011
  The version known as the CATIA V6 R2012 was released
• 09
  CATIA 2012
  Dassault launches an update in CATIA V6 2013x
• 10
  CATIA 2014
  The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform R2014x platform is released, as well as a cloud version of CATIA known as ‘CATIA on the Cloud’
• 11
  CATIA 2018
  With ta goal of more directly connecting CATIA users with manufacturers of parts and components, the 3DExperience Marketplaces system is launched by Dassault
• 12
  CATIA 2019
  Taking that idea a step further, 3DExperience Marketplaces is included as an automatic add-in to CATIA so that manufacturers and designers can interface seamlessly

CATIA Design software is an advanced 3D Drafting tool that can be used to handle advanced project designs from the conceptualization stage to the manufacturing process and every step in between, usable by designers, drafters, engineers, manufacturers, and anyone else who has their hands on the process. The features and toolsets the design software is equipped with include the following:

The Features of CATIA Design Software

• Sketching Tools Drawing and modification tools are provided to Drafters for the purpose of drawing mechanical components, complex designs, and aiding the assembling process. CATIA also supports these drawings with kinematic definitions and intuitive dimensioning.
• Developing Distributive Systems It is advanced CAD software that can be used to design electrical circuits/diagrams, modeling fluid flow and HVAC Systems,
• Modeling Complex Intelligent Systems The software is a personal favorite for Systems Engineers, for it provides them with the necessary tools and features required for behavioral modeling, designing complex systems, and it also supports the use of programming in the design process. CATIA supports C++ and Visual Basic.
• Advanced Systems Engineering Platform The CATIA Systems Engineering Module empowers users to fully integrate the modeling, analysis, and simulation of any number of physical or conceptual processes through advanced engineering and data analysis tools.
• Dynamic Electrical and Fluids Based Planning for electrical engineers and mechanical engineers, the ability of CATIA to support the design and manufacture of electrical systems, heating, and cooling systems, and plumbing systems makes the tool indispensable, and nothing else can match its power on the market.
• Global Collaboration Innovation with CATIA’s collaborative features, multiple Designers can work on it from remote workstations through its collaborative cloud functions.
• Marketplace Interactivity CATIA’s latest advancements allow for CATIA users to connect and share their designs, needs, and requirements directly with manufacturers, parts creators, engineers, and more.

The Versions of CATIA Over the Years

Since its inception, CATIA has been developed a couple of times, and some of its more popular CAD software applications are:

• The CATIA V3 released in 1983
• The CATIA V5 released in 1998
• The CATIA V6 released in 2008
• The CATIA V6R2011x released in 2010
• The CATIA V6 R2012 released in 2011
• The CATIA V6 2013x released in 2012
• The CATIA 3DExperience Platform R2014x released in 2014
• The CATIA on the Cloud released in 2014
• The CATIA 3DExperience Marketplaces released in 2018

The Benefits of CATIA

CATIA has established itself as the go-to-CAD Application for Engineers, Architects and Designers in various fields who create realistic models and prototypes for vehicles, buildings, manufacturing and production processes, and much more in their respective industries due to the following reasons:

• Wide Scope of Application the software can be used in diverse industries and ways due to its extensive toolsets, features and its ability to incorporate programming languages in its design processes
• Advanced CAD Design Capabilities CATIA makes complex design functions that would be difficult to carry out on other traditional CAD Software. It does this by allowing for collaboration amongst artiste and promoting a multidisciplinary approach when designing a project.
• Transferability of Knowledge It has a steep learning process, but once a CAD user has mastered the use of any version of the software, that knowledge can be applied to its corresponding versions.
• Forward-Looking Design Options Despite first being released over four decades ago, the Dassault Systems team is frequently looking to the future needs of the 3D design world to adapt CATIA for what might come in the future, whether that’s 3D printing, advanced robotics, space travel, or whatever else you can imagine.
• Frequent Updates to Software CATIA does not rest on its laurels and is frequently tapping into what opportunities designers and engineers what to have on their modeling and analysis software. Every year or two, you can count on a new version of CATIA that builds upon the last one to make the tool even more valuable.

Make the Best Use of CATIA by Partnering with IndiaCADworks

CATIA CAD software is a rare example of a tool that has its usefulness expanded into dozens of different industries and sectors, which makes the ability to work with CATIA the key to unlocking powerful engineering opportunities. IndiaCADworks (ICW), with its software-enabled services, assists businesses in dealing with this advanced program with notable hardware requirements and a steep learning curve. ICW is a leading architectural, mechanical, and BIM service provider with an experienced team of CATIA experts ready to deploy their immense experience to deliver whatever your CATIA needs may be. If you want to learn how we can help reach out to us today for a free consultation.

– IndiaCADworks