Introduction

CATIA (an acronym of computer aided three-dimensional interactive application)

(in English, usually pronounced /kti/) is a multi-platform computer-aided
design (CAD)/computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)/computer-aided engineering
(CAE) software suite developed by the French company Dassault Systmes. It is
written in the C++ programming language.
History
CATIA (Computer Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application) started as an
in-house development in 1977 by French aircraft manufacturer Avions Marcel
Dassault, at that time customer of the CAD/CAM CAD software[1] to develop
Dassault's Mirage fighter jet. It was later adopted in the aerospace, automotive,
shipbuilding, and other industries.
Initially named CATI (Conception Assiste 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.[2]
In 1984, the Boeing Company chose CATIA V3 as its main 3D CAD tool, becoming
its largest customer.
In 1988, CATIA V3 was ported from mainframe computers to UNIX.
In 1990, General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp chose CATIA as its main 3D CAD
tool to design the U.S. Navy's Virginia class submarine. Also, Lockheed was
selling its CADAM CAD system worldwide through the channel of IBM since 1978.
In 1992, CADAM was purchased from IBM, and the next year CATIA CADAM V4
was published.
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) led to $6.1B in additional costs due to years of
project delays in production of the Airbus A380.[3]
In 2008, Dassault Systmes released CATIA V6.[4][5] While the server can run on
Microsoft Windows, Linux or AIX, client support for any operating system other
than Microsoft Windows was dropped.[6]
In November 2010, Dassault Systmes 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 Systmes launched V6 R2012.
In 2012, Dassault Systmes launched V6 2013x.
In 2014, Dassault Systmes launched 3DEXPERIENCE Platform R2014x [7] and
CATIA on the Cloud, a cloud version of its software.
Scope of application
Commonly referred to as a 3D Product Lifecycle Management software suite, CATIA supports
multiple stages of product development (CAx), including conceptualization, design (CAD),
engineering (CAE) and manufacturing (CAM). CATIA facilitates collaborative engineering across
disciplines around its 3DEXPERIENCE platform, including surfacing & shape design, electrical
fluid & electronics systems design, mechanical engineering and systems engineering.

CATIA facilitates the design of electronic, electrical, and distributed systems such as fluid
and HVAC systems, all the way to the production of documentation for manufacturing.

Mechanical engineering
CATIA enables the creation of 3D parts, from 3D sketches, sheetmetal, composites, molded,
forged or tooling parts up to the definition of mechanical assemblies. The software provides
advanced technologies for mechanical surfacing & BIW. It provides tools to complete product
definition, including functional tolerances as well as kinematics definition. CATIA provides a wide
range of applications for tooling design, for both generic tooling and mold & die

Design
CATIA offers a solution to shape design, styling, surfacing workflow and visualization to create,
modify,[11] and validate complex innovative shapes from industrial design to Class-A surfacing with
the ICEM surfacing technologies. CATIA supports multiple stages of product design whether
started from scratch or from 2D sketches. CATIA v5 is able to read and produce STEP
format files for reverse engineering and surface reuse

Systems engineering
The CATIA Systems Engineering solution delivers a unique open and extensible systems
engineering development platform that fully integrates the cross-discipline modeling, simulation,
verification and business process support needed for developing complex cyber-physical
products. It enables organizations to evaluate requests for changes or develop new products or
system variants utilizing a unified performance based systems engineering approach. The
solution addresses the Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) needs of users developing
todays smart products and systems and comprises the following elements: Requirements
Engineering, Systems Architecture Modeling, Systems Behavior Modeling & Simulation,
Configuration Management & Lifecycle Traceability, Automotive Embedded Systems
Development (AUTOSAR Builder) and IndustrialAutomation Systems Development
(ControlBuild).

CATIA uses the open Modelica language in both CATIA Dynamic Behavior Modeling
and Dymola, to quickly and easily model and simulate the behavior of complex systems that
span multiple engineering disciplines. CATIA & Dymola are further extended by through the
availability of a number of industry and domain specific Modelica libraries that enable user to
model and simulate a wide range of complex systems ranging from automotive vehicle
dynamics through to aircraft flight dynamics.[12]

Electrical systems
CATIA v5 offers a solution to facilitate the design and manufacturing of electrical systems
spanning the complete process from conceptual design through to manufacturing. Capabilities
include requirements capture, electrical schematic definition, interactive 3D routing of both wire
harnesses and industrial cable solutions through to the production of detailed manufacturing
documents including formboards.[13]

Fluid systems
CATIA offers a solution to facilitate the design and manufacturing of routed systems including
tubing, piping, Heating, Ventilating & Air Conditioning (HVAC). Capabilities include requirements
capture, 2D diagrams for defining hydraulic, pneumatic and HVAC systems, as well as Piping
and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID). Powerful capabilities are provided that enables these 2D
diagrams to be used to drive the interactive 3D routing and placing of system components, in the
context of the digital mockup of the complete product or process plant, through to the delivery of
manufacturing information including reports and piping isometric drawings. [14]

Portfolio
CATIA Systems Architecture
From aircraft to cars, industrial machinery, ships, and white goods, complexity of
products and the systems that keep them running is steadily increasing. CATIA
enables you to model and compose complex products, while defining and
executing their driving systems to manage this complexity and deliver products
on time?
Key benefits include

A unique and powerful PLM Collaborative environment to ensure a

consistent, traceable and reliable system definition
This environment improves communication and information sharing
between actors
A unified RFLP approach to master complex systems definition.
Virtual execution engine to perform a global validation, including 3D and
dynamic behavior.
Design naturally with a direct editing modeler
Position parts automatically with contextual constraints
Collaborate instantly in an immersive environment that fosters daily
interactions in 3D

CATIA DESIGN
Creative design talks directly to peoples heart. Creative designers must be
equipped with software tools that enable them to easily craft and adjust the
product's emotional content through their designs,while collaborating with
engineering to ensure proper coverage of product functional scope.
Successful products in the market are usually those with designs that elicit
positive emotional response from their consumers. CATIA is at the service of
creative designers and their creativity. Whether starting ideation in 3D from
scratch or from 2D sketches, industrial designers can manipulate shapes with
unrivaled freedom and take advantage of a true creativity accelerator to explore
more ideas in the early conceptual phase. CATIA fully addresses the Automotive
Class-A process with a solution for surface refinement that integrates industry
leading ICEM surfacing technologies. By combining the V6 technology strengths,
which include knowledge capture-and-reuse paradigm, it delivers a powerful and
intuitive suite of tools for modeling, analyzing and visualizing aesthetic and
ergonomic shapes for the highest Class-A surface quality.

Key benefits include

Extended capabilities, from preliminary design to Shape design

Unique integrated solution for both styling and mechanical shape design
to streamline design iterations
Native reverse engineering environment associative to CATIA shape design
environment
Rapid propagation of design changes at any time to optimize the design
process
Unmatchable dynamic curve and surface modeling with powerful real-time
diagnosis tools
Intuitive environment enabling a real freedom to design rapidly high-end
shapes
Efficient concurrent design through tight collaboration between designers
and engineers
Powerful design review environment to provide high-end quality products
Embeds 3D design in reality

Catia Engg
CATIA for Engineers enables Digital Prototyping including Analysis and Simulation
for design and validation of function quality and performance at all stages ofthe
design.

Mechanical engineering is complex as assemblies are designed to perform a

specific task with a specific target performance. Digital prototyping, combined
with digital analysis and simulation, allows product development teams to
virtually create and analyze a mechanical product in its environment. Mechanical
engineers must be equipped with these tools so that they can gain insight into
key factors in quality and performance early in the product development phase.

Key benefits include

Creation of any type of 3D part, from rough 3D sketches for early

conception, to machined, sheetmetal, composites, molded, forged or
tooling parts up to the definition of mechanical assemblies, which can be
advanced welded assemblies.
Mechanical System Design provides an unbreakable relational design,
thanks to a new way to manage links between objects and related
behaviors in a PLM collaborative environment. Parts Placement Assembly
constraints facilitate collaborative work, unrivalled concurrent engineering
capabilities and scalability in configured assemblies.
Easy and smooth evolution from 2D- to 3D-based design methodologies is
fostered thanks to comprehensive drawing production with market leading
generative drafting fully associative with 3D.
Productivity and consistency of drawing update improves productivity by
removing the need for additional user operations
Process oriented tools to capture the manufacturing process intent at an
early stage of the design: the functional modeling approach is dedicated
to plastic or molded parts, automatic filletting and autodraft optimize
foundry and forge tooling design, fastening or welding workbenches
enable companies to harness all the required disciplines
Wide range of application for tooling design, for both generic tooling as
well as mold and die
High quality design is provided for all mechanical parts, resulting from
strong partnerships with industry leaders from all industries.
Dedicated end-to-end solution for designing and documenting electrical
harnesses in all products that include electrical components
3D design of piping and tubing systems using industry standards and
specifications, within the context of a full digital mock-up
Design of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) inside the virtual product and
simplified collaboration between mechanical and electronics specialists
Advanced technologies for mechanical surfacing, based on a powerful
specification-driven modeling approach
Embedded software management capabilities enabling software engineers
to define, simulate and generate C-code for any control systems

CATIA SYSTEM ENGG

CATIA Systems Engineering integrates complex product behaviour into the
product definition, enabling a lifelike experience which predicts real world
performance.
With CATIA Systems Engineering , system architects, product engineers,
designers and technical experts define both technical and business aspects. The
RFLP approach (Requirements, Functional, Logical and Physical Design) upholds a
full traceability during product development and product introduction. This helps
shortening the gap between requirements analysis and the choice of the right
solution.

Key benefits include

Powerful , easy to use, multi-discipline modeling and simulation for

systems engineering through a powerful open Modelica language
Validation of the control systems against integrated plant models
Reduce the need for physical prototypes by using executable
specifications
Improve final product quality by the early testing of more design
alternatives
Formal system modeling and modular components promote reuse
Formalize system safety requirements and assess them during each phase
of the development process by building and simulating a formal system
functional safety model
Automatic generation of dependability models (Fault Tree, Event
Sequences, System Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, Common Cause
Analysis)
Perform system functional safety analysis studies to check compliance
with certification authorities. Verify the architecture robustness by faults
injection and by graphical simulation of system behavior
Capitalize on systems knowledge through the re-use of components
libraries.
Definition of kinematic mechanisms allowing analysis and check in several
simulation contexts for a high quality product
Evaluate mechanisms with the ability to drive under-constrained systems
early on
Feature of Caita 2016

A new product, CATIA Composites Fiber Modeler (CFM), provides robust and accurate fiber
simulation to optimize ply shapes and provide accurate manufacturing information.

This proven and widely used technology from Simulayt, acquired by Dassault Systemes in October
2011, is now fully integrated into CATIA V6. CATIA Composite Solutions integrate the design, analysis
and manufacture of structures made from fiber-reinforced materials. Simulayt adds the proven
manufacturability simulation technologies needed to better understand and accurately predict
materials behavior, assess manufacturability, and optimize manufacturing processes.
For additional flexibility and mobility, travelling users who dont have an internet connection
can now continue to design with CATIA V6R2013x even when they are not connected to the
server.

With CATIA Offline, On-the-go, users can access their current data even when it is not possible to
connect to the enterprise ENOVIA V6 Server. Simply selecting work offline downloads the required
data. CATIA function will then be available on the go, when working from home or when no network
is available. Once back on site, un-checking the work offline switch reconnects to the ENOVIA V6
Server, and work can be re-synchronized and shared.

CATIA V6R2013x demonstrates increased openness with the support for STEP AP242 ,
Managed Model Based 3D, an automotive and aerospace standard for data exchange and long
term archiving.

AP242 is a merge and enhancement of AP203 and AP214. Support included for import and export of
STEP AP242 data. Includes support for tessellated STEP AP242. This provides a vendor independent
ISO standards-based approach to exchanging compressed and tessellated data.

With V6R2013 we announced the industrys best multi-version compatibility, allowing V5 and
V6 users to share and edit parts at the feature level. CATIA V6R2013x extends the scope of
this capability to include features created in the Freestyle workbench.

V6 parts created in V6R2013x containing features created in the FreeStyle workbench can be
transferred with all their specifications to V5-6R2013. FreeStyle features are now included in V6 to
V5 As Specifications export. Kinematic Mechanism specifications can be exchanged from V6 to V5
including Joints, Commands and Dress-up. Once migrated, mechanisms are ready to be simulated in
V5.
CATIA V5R2013X delivers multiple advances in systems engineering, the multi disciplinary
design methodology which integrates RFLP product definitions.

5 new model libraries, based on the Modelica standard, are added to CATIA Systems. This improves
product design and accelerates time to market by providing a comprehensive set of libraries for the
study of Engine, Electrical Power, Hydro Power, Liquid Cooling and Thermal Power systems.

CATIA Live Rendering improves performances and offers the ability to render multiple
photorealistic images in the background, while the user continues to work on CATIA.

Industrial Designers can continue to work in CATIA while the pictures are rendered, without being be
impacted by performance. All the rendering operations are performed in a background task, and
depending on the hardware available render in background will run on CPU, GPU or both on the main
computer. Monitoring and managing the queue remain possible even when CATIA is closed.

CATIA Natural Sketch adds new features, reaching a new level of maturity and delivering
enhanced functionality which meets the real needs of creative designers.

This enhancement allows you to use initial rough curves as support, as well as surfaces. It provides
you with the ability to draw directly in 3D, directly using the work already done during the drawing of
rough curves. The process is more efficient, quick and intuitive: you have not to draw the same model
twice anymore. Other enhancements provide you the ability to change the brush and the color of the
stroke and a more accurate placement of images into the 3D world to be used as models or supports.

A new level of maturity for CATIA Icem. The surface modeler expert now reaches his ultimate
goal: achieving the perfect class A shape at the first creation step.

CATIA Icem introduces a significant step in terms of functional content but also enables users' daily
workflows. Many improvements are provided for daily tools (light manager, ruler, transparency for
zebra highlights, iso manipulation in blend surface), reducing repetitive tasks. The CATIA Icem
Expert module now provides a set of major enablers, which make the surface modeling expert get
closer to his ultimate goal: achieving the perfect class A shape at the first creation step.
 Process-oriented mold design workflow Easy creation of complex mold mechanisms.

Design of the tool assembly is made simpler by guiding user actions through the stages of the mold
design process, by enabling easy creation of complex mechanical systems and by allowing fast
definition of the plastic injection system.

More flexibility for systems designers and more traceability of the impact between
components.

ToolBars

These are the specific icon toolbars that belong to the Core &Cavity Design workbench.

The toolbars

Import Model

Pulling Direction

Wireframe

Curves

Surfaces

Operations

Annotations

Analysis

Power Copy
 Modify Fillet Radius

are located on the right in the default set-up

Import Model Toolbar

Import Model
See Importing a Model
Compare
See Comparing Two Molded Parts
Bounding Box
See Creating a Bounding Box

Pulling Direction Toolbar

Pulling Direction
See Defining the Main Pulling Direction
Slider Lifter Direction
See Defining the Pulling Direction for Sliders
Transfer an Element
See Transferring Elements
Split Mold Area
See Splitting a Face
Aggregate Mold Area
See Aggregating Surfaces
Explode View
See Exploding the View
Face Orientation
See Orienting Faces

Wireframe Toolbar

See Points Sub-toolbar below

Create a line
See Creating Lines
Create a plane
See Creating Planes
 Project a point or curve
See Creating Projections
Reflect Line
See Creating Reflect Lines
Intersection
See Creating Intersections

See Parallel Curves Sub-toolbar below

See Corner-Connect Sub-toolbar below

See 3D Curves Sub-toolbar below

Points Sub-toolbar

Create point
See Creating Points
Extremum
See Creating Extremum Elements

Parallel Curves Sub-toolbar

Create a parallel curve

See Creating Parallel curves
3D Curve Offset
See Creating a 3D Curve Offset

Corner-Connect Sub-toolbar

Create point
See Creating Corners
Connect Curve
See Creating Connect Curves

3D Curves Sub-toolbar
 Spline
See Creating Splines
Spine
See Creating a Spine
Curve on Surface
See Creates curves on surface, see FreeStyle Shaper Optimizer & Profiler

Curves Toolbar

Parting Line
See Creating a Parting Line
Chaining Edges
See Chaining Edges

Surfaces Toolbar

Parting Surface
See Creating a Parting Surface
Light Surface
See Creating a Light Surface
Extrude
See Creating Extruded Surfaces
Offset
See Creating Offset Surfaces
Sweep
See Creating Swept Surfaces
Fill
See Creating Fill Surfaces
Multi-sections Surfaces
See Creating Multi-section Surfaces
Blend
See Creating Blending Surfaces

Operations Toolbar

See Join-Healing Sub-toolbar below

See Split-Trim Sub-toolbar below

 See Extracts Sub-toolbar below

See Fillets sub-toolbar below

See Transformations Sub-toolbar below

Extrapolate
See Extrapolating Surfaces or Extrapolating Curves
Invert Orientation
See Inverting the Orientation of Geometry
Near
See Creating the Nearest Entity of a Multiple Element

Join-Healing Sub-toolbar

Join
See Joining Geometry
Curve Smooth
See Smoothing Curves
Untrim Surface or Curve
See Restoring a Surface

Trim-Split Sub-toolbar

Split
See Splitting Geometry
Trim
See Trimming Geometry

Extracts Sub-toolbar

Boundary
See Creating Boundary Curves
Extract a face or a surface edge
See Extracting Geometry

Fillets Sub-toolbar
 Shape Fillet
See Creating Bitangent Shape Fillets or Creating Tritangent Shape
Fillets
Edge Fillet
See Creating Edge Fillets
Variable Radius Fillet
See Creating Variable Radius Fillets
Chordal Fillet
See Chordal Fillet
Face-Face Fillet
See Creating Face-Face Fillets
Tritangent Fillet
See Creating Tritangent Fillets

Transformations Sub-toolbar

Translate
See Translating Geometry
Rotate
See Rotating Geometry
Symmetry
See Performing a Symmetry on Geometry
Scaling
See Transforming Geometry by Scaling
Affinity
See Transforming Geometry by Affinity
Axis to Axis
See Transforming Elements from an Axis to Another

Annotations Toolbar

Text with Leader

See Creating Texts
Flag Note with Leader
See Creating Flag Notes

Analysis Toolbar
 Sectioning
See Sectioning
Display the Surface Boundaries
See Displaying Boundaries of Surfaces
Display the Smooth Edges
See Smoothing Edges
Curve Connect Checker
See Checking Connections Between Curves
Surfacic Curvature Analysis
See Performing a Surfacic Curvature Analysis
Pulling Direction Analysis
See Analyzing the Pulling Direction

Power Copy Toolbar

PowerCopy Creation
See Creating Power Copies
Save in Catalog
See Saving Power Copies into a Catalog
Instantiate from Document
See Instantiating Power Copies

Modify Fillet Radius Toolbar

Search Fillets
See Searching Fillets
Fillet Radius Reduction
See Reducing the Fillet Radius