Was kann CATIA alles?

Die Software ist unter Windows, Solaris und IRIX sowie mit HP-UX anwendbar. Sie erlaubt die Erstellung von parametrischer wie auch nicht-parametrischen 3D-Modellen und ist in vielen Sprachen verfügbar (Deutsch, Englisch, Französisch, Italienisch, Japanisch, Chinesisch, Koreanisch, Russisch).

Welche Funktionen genau unterstützt CATIA?

Jede Funktion geht mit einem eigenen Modul einher, das wiederum innerhalb des Bereichs viele Möglichkeiten bietet. CATIA bietet unter anderem die Möglichkeit zur Modellierung von Teilen, Baugruppen und Oberflächen, zur Analyse finiter Elemente. Es ermöglicht das Erstellen von Konstruktionszeichnungen, die Konstruktion von Blechteilen und umfangreiches Rendering.

Für welche Branchen und Unternehmen ist CATIA interessant?

CATIA ist in den Versionen V5 und V6 in zahlreichen Branchen im Einsatz. Sowohl in der Automobilindustrie als auch in der Luft- und Raumfahrt verwenden Unternehmen die Software. Konsumgüterhersteller wie L'Oreal setzen die Software ein, sogar Architekten arbeiten damit. CATIA bietet als Software-Paket unglaublich viele verschiedene Module, die Planung, Konstruktion, Zeichnung, Design und Überarbeitung für die verschiedensten Anwendungen erlauben. Für den Hobby-Bereich ist die Software allerdings überdimensioniert, weshalb CATIA überwiegend industriell eingesetzt wird.

Warum ist CATIA für die Baubranche interessant?

In der Baubranche müssen grundsätzlich mehrere Beteiligte über viele Projektphasen hinweg zusammenarbeiten. Das betrifft sowohl Prozesse der Konstruktion als auch des Engineering. CATIA erlaubt diese enge Zusammenarbeit, nicht zuletzt über die Plattform 3DEXPERIENCE und den Austausch von Daten in Echtzeit ist die Software sehr praktisch. Das Programm ermöglicht es außerdem, extrem komplexe Vorhaben zu entwerfen und zu entwickeln. Die architektonisch-designerische Seite wird von der Software genauso bedient wie die Seite der Ingenieure, wenn es um Versorgungsleitung, Kabel und Infrastruktur geht. Für kleine Bauvorhaben ist ein komplexes Software-Paket wie CATIA zwar meist nicht nötig, für die großen, modernen Bauvorhaben mit hoher Komplexität dagegen schon.

CATIA – Computer Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application

CATIA is a comprehensive software package that combines CAD, CAE and CAM. The package was developed by Dassault Systèmes, a French company. Initially designed for aircraft construction, CATIA has now established itself in various industries.

What is CATIA? The software package is described as the world's leading solution in product design and product development. The program is used in a wide range of industries: from the automotive industry and aerospace to cosmetics and architecture. The software has since been expanded to include a 3DEXPERIENCE platform, allowing companies to share data in real time and thus collaborate very closely. In fact, the software is responsible for the development of many different products in our everyday lives. Roughly summarized, CATIA can CAD (Computer-Aided Design), CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) and CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering). The three areas and the associated digital tools in CATIA can do a lot.

What does the term CATIA stand for?

CATIA stands for Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application. This makes it clear: The software package is a collection of interactive tools that support construction, planning and design in two and three dimensions.

Functions of CATIA

Creating designs in two and three dimensions, checking models with analyses and planning and simulating entire production processes - that's a lot of work. Everything is possible with CATIA. The software is mainly used by engineers, but not exclusively. Other professional groups also benefit from it. Whenever graphic representations of designs have to be created, whenever product designs have to be modified or analyzed, a CAD application is needed. Because only with computer support the designs become accurate enough. Software minimizes the risk of design errors and thus contributes to better quality in the design and thus also in the later product.

If the various parties involved work with the same software, communication is also easier because it stores the design data and documentation centrally. This means that a single, reliable source of information is available for the entire development process.

In design, three-dimensional models are based on two-dimensional drawings - CATIA supports both. Other modules offer kinematics and wire harness design, DMU investigations or composite design and much more. The software package is divided in functionality into workbenches (often called "workbenches"). Commands are assigned to each of these modules.

Individual modules and their functions

The software is extremely comprehensive and is used by engineers and designers in the automotive industry as well as in the aerospace industry. But also in the construction sector people are happy about CATIA. This is because the technology enables the development of extremely complex architectures. The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, for example, was developed as an architectural model using CATIA.

Create high-quality rendering images in Photo Studio.
Real-time rendering images are created in Realtime Rendering.
Part Design provides commands for solid creation (parametric-associative).
Create constructions from sheet metal with Sheet Metal Design.
Assemble already created parts in Assembly Design (parametric-associative).
Sketches can be created in Sketches.
Print-ready drawing sheets come from Drafting.
In Structure Design you create metal constructions.
Curves, surfaces and more are created and edited in the Freestyle module.
Surfaces can also be created parametrically-associatively in Generative Shape Design. Here they are also edited (as meshes etc.) and converted into bodies.
If you want to import images as templates, you work in the Sketch Tracer module.
The basics of Subdivision Surface Modeling for working with surfaces and volumes are available in the Imagine and Shape module.
Volumes and surfaces are analyzed in the Advanced Brass Tools module.

Areas of application and use cases

The use of CATIA is not limited to industry, but in fact the software package is predominantly used there. The aerospace and automotive industries in particular rely on CATIA. Companies that use the software include:

Boeing und Airbus
BMW
Mercedes-Benz (vormals, heute NX)
Volkswagen
Renault
PSA
Jaguar Land Rover
Ford
Toyota und Honda

Numerous suppliers such as Continental and Brose also use CATIA. Furthermore, the software serves as the standard CAD system in various Formula 1 racing teams. Other industries also use the software. In the energy and transport sector, CATIA is as useful and popular as it is in medical technology and in plant and mechanical engineering. There are few industries that do not have some use for the comprehensive package.

License costs and prices of the CATIA software

Since the CATIA software is modular, different subfunctions and performance aspects can be purchased separately in partial licenses and combined with each other. Therefore, it is not necessarily possible to give a general price quote.

If you need the software only project-related for a limited period of time, you can purchase time-limited CATIA licenses. The minimum rental period is one quarter.

Who develops CATIA?

In 1969, the French manufacturer Avions Marcel Dassault (today Dassault Aviation) started to create technical drawings interactively using computer technology. The Alpha Jet was the first trainer aircraft developed using this computer technology in the early 1970s. Dassault purchased licenses for the CAD program "CADAM" in 1974, which was then owned by Lockheed. The program was still two-dimensional, so Dassault developed a three-dimensional tool in 1978. This tool was called CATI, fully Concepcion Assistée Tridimensionnelle Interactive. It was not until 1981 that it was renamed CATIA, and since then it has carried the English name Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application.

Dassault Aviation wanted to sell the software in the meantime. Therefore Dassault Systèmes was founded in 1981. There was a distribution agreement between IBM and Dassault Systèmes for CATIA, the first version of which was created in 1982 still as an add-on for CADAM. CATIA V1 made it possible to use 3D functions in CADAM and introduced surface modeling, which allowed further use via NC programming. It was not until 1984 that the program was extended to include the drawing function and was finally independent of CADAM with the CATIA V2 version introduced in 1985. A third version was launched in 1988, CATIA V3, and now also ran on Unix workstations. Further releases followed in the following years:

CATIA V41993: Ran on IBM AIX as well as on the Unix workstations (HP, SGI, SUN) from 1996.
CATIA V5 1999: Completely redeveloped on the Windows platform, from now on parametric-associative designing possible. User interface and file format were changed, from 2005 there was a pure 64-bit version for Windows XP Professional.
CATIA V6 2008: With CATIA V6 came 3DEXPERIENCE. The software now supported virtual design across divisions including systems engineering, mold making and more.

The V5 and V6 versions are still widely used in Germany today. In this country, the software package is predominantly used in the aerospace and automotive industries. The same applies to the respective suppliers.

Currently the latest version: CATIA V6 3DEXPERIENCE

With CATIA V6, Dassault Systèmes has not only created a software package that meets the latest requirements, but has also launched a platform. This makes cross-site collaboration just as possible as real-time data transfer. This may explain why in various industries not only the manufacturers themselves but also their suppliers work with the software package. Unlike previous versions, the change from version V5 to CATIA V6 is not difficult, because it is a consistent continuation of CATIA V5 with an almost identical operation. Thus, the program has not been completely overturned and renewed (as was the case between V4 and V5), but extended and expanded. However, version V5 is still relevant for both large manufacturers and SMEs.

FAQ - frequently asked questions about CATIA

What can CATIA do?

The software is applicable under Windows, Solaris and IRIX as well as with HP-UX. It allows the creation of parametric as well as non-parametric 3D models and is available in many languages (English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Russian).

For which industries and companies is CATIA interesting?

CATIA is used in versions V5 and V6 in numerous industries. Companies in both the automotive and aerospace industries use the software. Consumer goods manufacturers such as L'Oréal use the software, and even architects work with it. As a software package, CATIA offers an incredible number of different modules that allow planning, construction, drawing, design and revision for a wide variety of applications. However, the software is oversized for the hobby sector, which is why CATIA is mainly used industrially.

Why is CATIA interesting for the construction industry?

In the construction industry, several participants basically have to work together over many project phases. This applies to both design and engineering processes. CATIA allows this close collaboration, not least because of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and the exchange of data in real time, the software is very practical. The program also makes it possible to design and develop extremely complex projects. The architectural design side is served by the software as well as the engineering side when it comes to utility lines, cables and infrastructure. While a complex software package like CATIA is usually not necessary for small construction projects, it is for the large, modern construction projects with high complexity.

Which functions exactly does CATIA support?

Each function is accompanied by its own module, which in turn offers many possibilities within the field. CATIA offers, among other things, the possibility of modeling parts, assemblies and surfaces, finite element analysis. It enables the creation of design drawings, the design of sheet metal parts and extensive rendering.