CATIA V5

Dr Ahmed Kovacevic

City University London

School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Room CM124, Phone: 8780, E-Mail: [email protected]
www.city-design.tk www.staff.city.ac.uk/~ra600/intro.htm
Course Schedule

• Lecture 1 • Lecture 3
 • Introduction • Wireframe and Surface
• Software Overview • Drafting

• Part Design and Sketching

• Lecture 2 • Lecture 4
• Product Structure and • Finite Element Analysis Assembly Modelling •
Data Exchange
• More advance Part Design • Parameters and Formulas

CATIA Overview

• CATIA v5 is an Integrated Computer Aided Engineering

tool:
Lecture 1

❑ Incorporates CAD, CAM, CAE, and other applications

❑ Completely re-written since CATIA v4 and still under development
❑ CATIA v5 is a native Windows application
❑ User friendly icon based graphical user interface
❑ Based on Variational/ Parametric technology
❑ Encourages design flexibility and design reuse
❑ Supports Knowledge Based Design
Lecture 1

CATIA v5 Philosophy

• A Flexible Modelling environment

❑ Ability to easily modify models, and implement design changes
❑ Support for data sharing, and data reuse

• Knowledge enabled
❑ Capture of design constraints, and design intent as well as final
model geometry
❑ Management of non-geometric as well as geometric design
information

• The 3D Part is the Master Model

Lecture 1

❑ Drawings, Assemblies and Analyses are associative to the 3D

parts. If the part design changes, the downstream models with
change too.

CATIA v5 Applications
• Product Structure • • Digital Shape Editor
Part Design • Knowledgeware
• Assembly Design • Photo Studio
• Sketcher • 4D Navigator (including
• Drafting (Interactive and kinematics)
Generative) • Manufacturing
• Wireframe and Surface • Finite Element Analysis
• Freestyle Shaper
Lecture 1

CATIA User Interface

 Lecture 1

Current
Menu Bar Application

Online Help

Application
Tool Bar
File Toolbar

View Toolbar
Lecture 1

Interacting with CATIA (1)

• Selecting an Application • Working with Files

❑ Use the Start menu to select an ❑ Use the File menu to create,
application open, save and print
Lecture 1

Interacting with CATIA (2)

• Display Commands • ❑ Fly Through

Lecture 1

❑ Fit View ❑ Standard Views

❑ Layer control ❑ View Types: Shaded/
Hidden
• Line/ Wireframe/ User
❑ Pan
Defined
❑ Rotate
❑ Zoom Hide/ Show
❑ Normal View ❑ Hide
Lecture 1

❑ Swap Visible Space Properties • Pan

❑ Display Characteristics for an ❑ Press and hold the middle
object are set by selecting the mouse button and move the
entity, then pressing the right mouse to pan
mouse button and selecting
Properties from the menu • Rotate

Manipulating the Display using the

Mouse
Lecture 1

❑ Press and hold the middle mouse button then move the
button then the left mouse button mouse to zoom in and out
and move the mouse to rotate
• Using the compass
• Zoom
❑ Press and hold the middle mouse
button and click the left mouse
Lecture 1

• Drag the axes or planes of the

compass to dynamically rotate
the display
• Multi-select entities by holding
down the Shift key
Lecture 1

More Common Commands

• Copy/ Paste ❑ Redo repeats an action
❑ Geometry
that has been
entities can be
undone
copied and
pasted from one • Hide/ Show
part to another. ❑ Allows you to
❑ Paste Special temporarily hide
allows you to: entities from the
display
• Paste a complete
copy with history ❑ Hidden entities can
be recovered by
• Paste a linked copy clicking on the
• Paste the result “Swap visible space”
without linking icon, and then
selecting the entity
• Undo/ Redo to make visible
❑ Allows you to undo
previous actions • Update
Lecture 1

❑ Used to part after

update the modification

The Specification
Tree

• The Specification Tree is displayed on

the left side of the screen while you are
working
• Provides access to the history of how a
part was constructed, and shows the
product structure
• Product entities can be selected from
the spec. tree or in the geometry area
Lecture 1

• Parts can be modified by selecting them

from the spec. tree.
• Click on + to open a tree branch
• Solid Parts are stored in the PartBody
branch of the Part tree
Getting Help

• The online help library can be

accessed by selecting the Help ->
Contents, Index and Search
command
Lecture 1

• The Help home page provides a

search facility, and allows you to
browse by application.
• Every CATIA task has a getting
started guide
Lecture 1

Getting Help from the

CATIA Community
• For general information about CATIA from
IBM and Dassault Systemes refer to:
www.catia.com

• For access to the database of known

problems refer to:
http://service.boulder.ibm.com/support/
catia.support/databases

• The CATIA operator’s exchange provides a

forum for the exchange of ideas and advice
Lecture 1

about using CATIA at:

www.coe.org

• And look at Member Center -> Forum

Part Design

• The Part Design application is used

to create solid models of parts
• Solid parts are usually created from
2D profiles that are extruded or
revolved to form a base feature
Lecture 1

• The Part Design task is tightly

integrated with a 2D sketching tool
• A library of features is provided to
allow user to add additional details to
a base part
• Parts can be modified by selecting
their features in the specification tree
• Parts are stored in files with the
extension .CATPart
Lecture 1

Part Design

• Base Features • Dress-up Features

❑ Fillets ❑Draft Shell

❑ Pad ❑Slot ❑ Chamfers ❑Thickness
❑ Pocket ❑Hole • Transformation Features
❑ Shaft ❑Groove

• Reference Elements
Lecture 1

❑ Translation
❑ Rotation
❑ Point ❑ Mirror
❑ Line ❑ Pattern
❑ Scale
❑ Plane

Sketcher

• The sketcher is used to create 2D

sketches of designs, and apply
constraints to the sketched geometry
• The sketcher is now the main
environment for developing 2D
profiles that will be used to build
Lecture 1

solid models (but traditional 2D

wireframe techniques are available
in the Wireframe and Surface
application)
• The sketcher provides a flexible
environment for creating and
modifying 2D geometry
Lecture 1

Sketcher
• Ent h
e
eri
ng S
k
the e
ske t
tch c
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❑ C r
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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

Usin
g the
Sket
cher

• The
Sketcher
is a
parametric
Lecture 1

design
tool
• It allows
you to
quickly
draw the
approxima
te shape
of a
design,
and then
assign
constraint
Lecture 1

s to
complete
the shape
definition
• Constraint
s can be
applied
as:
❑ Driving
Dimensions
–
dimensions
that control
the size of a
geometric
Lecture 1

entity
❑ Geomet
ric
Constraints
– geometric
relationships
such as
parallel,
perpendicula
r, tangent,
collinear
Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

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Lecture 1

Sket
chin
g
Tips
• To edit an
existing
sketch
ensure that
you select
the sketch
from the
Lecture 1

specification
tree, or
select an
element in
the sketch.
(If you do
not do this
you will
create a
new sketch
instead of
modifying
the existing
one)
Lecture 1

• If the sketch
goes purple
while you
are
constraining
it is
overconstrai
ned.
Generally it
is best to
Undo the
last
constraint
and
examine
existing
constraints
Lecture 1

to find the
problem
before
continuing

• Solids can
only be
created from
sketches
that form a
single
closed
boundary
• The profile
icon allows
you to
Lecture 1

create
complicated
profiles
including
lines and
arcs. See
the online
help for
more
information
Lecture 1

Creating a Solid Part from a

Sketch

1. Click on the Pad icon to 4. Select the limit type from:

create an extruded part ❑ Dimension
❑ Up To Next
2. Select the sketch containing
the profile you want to ❑ Up To Last
extrude (note the sketch is ❑ Up To Plane
Lecture 1

treated as a single entity) 5. Type in the length if

required
3. The Pad definition window
will appear 6. Check the extrude direction
arrow
7. Click on OK to
create the
Part
Lecture 1

Working with Features

• The Part Design task uses intelligent design features
• The features contain information about their context as well as
their shape
• For example a Hole feature can only be created once you
have created a part body
❑ A hole feature requires an attachment face, and driving dimensions
❑ A hole is a negative feature – it is automatically subtracted from the main
Part Body

• Other features include Pad, Revolve, Pocket, Groove, Thread,

Rib, Slot, Stiffener
• When a new feature is added to a solid part it is automatically
combined with the existing part
Lecture 1

Modifying a Part
• All parts created in Part Design can be edited at any time in
the life of the part
• The parameters used to create a feature can be accessed by
double clicking on the feature definition in the product
specification tree or on the part geometry
• For example to change the height of a pad you should double
click on the pad node in the specification tree.
• The original feature dialogue will appear on the screen
• Change the values and click on OK.
• When you have modified the feature parameters the part will
automatically update. The part turns red briefly to indicate that
it is out of date
Lecture 2

Assembly Design
• The Assembly Design application allows you to
create a product model from a number of
separate parts
• The parts in a product assembly are not joined
together, but assembled as they would be in a
physical assembly
• The product assembly structure is hierarchical
and allows you to model complex product
relationships
Lecture 2

• Constraints can be applied between the parts in

assembly to define relationships between them
Assembly Design
• Product Structure Tools ❑ Unload Components
❑ Manage
Representations
❑ Multi-Instantiation
❑ Insert New Component
• Move Toolbar
❑ Insert New Product
❑ Insert New Part
❑ Insert Existing Component
❑ Replace Component ❑ Manipulate
❑ Reorder Tree ❑ Snap
❑ Generate Numbers ❑ Explode and Assembly
❑ Load Components
• Constraints Toolbar
Lecture 2

❑ Coincidence ❑ Anchor
❑ Contact ❑ Offset ❑ Fix Together
❑ Angular

Benefits of Assembly
Modelling
• Support for reuse of standard parts
❑ Assembly design creates links to the master geometry
definition, so multiple instantiations of parts can be efficiently
created
❑ Design changes are automatically reflected in the assembly
❑ Model sizes are minimised because geometry files are not
copied
Lecture 2

• Management of inter-part relationships

❑ Mating Conditions
❑ Contact Constraints

• Development of Kinematics models

❑ Simple mechanisms analysis available

Using the Product Structure

Tree
• The specification tree shows
product structure information
Lecture 2

relating to the parts and sub-assemblies contained in

an assembly
❑ In the example shown on the right the product is called Product1
❑ The product contains three components CRIC_FRAME,
CRIC_BRANCH_3 and CRIC_BRANCH_1.
• The Product and the Components do not contain any geometry
❑ Geometry is stored in parts inside the
Component definitions
❑ The Constraints Branch shows the constraints that
have been created to define the relationships
between the components in the product structure
Lecture 2

Steps for Creating an Assembly

1. Create a new CATProduct using File -> New ->

Product.
2. Use the Product Structure tools to lay out the
main assembly structure
3. Use Insert Existing Component or Insert New
Part to create geometry in the Assembly
Lecture 2

4. Use Constraints to capture the design

relationships between the various parts in the
assembly
Saving Assembly Information
• Assembly information is stored in a file with the extension
.CATProduct.
• The CATProduct file contains only information relating to the
product assembly.
• The detailed geometric information about the parts in the
assembly is referenced to the original .CATPart files
Lecture 2

Warning
❑ If you copy a.CATProduct file it will still point to the original part files
❑ To copy an entire assembly use File -> Save All As… , specify a new
location for the .CATProduct file, then click on the Propagate button.

More Advanced Part Design

• Boolean Operations
• Transforming Parts
• Assigning Materials
• Calculating Mass Properties
Lecture 2

Using Boolean Operations

Lecture 2

Using Boolean Operations

• To use the traditional Boolean operations approach

to solid modelling you must create multiple bodies
within a part.
• Create additional Bodies by selecting the function
Insert -> New Body

• Boolean operations (join, subtract, intersect) can only

be applied between the main PartBody, and other
bodies in the same Part
Lecture 2

Transforming Parts

• Solid features can be transformed using the

transform functions

• Features can be mirrored, translated, rotated and

scaled
• Patterns are used to created rectangular or circular
arrays of features
Lecture 2

Assigning Materials
• To Assign a material click on the Materials Icon on
the toolbar
• Select a material from the material library
• Click on the part you wish to assign the material to,
1.
then click on Apply Material and OK. The
material will appear on the properties branch in the
spec tree
• Note: You may need to change the option settings
To make the parameters branch of the
specification tree visible. To do this select
Tools->Options->Infrastructure->Product Structure
Lecture 3 Wireframe and Surface
Specification Tree -> Parameters

Calculating Mass Properties

• Select the node of the part you want to analyse in

the specification tree
• Click on the Measure Inertia icon
Or

• Select Properties from the popup menu on the right

mouse button to see the properties form, select the
Mass tab and view the properties:
Lecture 2

• The Wireframe and Surface task provides a more

traditional CAD 3D modelling environment
• The Wireframe functionality allows you to create
Wireframe points, lines and curves in 3D space,
without using the constraint based approach of the
sketcher
• The Surface functionality allows you to create
smooth freeform surfaces by sweeping Wireframe
curves through 3D space
Lecture 3 Wireframe and Surface
• Wireframe and Surface is integrated with the other
CATIA applications allowing for hybrid surface and
solid modelling
Lecture 3 Wireframe and Surface
• Wireframe Toolbar • Surface Toolbar

❑ Create Point
❑ Create Line ❑ Extrude Surfaces
❑ Create Plane ❑ Surface of Revolution
❑ Create Projections ❑ Offset Surface
❑ Create Intersections ❑ Sweep Surface
❑ Create Circle ❑ Create Filling Surface
❑ Create Spline
❑ Loft Surface
❑ Corner
❑ Blend Surface
❑ Create Parallel Curves
❑ Create Boundary Curves ❑ Extract Geometry
Lecture 3 Wireframe and Surface
• Operations Toolbar

❑ Split, Trim ❑ Translate

❑ Transform ❑ Rotate
• Tools Toolbar ❑ Create
Symmetry

• Transformations Toolbar

❑ Join
❑ Scale
❑ Affinity (irregular scaling)
❑ Update
❑ Axis
❑ Work with Support
Lecture 3

❑ Snap to Point
❑ Create Datum (deactivate History)

Creating Wireframe Geometry

• Wireframe geometry can be created in 3D space, or
on a 2D plane (using a support)
• Each wireframe function has a number
of different methods (e.g.a line can be
created from point to point, or parallel to
an existing line, or many other ways).
• Existing geometry can be selected by
picking on the screen or selecting from
the spec. tree
Lecture 3 Wireframe and Surface
• Additional options may be available by pressing the
right mouse button over the input box
Lecture 3

Creating Surface Geometry

• Surfaces are usually created
using a wireframe skeleton
• For example the Loft
function requires 2 or more
cross section curves
• It also optionally accepts a
number of guide curves that
extend between the cross
curves
Lecture 3

• A spine curve can be used to define the shape of

the loft
Using the Specification Tree with
Wireframe and Surface
• Wireframe and Surface Geometry
is created in an “Open Body”
within the Part definition
• Geometry in the open body is not
“attached” to the main part
Lecture 3

• New Open bodies can be created using the Insert

-> Open Body
command
• A part can contain both Open
Body and Part Body information
Wireframe and Surface –
Hints and Tips
• If you want to repeatedly use the same function (e.g.
to create multiple points) double-click on the icon.
The dialogue will remain open after you click on OK.
Lecture 3

• It can be very useful to create planes to use as a

support when creating geometry.
• When creating surfaces take care that the
underlying wireframe geometry is consistent, and
curve endpoints are all matched
• When creating surfaces ensure that curve
orientations are consistent
Lecture 3

Solid – Surface Integration

• The Part Design generally more

Application difficult to modify
provides a that solids
Surface Based generated in part
Features toolbar design
to allow you
• The solid part
create solid
maintains
bodies from
associativity to the
surface models.
surfaces it was
• Solids created generated from
from surfaces are
Lecture 3

• Surface Based ❑ Thicken – Creates

a solid body by
Features “thickening” an
existing surface
❑ Close Surface –
Creates a Solid
❑ Split – Uses a body from a closed
surface to split a set of surfaces
solid object ❑ Sew Surface –
Joins a surface to a
solid body
Lecture 3

Generative Drafting

• The Generative Drafting

Application allows you to create
engineering drawings from parts or
assemblies
• Generative Drafting automatically
lays out orthographic projections of
a part onto a drawing sheet
Lecture 3

• Traditional Drafting functions can

be used to annotate the drawing
layout
• Drawings are stored in files with
the extension .CATDrawing
Lecture 3

Generative Drafting

• Views Toolbar • Automatic Dimension

Creation

❑ Create a Front View

(other views available ❑ Auto-dimension
underneath icon) ❑ Semi-Automatic
Dimensions
❑ Create a section view
❑ Create a detail view
❑ Create a Clipping View
❑ Create Views Via Wizard
Lecture 3 Interactive Drafting

• Allows you to create engineering drawings without

first creating a 3D part
• Provides 2D drawing functionality to create
geometry layouts
• Provides dimension and dress-up facilities for
drawing annotation
• Can be used to add additional information to a
drawing created using Generative Drafting
Lecture 3 Interactive Drafting

• Geometry Creation • Relimitations Toolbar

❑ Point
❑ Corner
❑ Line
❑ Circle ❑ Chamfer
❑ Arc ❑ Trim
❑ Profile ❑ Break
❑ Curve • Annotation
❑ Pre-Define Profiles

• Transformations Toolbar
Lecture 3 Interactive Drafting

❑ Text
❑ Symbols
❑ Translate, Rotate, Scale, Mirror

• Dimensions Toolbar • Dress up Toolbar

❑ Create Dimension ❑ Centreline

❑ Create Tolerance ❑ Thread
❑ Axis
❑ Fill
❑ Arrow
Lecture 3 Drafting Example

• Create a new • The drawing sheet will

Drawing appear on the screen
using File ->
New…

• Select the
drawing
Format and
Scale
Lecture 3 Drafting Example

• Use File ->

Open… to open
the 3D part you
want to generate • Click on the Front View
a drawing from icon, then select a plane on
the 3D model to specify the
• It is useful to
view orientation
arrange the
screen so that
you can see both
views before
continuing
• Use the View
Creation toolbar • A preview of the view
to create a new will appear in the corner
view
of the
Lecture 3 Drafting Example

3D window an existing view using

• Click on the the Projection View icon
drawing sheet
to generate the
view
• Sections and detail
views can also be
generated from existing
views

• You can
generate
orthographic
projects from
Lecture 3

Importing Geometry from External

Systems
• CATIA provides import translators for many standard
geometry formats including
❑ IGES, STEP AP203, DXF/ DWG,

• Use File -> Open to import an external file

• The options to control the import parameters are available in
❑ Tools -> Options -> Product -> External Formats (check)

• Imported CAD geometry does not contain any history

information
Lecture 3

• Check the online help for more information about the types of
entities that can be translated

Exporting CATIA geometry to other

CAD systems
• CATIA provides export translators for a number of
standard formats including:
❑ IGES, STEP AP203, DXF/ DWG, VRML, CGM

• Use File -> Save As… , then select the desired type
in the Save As Type box to export a file in an
external format
Lecture 3 Generative Part Structural
Analysis
• Exported geometry does not have any history
associated with it
• Check the online help for more information about the
types of entities that can be translated
• Generative Part Structural Analysis allows you to
perform a finite element analysis on a solid part
• It is highly automated and allows an analysis to be
performed with the minimum of interaction from the
user
Lecture 3

• Generative Part Structural Analysis provides very

limited mesh control, and can only be applied to
solid geometry
• It is generally used as a “quick check” for structural
analysis
Lecture 3 Generative Part Structural
Analysis
• Mesh Specification Toolbar • Restraints Toolbar

❑ Create Clamp
❑ Local Mesh Size
❑ Create Slider ❑
❑ Create Connections
Create Ball Joint
❑ Create Virtual Parts
Loads Toolbar
•
• Equipment Toolbar

❑ Create Pressure
❑ Create Distributed Force
❑ Created distributed and lumped masses ❑ Create Acceleration
Lecture 3

• Compute Toolbar • Image Toolbar

❑ Specify External Storage

❑ Compute Static Solution ❑ Visualise Deformations

❑ Compute Frequency Solution ❑ Visualise Von Mises
Stresses ❑ Compute Buckling Solution ❑ Visualise
Displacements
❑ Visualise Principle Stresses

• Analysis Toolbar
Lecture 3 Generative Part Structural
Analysis

Steps for Performing an Analysis

1. Select the parts or features for analysis

2. Define any connections, attached parts and
nonstructural masses
3. Specify loads and restraints acting on the part
4. Submit the job for analysis
Lecture 3

5. Visualise Results
Lecture 3

Parameters and Formulas

• CATIA V5 contains a group of applications that
provide CATIA Knowledgeware capabilities
• These tools allow you to perform design automation,
and capture non-geometric information about a
product
• The most basic Knowledgeware tool is the
Knowledge Advisor
• Using Knowledge advisor you can create parameters
and relationships relating to parts
Lecture 3

Knowledge Advisor
• CATIA stores information about a part in form of
parameters

• Formula function – allows you to create new

parameters and create relationships between
existing parameters.
• Rules function – allows you to define design rules
relating to design parameters in a part or product
Lecture 3

• Parameters and Relations are displayed in the

specification tree
Knowledge Advisor Example

• This relations branch shows two formulas:

❑ The value of the diameter Radius.1 is set equal to 2* the diameter

of Hole.1 in the part
❑ The value of the user defined parameter PadLength is set equal to
the sum of the two limits on Pad.1