CATIA
CATIA
- Click “Free Hand Selection Trap” or select all circles.
- Click on the “Center Line with Reference” icon.
- Select the center reference of the holes.
The "BOM Ordering Tool" is a simple tool to manage the "order" of the rows in the drawing BOM. This tool is integrated with the CartWeb application and therefore it will launch each time use decides to take the BOM information form SmarTeam into the drawing.
If you want to understand how to use it, please follow the document below.
After the creation of an axis system or a thread using the "Axis and thread" functions, it is possible to resize this axis system. By default, if you drag one of the extremities, both axis will be resized. Holding the Ctrl button and dragging one extremity will change the size only of the selected axis.
In CATIA, it is not possible in an approximate mode view to create a dimension relying on a 3D point created in the GSD workbench. The document below will show you which are the workarounds to this limitation.
To launch the TRACEPARTS Web from CATIA, click on the Icon:
This will open thee web page with list of companies' logos.
To find the component that you are looking for select the main filter or the starting letter of your desired category.
You can also skip it and scroll down until you find the company that you need.
When finally you find the page and select it, then click on the family you want and choose the references.
Under CAD models tab you can select CATIA V5 as your tool and then approve it.
This following document explains how to use the new Web TRACEPARTS (2021). Please check it to understand more how it works.
The scene tool in the “Assembly Design” workbench allows you to create multiple states of your model. By doing so, it enables you to study a variant of your assembly by defining specific component positions and specific attributes. The following document covers the main advantages and limitations of this tool.
A "Scene" is an alternative view of an assembly in a defined state. It enables you to study a variant of your Assembly by defining specific component positions and specific attributes. Please follow the document below to understand more details.
If you don't have an icon "Replace Component" in CATIA tools, find it this way:
- Click on the Part or Product in CATIA tree or "Edit" on the menu.
- Find the option named "Components".
- Choose:
- option "Replace Component in Session" which offers you as replacement the elements that are opened in the CATIA session,
- option "Replace Component" is the command which opens the search editor to find in SmarTeam the replacement.
The following document will show you more information about this function.
A positioning Matrix allows to place a component (Part, Component, Product) in space, relative to a higher component level, which will contain this matrix. If you want to understand more details, please click on the following document.
In the following document there is an example that will show you step by step how to save it.
- Edit the fix component constraint (double click on the constraint in the 3D or the tree).
- The following dialog box appears, then click on "More" and let the "Fix in space" checked.
- At that point you can change the values of translation and rotation (you can also change these values from the properties of the constraint).
- The component will take its new place.
- The components that were linked by constraints will update also.
If you want to know more, please check the document below.
The "DMU Optimizer" is a product dedicated to improve users' productivity by computing an optimized geometrical representation of data for mockup verification in the context of the immersive and collaborative design review environment of the full digital mockup.
To access the "DMU Optimizer" workbench, please follow these steps:
- Open the CGR file in “Preview in CATIA” or the native CATProduct file in “Open in CATIA”.
- Click on Start ➞ Digital Mockup ➞ DMU Optimizer.
Follow the document below for more information.
We consider Large Size Documents these ones that have a size of more than 106 bytes (~1Mb).
To avoid increase of the file size, you should follow these rules:
- Don’t use the catalog models blindly, keep all the details only if the design requires it.
- Avoid very detail representation of grids.
- Don't add unnecessary objects in Assemblies.
- Pay attention to the objects hidden or deactivated.
- Be aware with the scans.
- Don't use multibody to create Assemblies in CATParts.
To learn more how to work with large documents, please open the following document.
- Start the DMU Navigator workbench.
- Select the document in the CATIA tree.
- In the "Insert" menu bar, select "Import Applicative Data".
- On the dialog box which appears, click the appropriate checkbox.
- Click "OK" to confirm.
In order to understand more how to do that, please consult the following document.
The document below will show you the procedure to export STL files using the dedicated workbench: STL Rapid Prototyping.
This question is intended for people at CERN that are new to CATIA/SmarTeam and that would need access to the software or some help to get started. If you do not find what you are looking for in the document below, please contact catia.support@cern.ch.
In an assembly, it is possible to duplicate a part or a product in order to create a variant without the original instance is impacted or even replaced with the new in the current session. There are few steps how to do it and you can find in the document below.
When we have to work with CGR files one of the biggest inconvenient that we can find is that is the difficulty to create constrains. Here (in the document below) we will show you a trick to be able to make some constrains of the CGR in one assembly (CATProduct).
The BOM Ordering Tool is a simple tool to manage the "order" of the rows in the drawing BOM.
If you want to use it, you launch the tool by pushing the icon in the Assembly Design workbench. To know more about this tool, please follow the document below.
More: BOM Ordering Tool
Now it is possible to add, modify or delete "Constraint Tolerances" in the Sketcher. These are also visible in 3D and in the Drawing.
For more information about this, please follow the document bellow which exactly describes how to do it.
A Design Table is designed to drive the parameters of a CATIA document from external values. These values are stored externally in the form of a table. Design Tables help in the tasks of creating and managing component families. These components can be, for example, parts differing only in their parameter values.
In the document below, you can find a methodology of creating a new Design Table or how to use an existing one.
In the document below, there is a procedure to create text for engrave or embossed. One example of use is when is needed to represent in 3D the stamping of letters and numbers in an object. Please follow this procedure to understand it.
There exist several possibilities to create a solid from one or many surfaces. If you want to understand it more, please click on the link below.
After a transfer (from Euclid, for example) certain solids must be repositioned relatively to the reference planes. The document below presents a procedure that allows you to do this.
With positioned sketches, the origin and directions of the absolute axis are similar to external references (Use-Edges) obtained using additional projections or intersections when creating non-positioned sketches. If the 2D geometry is under constrained and you move or resize the part (no matter how significantly), the profile you sketched will remain absolutely unchanged. It is also easy to copy and reuse in another place (since you don’t need to use external references).
For more details about this operation, please click on the document below and read it.
To take them away, please follow the instruction:
- Select the hatch (if it is necessary, use arrows-up/-down).
- Click on the right button or use Alt+Enter to go to the properties of the hatch.
- Decrease the value in the "Pitch" option.
If you want to understand it more, please check the document below.
To use this function, you need to have a drawing opened in CATIA, then next step is to press Alt+P. It should open the dialogbox waiting for you to select a printer. In the "Size Selection" select the number that corresponds to the page size (for example to print in A4, choose number "4").
There is a combination to print it quicker: Alt+P+4 for a A4 size.
More: Quick Print
There is a multi-measure with the command “chained dimensions”, “cumulated dimensions” or “stacked dimension". To add a new dimension, please click the appropriate icon (depending on which dimension you want to choose), select the origin where you want to insert and then choose the next place to measure.
For more information how to do it, please check the document below.
In a drawing, it is often necessary to represent some dimensions, as specified in the applicable norms at CERN, for which it doesn't exist adequate functions in CATIA.
The link below will explain you how to represent a few of them.
Stickers are reusable drafting components that contain 2D geometries and text.
To add a sticker, follow these steps:
- Click in the catalogue icon.
- In the window that appears choose "Drawing Stickers".
- Select the category.
- Insert this with double click in the stickers and click in the drawing sheet.
- Choose the option expose in order to break the link to the original.
- Click the drawing sheet + in OK for putting the copy of the sticker in a secondary sheet.
- Close the catalogue window.
For more, please check the link which is below.
This tool will make possible the calculation of the free volume of an assembly. It can be used, for instance, when designing a ventilation system.
In the document below, you can find an example which will show you step by step to get to the calculation of the free volume.
To create a hole by selection with a circular face (from a prism or from a hole), by default the created hole is centered on this face, but there is no constraint automatically created. As a consequence, if the face (support) moves, the hole is no longer centered. The solution is to edit the hole's sketch and add some constraints.
Another method is to create the hole with a concentric constraint with the face.
To understand more, please check the document below.
It is possible in a single operation to apply the "corner" according to several corners, with the same radius value.
In addition, all values are related, so that the change in one of these changes the values of the others.
Please explore more about corners in the document below.
There is no function available in Catia V5 to do a 3D breakout view. But it is possible to realize such a view by following the methodology in the document below.
In an assembly, it is possible to create some groups of parts to ease their selection.
If you want to create a group:
- Go to the "DMU Navigator" workbench (Start ➞ Digital Mockup ➞ DMU Navigator).
- Click "Group".
- Select all the "objects" that need to be grouped, from the Catia three or directly in the 3D model.
- Click "Ok".
In the link under, you can see step by step how to do it.
If you want to use or to modify the group, you can easily find more detailed explanation in the document below.
All the Standard/Catalog Components are grouped in one place: the SmarTeam Catalog.
You can find it from CATIA:
And also from SmarTeam:
In the case you can't find what you need here, please check the document below with other possibilities.
It's also possible to add your own CATPart/CATProduct as Standard/Catalog Component.
To do this, you have to contact the catalog manager (catia-catalogs@cern.ch).
The multiple view mode is a new feature, it allows you to project the part or assembly on the whole of your screen for a presentation with views that you have chosen. You can save the display relative to an axis system or a face, without being in a sketch.
If you want to know something more about how to modify display or orientation, please follow the link below.
The graphic properties tool you can find in the top bar of the main CATIA workbenches.
To know more how to change them step by step, follow the document with instructions which is under.
When saving a CATIA file, a CGR file that represents said 3D is automatically created. However, some parameters can have an important influence on the size of the CGR, making the operation of opening the file in Preview or in Large Assembly more complex and demanding for the RAM.
For more information about the CGR file size, please explore the link below.
Please follow the instruction how to move it:
- Create a new Part.
- Add coordinate system.
- Find an existing part whose origin is centered in the assembly.
- Fix the components together.
- Create a coincidence constraint between the two axes systems.
To see step by step how to do it, please check the document below.
See also: How to move a Part while preserving the same coordinates system?
Sometimes there are some Parts that, because of migration or change of orientation/position, don’t have their coordinate system where desired.
In the document below, there are two options that you can follow to do it.
See also: How to move an assembly to another position while respecting the coordinates?
Parametric modeling aims to make “intelligent” models, which are directly driven by specifications, and which integrate the various knowledge around a project.
The link below will present the methodology and the basic tools and rules to follow in order to build parametric models or parts in the CATIA V5 environment.
It exists many types of links between CATIA documents. Among them, one is called contextual link, meaning that it exists a link between two parts in the context of a product. In some cases, this link can be replaced by a CCP link, that leads to the same result, without the drawback of the context.
For more details, please follow the document which is at the bottom.
By default, it is practicable to import Pro-E files into Catia V5 (.prt for parts, .asm for an assembly).
The document below shows how to allow the conversion of native PRO-E components into a modifiable and editable CV5 format. This method can also be used for other externals CAD format.
Q-Checker is a tool that checks the quality of a CATIA document. It will be automatically installed via CMF in all the PCs in the CATIA group.
If the tool is installed, in all the CATIA workbenches will appear this icon which is below.
When it is needed to work on a dead body model, you may be required to remove a certain feature, or simply edit it. To get to this, the feature recognition functions built into CATIA allow adding them their construction history, from which you shall be able to edit or remove them at will.
If you want to know more about this process, please check the document below.
Please follow the steps below:
- Select the plane you want to orientate to activate the "Sketcher".
- Use the custom "Named Views" to capture this viewpoint.
- Exit the "Sketcher".
Now you are able to return anytime to the orientation you have just saved by selecting the saved position in the "Named Views".
To get the mass in a CATPart it’s important to put the material in the correct place in the document. The correct place to put the material is in the Part (and NOT in the PartBody). It’s important to follow this rule since the material in SmarTeam profile card will be taken from the part properties. If you put the material in the PartBody, SmarTeam will not show any material in the profile card.
In the link below you can find procedures step by step how to do it.