CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application) is a multi-

platformCAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite developed by the French company Dassault

Systemesand marketed worldwide by IBM. Written in the C++ programming language, CATIA is
the cornerstone of the Dassault Systemes product lifecycle management software suite.

The software was created in the late 1970s and early 1980s to develop Dassault's Miragefighter
jet, then was adopted in the aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, and other industries.

Catia V5 features a parametric solid/surface-based package which uses NURBS as the core
surface representation and has several workbenches that provide KBE support.

V5 can work with other applications, including Enovia, Smarteam, and various CAE Analysis
applications.

CATIA is used by the automotive and aerospace industries for automobile and aircraft product
and tooling design. There are thousands of companies the world over using CATIA. For every
company that uses CATIA for product design, there are hundreds of suppliers to those
companies that also use CATIA.

CATIA is found in a variety of industries throughout the world. Some of these industries
include; Aerospace, Appliances, Architecture, Automotive, Construction, Consumer Goods,
Electronics, Medical, Furniture, Machinery, Mold and Die, and Shipbuilding.

CATIA has played a major role in NASA's design of the Space Shuttle. The military, working with
private industry, uses CATIA for the design of "jet-fighter" aircraft, aircraft carriers, helicopters,
tanks and various other forms of weaponry.

NOTE: I think it is important to point out that CATIA is just a tool used in the
various design professions. Knowing how to use CATIA, or any other CAD
software, does not qualify you to be a designer. That comes with time and
experience.

For more information on who's using CATIA, please visit the IBM "success" website by clicking
here.

Feature-based Modeling:-
A feature is defined as the smallest building block that can be modified individually. A model
created in CATIA V5 is combination of a number of individual features and each feature is related
to the other directly or indirectly. These features understand their fit and function properly and
therefore can be modified any time during the design process. If proper design intent is
maintained while creating the model, then these features automatically adjust their values to any
change in their surroundings. This greater flexibility to the design.

Parametric modeling:-

The parametric nature of a software package is defined as its ability to use the standard
properties or parameters in defining the shape and size of a geometry. The main function of this
property is to derive the selected geometry to a new size or shape without considering its original
dimensions. You can change or modify the shape and size of any feature at any stage of the
design process. This property designing process very makes the easy. For example, consider the
design of the body of a pipe housing shown in figure. To change the design by modifying the
diameter of the holes and their number on the front, top, and the bottom face, you have simply
select the feature and change the diameter and the number of instances in the pattern. The
modified design is shown in figure.

CATIA provides three basic platforms:p1,p2,p3

P1 is for small and medium sized process oriented companies.

P2 is for advanced design engineering companies that require product, process, and resource
modeling.

P3 is for high-end design application and is basically for Automotive and aerospace industry,
where high quality surfacing, or class-A Surfacing is used for designing.

WORKBENCH

A workbench is defined as a specified environment consisting of a set of tools, which allow the
user to perform the specific design tasks in a particular area. The basic workbenches available in
CATIA V5 are part Design workbench, Wire frame and Surface Design, Assembly design
workbench& Drafting Workbench.
Part design workbench:

The part design work bench is a parametric and feature based environment, in which you can
create solid models. The sketches for the features are drawn in the sketcher work bench that can
be invoked with in the part design work bench by choosing the sketcher button from the sketch
tool bar after drawing the sketch, exit the sketcher work bench and convert the sketch into
features and the resulting features are called sketch based features. You are also provided with
other tools to apply such as fillets, chamfers and so on. These are called dress up features you
can also assign material to the model in part design work bench.

SKETCHER TOOLBARS:

Profile toolbar: The tools in this toolbar are used to draw the sketches. It is one of the most
important toolbar in the sketcher workbench. Using this we can draw profiles such as rectangles,
circles, arcs, splines, ellipse, line, point, axis line, ordinated rectangles, oblong arcs.

Operation toolbar: The tools in this are used to edit the sketches. It is one of the most important
toolbar in the sketcher workbench. Using this we can perform some operations such as
chamfering, trimming, cornering, translations and 3D projections.

Constraint Toolbar: Lets you set geometrical and dimensional constraints on various types of
elements both in skater workbench and 3D geometry area. We can use sketcher workbench
constraints such as distance, length, angle, radius/diameter, semi/minor/major axis, mid-point,
coincidence, concentricity, etc.

Sketch Tool toolbar: It is one of the most important toolbar in the sketcher workbench. It is used
to perform operations such as snap to point, construction element, geometrical constraints,
dimensional constraints and grid on the work space.

Relimitation Toolbar:

Part Design Toolbars:

Sketch Based features: It is mainly dependent on the sketch drawn in the sketch workbench. We
can perform operations such as pad, pocket, shaft, groove, hole, rib, slot, solid combine, multi
section solid, etc.
WIREFRAME AND SURFACE DESIGN WORK BENCH:

The wireframe and surface design workbench is also a parametric and feature based
environment, in which you can create wireframe or surface models. The tools available in this
workbench are similar to those in the part design workbench, with the only difference that the
tools in this environment are used to create basic and advanced surfaces and obtain the required
shape.

ASSEMBLY DESIGN WORKBENCH:

The assembly design workbench is used to assemble the components using the assembly
constraints available in this work bench. There are two types of assembly design approaches.

1) Bottom – up
2) Top – down

In the bottom-up approach of assembly, the previously created components are assembled
together, maintaining their design intent. In the top-down approach of assembly, components are
created inside the assembly workbench and assembled together.

DRAFTING WORKBENCH:

After creating parts and assembling them, you need to generate their drawing views. A 2D
drawing is the life line of all manufacturing systems because on the shop floor or tool room, the
machinist mostly needs the 2D drawing for manufacturing. CATIA provides you with the drafting
work bench which is a specialized environment for generating 2D drawing views