CATIA

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CATIA

Machine tool simulation
Developed by Dassault Systemes
Latest release V5R18 / September 25, 2007
OS Unix / Windows
Genre CAD software
Website [1]

CATIA (Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application) is a multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite developed by French company Dassault Systemes and marketed world-wide by IBM. Written in the C++ programming language, CATIA is the cornerstone of the Dassault Systemes PLM software suite.

The software was created in the late 1970s and early 1980s to develop Dassault's Mirage fighter jet, but was subsequently adopted in the aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, and other industries. The software was also used by architect Frank Gehry in his building of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

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[edit] History

CATIA started as an in-house development by French aircraft manufacturer Avions Marcel Dassault, at that time customer of the CADAM CAD software.[1][2]

The software name was initially CATI (Conception Assistée Tridimensionnelle Interactive - French for Interactive Aided Three Dimensional Design ), but was renamed to CATIA in 1981. At that time Dassault created a subsidiary responsible for the software development and marketing, and finalized a non exclusive distribution agreement with IBM.[3]

In 1984, the Boeing Company chose CATIA as its main 3D CAD tool, making it the largest customer.

In 1988, with version 3, CATIA was ported from the mainframe to the UNIX platform.

In 1990, General Dynamics/Electric Boat Corp chose CATIA as its main 3D CAD tool, to design the United States Navy Virginia Class nuclear submarine.

In 1992 CADAM was purchased from IBM and the next year CATIA CADAM v4 was published. Subsequently in 1996 CATIA V4 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, an entirely rewritten version of CATIA, CATIA V5 was released, with support for both UNIX, Windows NT and Windows XP since 2001.

[edit] Features and capabilities

Commonly referred to as a 3D Product Lifecycle Management software suite, CATIA supports multiple stages of product development (CAx). The stages range from conceptualization, through design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAM), until analysis (CAE).

CATIA can be customized via application programming interfaces (API). V4 can be adapted in the Fortran and C programming languages under an API called CAA. V5 can be adapted via the Visual Basic and C++ programming languages, an API called CAA2 or CAA V5 that is a component object model (COM)-like interface.

Although later versions of CATIA V4 implemented NURBS, V4 principally used piecewise polynomial surfaces. CATIA V4 uses a non-manifold solid engine.

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.

As of 2007, the latest release is V5 release 18 (V5R18).

A major selling point for V5 is the new ability to work with other applications, including Enovia, Smarteam, and various CAE Analysis applications.

[edit] Supported operating systems and platforms

CATIA V5 runs on Microsoft Windows (up to Windows XP and even for Windows Vista since the release R18 SP4) and various flavours of Unix: IBM AIX, Hewlett Packard HP-UX, Silicon Graphics IRIX and Sun Microsystems Solaris.[4]

CATIA V4 is supported for those Unixes[5] and IBM MVS and VM/CMS mainframe platforms.

CATIA V3 and earlier run on the mainframe platforms.


[edit] Notable industries using CATIA

CATIA is widely used throughout the engineering industry, especially in the automotive and aerospace sectors. CATIA V4, CATIA V5, Pro/ENGINEER, UGS NX, and SolidWorks are the dominant systems.

[edit] Aerospace

The Boeing Company used CATIA V3 to develop its 777 airliner, and is currently using CATIA V5 for the 787 series aircraft. They have employed the full range of Dassault Systemes' 3D PLM products, comprised of CATIA, DELMIA, and ENOVIA, supplemented by Boeing developed applications.[6]

European aerospace giant Airbus has been using CATIA since 2001.[7] In 2006, Airbus announced that the production of its Airbus 380 had been set back by two years at a cost of $6.1 billion because development was done on two versions of CATIA. It would appear that German and Spanish Airbus facilities used CATIA V4, while British and French sites had switched to V5. Among the problems: wiring harnesses manufactured using aluminium rather than copper conductors required special design rules including non-standard dimensions and bend radii; these were not easily transferred between different versions.[8]

Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier Aerospace has done all of its designing on CATIA.[9]

[edit] Automotive

Automotive companies that use CATIA to varying degrees are BMW, Porsche, Daimler Chrysler[2], Audi,[10] Volvo, Fiat, Gestamp Automocion, Benteler AG, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Scania, Hyundai,Proton (company),Tata motors and Mahindra. Goodyear uses it in making tires for automotive and aerospace and also uses a customized CATIA for its design and development. All automotive companies use CATIA for car structures — door beams, IP supports, bumper beams, roof rails, side rails, body components — because CATIA is very good in surface creation and Computer representation of surfaces.

[edit] Shipbuilding

Dassault Systems has begun serving shipbuilders with CATIA V5 release 8, which includes special features useful to shipbuilders. GD Electric Boat used CATIA to design the latest fast attack submarine class for the United States Navy, the Virginia class.[11]. Northrop Grumman Newport News also used CATIA to design the Gerald R. Ford class of supercarriers for the US Navy.[12]

[edit] Other

Architect Frank Gehry has used the software, through the C-Cubed Virtual Architecture company, now Virtual Build Team, to design his award-winning curvilinear buildings.[13] His technology arm, Gehry Technologies, has been developing software based on CATIA V5 named Digital Project.[14] Digital Project has been used to design buildings and has successfully completed a handful of projects.

[edit] Future implementations

Dassault Systemes has announced plans to release CATIA Version 6 (V6) in mid-2008. [15] The new interface allows designers to work directly with the 3D solid model rather than the feature-based design approach employed in CATIA V5. This version will also improve the Product Life Cycle Management in a revolutionary way. This concept is called PLM 2.0.

[edit] References

  1. ^ CATIA History on Dassaut Systemes official Web Site
  2. ^ A history of CATIA by former CEO of Dassault Systemes Francis Bernard
  3. ^ Technological Revolution article by Dassault Aviation
  4. ^ CATIA V5 System requirements. IBM. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
  5. ^ CATIA V4 System requirements. IBM. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
  6. ^ "Computing & Design/Build Processes Help Develop the 777." Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
  7. ^ "PLM: Boeing's Dream, Airbus' Nightmare." Baseline.
  8. ^ Wong, Kenneth. "What Grounded the Airbus A380?", CADALYST, 6 December 2006. Retrieved on 2007-12-12. 
  9. ^ Latulippe, Isabelle (August 2001). "Bombardier Aerospace Virtual Product Definition: Achievements and Future Directions". COE NewsNet. 
  10. ^ Product Lifecycle Management Solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes Boost Efficiency at Leading Premium Vehicle Manufacturer. COE Newsnet.
  11. ^ Conklin, James. Realizing Life Cycle Cost Savings Through Standardization. Defense Standardization Program. Department Of Defense.
  12. ^ CVN 21 Facts. Northrop Grumman.
  13. ^ Day, Martin (September/October 2003). "Gehry, Dassault and IBM Too". AEC Magazine. 
  14. ^ Digital Project. Gehry Technologies. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  15. ^ http://www.mcadonline.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=513

[edit] External links

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Concept Product

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FEM & Structural Analysis