FAQ For CATIA Translators

We suggest you check our general FAQ as well.

If you don't find the answer here be sure to check our wiki here.

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Q: How to obtain an evaluation version of CATIA2SolidWorks?

The latest release of CATIA2SolidWorks is available for download at http://www.radialsoft.com/products/catia2sld.htm

The latest release of SolidWorks2CATIA is available for download at http://www.radialsoft.com/products/sld2catia.htm

You can also download he Bi-directional package with CATIA2SolidWorks and SolidWorks2CATIA at http://www.radialsoft.com/products/catia2sld_bidirect.htm

Q: How to obtain a demo code with the evaluation version of CATIA2SolidWorks?

The evaluation version lets you test CATIA2SolidWorks on up to three of your own CATIA files.
Five free evaluation files are also available at http://www.radialsoft.com/products/catiasample.htm

After installing CATIA2SolidWorks, open SolidWorks and go the the file/open menu. New CATIA file extensions "*.model", "*.dlv" and "*.exp" are added to the "Files of type" list box.
Select the one corresponding to your file then select your CATIA file and click on the "Open" button.
The Evaluation dialog box appears showing a File code and asking for an unlock code.

If you are online click the "Get key on Internet" button. You will be directed to a web page. after entering your email address a code will be automatically returned to you by Email. If you are not online you can get your evaluation code at: http://www.radialsoft.com/products/catia2sldunlock after entering the File code and your Email address.

Q: I never receive my evaluation code.

If the process described in "Q: How to obtain a demo code with the evaluation version of CATIA2SolidWorks?" is not working for you please contact us at support@radialsoft.com

Q: I go to your trial page and it asks for my Email address and code. I am confused do I enter a code there or do you send me a code?.

There are two codes:

• The "File code" and is given by the evaluation dialog. This code uniquely identifies your file.
• The "Unlock code" is calculated by RadialSoft on our Web site.

Q: How to import CATIA V5 files?

Today CATIA2SolidWorks imports only CATIA V4 files. CATIA2SolidWorks can import a CATIA V5 file as long as the file is saved as a CATIA V4 file:
There is an option in CATIA V5 to export CATIA V5 files as CATIA V4. If this option is used in CATIA V5 CATIA2SolidWorks will import the resulting CATIA file.

Q: Does CATIA2SolidWorks have the ability to translate 2D CATIA files?

CATIA2SolidWorks is focused on 3D only and can translate all the 3D entities: surfaces, solids and assemblies but not 2D drawing.

Q: Does CATIA2SolidWorks translate MockUp Solids?

Yes. MockUp are tessellated solids without exact representation for surfaces. Depending of the part these solids may be of interest or not. The translation of MockUp can be turned On/Off using a check box in the option dialog.

Q: Does CATIA2SolidWorks translate CATIA "features"?

CATIA2SolidWorks translates CATIA 3D entities: Surfaces, Solids and Assemblies but not the CATIA "features" itself. The result in SolidWorks are an assemblies, parts with an imported solid and/or imported surfaces.

You can re-create features inside SolidWorks using an addin like FeatureWorks. The Entities imported by CATIA2SolidWorks are ready for FeatureWorks because CATIA planes, Cylinders, Cones,.. are translated as SolidWorks planes, Cylinders, Cone,.. and not only Bspline surfaces (FeatureWorks will find no feature at all if the imported solid is made of BSpline surfaces only).

Q: The result in SolidWorks is empty.

The possible reasons are:

1. The CATIA model is empty.
2. The CATIA model contains only 2D entities.
3. The CATIA model has hidden entities. The "Import Hidden Entities" flag is not turned on in the option dialog.
4. The CATIA model contains Mokups. The "Import Mockup Solids" flag is not turned on in the option dialog.
5. The CATIA model contains isolated surfaces. The "Import Isolated Surfaces" flag is not turned on in the option dialog.
6. The CATIA model is not located on the CATIA current layer. The "Import Current CATIA Layer Only" flag is turned on in the option dialog

CATIA2SolidWorks create a log file .log on the directory where the CATIA file is located. You can edit this text file using notepad.

Here is a typical example of the content of the log file:

23/ 1/1997
	10.36.23
	CATIA SOLUTIONS V4      
	RELEASE 1.6 FR 4.1.6    
	CATIA Tolerance identical curve = 0.100000
	LIST OF ENTITIES IN CATIA FILE Version 2.8
	32 entitie(s)                           LINE ( Type CATIA =  2 )
	36 entitie(s)                          PLANE ( Type CATIA =  4 )
    	 1 entitie(s)                  3-AXIS System ( Type CATIA =  8 )
    	 1 entitie(s)                          SOLID ( Type CATIA = 17 )
    	 1 entitie(s)                         CIRCLE ( Type CATIA = 20 )
    	 4 entitie(s)                        ELLIPSE ( Type CATIA = 21 )
    	 1 entitie(s)                      DRAW VIEW ( Type CATIA = 30 )
    	 2 entitie(s)                             31 ( Type CATIA = 31 )
    	 1 entitie(s)               DRAW AXIS SYSTEM ( Type CATIA = 83 )
    	 1 entitie(s)                                ( Type CATIA = 1002 )
	

If there is no entity with "Type CATIA" equal to 5, 6, 7, 13, 16, 17, 28 or 35 then there is no 3D entities in the CATIA file: The CATIA model is empty or 2D only.

Otherwise the entity is not imported due to the options used: Go to the CATIA2SolidWorks Options dialog and:

• Turn on "Import Hidden Entities"
• Turn on "Import Mockup Solids"
• Turn on "Import Isolated Surfaces"
• Turn off "Import Current CATIA Layer Only"

If you still get an empty model please contact us at support@radialsoft.com joining a copy of the CATIA file to your mail.

Q: The result in SolidWorks is not an imported solid but imported surfaces

The possible reasons are:

1. The CATIA model is really a surfaces model and cannot fit in an imported solids
2. The accuracy of the CATIA model is not good enough to create an imported solid.
3. Some of the surfaces imported are not really part of the model.

The CATIA model is really a surfaces model and cannot fit in an imported solids
The CATIA faces does not defines a closed volume and/or there are non-manifold conditions in the CATIA model (common examples of non-manifold conditions are three or more faces with one common edge and two intersecting faces without common edge).

The accuracy of the CATIA model is not good enough to create an imported solid
The resulting SolidWorks part is made of imported surfaces or some faces are missing.
This problem occurs because CATIA can deals with less accurate geometry than SolidWorks.
To Solve this problem you can change the value for "SolidWorks Tolerance" in the CATIA2SolidWorks Options dialog. The default value is 0.0001 meters.
Another possibility is to use the SolidWorks "Import Diagnosis" dialog and the "Close all Gaps" button.

Some of the surfaces imported are not really part of the model
The resulting SolidWorks part is made of imported surfaces. Some of these surfaces are double or obviously not element of the expected result.
For an example of such a CATIA file, look at test3.model at http://www.radialsoft.com/products/catiasample.htm.

The CATIA file can contains the part itself but also other elements like temporaries surfaces. A common practice for CATIA users is to set these surfaces as hidden or to locate them a specific layer in CATIA.
There are two options in CATIA2SolidWorks that help to removes these kind of extra surfaces. Go to the CATIA2SolidWorks Options dialog and:

• Turn off "Import Hidden Entities"
• Turn on "Import Current CATIA Layer Only"

Now open your CATIA file again.
At this stage it is possible that the extra surfaces remains you will have to remove them manually using SolidWorks.

Q: Error message: File Invalid, may be incomplete. What does it means?

When opening your CATIA file you get this error message:
"File Invalid, may be incomplete. Common reasons for that are failure during an ftp transfer or an ftp transfer in ASCII mode rather than binary mode".

The first operation done by CATIA2SolidWorks when importing a file is to test that this file is a valid CATIA file. This Error message appears when it is not.

The error message gives two very common reasons but others are possible:

• The imported file is not a CATIA file at all (for example an IGES file).
• Failure during an ftp transfer: the file is truncated.
• Ftp transfer in ASCII mode rather than binary mode: In ASCII mode extra character are added here and there in the file.
• Hard drive damaged.

Many other reason are possible, in all the cases the CATIA file is physically damaged and you have to re-create the file from CATIA.

Q: What to do if the file extension is not "*.model" nor "*.dlv" or "*.exp" ?

The file extension is free with CATIA V4 and many other extensions or no extension are encountered.
The solution is to rename your CATIA file manually with one of the three extensions: "*.model" or "*.dlv" or "*.exp"

It is also possible that your file is a CATIA V5 file. The file extensions are fixed with the V5:

• "*.CATPart" : a CATIA V5 part.
• "*.CATProduct" : a CATIA V5 Assembly.
• "*.CATDrawing" : a CATIA V5 2D drawing.

Q: What to do if the answer to my question is not in the FAQ ?

Please send us your question and your CATIA file at support@radialsoft.com