TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
I am looking for information on converting native CATIA (a sophisticated
computer aided design program favored by Chrysler and Boeing) files into a
format easily read by mainstream publishing and illustration software. A client
of mine is trying to solve this problem so they can pull automotive drawings
into technical manuals. They have two current solutions: convert to an IGES
format, which takes 15 hours per drawing to process ; or, purchasing a filtering
program such as Studio9 by Wavefront, which may have an initial purchase price
of 10-25k, plus an additional license per seat where it is used. Has anyone
else found a better way to handle this? The situation doesn't end with CATIA.
Because they also do work with GM and Ford, they also have to cope with
Unigraphics and SDRC-Ideas, respectively.
I subscribe to the digest version, so if you have questions, either write to me
offline, or please pardon the delay.
Doreen Kephart
PRA, Marine City, MI
810-765-1181 dkephart -at- prausa -dot- com