Re: Converting files from CATIA

[Dick Margulis <ampersandvirgule -at- WORLDNET -dot- ATT -dot- NET>]

Doreen,

Working in an environment with a different CAD system, I had similar
problems. I'll tell you the various ways we solved them and I'll offer
some other possibilities; but I'll leave it to you to determine if they
would work with CATIA.

1. In some cases, I worked with the CAD engineer, pointing over the
shoulder, to get the view I wanted. Then he output that view as in IGES
file and I used the Interleaf IGES import filter to convert to native
Interleaf graphic format. This was not terribly time-consuming, given
powerful enough workstations. At one point the CAD software was upgraded
and started producing IGES that the Interleaf filter couldn't read, but
I discovered that it was just adding one extra field in the IGES header
and by deleting it I fixed the problem.

2. In other cases, the CAD folks output selected assemblies in some
format (I don't recall which) that was readable in Adobe Illustrator. A
graphic artist then manipulated, cleaned up, and converted to some other
vector format that I could import. Don't recall what that was, either.
Sorry I can't be more helpful on this one.

3. In some cases, the CAD folks output DXF files and I imported them.

My final suggestion would be that if none of those will work and if the
CATIA system can at least print to a PostScript driver, you could bring
the PS into Illustrator and manipulate it or just Distill it and copy
the graphic out of the PDF file.

HTH,

Dick

Doreen Kephart wrote:
>
> 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.

--snip--

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