Have a look at the evolution and current capabilities of CATIA, one of the most longeve CAD solutions developed by Dassault Systèmes.
From its origins in the aerospace industry to its integration with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, CATIA has become a key tool for 3D design, engineering, and innovation across multiple sectors.
CATIA was born in France at the end of the 1970s. Originally developed as an internal tool for designing aircraft produced by Dassault Aviation. At that time, the aerospace industry required more advanced solutions than traditional 2D CAD software; it required tools capable of managing highly complex 3D surfaces with precision and integration capabilities.
In 1981, Dassault Systèmes was founded with the sole purpose of developing and marketing CATIA as an independent product. Almost immediately the company started a collaboration with IBM, which handled global distribution of the software, helping CATIA spread across various industrial sectors.
By the 1980s and 1990s, CATIA had established itself as a standard in the aerospace and automotive industries and was adopted by companies like Boeing, which used it to design the Boeing 777, the first airplane entirely designed digitally.
Meanwhile, the software evolved rapidly and subsequent updates and releases added tools for solid modeling, advanced surfaces, assemblies, and mechanical simulations. A major breakthrough came with the launch of CATIA V5 at the end of the 1990s, which introduced a modern interface, advanced parametric modeling, and improved compatibility with other formats. Integration with other DCC happened also around that time when the 3D CGI became a more and more requred aspect of production, not only in engineering but in design, architecture, vfx and video games.
In the 2010s, Dassault Systèmes launched the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, a cloud-based collaborative environment that integrates CAD (Computer-Aided Design), CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering), CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing), data management, and project management. CATIA became one of the main pillars of this ecosystem, adding new features for real-time collaboration and integration into the company digital workflows.
Today, CATIA is one of the most powerful and complete CAD solutions worldwide, used not only in heavy industries but also in important sectors such as biomedical. CATIA allows working on complex 3D models by integrating various aspects of the development cycle, including mechanical design, surfaces, architecture, and systems engineering. Thanks to its powerful parametric modeling tools, it allows the creation of dynamic components that can be easily modified via parameters, formulas, and logical rules.
CATIA includes the Generative Shape Design module, which allows users to model highly complex surfaces with exceptional precision, a crucial feature for industries such as automotive, aerospace, and industrial design.
Recent versions are fully integrated with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, as said before, a cloud-based environment that enables centralized, real-time data management and remote access from anywhere. These updates have brought significant improvements to both CATIA V6 and the overall 3DEXPERIENCE ecosystem, particularly in terms of user experience and project management.
The user interface has been streamlined to make CATIA more accessible, even for newcomers, thanks to context-sensitive tools, quick-access commands, and guided workflows.
The cloud capabilities of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform offer several advantages:
- Real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to work simultaneously on the same 3D model.
- Remote accessibility, providing secure access to project data from any location.
- Faster review and approval cycles, reducing time-to-decision in the development process.
In addition, Dassault Systèmes is gradually integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into CATIA, introducing smart features that can:
- Suggest design improvements, AI can analyze a 3D model and automatically propose optimized alternatives.
- Optimize parametric models, by identifying more effective combinations of parameters for improved performance.
- Automate repetitive tasks, once a rule is defined, the system can apply it consistently to all applicable components.
Finally, CATIA supports integration with various software by importing and exporting files in CAD and neutral/generic formats such as STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product Data), IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification), STL (Standard Triangle Language), DXF (Drawing Exchange Format), Parasolid, and 3DXML.
This allows easy file exchange with software like SolidWorks, Siemens NX, PTC Creo, Autodesk Inventor, Alias and Rhino 3D. It is also compatible with rendering programs like Twinmotion, Unreal Engine, Unity and popular DCC tools such as 3dsMax, Maya and Blender, although only through intermediate formats.
From its origins in the aerospace sector to its current role as a pillar of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, CATIA has consistently pushed the boundaries of design and engineering. Its ability to manage complex 3D models, integrate with multiple systems, and adapt to new technologies like cloud collaboration and artificial intelligence makes it a cornerstone tool for today’s innovators. Whether in automotive, aerospace, biomedical, or architecture, CATIA continues to empower professionals to design smarter, faster, and with greater precision.
– article by: F. Beranger
