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CATIA - a 3D modeling software way ahead of the rivals
January 27, 2020

CATIA - a 3D modeling software way ahead of the rivals

Özgür Erkek, MSc, PRINCE2® | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with CATIA

CATIA is being used for our Product Development departments. As I'm working in the automotive industry as a component development engineer, we need to design components and systems that we are responsible for. To develop products in a virtual environment, we need software like CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, or AutoCAD. Especially for the surface modeling (which is required for all the exterior and interior of the vehicle) and complex component modeling, and we are using CATIA software. So far, I'm delighted to use it due to its efficiency to resolve the design issues we have.
  • Surface modeling module is extremely developed and successful.
  • 2D drafting module is doing the job effectively (AutoCAD is no more required).
  • Not user friendly interface (a bit improved with v6)
  • Difficult mouse operations
  • Increase design efficiency of the products.
  • Improve communication with our suppliers due to common software usage.
CATIA is kind of a must to use the software in the automotive industry, I have used SOLIDWORKS before, for simple component and assembly design only, it can be efficient; but not for complex surfaces and assemblies. AutoCAD is very good at 2D drawing, but crawling on the 3D side. Therefore there was a list of alternatives; however, I can say that none were evaluated in detail for the selection. The entire company's experience lies behind CATIA and cannot be changed due to current efficiency.
I generally contact with IT or internal CATIA support team, so I cannot comment in detail. I remember we have struggled to move to v6 update, and it required a long and detailed work to update all the systems. There were some times we had limited support from Dassault, but it is normal for a company of our size. So I cannot criticize much.

Do you think CATIA delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with CATIA's feature set?

Yes

Did CATIA live up to sales and marketing promises?

No

Did implementation of CATIA go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy CATIA again?

Yes

SOLIDWORKS, SAP BPC (Business Planning and Consolidation)
CATIA is probably the most preferred 3D modeling tool in the automotive and aerospace industries. This specific surface (it can be handled well by the experienced users) is well suited to use parametric design principles and hence result in great products. One of the issues we have in the automotive industry is to work with large surfaces for body exterior (main body, gate, hood.) or interior trim (door, headliner.) panels. CATIA enable us to design surface perfectly through the lines. Also, assembly features for intricate designs (gearbox, exhaust, engine, suspension.) are more than adequate. I did not find any inefficiency while designing products with CATIA. Only the interface and handling of the menu and mouse is not the best - or at least you need time to get used to it.