Convert CATIA V4 files to neutral format

[Sparweb]

Hi,

I have been delivered a number of CATIA V4 ".model" files that I need to bring into Solidworks 2019.
Apparently file formats used by Dassault Systems are not compatible with Dassault Systems software. [grrr]

How to I import these files?
I am completely fine with using a neutral format like STEP/IGES as an intermediate step.

I have contacted my SW reseller and they were no help (we will consider looking for a better reseller, but that is not the point today).

You are free to admonish me for being unprepared for this task, but in my defense, I have converted CATIA files before and took it for granted that I could do it again, without checking carefully how. Back then, I was using Autodesk Inventor. For some reason Inventor can open a .model file, but SW can't. I am surprised and very disappointed by this.

I have found the following translators:

https://www.cadinterop.com/en/our-products/spinfire-viewer-suite/spinfire-cadtocad-translator.html

http://transmagic.com/expert-3d-cad-translator/

Anyone ever used these? What are the results? Any better ones to consider?


A few things to please consider before trying to answer:
[ul]
[li]I do not have a CATIA seat. The concept of paying >10,000 USD for a licence just to convert a couple of files is painful.[/li]

[li]The provider of the CATIA files has absolutely no interest in converting them for me. It cost me a lot of money just to get access to them. The data is old, from a legacy product of theirs, which I support. That company is not in the business of fixing CAD files, and even this delivery process took a month. Going back to them with "can you please update to CATIA V5" would be a waste of time. And they wouldn't even have Solidworks.[/li]

[li]A condition of having these files is that I must protect the integrity of the data, which means that I will not be uploading this to a sleazy website, nor be downloading freeware to my company's locked-down computers.[/li]
[/ul]

http://www.sparweb.ca

 

[IRstuff]

Seems to me that there ought to be CAD design houses that could, for a nominal fee, much less than the cost of seat, convert the files to IGES or STP formats.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

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[Sparweb]

There could be, but which still have V4? The ones I called do not.

http://www.sparweb.ca

 

[IRstuff]

Autocad 2016 supposedly can read CATIA v4:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/supp...2A5B5616-15B6-4B72-876B-20501812054C-htm.html

Another translator:

https://www.cadcam-e.com/products/EnSuite/Ensuite_CAD_Translators.aspx

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

faq731-376 forum1529 Entire Forum list

http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm

 

[ewh]

I've used Transmagic for Catia conversions several years ago and had no complaints.

"Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively."
-Dalai Lama XIV

 

[Sparweb]

We decided to give Transmagic a try and made contact this afternoon.
Thank you ewh for the report. They already had given me the most confidence when I looked them over last week.

http://www.sparweb.ca

 

[cadagnostic]

Hope it worked out well for you, SparWeb - TransMagic can read CATIA V4 .model files, V5 and V6 CATPart and CATProduct parts and assemblies, xCGM CATIA kernel files, and .CGR visualization (faceted) files, as well as 3DXML polygonal files. It can also allow you to open files that are mixed polygonal and Brep, and there are a lot of settings to get your file Read just right.

All of the core products, including SUPERVIEW, PRO and EXPERT can read CATIA files, and if you have the need to Write CATIA files, you can do that too with TransMagic EXPERT.

I can't give any specifics, but I have seen evidence that TransMagic's CATIA viewer does a better job reading complex geometry than some other solutions.

Here's a link to try the free eval (SUPERVIEW): [URL unfurl="true"]https://transmagic.com/supervieweval-2-2/[/url]
Here's an article I just wrote about CATIA Viewing with TransMagic - [URL unfurl="true"]https://transmagic.com/catia-viewer/[/url]

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[Sparweb]

Hi Cadagnostic,
Thank you for posting - it reminds me to post an end to the story. It got complicated.

Transmagic was able to convert many files, but not all without support from the TM help desk. For its part, Transmagic software worked, but slowly. I think it was the right choice to look at this batch of files, given that we had to quickly identify what was wrong with the files we had (not containing the models we expected them to) and the people at Transmagic were helpful there, too. The point was moot, however, because the files we were delivered did not contain the data we paid for. The story isn't over, with the vendor now providing us with more appropriate models, and those mostly in V5, which we can use without needing Transmagic. That process is ongoing.

http://www.sparweb.ca