@paul j said:
%(#4000BF)[Heard today at work that they might be considering getting CATIA.
I will do a Google search in a moment - just wondering if anyone on this forum uses it and can answer the following
*** Is it a hard package to learn ? (I guess I am worried about a steep learning curve)
** Are there many similarities to Sketchup ?
** Does anyone have a link to a demo that can be downloaded ?*]
I have used SolidWorks, which is a little cousin to Catia. My responses to your questions:
It is significantly more complex than SketchUP but more in an enterprise way than a modeling way. Restating that, the modeler in Catia will have some similarities to SketchUP. But Catia's power is not it's modeler, it is the ability to have multiple (and I mean many) operators working on the same design simultaneously without stepping on each others toes. The other major strength of Catia, where SketchUp has no functionality whatsoever, is it's tie in to sophisticated data management systems. This allows the parts that are designed to be machined, purchased, whatever by a complete different team than the original modelers.
SketchUp's modeler is very easy to use, but it has no history. You start with a shape and add things to it or subtract things from it. Catia, SolidWorks, Pro/E are parametric modelers where all your operations are kept in a tree and you can go back and change values. Inserted a hole in step three that was 5 mm in diameter, you can click on it and change the hole to 3 mm and it will correctly change it. Now saying this, Siemens and PTC are releasing history-less modelers which as far as I can tell act a lot like SketchUP. My experience is both have advantages which is why SolidEdge and Pro/E are being released with both capabilities. I'm certain SolidWorks and Catia will eventually get these features. It's a competitive market.
You aren't going to find a demo to download. The distribution of all professional 3D MCAD is VERY tightly controlled via vendor networks. SolidWorks is, Catia even more so. These are high end products aimed at industrial audiences and they don't want anybody pirating this stuff if they can avoid it.
Hopefully your employer is signing on for significant training. While you can effectively learn SketchUp (and SolidWorks) on your own, that just simply isn't possible in Catia. The training budget for the first year should be in the ballpark of your software outlay costs or your implementation is going to be a financial failure. I guarantee it. I'm not kidding. The second year it can be less, etc, etc, etc.
The other gotcha to Catia is maintenance costs. All professional 3D MCAD has an annual subscription cost of approximately 25% of the original price per year. So if your seat of Catia cost $20,000 (which wouldn't surprise me as I paid $25,000 a seat for Pro/E in 1996) your company will be faced with a $5,000 bill very year to maintain that seat of software.
To the commenter that suggested SpaceClaim, it's a good modeler that is not history based. The CEO of SpaceClaim was the original developer of both Pro/E and SolidWorks. But SpaceClaim is not Catia and won't be for a long. It's the enterprise functionality.
Good luck and let us know what your thought are when you see Catia.
