CATIA V5 - where did that icon go?

Did you ever start to do something in CATIA V5 then suddenly find out that you can't see a certain icon? No need to worry. it's there, you're not blind. Here are some suggestions for how to hunt for it.

 For those who are lazy, you can always find most commands in the Insert menu given you're in the right workbench.












In the View menu>Toolbars, you can enable any of the listed ones. Always keep it to a minimum so that you don't clutter your user interface.

Make sure that you don't see any double arrows (or Chevrons) in the bottom-right corner of your CATIA screen. If so, then you need to pull out all these toolbars out until you find it.








If all fails, go to Tools>Customize, Toolbars Tab. then click Restore Position button. This will bring CATIA back to the original factory UI settings.








For those who would like a reference page of most icons in their respective workbenches, I've uploaded a copy of icon screen shots. Click here to download.

CATIA V5 - How to Transfer 2D elements to Part Sketcher

Some users have the need to bring 2D CAD data (say from AutoCAD or DXF) and import it into sketcher. It may seem like an easy thing at first. But, it does involve certain steps.

The drawing file (CATDrawing) is available for download here.

Is interaction with CAD/CAM software evolving?

Many of us have seen the Iron Man movie. There was a scene where Tony Stark designs his suit of armor on a round digital table. What catches the attention is the ability to interact with the model without the use of any mouse or pointing device. He was "testing" the design on the fly, something that would take days or weeks to accomplish today. Some might look at it and say, "That's Sci-Fi." But over the years we've seen technology emerge from what we use to consider fiction 10 or 15 years ago.

Enter a new initiative by Apple. They are working on Head-Tracking for design and manufacturing. There is an interesting read at Manufacturing Software Advice website that I came across. . We have seen similar ones for gaming, but not for our industry.




The funny thing is that I've seen students do that with their screens in my CAD/CAM classes. I myself  have done it once or twice before when I can't understand what's in front of me.

If you're wondering about the CAD software featured in the video it's Autodesk Inventor. An easy to learn CAD system made by Autodesk, the same company that makes AutoCAD.

Autodesk Inventor - Frame Generator

Inventor's Frame Generator is a great tool for those looking to create frame work for machines and the like. All frame members will become individual parts that can be detailed separately. The concept of creating a skeleton is shown here. Many standards are contained with the content library. The amount of available profiles is impressive too. 

For a the Full HD video, click here to download it. If you can't view it, make sure you have the techsmith codec installed.

CATIA V5 - Introduction to Drafting

Many of us love how CATIA V5 works in 3D. But eventually we need to create 2D representations of our 3D models. This is when Drafting or drawing mode in V5 comes in. This video is intended for giving CATIA users an extensive overview of how to create views and annotations. I tried to make it simple and easy to follow. It's also great for those who took a CATIA class a while back and forgot a lot of the small details. There are many tricks and tips highlighted here. So download it and watch it at your own convenience. Youtube only allows for 10 min long video uploads. So, I can make available the entire video. Now, due to the size of the file, please send me a private message and I will reply with a private download link.