CATIA V5R17 - Few questions, yes I searched

[Anvit Garg]

Hey guys I am slowly learning CATIA V5R17. I have read on these forums that the curve is pretty steep for people with 3D modeling experience. (Last time I touched CAD was in 2002 in High School)

The documentation actually has decent tutorials and I am able to draw basic shapes and extrude them.

By the way the version I have access to is P3.

There are numerous workbenches on this program. I have seen that several people on this site either use the structural workbench or the wireframe workbench.

Which one should I use to start learning the chassis drawings. Are there any tutorials that have a chassis as an example?

Also has anyone softquadro their video card for improved performance?

I just built a new system for this purpose (and games before the semester starts again) with a Q6600 overclocked to 3.02 ghz, 8800GTX, and 4GB of ram. I am trying to see if its worth softmodding for significant performance increases.

Thanks!

[Anvit Garg]

Hey guys I am slowly learning CATIA V5R17. I have read on these forums that the curve is pretty steep for people with 3D modeling experience. (Last time I touched CAD was in 2002 in High School)

The documentation actually has decent tutorials and I am able to draw basic shapes and extrude them.

By the way the version I have access to is P3.

There are numerous workbenches on this program. I have seen that several people on this site either use the structural workbench or the wireframe workbench.

Which one should I use to start learning the chassis drawings. Are there any tutorials that have a chassis as an example?

Also has anyone softquadro their video card for improved performance?

I just built a new system for this purpose (and games before the semester starts again) with a Q6600 overclocked to 3.02 ghz, 8800GTX, and 4GB of ram. I am trying to see if its worth softmodding for significant performance increases.

Thanks!

[Anvit Garg]

http://www.3dcadforums.com/cad-communities-7/catia-reso...-tutorials-1899.html (http://www.3dcadforums.com/cad-communities-7/catia-resource-links-56/catia-5r17-documentation-tutorials-1899.html)

I also found a link to the R17 documentation.

Not sure if it works so you are on your own.

[Mike Sadie]

nVidia's Quadro graphics cards are top notch. they usually arent necessary for FSAE, but if you can afford them you will appreciate it.

For solidworks, they allow us to use Realview, a real time renderer. Also even in our largest assembly, nothing turns to legos when it is rotated, everything moves very smoothly.

I have worked with Catia V5R14 on a computer with a quadro graphics card and the biggest constraint was that computers 2 GB Ram.

[Kirk Feldkamp]

I've worked on some exceedingly heavy show car data on a machine that's half as burly as what you've got. You should be just fine. If you run into any problems, don't forget you can selectively load and unload parts and assemblies to cut down on your memory usage. Generally speaking, anything that's a native Catia parametric part will be pretty light on memory usage. It's when you start having lots of non-native (igs,stl scans, etc) surface data that you will start to bog down. The extent of the surface data that you'd be using on a FSAE car is small enough that you shouldn't ever have any problems.

If you're doing chassis design, the part design , assembly design, and generative shape workbenchs are all you really need to know to get started. Easy, right? http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Percy and Percette should be a snap to make if you have access to the Human Builder workbench too.

-Kirk

[J. Vinella]

I have had a similar experience as Kirk. I too have opened huge assemblies but of the airplane variety. The computer I used at work had about half of yours and handled it fine. You should be good with 4 GB of RAM.

If your entire team is using CATIA setting up an ENOVIA account would be awesome for any sever work and assembly.

[Anvit Garg]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by turbotwig:
I've worked on some exceedingly heavy show car data on a machine that's half as burly as what you've got. You should be just fine. If you run into any problems, don't forget you can selectively load and unload parts and assemblies to cut down on your memory usage. Generally speaking, anything that's a native Catia parametric part will be pretty light on memory usage. It's when you start having lots of non-native (igs,stl scans, etc) surface data that you will start to bog down. The extent of the surface data that you'd be using on a FSAE car is small enough that you shouldn't ever have any problems.

If you're doing chassis design, the part design , assembly design, and generative shape workbenchs are all you really need to know to get started. Easy, right? http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Percy and Percette should be a snap to make if you have access to the Human Builder workbench too.

-Kirk </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

So those workbenches work better than the structure and wireframe workbenches for chassis design? I will install those documents since that damn thing is HUGE if i install them all.

Also, anyone have a tutorial that has an example? I am not sure if the R17 documentation has it (still looking thru it) for chassis design. (Can be for any CAD program since the concept should be similar)

[Anvit Garg]

Oh another question! The tree menu in CATIA on the top left, the text is tiny! Is there any way to enlarge it? All my tree menu text is almost unreadable.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/daconfusion/catia.jpg

[James Waltman]

Hold down the control key and scroll with the mouse wheel. That should change the size of the Tree font.

Kirk is correct about the workbenches you need.
You probably don't even need Generative Shape for a while.
It'll be nice for bodywork but the standard Part Design should let you do most all of the normal parts.

[Anvit Garg]

lol thank you so much for that!

Also thanks again for all the advice, im now focusing on those specific tutorials.

[Tintin]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">By the way the version I have access to is P3.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You CAN have access to P3, what you're working with is the P2 platform and that is the one you need. Last time I touched P3 was with R14 I think and unless something has changed since then you'd want a pretty decent supply of psychedelic substances if you go for P3. The switch over to P3 is hidden in the options (General/User Interface Style) but that is sort of like the red pill when you should have taken the blue one. So don't follow the white rabbit this time.

HTH


Tim

[Anvit Garg]

lol I cant afford psychedelics after building this computer http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

I thought the P3 came with more workbenches than the other versions thats why I mentioned it.

[Christopher Catto]

sorry. been off the ball for a while since at new work now. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

as for structural workbench, yeah, do install it but I don't think you will use it for chassis FEA itself. I used the one on R12 or 14 and it seemed most useable on solids, rather than shells or beams but this may be much easier/faster with these releases.

Now, maybe R17 already contains the new Abaqus FE so that might be good. It's the leader in its field but you may have to do some searches for docs on that part.

I think many teams use Ansys for chassis stiffness and stress evaluations. It does mean getting coords for nodes and joining them with straight lines (elements). The input file being text is really easy to mod as well.

Anybody done FE in a more "inter-linked" way, with other software. I'm sure it's better but like my experience in small teams or companies, it does take effort/energy/budget to sort things out well first time. Respect to those who keep consistency year on year on this. It's quite essential, also on the CAD front.

[Stevo]

R17 contains the fundamentals of the FE package, but not the full blown Abaqus package. I'm pretty sure as a student you get a sweet deal if you want to buy Abaqus though.

By the way, I've got the whole Catia/Delmia/Enovia Suite and it's only ~8 gigs. Don't tell me you built the computer that you say you did, and now your worried about disk space. Install all the packages you have access to. It's easier then going back and installing again.

[vlada]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by James Waltman:
Hold down the control key and scroll with the mouse wheel. That should change the size of the Tree font.

Kirk is correct about the workbenches you need.
You probably don't even need Generative Shape for a while.
It'll be nice for bodywork but the standard Part Design should let you do most all of the normal parts. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi,I have same problem.
How can I change size of font in tree.
I multiplied size of font in tree (in very big size)with comand reframe graph (right click on mouse).
Now, status on right click is reframe on,but I don't how to back small size with same comand (or some other)
Thank you very much.

[Anvit Garg]

Do you have that scrolling button on your mouse? It should allow you to re adjust it.

[vlada]

Thank you very much.
I changed font of tree, and now it's ok.
Best regards
Novi Sad