Abaqus and CATIA V5 Sync Up

The Abaqus finite element analysis (FEA) tool may come from the same parent company as 3D CAD package CATIA, but it’s taken until now for the pair to be touted as a fully integrated system.

Dassault Systemes  announced Abaqus for CATIA V5 Version 2.5, an upgrade to the package specifically for the CATIA V5 environment. The new release, available on the latest 64-bit computing architecture as well as 32-bit systems, provides tighter integration with CATIA V5 through support of CATIA Knowledgeware, publications and sensors. Dassault is also talking up ease-of-use enhancements such as automatic contact detection as part of the bolstered integration capabilities.

CATIA Knowledgeware lets users capture design knowledge and reuse it to ensure compliance with established standards. The new automatic contact detection feature simplifies the modeling process, Dassault officials say, and reduces potential errors by providing a wizard-based interface that can lead users through setup options while automatically detecting all likely contact pairs.

Dassault acquired Abaqus in May 2005. The software is now marketed under the SIMULIA brand.