CATIA intermediary workflow

CATIA to Revit: create a lighting family with IES

For a CATIA to Revit family workflow, export STEP using the interface available in your CATIA installation. Open it in a SAT-capable CAD tool, prepare a simplified multibody part, then export text SAT 7.0/4.0. BIMMER combines that SAT with IES; it does not upload CATPart, CATProduct or STEP directly.

, lighting-product designer and BIMMER developer Updated

Before you upload

CATIA: export the correct SAT

BIMMER needs text SAT + IES. Export the geometry first; native CAD, STEP and binary SAB are not direct uploads.

  • Text .sat
  • ACIS 7.0 or 4.0
  • Solid geometry
  • Known units · mm preferred
  1. Work in a copy of the CATPart or CATProduct. Remove fasteners, wiring and fine internals while retaining the outer shape, light aperture and mounting geometry.
  2. For CATIA V5 with STEP Core Interface (ST1), use File → Save As and choose STEP (AP203/AP214 as supported). For 3DEXPERIENCE, check the export command and STEP entitlement for your installed role; the V5 menu is not universal.
  3. Open the complete STEP in a SAT-capable intermediary such as SolidWorks or Inventor. For a large assembly, save or derive one multibody part while preserving component positions and separate solid bodies.
  4. Name the emitting body, remove unneeded geometry and export the prepared part to text SAT 7.0/4.0 with known units, preferably millimetres. Re-open it and compare body count and a known dimension.
  5. Upload the checked SAT and matching IES to BIMMER. Generate, then inspect the preview and downloaded Revit family.

Menu names and export options vary by version and licence. Check one representative SAT from CATIA before converting a full range.

A 700 or 400 SAT header identifies ACIS 7.0 or 4.0. Check the actual export; changing the file extension or editing the header does not convert geometry.

All CAD export routes →

In your CAD software

CATIA V5 export settings

File → Save As → STEP (*.stp)

CATIA: a STEP handoff is the documented route here

We have not verified native CATIA export to SAT 7.0 or 4.0. Dassault’s documented ACIS plug-in imports ACIS; its STEP Core Interface provides STEP export. With the required STEP interface, save the prepared model as STEP, then use a SAT-capable CAD tool to create the BIMMER upload.

Save the prepared model as STEP

Choose File → Save As, then stp (*.stp). This CATIA V5 capture shows the STEP export route; it is not a SAT export dialog.

Next: open the STEP in Inventor, SolidWorks or another SAT-capable tool. Prepare the required solids and export SAT 7.0 / 4.0. Upload the SAT + IES to BIMMER.

Direct support status

InputDirectly accepted?Required action
CATIA .CATPart / .CATProductNoPrepare in CATIA and use an appropriate neutral-export interface.
CATIA STEP exportNoOpen in a SAT-capable intermediary before BIMMER.
Intermediary text SAT 7.0/4.0YesCheck solid bodies, dimensions, names and ACIS version.
Matching IESYesPair the matching luminaire photometry with the prepared SAT.

Does CATIA export SAT directly?

We have not verified native CATIA SAT 7.0/4.0 export. Dassault Systèmes documents ACIS import through its MultiCAx AD plug-in and STEP export through CATIA V5 ST1. This guide therefore uses the documented STEP handoff to a SAT-capable CAD tool. If STEP is absent, check the interface entitlement with your CAD administrator.

Already use a licensed CATIA translator?

Elysium 3D-SUITE documents CATIA plug-ins, SmartLauncher export from CAD menus and an ACIS SAT exporter covering R6–R34, which includes R7. A configured installation can provide a route without a manual STEP handoff. Have your CAD administrator configure SAT revision 7, then verify a 700 header, solids and dimensions. This is an optional third-party translator, not a built-in CATIA setting; its exact menus and output have not been tested here.

Keep large models as a part with separate bodies

The final CAD preparation step is a simplified multibody part in the intermediary, before SAT export. This keeps the LED, housing and mounting parts individually identifiable. Combining every component into a single solid can erase those boundaries; exporting an unchecked manufacturing assembly can carry unnecessary detail or lose components during translation.

Check the handoff before converting a catalogue

Export one representative fixture first. Compare the source with the intermediary and the final SAT: outer dimensions, component positions, body count and emitter name. The CATIA steps are documentation-based and have not been tested in an installed CATIA session here.

Common failures and what to change

STEP is missing from Save As or Export.

Check the CATIA product or role includes the required STEP interface; use your installed-version vendor guidance.

The intermediary contains a single merged body.

Repeat the handoff preserving separate solids, then save or derive a multibody part rather than joining all bodies.

Some components or dimensions changed.

Ensure all referenced STEP files are included, repair the translation and compare a known dimension before writing SAT.

Questions manufacturers ask

Can I upload CATPart or CATProduct directly?

No. Use STEP and a SAT-capable intermediary, then upload the resulting text SAT 7.0/4.0 with IES.

Does every CATIA licence include STEP export?

Do not assume it does. Confirm the relevant STEP interface or role in your installed CATIA edition; this guide cites the V5 ST1 workflow.

Can a CATIA plug-in export SAT?

A licensed translator can provide that route. Elysium documents CATIA integration and an ACIS SAT exporter including revision 7. Confirm the installed modules and SAT 7 output with your administrator; this is separate from CATIA’s standard export commands.

Do I need to merge the LED and housing into one solid?

No. Prepare one part file with multiple separate solid bodies so the useful components remain identifiable.

More answers in the FAQ →

Primary references