What is the CATDRAWING file format?
Files with the .catdrawing extension contain 2D engineering drawings generated from 3D CAD models created in CATIA V5, developed by Dassault Systèmes. .catdrawing files are associated with .catpart files (individual part geometry) that can be combined into .catproduct assembly files. Because a drawing maintains live associativity with its source geometry, moving or deleting the referenced .catpart or .catproduct will break that link and prevent the drawing from updating correctly. .catdrawing files can be exported to formats such as PDF, DWG, or DXF.
Features of .catdrawing files
CATIA drawing files - from *Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application* - visualize 3D models in 2D format for manufacturing documentation and engineering. Each .catdrawing file can represent a single component or a complete assembly. A file can contain:
- one or more drawing sheets,
- one or more views per sheet (front, top, section, isometric),
- tables and bill-of-materials (BOM),
- dimensions and tolerances,
- annotations and revision history,
- details in text format and title-block information.
.catdrawing is a proprietary binary format exclusive to CATIA V5; files are tied to the release version used to save them and are not backward-compatible - a drawing saved in a newer release cannot be opened in an older one. There are software tools for managing .catdrawing files without a full CATIA license: Glovius and CrossManager can view and convert them, though full creation and editing requires CATIA V5 itself.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPure CAD data file, no executable content. No known malware vector. Handle with care re: IP - these files may contain proprietary engineering data.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open CATDRAWING files
Windows4 apps
CrossManager
Paid Open file for viewing and conversion to DXF/DWG/STEP/IGES/PDF. No CATIA license required.
CATIA V5
Paid File → Open → select .catdrawing. Full create/edit capability; requires active license. 
Linux1 app
Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Binary (proprietary CGM-kernel-based format) |
| Byte order | Big-endian |
| Typical file size | 100 KB - 50 MB; complex multi-view assemblies can exceed this |
| Version lock | Tied to CATIA V5 release (R10-R2024+); files cannot be opened in older releases |
| Drawing precision | Dimensions accurate to 0.001 mm typical |
| Sheet sizes | A0-A4 and custom sheet formats; multiple sheets per file supported |
| Linked geometry | References external .catpart and .catproduct files via live associative links |
| View types | Front, top, section, isometric, auxiliary, and detail views per sheet |
| Annotation support | GD&T tolerances, surface finish symbols, BOM tables, title block |
| Export formats | PDF, DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES (via CATIA V5 save-as or third-party converters) |
| PRONOM ID | fmt/1615 (UK National Archives registry) |
| Third-party support | Read and conversion only (Glovius, CrossManager, CADViewer); writing requires CATIA V5 |
| Operating systems | Windows; Linux (Red Hat Enterprise Linux - official CATIA V5 support) |
| Released | 1999 (CATIA V5 R1) |
| Latest version | CATIA V5-6R2024 (2024) |
| Specification | www.3ds.com |
CATDRAWING conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about CATDRAWING files.
