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How to convert CATIA (.catpart,.catproduct) to Maya (.ma,.mb)?

PolyTrans|CAD+DCC performs mathematically precise CAD, DCC/Animation, GIS and BIM 3D file conversions into all key downstream 3D packages and file formats. Okino software is used and trusted throughout the world by many tens of thousands of 3D professionals in mission & production critical environments, backed by respectable personal support directly from our core development team.

CATIA

CATIA, developed by Dassault Systèmes, is an integrated suite of CAD, CAE and CAM applications for digital product definition and simulation. CATIA is primarily used by the automotive and aerospace industries for automobile and aircraft product and tooling design.

The key file extensions used with CATIA v5 software are ".catpart" for the part and geometry files, and ".catproduct" for the assembly files.

Conversions from CATIA can best be done either via Okino's native CATIA v5 importer (which is based on the real and actual CATIA v5 runtime system licensed from Dassault Systèmes), or equally well via STEP AP214 files.

Maya

Maya is a well known and respected DCC/Animation system which had originally been developed by Alias Research in Canada then purchased by Autodesk in 2006 after Alias went bankrupt.

As is very little understood, no program on this planet can read or write Maya ".ma" (ASCII) or ".mb" (binary) files because the full geometry modifier stack of the Maya software, and its various plugin modules, are needed in order to properly evaluate the file before it can be rendered. This is what forced Okino to write its well known PolyTrans-for-Maya system, which allows for all Okino 3D converters to run within Maya itself. For example, if you want to convert to/from CINEMA 4D (.c4d files) then you would do so entirely inside of Maya.

Due to multi-decades history, Maya users are notorious for using the OBJ file format to convert files to/from other software packages just as 3ds Max users wrongly use the 1985-era .3ds file format. OBJ is an "okay" file format but there are much better or more preferred methods to convert the data.

CATIA import converter's overview

Maya export converter's overview