The Complete CATIA to JT Conversion Guide.
Table of Contents
- General Information
- Converting and Optimizing CATIA Files to JT
- What are CATIA and JT files commonly used for?
- Comparison of Features Supported by CATIA and JT
- Limitations of CATIA Files to JT Conversion Workflow
- What's the best way to get CATIA files into my 3D applications, and are there alternatives to using JT?
General Information
This guide is part of the RapidPipeline 3D Formats Knowledge Database. It shows how to convert CATIA to JT, if you'd like to know more about the formats, please check out the following links:
Converting and Optimizing CATIA Files to JT
There are various ways to convert between CATIA and JT. With RapidPipeline, you can easily convert and and optimize CATIA files, at scale. It supports JT, as well as many other file formats (examples: FBX, glTF, OBJ, PLY, STL, USD, USDZ, VRM), at high quality.
Below you can find a video explaining how to convert your files:

Comparison of Features Supported by CATIA and JT
Feature | Supported by CATIA | Supported by JT |
---|---|---|
Morph Targets | Partial0 | No |
Rigid Animations | Yes | Partial1 |
Skinned Animations | Partial2 | No |
Animations | Yes | Partial3 |
Free-Form Surfaces | Yes | Yes |
Geometry Compression | Partial4 | Yes |
Quad Meshes | Yes | Yes |
Basic 3D Geometry | Yes | Yes |
PBR Materials | Yes | No |
Transparent Materials | Yes | Yes |
Vertex Colors | Yes | Yes |
Materials | Yes | Yes |
Scene Composition | Yes | Yes |
Hierarchical Scene Graph | Yes | Yes |
Scene Nodes | Yes | Yes |
Standardized Format | Partial5 | Yes |
Embedded Textures | Yes | Partial6 |
Multiple UV Channels | Yes | Partial7 |
Normal Mapping | Yes | Partial8 |
Procedural Textures | Partial9 | No |
Texture Compression | Partial10 | Partial11 |
Texture Transforms | Yes | Partial12 |
Texturing | Yes | Yes |
Limitations of CATIA Files to JT Conversion Workflow
The following limitations should be taken into account when converting CATIA files to JT format:
CATIA Feature (not supported by JT) | Limitation Details |
---|---|
Texture Transforms | Texture Transforms Support: CATIA: Full support | JT: Partial support ![]() ![]() JT Notes: Basic texture transformation support Impact: Texture transforms describe transformation operations that are applied to 2D texture images or UV coordinates when using 2D texture data on a 3D surface. They can be used, for example, to make sure that material patterns are using real-world scale when rendered on the 3D surface. In this example, such a pattern is used and scaled with the help of a texture transform. Without support for this feature, the texture pattern shows up at the wrong scale. |
Multiple UV Channels | Multiple UV Channels Support: CATIA: Full support | JT: Partial support ![]() ![]() JT Notes: Limited multi-texturing capabilities Impact: Multiple UV channels allow the optimized and sophisticated use of various 3D modeling features at once. For example, one can use one set of UVs and 2D texture data to model a tiling texture or procedural material, and another UV set to leverage a global lightmap or occlusion map of the 3D model. In this example, a combination of tiled texture (UV channel 1) and baked ambient occlusion map (UV channel 2) is used. Without support for this feature, one needs to either give up the tiling property (e.g., by using a tool like RapidPipline to bake a single texture atlas), or give up the ambient occlusion map, as only one UV channel will be usable. |
Procedural Textures | Procedural Textures Support: CATIA: Partial support | JT: No support ![]() ![]() CATIA Notes: CATIA supports procedural materials and textures through its advanced material system, though primarily focused on engineering applications. Impact: Procedural texture allow the modeling of surface details through mathematical functions, along with artistic control over various parameters. Typically, they are used for patterns like wood grain or other semi-regular structures. Since they are not using any pixels as source data, procedural textures have, in principle, infinite resolution and are very lightweight to describe. In this example, a procedural texture is used to model the look of a wooden material. Without support for this feature, in this case, the wooden parts won't show any visible details. |
Embedded Textures | Embedded Textures Support: CATIA: Full support | JT: Partial support ![]() ![]() JT Notes: Textures can be embedded for self-contained files Impact: Embedded textures allow the storage and exchange of an entire 3D model and its materials within a single file, by embedding the texture images directly into the 3D file (and not storing them as separate image files). Without support for this feature, textures have to be stored in separate image files, and referenced from the main 3D model file. |
Normal Mapping | Normal Mapping Support: CATIA: Full support | JT: Partial support ![]() ![]() JT Notes: Basic normal mapping for enhanced visualization Impact: Normal maps are used to model shading differences that are arising from small geometric details on a surface, such as fabric structures, visible gaps between bricks forming a wall, or rough rock surfaces. In this example, a normal map is used to model a fabric structure. Without support for this feature, the rendered fabric will look smoother than it actually is in the real world, as the fabric structure won't be visible. |
PBR Materials | PBR Materials Support: CATIA: Full support | JT: No support ![]() ![]() Impact: PBR materials enable Physically-Based-Rendering (PBR) for a standardized, photorealistic look of rendered images. PBR uses concepts like metallic-roughness or specular-glossiness properties and a microfacet-based modeling of the surface, using a concept called BRDF (Bi-Directional Reflectance Distribution Function). In this example, PBR materials are used to achieve realistic looking plastic and metal materials. Without support for PBR materials, only basic colors and shading can be used (for example, based on more simple shading models, such as the Blinn/Phong model). |
Animations | Animations Support: CATIA: Full support | JT: Partial support ![]() ![]() JT Notes: Simple animation support for assembly operations Impact: Animations are an important part of many interactive 3D assets, for example in real-time rendering (including games, XR training, assembly instructions, product demos, and other use cases). There are various kinds of animations that can be used on 3D models. In this example model, a rigid animation is used to make the gears spin. Without support for this feature, in this example, the gears won't move. |
Skinned Animations | Skinned Animations Support: CATIA: Partial support | JT: No support ![]() ![]() CATIA Notes: Limited support for skinned animations, mainly through assembly motion simulation rather than character animation. Impact: Skinned animations are commonly used for 3D character models in interactive applications, such as games or virtual worlds. They make it possible to easily animate the 3D model using a helper structure based on virtual bones, composing a virtual skeleton for animation control. In this example, a skinned animation is used to pose a 3D character. Without support for skinned animations, the 3D model will remain in its default pose, such as the default T-pose. |
Morph Targets | Morph Targets Support: CATIA: Partial support | JT: No support ![]() ![]() CATIA Notes: Basic morphing capabilities available through parametric modeling and feature-based design changes. Impact: Morph Targets, or "Blend Shapes", are commonly used to animate facial expressions and soft surfaces, for example cloth under a cloth simulation. They model various states of the animations with different vertex positions. In contrast to skinned animations, morph targets do not use any virtual bones, but work solely on the vertex data. In this example, a facial animation is achieved through morph targets. Without suport for this feature, in this example, the face will not show the animation. |
Rigid Animations | Rigid Animations Support: CATIA: Full support | JT: Partial support ![]() ![]() JT Notes: Basic rigid body animation for design review Impact: Rigid Animations are typically used to animate mechanical parts. In this example, the door of this 3D model of a microwave can be interactively opened or closed, using a rigid animation that gradually changes the 3D transformation of the door. Without support for this feature, in this example, the door will just stay in place and won't move. |
What's the best way to get CATIA files into my 3D applications, and are there alternatives to using JT?
Doing 3D conversion right, especially at scale, can be tricky, as 3D data is in general a rather complex (yet very powerful!) medium. This also applies to CATIA and JT files - the conversion guide above provides a rough first idea about that. Once you know what you would like to do, tools like RapidPipeline can help you perform the necessary steps, and to even automate the process for thousands or even millions of files.
Especially when introducing pipelines and workflows at scale in an enterprise context, it is usually good to rely on dedicated tools and expertise, making sure you do not introduce any steps into your 3D workflow that are detrimental to the final output's quality, or that take your team too much time (and money).
If you're interested to hire dedicated expertise from the best in the field to help your company reach your goals fast and reliably, please do not hestitate to contact DGG. Being the creators of RapidPipeline, and ambassadors for open 3D standards for more than a decade, we have been building some of the world's most advanced 3D pipelines, having processed many millions of 3D assets.
Therefore, our expertise will help you to reach your goals faster, at scale, and with the least possible friction, since we are focused on maximum interoperability.
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