Skip to content
For software developers · 3D InterOp SDK

Convert AVEVA to CATIA V4 in your application

3D InterOp is a CAD interoperability SDK that lets your software read AVEVA files and write CATIA V4, writing the AVEVA facets as faceted geometry, since AVEVA stores triangles rather than solids.

Spatial does not offer an online converter or a desktop conversion app. 3D InterOp is a component that software vendors embed in their own products.

  • Reads AVEVA · Writes CATIA V4
  • Triangle mesh → faceted B-Rep
  • C++ / C# APIs
plant.rvmAVEVA RVM · plant model
Your application
3D InterOp SDK
AVEVA readerHealingCATIA V4 writer
part.modelCATIA V4 · exact B-Rep

AVEVA to CATIA V4 at a glance

AVEVA stores triangles; CATIA V4 is an exact-geometry format. The mesh is written as faceted geometry: 3D InterOp doesn’t rebuild smooth surfaces from triangles.

AVEVA (source)CATIA V4 (target)
Full nameAVEVA review model (E3D Design, PDMS)CATIA Version 4
Standard / ownerAVEVADassault Systèmes
File extensions.rvm or .rvt, with .att, .attr, .dat or .txt attribute files.model, .exp, .session
GeometryTessellated geometryExact B-Rep
Assemblies / structureYes: plant hierarchyYes (written as parts only)
3D InterOp supportRead onlyRead and write

What's preserved, what changes

Here is what your application can expect to carry across from AVEVA to CATIA V4.

  • Changes
    Faceted geometry
    AVEVA stores triangles, so the CATIA V4 file holds faceted bodies, not solids. 3D InterOp doesn’t rebuild exact B-Rep from a mesh.
  • Changes
    Assembly flattened
    The CATIA V4 writer exports parts only: flatten the AVEVA assembly into a single body before export, or the .model file is empty.

Why software vendors add AVEVA to CATIA V4 conversion

Deliver in your customer’s CAD format

Aerospace and automotive OEMs often require supplier data in CATIA V4. Writing it lets your users meet that requirement directly from your application.

Exact geometry, ready to edit

CATIA V4 keeps exact B-Rep geometry, so the receiving engineer can measure, modify or machine the model in CATIA.

No neutral-format round trip

Writing CATIA V4 directly avoids an extra STEP or IGES step, and the loss each extra translation can add.

Things to check before you ship

  • Written CATIA V4 versions: CATIA 4.1.9 to 4.2.4 (.model).
  • The CATIA V4 writer isn’t available in 3D InterOp CGM.
  • Supported AVEVA input: .rvm or .rvt files with their attribute files.
  • The AVEVA .rvt extension isn’t a Revit file: don’t route it to the Revit reader.
  • Validate a sample of translated files in the target system your users actually work with.

Working with Spatial was a real milestone for us: Thanks to the powerful 3DInterOp library, we were able to successfully bring our complex CAD-based solutions to the cloud while remaining flexible to meet individual customer requirements. For us, Spatial is not just a technology partner, but a true enabler of our product strategy.

Dr. Arno Michelis, Founder, Simus Systems

Read the Case Study

About the formats

  • Source format

    What is an AVEVA RVM file?

    RVM files are review models exported from AVEVA E3D Design and PDMS, the plant and marine design systems. They describe the plant geometry and hierarchy, with attributes in a companion file.

  • Target format

    What is a CATIA V4 (.model) file?

    CATIA V4 is the legacy generation of Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA, whose models are mostly stored in .model files. Many aerospace and automotive archives still hold CATIA V4 data.

Frequently asked questions

No. AVEVA stores triangles, and 3D InterOp writes them to CATIA V4 as faceted geometry. It doesn’t rebuild exact B-Rep from a mesh.

No. The CATIA V4 writer exports parts only: flatten the assembly into a single body before export, or the .model file is empty.

No. The CATIA V4 writer isn’t available in 3D InterOp CGM.

No. The AVEVA .rvt extension isn’t a Revit file: route it to the AVEVA reader, with its attribute files.

3D InterOp reads .rvm or .rvt files with their attribute files, as visualization data.

3D InterOp writes CATIA 4.1.9 to 4.2.4 (.model).

No. 3D InterOp reads AVEVA but doesn’t write it. To send data back to AVEVA users, write a neutral format they can import.

  • Building software that needs to convert AVEVA to CATIA V4?

    3D InterOp is an SDK that lets your application read AVEVA and write CATIA V4 alongside 30+ CAD and BIM formats.