CATIA V5 – Importing Blueprints

After downloading the drawings, from the original document, it is necessary to cut each view individually, using any image editing software. Each view needs to be recorded and assignable to its name (Front view, Right view, ...).

To import images, the Sketch Tracer tool (Start / Shape / Sketch Tracer) is used. Before importing, it is necessary to include Shading with material. If any other Shading is turned on, it will not be visible.

After the Sketch Tracer tool is activated, you need to click on the Create an Immersive Sketch. A new window opens where you need to find previously captured images.

Here you need to select the view that you want to import (for example, the Front view can be taken first), and by clicking on the Open image is imported. For front view, it is necessary to include the Front view  in the toolbar. Inside of the Sketch Parameters menu, select Set cylindrical view, Use a cube.

By clicking OK, the first sketch is completed. It is also visible in the model tree. In the same way, we also set the Right view drawing (by clicking the Create an Immersive Sketch icon and activating the Right_view in the toolbar). Again, the coordinate start, upper and right boundaries of geometry must be precisely set. Here you should enter the length of the car, by clicking on the dimension (in this case 4846 mm). By clicking OK, the layout is completed.

In the same way, you need to add both Top_view and back_view. If the image is misoriented, it is necessary to click the right mouse button on the green arrow (the beginning of the image) where the option of rotating the coordinate axis is offered or to position it in the direction of any of the remaining two axes of the main coordinate system.

After the Top_view is set, click on it appears arrows to move the image to the desired position.

It's still necessary to add Back_view and position it. The same procedure is repeated for the previous images, but it is necessary to include a back_view in the toolbar.

Once all the images are added, it is necessary to make them transparent. Right-click on the image, then add transparency to Properties / Graphic. Also, all images can be renamed.

Now all the images are positioned and transparent. For further modeling, it is necessary to add the new Part inside the product and begin by creating the main curves according to the given views, which will be used to create the surfaces.

If you do not have a CATIA license that contains the Sketch Tracer tool, images can also be imported in a different way also. The following example shows how to add side and front view. First, you need to make Sketch, by the rule it needs to be a rectangle with the dimensions of the image you want to add. Then Fill must be added. For better transparency, created Fill can be translated (Translate.1, Translate.2), and all previous geometry can be hidden

Then, in the Shading menu, you need to include Customize View Parameters and use the Apply Material to add material to Translate.1 and Translate.2. DS Star should be selected for the material (in the Other group).

In the tree appears to add material within Translate.1 and Translate.2. Now you need to edit Rendering associated material (right click on DS star, then Edit Rendering Data).

A new window opens where in the Texture tab you need to click on the icon highlighted in the image below to load the image.

After selecting the image, the same is added to the Translate.1 surface. As seen in the picture below, the blueprint is much smaller than the size of Translate.1. It is necessary to turn off the Repeat (U, V) options so that the image does not repeat the whole surface. In this case, it was mis-oriented, so you need to click Flip U to get the correct orientation. After that, it is necessary to calculate the scale (Scale U: Scale V) according to the dimensions of the image so that we can scale the image on the entire surface of Translate.1. In this case, this size is 3.31, so this amount should be entered in the Scale U field, but before that, the connection between Scale U and Scale V (click on the green chain) should be disconnected from the side.

After all, parameters have been set, click OK. Now the system allows to enlarge the image over the entire surface by clicking DS Star in the tree.

The same procedure needs to be repeated for the front view, with the width and height of 1.44 now being entered in the Scale U field. Click OK to expand the image to the desired size (surface Translate.2).

It is also possible to add transparency here by clicking Edit Rendering Data, within the Lighting tab.