Convert X_T to CATPART

A CATIA V5 workflow needs a native .CATPart when a supplier provides only Parasolid .x_t geometry. Conversion lets CATIA users edit, measure, position, document, and manufacture the imported model without requiring the original Parasolid-based CAD system.

What the X_T format is

.x_t is the text-based Parasolid exchange format maintained by Siemens Digital Industries Software. It stores precise boundary-representation geometry, including solid and surface topology, but normally does not contain the source system's parametric feature history.

Parasolid-based applications such as Siemens NX, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, Onshape, and other engineering systems can create or export X_T files. The format is used for supplier models, machined components, tooling, and neutral solid exchange. The related .x_b extension contains Parasolid data in binary form; changing between .x_t and .x_b requires a Parasolid-aware exporter, not a filename change.

What the CATPART format is

.CATPart is the native part-document format for Dassault Systèmes CATIA V5. A CATPart can contain bodies, solids, surfaces, sketches, parameters, links, and—when designed natively in CATIA—a parametric feature history.

A translated Parasolid model normally becomes imported or “dumb” geometry. The final B-rep shape may be preserved, but the original Parasolid or source-CAD feature tree, sketches, constraints, and design intent are not reconstructed. CATPart is suitable for CATIA V5 positioning, drafting, measurement, manufacturing, and use in CATProduct assemblies.

How to convert X_T to CATPART

Using CAD Exchanger Desktop

CAD Exchanger Desktop can perform the conversion when the installed edition and license include CATIA V5 export. Check the current format and licensing list before purchase because available exporters vary by product version.

1. Open CAD Exchanger Desktop and choose File → Open.
2. Select the Parasolid file, such as housing.x_t, then confirm the detected units and inspect the model tree.
3. Run the available geometry validation or healing command if the software reports open edges, invalid faces, or self-intersections.
4. Choose File → Export, select CATIA V5 (*.CATPart), and save the result as housing.CATPart.
5. Open the output in CATIA V5 and verify units, solid and body counts, reference axes, holes, fillets, and critical dimensions.

Using CrossManager

Datakit CrossManager is a desktop translator that supports batch exchange between Parasolid and CATIA V5 in applicable licensed configurations. Add the X_T files, choose CATIA V5 or CATPart as the output, select a destination folder, and start the translation. Review the conversion report for unsupported entities, warnings, and failed files.

Using CATIA V5

Direct Parasolid import is not available in every CATIA V5 installation; it depends on the installed and licensed data-exchange capabilities and release. If the X_T format appears in File → Open or the relevant data-exchange command, import it and save the resulting document as a CATPart. If CATIA does not list X_T as an accepted input, use a dedicated translator. Renaming .x_t to .CATPart cannot convert the data.

Using an online converter

CAD Exchanger Cloud is an option when the selected service plan supports both Parasolid input and CATIA V5 output. Upload the X_T file, choose CATPart as the output, download the result, and validate it in CATIA V5. Do not upload confidential, export-controlled, or customer-owned geometry until the service's retention policy, processing location, access controls, and deletion terms have been approved.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Direct translation usually transfers Parasolid B-rep geometry accurately, but CATIA may create imported bodies, report bad edges, or heal faces during import. Recheck dimensions on critical features.
• Feature history, sketches, constraints, design tables, materials, assembly mates, and many source-specific properties generally do not become native CATIA intelligence.
• An X_T file may contain multiple solids, bodies, or supported model entities. Depending on translator settings, the CATPart may contain several bodies, a combined result, or only supported geometry. Check the resulting structure before inserting it into a CATProduct.
• Confirm the unit system explicitly. A unit interpretation error can produce a geometrically valid model at the wrong scale.
• For a recipient that cannot process Parasolid, STEP AP242 can provide a broadly supported intermediate exchange format, but an extra STEP translation may lose more topology or metadata than a direct X_T-to-CATPart conversion.