CATIA V5 (*.CATpart, *.CATproduct)
CATIA V5 is a currently used software version of Dassault Systemes. CATIA means Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application. It is a multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite developed by the French company called Dassault Systèmes. It was written in the C++ programming language. CATIA is the cornerstone of the Dassault Systèmes software suite.
CATIA V5 was released in 1998. The CATIA software originally was purchased from IBM in 1992 and V4 was published right in the next year. V5 was an entirely rewritten version of CATIA with support for UNIX, Windows NT and Windows XP. Interestingly before 2000, problems, caused by incompatibility between versions 4 and 5, led to a $6.1 billion not expected cost due to years of project delays in production of the Airbus A380.
In 2008, Dassault Systèmes released CATIA V6 where the server can run on Microsoft Windows, Linux or AIX.
In November 2010, Dassault Systèmes launched CATIA V6R2011x, the latest release of its PLM2.0 platform, while continuing to support and improve its CATIA V5 software.
Industries
CATIA can be applied to a wide variety of industries, from aerospace and defense, automotive, and industrial equipment, to high tech, shipbuilding, consumer goods or plant design.
Source: wikipedia