How do you calculate weight in CATIA?

To calculate the weight (mass) of a part or assembly in CATIA V5, you need to ensure that material properties, particularly density, are correctly applied to the model. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Apply material to the part
   • Open the part design workbench.
   • Activate the apply material toolbar:
     • Navigate to view > toolbars > apply material.
     • Select the part or body in the specification tree.
     • Click on the apply material icon and choose a material from the library (e.g., metals, plastics).
     • The material’s density will automatically be assigned to the part.
2. Measure weight using properties
   • Right-click on the part or assembly in the specification tree.
   • Select properties and navigate to the mass tab.
   • The following properties will be displayed:
     • Density (kg/m³): Based on the applied material.
     • Volume (m³): Calculated from the geometry.
     • Mass (kg): Automatically computed as: Mass = Density x Volume
3. Use measure Inertia command
   • Go to tools > Measure Inertia or use the toolbar shortcut.
   • Select the part or assembly you want to measure.
   • The dialog box will display:
     • Mass
     • Center of gravity (CG)
     • Inertia matrix
     • Ensure that material properties are applied for accurate results.
4. Customize measurement settings
   • Use the customize button in the measure inertia dialog box to enable or disable additional options like surface area, volume, and CG position.
   • To save measurements for future reference, check the keep measure option.
5. Override mass (optional)
   • If you need to manually set or override mass for simulation purposes:
   • Enable parameter display via tools > options > infrastructure > part infrastructure > display and check “show parameters.”
   • Add a custom mass parameter or use “equivalent mass” by importing predefined parameters and setting them via inertia measures.