ViewTrailView-Centered Instancing

CATIA V5 view-centered instancing utility

ViewTrail

Remember one assembly instance, then press a hotkey to place another copy at the current view center. Position, orientation, axis alignment, and offsets are configurable, making repeated component placement faster in large assemblies.

Download for WindowsSee the workflow
  • Version 0.4.0
  • 7-day trial
  • Windows
  • CATIA V5
F8 · PLACE AT VIEW CENTER
Follow the current view and place another instance

Features

Place repeated instances exactly where you are looking.

Remember a source instance

Select an instance in the current CATProduct. ViewTrail saves the corresponding CATPart or CATProduct file path.

View-center placement

Uses the current viewpoint, sight direction, and focus distance to find the area at the center of the screen.

Global hotkeys

Keep the panel open and use F8 to instantiate, F9 to change the source, and F10 to open settings while CATIA is in front.

Automatic alignment

By default, the component's local +X axis points toward the top of the screen. Any positive or negative local axis can be selected instead.

Position and attitude offsets

Apply XYZ offsets in the target frame and set rotations around all three target axes.

Persistent settings

The source path, hotkeys, alignment axis, offsets, and rotations are saved for the current Windows user.

Download

ViewTrail 0.4.0

Windows installer with a 7-day trial. The trial starts when first initialized on this machine and is not reset by uninstalling or reinstalling. CATIA V5 must already be installed, and the target document should be a CATProduct assembly.

SHA256: 699204A25B5B234157E41932484AF540DCC36B69BE2CB4D9A318547F6DC8A8A3

If Windows displays an unknown publisher warning, verify that the installer came from this site and matches the SHA256 value above.

Download ViewTrail_Setup_0.4.0.exe

Workflow

Remember an instance, aim the view, press the hotkey.

  1. Choose the sourceOpen a CATProduct, press F9, and select the instance to reuse in the tree or graphics area.
  2. Aim at the target areaRotate, pan, or zoom until the center of the screen points to the desired placement location.
  3. Press F8 to instantiateViewTrail adds a new instance from the saved path and applies the configured placement and alignment.