CATIA V5/V6 Engineering Toolbox is a native Windows-based application developed by PLMLead. It is designed to extend the capabilities of Dassault Systèmes’ engineering software suite, including CATIA, DELMIA, and SIMULIA.

The toolbox enables organizations to perform complex, advanced computations and automations through custom add-ins and macros. It can be deployed as a fully integrated module within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform (leveraging ENOVIA) or used as a standalone solution with CATIA V5 and V6.

PLMLead leverages this powerful toolbox to rapidly develop and implement tailored, organization-specific engineering tools and automations that meet unique business requirements.

Macro & Automation Capabilities

One of the strongest native features of Dassault Systèmes software — particularly CATIA — is its macro and programming environment (VBA, CATScript, and CAA). This allows the automation of repetitive tasks and the implementation of complex design logic and algorithms that cannot be achieved through parameterization alone.

Example 1: Product Design Automation

In an anti-theft door manufacturing company, all products follow specific design algorithms that cannot be fully captured through parametric modeling. Using the Engineering Toolbox, these algorithms can be encoded into intelligent macros, dramatically reducing design time and moving the process toward full automation.

Example 2: Technical Documentation

Large industrial products typically require detailed Illustrated Parts Catalogs (IPC) and Maintenance Manuals containing multiple views, configurations, and variants. Creating these documents manually is extremely time-consuming. The Engineering Toolbox automates the generation of such deliverables, significantly reducing effort while ensuring accuracy and consistency.

Example 3: Secure Drawing Exchange

Engineering contractors and manufacturers often need to share drawings with external parties while complying with strict security policies. This includes removing company logos, verifier names, internal technical numbers (EIN), and proprietary standards from output drawings.

The Engineering Toolbox enables the creation of a one-click macro that cleans drawings according to defined security rules without affecting the design content. It can also implement role-based access controls for printing and exporting sensitive drawings.

Advanced BOM Management – EBOMCreator

One of the most critical challenges in engineering organizations — especially those dealing with complex, multi-level assembly products — is the efficient generation and management of Engineering Bills of Materials (EBOM).

While native CATIA V5 offers limited BOM capabilities (typically only flat or summarized views) with weak data control, PLMLead’s EBOMCreator (part of the Engineering Toolbox) delivers far greater flexibility and control:

  • Generation of BOMs from any selected node in the product tree structure (detailed, summarized, or selective views at any level)
  • Dynamic sorting and classification of BOM data according to multiple criteria
  • Export to various formats, including Excel
  • Output directly into CATIA drawings — either as separate sheets or alongside the drawing views
  • Automatic ballooning on drawings based on the generated BOM

In the 3DEXPERIENCE environment, these capabilities are further enhanced through ENOVIA’s robust data control and traceability. This allows extraction of richer datasets and the generation of more sophisticated, context-aware BOMs by leveraging full platform connectivity and object relationships.