CATMATERIAL File

What are CATMATERIAL files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CATMATERIAL file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your CATMATERIAL files.

What is a CATMATERIAL file?

A .CATMATERIAL file is a CATIA Material file.

CATIA Material files store catalogs of material definitions used inside the CATIA V5 software by Dassault Systèmes. They define physical, visual, and rendering properties (such as textures and material families) that users can apply to parts or assemblies when building CAD models.

These files are written and edited in CATIA V5 via its Infrastructure › Material Library workbench. A designer creates, modifies, and saves material libraries in this format. Once built, material definitions are applied to other CATIA documents (CATPart, CATProduct) either by linking the material catalog or by linking specific texture image files. In organizations using the Windchill product lifecycle management system, CATMaterial files and their associated texture images are stored in shared network areas to ensure consistent access and versioning.

The format supports texture images in standard formats such as TIFF, JPEG, BMP, RGB, PIC, PSD, PNG, TGA, HDR, and EXR. Material entities include categories like core materials and covering materials, which influence how materials are layered or applied in designs. In the transition from CATIA V5 to V6, CATMaterial content is imported into V6 as catalogs when using the File-Based Design Import tool with mapping tables enabled.

Files begin with a signature indicating "V5_CFV2" at the very start of the file (offset zero), and contain strings such as "CATMATERIAL" elsewhere which helps software recognize the file as a CATMaterial catalog.

How to open CATMATERIAL files

Important: Different programs may use files with the CATMATERIAL file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your CATMATERIAL file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the app ourselves yet, our users have suggested a single CATMATERIAL opener which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 31, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of CATMATERIAL files. Remember, different programs may use CATMATERIAL files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about CATMATERIAL file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.