# Introducing Direct CAD Translators

Direct CAD Translators import CAD system models by translating the native CAD system files into PC-DMIS’ internal CAD format. The Direct CAD Translators differ from the Direct CAD Interfaces in that an installation or license of the CAD system is not required to access the data. Once the data is translated into PC-DMIS, the original file is no longer needed.

The benefits of the Direct CAD Translators compared to the Direct CAD Interfaces are the following:

- Installation or license of CAD system not needed.

- Importing the CAD file is often faster.

- Once imported, the original CAD file is not needed.

- Working with the model in PC-DMIS is often faster.

The disadvantages of the Direct CAD Translators compared to the Direct CAD Interfaces are the following:

- Possibility of errors and limitations associated with translation of data from CAD systems into PC-DMIS’ internal CAD format.

- Geometry calculations performed using PC-DMIS mathematical routines, which may not be ideally suited to original CAD system representation.

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Supported CAD Systems for DCT