About Opening non-Creo Models to Create Multi-CAD Assemblies
You can open Autodesk Inventor, CATIA V4, V5, and CATIA V5 CGR, SolidWorks, and NX parts and assemblies in applications such as Creo Parametric, Creo Simulate, Creo Direct, and Creo Options Modeler without creating separate models. In addition to the non-Creo file formats, you can also open native Creo Elements/Direct*.sdpc and *.sdac part and assembly content files. You can then assemble the non-Creo and the Creo Elements/Direct models in assemblies, just as native part and assembly components, to create multi-CAD assemblies. You can also generate drawings of the non-Creo and the Creo Elements/Direct models and add the models to new and existing drawings.
You must have the following collaboration licenses to open part and assembly models that belong to the non-Creo file formats in the various Creo applications:
• Creo CATIA V4 Collaboration
• Creo CATIA V5 Collaboration
• Creo UG/NX Collaboration
• Creo Solidworks Collaboration
• Creo Collaboration Extension for Inventor
The File Open dialog box provides the following options for Autodesk Inventor, CATIA V4, V5, and V5 CGR, SolidWorks, NX, and Creo Elements/Direct*.sdpc and *.sdac part and assembly content files:
• Open
• Import
• Open Representation
Open is the default option for Autodesk Inventor, CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, and Creo Elements/Direct*.sdpc and *.sdac file formats while the File Open dialog box only provides the Import option for all other non-Creo and Creo Elements/Direct file formats. You can use the > 
Open command and select Open or Open Representation in the File Open dialog box to open Autodesk Inventor, CATIA V4 and V5, SolidWorks, NX, and Creo Elements/Direct models in Creo. You can use the > 
Assemble > Assemble command to assemble Autodesk Inventor, CATIA, SolidWorks, and NX models as the non-Creo components and Creo Elements/Direct*.sdpc and *.sdac models as the Creo components of assemblies and create assemblies of mixed content. When you click > and click the Add Model option on the DWG MODELS menu, the Open dialog box lists Autodesk Inventor, CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, and Creo Elements/Direct parts and assemblies as drawing models. You can select these models and add them as drawing models to new and existing drawings.
Open command and select Open or Open Representation in the File Open dialog box to open Autodesk Inventor, CATIA V4 and V5, SolidWorks, NX, and Creo Elements/Direct models in Creo. You can use the > Assemble > Assemble command to assemble Autodesk Inventor, CATIA, SolidWorks, and NX models as the non-Creo components and Creo Elements/Direct*.sdpc and *.sdac models as the Creo components of assemblies and create assemblies of mixed content. When you click > and click the Add Model option on the DWG MODELS menu, the Open dialog box lists Autodesk Inventor, CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, and Creo Elements/Direct parts and assemblies as drawing models. You can select these models and add them as drawing models to new and existing drawings. | When you open Creo Elements/Direct*.sdpc and *.sdac part and assembly content files, the *.sdcc container files and the stock finish parts are not retrieved in Creo. |
Opening the non-Creo parts and assemblies without creating the corresponding Creo models creates near accurate representations of model structures in Creo. Assemblies with native and non-Creo components represent model structures almost accurately as in the source CAD systems. Creo data wraps around the non-Creo data when you open the non-Creo models in Creo applications. The wrapper and the non-Creo data are together stored at the same location.