kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Alex G <mr.nuke.me@xxxxxxxxx>]

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>>> So far, I have a program (perl, of course :-) that can read and
>>> parse an IGES file (Global, Directory and Parameter sections),
>>> and I've begun adding processors for the simpler IGES
>>> Entity types (Color, Xform matrix, Point, Line, Arc).
> 
> At least I'm not the only one in the perl camp :D
> 
Would join, but I fond those prefixes to variable &, $, @ ,... bleah too
disturbing. It'll take some time getting used to.

>>> Each Entity is pretty simple, but the possibility of having nested (and
>>> reusable) Entities, and the exceptions, will complicate matters somewhat
>>> :-(
> 
> And 'simple' can be an understatement when you have to actually compute
> tabulated ruled and shell surfaces (but that's an issue even for STEP).
>
Oh come on guys. this sounds like coordinate substitution. It's not
complicated (well, unless you-re strapped to a centrifuge).

>> I only know of Molex at the moment, but considering the thousands of
>> parts they make, I'd take this converter to be pretty useful. Then every
>> time they release a new line of connectors, we can just convert their
>> models.
> 
> There is an underlying problem: molex gives high resolution models which
> give you lots and lots of triangles... I don't know if you want them for
> a 3D previewer (maybe for a detail render but I don't know if an
> interactive view could handle lot of them).
> 
I don't see the problem. I've rendered the molex pieces in software,
inside a Virtual Machine without any 3D acceleration and it worked
perfectly. So unless you're using an Intel accelerator for the 3D
viewer, in which case _everything_ will lag, it won't be an issue. And I
wouldn't call the Molex model high resolution. Unless you're seeing
kicad in the bronze age, that is.

Then considering IGES is a CAD format, if molex set up their stuff
correctly, it might be possible to extract the parametric description of
the pieces, and give as many (or as few) faces as we want.

And to be sarcastic, let's not forget there is a bug in wxWidgets (or is
it the X server?) that makes the 3D viewer crash on everything except
nvidia cards with the nvidia driver.

I've been a little more mean than I intended in my last 3 paragraphs,
but the point is, it should be possible to use the molex models to
create high quality packages for kicad. And if anyone knows of a faster
and easier method, speak now, or for not long hold your peace. I just
want to get those connectors into kicad's library ASAP.

> I've seen ads about cad libraries for EDA and it said 'each component in
> six levels of detail'.
> 
What do they mean by that? It sounds something like "we match you based
on fourty-two levels of compatibility" (those are guys that patented
vector multiplication by naming their variables).

Alex


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