kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Cirilo Bernardo <cirilo_bernardo@xxxxxxxxx>]

A month or so ago (2 Mar 2012) Bob Cousins wrote about using FreeCAD to create 3D STEP models.  I've been looking into this issue for a few months now and here are some of my (still early) thoughts on the matter:

1.  Due to the complexity of any software implementing the STEP AP203/AP214 specifications or any mechanical CAD for that matter,  I'm convinced that any tool should be a separate project from KiCad.  Keeping such tools separate allows folks to develop their own tools to suit whatever mechanical CAD environment they work with.

2. The support required by a 3D MCAD tool can be as simple as adding another parameter to the KiCad BRD $SHAPE3D section.  For example, I was thinking of putting in a "Mn  filename" parameter in my prototyping and I was imagining that the parameter would name either a STEP file or a FreeCAD file representing a component.

I'm slowly hacking away at my prototype tool but who knows when I'll have it in working condition.  My big plan is to simply render a board with drill holes and the component STEP models and export one STEP AP203 assembly - that should be sufficient for most people's mechanical packaging needs. Then I'd like to go on and add tracks, vias, zones, solder blobs, and build up a collection of FreeCAD models and work towards the (somewhat unimportant but nice to have) photorealistic product rendering.

I have a question regarding directory structures in KiCad - is there any merit in developing a directory hierarchy (similar to the TeX directory structure or the UNIX structure) so we can develop separate tools for managing the directory listings and for locating libraries, 3D models, etc?


- Cirilo