kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Cirilo Bernardo <cirilo_bernardo@xxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----

> From: Mário Luzeiro <mrluzeiro@xxxxx>
> To: Cirilo Bernardo <cirilo_bernardo@xxxxxxxxx>; jp charras <jp.charras@xxxxxxxxxx>; "kicad-developers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <kicad-developers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: 
> Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 6:24 PM
> Subject: RE: [Kicad-developers] 3D-Viewer new rendering and contributions.
> 
>>  Any suggestions on how this can be unified will be welcome. One option
>>  is to add a selection item to the VRML dialog to specify if the offset
>>  is mm or inch. With that option I can also implement a good IDF solution.
>>  - Cirilo
> 
> I don't know how KiCad deals with unities.
> As a KiCad user I feel that the offset dialogue should be using the same mm/In 
> mechanism selection.
> 
> After that, maybe for historical reasons, the Wings3D unit size should be kept.
> 
> You may have a look on the VRML 1 (format) models from 3D Content Central. They 
> come with very small scale. I notice I had to scale it by 254 to make it the fit 
> the correct size (sorry I didn't scientific investigated the math unities 
> here). But, that it to point that different model sources will have different 
> unities .. so I guess KiCad have to follow just one unity (the "Wings3D 
> unity")
> 


The VRML specification states that 1VRML unit = 1m, but this is not a requirement.
So KiCad used 1VRML = 0.1inch and many models on the internet use the VRML
recommendation.

> As a KiCad user, right now, I use the 3d Viewer mostly as an amusement feature 
> rather than an mechanical aspects validation tool. So as long as it looks good, 
> It will make me happy :)
> but it will be nice if we keep the "science visual validation" of the 
> PCB/models.
> 


I agree; it's eye-candy, but it is very impressive to people who are not
electronics engineers and it can help to get support for a project.

- Cirilo