kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[easyw <easyw@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

kicad StepUp is a new approach to export kicad board and modules in STEP 
AP214 (with colors)

exporting needs these requirements:
1) install FreeCAD 0.15
    1b) in windows copy the Idf.py patched file in FreeCAD/Mod/Idf 
folder (in Linux IDF import seems fine)
2) start your 3D module model design directly in STEP using FreeCAD or 
just getting the model from a STEP library
   (units mm required)
3) put your STEP model in the same directory in which are normally the 
wrl models
4) convert your 3D STEP model in vrml through FreeCAD
   (scaling it to 0.3937, a kicad_StepUp_vrml_export macro is provided
    just launch e.g. freecad sot23.step kicad_StepUp_vrml_export.FCMacro)
4) in pcbnew just populate your board as usual, using only vrml models 
with the corresponding model in STEP
5) export the plain board through IDF menu (no IDF models are needed, 
just wrl standard ones)
6) move to the 'demo' dir and execute the python kicad_StepUp FCMacro 
launching:
 freecad demo.emn kicad_StepUp.FCMacro
 (in windows you may need to specify freecad.exe bin
  path)
and wait until your 3D board will be automatically
populated following kicad_pcb source board
(note only kicad_pcb version 4 is supported)
7) the script can be configured to follow the KISYS3DMOD path

Please consider that the project is at alpha state and not everything 
has been completed
(e.g. at the moment Bottom items do not respect orientation,
 and Top orientation is referred only to pcb module, assuming wrl 
module ha the same orientation
 the script will stop in case of missing modules without any message)

I would need someone to check if the models used and the resulting 
demo.step obtained from the elaboration
is fine to be used in MCAD e.g. SolidWorks that I do not have...
I checked the result with a trial of Catia and Rhino and it seems fine...

If the result is fine to be used in MCAD the refined script could be 
used to convert the pcb artworks for 3D MCAD modelling, and could be 
easily ready to go for the stable release....

The only requirements, different from the actual way of using kicad is 
to substitute Wings3D with FreeCAD and, obviously, populate the 3D 
models with STEP lib...
(anyway Wings3D can be used besides FreeCAD if the 3D STEP exporting it 
is not needed)

attached a kicad demo project, with self containing STEP and wrl modules 
to be used just out of the box,
some screen-shots of the result
here there is also a link of the script in action...
http://youtu.be/Ukd47VXYzQU

thank you for any suggestion and feedback,
Maurice

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