kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[easyw <easyw@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

@Tom

Hi Tom, following your advices (design in STEP B-Rep)
I came with this approach:
- prepare or just download STEP models for 3D parts
- convert STEP to VRML to build the pcb in kicad (using FreeCAD)
- just place pcb parts in kicad as always
- export IDF pcb plain board
- assembly automatically the board in MCAD reading 3D modules and
  positions from kicad pcb file with the kicad_StepUp script
- export the STEP assembly from MCAD  (using FreeCAD)

I asked a friend of mine to import the result in SolidWorks and it seems 
to be fine...

Could you please check if the result (demo.step) it is fine in 
hierarchical STEP assembly?

Thank you very much
Maurice



On 01/07/2015 23.49, easyw wrote:
> 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