kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Cirilo Bernardo <cirilo.bernardo@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Maurice,

 This is good in SolidWorks as well; I have a few questions:

Where is this FreeCAD script to process the files and create the assembly?

What is the secret to making OCC/FreeCAD create a hierarchical STEP file
rather than a flat file?

- Ciirlo

On Thu, Jul 2, 2015 at 7:28 PM, easyw <easyw@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> @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
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers
> Post to     : kicad-developers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers
> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>