kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Cirilo Bernardo <cirilo.bernardo@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Maurice,

 The IDF export is wrong. If you can file a bug report with detailed
instructions on how to reproduce the problem with the incorrect slot width
that would be helpful. At the moment I can only reproduce the incorrect
orientation of the slot.

- Cirilo

On Sat, Jul 4, 2015 at 4:56 PM, easyw <easyw@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hi Cirilo,
> thanks for your feedback!
>
> to install the new freecad in debian I think it could be done with:
> sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:freecad-maintainers/freecad-stable
> sudo apt-get update
> sudo apt-get install freecad
> (at least it worked for me in ubuntu where I had freecad 0.14)
>
> I have tried to export to IDF a board with a module with oval pads with
> oval holes
> I attached the board and IDF file
> I seems that x and y are switched in the holes and the third hole also has
> one incorrect diameter...
>
> could you please check if the problem is in the interpreting in freecad of
> the file (I do not have solid works to check it) or if is a small bug in
> the exporter?
>
> thank you very much again for you advices :)
> Maurice
>
>
>
> On 04/07/2015 02.05, Cirilo Bernardo wrote:
>
>> Thanks Maurice,
>>
>>   Maybe you should also post to the user list. I'm sure everyone who needs
>> solid models will find it useful and you would get more testing done as
>> well; I'm finding it very difficult to find time to do even simple testing
>> at the moment and I haven't built FreeCAD for a few years now so I only
>> have what's available on Debian (0.14).
>>
>>   This looks very good and will be very useful and is much less hassle
>> than
>> the process which many people use to convert their VRML models to a solid
>> model. It will still be many months yet before KiCad has a native solid
>> model export which I'm guessing will be IGES at this point, and who knows
>> how much longer it will be before someone finds time to add STEP. The
>> combination of IDF + STEP is good since the solid model of the PCB will
>> actually have circular drill holes which can be used by MCADs as a
>> reference point; models derived from VRML rendering of the board always
>> give polygonal holes which are frustrating to work with in MCAD.
>>
>> - Cirilo
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jul 3, 2015 at 7:08 PM, easyw <easyw@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>  Hi Cirilo,
>>>
>>> I've uploaded the recent version of the script with the demo board at
>>> sourceforge
>>> https://sourceforge.net/projects/kicadstepup/?source=navbar
>>> (I know I should have done in launchpad but I'm not familiar with bzr
>>> etc... I promise I will learn it)
>>> In the updated script I've put some check for the presence of files and
>>> models, so to give messages to the user...
>>>
>>> there is a readme file
>>> http://sourceforge.net/projects/kicadstepup/files/README.txt/download
>>> and the demo folder with all files
>>>
>>>
>>> http://sourceforge.net/projects/kicadstepup/files/kicad_StepUp_v0.42.zip/download
>>>
>>> the script is a python script for freecad (kicad_StepUp.FCMacro)
>>>
>>> just move to the demo dir and launch
>>>     freecad demo.emn kicad_StepUp.FCMacro
>>> (the demo.emn is the IDF file exported through your IDF routines)
>>>
>>> here there is also a link of the script in action...
>>> http://youtu.be/Ukd47VXYzQU
>>>
>>> the trick to obtain the hierarchical STEP file from freecad 0.15 is to
>>> use
>>> export 'STEP with colors' from File menu (NOT from Part menu)
>>>
>>> Please have a try at the demo and eventually with some of your kicad
>>> projects and let me know your feedback ...
>>>
>>> thank you
>>> Maurice
>>>
>>> On 03/07/2015 00.39, Cirilo Bernardo wrote:
>>>
>>>  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
>>>> <mailto: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
>>>>      <mailto:kicad-developers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>>      Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers
>>>>      More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>