kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Marcos Chaparro <nitrousnrg@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Maurice,
the issues were related to using freecad 0.16 and non compatible DXF files
(Freecad 0.15 and 0.16 produced an incompatible dxf file that was fixed
re-exporting it using librecad in R14 format, later you told me that R12 is
better but I didn't try.

The final woraround for fusing parts and maintaing the color correctly was
to make the top level fused part 100% transparent It seems that when I
export the fused part freecad exports all the parts inside the fusion too,
and the object surfaces have all 2 faces, one from the fused and one from
the original, and the colors get messed up. Forcing the fused part
transparent it still exports duplicated faces but since one is transparent
it doesn't bother me. Maybe it a dependency issue when compiling FC15 and
this doesn't happen in a stable FC installation.

BTW, now it is *much* easier to import 3D parts from the manufacturers 3D
models
http://www.paltatech.com/files/STEP_import.png

I'll share the footprints when I get some free time, have to organize them
and make a repo for it. Oh and I have to learn to scale the parts by
1/2.54. How do you scale them? it seems MCAD don't like to just shrink a
part.
There is an Draft.scale() function call in your script, does it work with
raw STEP files?

Regards






Marcos

On Sat, Aug 22, 2015 at 5:26 PM, easyw <easyw@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hi Marcos,
>
> could you please confirm me that the only issues you get where related to
> import a non compatible DXF file and using FreeCAD 016 for generating STEP
> files?
>
> I'm going to update the kicad StepUp starter guide and I would like to add
> this feedback results.
>
> Thank you
> Maurice
>
>
> On 20/08/2015 03.33, Marcos Chaparro wrote:
>
>> Yup, FreeCAD 0.16 was the problem, I got so used to kicad's bleeding edge
>> being so stable that I expected too much from FreeCad latest build.
>> Compiling and re-saving everything solved the rotation issue.
>>
>> http://www.paltatech.com/files/StepUp_mint.png
>>
>> Tomorrow I'll try to send more feedback
>>
>> Thanks Maurice
>>
>>
>>
>> Marcos
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 19, 2015 at 8:33 PM, easyw <easyw@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Marco,
>>> attached design-mod2.zzp (renamed to attach the file containing scripts,
>>> ... just rename it to .zip)
>>> the file has:
>>> 1) the right DXF and the corresponding IDF file
>>> 2) the XQFN module fused with colors
>>> 3) the USB-C and pogo_pin correctly oriented
>>> 4) a FC file with a reference block to help in orienting modules
>>>      USB-C-with-reference-block.fcstd
>>>      (just import the block in the file you are working with and you will
>>>       have the right point to align the model)
>>> 5) some bash files to:
>>>      - launch-kicad_StepUp-dxf-marco.sh
>>>      - launch-kicad_StepUp-dxf-marco-config.sh
>>>        this file uses the ksu-config file to get all the settings
>>>      - launch-kicad_StepUp-dxf-marco-config-fusing.sh
>>>        this file will lauch kicad_StepUp script with a config that will
>>>        generate a fused with colors board+models
>>>      - launch-kicad-edge-dxf-marco-project.sh
>>>        this file will launch the kicad pro file to enables path to
>>>        correctly display vrml models
>>>        (I changed path to './shapes' for the edge-dxf-marco board)
>>> 6) I see you have changed the module prefix inside kicad_StepUp file...
>>>      the right place is the ksu-config.cfg file
>>>      (it let you set more features)
>>>
>>> to solve orientation prob I just reopened the STEP models you send me in
>>> FC015 and saved them... orientation became fine... there should be
>>> something wrong in FC016
>>>
>>> Please let me know if you get the file and if everything now is fine.
>>>
>>> Thank you
>>> Maurice
>>>
>>> On 19/08/2015 23.37, Marcos Chaparro wrote:
>>>
>>> Thanks Cirilo,
>>>> opening the dxf generated by FreeCAD with LibreCAD and then exporting to
>>>> DXF from LibreCAD worked.
>>>>
>>>> This screenshot is the result of the StepUp script:
>>>> http://www.paltatech.com/files/DXF_workaround.png
>>>>
>>>> Maurice, I managed to fuse the objects using part->union. After the
>>>> fusion
>>>> the colors get messed up, but I discovered that you can edit each face
>>>> color to fix them with right click->set colors, so I'm doing it that way
>>>> for now.
>>>>
>>>> Now I only have to discover why the connector and pins are rotated.
>>>>
>>>> Regards
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Marcos
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Aug 19, 2015 at 5:57 PM, Cirilo Bernardo <
>>>> cirilo.bernardo@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> Hi Marcos,
>>>>>
>>>>>    If there is a problem with the DXF import which leaves an
>>>>> unconnected segment then the IDF exporter will not be
>>>>> able to create a board since it will not know how to repair
>>>>> the bad outline.  If you can use LibreCAD to create the
>>>>> outline and use only circular arcs and line segments the
>>>>> results may be better. There have been a few discussions
>>>>> recently about FreeCAD producing DXF files which do not
>>>>> import well in KiCad.
>>>>>
>>>>> - Cirilo
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>