kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[easyw <easyw@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,
referring to:
"even if it is "only" for the pin headers, this is close to half of the 
3d library size as of now"
you probably missed the 3d library status...please have a look at recent 
PRs of the 3D library

There are contributors of new models that are afraid to contribute 
because of their model family big size (1G) ...
https://github.com/easyw/kicad-3d-models-in-freecad/pull/115#issuecomment-341058146

The 3D library is growing day by day and it will became bigger and 
bigger I hope... I consider this the best 3D mechanical library 
available ATM

This is not an issue on on-line library size IMO... this is an issue on 
what has to be bundled with the installer and what has to downloaded 
when needed... the all family of models (actual policy) or only the 
model that the project is going to use.

Moreover with the suggested patch, if you want to check a model 
dimensions in MCAD environment, you will need to create a fake board in 
kicad, assign a footprint, generate the step and then open it in 
mechanical sw to see dimensions, instead of just download it from github 
and check if this is fine for your design...

So my suggestion is not to create some exception case for the library, but:
1) find a way to manage what is going to be deployed to the users
2) create a script/code to download what is needed by the project 
itself, if missing...
3) select a 3D library base to be deployed with the main installer

The second point could done by a function to be called inside Kicad or 
pcbnew to create a full list of needed 3D parts for the user kicad project.
Then the function could check automatically if those models are already 
in the users local 3D library and give an option to retrieve with a 
'wget' process the missing models from kicad on-line library.
Finally the downloaded missing models would be placed automatically in 
the right local folder by the function itself.
For example if you need:
'Buttons_Switches_SMD.3dshapes/SW_SP3T_PCM13.step'
your wget could point to:
https://github.com/KiCad/kicad-packages3D/raw/master/Buttons_Switches_SMD.3dshapes/SW_SP3T_PCM13.step
and download it directly, placing it to local configured
'KISYS3DMOD'+Buttons_Switches_SMD.3dshapes/
folder.
This could be even done as a python Action Script for Kicad

Maurice

On 11/06/2017 4:53 PM, Kristoffer Ödmark wrote:
> To be fair, as it stands now, even if it is "only" for the pin headers, 
> this is close to half of the 3d library size as of now.
>
> The pin headers can now be of an arbitrary size as well. Someone can now 
> create a 4x6 pin header for example, and the current footprints can be 
> converted to this array system, thus reducing the size.
>
> Arbitrary pin headers are a step up anyway.
>
> This being said, I have not tested the patch yet, but even if it is 
> "only" for pin headers, the idea is sound to me.