kicad StepUp: ECAD MCAD bidirectional collaboration

[easyw-fc]

Hi, kicad StepUp is a tool set for ECAD MCAD collaboration based on KiCad and FreeCAD

The StepUp tool can be used:
- as a script
- as a FreeCAD Macro
- as a FreeCAD Mod WB

here a case study on a Kicad board as displayed on:
- internal kicad 3d-viewer (VRML models exported by PartToVRML Macro)
- FreeCAD MCAD (most 3D models generated by FreeCAD CadQuery 3D model generator)
- Blender rendering engine (VRML models exported by PartToVRML Macro)




working on: Linux, OSX, Windows
FreeCAD >=0.15

[ian.rees]

Awesome! I just used KiCAD for a couple PCBs for the first time a couple months ago - it's really nice!

Have you done any work in going from FreeCAD back to PCB layout? I'd be interested in the ability to export for instance a Part Design sketch as a PCBNew outline. -Ian-

[ickby]

Hello,

very nice results! are you in any way part of the FreeCAD PCB project, or are you annyhow in contact with this project? https://github.com/marmni/FreeCAD-PCB
https://sourceforge.net/projects/eaglepcb2freecad/

@Ian: have a look at the links above, I think this workbench supports export of pcbs created from sketches to various layout tols like kicad.

[easyw-fc]

Have you done any work in going from FreeCAD back to PCB layout?

kicad StepUp is a bidirectional tool...
so if you design e.g. an enclosure or a 3d model in FreeCAD, clicking on the 'Export to kicad' button you'll get a VRML to be used in kicad

Moreover if you just need to export your pcb edge

I'd be interested in the ability to export for instance a Part Design sketch as a PCBNew outline.

the best thing is to export it to DXF (better R12 version, maybe through a second exporting in LibreCAD) and import it in kicad
https://forum.kicad.info/t/kicad-dxf-im ... tline/1692
https://forum.kicad.info/t/edge-3d-issu ... rch/1511/9

[easyw-fc]

very nice results! are you in any way part of the FreeCAD PCB project, or are you annyhow in contact with this project? https://github.com/marmni/FreeCAD-PCB
https://sourceforge.net/projects/eaglepcb2freecad/

kicad StepUp is derived from many FC projects/WBs.
kicad StepUp is aimed to create a bidirectional ECAD/MCAD collaboration focused on kicad
the idea is to have exactly the same 3d result in both environment, and that can be done only having the right libraries, made with kicad StepUp and FreeCAD
Please have a look at those video tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6wMU3l ... e=youtu.be
https://youtu.be/O6vr8QFnYGw
https://youtu.be/XmNGdqkKbpM
and a lot of info at kicad forum
https://forum.kicad.info/t/kicad-stepup ... lcome/1048
and at hackaday
https://hackaday.io/project/7926-kicad- ... mcad-world
https://hackaday.com/2015/11/08/kicad-s ... ad-export/

[PrzemoF]

Beautiful!
Is there any chance of sharing the frame model? I'd like to run FEM frequency analysis on it.

[easyw-fc]

Beautiful!
Is there any chance of sharing the frame model? I'd like to run FEM frequency analysis on it.

you mean the shield?

crazyshield_B.7z

(125.87 KiB) Downloaded 292 times

that is the wrl file of the shield
the original artwork is here
https://github.com/bitcraze/bitcraze-me ... ter/models

[easyw-fc]

a completely New Gui has landed!
kicad StepUp new Gui

ksu-gui.png (31.65 KiB) Viewed 21422 times

thx so much to @agryson for the new icon artwork!

the new Gui is floating and dock-able for a better UX


I added also two 2 new buttons for fusion and compound that will make life easier for users unaccustomed to FC; those are also useful if you load a STEP file with hierarchy in FC 0.17 which involves App::Part new TypeId... the button function is recursing each App::Part object and sub-objects considering their relative placement to make a simple copy of the hierarchy and let the Part be exportable as STEP file again.
This is a function that I really missed with the new way (FC0.17) of loading hierarchy STEP files.

thx so much to all in this forum that helped me in learning many python tricks
Maurice

[abdullah]

a completely New Gui has landed!

It really looks great!!

[easyw-fc]

It really looks great!!

thx