On 7/5/2016 7:22 AM, easyw wrote: >> I'm fine with this. Please create pull request against the current >> documentation. > I will
Maybe a better idea would be mention StepUp in the Pcbnew documentation and just provide a link to your documentation. This way you don't need to maintain your documentation in two places. >> I'm sure our doc devs would be happy to help you. I'm >> not sure which section of the documentation this should go into. There >> is a scripting section in the Pcbnew so that may work. > I don't know if that could be in something like > http://kicad-pcb.org/help/documentation/ > external tools > STEP external exporter tool > beside > KiCost > as in the kicad-pcb site > >> I am fully aware of how KiCad StepUp works. I use it myself and it >> works very well. > thanks >> I would prefer that we integrate the StepUp functionality into KiCad so >> the user could just click export and save the model to their preferred >> file format. > that would be an easier approach I would consider too > at the same time StepUp is offering many MCAD option (i.e. interference > checking etc) that are not available internally in ECAD environment > >> Initially would be just fine with STEP but if we use OCE >> we should support all of the exporters that it provides at some point. > Consider that OCE is the FreeCAD MCAD kernel, so anything you can do in > OCE, you can do in FC > Moreover in FC you may test if your models are geometrically fine and > fully compliant with OCE kernel, before exporting or using them (that is > exactly what I did when I created the 3D MCAD library) > OCE kernel has some odd behavior (as many/all other commercial kernels > have), so it is useful to have a direct feedback in FreeCAD > > Thanks > Maurice > > On 7/5/2016 11:34 AM, Wayne Stambaugh wrote: >> On 7/5/2016 5:23 AM, easyw wrote: >>> Hi Wayne, >>> >>> I think it would be nice to have also a note on KiCad user manual about >>> the external kicad StepUp exporter. >> >> I'm fine with this. Please create pull request against the current >> documentation. I'm sure our doc devs would be happy to help you. I'm >> not sure which section of the documentation this should go into. There >> is a scripting section in the Pcbnew so that may work. >> >>> >>> Please consider that to use this exporter, the users would need just a >>> stable version of FreCAD (>=0.15) and a single python file ... >>> Everything is based on an assembler macro that can assembly STEP/IGES 3D >>> models and the KiCad pcb board. >>> It can convert KiCad boards, with 3D wrl models, but it also support the >>> conversion if the board has directly STEP models inside using the new >>> OCE plugin. >> >> I am fully aware of how KiCad StepUp works. I use it myself and it >> works very well. However, the typical EDA user does not want or expect >> to have to run an external script to generate the board/component model. >> I would prefer that we integrate the StepUp functionality into KiCad so >> the user could just click export and save the model to their preferred >> file format. Initially would be just fine with STEP but if we use OCE >> we should support all of the exporters that it provides at some point. >> >> Cheers, >> >> Wayne >> >>> >>> I know that is an external solution to KiCad, but since one year from >>> its first public release, many people (more than 8500) have downloaded >>> and used it with very little issues. >>> Moreover it is usable also with KiCad 4.02 stable release, without any >>> need to build from source. >>> Please have a look at this small video, to see how easy is to convert a >>> KiCad board to STEP model >>> https://youtu.be/h6wMU3lE_sA >>> The demo project is a self contained KiCad project and can be tested >>> just out of the box... unique requirement is a recent version of FreeCAD >>> installed in Linux, Windows and OSX environments >>> https://sourceforge.net/projects/kicadstepup/files/latest/download >>> >>> I have done also a quite big library of 3D parametric models that can be >>> used directly as KiCAD 3D libraries >>> https://github.com/easyw/kicad-3d-mcad-models >>> >>> I would be very pleased if my exporter would get a mention on the KiCad >>> user manual as an external open source solution to MCAD conversion... >>> >>> Please let me know if you may need any further details or info about >>> this MCAD exporter >>> >>> Thank you >>> Maurice >>> >>> On 7/5/2016 10:13 AM, Wayne Stambaugh wrote: >>>> Funny you should ask Cirilo since your name came up about the 3D model >>>> plugins. The current road map version 5 is published as part of the >>>> developer documentation which is available on the KiCad website. In >>>> the >>>> road map there is mention of support for exporting to STEP and/or IGES. >>>> Any chance that you could provide a plugin for either one of these or >>>> both by FOSDEM 2017? It would be a nice feature for users to directly >>>> export boards and footprint models to a format that can be used >>>> directly >>>> by FreeCAD and less than free CAD tools for mechanical design. Maybe >>>> you could get some help from Mario and Maurice. If you don't think >>>> this >>>> is possible, please let me know so I can update the road map. >>>> >>>> Cheers, >>>> >>>> Wayne >>>> >>>> On 7/5/2016 4:07 AM, Cirilo Bernardo wrote: >>>>> Is there a pre-commit version somewhere where we can see what's >>>>> on the roadmap? >>>>> >>>>> I want to work on a PCB API so that pcbnew importers/exporters >>>>> can be turned into plugins and I can add an MCAD exporter, but >>>>> given my free time and the size of the job I wouldn't expect it to >>>>> be ready for FOSDEM 2017. >>>>> >>>>> - Cirilo >>>>> >>>>> On Tue, Jul 5, 2016 at 5:55 PM, Wayne Stambaugh <stambau...@gmail.com >>>>> <mailto:stambau...@gmail.com>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> I spent much of yesterday discussing and finalizing the stable >>>>> version 5 >>>>> road map with everyone here at CERN. I will be committing the >>>>> revised >>>>> road map soon. Before I do, I want to make sure no one is >>>>> working on >>>>> anything outside the road map that I do not know about. If >>>>> you are >>>>> working on new features that are not in the version 5 road map, >>>>> please >>>>> inform me of what you working on and whether or not it will be >>>>> ready to >>>>> release by FOSDEM 2017. If it will not be ready by then, please >>>>> do not >>>>> commit it to the product branch and keep your changes in you own >>>>> development branch until after I create the stable release 5 >>>>> branch on >>>>> launchpad. >>>>> >>>>> Cheers, >>>>> >>>>> Wayne >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >>>>> Post to : kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net >>>>> <mailto:kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net> >>>>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >>>>> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >>>> Post to : kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net >>>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >>>> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp >>>> _______________________________________________ Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers Post to : kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp