Contributing to update of VRML librarys to STEP?

if you add both models to footprint, you will have both rendered (which is correct I think)
StepUp already renders WRL and convert STEP without any change needed in footprint library

This was some time ago discussed with @cbernardo but I don’t remember the result.
This may need some format change on files to flag if user wants to render or use that model for export …etc I don’t know…

From my understanding, given that the step files do not need scaling information, is there any reason for them to be mentioned in the footprint files at all? could there not just be a check made against the wrl file name for file with same name with step/stp format and use that on export?

I think this questions should be discussed on development mailing list and by/if someone that can implement it :wink:

It’s tricky so in the end I decided not to use flags. The issues are:

(a) in the future someone might add yet another MCAD format or some format such as PRC which can contain MCAD data; at the moment we have IGES, STEP, IDF
(b) Users may have a mix of models; component X may have a socket and an IC and each using a different 3D model format
© For complex projects It’s a nuisance to flag every model to select one of “render,mcad export,both”

Personally I only use the models for mechanical checks so I never use VRML and people who are more interested in eyecandy would probably use VRML exclusively. As Maurice has pointed out, using his tools allows you to quickly switch between MCAD and visual (and all it costs is a little time spent specifying how to make a STEP model look pretty when it’s exported to VRML).

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What about adding a simpler flag where each model assigned to a footprint can be enabled/disabled?

In this fashion we can pre-add all official models to a part, and it’s a simple task to enabled/disable a given model rather than having to add it manually to the footprint?

The new Housings_SOIC models from the script (.STEP and .WRL) has been merged into the official library :smiley:

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hey Peeps
the SMA, SMB and SMC have been updated :slight_smile:


next up: DFN, QFN, SOT, SSOP, TSSOP and SOD

slightly off topic has it been proposed to change the VRML unit to 1mm for V5? :slight_smile:
if all the footprints scaling got changed to 2.54 and then all the scriptbased models got regenerated I dont think it should be too much troubles.

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Humm… changing the wrl scale from the previous value to the new one will break the compatibility from v4 boards to v5 boards generating a big mess imo… users which have produced boards with 4.0 would have to change all kicad_pcb files to align the new behavior … moreover all the 3D libs would need to be refactored again…
which would be the advantages to have vrml in scale 1mm instead of the actual 1/2.54?
it easy to set scale factor inside the module property if someone wants to model a VRML from scratch…
But in general, for a mechanical point of view, only STEP model has the meaning to be in scale 1:1

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No, VRML units will not be changed to 1mm. Aside from breaking the past behavior, this would also be pointless because other sources of models use different arbitrary units anyway.

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I guess you guys are right, not worth the troubles :slight_smile:

alot of people have troubles figuring out this when getting started with 3d models.
ofcourse this isnt an issue when using your tool :slight_smile:

most other sources I have seen used 1mm, thought it was quite common around (I know there is no standard).

The internal unit is unimportant, though direct position entry in mm should be possible.
What is needed is for some emphasis in the dialogue boxes and documentation on what the unit choice is.

2000 lines of parameters and the new DFN and QFN packages are coming :slight_smile:
still needs a bit of checking before getting merged into the offical lib

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small preview of the next upcoming models :slight_smile:

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I was using Altium the other day for a project, and was horrified at how poor the 3D models looked in the project! I think we are on to a good thing here.

Also, the footprint libraries have been vastly improved of late, with more on the way. Thanks everyone for the fantastic and continuing contributions.

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Has anyone done a Euro coin? Would be useful for size comparisons. Other objects could be useful too…

SSOP parameters are now done and they have been send for review to Maui
can I suggest to replace .3Dshapes with .sexy? :stuck_out_tongue: or perhaps .charismatic? :stuck_out_tongue:

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vvvveerrry nice!!!
I’m going to make a PR for the 3Dpackage repo asap
:smiley:

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Perhaps a banana for scale

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Ladyfinger or Cavendish?

hm… dunno, if you look into the folder maybe you’d want them to sit in reading order?
.pretty .sweet .stuff or .pretty .sweet .thing

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