Kicad StepUp: a Seamless ECAD/MCAD PCB Data Integration

[maui]

@aaron

A question: Let’s say the MCAD engineer has a place holder PCB model with the major connectors and mounting hole locations already mocked up in a bigger assembly. Is it possible to pull a 3rd party MCAD step of this PCB assembly into FreeCAD/SteupUP, then export the PCB outline, mounting holes and connectors back into KiCAD?

This should be the reason why I created & improved the WB

@aaron

Basically, create the initial board outline and major component locations in MCAD then push into KiCAD. I assume I would have to make some step model names line up for this to work.

MD = MCAD Designer; ED = ECAD Designer; KC = KiCad; FC = FreeCAD; kSU = KiCAD StepUp
The workflow should be:

1. MD would create a sketch of the pcb edge and mounting holes… (this could come also from a 3d model of the pcb converted to outline, as it is possible to get from enclosure manufacturers).
2. From the pcb edge design (that could be a real FC sketch or an imported DXF converted to sketch using kSU WB tools) ED would push the sketch (edge converted) into an empty kicad_pcb file (or just a kicad_pcb file without any edge, with footprints and 3D models assigned).
3. in kicad, ED would import all/some 3d footprint (i.e. the connectors) from a netlist and place them inside the kicad_pcb file in which the pcd edge has been previously pushed.
4. in FC ED would pull the kicad_pcb with main connectors (using kSU) and export it to STEP, then export a report of placement to a file using kSU.
5. MD would import the STEP hierarchy model generated from FC and kSU, aligning connectors to the real assembly needed for production, and the would export back the pcb + connector hierarchy model to STEP .
6. ED would import the re-elaborated STEP model to FC and check what has changed its position through kSU (or just from a list of what MD had moved).
7. ED would then select the 3D models moved and push those to the kicad_pcb to align KC design to the mechanical design.
8. In case of changes in mechanical requirements the process would be repeated, aligning pcb edge/holes or 3D models to the new scenario.
   The process can be done all using FC, or through proprietary mechanical CAD, using FC & STEP format as vehicle (the commercial package need to be able to keep the STEP hierarchy during importing/exporting the mechanical model, but most known packages will do).

This is a push-pull process that is the ‘standardized’ workflow for ECAD/MCAD co-design used by the main commercial packages, available now with all open source packages.
https://www.prostep.org/fileadmin/downloads/ProSTEP-iViP_Use-Case_ECAD-MCAD-Collaboration_1.0.pdf