I downloaded a FP and corresponding 3D model from snapeda. I Imported the FP and loaded the 3D model however the model wasn’t aligned properly with the PCB I had to rotate it 90 degrees counter clockwise. Is this normal to have to do this, is this not a big deal or is there a bigger issue here?
A 90 deg rotation is one of the very easy ones to fix, just wait till you find one where the origin is so far off you can’t even see the part on the screen when fully zoomed out !
The only way I have been able to fix these is to pull them into Solidworks and create a new coordinate system and then re-save the STEP based on the new origin.
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Usually third party models are not aligned with KiCad footprint. You can use Freecad’s StepUp workbench (KiCad StepUp | KiCad EDA) to align correctly the model.
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It’s a bit unfortunate but indeed quite normal. KiCad has it’s own KLC and this should fix alignment between footprint and 3D models, but there simply are no worldwide accepted standards for either footprint or 3D model orientation. One of the consequences is that when you make use of SMT Pick & Place services human intervention is almost always needed to get the part rotation correct. It is one of the reasons setup costs for P&P are high.
Footprints from SnapEda, PCB libraries, etc, are also created from big databases, and then exported by scripts to a format that can be read by perticular PCB programs. As a result the footprints themselves often have to be tweaked a bit. Common problems are with oval holes, and graphical polygons not being parts of pads. SnapEda does try hard to deliver quality, but KiCad also changes with each mayor version. As far as I know they appreciate it when you give them feedback about problems with their footprint so they can fix their scripts to generate better footprints.
It’s a big messed up world, and somehow we have to find a way to live in it.
it’s usually not hard to “eyeball” it in the 3D viewer (when editing the footprint)
No eyeball if you load the footprint in FreeCAD w/StepUp and you align the STEP in a mechanical environment.
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