[SOLVED] KiCAD 6.0 all the 3D models are not loaded

[LM21]

@themaninthesuitcase

I also had this issue and it was fixed by adding the missing KISYS3DMOD to point to the same location as KICAD6_3DMODEL_DIR

This was usefull info, I got two missing components into my 3D picture.

[tormyvancool]

@LM21 this is on my original post if you see it … even put in evidence in BLUE …

[themaninthesuitcase]

@tormyvancool

Probably the old variable is contained into projects,

It’s this. I opened my 6.0 test project in a text editor and searched for the old path variable:

Seems the upgrade doesn’t update the old path to the new one. This may be by design, but given it’s the old system path it feels like an omission.

[tormyvancool]

@themaninthesuitcase this is clearly a bug. Because when you open a project on 6.0.0 it’s asking you

• to import the settings from the old version
• it’s old project and it will be saved as new (or something like that)

It doesn’t import the custom paths at all (my custom libraries I had to re-import them manually)
When it saves the old project converting it, it doesn’t change that variable.

[gkeeth]

The screenshot indicates that the footprints embedded in your board file are old and point to the old model location. (3d model paths are embedded inside each footprint, and footprints are embedded in the pcb file when they are used).

When/how was your test project created? If it was created with old (pre-v6) libraries, this makes sense.

The footprints released with v6 use the v6 variables, so my suggestion is either:

• update your libraries to ones released with v6 (if not already), and use the update footprint from library function in pcbnew for each of your footprints to get the new paths
• or define ${KISYS3DMOD} to point to the same place as the v6 variable; no footprint updates required

[themaninthesuitcase]

@gkeeth

When/how was your test project created? If it was created with old (pre-v6) libraries, this makes sense.

It was a project created with 5.1.10 upgraded by 6.0 as a test project. I would have expected that this would be managed by the upgrade but thinking about it footprints are “user data” so changing automatically them as part of an upgrade is probably not smart.

I’ll have a look at manually updating them, I already have KISYS3DMOD set to the v6 location as above.

[themaninthesuitcase]

I ran “Update Footprints from Library…” in the Pbcnew Tools menu and it fixed all instances of this issue.

[tormyvancool]

@themaninthesuitcase great suggestion! I applied it right now, on an old project: it works. Thanks a zillion

[ulne]

Finally it worked for me.
The 3D Viewer did not work at first, after the library update in the PCB Editor
After resetting to the default settings in the 3D Viewer, it now works

Version: 6.0.0-d3dd2cf0fa~116~ubuntu20.04.1, release build
Libraries:
wxWidgets 3.0.4
libcurl/7.68.0 OpenSSL/1.1.1f zlib/1.2.11 brotli/1.0.7 libidn2/2.2.0 libpsl/0.21.0 (+libidn2/2.2.0) libssh/0.9.3/openssl/zlib nghttp2/1.40.0 librtmp/2.3
Platform: Linux 5.4.0-91-generic x86_64, 64 bit, Little endian, wxGTK, cinnamon, x11
Build Info:
Date: Dec 23 2021 14:23:02
wxWidgets: 3.0.4 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8) GTK+ 3.24
Boost: 1.71.0
OCC: 7.5.2
Curl: 7.68.0
ngspice: 31
Compiler: GCC 9.3.0 with C++ ABI 1013
Build settings:
KICAD_USE_OCC=ON
KICAD_SPICE=ON

[crgarcia]

@hb020

KISYS3DMOD

So If I don’t want to risk that my project does not work anymore when I reinstall kicad or in another computer, do I need to manually replace that in my proj?
Would that leave the project as a standard kicad6 project?

[tormyvancool]

@crgarcia

@hb020

KISYS3DMOD

So If I don’t want to risk that my project does not work anymore when I reinstall kicad or in another computer, do I need to manually replace that in my proj?
Would that leave the project as a standard kicad6 project?

Why don’t you read all the comments? There was suggested a definitive solution by @themaninthesuitcase

[crgarcia]

Tahnks @tormyvancool… I did that but it did not work, it gave me 19 “footprint not found” errors

For example:

Error: Update footprint C11 from ‘Capacitor_SMD:C_1206_3216Metric_Pad1.42x1.75mm_HandSolder’ to ‘Capacitor_SMD:C_1206_3216Metric_Pad1.42x1.75mm_HandSolder’: *** footprint not found ***
Error: Update footprint R21 from ‘Resistor_SMD:R_2512_6332Metric_Pad1.52x3.35mm_HandSolder’ to ‘Resistor_SMD:R_2512_6332Metric_Pad1.52x3.35mm_HandSolder’: *** footprint not found ***

[tormyvancool]

@crgarcia then the best way perhaps is to communicate it on GitLab as issue, describing all what you did. I would like this process done automatically, without any further intervention

[steves]

I’ve encounter another anomaly during design migration. When you update the 3D models, it wipes out all the step file associations. So, when you export the STEP model, none of the components has a step file so none of the components are included with the export.

[gkeeth]

if the step models are only missing from the step export, follow this FAQ:

V6 STEP 3d model export: Missing components or completely empty board is exported

This article is for FAQ section Symptoms In PCB editor, use File -> Export -> STEP... in order to get 3d step model of your board. After inspecting step file with 3D viewer (FreeCad), observe missing components or completely empty board (only substrate). Board looks okay in PCB Editor’s 3D viewer (all 3D models are in place): [0616y] Remedy Please check “Substitute similarly named models” in “Export STEP” configuration dialog when exporting step (File -> Export -> STEP...): [4029I] This …

If the step models are missing in the 3D viewer as well, follow this FAQ:

3D models are missing in 3D viewer after updating to V6

Issue You created a project in KiCad 5. You updated to KiCad 6, opened your old design, and now the 3D models are missing in the 3D viewer. Cause KiCad embeds every footprint that your project uses into the board file. Each footprint stores a path to its 3D model(s). Paths to 3D models typically use a variable which expands to a real path. In KiCad 6, the 3D model path variable is ${KICAD6_3DMODEL_DIR}, which is set to the 3D model library location. In prior versions of KiCad, the correspond…

[steves]

Thanks for the tip. Not sure how that option became unchecked but that was indeed the issue.

[davidsrsb]

If you mean the “substitute” control, the option did not exist in V5.1, but behaved like ON.
In V6.0.x the default is OFF