If I use the 3D viewer in the PCB Editor, my board has all the components and the silkscreen markings beautifully displayed. There is no option to export a STEP file there, which is a pity since the model is fully created. If I close the 3D viewer and am back in the PCB Editor, there is an option in the File menu to export a STEP file, but it re-builds the model. The resulting STEP file does not contain the silkscreen markings. I see no error message.
In Kicad Settings/Preferences there is a page for 3D Viewer - General which has the first option ‘Show silkscreen layers’ checked. There doesn’t seem to any settings for STEP export.
Am I missing something?
It is not a bug per se, there is currently no option to export the silk in step as far as I know.
Our STEP export does not support exporting anything except shapes and colors. It doesn’t contain the copper, soldermask, or silkscreen layers. If you want those, you have two options:
One, export as WRL. This is what you probably want when making renders. It contains the silkscreen.
Two, use the kicad stepup workbench in FreeCad to import the file. It has an option to import the copper and silkscreen layers as geometry, which you can then export to STEP. Note that usually you do not want to do that, as the resulting geometry is very high complexity and slows down most applications that are designed to work with shapes.
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Thanks for that detailed info. I am wanting to show the 3d model to clients and managers, so it needs the silkscreen to visible (which also helps to ensure they are seeing the correct/latest version which is written on there).
The option to export as WRL is to a format I didn’t know. Having looked it up, it sounds hopeful, but my copy of Kicad Version: 7.0.1-0, release build on macOS doesn’t offer that export either within the 3D viewer or from the PCB editor.
I’ll look in to the FreeCad route.
I note your general comment about the extra detail creating higher complexity and therefore probably slowing the view down.
it’s in File->Export->VRML in the PCB editor. VRML format files have the .wrl extension.
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