As far as I know, it is not possible to have the copper and silkscreen included when exporting a step file. Just wondering if this may change with version 6?
No. But it’s possible to use FreeCAD with kicadStepUp workbench and import a KiCad board file there.
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I use FreeCAD with exported step files from Kicad. I tried using kicadStepUp instead but it looks like it does not get traces or silkscreen either.
There is an option to import the copper. To import the silkscreen you need to export as a dxf 1st then import
I completely missed that feature.
Thanks a lot.
There should be an extra toolbar button to export silk, too.
I found that too. KicadStepUp has many more capabilities than I realized.
Thanks to everyone for the help.
please have a look at kicadStepUp-cheat-sheet.pdf to have an overview of the functionalities (also available on the StepUp WB ‘ksuTools’->‘Demo’ menu)
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I used kicadStepUp to import the copper layers from a KiCad PCB. The PCB has 4 copper layers, but only the top and the bottom layers are imported. The via drill holes and (therefore the copper plating) is missing as well.
For simulation purposes, I need a STEP file which represents the PCB as accurate as possible. Is there a way to generate such a STEP file for a PCB generated with KiCad?
Thank you. This looks like a powerful macro that might be able to do what I need. However, the readme is rather short and seems to not cover the entirety of the macro’s abilities. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a more thorough documentation.
Yeah, the documentation is sparse, but I managed to use it as I wanted. You might also want to check closed issues, as there are also a few examples.
The general M.O. I’ve observed (and I am also guilty of) is that with single developer open source projects, the documentation is generally sparse at best. Usually it is nonexistent.
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