More testing/comment is needed for Mario’s new 3DViewer. We’re hoping to merge this with the main KiCad branch soon. Among other things you get a view of the footprint and 3D models in the Footprint Properties dialog so you can immediately see how the offset/orientation values you set affect the position of the model with respect to the footprint.
That said, I don’t have the skills to edit the code, and I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but whenever I import a WRL file converted from STEP file, I have to scale it down by a factor of .3937 = cm -> inches. It’s odd. Anyway to look into this? I don’t think my CAD software is scaling anything incorrectly, something in KiCad.
What CAD software do you use? The safest way to convert STEP to wrl is to either use Maurice’s tools in StepUP, or this stand-alone one:
In both cases the converters translate from mm as the base unit to 2.54mm as the base unit so that KiCad will be happy with a scale factor of 1. Both converters also make sure that kicad can process the file.
There are a few issues to be addressed still, but once the new 3DViewer is merged and the OCE plugin is added to the main branch, then there will be no need to use wrl files converted from STEP; the new 3DViewer + OCE plugin can render STEP files.
[quote=“gismofx, post:34, topic:2808”]
but whenever I import a WRL file converted from STEP file, I have to scale it down by a factor of .3937 = cm -> inches.[/quote]
this is historically the way in which 3d-viewer is rendering units… this is not going to be changed, so any wrl model has to be scaled or when created, or you will need to add a scale factor inside the wrl model place dialog in kicad
The best option is to scale the model when you create that, for a better mechanical integration…
here there is a set of tools for mechanical collaboration in kicad
the only requirement is a working copy of FreeCAD (0.15 and later)
these tools are compatible with kicad from release 4022 to stable (4.0.2) to latest dev version
and here a thread about the new mechanical library that is useful if you want to have a mechanical design of your kicad project
I’ve tested the new 3d viewer on windows 10, previously some boards seems to crash the program ( ones that have rounded rectangle pads) and trying to view the 3d view of an element form its proprieties menu crashes KiCad. and… . now it has no such problems.
the new viewer is noticeably faster than the old one.
Ok, back from a spin with #6065 3D special version.
I didn’t try to load STEP files yet.
Very nice that one can center the view on any place of the pcb now - VERY helpful.
Loading times for VRML files and also the scene takes it’s time (OpenGL, not the renderer)… feels longer than with the ‘old’ version on the same machine. Simplifying polygons takes pretty long. Final scene render times (OpenGL) are similar to the ‘old’ version. Once it’s running it’s no problem though.
One thing I have always wondered… is it not an option to use oversampling to get rid of the jagged edges/lines view in OpenGL?
This should be faster, but you have to use similar options as the old one.
If you are using a board with multiple layers (and lots of zones), if you are not displaying the epoxy board, or you are in eng. mode, it will take long to compute (as it was on other version).
It also depends on if you have the option to “show copper thickness” or not.
Do you have any project that you can share to compare?
Could you play with this options and see the differences?
How did you compared it?
The 3D-Viewer is requesting anti-aliasing. But it looks it does not work properly everywhere.
If you are on Windows, usually the GPU driver will give you a manager where you can set options per application. So you can force some quality level for Kicad( pcbnew.exe? probably… )
Did set kicad and pcbnew to special for 3D, but no change so far… what is the executable for the 3D view?
Can’t find any in the /bin folder… it’s listed as running application in the task manager (besides pcbnew and kicad).
As for times… just ‘feeling’ really at the moment. Will take a measurement when I get a chance.
Settings wise I disabled the copper thickness option, but doesn’t feel faster.
Anyhow, it’s a feeling at the moment.
Btw, the OpenGL view in PCBnew looks funny in that kicad version. I take it it’s not relevant, just mentioning it:
There is a subtle difference for what is shown on the screen once I let go the left mouse button (no roll/pan anymore) and the ‘holes’ between faces get tinier and also some lines seem to blur a tiny bit. Still, any 3D game from 10-15 years ago didn’t had these afai-remember.
Maybe it already is oversampled and there is something else going on that enables me to see ‘through’ at those edges (where soldermask and pcb-material faces meet)?
But then the silkscreen tells me that there is no simple 2x2 AA going on or even higher orders… as for example the ‘EPOXY HERE BEFORE MOUNTING’ area border just doesn’t look like a down sampled 2x2 to me.
There is just not enough scaling going one between the white and black pixels there…
PS: the board in the picture looks absolutely fantastic in real life with matte-black solder-mask.
Hm… downloaded it 6d ago… must have not have renewed that page then? LOL.
OK, starting download of #6107 now.
@nickoe, yes. But must have been some old version then.
[EDIT] found #6090 that I must have had downloaded 6 days ago… the 6107 is still 30mins away.
Testing that one now.
[EDIT2] just for the record, #6090 doesn’t show 3D models for me (the VRML ones).
[EDIT3] even the Raytracing engine has got trouble that must stem from some sort of low resolution input at edges somewhere in the pipe (all raytracing options activated):
When you roll/pan the board and then stop and hold it steady the view essentially is ‘frozen’.
But when I release the left mouse button (no more pan/roll) without moving the mouse at all the rendered 3d view changes subtle… most edge jaggs move along the edge a bit, the holes between faces (soldermask/FR4) become tinier… the view seems to blur a tiny bit.
It might actually be the supersampling… just that it can’t get rid of the holes nor the jaggs really.
I did 2 screenshots.
One before I let go of the LMB and the other after (I hope PNG keeps the differences, download and view by flipping from one to the other):
Ah! That is expected
If you zoom in until you can see the thickness of the elements (silk, copper, etc) you will notice that the thickness is not rendered while you are moving. Less triangles to render == It will make the movement faster
OK, makes sense that for pan/roll you want to get it as fluid as possible, but … the 3d view should be able to render full quality if possible when no speed is needed.
I mean it’s already absolutely stunning, I just wonder if something of this leaks through to the Raytracer engine and causes that one to make jagged edges and holes as well as that’s what takes the quality of those renders down a couple of notches?
OK, #6107 is here, installing and checking if that ones does something different - then off to bed.
