1. Step Files Ap203 Vs Ap214
2. Importing Altium Step Files Into Solidworks Tutorials Pdf
3. Importing Altium Step Files Into Solidworks Tutorials Free

The content on this page has not yet been updated to reflect look/feel/functionality in Altium NEXUS 1.0 Altium NEXUS offers advanced capabilities for interacting with mechanical design system and software (MCAD) through the activate exchange of physical design data. The range of systems and interfaces that bridge the ECAD-MCAD domains also rely on standardized data formats such as the industry ratified STEP protocol ( Standard for Exchange of Product model data), which provides an information rich, clear text encoded file format for 3D model design data. The STEP file format itself (.step or.stp) is defined in the ISO 10303-21 (International Organization for Standardization) specification for CAD data exchange, and is supported by the majority of MCAD tools and systems.

Genug translation. Altium has many features that make it easy to collaborate with the mechanical designers, one of them being the ability to import board shapes from any 3D modelling software. Here is how to import board shape from SolidWorks: Let’s say we have a 3D model of the PCB in SolidWorks like the picture below. Creating and importing Step files into Altium for free This post was brought about by another of our customers needing the ability to create detailed STEP files for their components. Usualy this would entail buying solidworks or something similar.

At the fundamental file exchange level, Altium NEXUS offers both export and import capabilities for 3D STEP files. This provides the basis for the free exchange of high quality, standardized 3D modeling data between software domains, which simplifies ECAD-MCAD design collaboration and enhances both the quality and accuracy of 3D model data. Note that both the STEP AP214 and the legacy AP203 formats are supported by Altium NEXUS – exported files are ISO-10303-21 -compliant (AP214). – See the the web page. – Read information on the. Export STEP files An important function in the data exchange relationship between the ECAD and MCAD worlds is the ability to port the PCB assembly into mechanical design software for the purposes of physical clearance checking.

This is particularly crucial where the design is intimately matched with a product enclosure that also exposes PCB peripherals such as controls, switches, connectors and displays. In this case the inherent universality and accuracy of the STEP file format allows comprehensive PCB modeling data to be transferred from Altium NEXUS to MCAD software with a high degree of confidence in the dimensional relationships. The MCAD designer can then import and place the PCB assembly 3D STEP model into the mechanical design to check and/or modify accordingly. Enabling the Exporter This board export capability is available through Altium NEXUS’s STEP Export feature, which also includes a broad range of data and object filtering options. If not already enabled, the STEP exporter checkbox should be selected in the Configure Platform page in Altium NEXUS’s Extension & Update view – select DXP » Extensions and Updates, then the Configure link under the view’s Installed tab. If not enabled during Altium NEXUS's installation, the STEP Exporter can be activated from the Importers Exporters page in Extensions & Updates.

Using the Exporter To export the currently active board design as a STEP file, select File » Export 3D from the main menu, then nominate a target file name and location. The following Export Options dialog provides a range of selections that include options to determine which board objects will be included in the generated file. Exported STEP files displayed in a wireframe viewer, where the upper image file includes no pad holes or 3D bodies and the lower image file includes all objects (a socket component is selected). – See the dialog for more information on STEP file export settings.

Notes on Exported files. If the Export Selected options (3D Bodies and Pad Holes) have been enabled in the Export Options dialog but no objects are currently selected in the PCB editor, then the generated STEP files will not include any of those object types. A STEP file may also be exported as part of an Altium NEXUS, by adding an Export STEP generator to the Export Outputs category in a project OutJob. See the dialog for the settings that apply to this export method.

Step Files Ap203 Vs Ap214

When the Export as Single Part option is selected, the generated STEP model will be saved as a single part, rather than an assembly of component models. This simplifies the exported STEP model, but prevents individual components from being selected in the receiving MCAD application. STEP files generated by the Export 3D feature position the model graphic relative to the origin point in the source PCB design.

The software used to import that file may or may not respond to the included location instruction – if the imported model is not displayed, it may be off screen at the current zoom level. If you do not have access to mechanical drawing/viewing software, the exported STEP file can be checked by importing it back in to a placed in Altium NEXUS. Save from the IPC Component Wizard The automated IPC Compliant Footprint Wizard, which creates IPC-compliant footprint in the PCB Library editor, provides the additional option of saving (and previewing) the generated footprint model as a 3D STEP file. The STEP based model can be embedded in the generated IPC-compliant footprint and also saved as a.step file in a nominated location, where the latter option will allow the 3D model to be reused or distributed as needed.

The IPC Component Wizard is launched from the PCB Library editor ( Tools » IPC Compliant Footprint Wizard) and the STEP export option enabled in the wizard’s penultimate Footprint Destination page. The generated STEP file model will accurately match the component dimensions that have been entered in the wizard.

Importing Altium Step Files Into Solidworks Tutorials Pdf

Along with the option to generate and embed a STEP model for the component, the wizard also allows this to be saved as a STEP 3D model file. Import STEP files STEP files can be imported and used in Altium NEXUS through two distinct approaches, both of which use the same mechanism. The approach used is essentially dependent on how a STEP file will be applied in a design:. A STEP file that represents mechanical elements of the final product design, such as an enclosure generated by an MCAD application, is generally imported into the PCB layout. A STEP file that represents a 3D component body (downloaded from the internet or created locally) is generally imported into a PCB Library component. Import into the PCB Within both the PCB and PCB Library domains in Altium NEXUS, STEP files are imported into a dedicated 3D Body object that is placed and aligned as required. To place a 3D Body and populate its contents in the PCB Editor, select Place » 3D Body from the main menu and choose the Generic 3D Model option as the model type.

The Generic 3D Model section of the following dialog offers three alternative source options for importing a STEP files:. Vault – Browse to a connected Altium Vault and select a 3D model file revision.

Altium NEXUS detects if this file is updated. File – Select a Model file from a nominated folder, which can be shared with an MCAD designer. This file will be linked to the 3D Body, so any file updates made in the MCAD domain will be detected by Altium NEXUS. Embedded – Browse and load a suitable file from disk. The model data is stored (embedded) in the PCB file.

– See the dialog for more information on the 3D Body object options. The placed 3D Body (including its imported/linked STEP file) will appear as a simple body area in the editor's 2D display mode, and as a fully rendered 3D model in the 3D display mode (shortcut keys 2 and 3). In the below image, a STEP file for a PCB and all its components (exported as ) has been imported into the PCB as an embedded model. To check its validity, an exported STEP file can be loaded back into a 3D Body object in the PCB workspce object.

Importing Altium Step Files Into Solidworks Tutorials Free

Note the simplified, but accurate, form of the STEP model on the right. One of the most important STEP files that can be brought into the PCB space is a 3D model of the design’s host enclosure. Typically developed and then exported from the MCAD domain, the imported enclosure model can be placed and precisely aligned in the board design to check for clearance violations and accuracy.

In the image below, the design’s 3D enclosure model has been sourced from an Altium Vault. The imported model’s reference points and snap behavior is configured in the dialog.

A product enclosure file from the MCAD domain can be imported into, or linked to, a host 3D Body object. The linked file option streamlines design collaboration between the ECAD-MCAD domains.

Import into a Component Using the same mechanism outlined above, a 3D STEP model file can be imported into a component footprint definition to provide a fully rendered 3D component body for that component. The STEP model can replace, or co-exist with, an existing 3D component body constructed from simple 3D shapes (Extruded, Cylinder, Sphere). A 3D STEP file model is applied to a component footprint in an Altium NEXUS PCB Library by selecting Place » 3D Body from the main menu, and then the Generic 3D Model option as the model type in the 3D Body dialog. The STEP model is then loaded into the 3D Body using the Vault or Embedded import option as. Note that the File linking option is not available in the PCB Library editor. Alternatively, to replace an existing 3D Body shape applied to a footprint (such as a Cylinder, for example), simply select its 3D Body object and load the STEP file using the Generic 3D Model option – this type of change is easiest to perform with the editor in 3D display mode. A polarized capacitor footprint shown in the PCB Library editor.

The center image is the 3D body made from 3D Shapes, while the right image shows its replacement STEP file model. – See for more information on placing 3D footprint models. – See and component manufacturer websites for access to downloadable STEP models.