Hi folks, I'm just letting everyone know that I've started development on a framework for the IGES model specification (and I've also purchased a copy of the STEP Model and Resources Library).
Although we ultimately want to use STEP since this can eventually tie in to PSI-5, I believe IGES will take much less time to implement and is a quicker path to providing KiCad with a vital tool for industry. The IGES standard has not been maintained since about 2006 but has a long history (dating back to Version 1 of the standard in 1983) and is universally supported by MCAD software. Unlike the existing IDF format supported by KiCad which produces simplistic extrusions and often requires optional tools in the MCAD (and is therefore not as widely available to MCAD users), IGES like STEP can describe any arbitrary geometric object. My plan is to develop IGES capability in the following steps: 1. export a bare board IGES assembly 2. export a board assembly with references to external component models in IGES format 3. export a board assembly with all component models stored internal to the assembly file; this is the most ambitious task since it involves being able to parse other IGES files, integrate essential model information, and write everything with no data corruption. As part of this work I will also look at refactoring the code to provide an import/export class in the fashion of the file I/O plugin. So STEP is still in the books but with our current resources I believe it should be delayed so that we can get a good, though older, solution out there in less time. I suspect I can get (1) and (2) done by the end of the year given the time I can currently spare for KiCad. - Cirilo
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