Electronics > Beginners
How to create 3d models of your pcb ?
CatalinaWOW:
I don't disagree on the value of the 3D model. But I stand with the level of work required. And just as with footprints, the models should be right. Not roughly right, but right. If all you are looking for is a pretty picture, or a general idea of fitment inaccurate models are sufficient, but if you really need fitment you need to get the models correct.
This leads to the same kind of book keeping required with footprints. Keeping track of not just the component type, but the vendor and revision number.
MarkF:
--- Quote from: CatalinaWOW on November 19, 2019, 11:23:24 pm ---As is hinted in the previous replies, going to 3D models just makes the component model problem worse. Not only do you have to match a footprint to your component, you have to find and match a 3D model. This is relatively easy for things in standard packages, but for connectors, coils, switches, heat sinks and a myriad of other components you will find yourself spending a lot of time gathering, modifying or creating an appropriate 3D model. Even when you can find a 3D model on the net you will often have to spend time converting it to a compatible format, and possibly repairing or touching up after the conversion.
--- End quote ---
By the way, I found a lot of my models from 3D ContentCentral.
You will need to create an account to download the models. But, it's free and there have not been any hassles.
EEEnthusiast:
I too recommend to use KiCad. It has the 3D models well integrated into the footprint library and most of the time, it takes just one click to generate the 3D model. kicad can take in step files too for any new models.
iroc86:
Another vote for KiCad--the 3D functionality is acceptable and many of the built-in libraries include models. Before I switched over to KiCad for PCB development, I used a variety of methods to generate 3D models of my boards, including the most painful of all: exporting a basic STEP file from EAGLE, skinning the board with an image overlay, and manually placing all of the components in Creo. It took forever and I would not recommend it!
KiCad is kinda/sorta intended to be used with FreeCAD, which has already been discussed, but make sure you use the KiCadStepUp plugin for FreeCAD. It'll automatically parse a KiCad project file and generate the board, components, and silkscreen layers in 3D. Once you have that, you can export the assembly and edit or render it in your favorite CAD software since it's a standard STEP file. (Or just leave it in FreeCAD.)
FreeCAD is also useful for prepping new models before importing into KiCad. I believe older versions of KiCad preferred VRML models, which FreeCAD supports natively (usually requiring scaling by 1:25.4 due to the VRML format being dimensionless). Again, software can be mixed and matched. For importing custom models into KiCad, my workflow usually goes like this: 1) prep model in Creo: shorten leads, set colors, rotate coordinate system; 2) import into FreeCAD; 3) scale accordingly; 4) export as VRML; 5) import into KiCad. The process can be labor-intensive, but it all depends on how much detail you want to capture.
Also, I wanted to pass along Autodesk's library.io site for parametrically generating packages, footprints, and models: https://library.io/.
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