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⚠️ Libfredo 15.4b | Minor release with bugfixes and improvements Update

STEP file converter

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  • M Offline
    MALAISE
    last edited by 2 Jul 2012, 15:14

    Hi All

    Facing a small difficulty to import STEP ( Stp ) file, I would ask to our " Code Masters ", if they know
    a way to convert this kind of file ?

    Many thanks.

    Pierre

    La Connaissance n'a de valeur que partagée

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    • P Offline
      pilou
      last edited by 2 Jul 2012, 15:42

      Use Free-CAD
      Import / Export!
      STEP, IGES, OBJ, DXF, SVG, STL, DAE, IFC or OFF

      Seems you can use some one for SU 😉

      Or Moment of inspiration but it's not the same price! 😉
      But you can send me the file in MP 😉

      The free 123D also 😉
      123D can IMPORT (Open) 123D, SKP, SAT,OBJ, DWG (3D solids), STP, 123C (Mesh content).
      123D can export (Save As): STL, SAT, DWG, STP and its native 123D. you can also publish an image.

      Frenchy Pilou
      Is beautiful that please without concept!
      My Little site :)

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      • M Offline
        MALAISE
        last edited by 3 Jul 2012, 08:53

        Thanks Pilou,

        I'll test freecad and then convert the file. 👍

        Pierre

        La Connaissance n'a de valeur que partagée

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        • C Offline
          chri
          last edited by 3 Jul 2012, 17:49

          hello
          %(#FF0000)[sketch is done with SKETCHUP
          file is export in IGES with plugin iges_export.rb
          the backup is done in STEP avec FreeCAD
          STEP file is open with 123D BETA]

          Manip inverse [/color]
          DEUXIEME TEST

          dessin SKETCHUP
          export en IGES avec le plugin d'export IGES ( plugin iges_export.rb )
          transformation en STEP avec FreeCAD
          lecture du STEP avec Autodesk 123D Beta

          NICKEL x 2

          chri


          10 - DESSIN INITIAL SKP.png


          11 - DESSIN EXPORTE EN IGES.png


          12 - DESSIN IGES EXPORTE TRANSFORME EN STEP.png


          13 - DESSIN STEP OUVERT AVEC AUTODESK 123D BETA.png

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          • C Offline
            chri
            last edited by 3 Jul 2012, 18:17

            %(#0040FF)[hello MALAISE

            Please , take a look on the next file , it was something i have explain in french forum]
            %(#FF0000)[It's possible to convert file in IGES STEP SKP STL with free soft and plugins .

            STEP file is import with FreeCAD
            a backup is done in STL
            STL is import in SKETCHUP 8 with plugin jf_stl_importer.rb / Jim Foltz /
            cleaning is done with plugin deletecoplanaredges.rb]

            %(#008000)[des conversions sont possibles entre IGES STEP SKP STL
            ( EN UTILISANT DES LOGICIELS OU PLUGINS GRATUITS )]

            PREMIER TEST

            LES BASES :

            J'avais Autodesk 123D Beta
            je viens aussi de télécharger FreeCAD comme me l'a suggéré PILOU .

            DETAIL DU TEST EFFECTUE

            dessin d'une piéce avec Autodesk 123D Beta
            sauvegarde en STEP
            ( possible directement en STL et IGES )

            Import du STEP dans FreeCAD
            export en STL
            ( ce logiciel autorise de nombreuses extensions en import et en export )

            import du STL dans SKETCHUP 8
            ( plugin jf_stl_importer.rb de Jim Foltz )

            nettoyage
            ( plugin deletecoplanaredges.rb )

            Le résultat est NICKEL
            Le seul souci comme évoqué par PILOU étant la segmentation des cercles et arcs .

            BONS TESTS A TOUS


            20 - DESSIN INITIAL Autodesk 123D Beta.png


            21 - DESSIN STEP OUVERT AVEC FreeCAD ET TRANSFORME EN STL.png


            22 - IMPORT STL.png


            23 - DESSIN STL IMPORTE AVEC PLUGIN.png

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            • kenK Offline
              ken
              last edited by 3 Jul 2012, 18:21

              I use SimLab Composer. I have tried the rest, Alibre, ViaCad, 123D beta and others programs, and Simlab does the best conversions. But to be honest, nothing is going to turn a high poly model into something that Sketchup is not going to choke on.

              Ken

              Fight like your the third monkey on Noah's Ark gangway.

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              • M Offline
                MALAISE
                last edited by 5 Jul 2012, 12:19

                Great explanation Chri!

                Exactly what I was looking for 👍

                Pierre

                La Connaissance n'a de valeur que partagée

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                • L Offline
                  lansd
                  last edited by 27 Oct 2013, 14:34

                  @unknownuser said:

                  I use SimLab Composer. I have tried the rest, Alibre, ViaCad, 123D beta and others programs, and Simlab does the best conversions. But to be honest, nothing is going to turn a high poly model into something that Sketchup is not going to choke on.

                  This would be an incorrect comment due to lack of knowledge and experience, which is common on SketchUp forums since 2010. As I and the original SketchUp developer worked together to write the main CAD -> SketchUp conversion system in 2005 before he sold off the company, I'll point you to the proper methods to get any sized CAD file into SketchUp with good efficiency:

                  Link Preview Image
                  Okino Computer Graphics - Professional 3D File Conversion Software

                  Okino PolyTrans & NuGraf, the primary 3D CAD, VR/AR and DCC/Animation conversion + optimization products on the market for well over 30 years.

                  favicon

                  Okino Computer Graphics (www.okino.com)

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                  • E Offline
                    emartingr
                    last edited by 15 Dec 2014, 17:20

                    @pilou said:

                    Use Free-CAD
                    Import / Export!
                    STEP, IGES, OBJ, DXF, SVG, STL, DAE, IFC or OFF

                    Seems you can use some one for SU 😉

                    Or Moment of inspiration but it's not the same price! 😉
                    But you can send me the file in MP 😉

                    The free 123D also 😉
                    123D can IMPORT (Open) 123D, SKP, SAT,OBJ, DWG (3D solids), STP, 123C (Mesh content).
                    123D can export (Save As): STL, SAT, DWG, STP and its native 123D. you can also publish an image.

                    Thanks pilou,

                    FreCad would be great to convert 3D files to or from SU. The Collada format opens directly in SU. But I found it difficult to load the required conversion plugins into FreeCad. To import/export collada files from SU, the pycollada plugin is required and this involves installing Python, numpy and setuptools (http://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Extra_python_modules#Installation_3).

                    I could not make it work -yet-, perhaps because there are many different versions of each. If someone has already done it, I would appreciate getting the information. If I manage to install it, I will send the detail method.

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                    • J Offline
                      Jim
                      last edited by 25 Dec 2014, 17:16

                      I can not get the COLLADA export to work yet either.

                      However, the .stl export does work. What's better is that FreeCAD does not need to be running to convert a .step to .stl. The FreeCAD Python API can be used to convert the file and a plugin can be made to import .step as an .stl from SketchUp.

                      The python script I am testing is very simple:

                      
                      # conv.py
                      FREECAD = 'C;\\Program Files (x86)\\FreeCAD 0.14\\bin'
                      import sys
                      sys.path.append(FREECAD)
                      import FreeCAD
                      import Part
                      part = Part.read("C;/Users/Jim/Downloads/545424.STEP")
                      part.exportStl('C;/users/jim/part.stl')
                      
                      

                      In addition, you do not need to install Python. I was able to use FreeCAD's embedded Python to run the script:

                      
                      "c;\Program Files (x86)\FreeCAD 0.14\bin\python.exe" conv.py
                      
                      

                      That's it. It will probably take SketchUp longer to import the .stl than FreeCAD takes to perform the conversion.

                      So there you have it with a little more work, a poor-man's .step import.

                      Hi

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                      • A Offline
                        Aroundthebend
                        last edited by 28 Mar 2015, 14:44

                        @malaise said:

                        Thanks Pilou,

                        I'll test freecad and then convert the file. 👍

                        Pierre

                        Hi MALAISE, did you have any luck using Freecad to import STEP files i.e.:

                        Step into Freecad export as .stl >import into Sketchup.

                        cheers

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                        • P Offline
                          pilou
                          last edited by 28 Mar 2015, 17:06

                          @unknownuser said:

                          I'll point you to the proper methods to get any sized CAD file into SketchUp with good efficiency:

                          It's that we can say a very good article! 👍

                          Frenchy Pilou
                          Is beautiful that please without concept!
                          My Little site :)

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                          • A Offline
                            Aroundthebend
                            last edited by 29 Mar 2015, 22:47

                            @pilou said:

                            @unknownuser said:

                            I'll point you to the proper methods to get any sized CAD file into SketchUp with good efficiency:

                            It's that we can say a very good article! 👍

                            Thanks pilou. I now know what I need (once I read the article a few times!). Yes a very good article 👍 .

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                            • hsmyersH Offline
                              hsmyers
                              last edited by 29 May 2016, 18:32

                              @jim said:

                              However, the .stl export does work. What's better is that FreeCAD does not need to be running to convert a .step to .stl. The FreeCAD Python API can be used to convert the file and a plugin can be made to import .step as an .stl from SketchUp.

                              Slight improvement, tested and working:

                              
                              # step2stl.py
                              FREECAD = 'C;\\Program Files\\FreeCAD 0.15\\bin'
                              import sys
                              sys.path.append(FREECAD)
                              import FreeCAD
                              import Part
                              part = Part.read(str(sys.argv[1]))
                              part.exportStl(str(sys.argv[2]))
                              
                              

                              Late to the dance, but just ran into the problem 😞 => 😄 Thanks Jim !!

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                              • A Offline
                                Aroundthebend
                                last edited by 27 May 2017, 10:53

                                Hi all, I've been looking at this problem for some time. I've now started using Afanche3D Pro (£29'ish) which is a 3D file viewer. It can import STEP files (and others) and export to DAE (and other formats). I've found it very us usfull.

                                The STEP files I receive are usually in mm so I've set Afanche3D Pro System Length Unit to mm and the Default File Importing Length Unit to cm (these setting are found in the Options (Grey cog in tools above work area). This is so it enlarges by 10. I then export as a DAE and import this into SketchUp. Because the units in my SU are set as mm the DAE file will import at x10 (that makes it x1000 the original model size).

                                Afanche do some other viewers that only open one file type (i.e. STEP viewer £23)

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