To export the currently active board design as a STEP file, select File » Export » STEP 3D from the main menus, then nominate a target file name and location. If not enabled during Altium Designer's installation, the STEP Exporter can be activated from the Importers\Exporters page in Extensions & Updates. For access to the view, click the user button ( ) at the top right of the application and select Extensions and Updates, then the button under the view’s Installed tab. If not already enabled, the STEP exporter checkbox should be selected in the Configure Platform page in Altium Designer’s Extension & Update view. This board export capability is available through Altium Designer’s STEP Export feature, which also includes a broad range of data and object filtering options. The MCAD designer can then import and place the PCB assembly 3D STEP model into the mechanical design to check and/or modify accordingly. In this case, the inherent universality and accuracy of the STEP file format allows comprehensive PCB modeling data to be transferred from Altium Designer to MCAD software with a high degree of confidence in the dimensional relationships.
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. Export STEP filesĪn 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.
► Read information on the STEP file format.
► See the the ISO 10303-21 specification web page. Note that both the STEP AP214 and the legacy AP203 formats are supported by Altium Designer – exported files are ISO-10303-21 -compliant (AP214). 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. At the fundamental file exchange level, Altium Designer offers both export and import capabilities for 3D STEP files. 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. 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. Altium Designer offers advanced capabilities for interacting with mechanical design systems and software (MCAD) through the active exchange of physical design data.
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