KicadStepUp Workbench/en

Introduction
Kicad StepUp Workbench is aimed at helping both KiCad and FreeCAD users in collaborating with electrical (ECAD) and mechanical (MCAD) design.

Background
Kicad (website) is an Open Source Electronics Design Automation Suite.

Features

 * Load kicad board and parts in FreeCAD and export it to STEP (or IGES) for a full ECAD MCAD collaboration
 * Load kicad_mod footprint in FreeCAD to easy and precisely align the mechanical model to kicad footprint
 * Convert the STEP 3D model of parts, board, enclosure to VRML with Materials properties for the best use in kicad
 * Check interference and collisions for enclosure and footprint design
 * Design a new pcb Edge with FreeCAD Sketcher and PUSH it to an existing kicad_pcb Board
 * PULL a pcb Edge from a kicad_pcb Board, edit it in FC Sketcher and PUSH it back to kicad
 * Design a new footprint in FreeCAD to get the power of Sketch in footprints
 * Generate Blender compatible VRML files



Installation
Kicad StepUp is part of the external workbenches, and can be automatically installed using the FreeCAD Add-on Manager which comes bundled with FreeCAD 0.17, under the  menu.

Usage

 * Please see the kicad StepUp cheat sheet to learn how to get started.
 * If you are inspired you can add more elaborate documentation to this wiki page.

Side Note about External workbenches
FreeCAD workbenches are easy to program in Python, there are therefore many people developing additional workbenches outside of the FreeCAD main developers.

The external workbenches page has some information and tutorials on some of them, and the FreeCAD Addons project aims at gathering them and making them easily installable from within FreeCAD.

New workbenches are in development, stay tuned!