
Validation properties: Global, as volume area, center and Local as Clouds of Points.Textual annotations associated to the geometry.Primarily supported by the automotive industry. Geometrical data as wireframe, surface models, faceted models, manifold surfaces, and solids (BREP).Īpplication protocol: Core data for automotive mechanical design processes.ĪP 214 defines everything in AP 203 plus colors, layers, GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerance) and design intent.Data related to documentation of design change process, approval, security classification.Data for configuration control applied to design phase.Products as mechanical parts & assemblies.Primarily supported by aerospace and defense. Popular STEP application protocols STEP AP 203Īpplication protocol: Configuration controlled 3d design of mechanical parts and assemblies.ĪP 203 defines geometry, topology, and configuration management data of solid models for mechanical parts and assemblies.
ONLINE STEP FILE VIEWER SOFTWARE
Various workflows are now able to come from a single source of truth.įor design, this is interoperability between different design systems (CAD to CAD or CAD to CAE).įor manufacturing, this is the transmission of product definition into manufacturing/measurement software (CAD to CAM or CAD to CMM). STEP AP 242 also includes PMI ( product manufacturing information) such as GD&T, BOM, and other meta-notes & notes for building and measuring the part or assembly. More importantly, as companies move towards model-based definition and away from traditional paper-based workflows, STEP, specifically AP 242, has been the most popular file format for CAD interoperability downstream with departments, suppliers, subcontractors, and customers. Native CAD file formats from CAD software like CATIA and SolidWorks are proprietary and cannot directly be translated nor converted to another proprietary CAD system.īy exporting into a neutral CAD format like STEP, it allows for interoperability downstream. In this article we address AP 203, AP 214, and AP 242 pertaining to mechanical CAD design, 3D dimensional geometry, and product information. It is detailed into numerous Application Protocols (APs).
ONLINE STEP FILE VIEWER ISO
STEP is an ISO-standard ( ISO 10303-242:2020) written using the EXPRESS modeling language. STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product Data) is a popular neutral 3D CAD file format that is interoperable among various CAD programs such as CATIA, Creo, SolidWorks, NX, Inventor, and others.
