step file export option user origin does not work

[Stefan Bethge]

When exporting a step file from pcbnew, there is an option to set a user defined origin. The command line option user-origin is set as e.g. --user-origin 150.495000x86.895000 while the help text on the command line states it should be used as --user-origin=10.0x10.0mm. Doing this manually on the console however also fails with the generic usage help output. I was not able to produce a custom origin step file at all. Without the option it seems to work normal.

Application: kicad
Version: (5.0.0-rc2-189-ga552b4c), release build
Libraries:
    wxWidgets 3.0.4
    libcurl/7.54.0 LibreSSL/2.0.20 zlib/1.2.11 nghttp2/1.24.0
Platform: Mac OS X (Darwin 17.6.0 x86_64), 64 bit, Little endian, wxMac
Build Info:
    wxWidgets: 3.0.4 (UTF-8,STL containers,compatible with 2.8)
    Boost: 1.61.0
    OpenCASCADE Community Edition: 6.8.0
    Curl: 7.43.0
    Compiler: Clang 7.3.0 with C++ ABI 1002

Build settings:
    USE_WX_GRAPHICS_CONTEXT=ON
    USE_WX_OVERLAY=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU=ON
    BUILD_GITHUB_PLUGIN=ON
    KICAD_USE_OCE=ON
    KICAD_USE_OCC=OFF
    KICAD_SPICE=ON

[Wayne Stambaugh (stambaughw)]

Is the step export not creating any step file or is the step file created but the origin is incorrect. I just tested this with 5.0.0 and the latest development build and I am getting a valid step file with the user origin set to 100.5x100.5 and -100.5x-100.5 but I'm not 100% sure the user offset of the model is correct.

[Stefan Bethge (kjyv)]

As written, I was not able to produce a custom origin step file. No step file is written when a custom origin is specified. I've tested it again also with the current stable 5.0.0-3, same behavior. Maybe this is OS X specific but it seems to convert tool is somehow broken.

[Wayne Stambaugh (stambaughw)]

Would one of our macos devs please test this? I am not having this issue on windows so it may be macos specific.

[Maciej Suminski (orsonmmz)]

Could it be a locale problem? Does it work for you when you replace points with commas?

[Seth Hillbrand (sethh)]

Confirmed on Mac. The 0.0000x0.00000 parameter will probably need to be quoted for MacOS. Also fails for Board Center origin

Error:
Executing '"/Users/seth/code/kicad-mac-builder/build/kicad-dest/kicad.app/Contents/Applications/pcbnew.app/Contents/MacOS/../../../../MacOS/kicad2step" --no-virtual --user-origin 133.208967x51.762820 -f -o "/Users/seth/Downloads/TEST KICAD STEP EXPORT.step" "/Users/seth/Downloads/_autosave-TEST KICAD STEP EXPORT.kicad_pcb"'
Warning: Usage: kicad2step [-o ] [-f] [--drill-origin] [--grid-origin] [--user-origin ] [--no-virtual] [--min-distance ] [-h]
Warning: -o, --output-filename=
Warning: -f, --force
Warning: --drill-origin
Warning: --grid-origin c
Warning: --user-origin= a
Warning: --no-virtual
Warning: --min-distance= ntents/Applications/pcbnew.app/Contents/MacOS/../../../../MacOS/kicad2step
Warning: -h r
Error: Unable to create STEP file. Check that the board has a valid outline and models.

Application: pcbnew
Version: (6.0.0-rc1-dev-404-g60620ea2a), debug build
Libraries:
    wxWidgets 3.0.4
    libcurl/7.54.0 LibreSSL/2.0.20 zlib/1.2.11 nghttp2/1.24.0
Platform: Mac OS X (Darwin 17.6.0 x86_64), 64 bit, Little endian, wxMac
Build Info:
    wxWidgets: 3.0.4 (UTF-8,STL containers,compatible with 2.8)
    Boost: 1.66.0
    OpenCASCADE Community Edition: 6.9.1
    Curl: 7.54.0
    Compiler: Clang 9.0.0 with C++ ABI 1002

Build settings:
    USE_WX_GRAPHICS_CONTEXT=ON
    USE_WX_OVERLAY=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU=ON
    BUILD_GITHUB_PLUGIN=ON
    KICAD_USE_OCE=ON
    KICAD_USE_OCC=OFF
    KICAD_SPICE=ON

[Stefan Bethge (kjyv)]

No, using commas and/or quoting does not help either. I've noticed the usage message is also a little bit weird, with random characters at the end of some of the lines. They change when I specify mm or no unit:

Usage: kicad2step [-o <str>] [-f] [--drill-origin] [--grid-origin] [--user-origin <str>] [--no-virtual] [--min-distance <str>] [-h]
  -o, --output-filename=<str>
  -f, --force r
  --drill-origin
  --grid-origin
  --user-origin=<str>
  --no-virtual t
  --min-distance=<str> a
  -h

[KiCad Janitor (kicad-janitor)]

Fixed in revision e7a9643b379e0d05be8dc56d1630148d0107ec07
https://git.launchpad.net/kicad/patch/?id=e7a9643b379e0d05be8dc56d1630148d0107ec07

[Andy Peters (devel-latke)]

I just noticed that I can't create a STEP file of the whole board using the board center as the origin. I get the same messages as noted in Seth's comment #5 above.

Does the fix just committed fix the board-origin fail, too?

[Andy Peters (devel-latke)]

Answering my own question: in the 27 Sept 2018 nightly, it is fixed.

Application: kicad
Version: (6.0.0-rc1-dev-617-g3bac10b11), debug build
Libraries:
    wxWidgets 3.0.4
    libcurl/7.54.0 LibreSSL/2.0.20 zlib/1.2.11 nghttp2/1.24.0
Platform: Mac OS X (Darwin 17.7.0 x86_64), 64 bit, Little endian, wxMac
Build Info:
    wxWidgets: 3.0.4 (UTF-8,STL containers,compatible with 2.8)
    Boost: 1.67.0
    OpenCASCADE Community Edition: 6.9.1
    Curl: 7.51.0
    Compiler: Clang 8.0.0 with C++ ABI 1002

Build settings:
    USE_WX_GRAPHICS_CONTEXT=ON
    USE_WX_OVERLAY=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU=ON
    BUILD_GITHUB_PLUGIN=ON
    KICAD_USE_OCE=ON
    KICAD_USE_OCC=OFF
    KICAD_SPICE=ON