Overview
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Zoo Design Studio
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Features
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Data Management
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Import
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STEP Import

STEP Import

STEP import brings precise CAD geometry from other systems into Zoo Design Studio. Use it for supplier parts, mechanical assemblies, visual reference geometry, and CAD interchange with tools such as SolidWorks, CATIA, NX, Creo, Inventor, Fusion 360, and Onshape.

Adding a STEP file to Project Files makes it available to the project. To load and display the geometry, reference that file from KCL with an import statement.

Add the STEP file to your project

Before importing a STEP file, make sure it is in the Zoo Design Studio project. The simplest workflow is to drag the .step or .stp file directly into the Project Files panel.

Dragging a STEP file into the Project Files panel in Zoo Design Studio

Drop the STEP file into Project Files when you want Zoo Design Studio to add it to the current project

You can also add the file outside Zoo Design Studio by placing it in the project folder next to main.kcl. After it is added, confirm that the STEP file appears in Project Files before referencing it from KCL.

Dragging a STEP file into the same project folder as main.kcl

Drag the STEP file into the project folder so it sits beside main.kcl

Add the STEP import to KCL

With the STEP file in Project Files, use the insert action to add the import statement to the active KCL file. Zoo Design Studio writes the import line for you, so you do not need to type the filename manually.

Using the Project Files insert action to add a STEP import statement to main.kcl

Use the insert action from Project Files to add the STEP import line to main.kcl

The imported file path is quoted and can be aliased with as. For a file in a folder, use a path relative to the project directory, such as "parts/flange.step".

After import, you can transform, style, or clone the imported geometry. For example:

A cloned STEP flange translated above the original flange in Zoo Design Studio

Clone an imported STEP file when you want another instance while keeping the original as a reference

You can also transform the imported file directly when you do not need the original visible as a reference. Use clone when you need another instance of the same imported part.

What STEP import supports

STEP files can contain precise CAD boundary representation (BREP) geometry and product structure. Zoo Design Studio reads .step and .stp files from the native desktop app. Foreign file imports currently work in the desktop app, not in the browser.

Imported STEP geometry:

  • appears as external CAD geometry in the scene
  • can be inspected, measured, translated, rotated, scaled, styled, and cloned
  • can be used as a visual reference while building native KCL geometry
  • cannot be used for boolean operations, sketch-on-face, or other modeling operations that require interaction with other scene geometry
  • does not become editable KCL feature history
An imported STEP flange scaled, rotated, and measured in Zoo Design Studio

Imported STEP geometry can be measured and transformed in the scene, but it remains external geometry rather than editable native KCL feature history

If you need parametric edits or modeling operations that interact with other geometry, recreate the feature natively in KCL and use the imported STEP file as a visual reference while rebuilding the part.

Units and scale

Zoo Design Studio currently interprets STEP numeric values in the current KCL file or scene unit. It does not rescale the imported geometry from STEP unit metadata. For example, if a STEP file was authored as a 50 mm part but the current file unit is inches, that same edge measures as 50 in after import.

A 50 millimeter STEP flange imported into an inch scene and measured as 50 inches

STEP values are interpreted in the current scene unit, so a 50 mm source model can measure as 50 in when the file unit is set to inches

To preserve the intended size, set the KCL file unit to match the source CAD file before importing:

If you need to keep a different scene unit, scale the imported geometry after import. For a millimeter-authored STEP file in an inch scene, scale by 1 / 25.4:

A millimeter STEP flange scaled in an inch scene and measured as 1.9685 inches

After scaling by 1 / 25.4, the 50 mm source edge measures about 1.9685 in

STEP does not use the KCL lengthUnit import attribute. That override is for formats documented with custom length-unit support, such as STL, OBJ, and PLY.

Troubleshooting "import failed"

STEP import is still a work in progress. Some files can fail to import, especially files with many surfaces, faces, or complex topology.

To isolate whether the failure is project setup or the STEP importer, try importing a small known-good STEP file in the same project. You can use this sample:

Download flange.step

If the simple STEP file imports successfully, the project setup, file placement, and KCL import syntax are probably correct. The failing file is then more likely to be hitting a Zoo Design Studio importer issue.

Please contact support and file a bug when STEP import fails. Include the STEP file when you can, so the Zoo team can reproduce the failure and improve the importer.

What to send support

For confidential models, do not post STEP files publicly. Contact support and share the file through the secure process they provide.

Include:

  • Zoo Design Studio version and whether you are using the desktop app or browser
  • operating system and version
  • the STEP file, when it can be shared
  • the STEP file size and source CAD system
  • the export settings used, if known
  • the exact KCL import line
  • whether smaller STEP files import successfully in the same project
  • screenshots or text from the error marker, if available

Support channels:

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