kicadcreo

Export logical data from kicad to creo harness

Target of this project is to produce Creo Schematic compatible output to Creo parametic 3d program (Creo 4.0 M070).

PTC Creo is one of the "big" 3d parametric design softwares. Other similar products are Solidworks, Catia, Autocad Inventor, Onshape etc. One advantage of these programs is that they let you model every detail of your product. You can import pcb's using the IDF format and you can also route cables to your end product. The cad program will give you the needed cable lengths and cable drawings.

Changes

2023.08.10 Create separate spool files for tubes and tapes. You can use the Spool->Read command to read the spool info to Creo.

2023.05.28 Added code to Back-Annotation script xmlReadCreo. I noticed that the exported creo schematic xml did not have any info for the ribbon cable. But the Cabling Info -> Harness wirelist -> All

creates a cabling.inf file in to the working directory that does contain the correct information. I created a mapkey for creo to output this file so it is now much faster to read the wire lengths and part numbers to kicad. Some features listed here...

1. Path to "cables.inf" is hardcoded on the script.
2. Cables.Inf.* are read and only the latest is used. The file must not be more than 1 hour old.
3. If a valid "cables.inf" is not found then the script reverts to using the old xxxx_creoin.xml file.

2023.02.12 Wire coloring script was modified to work with Kicad 7. By default the 7.0.0 version s-expression schema does not contain the color-field for the wires.

2022.12.31 Added wire coloring script. Scipt creates xxx_col.kicad_sch files. Example of how the schematic looks after running the script is below...

2022.07.31

1. Changed tkinter to wx. It seems that wx is supported on built in python. The graphical interface is still a "work in progress". You can use it from command line directly or from file->Export->Netlist. Add the following netlist command: pythonw.exe "PATH\TO\kicadToCreo.py" "%I" "%O" "DummyArgument". The dummy argument starts the Gui. You can not use the dummy argument on BOM generation (Kicad hangs until Python is killed).

2021.08.23

1. Added Support for ribbon cables. This was a simple single spool parameter change.
2. Added possibility to use multiple terminators on a connector. This is done by first adding the normal terminator name that is used for all pins and then by adding an override terminator name and pin numbers where that specific terminator is used... e.g.
   1. "Term_name" "43030-0012" // Default terminator for all pins
   2. "Term_name_2" "43030-0001,4,8". // Override terminator for pins 4 and 8
3. FIxed ID not being unique problem. This problem surfaced when I connected all Cable wires to s single connector pin. Creo complained that the ID was not unique. This was fixed by appending the CBL pin number onto the ID.

2021.01.12

1. Added a check for utf-8 validity. Creo gave some strange line errors when the xml file was not in utf-8 format (generated with python3)
2. Added optional parameters for having different gauge and thickness wires on a cable. With individual gauge value for each wire you can change the crimp by using the terminator table option in Creo. It would be easy to add this feature to Kicad also... but we don't need it yet.

2021.01.08

1. Added support for shielded cable.
2. Added option for ktinker interface.
3. Added support for hierarchical sheets. Mainly this means that backannotation goes through all sheets in design. If you use same schematic multiple times then the back annotation works only to the first instance of the sheet. Other sheets with the same name will have same wire lengths and part numbers as the first sheet. In creo, however, you can have totally different wire lengts and individual part numbers... So don't use the same schematic multiple times unless you mean to use the same cables in all instances...

Scripts may still contain lots of "Features"... but they are usually easily fixed encountered.

Getting Started

You can copy the entire repository to your PC.

Installing

You need to setup the script in Kicad eeschema. Press the bom button and add plugins (path to the python scripts that you downloaded)

• kicadToCreo.py (converts your schematic to creo schematic netlist)
• xmlReadCreo.py (when done routing in Creo, this script reads the Creo schematic netlist and updates lenghts and part numbers to Kicad schematic file. New filename will be originalschemafilename+"_creo".sch)

Testing

There are a test schematic in directory /kicad_sample_design

1. "testpcb.sch" contains the original design file.

   • connectors are in Cabling.lib (separate directory)

2. "testpcb_creo.sch" is the back annotated schematic.

   • Harness names and lenghts are shown in this schematic.

3. creo_testcable.pdf

   • how the cable looks like in creo (.pdf snapshot)
   • All connectors used are under creo_connectors directory

The creo 3d-connectors that were used on this design are on directory "creo_connectors". You check these to see how the Pins are named on the Creo symbols.

Back Annotation

Create an Schematic xml file from creo. Name it "Kicad design filename"+_creoin.xml and copy it into the Kicad design directory (where the original kicad schematic is). Run the xmlReadCreo.py from Kicad Schematic. You will get another schematic file where wire lenghts are displayed.

Additions

2019-11 tried to add Sheath spools but failed. It seems that there is a bug in Creo. Read the PTC article CS312099 "Sheath type spools are exported to NWF as cable spool and to XML as wire in Creo Parametric Applies to Creo Parametric 4.0 to 6.0."

Using with Kicad

You can add the command to "Generate Bill of Materials". Add command with the "+" sign Create Creo Schematic xml-File

• python "C:\directory_where_the_pythons_script_is/kicadToCreo.py" "%I" "%O"

To back-annotate Creo Schematic xml-file

• python "C:\directory_where_the_pythons_script_is/xmlReadCreo.py" "%I" "%O"

Note: For back annotation the filename must be same as is for the kicad schematic file(xxx.sch) except it must end with xxx_creoin.xml.

You can add the command to "Generate Netlist". Add command with the "Add Plugin"-button. Add Netlist Command

• python "C:\directory_where_the_pythons_script_is/kicadToCreo.py" "%I" "%O" "tkinter"

With the graphical interface you can generate the xml with one button and back-annotate with another button. With the netlist option you can also generate the Creo Shematic file to any directory. Bom-button will generate the files to the directory where the schematic is.