IDF & STEP files not playing nice together :(

[tes666t]

Hello everyone.

I am very new to Inventor - so maybe I am missing something obvious. I have generated an IDF file in Eagle (for a PCB), and I have a component's STEP file from the manufacturer. I open both files in Inventor (2015) and 'Replace Component' the generic (?) ones that come from the IDF file. The component is indeed replaced but its placement and orientation (mirroring) is off. 

Is that something I need to fix manually? What are the standard practices for this?

I have attached the files I am playing with:

RK09D1130-25.STEP is the original component file from the manufacturer's site

RK09D1130-25.ipt is the converted-to-Inventor-component file

pcb.emn.zip contains the IDF file.

Many thanks!!

Simon

[sam_m]

To be honest, I doubt that approach will ever work.

When Inventor creates an assembly from an idf they're simple extrusions, which is usually fine for the small components, but not idea for other parts.  So, as you are trying, it's sometimes necessary to use "proper" models instead - but, these are considerably different to the simple extrusion.  When Inventor does a replace, I think it matches origins and work planes (honestly not sure without trying, but they're the only things common in every file), but you have no control over where Inventor uses for the origin or which axis are used for x and y for it's creation of the idf components.  You also have no control over the origin's location or the part's orientation for a supplier's step file.  So, there's no way to ensure they're matching...  I guess you could check the orientation for the component in the idf and then use move bodies within the step file to get them to match, but then there's no control to ensure they're matching for the next idf import where this component is required.  If that makes sense.

[rdyson]

I do this quite often, but the part file must have the same coordinate system as the primitive and the same base plane.

[tes666t]

Hey,

Thanks. It does make sense - however it kinds of renders the whole IDF files worthless, doesn't it?
What other approaches do people use to model PCBs?
My end goal is to design a simple case around this PCB.

[Yijiang.Cai]

Hi,

Really glad to see you take care of IDF! The component will be generated from scratch and placed using the coordinate in IDF dataset.