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How to properly import symbol and footprint & few bugs

silvio3105
Collaborator

How to properly import symbol and footprint & few bugs

silvio3105
Collaborator
Collaborator

Hi,

I'm working on my own library. I have one library called _STANDARD that holds all standard symbols and footprints(0603, 0805 etc). Every footprint has 3D package.

 

Now, I want to use 0603 footprint from _STANDARD library in my Resistor library.

How to properly import symbol & footprint(with 3D package) from one lib into another?

 

I've tried next:

- In Resistor lib I've clicked on "Create New Symbol" and clicked on "Import" button. It works nice but I'm not sure is it right way to do it.

Btw. When I click on "Create New Symbol" I get pop-up dialog with "Add Symbol" title. Pop-up has three buttons - "OK", "Import", "Cancle".

If I, in symbol tab, right click and click on "Create New Symbol"m I get pop-up with "New" title and only two buttons - "OK" and "Cancle".

Same thing applies for footprints. Why two versions of pop-up exist when they do same thing?

 

- In Resistor lib I've clicked on "Footprint" tab and clicked on icon "Create New Footprint". Next I've clicked on "Import" button and selected footprint I want to import. Selected footprint was 0603 from _STANDARD library and it has 3D package.

After importing selected footprint, only footprint is imported, 3D package is not. Why?

That is one way to import footprint, here's second way to do it.

 

- In Resistor lib I've clicked on "Components" tab and created new component. Next I've clicked on caret next to "New" button and selected "Add local package" option. Now Fusion shows all footprints from current library(in this case that's Resistor lib). That dialog has "Import" button.

I've clicked on that button, selected footprint I want and clicked on import.

Now I see imported footprint in footprint tab and 3D package from imported footprint in 3D package tab.

 

So, I'm not sure what is right way to import symbols and footprints(with 3D packages).

Symbols seems to have only one way(at least I know for), footprints have two ways. Whats the differents?

 

Also, there's one bug.

During importing, I can select multiple symbols/footprints, but only one(I guess last selected) will be imported.

 

Windows 10, last Fusion 360 verison.

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jesper8W75R
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Collaborator

@silvio3105 As you have found out, there's still many years of work left (for Autodesk programmers) to make this right.
The library handling is absolutely horrible and inflexible.

I found that the simplest way to move things over to your own libraries, is to open the source library as well as the target library, and an empty schematic.
You then place the device on the schematic, and use the (right-click) function "Copy Device to Library".
Then you will get the device copied to your new library with all symbols, footprints and 3D packages.

Now, why this functionality isn't in the LIBRARY manager itself, is a mystery amongst many others when it comes to the design of Confusion Electronics.

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silvio3105
Collaborator
Collaborator

Everything works fine. I'm not sure what's right way to import footprints. Importing symbols work, but since there's two ways for footprint, my guess is that there's second way of importing symbols(only my guess).
There's reason why some footprints and symbols are in _STANDARD library. Copying makes no sense in this case.

 

And since this is very important question, my work is on pause until we figurate out right way to import footprints and symbols. @jorge_garcia @panpan_fan 

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jorge_garcia
Autodesk
Autodesk

Hi @silvio3105 ,

 

I hope you're doing well. The method @jesper8W75R mentions will work but I find it to be the long way around. The recommended approach for now is select New symbol/footprint/device and then select Import like you did for the symbol and footprint. These will get you only the respective symbol and footprint.

If you want to get everything associated with a device then you have to import a device, doing so will bring in any associated symbols, footprints and 3D models.

 

This is the recommended process right now, recognizing like I mentioned in another thread to @RitchieParis that the entire library editor needs to be re-worked.

 

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

 

Best Regards,



Jorge Garcia
​Product Support Specialist for Fusion 360 and EAGLE

Kudos are much appreciated if the information I have shared is helpful to you and/or others.

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silvio3105
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So, first way of importing footprint is right way(second dash in first post)?
If I import footprint A from lib A, and later I edit that footprint in lib A, will it automatically update in all libs where it is imported?
If no, how to make that link?
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jorge_garcia
Autodesk
Autodesk

Hi @silvio3105 ,

 

Correct, second dash in the first post is the recommended way to copy footprints between libraries.

 

Now keep in mind that when you make this copy it becomes completely independent of the original lib it came from. There is no link preserved and there is no way to make it. The pros and cons of this approach have been discussed at length in this and other forums. In the end we felt this was a safer and more flexible approach then keeping links between libraries.

What some users do is have a single footprint library with all their verified footprints and then derive from that for any specific projects libraries. Depending on your use case one workflow may be better than the other.

 

Best Regards,



Jorge Garcia
​Product Support Specialist for Fusion 360 and EAGLE

Kudos are much appreciated if the information I have shared is helpful to you and/or others.

Did this resolve your issue? Please accept it "As a Solution" so others may benefit from it.
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silvio3105
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Collaborator
Okey, but second dash does not import 3D model/package.
Third dash does. 3D package is important for me. 3D is one of the reasons why I switched from Eagle 9.6.2 to Fusion Electronics.
As I understood, second dash will import only footprint, while third dash will import footprint and 3d package? Both methods will create copy without any link to original footprint and 3D package?
Will feature updates bring option to keep footprints and 3D packages link between libs?
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silvio3105
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Collaborator

@jorge_garcia If you can answer since it's needed to continue my work which is on standby. Thanks!

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jorge_garcia
Autodesk
Autodesk
Accepted solution

Hi @silvio3105 ,

 

Use the third dash method and import the entire device to keep the 3D package. I wouldn't expect any future update to incorporate  a link between libs, there are some very real dangers there given how much weight we give libraries.

Any copies you make will not have a link to the original library. 3D models are special in that they are only stored on the cloud and don't really belong to a single library but are rather cloud assets that can be linked to footprints in libraries.

 

Let me know if you continue to run into problems.

 

Best Regards,



Jorge Garcia
​Product Support Specialist for Fusion 360 and EAGLE

Kudos are much appreciated if the information I have shared is helpful to you and/or others.

Did this resolve your issue? Please accept it "As a Solution" so others may benefit from it.
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silvio3105
Collaborator
Collaborator
Thanks for answer.
I don't get it why's there difference between 2nd and 3rd dash?
In short, if I want to import footprint and 3D package, I have to use method from 3rd dash, but next time when I want to use same footprint(and 3D package) I can use method from 2nd dash.

So, there's a bug in method from 2nd dash - it does not import 3D package. When someone adds 3D into footprint, he wants to use it.

Thanks.
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