STEP-G(1)

📦 version 7.44.0, in nixpkgs unstable

🎀 NAME 🎀 — STEP-G(1), bestie!

step-g — convert a STEP (ISO 10303 AP203) file to a BRL-CAD geometry database. 💅

Okay so this is the STEP-G(1) manual page, and it's literally giving “STEP file goes in, BRL-CAD database comes out.” 🦋

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

step-g [-v] [-D] [-S _summary_file_] (-o _outfile.g_ | -O _outfile.g_) _infile.stp_

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

step-g reads an ISO 10303 STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data) file — typically an AP203 .stp or .step file, iykyk — and translates its boundary representation (B-rep) geometry and assembly hierarchy into a BRL-CAD .g database. 🫶

The translation maps STEP manifold solids and bounded surfaces into BRL-CAD brep objects, and preserves the structure of assemblies and parts using BRL-CAD combinations. The assembly structure is lowkey the main character here. 👑

As input, infile.stp may be a filename, or - to read the STEP data from standard input. 🌀

An output file must be named with either -o or -O. Load and convert times along with a brief translation summary are written to standard error. ⏱️

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • -o outfile.g — Name the BRL-CAD geometry database to create. If the file already exists, step-g refuses to overwrite it and exits with an error. 🚫
  • -O outfile.g — Name the BRL-CAD geometry database to create, forcibly overwriting the file if it already exists. 💥
  • -S summary_file — Write a detailed translation summary log to the named file. 📝
  • -v — Enable verbose diagnostic output to standard error during parsing and conversion. 🔊
  • -D — Perform a dry run: load and parse the STEP file and exercise the conversion steps, but do not write the output .g database. Useful for validating a STEP file or timing the parsing phase. 🧪

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

Example 1. Convert a STEP file and inspect the result

step-g -o widget.g widget.stp
mged widget.g 'tops'

Translates widget.stp into the new database widget.g (refusing to clobber an existing widget.g), then lists the top-level objects of the resulting database with mged(1) so the imported assembly tree can be examined. 🔍✨

Example 2. Validate a STEP file without writing output

step-g -v -D -o /dev/null suspect.step

Loads and parses suspect.step with verbose diagnostics enabled to check the file's integrity and time the parse, while the -D dry run suppresses writing any geometry. 🕵️♀️💀

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

brlcad(1), g-step(1), mged(1) 🫶

🧚 AUTHOR 🧚

BRL-CAD Team 💜

This software is Copyright (c) 1989-2026 by the United States Government as represented by U.S. Army Research Laboratory. 👑

🐛 BUG REPORTS 🐛

Reports of bugs or problems should be submitted via electronic mail to devs@brlcad.org 📧

Source/version: BRL-CAD · manual: STEP-G(1) · date: not shown in the source footer, bestie — no fake date from me. 💖

📦 where this page comes from