vcad-step-import

name	vcad-step-import
description	Import and work with STEP files using vcad MCP tools. Use when the user mentions STEP files, .step, .stp, importing CAD from other software (Fusion 360, SolidWorks, Onshape), or converting between CAD formats.

vcad STEP Import

Import geometry from STEP files (AP203/AP214) using the vcad MCP tools. STEP files are the standard interchange format exported by Fusion 360, SolidWorks, Onshape, CATIA, and other CAD software.

Available Tools

Tool	Purpose
import_step	Import geometry from a .step/.stp file
inspect_cad	Analyze imported geometry (volume, area, bbox)
export_cad	Re-export to STL or GLB
open_in_browser	View imported model in vcad.io

import_step

{
  "filename": "part.step",
  "name": "imported_part",
  "material": "steel"
}

Parameters:

• filename — path to the STEP file (.step or .stp)
• name — part name (default: filename without extension)
• material — material key: "steel" (default, density 7850 kg/m3), "aluminum" (2700), or "default"

Returns an IR document with ImportedMesh nodes containing triangulated geometry, plus a summary:

{
  "document": { ... },
  "summary": {
    "bodies": 3,
    "total_triangles": 15420,
    "total_vertices": 8210
  }
}

Workflow

Import → Inspect → Export

1. import_step(filename: "bracket.step")
   → Get IR document + body count

2. inspect_cad(ir: <document>)
   → Volume, surface area, bounding box, mass

3. export_cad(ir: <document>, filename: "bracket.stl")
   → STL file for 3D printing

Import → View in Browser

1. import_step(filename: "housing.step")
   → Get IR document

2. open_in_browser(document: <VCode>)
   → Shareable vcad.io URL

Note: open_in_browser works best with smaller models. Very large imports may exceed URL length limits — use export_cad instead.

Supported Formats

Format	Support
AP203	Full
AP214	Full
AP242	Partial (geometry only)

Common sources: Fusion 360, SolidWorks, Onshape, CATIA, Creo, Inventor, FreeCAD, Rhino.

What Gets Imported

STEP import produces triangulated meshes (ImportedMesh nodes), not parametric BRep. This means:

• Geometry is viewable and exportable
• Volume and area measurements work
• Boolean operations with imported meshes are not supported
• The parametric history from the source CAD is not preserved

For parametric editing, recreate the geometry using create_cad_document.

Tips

• Use absolute paths if the file is not in the current working directory
• Multi-body STEP files produce multiple ImportedMesh nodes (one per body)
• Assign "material": "steel" or "aluminum" to get mass calculations from inspect_cad
• Large STEP files (>50MB) may take several seconds to process