You can directly save a model or an assembly as a STEP file. You can also save a part or an assembly as a STEP file through Granite. Saving a file through Granite allows you to conform STEP files to additional application protocols.
To save data as STEP,
1. Click File > Save. The Save file browser opens.
2. In File Type, select STEP (*.stp;*.step;*.STP;*.STEP).
3. Click Options. The STEP Settings dialog box opens. You can toggle between Direct and Granite. The default is Direct.
The following options are available in the STEP Settings dialog when you click Direct:
• Dest: Either a predefined or a user-defined set of options settings. See STEP export configuration files below.
• Mixed or NURBS: Convert analytic geometry into NURB geometry, which might be helpful for systems that represent geometry as NURB.
• PCURVES: Export curved edges as pcurves. This might lead to better results for systems that demand such edge representations.
• Assembly / Shared Parts : Retain assembly structure and sharing. When not selected, the export processor flattens the assembly and removes sharing, but retains the spatial location of parts.
• Encoding: Choose Unicode or Legacy (Roman8 or Shift-JIS). You should use Unicode unless you plan to open the files in an older version CAD system that does not support Unicode.
• AP203 or AP214: The application protocol that the STEP file should conform to.
• Colors: Retain colors in the model. Only applicable when AP203 is selected.
• 3D Notes: Retain 3D notes in the model. Relevant only when AP203 is selected.
• Show Logfile : Opens the log file in the default web browser.
• Header: Adds information to the STEP file. Type values for the available fields.
• Configuration Options: Save your configuration in a file. Please read the Step export configuration files section below.
The following options are available in the STEP Settings dialog when you click Granite:
• Application Protocol: The STEP file should conform to one of the following protocols:
◦ AP203
◦ AP203 EXT
◦ AP203 E2
◦ AP214
• Material Rep: Choose Simple or Product representation.
• Curve Rep: Export curves as they are or as Bspline or Spline.
• Surface Rep: Export surfaces as they are or as Bspline or Spline.
• Model Rep: Export models as Solid, Surfaces, or Wireframe.
• Export conditions:
◦ Export Containers: Containers below parts and assemblies are exported. The container usually becomes an assembly, so parts saved in a container will be saved into the new assembly.
◦ Export Face Parts: Includes face parts in the export.
◦ Export Wire Parts: Includes wire parts in the export.
◦ Export Empty Parts: Includes empty parts in the export.
• STEP Header: Adds information to the STEP file.
◦ Description: Type the description. The default is Creo Elements/Direct Modeling STEP Export.
◦ Author: Type the name of the author.
◦ Organization: Type the name of the organization. The default is PTC.
◦ Product Id: Type the product ID. The default is Creo Elements/Direct Modeling.
The Description and Author information is currently not exported to a STEP file.
STEP export configuration files
You can create a STEP configuration file to automatically select defaults for you when you export files. When you export STEP files, you can choose a
• Predefined Configuration File: Simply select from a list of predefined formats for various target systems where the parameter settings have been optimized for best results.
• User-Defined Configuration File: You can create your own configuration file by changing the parameters in the STEP Settings dialog, then save them under a new configuration file name.
You can find an example of a user-defined configuration file
here.
Check the STEP log file
You should check the log file to make sure no problems occurred while exporting your data. By default, the log file is named step_save.log and is saved in your home folder. If you don't know the name or location of this folder, you can search for the file using Windows search.
The log file includes the following information:
• Date and time that the file was created.
• Accuracy of the STEP file.
• Summary of translated topology and geometry.
• Any processing errors that occurred when saving the STEP file.
