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

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

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