3DStep

3DStep turns a CAD assembly into step-by-step interactive 3D assembly instructions. Each step shows the parts it installs, moves them into place with arrows, and frames them from a good angle, and the reader can turn the model to look closer. The result is a single HTML file you can open in a browser, share, or embed in a documentation site.

There are two ways of making one:

In the browser. Open the designer at 3dstep.isiks.tech, import your STEP file, build the steps, and press Generate. Nothing to install: the designer reads your CAD file in the browser and nothing is uploaded. Start with Getting started.

From the command line. 3dstep assembly.toml renders the same file from a saved project, which is what you want for regenerating the page as the assembly changes, or in a CI job that publishes a docs site. See Command line and CI.

Contents

Start here

• Getting started: from a STEP file to a finished page, in the browser.
• The designer: a full tour, every tool, keyboard shortcuts, and what to do when something goes wrong.
• Concepts: models, parts and steps, how a step's state is built, and keeping a page small.

Going further

• Command line and CI: install 3dstep, render projects, convert STEP files on a machine, and run the designer locally.
• Embedding with md-iframe: put a page into an MkDocs or Zensical site.
• Publish on a docs site: render pages in CI and deploy them with GitHub Pages.

Reference

• Project TOML: every key of a project file.
• Themes: colors, fonts and layout behavior, and writing your own theme.
• The generated page: what readers can do with it, and its URL parameters and messages.