STEP is the most popular neutral format used to exchange data between CAD systems. STEP (STandard for the Exchange of Product model data) is an ISO standard (iso 10303) to represent 3D objects and related information. The development of STEP started in 1984 as a successor of IGES, SET and VDA-FS. The initial plan was to get a single edition but because of the complexity, the standard had to be broken into separate parts (APxxx). Today AP203 is still one of the most important parts of STEP and is supported by many CAD systems for import and export.

In a second phase the capabilities of STEP got widely extended, primarily for the design of products in the aerospace, automotive, electrical, electronic, and other industries. This phase ended in 2002 with the second major release, including the STEP parts AP 202, AP 209, AP 210, AP 212, AP 214, AP 224, AP 225, AP 227, AP 232.

In mid 2010 the development of the new major AP 242 was initiated. This edition will replace the most successful STEP AP203, AP214 and other APs in the mechanical design area. In particular it will contain major updates in the area of Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, Kinematics, and Tessellation.

CAD Interop distributes several softwares to view, translate and compare STEP files. Find below the list of our solutions compatible with STEP format: