


This file format is, therefore, commonly used to share CAD data and designs between different CAD programs that cannot read each other operating system’s native files. Today, with the different CAD systems available, interoperability between different CAD solutions has become more and more essential. This article will make you learn step file utility, its advantages and disadvantages, and its differences from other neutral CAD formats. The standard’s official name is “Industrial automation systems and integration – Product data representation and exchange.” The Step format (*.step, *.stp) contains all the information about a 3D design and saves it as a series of text documents. The exchange of product data in this file is in accordance with the ISO 10303 standard put together in 1994 by the ISO committee. A STEP file, which stands for “Standard for the Exchange of Product model data file”, is a standardized CAD file used to share designs between CAD softwares.
