Precondition:

You have opened a project. You have opened a layout space. The layout space contains 3D part placements or objects that have been loaded via the commands File > Import > Command group Project data > Layout space > STEP.

1. Select the following commands: Tab Master data > Command group Macros > Create.
2. Draw a border around the objects that should belong to the macro.
3. In the Save as dialog, enter an identifying name and optionally a description text for the 3D macro.
   
   In the Representation type field, the entry "3D mounting layout" is displayed, which cannot be modified.
4. From the Variant field select the required variant for the macro.
   
   "Variant A" is the default setting. You can generate further variants by rotating the macro geometry, or by changing the handle and saving the 3D macro under the same name, but as a different variant.
5. Select the Define handle menu item below the [Extras] button.
   
   The cursor will be surrounded by a square, that you can set to 3D snap points on the geometry, to define the handle. Once the handle is placed, the Save as dialog reappears. The defined handle is always projected onto the placement area.
6. Click [OK].
   
   The 3D macro is saved to the set directory. It can then be called up for placement.

3D graphic files can be imported in STEP format. You can generate files of this type with a 3D CAD system, or obtain them from the storage mediums of various manufacturers. After importing the original position of the graphic can be influenced by defining and rotating a placement area so that the desired areas are always rotated to the placement position when the macro is placed as a window macro and as a device.

Precondition:

You have opened a project. You have opened a layout space.

1. Select the following commands: File > Import > Command group Project data > Layout space > STEP.
2. In the Open dialog, select a directory and in this, select a file containing the 3D graphic in STEP format to be imported, and click [Open].
   
   The 3D graphic from the STEP file is loaded in the layout space and displayed as a 3D object.
3. Depending on the quality of the source data, the 3D graphic may have to be edited, before it can be saved as a 3D macro. In order to achieve uniform behavior when placing a macro that contains a rotated graphic, select the commands Define and Rotate for the placement areas (both under: Tab Insert > Command group Placement area).
4. Irrespective of the placement position you can use the command Unite (Tab Edit > Command group Graphic > Unite) to combine all the items of the layout space so that a 3D macro is handled like one item when used.

Note:

The uniting of 3D bodies is not suited to reduce the amount of data in the macro to be generated. If the imported STEP file contains several identical and very detailed parts, this may lead to an increase of the amount of data after uniting. This directly influences the size of the macro files since macros cannot be compressed due to the system's way of operation.

To reach an acceptable size of the macro file you should thus refrain from uniting imported common parts and generate the macro with the imported single parts.

5. Save the 3D macro by using the following commands: Tab Master data > Command group Macros > Create.

This command works in the same way as Generating Macros from DXF / DWG Files.

1. Select the command Macros from 3D files. (To this purpose you first have to Customize the ribbon and then assign the desired command to a user-defined command group.)
   
   3D window macros (*.ema) are generated directly from single or multiple STEP files, without being loaded into a layout space and edited before saving.

In the same way as 2D macros, 3D macros can be generated automatically from macro projects.

1. Select the following commands: Tab Master data > Command group Macros > Generate automatically.
   
   All 3D macros or each individually selected one are saved from the macro project layout spaces as *.ema or *.ems files.