# STEP AP214

AP214 exchange: legacy specification status, translator choices, geometry, color and post-import acceptance.

Reviewed: 2026-11-01

Tags: parts-and-design, file-formats, step, ap214, cad

## Identify the protocol and its status

STEP AP214 covers automotive mechanical design exchange. ISO lists **ISO 10303-214:2010**, edition 3 (May 2010), as withdrawn. Installed translators may still support it. [ISO 10303-214:2010](https://www.iso.org/standard/43669.html)

A through-hole can disappear without changing the imported envelope. In the ideal 50 × 25 × 10 mm block, a 5 mm through-hole normal to the large face removes about **196.350 mm³**, or **1.571%** of the uncut volume. Check the hole directly when it matters.

NIST describes STEP Part 21 exchange files using `.stp`, `.step` or `.p21` extensions and supports AP214 among several application protocols in its analyzer. The extension alone therefore does not identify AP214, its edition or the information actually present. Confirm the declared schema and the exporting application's settings. [NIST STEP File Analyzer and Viewer](https://www.nist.gov/services-resources/software/step-file-analyzer-and-viewer)

## Agree on what must transfer

Define the exchange's role before exporting: geometric model, assembly context, appearance-preserving review model, or another required subset. Preserve the native design and governing requirements separately if future changes depend on feature history or information the chosen exchange route does not preserve.

| Requirement | Handoff information |
| --- | --- |
| Identity | Part/assembly identifier, source revision and selected configuration |
| Format | AP214/schema or edition, exporter and receiving application versions |
| Geometry | Required body types/counts, critical surfaces and dimensional acceptance |
| Structure | Component instances, placements, hierarchy and inclusion choices |
| Other information | Required colors, names, properties, annotations and separate drawings |

A color can help identify a face, but does not by itself specify material grade, heat treatment or a surface finish. If those requirements matter, supply an unambiguous specification and demonstrate any required digital mapping.

## Translator capabilities are application-specific

SOLIDWORKS **2026 Help** documents import/export of body, face and curve colors for STEP AP214, along with geometry/topology and wireframe import. It also documents configuration-data mapping and length-unit export for its STEP workflow. Use this as that product's capability statement, not a promise that every AP214 exporter and reader transfers the same content. [SOLIDWORKS STEP files](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/SolidWorks/sldworks/c_Step_Files.htm)

Onshape likewise lists AP214 in its supported STEP formats, but its matrix distinguishes import/export and platform-specific content. Its export help exposes a format version and custom STEP units, and states that downloaded exports do not contain features or parametric history. Keep the actual operation and application release with the delivery rather than assuming a universal AP214 round trip. [Onshape supported formats](https://cad.onshape.com/help/Content/File/supported_file_formats.htm), [Onshape export options](https://cad.onshape.com/help/Content/File/exporting_files.htm)

The **OCCT 8.0.1** STEP guide provides a useful implementation example: `write.step.schema` distinguishes AP214 CD, DIS and IS selections and also lists other APs. Its listed IS selection is dated 2002. Thus a software option labelled AP214 does not independently prove that a particular file implements the withdrawn 2010 edition. Consult the translator's documented schema and required subset. [OCCT STEP translator settings](https://occt3d.com/dev/doc/overview/html/occt_user_guides__step.html)

## Geometry, units and placement

Record intended units, coordinate origin/orientation, component positions and expected body types. Reopen the delivered file in the intended receiving system and measure known features. An automatic zoom can make wrongly scaled geometry look plausible; a dimension label or color match is not an independent geometric check.

Inspect closure and topology where a solid is required. A visible shell can shade like a solid while lacking the required closed body. Review imported surfaces, missing faces, small passages and assembly instances against the source. Check warnings before accepting any automated healing or stitching, and retain the original delivery alongside a repaired derivative.

**Original screening example:** an ideal 50 × 25 × 10 mm block has volume 12,500 mm³. A perpendicular through-hole of diameter 5 mm removes `π × 2.5² × 10 ≈ 196.350 mm³`, leaving approximately 12,303.650 mm³. Omitting that hole changes volume by only about 1.571% of the uncut block while leaving the bounding dimensions unchanged. A matching envelope therefore cannot prove that a critical hole survived translation.

Volume and area comparisons can identify discrepancies, but similar totals do not establish identical topology, surface location or fit. Evaluate the actual critical geometry and use consistent units and representation when comparing quantities.

## PMI and validation boundaries

Do not infer usable dimensions or tolerances from an AP name or visible annotation alone. Agree which information must be machine-interpretable and test that specific receiving workflow. OCCT describes its older AP214 GD&T handling as obsolete and directs users to AP242 for that implementation. This is a reason to review the chosen route, not a universal statement that every AP214 file lacks all tolerance information. [OCCT GD&T exchange guidance](https://occt3d.com/dev/doc/overview/html/occt_user_guides__step.html)

NIST's analyzer can report entities/attributes, examine semantic PMI, graphical PMI and validation properties against recommended practices, and check basic file-format errors. Those are distinct checks: syntax acceptance does not demonstrate that every required design element transferred or that a produced component meets the drawing. [NIST analyzer scope](https://www.nist.gov/services-resources/software/step-file-analyzer-and-viewer)

## Release record

For a useful manufacturing or agent handoff, retain source revision, exporter settings, declared protocol/schema, units, coordinates, expected content and receiving software version. Identify missing or deliberately omitted information, any repairs and the checks performed on the actual delivered file.

Resolve conflicting drawing, model and preview information before downstream use. Choose a different agreed deliverable when the selected AP214 route cannot preserve information required for the task; do not silently replace a required semantic definition with a picture or a geometric approximation.

## Source scope

Reviewed on the date above. ISO's publication field and withdrawal status are stated explicitly. Software examples refer to SOLIDWORKS 2026 and OCCT 8.0.1; Onshape's live export page displays a last update of 30 October 2026. The cited NIST page describes its current tool capabilities without establishing a translator's conformance. Calculations and proposed receiving checks are editorial guidance.

## Related reference

[Drawing and model file references](index.md)