The STEP-TAS / TASverter ecosystem
This document provides access to more detailed help information about TASverter and the TASverterGUI, as well as a high level overview of the protocol, tools, and the most common conversion workflows.
What is STEP-TAS?
STEP-TAS is a data exchange protocol
It uses the building blocks provided by the ISO-10303 standards, i.e. “STEP”
It was designed specifically for Thermal Applications for Space, i.e. “TAS”
It is completely different to those protocols used for CAD model exchange.
The STEP-TAS protocol consists of four modules of functionality:
STEP-NRF: network model and results format for flight, test and simulation data
STEP-MGM: meshed geometric model using simple thin-shell primitives
STEP-SKM: space kinematic model for articulated joints (currently unused)
STEP-SMA: space mission aspects for orbits and pointing (currently unused)
The STEP-TAS protocol is an ECSS standard available for free download at:
What is TASverter?
TASverter is an in-house tool written by ESA as a STEP-TAS test bench and validator.
Strengths:
It provides strict STEP-TAS file validation and a STEP-TAS geometry viewer
It now provides a TMMverter module for converting some thermal network model formats
A graphical user interface is available to help the user set conversion options
Weaknesses:
It is old and only handles “legacy” versions of some formats because the tools have evolved
You should use the tools’ own up-to-date STEP-TAS interfaces if possible as shown below
See also the Summary of TASverter supported and unsupported formats table.
Which tools currently work with STEP-TAS?
The diagram below shows the possible workflows for common model conversions:
the black lines show the currently recommended paths for geometry conversion
the grey lines show older-but-still-usable-with-extra-work paths for older geometry formats
the blue lines show the thermal network model conversion paths
Note that there is no direct conversion path from a geometry to a thermal network model.
Note that conversions of ESATAN-TMS erg, THERMICA-4 sysmsh and Thermal Desktop dwg files are not handled by TASverter, but by external tools (see links).
TASverter is still useful for STEP-TAS file validation, the STEP-TAS geometry file viewer, and its TMMverter module for converting ESATAN and SINDA/Fluint TMM files. Note that TASverter handles geometry to geometry, or network model to network model conversion, but not both.