I have a doubt regarding adding layers in footprint editor, is it possible to add layers in footprint editor…?
If yes can someone guide me to a blog or video regarding the same.
I’m creating a footprint where I want to add some fab notes in user.6 layer which I have set on my PCB using the board setup but I don’t see that layer in footprint editor and when I try to set it in Private layers under footprint properties it shows not activated.
How can I enable/activate this layer.
As far as I know, this is not possible. If you start adding layers in footprints, then adding them to the PCB would result in a whole big mess of layers that are added by those footprints.
I have just planned to find some time to check how it is possible.
Some time ago I was told here that with V9 we got user layer pairs that can flip with footprint if you flip it from top to bottom. So if layer can flip with footprint I understand it should be possible to define these layer pairs at footprint designing stage and then be present at PCB.
As (V8->V9) Reference and Value checkboxes were deleted than natural way to plot once with References and once with Values would be to have them (Ref and Value) at different layers and it have to be defined with footprints. I simple no see other logical way of defining it if it has to flip with footprint.
@paulvdh, @Piotr Thank you for the response, If its not possible to do so then how can one change layers once the footprint is added to the PCB, The reason I’m asking is I want to add fab house details in schematic with symbol place holders which I can then change by simply changing the footprint for the symbol but I don’t want them on F.silk as thats the only place where I’m able to add the values. Even after placing graphic and text on F.silk in footprint editor I’m not able to change layers for the footprint from F.silk to user.6
If that is possible please let me know, I’m aware of changing the layout in text editor but when I have many components and then fab notes like these its confusing on where to make the changes in the editor.
In the footprint editor, you can simply select an object, press e to edit it’s properties, and then set the layer for that object. This works with graphics and text, or actually with any object that is just on a single layer.
Yes I understand that and I want to do the same but in footprint editor the layer to which I want to change is not active/enable and hence I’m unable to change to that desired layer.
Also is there any way to edit multiple selections to change layers at once…?
I find it strange you can’t change layers. I don’t know what could be the cause of that. Do you see all layers in the Appearance Manager on the right side of the screen?
Yes. You can: Footprint Editor / View/ Show Appearance Manager, then make a selection, and then edit the properties that are shared between all objects in the selection.
For example I have all this on a user defined layer and want to change them all to other user defined layer,
the normal was is to select them individually and then e to change the layers
but can I select them all and change layer like how its possible in Altium or other software
You are trying to do something I have never even considered - so … I don’t know.
I was making my strategy decisions with KiCad V4 were you had no User layers at all.
My decisions based on how I want my documentation being printed was:
Value - at courtyard layer centered in footprint,
Reference - at courtyard layer centered in footprint,
The second (reference or value, I don’t know which one is in KiCad footprints) - not used - delete.
Pin one, cathode marking - at courtyard layer.
I have considered using for it Adhesive layers as I have never needed them but decided to left them as who knows - may be I will need them in future.
Since then all my footprints are done according to these rules (I use only my footprints) and I don’t change anything after placing. Having texts centered save me lot time when plotting documentation files as most of them I need not to even move.
If you have special needs I think you should check what is possible and make your decisions and then have everything according with it.
Okay, Thank you for helping me through this as I’m a user of Altium. Few things in kicad feels time consuming, hence I was trying to ease my work by adding things how I use to do it in Altium.
Well we all have been doing this in kicad by using a generic symbol for lets say a resistor or capacitor and then assigning it a footprint in the next stage maybe as SMD or THT, I want to do the same create multiple footprints which only contains texts and graphics, like we someone is making a lot of open source designs it makes sense to add the open source hardware logo as an footprint then to import all the time. I was trying to use an template created by nguyen-v(GitHub - nguyen-v/KiCAD_Templates: Personal KiCAD Templates) and convert few things to footprint as I can import them to older projects where I have not used his template.
I was a user of Protel 3 and making documentation as we wanted it was the path through torment. I’m not sure of all details but probably because vias were always printed at front hiding the references the way to make documentation was going through gerber exporting and then importing them back at temporarily opened PCB and real documentation was made from it. Any error (wrong checkbox checked) on the way and when you got pdf-s you noticed that whole way you have to go once more.
Because of this when I decided to move to KiCad optimizing of this task was first what I was investigating - how to. This decided how my footprints are defined in KiCad
I have never went through footprint assigning stage. I have each resistor value I use in library and I have a rule - after placing symbol at schematic I don’t change anything with it. If I decide to use new resistor value = I add new symbol to library.
Thank you all for your prompt responses and great insight on kicad but I solved my issue by making a footprint where the values are on f.silk and then when I add this to the on to PCB i simply locate this footprint on a text editor and the layer value to my user defined value and its done.
With a specific layer preset, it’s possible to quickly switch between views.
The problem for me is the limited number of user layers inside the footprint and PCB editors.
My goal was to create specific layers for THT and SMD (NAME, VALUE, PLACEMENT) in order to manage the Fab document for the subcontractor.
I come from CADTAR and with KiCAD, managing colours, layers and documents is not so easy. I need to adapt to find a solution that will allow me to easily create all the documentation for the production line and subcontractor.
When I moved to KiCad there were 0 (except 4 already defined - Eco, Comments, Drawings) User layers
For me it looks that Vince38 wants to export separate drawing with SMD references and separate with THT references and may be the same with values.
I have also didn’t tried to use database but I don’t think it can help here.
With all the different layers, it is very important to use the preset layers function.
Unfortunately, when we use the import settings function in the PCB editor, the preset layers are not included.
The same applies to the job process function: it’s not possible to use the preset layers for PDF generation (each layer has to be selected again for each page).
I will continue to investigate to find “the best” solution (for my use and habbit).
I think an adjustment of your thinking may be beneficial. Given how open KiCAD’s code and data structures are, trying to shoehorn everything into the layer paradigm may not be the most efficient.
Consider writing (or using AI/a freelancer to write) a plugin that generates the output you need directly.
I don’t have anything to help with you trying to do layer management at the footprint level, but for PDF documentation generation you might investigate the plugin ‘Board2Pdf’. With it, you have greater control of what is on top of what, colors, transparency, etc. It’s a bit to setup initially, but once you do you can save configs and call them kinda like the new jobset functionality.
When I migrated to KiCad from PADS Layout, one of the things I found awkward was producing PDF documentation. The Board2pdf functionality provided me (mostly) what I was missing from decades of PADS.
Since I moved to KiCad I no longer generate pdf-s from PCB but I generate svg files that can be easily inserted in LibreOffice document to then make one pdf documentation file containing everything.
