Automatically push other tracks to another layer using vias

When I draw a track, is there a way to automatically push other tracks that it would cross to another layer? Otherwise I have to stop drawing it, delete the segments of other tracks that are in the way, replace them by vias and tracks on another layer, then continue drawing my current track. Is there a simpler way?

To be honest the usual workflow is that your layout is such to avoid this and there are only rare occasions its needed, but when its the only option then as you approach the track that is in the way you drop the one you are routing down with a via and come up on the other side of the track. I have personally never been in the situation you describe, unless I’m reading it wrong (Possible :crazy_face:)
:mouse:

2 Likes

No.

Use @mousey 's method.
If you absolutely need a track to be on a single layer and unbroken with vias, draw that track first and the others later.

1 Like

I don’t want the track I’m currently routing to switch layers. I want the pre-existing tracks to move out of the way to other layers.

KiCad’s interactive router can push tracks and via’s aside to make room for another track, but it does not have a function to automatically put other tracks on another layer. A part of the solution is planning ahead, and footprint placement, but that needs experience. I do assume you use the interactive router in Shove Mode. It may take some time to get used to it, and maybe even more to learn to anticipate what it can do for you and use it effectively. But once you learned that you will discover it is a wonderful and powerful tool.

I also do not understand your wish. In general via’s are considered “bad”. In times long gone by, you even had to pay extra for the PCB if it contained too many via’s, but via’s do take up extra space on the PCB, and on multi layer PCB’s they reduce the available space on all layers because they go right though the PCB. Therefore, moving multiple tracks to another layer to keep one (new) track on the current layer does not seem to be a very good strategy.

If there is some reason why you want to keep some tracks on a single layer, then the simplest method is to route those tracks first.

An improvement on this method is to first draw the alternative path. If you have Route / Interactive Router Settings / Remove redundant tracks turned on, then quite often KiCad deletes the old route at the moment you finish the new route. If KiCad does not do this, then you can select a part of the old track, then depress u once or twice to expand the selection and use [Del] to delete it.

Vias might affect signal integrity and maybe EMC. So a few vias on critical fast-signal traces might be worse than more vias on less critical traces.

This feature request is not only for cases where the designer is too inexperienced to plan a lot in advance, but also for cases where a PCB has to be modified because the goal is to have several products that have similarities but also differences in terms of their functionality.

Nope you don’t have to do that . . .

Where you want to cross the track, drop a via either side, select the new segment between the two new vias and change it’s layer.

Route, This is a highly unorthodox way of working.

A better , and indeed industry standard , way of working is to plan and route those high priority traces first.

Nothing is wrong with vias, especially if you plane stitch them. I’ve never seen any tool do this because there isnt a need.

As others have said, suggest route the high priority traces first. The rats next will quickly tell you the hotspots, and if you need to move parts to reduce the difficulty meeting the signal integrity requirements, or if you need to add layers. Adding layers is cheap, 4 to 6 layers is cheap cheap. Single ended signals
their return currents require stitching vias or capacitors whento plans of different reference.

I do that when possible. But here I speak about situations where that is not possible. For example, when it is much easier to modify an existing design than to create one from scratch.

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.