Cannot create via with "V" key when routing

Layout
1

Following tutorial, in KiCad Docs, Getting Started in Kicad 8.0. Under Tutorial Part 3, Circuit Board, under Routing Tracks, the first two traces I drew for the top and bottom layer worked. However, now the layer is chosen in blue for bottom, routing track is chosen, and the line being drawn is now yellow, not a blue trace, & it turns into a rectangle if you go left or right as you drawn the line down or up. Pressing V to create a via does not do anything. Ratnest line is still there. Switching to the top layer, red layer does the same thing, a yellow line or rectangle being drawn, not a red trace, and pressing V does not create a via.

This has got to be something simple, but I’ve looked at forums and YouTube for an hour or more and found nothing. I assume a setting is incorrect. Please help. Thank you.

2

I am not the best person to answer this, but in preferences I see that the hotkey V chooses

Wait I don’t know how I saw that…Looking again now see through hole via which would certainly make more sense.

What are the possible layers indicated by yellow in your appearance menu?

Please go to help>about and copy version info, paste it into your next post.

3

You’re looking at the preferences for the 3D viewer.

In the Layout editor, in routing mode, the right mouse button context menu shows that V is indeed Place Through Via, and it works for me.

So something is wrong if OP gets a yellow line and rectangle but I don’t know what.

4

Yeah OK but I do not even see THAT now. And I have never used the 3D viewer.

I wonder whether the OP somehow was using the rectangle tool. Colors are a very customizable choice, right? I think mine are not so far from default. I have yellow as backside soldermask. But it would be reasonable to have yellow be silkscreen. My front silkscreen is light bloo.

I do think that @cmulcihy should try to match his yellow color against the layer menu at the right.

5

Hi,

KiCad Version 8.08. I’m using the default colors for KiCad Version 8.08. Going to Preferences, under HotKeys, and typing in Via in the “type filter text”, you see V is the hotkey to Place Through Via. It is also a HotKey for show unspecified 3D models.
More info - still drawing a yellow line or rectangle, filled with blue when you make it into a “fatter” rectangle.

Casey

6

Are you doing the following:?
Click on the “Route Tracks” tool.
Click on the start pad, and release.
A track should be drawn on whatever metal layer you are on.
Click to place a vertex in the track.
When you want to switch layers, hit the ‘v’ key. Click to place the via and switch layers.

7

The hotkeys are grouped by application. If you scroll up, you will see that it’s under the group for 3D viewer.

8

Thank you 3Dogs. That was it. I needed to click and release. Appreciate the help very much.

Casey

10

Aha, you were drawing a selection rectangle because you didn’t release.

11

The hotkey for a stand alone Via is “Ctrl + Shift + V”. All three keys need to be pressed simultaneously. When in track drawing mode, only “V” is required.

The Yellow line with the blue centre is the box (rectangle) selection. At any time press and hold down the LMB and move the mouse in any direction to form a rectangle. Release the LMB and everything in that rectangle is selected and can be moved together.
Note: Left to right forming a rectangle gives a different result to right to left. Left to right selects items completely inside the rectangle. Right to left is items both completely inside and partially outside rectangle.

12

That’s if making a standalone via, e.g. to join top and bottom copper. While drawing a track, just V suffices. See the context menu in track drawing mode.

13

Yes, I should have mentioned that. Better fix it.

Happy Straylya day. May your emus not kick down your dunny door. :slightly_smiling_face:

14

Ahhhh happy holiday. I confess I did not know about that one.

But what if you depress CTRL+ALT+Shift+delete+M+7+@+F3+backspace+?+>+Pageup simultaneously?

15

Sorry I took so long to reply. Too many keys to press with just my fingers, and the cat is outside. I had to place the keyboard on the floor and use toes as well.

Result: computer says no!

16

For making connections between Top and Bottom Copper pours I select an existing via of the NET I want to connect like GND and then use the duplicate function Ctrl-D.

This saves one finger :wink:

When doing massive stitching, multiple VIAs can be selected and duplicate will give you many VIAs fast.

17

Me too :wink:

@cmulcihy related thread: Minor irritants, or is it just me?

18

Seriously…Yup me too.

I was testing to see how many fingers you have! :laughing:

19

:smile: Never use the 3D viewer ? how much of this software do you use :laughing: :rofl: :stuck_out_tongue:
:mouse:

20

OK. I gather that your question is not completely serious, but:

  1. Ease of manual assembly is very important to me. For that reason I mostly use my own footprints. I have posted examples on the forum previously. Using wide pads in the corners of an MSOP are a good example.

  2. I assume that my custom footprints would need to be associated somehow with 3D models. That sounds like added work, and I see no benefit other than “pretty pictures.” It does not help me to produce a working board which is what I care about. It would be even more work if I wanted the 3D to show fidelity with the custom footprint. I would need to create or edit the 3D models themselves. Not interested.

  3. The 3D capability seems to approximately triple the size of the KiCad installation so as to make it occupy several GB. (Gigabytes or maybe Great Britain?) :grinning: I do not see much practical use for the result other than maybe sales and marketing which I am not doing.

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21

No worries !! have a great year :slightly_smiling_face: I guess I am being a little flippant, but always nice to hear other people’s point of view :smiley:
:mouse:

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