Change layer of a block in footprint editor?

Layout Footprints
1

Hi,
I’m creating components footprint and want to copy elements form F.SilkS to F.Fab.
I duplicate them, but how to change the layer of the whole block ?? is there a way to do that or do I have to select every track one by one to edit it to change it’s layer…???
thanks

2

Unfortunately there’s no way to do it. Maybe someone has written a script for it, I vaguely remember something like that.

3

thanks for replying…
did it manually this time, but will look at scripts later.
I’m used to NanoCad (a 2D CAD software similar to Autocad) and there’s a property grid panel that let me directly edit each property of the object selected. but also, if I select several similar object, I can edit the common properties (layer, thickness, color, radius for example, if I select two circles…) really useful and time saving. and now in Kicad it seems to me like I was missing tools and was projected way back in time…

4

AFAIK it can’t be done in the footprint editor, but the files generated are human readable, you can open it with a text editor and change the layer of the block you need
I usually do that to make drawings in the F.Cu layer, with bitmap importer.

5

@ffred I’ve done the same as above. The trick is understanding what parts of the module you want to copy to another layer. Luckily for me, the last time I did this all I needed to do was copy a copper layer from a logo to the solder mask layer (OSHPark is great, but their purple solder mask is do dark if you want copper logos to show you really need to clear the copper mask. Then the logos pop out with the ENIG finish against the dark purple.).

If you have a complicated footprint where you only want parts of a layer to copy to another layer, it might be easier to delete everything but what you want copied and save to a temporary footprint file. Then using your favorite text editor open the temporary file, change the layer and then copy that into your target footprint.

6

@jano & @SembazuruCDE, thanks… will try this way next time…

7

Hi,
just had an answer on the KiCad bug list, where I add this as a wishlist entry and the property grid will be added in v6. :smiley:

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