I have been making custom footprints in KiCAD for a bit now. I moved over from the software Diptrace. In that software, I am able to change the program’s origin and and could move it around. This greatly assisted in positioning pads for the footprint as the dimensions in datasheets usually reference their dimensions off of the pads vs referencing the origin of the footprint itself.
In KiCAD, I am noticing that there isn’t a way to change the coordinate dimension of the footprint editor. I am aware of the feature of changing the grid origin and also the origin of the anchor for the footprint. However, this does not change the origin of the editor itself. Is there a way to change the program’s origin itself to assist in placement of pads/holes in KiCAD?
I apologize if this is a little confusing but I am trying to explain this as best as I can.
Have you used the “local coordinate origin”? If you press the spacebar it’s set to zero. You can see it in the bottom of the window in the statusbar as “dx” and “dy” coordinates. But I don’t understand this:
Setting the anchor changes the coordinate system of the whole footprint.
Hello eelik, I know what you are talking about and when I looked at it last, it was only useful for distance measurements. I will take a second look at it and see if it is something that I can use
For me, setting the footprint anchor has always worked. When you point a new position as the anchor, then that becomes (0, 0) of the footprint. I don’t know why it does not work for you. Maybe you are mixing it up with the relative coordinates (dx and dy) which can be reset to the current cursor position with the space bar?
For creating footprints in Kicad, I’ve found the easiest way to achieve good results is to use the grids and the footprint anchor.
Below is my method for creating the complex footprint for my “WooWoo” IC. This may assist you in footprint creation.
My “data sheet” required a perimeter of SMD and THT pads with different grid intervals, so I set the grids accordingly with X = 1mm & Y = 2.54mm (I could also have used X = 2mm & Y = 2.54mm). I then placed the appropriate pads on their respective grid positions and also placed the Footprint Anchor in the centre.
Note: by setting up the correct grids, the pads must land in their correct locations.
Note also: extensive use of the “array” tool is possible where uniform distances between pads occurs.
(to use array tool, create one pad, hover over that pad > right click > Create from Selection > Create Array)
Next, I changed the Grid to X = 1mm & Y = 1mm (note how the grid remains centred on the Footprint Anchor), then proceeded to place the ball pads. Again, the pads can only be placed on the grid, so no measuring is required. (the array tool was used for this section).
Note: a 1mm grid, rather than 2mm, was used because the Footprint Anchor lies equidistant between two vertical pads.
Finally, the grid was changed, yet again, this time to .05 mm to ease the graphic line positioning (F.Silk, F.Fab & F.court.). Note: the grid still remains centered on the Footprint Anchor.
For exact graphic line placement, I used “dx & dy”, using the “space bar” to zero (as Eelik comments above) when drawing.
IC. This may assist you in footprint creation.
