Error: board line missing or malformed

[Mukesh_Kumar]

Hi, I am following YouTube tutorial (John’s basement) and learning pcb as a beginner. I seem to have some error popping up which says board line missing or malformed. Can someone help me figure about what exactly is it trying to say following you can find the pictures for reference

[retiredfeline]

Is that message from the 3D viewer? Looks like you haven’t defined the board outline by drawing a closed shape on the Edge Cuts layer.

[Mukesh_Kumar]

yeah the message is from the 3D viewer. Any hints on how to fix it as you say by defining the board outline…

[hermit]

@retiredfeline

Looks like you haven’t defined the board outline by drawing a closed shape on the Edge Cuts layer.

[Mukesh_Kumar]

sorry I am new and couldn’t figure out what am I supposed to do with this edge cuts? I have selected this edge cuts. so what to do?

[hermit]

Every board has an edge, a defined shape. Most will be a simple rectangle. At this point, you don’t need to know the final dimensions. You just want to draw the box so you don’t see the error.

[Mukesh_Kumar]

Sorry to bother you again. With what should I create the box? With edge cuts selected it doesn’t make any box. Do I need to create the box in PCB Editor or schematic editor?

[hmk]

Select edge cuts layer like you have in your last screenshot, and then draw straight lines around your placed components with the line tool in the toolbar at the right of the editor window, just left and up from the edge cuts line you marked.
Make sure the ends of the lines are connected to each others and form a closed shape, for example a rectangle.

[paulvdh]

In General, all graphic objects on the Edge.Cuts layer are treated as edges of the PCB, and you can use PCB Editor / Place / Draw Line, or other graphical objects (arc’s rectangles, etc) from the same menu. All graphic objects on the Edge.Cuts layer must form a closed shape together. No gaps, no overlaps, no intersections.

KiCad’s mechanical CAD capabilities are limited. For a more complicated PCB outline, it is better to draw it in some external CAD program, export as a DXF file and then import it onto the Edge.Cuts layer in KiCad.

KiCad can also work together with the KiCad Stepup workbench in FreeCAD (just for completeness, that is a whole separate learning curve).

[Mukesh_Kumar]

Thanks a lot f or easier to follow guidance. it worked now no message in 3rd view neither in drc .