How kicad checks for component clearance?

Hi,
How kicad checks for component clearance and how to set it? Design rules Editor checks only for net to net clearance.
How do I measure the distance without placing a dimensions?
Thanks.

What do you mean by component clearance?
Do you mean the distance between the physical bodies of parts?
If yes: Kicad does not check that at the moment. But there is the couryard layer that allows you do easiely check for problems. (Assuming your footprints have a well designed courtyard layer.)
And yes it would be nice to have an automatic check for courtyard overlap.

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Rene,
Yes, that is what I meant, just like Altium which has component clearance check.
How do I measure the distance without placing a dimensions?
Thanks.

I find courtyard thing little bit too big for components in default libraries, OK extra space for hand soldering is counted into but when it comes to denser designs for pick and place assembly overlapping is inevitable. I.E.
Thinner drawing lines represent actual mechanical size of resistors.

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KiCad only performs DRC on copper layers based on Netclass information.

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Well i don’t think you can measure directly without placing a dimension.

In my library all parts have a courtyard that shows me how much space i need to solder this part.
I use this to see if i have enough space between elements.
(I don’t measure during pcb design. I think about that while i design my footprints.)

That’s why i don’t use the default libs. I only use my own footprints. But i use the default footprints as a starting point.

Use the relative coordinate readout and [Space]?
There is a distance field there that gives you distance from current position to last.

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