can a kicad schematic be imported into altium?
Also, did you try the Altium support/community yet with this question as they would know best I’d guess?
You could try going to some 3rd party source as well (upload to upverter, convert to their format, export to Altium). But really we normally focus on sticking in KiCad around here.
Bumping this thread. Pursuant to sticking to KiCad, I need to be able to help a customer convert my KiCad files to Altium – that’s what they use, and if they can’t they’re going to be putting me under a lot of pressure to switch my tool Altium or to something that allows them to convert my work to Altium.
So – suggestions? I’d HATE to have to switch.
What exactly do they want to convert / preserve ?
Libs / Sch / Pcb / Net ?
I have seen Altium to KiCad, but not the reverse, so you may be best to look into expanding on the Altium to Kicad paths with your own code, but full Sch and Pcb convert will be non-trivial.
eg The Icezum project converted fromAltium using this
Netlist extract should be relatively simple - ie to confirm a Design finished in KiCad, started in Altium.
eg I have done PcbNew -> Mentor PADS ASCII NET, to confirm a PADS -> PcbNew Pathway.
Also note that translators are not usually “100.0% push-button”, they issue warnings on entities that only almost/mostly translate and errors on entities that cannot translate directly.
That means you would need Altium to check the conversions.
Another approach is to try to find a CAD pgm that can import KiCad, that Altium can also import.
KiCad is changing fairly rapidly, so that may be quite an ask…
To quote the customer “I don’t want to learn a new PCB tool just to add a resistor”.
Which translates to schematics and PCB both, but libraries only to the extent that it makes it work in the tool.
That translates to you needing to use what they have already, and they will need to fund you into a license if they really want easy casual-change downstream operation on your files.
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Altium has very powerful tool to create pcb from raw Gerbers including those created in KiCAD.
Altium imports the Gerbers, then traces the routes and creates editable pcb design with all layers in place. With Gerbers, you can upload all layers at one time. It can even recognize and create components from gerber/drill files and lock their primitives to reuse later after adding to library. And process and create netlist after tracing is done. It is all automatic.
I have imported several artworks using this method and it works flawlessly. Btw, I have one ongoing project where converting from KiCAD using gerbers or .pdf is needed.
Good luck!
KiCad will need to support custom footprint pads before it could do this
Importing to Altium do not require anything from 3rd party tool like KiCAD as long as it can generate fabrication files, i.e. Gerbers and Drill file.
I am thinking about how KiCad could copy the idea. I have legacy Gerber files from old CAD setups where the licencing has long become inaccessible
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I hate to say it, but I desperately need this feature too.