In footprint and pcb editor : how to draw a trace by coordinate, x/y length

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Hi,

I want to know how to do this :

  • start a trace at X/Y defined position
  • continue tracing by saying X/Y length from last point and/or from original point

I know I can draw it and change it after but what I want is to draw it directly at good position to save time.

Thx.
D.

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If your traces are aligned to a grid, then it can be done as follows;

  1. Position cursor at start point
  2. Press space to set relative origin
  3. Without moving cursor, left click to start trace
  4. Draw trace making note of relative position
  5. Click to end
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yeah, I know, but it is difficult/long to be precise.
So I want a method where I use keyboard to enter the coordinates.
Is there a such method ??

D.

4

Not really.

Of course, all the above GUI actions moves can be replaced with key presses e.g. enter instead of click, arrow keys instead of mouse moves.

I think you might be asking “is there a command line where I can type ‘LINE (10,100,5,5)’ like in Eagle?” - the answer to that is no. I guess you could write some Python script to do it.

2 Likes
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The closest approximation to this capability is:

  • Invoke the “OpenGL” canvas { F11 key }
  • Hover over an existing trace (or line, circle, arc, etc, on the layers that permit them)
    OR
  • Lay down a very minimal trace
      • Select the desired layer
      • Activate the “Trace” (or “Line”, “Circle”, etc) tool
      • Left-click to start the object
      • Move the mouse a small distance
      • End the trace (“End” key, or Left-click > “Esc” key)
  • Edit the object’s parameters (“E” key, or Right-click > “Properties” menu selection)

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  • Enter the desired {X, Y} coordinates. (Remember that the Y-axis direction is opposite to what most of us have been conditioned to.)

Those mouse and keyboard actions sound like a lot of motion to perform a simple task. I suppose they ARE a lot - but after you become accustomed to working with one hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse, they can be done quite rapidly. If you are attentive with your mouse clicks, you can place one end of the trace where you want it to be , and only worry about entering one coordinate pair.

Dale

6

Using keyboard with arrow and enter could be a solution.
I will try it in my next component creation.

thanks for answer.

D.

7

Here we are, at version 9, and we still can’t draw a line by entering coordinates via the keyboard. Every other CAD program I’ve ever used has this feature. It’s kind of a kludge to have to draw the line first and then edit it. Why can’t we have a little status bar to enter coordinates that are applied to the current draw mode?

Also, how about being able to set the width of the line as well while drawing it?

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It’s always a compromise between different priorities. Entering coordinates is common for mechanical CAD programs, but I don’t believe it’s common for a PCB design program. Starting a track at some specific coordinate is a rarity. Swamping KiCad in 100’s of trivial functions would swamp the user interface and make it very difficult to use.

That function is available from the popup / context menu:

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I applaud you for searching this forum for your topic, but If you have further questions, please open a new topic, (and possibly link to the old one), as the whole history of the old topic is rarely important enough to be read when a followup post is made many years later.

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