I seen no advantage to a gerber editor
This is already possible. Copy & paste between different projects/schematics/boards too. Or is this limited on specific OS?
The panelization and fabrication related features can already be provided by external utilities and plugins; in particular: GitHub - yaqwsx/KiKit: Automation tools for KiCAD
Having an external tool create the fab files has many advantages. I quite like to have a script that provides repeatable results, and editing that script is much easier than diving into the KiCad internals.
2 Likes
Gerber editor is dangerous. If you edit a gerber, your PCB is out off sync, how you update your PCB file then.
But perhaps Gerber editor has some uses, if there is something you can’t do with PCB editor…
A lot of applications ranging from editing the file stencil to changing the shape of the site and removing double shapes… You need to look wider)) and not rely on the fact that pressing one button the manufacturer will do everything for you)))
At least for me in Linux if I try to open the kicad for a second time, it will just show the previously opened kicad instance instead of opening the second one. So I do not know how to have multiple kicad instances open at the same time on Linux.
- More database library features
** Multiple schematic symbol selection (already in Git) - Integration with Sparselizard FEM (in git) or Elmer FEM
- Advanced geometry drawing (like LibreCAD)
** Tangent circle
** Draw circle from center
** Restrictions - Libspacenav integration for 3D navigation mouses
1 Like
Like this?
3DConnexion is already supported in v7-rc, but with their own driver. You could file an issue for libspacenav which is more generic if I have understood correctly. Maybe it would be relatively simple to implement the support when one 3D mouse support is already there?
Or is it only an Open Source alternative for the proprietary driver?
This is mentioned in Development Highlight: February Update | KiCad EDA. I don’t know the state of Linux support.
IMHO a stencil editor is part of a CAM tool, not a CAD tool. KiCad cannot be all things to all people. One has to choose priorities.
As for double shapes, they should not be there in the first place.
I have to disagree if we are talking about an end-to-end design system… Herber fails refer to production fails, such as the multiplate function, where there are many devices on one board… Such a function is absent in the kicad itself… And all this is in systems like altium…
OK. We made our points. Let us agree to disagree.
The fact is that everyone has their own opinion but the design rules for everyone are the same anyway, it’s better when there are tools than when there are none… Whether to use them or not is a personal matter…
Sure. But the question is not whether these tools would be useful. No doubt they are.
The question is whether developing these is the best use of the limited development capacity that is available.
Most seem to think there are more important things to do.
3 Likes
Just look at the competitors… So let’s say on grandfather cad
Im sorry, my english grammar is bad.
Thanks for all replies, this is the news:
Panelization has never been part of the KiCad design scope so a major shift in the project goals would be required to allow panelization into the code base.
status: out-of-scope
It would be great to have a multiple schematic and multiple PCB on the same project. It may not be that much effort as these other things you are proposing.
1 Like
It gets surprisingly messy - Two "R1"s, two “GND” nets etc.
This is a frequent request to dodge PCB Fab setup costs. The reality is that these fabs are very good at squeezing small Gerber jobs onto a standard FR4 panel. This keeps cost down for everyone.
Hi! Im using KiCad less than 3 months for now. And I want to know if there will be opportunity for using component database (excel, access) as in altium. Absence of cmps database and fully dark interface in Windows dont let me completely jump from AD on KiCad. Thanks.