It has been added to the latest version of Kicad6.99, but it can only be enabled by adding a user profile. To simplify the operation, I made a self-extracting zip package to complete the automatic configuration, as to run it to complete the configuration, enable this advanced feature!
KICAD6.99泪滴功能开启.exe (93.0 KB)
In Windows, just run.exe to execute the file and restart Kicad6.99 to enable the teardrop function
It has been added to the latest version of Kicad6.99, but it can only be enabled by adding a user profile. To simplify the operation, I made a self-extracting zip package to complete the automatic configuration, as to run it to complete the configuration, enable this advanced feature!
That’s good, but frankly it could be better. Looking at how Diptrace/Altium are doing teardrops might help in doing a good draft for teardrops in v7.0.0. Diptrace teardrops video
I watched this video, there is a good room for teardrops improvements in KiCAD 7.0.0:
Using polygons for teardrops was Ok when this was a plugin, but now it sounds as the “Enhanced plugin as a new feature in v7.0.0 with python converted to C++”.
Yea what Jon says. The feature is hidden for a reason, it’s experimental and the file format could even change and leave you an incompatible unsupported pcb file. It’s not meant for any use, at all.
Jon, this warning makes 6.99 sound it is for production, even for items not behind the config flags, which is not the case; the whole thing is experimental and the format might change even for features not behind the config flags as well.
In general, we try to make it so that if you create a design with one nightly, you can open it in future nightlies. There have been rare cases where this intention was not kept, but we try hard to make it the case.
This is explicitly not the case for things behind flags. If you design with some “old version” of teardrops, we will make no attempts to migrate your design in case we make breaking changes to how teardrops works, as long as it’s behind a flag.
This is a great news !
I will finally be able to stop development of the Python plugin at V7.
Can’t wait to see it fully released (not behind a config flag).
IMO it’s natural that the minimum is on/off per project. But I can see how it would be useful to turn it on/off for each netclass. The smaller the annular ring of vias and the narrower the tracks, the more useful it’s to have teardrops for two mechanical reasons: it guarantees track connection in case of extreme hole location offset; and it adds mechanical tolerance for breaking when bending. It’s not as important in larger vias and wider tracks.
The current operation is not on/off per project: you can add teardrops to certain items within a design. It’s not like you flip a switch and then every track you route within a project gets a teardrop. It’s more like the “fillet tracks” tool where you add rounded corners to certain tracks.