Hello all,
I had a Gerber file that contains a connector I need for my design so I loaded Gerber files into Gerbviewer and then exported needed layers to pcbnew (see image 1). After that I removed all unwanted footprints and kept only the connector to export as DXF file, but when imported to footprint editor all lines in connector are duplicated (see image 2)!!!
How can I resolve this issue…?
Thanks,
Why do you export it to DXF? Why not just export to the kicad_pcb file and open that and copy the relevant objects in the footprint editor. This is possible in the nightly builds.
But if you really need to export to DXF, make sure to disable the “plot graphic items using their contours”.
You don’t need the nightlies for this. The current stable KiCad v5.1.x is also perfectly able to export gerber layers to Pcbnew. The menu item is: Gerbview / file / Export to Pcbnew. With this you can combine multiple gerber layers to a KiCad_pcb and also decide in which layers they end up in the PCB itself.
It is also possible something else is happening. Especially in old programs it used to be common to use a single aperture in a gerber file and use that to “paint” tracks, pads and zones with a multitude of thin lines.
But it appears that he want it in the footprint editor. I don’t remember if 5.1 can copy objects from the pcb directly to the footprint editor.
I can’t copy from a kicad_pcb file to footprint editor although the paste option appears in right-click list!!!
also tried disabling “plot graphic items using their contours” but no luck!! the same problem!!
I don’t know why this option isn’t available anyway, it can come in handy.
It works better in 5.99 (unless new bugs have been introduced 
). Not all items from a board can be used in a footprint.
Probably because you use 5.1, although you don’t list what version of kicad you are using in your original description.
everything expect for Edge.Cuts…
And zones, tracks/vias, dimensions, layer alignment targets.
Yes, I am using 5.1.
can I copy footprints from kicad_pcb file to footprint editor in the newer versions (eg. 5.99) !?
Yes you can. The parts of the copied footprint become parts of the target footprint.
I can’t just update kicad without having to setup my projects all over again, can I !?
or the only choice is to download and install the newer version, and setup all projects/libraries!!?
KiCad should always be able to open projects that are made with an older version of KiCad.
Side tracking, maybe too far off topic:
But there are some dragons about.
In older versions of KiCad, (V4) schematic symbols were just links to some library, and when that external library disappeared or got renamed then repairing your schematic was very difficult. In those days I got into the habit of always archiving the schematic, in .pdf format, so even if I completely loose KiCad for some reason, the schematic is still viewable, and it’s easy to share with others who do not necessarily have or want to install KiCad. Both .pdf and .svg can work for this. .svg is nice for making web pages as this vector format is supported by any decent browser. (HTML is also a universally readable format and fit for documentation (Just don’t use all it’s whistles nor bells).
In KiCad V5 the external references to disappearing libraries was partially solved by a stop-gap method. KiCad creates a “project-cache.lib” file in which all used schematic symbols are cached and KiCad can use it if the original libraries for schematic symbols disappear.
In KiCad-nightly V5.99 (to become V6 someday) it is finally solved in a proper way. Schematic symbols are cached in the schematic file itself, in much the same way that Footprints are cached in the PCB file for a long time.
Version 5.99 can read v5.1 (or 5.0 or even v4) files and projects but not vice versa. After editing and saving files with 5.99 you can’t go back to earlier versions.
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