To check if enough space on PCB for components

[anon75181398]

Is there a function or plugin available which can automatically, with components placed as close as possible to each other (based on Courtyard) move all components onto the PCB to check if it’s space enough with the chosen size of the PCB? Ok, there might seem to be no need for this but it could sure be good to initially know if the current idea/project is possible or impossible and if it’s impossible at start then quickly go for a bigger PCB and probably also different chassis without having to manually move all components into the PCB, for some hours or so.

[paulvdh]

One thing you can do is:

1. Have both Schematic and PCB editors open.
2. Select some sub circuit on the schematic (It gets selected on the PCB too).
3. Switch to the PCB editor.
4. Right click while the selection is still active and select Pack and Move from the context menu.

This helps in sorting out sections of parts that connect together on the schematic, and probably should be placed close together on the PCB too.
It does leave some room in between the footprints, but you will need room for routing tracks too.

But for the rest, I usually first sort out the parts and draw a lot of the tracks before I even attempt to draw the PCB outline.

[mf_ibfeew]

Additionally to the “Pack and Move FP” (see @paulvdh) command you may play with Place–>Autoplace Footprints.

[anon75181398]

Thanks, paulvdh, that’s absolutely very usable and also more “realistic” compared to what I asked for!

[anon75181398]

Thanks also mf_lbfeew, the autoplace may also be useable at some points. Are there settings available for grid/distances for this autoplacer?

[Piotr]

I was just yesterday describing in detail how I create BOM:

Create BOM Referencing Master Parts List

I decided to describe as detailed as I can. I will bookmark this for myself to may be link if someone in future will ask the same questions. I used it with Protel may be from 2006. Those time it was simpler as in Protel I fully identified the part by its name. Moving in 2017 to KiCad I decided that I identify by name+footprint. Before designing my libraries according this assumption I have checked if I can do it in LibreOffice and found I can. So in my KiCad version formulas are little more co…

It refers to example files I gave some time ago:

Purchasing Libraries

So here it is: BomGen.zip (39.5 KB) You start with BomGen containing only Elem and Bom sheets. In zipped file you have also Test sheet you get at the end. In zip there are: Test.zip - Archived KiCad Project (I have just did to bug-report something from other thread), Test.csv - KiCad generated BOM from Test project schematic, BomGen.ods. How to get BOM from that: In schematic - Tool-Generate BOM… with bom_csv_grouped_by_value_with_fp - you get Test.csv in BomGen: insert new sheet (Test…

As I do it with spreadsheet there should be no problem to add to each footprint area it occupies and get sum of all elements areas. The only problem to be solved is probably that in my spreadsheet number of elements I probably treat as text and not number.
You can assume typical % occupied by footprints to count expected PCB size.