It’s unlikeky I’ll be venturing into SMT any time soon.
Through hole test points are also a useful way of placing a single solderable pad for a jumper link
At first moment I have also thought about it but when you have no soldermask using vias is simpler. During routing you simply use second layer.
Using test points you (with standard workflow) should add them to schematic to be connected with correct net. You can do it (I have never tried) also directly at PCB (and protect them against next Update PCB from schematic) but vias are simpler, I think.
This is drift further and further away from Kicad
Do KiCAD’s test points include holes through the board? If yes, great. If not, I think vias will be easier wrt jumpers.
And it’s all been done before . . .
Why haven’t you simply checked this yourself? KiCad has a whole library for testpoints, and you can also easily modify them or create your own.
But testpoints won’t work very well here. First, you have to add them to the schematic just like zero ohm resistors. And second, just a testpoint won’t break the net, so you will still see ratsnest lines and KiCad wanting to connect on the PCB. (You can fix this by using the “two pole testpoint”. But if you really want to go this way, I suggest you make your own symbols and footprints. If you make the symbol look like a net tie, it will be quite unobtrusive in the schematic.
It is not a problem. It will be connected at other side (just like vias).
Whether using THT and/or VIA’s, you don’t need these unless wanting a Show&Tell graphic.
I made them with THT… here’s the link for downloading the STEP file’s (they’re toward the bottom of the list called, “Wire…”)
Screenshot on a PCB
Thanks.
Pretty, but as you say, I don’t need the 3D rendering, so I’m not sure they’ll add anything to my workflow.
(Might download them anyway. 
)
At first I thought the 3D view was a bit of a gimmick, even considered uninstalling all the 3D models to save some space. But later I changed my mind, and I find it actually useful for PCB design. It gives a quite good overview of whether silkscreen texts are obscured by high parts such as electrolytic capacitors, and for positioning texts (and judging readability in other occasions such as in between the pins of a male 90 degree PCB header. You can also see whether you have some room to poke your soldering iron in between parts for soldering.
Think twice. They’re enormous and slow library loading to a crawl.
Well, that is true for many STEP/etc models but, most of my models are made correctly and are efficient… two examples
This is like circuit boards from the 1950s or 1960s. Could you design it as a two-layer board, primarily on the bottom layer? Export the bottom layer to your CNC. Then use the Top layer as a reference for installing wires.
Tom
Thought I’d never do SMT. Then I built a few kits and designed and built a few of my own designs. I’ve used my DIY CNC and purchased boards. I’ll never go back to THT. My last board I left a few THT resistors thinking it would be easier to swap them… wrong. They’re harder to solder, harder to unsolder and look enormous. The only advantage is you can read their values and they help routing on two sided DIY boards.
One down side that I’ll never regret is you must buy yourself a good microscope.
I manage without and can hand solder 0402 components . . . just about, and I don’t have young eyes (almost 60), I do use a magnifier with built in LED lamp.
Wait’ll your 70 
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That’s exactly what I’m aiming for.
One downside - buy a microscope.
Another downside - buy a hot air solder station. I know it’s possible to solder larger SMTs with a traditional iron, but for the circuits I’ve hot in mind, I don’t see the need to upgrade / downscale.
Well you don’t need vias but I just use Conn_01x01 or Conn_01x01_Pin in the Schematic Editor and pin as many as you want on the track you want to jumper. Name them all say J1a, J1b and if more Jumpers required then J2a,J2b etc
Then go to the Assign Footprints and footprint each one of them as say, for example ; “SolderWire-1sqmm_1x01_D1.4mm_OD2.7mm”. Then Update the PCB from the schematic and there they are. Just pin them one by one into the PCB. You can leave them as rats-nest links or if you prefer connect them via F.Cu even though the track is merely representative of the jumper. I was only doing one side PCBs in any case. Check out the SolderWire pad range. The do a whole lot of different sguare Pads despite being defined as OD for the Square Pad H and W dimensions.
Works out keeping the same net with the same name and I just put the Jumpers Pads or Wire Connector Pads wherever i want to on the same track in the PCB Editor.