I would like to know the difference between Include Layers and Plot Layers when generating Gerber files, because I was generating a Gerber file for a project and there was a marking on the plot as well, and with that, when opening the file in Gerberview it was strange, changed the layers. Including just the layers, it was the correct shape. When to use one and when to use another? And what is the difference between them?
I assume you mean this plot dialogue:
Include Layers column indicates which layers you want files for. I have never ticked anything in the Plot on All Layers column. Anything ticked there will be plotted in all files as it says. It’s only used for special cases, I read about them sometime ago but forget. I think 99% of the time there’s no need to use it, and it’s a trap for some newbies. So don’t touch it.
Yes, I realize it’s a beginner’s trap, but I’d still like to know the difference between them and when to use one and when to use another… with practical examples too.
I’ve already explained. The first column says which layers to produce files for. The second column says which layers to put in ALL files. So if you say tick EdgeCuts in that column, all files will contain the EdgeCut lines.
For use cases for the second column somebody else will have to explain, or you can look in past discussions where the people who actually used this column explained. Some of those were historical uses.
TL;DR: For nearly all people, use the first column and don’t tick anything in the second column.
A simple example is for generating documentation. Then you may want to plot the border with the title block on all pages. This Plot on All Layers should never be used when generating artwork to send to a fab.
I just noticed the KiCad manual for KiCad V8 has not been updated for this dialog and it still shows an older version, in which only a few layers could be “plotted on all layers”. (It is updated for the KiCad-Nightly version).
I don’t agree that it would be such a big trap, but I think I would agree that this may not be very useful. But I also don’t claim to know all ways that users would use this function. For checking interference between different layers, loading them in the gerber viewer so each layer has it’s own color is more useful.
A bigger trap is the Use drill/place file origin checkbox, combined with a separate page for generating the drill files, with it’s own settings (radio buttons this time) for the same function. This makes it all to easy to either use different origins for Gerber and drill files, or to forget to update the drill files and combine fresh gerbers with old drill files.
For the long term, KiCad is going to get a CAM Manager, in which all settings for different purposes of the outputs can saved independent of each other.
Assuming you make the PCB “by hand”, it can make sense to plot e.g. the edge cuts layer on all layers so you can align them easier when later printing photo resist foil or other stuff. Or maybe you have some user layer with documentation or copyright info and so on and you want to include that on all layers when publishing the files. Or maybe you want to put a watermark on all files for a in-progress version and you want to prevent people from simply sending the design to a fab house.
As the others said, generally you shouldn’t use “plot on all layers”.
For me it is very useful. Making documentation is much simpler and faster now.
Until there were no Plot on All Layers to get documentation files (PCB shape with footprints and references and dimensions on a gray copper background) I had to plot layers separately to svg and then using inkscape put them together with some problems regarding positioning.
I don’t remember exact problems getting them directly from KiCad but I certainly tried and even reported some bugs. I think in V5 I was able to get satisfactory picture (but with problem to get then back to working colors, closing PCB without saving didn’t helped) for top layer but not for bottom. Probably in V6 and V7 it didn’t changed, but I’m not sure.
Now I get pictures I want directly from KiCad. In Include layers I have for example only F.Cu and at Plot on All Layers I have User.comments (I have dimensions there), Edge.Cuts, F.Courtyard.
I still need to use inkscape but only to do fast 3 actions. I have described it here:
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