Work in progress: Native Altium Importer

[pointhi]

@eelik

if I’m correct after looking at the code, the only visible change is new file extensions in pcbnew’s File -> Import Non-KiCad Board File dialog’s file extension drop-down list, and only when pcbnew is in standalone mode.

Yes, for now only standalone board import is implemented. Altium Project import will be added when schematic import is supported as well.

[eelik]

A short screencast isn’t very meaningful for this feature, but I’ll show one just because this is an important feature which deserves publicity

2020-04-05_11-40-22

[GeorgeIoak]

I’m late to the effort but I’m an Altium user so I can help test if needed. I’ve got KiCad loaded on both an iMac and Windows 10 machine. I’m running the latest Altium release, 20.0.13

[eelik]

I’m not pointhi, but I still can say that you could convert your Altium designs to KiCad on both platforms and see if you can find any bugs or glaring omissions. Then report them to the official issue database. Because the feature is now part of public nightly builds, the issue database is better than informal forum messages. Please always follow the issue template. If possible, attach example Altium projects.

[GeorgeIoak]

OK, thanks. I’m working with the “Medtronics OpenVentilator Conversion Team” currently but once we finish our work I’ll have more time to try and help

[pointhi]

Updates:

There are now some blog articles about this work:

• https://hackaday.com/2020/04/14/altium-has-its-2kicad-moment/
• https://www.cnx-software.com/2020/04/05/how-to-build-kicad-on-ubuntu-18-04-and-import-altium-pcb-files/#importing-altium-pcb-layout-in-kicad
• https://blog.oshpark.com/2020/04/05/altium-board-importer-for-kicad/

Two MR with bugfixes and improvements:

• https://gitlab.com/kicad/code/kicad/-/merge_requests/147
  • fix coverty issues, improve code style
  • support more altium layers which are stored as string
• https://gitlab.com/kicad/code/kicad/-/merge_requests/151
  • improve code
  • fix crasher bug due to coding error
  • add support for new string replacements (New string replacement options for kicad assets)

The most annoying bugs I need to fix next, are for now:

• some weired pads in some boards, which should be not on non-copper?!?? Please give in your experience if you know how Altium does this
• improve zone handling in planes as well as fills in keepouts

[stefan_test]

Hi pointhi
I just tested your newest MR https://gitlab.com/kicad/code/kicad/-/merge_requests/164
with my Altium File on Linux and found some Errors:

• I imported a PCB with a Text on Top_Layer which consist of two lines, this CR/LF, LF is not converted, therefore a “?” is displayed. After editing the text (deleting line break, adding a new one) the “?” is gone
  

  

• an other problem is the position of the Strings, it seems like the origin of the Strings on the top_overlay is different in altium and kicad

[stefan_test]

• an other problem is the position of the Strings, it seems like the origin of the Strings on the top_overlay is different in altium and kicad
  
  

[pointhi]

Thanks. The Text problems are known, but at least for the alignment I do not have a solution yet.

I think to solve this I need to know exactly how which text can be aligned in which way. Like, is it possible for designators to have their anchor in the center, or is it always the right bottom side? And if this can change, is the setting somewhere else than for normal text.

[stefan_test]

I found one more:

the mechanical dimensions are somehow wrong, seems like a calculation problem…

53.50 mm != 53.4968 mm

Altium:

[stefan_test]

Kicad:

[stefan_test]

@pointhi

I think to solve this I need to know exactly how which text can be aligned in which way. Like, is it possible for designators to have their anchor in the center, or is it always the right bottom side? And if this can change, is the setting somewhere else than for normal text.

It seems like the anchor is always in the left bottom of the text.

here two screenshots, once with text horizontal, anchor @ 27.585/-19.925mm (that’s more or less where I have my mouse => x:24.925mm, Y -16.575mm) => the x on the bottom left of “C”

the other one with a vertical label (rotation 90°) the anchor is on the bottom right or at the same point if you consider the rotation

So it seems that the anchor is always on the same point for the text overlay on components.

For Texts in cooper (Layer top/bottom as well as the internal layers I checked) the anchor seems to be in centre.

other Texts on top overlay /bottom overlay layer have the anchor as well on the bottom left side and act the same with the rotation as text overlays on components.

[pointhi]

Can you please check if the dimension is really 53.50. You can specify the number of digits in Altium, and then altium applies rounding

[stefan_test]

jep, that was the problem:

[jneiva]

it is possible testing the importer in the nightly versions? or need to compile ?

[nickoe]

Yes, the importer has been merged on master, so the normal nightlies made for master should include the feature.

[jneiva]

It is accessible from Pcnew open from project or stand alone?

One stupid question, the importer will be able to import footprints made in Altium?

[nickoe]

@jneiva I think it currently only import complete altium board files (PcbDoc?), and yes, start pcbnew in standalone.

[jneiva]

@pointhi When try to import the following project https://github.com/tudelft/iridium shows the following message

[pointhi]

nice find. This is the problem with reverse-engineering. You never know how the file format is really structured. I will try to fix this assumption so that the board will open in future KiCad versions.