After a year of development, the release of the free computer-aided design system for printed circuit boards KiCad 8.0.0 has been published. This is the second significant release formed after the project came under the wing of the Linux Foundation. Builds are prepared for various distributions of Linux, Windows and macOS. The code is written in C++ using the wxWidgets library and is licensed under the GPLv3 license.
KiCad provides tools for editing electrical schematics and PCBs, 3D board visualization, working with a library of electrical circuit elements, manipulation with Gerber templates, electronic circuit simulation, PCB editing and project management. The project also provides libraries of electronic components, footprints and 3D models. According to some PCB manufacturers, about 15% of orders come with the provision of schematics prepared in KiCad.
Among the changes in the new release:
- The official footprint libraries have been expanded, adding more than 1500 new symbols and 760 footprints. The structure includes 8 new libraries. A new intuitive style of pin indication has been implemented, which is used in footprint generators. Some automatically generated components in SMD packages have already been converted to use the new style.
- The ability to import and transfer data from other packages has been expanded. Added support for importing projects and libraries from EasyEDA (JLCEDA), board layouts from Solidworks CAD, symbol libraries from EAGLE, schematics from LTSpice, symbol libraries and footprints from CADSTAR and Altium Designer programs. The PCB Editor allows you to adjust the gaps between line segments in drawings imported from other CAD systems, making it easier to import contours, zones, and complex shapes. Support for importing vector graphics in DXF and SVG formats has been added to the diagram and symbol editors.
- Support for exporting in the IPC-2581 format has been added to the PCB editor, allowing you to create a single package with data for board production and assembly. When exporting to STEP, there is an option to save copper shapes along with board geometry data for more accurate electromagnetic interaction simulation. The ability to export a list of circuits in Cadence Allegro format has been added to the schematic editor.
- Support for performing DRC (Design Rules Checker) and ERC (Electrical Rules Checker) checks has been added to the command line interface, outputting the result in JSON format. It is possible to export a list of elements (BOM) and 3D models in glTF and VRML formats. Added support for overriding text variables and drawing sheets. The ability to control the order of layers for multilayer boards is presented.
- Added the ability to assign alternative keyboard shortcuts to invoke any action.
- In library editors, when you hover over a name in the list, thumbnails of symbols and footprints are displayed.
- New side panels have been added to the circuit editor for quickly editing the properties of the selected element, visual navigation through circuits, and searching for elements in the circuit.
- A new interface has been added for exporting a bill of materials (BOM), allowing you to configure what data will be saved and in what format.
- Added a new set of Pin Helpers utilities for quickly creating pins, pins, and out-of-connection markers.
- An interface has been added to visually identify symbols that differ in different versions of the library.
- In the diagram editor, advanced grid settings have been added and the ability to redefine the type of grid used when performing operations (moving, placing elements) with certain types of objects has been provided (for example, you can use a 1.27 mm grid for elements and conductors, but switch to a different size when placing text ).
- The circuit editor provides the ability to edit the names of power symbols (for example, VCC and GND), without renaming them in the symbol library.
- The SPICE simulator has completely redesigned the user interface. Added the ability to create charts with multiple signals. Analytical functions are implemented, the ability to measure using a cursor and support for displaying on power graphs, in addition to voltage and current.
- Implemented 4 new types of simulation: pole-zero, noise, S-parameter and FFT. Added support for defining your own signals, allowing you to plot expressions such as βV(/in) - V(/out)β. It is now possible to display operating points with simulation results on a diagram.
- In the PCB editor, it is now possible to move several footprints at once along with the traces attached to them.
- The tool has been completely redesigned to work with length adjustment templates. Templates are now objects that, once placed on the board, can be selected, changed, and deleted.
- The PCB Editor has added the ability to attach graphic shapes, such as lines and rectangles, to a circuit (previously, graphic shapes were drawn on top of the pad, separate from electrically connected objects).
- The PCB Editor has expanded the Properties sidebar, providing access to various properties of selected objects. In fields with property values, it is possible to use mathematical expressions.
- The interface for viewing the 3D layout of the board has been redesigned. Added visibility presets and the ability to save camera position.
Source: opennet.ru