Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
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Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
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Re: Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
#2This should be a good release, although this particular article could probably be edited down to 50% of its size without losing any information :-).
One of the things that KiCAD is doing to making a legitimate open framework for eCAD design. Not surprisingly, back in the 80's when the "CAD Framework Initiative" started up and everyone was going to be able to mix and match CAD components a bunch of CAD vendors got scared and inundated the standards effort with people whose job was to derail the effort. They were successful.
In the years following, any time a CAD package that was "free" or low price became reasonably competitive, one of the existing CAD vendors would buy out the developers and quietly smother it or turn it into a feeder for their "real" product.
That KiCAD has lasted this long is pretty cool. I suspect it has enough momentum that it cannot be stopped now but I'm still expecting interference from the big CAD vendor types.
Re: Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
#3This should be a good release, although this particular article could probably be edited down to 50% of its size without losing any information :-). One of the things that KiCAD is doing to making a legitimate open framework for eCAD design. Not surprisingly, back in the 80's when the "CAD Framework Initiative" started up and everyone was going to be able to mix and match CAD components a bunch of CAD vendors got sca…
You’re seeing too much conspiracies.
CAD is hard, and it’s very hard to displace the incumbents, for the same reason that is hard to change programming languages, people have too much tied up in the old option.
Most of the free/open source alternatives were built by part providers (Mouser, Farnell,..). The objective was clear, if your CAD has direct links to your site, this will probably make you the default provider. It was a good plan, until they realized how hard CAD really is. After burning tones of cash, they sold them for pennies on the dollar to the only people that wanted them, companies like Autodesk that think they can make them financially viable.
I’ve been waiting for this release for quite some time, KiCAD is powerful enough, but I found KiCAD 5 very non-ergonomic, and supposedly KiCAD 6 has a better UI.
Re: Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
#4I was a KiCAD user until they dropped support for the auto-router. They apparently had some dispute with the developer of the auto-router, and took out auto-router integration. (Yeah, there's some hack to make it still work, maybe.)
I have an old board I'd like to revise slightly, but it's too much work and risk to convert to the new "interactive" (i.e. manual) routing system.
Re: Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
#5I was a KiCAD user until they dropped support for the auto-router. They apparently had some dispute with the developer of the auto-router, and took out auto-router integration. (Yeah, there's some hack to make it still work, maybe.) I have an old board I'd like to revise slightly, but it's too much work and risk to convert to the new "interactive" (i.e. manual) routing system.
Was the autorouter ever embedded into KiCAD?
According to this : https://freerouting.org/freerouting/using-with-kicad it should still work as it did long time ago.
What I do remember is that the author of freerouting.org was harassed by his (former?) employer.
Re: Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
#6I was a KiCAD user until they dropped support for the auto-router. They apparently had some dispute with the developer of the auto-router, and took out auto-router integration. (Yeah, there's some hack to make it still work, maybe.) I have an old board I'd like to revise slightly, but it's too much work and risk to convert to the new "interactive" (i.e. manual) routing system.
I have manufactured a lot of boards with kicad, and have used the auto router exactly once.
You can still use the old auto router, you just have to do it manually (export, route, import).
Re: Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
#7This should be a good release, although this particular article could probably be edited down to 50% of its size without losing any information :-). One of the things that KiCAD is doing to making a legitimate open framework for eCAD design. Not surprisingly, back in the 80's when the "CAD Framework Initiative" started up and everyone was going to be able to mix and match CAD components a bunch of CAD vendors got sca…
You’re seeing too much conspiracies. CAD is hard, and it’s very hard to displace the incumbents, for the same reason that is hard to change programming languages, people have too much tied up in the old option. Most of the free/open source alternatives were built by part providers (Mouser, Farnell,..). The objective was clear, if your CAD has direct links to your site, this will probably make you the default provider…
I think kicad 5 was meant to fix the library mess while kicad 6 is supposed to focus on UX.
It was sold to me as "what blender did last time", which is music to my ears.
Re: Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
#8Some past threads, for the curious:
Real-time Netlisting in KiCad [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27367414 - June 2021 (27 comments)
Making a Timelapse of your PCB design in KiCad - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22355847 - Feb 2020 (9 comments)
KiCad Joins Linux Foundation to Advance Electronic Design Automation - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21619542 - Nov 2019 (49 comments)
Why open hardware needs open software - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21388220 - Oct 2019 (29 comments)
KiCad 5.1.0 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19456152 - March 2019 (35 comments)
Start with Kicad – Schematic Diagram - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18969124 - Jan 2019 (2 comments)
KiCad 5 – A New Generation - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17594677 - July 2018 (2 comments)
Convert your KiCAD boards into nice looking 2D pinout diagrams - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14122958 - April 2017 (1 comment)
How to translate your Eagle libraries to KiCad - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13573567 - Feb 2017 (1 comment)
KiCad: A commitment to freedom - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12713089 - Oct 2016 (83 comments)
Tutorial On Designing/Building A PCB (Using FOSS) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11670498 - May 2016 (41 comments)
KiCad 4.0.0 is Out - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10676514 - Dec 2015 (37 comments)
Design for Assembly in KiCad - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8399815 - Oct 2014 (11 comments)
KiCad videos released - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8153324 - Aug 2014 (10 comments)
KiCAD a Free and Open Source EDA Tool - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=315852 - Sept 2008 (1 comment)
Re: Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
#9This should be a good release, although this particular article could probably be edited down to 50% of its size without losing any information :-). One of the things that KiCAD is doing to making a legitimate open framework for eCAD design. Not surprisingly, back in the 80's when the "CAD Framework Initiative" started up and everyone was going to be able to mix and match CAD components a bunch of CAD vendors got sca…
I think the simpler explanation is that good PCB CAD tools are extremely difficult and require a lot of developer effort.
KiCAD is very good for an open-source tool that can produce basic PCBs. However, modern paid CAD tools are on a different level entirely. The differences may not be obvious for simple boards with low speed connections, but it’s a world of difference to use one of the high end CAD tools on a complex board with high speed traces.
KiCAD has recently reached a point where I feel like I can execute most of the designs I want with enough effort expenditure, but the paid tools still make certain tasks much faster and easier.
Re: Kicad 6: new feature review for open source EDA tool
#10I was a KiCAD user until they dropped support for the auto-router. They apparently had some dispute with the developer of the auto-router, and took out auto-router integration. (Yeah, there's some hack to make it still work, maybe.) I have an old board I'd like to revise slightly, but it's too much work and risk to convert to the new "interactive" (i.e. manual) routing system.
As you say, it's interactive (with push and shove routing), not manual. Manual routing is what e.g. EAGLE had for most of its life, where you have to draw every single piece of a trace manually and every conflict meant removing (ripping up) the already routed tracks.