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KiCad 9.0 Released

kicad.org

11–16 of 16 posts

Re: KiCad 9.0 Released

#11

Oh to be a fly on the wall at Altium HQ today. So many impactful features and improvements in one release on such a short cycle. Multiple channel layout and the schematic blocks are by themselves a huge chunk of the remaining lead the paid packages had.

Oh man, I agree with this so much. I used to tell people that if their budget for PCB tools was less than $1k, just use KiCad. I think I might have to increase that number....

The big one, not really given a lot of fanfare in the post, is ODB++ export! This is one feature that would keep people stuck on Altium. Not only does this mean you can easily use US based fabricators who require it, but you can also feed your design into simulation tools that don't easily read Gerber.

Re: KiCad 9.0 Released

#12

Oh to be a fly on the wall at Altium HQ today. So many impactful features and improvements in one release on such a short cycle. Multiple channel layout and the schematic blocks are by themselves a huge chunk of the remaining lead the paid packages had.

Altium is a very litigious company. A friend of mine got alarming legal letters for breach of contract by using Altium outside of the registered address range.

I was considering moving to it as my projects become more advanced and demanding, but after hearing that story I wont be.

Re: KiCad 9.0 Released

#14
post #7

Total noob question: if I am to buy a 3D printer, would KiCad be useful to draw things to print there? What FOSS software that runs on Linux is used to do 3d prints?

For designing new models to 3D print, you have several open-source options. But all of them come with pretty big caveats: - FreeCAD: The closest to a real OSS parametric CAD package for making functional parts. But it is a very frustrating tool to use compared to, say, the free-to-use personal version of Autodesk Fusion. - Blender: Great for making artistic designs to print, but not really suitable for CAD work. Ther…

This is a good summary. SolidWorks does have a lower cost license for makers/hobbyists for personal use but it’s a little difficult to find from their main marketing pages.

https://www.solidworks.com/solution/solidworks-makers

Re: KiCad 9.0 Released

#15

Total noob question: if I am to buy a 3D printer, would KiCad be useful to draw things to print there? What FOSS software that runs on Linux is used to do 3d prints?

for 3d design, consider FreeCAD or Blender

DigiKey just released a number of videos about using FreeCAD 1.0 as there have been a number of features that have made it easier to use. (the first few talk just about 3D printers)

https://youtu.be/Kwh-8SM3wtI

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