KiCad is an open-source software suite for electronic design automation (EDA). It is used for designing schematics of electronic circuits and creating printed circuit board (PCB) layouts. KiCad provides tools for capturing schematics, designing PCBs, and generating manufacturing files.
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Software like Fusion are integrating electronics and mechanical design. FreeCAD as open source not behind this propriety software. KiCAD one of the best software to design the circuit board can be integrated with FreeCAD with a macro available on GitHub.
KiCad StepUp tools are a FreeCAD Macro and a FreeCAD Workbench to help in Mechanical Collaboration between KiCad EDA and FreeCAD or a Mechanical CAD.
KiCad StepUp features:
- Load kicad board and parts in FreeCAD and export it to STEP (or IGES) for a full ECAD MCAD collaboration
- Load kicad_mod footprint in FreeCAD to easy and precisely align the mechanical model to kicad footprint
- Convert the STEP 3D model of parts, board, enclosure to VRML with Materials properties for the best use in kicad
- Check interference and collisions for enclosure and footprint design
- Design a new PCB Edge with FreeCAD Sketcher and PUSH it to an existing kicad_pcb Board
- PULL a PCB Edge from a kicad_pcb Board, edit it in FC Sketcher and PUSH it back to kicad
- Design a new footprint in FreeCAD to get the power of Sketch in footprints
- Generate Blender compatible VRML files
you can design circuit board with KiCAD and your board enclosure with FreeCAD with the help of macro user can load KiCad board and components into FreeCAD and export them as a STEP file. In recent time KiCAD got lots of attention from electronic community. It is one of the best circuit board design tool before releasing for production.
Download KiCAD Setup Cheat Sheet.
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